9

The next morning started with nine cups of hot chocolate filled with half-melted miniature marshmallows. Marith woke up last and joined the group in the kitchen to choose from a wide arrange of colourful cereal to pour milk over.

“Wow, so many,” she uttered, while still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“We all brought a box,” Kyle said.

“Oh,” Marith looked shocked, “I didn’t… I am so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Vanessa calmed her. “We too much as it is anyway. What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

“Something like oatmeal or yoghurt…”

“Yeah, can’t help you with that healthy crap,” Brad snickered. “Just pick one of these.” He gestured at the display of artificial flavours and colourings.

They all filled a bowl with a balanced mix of all available options and took their breakfast outside. The kitchen gave access to a veranda at the seaside of the house. It was surrounded by massive wooden beams and seemed more like an extension of the house than an outdoor area.

They took place in the many bear chairs standing criss-cross on the wooden flooring and let the elements do their refreshing work. Nobody bothered to fire up the heaters.

The house was situated on higher terrain which allowed them to see far and wide. As they faced the grandiose view the Pacific Ocean provided them with a sweet smell of freedom wafted around the Pupils.

Some patches of mist lingered above the calm water and around the lonely, odd rocks that protruded from the ocean. The watery, autumn sunlight, however, carried promises for a brighter day.

“This… is what we came for,” Vanessa shared thoughtful as she closed her eyes so the gaining sunlight could reach even her eyelids.

No, it isn’t, Marith thought. She was suddenly reminded of a previous conversation about this trip.

“Kyle,” Marith started, not sure whether this would be the right time, “I heard you brought something for us?” She put her empty breakfast bowl on the floor and continued with the hot chocolate that was handed to her earlier.

“Yes,” he answered with a slight frown. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Dr. Sybling told me about the clockworks that can shield us from the Kid and his anchor.”

“Since when are you besties with dr. Sybling?”

“Gene is committed to the clinic, Kyle,” Vanessa reminded him tersely. “Dr. Sybling is his doctor.”

“Oh, yeah, I knew that… and I am sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Marith answered, still waiting.

“Tonight, okay? We will get to it. Don’t worry.”

She nodded and was intercepted by a meaningful look from Jonathan. Marith figured he must have had more or less the same conversation with Dr. Sybling if he had visited his parents as well, before joining the trip.

From the veranda the pebbles on the beach seemed to have lost their colour, like the rocks on the shoreline of Sweet Lake, but when they initiated their hike they could discern the harmony of colours that was the Oregon coast. The rocks and pebbles carried hues of colours ranging from jade green to sienna brown and from teal blue to a silvery grey.

Hulking rocks formed sharp and craggy islands by which the waves of the sea were split. Chunks of driftwood crowned the shore like expensive jewels. They walked the thin line of sand, between the salt water and the rocks, to pick up the pace and spare their feet and ankles. The mauve outfit Marith was wearing almost omitted her against the natural backdrop.

A pair of nosy black birds with seemingly white legs and vermillion coloured beaks were chattily running around them.

“Will,” Amber started, pointed at the birds, “what are those?”

“Black oystercatchers,” Will answered. He was holding hands with Lisa, as they strolled along the shoreline. “But they mainly eat mussels and limpets, not oysters,” he continued.

“Will was the nerdiest boy scout of the tri-lake area,” Brad teasingly informed Marith.

“That is where we met, but I can’t say any of it rubbed off on you,” Will called him out.

“Hey, I am street smart. That counts for something!”

“Not if you have to say it about yourself.” Vanessa laughed.

Marith stared at the pewter sky, realizing this group had history she had no idea about. Her mother had dragged her and her sister back to Europe in their early teens and she had been unable to get to know her peers in and around Sweet Lake better.

She noticed a pair of bald eagles using a thermal bubble to move higher and higher in a graceful and well-coordinated whirl.

“Do you think the Birdman would follow us here?” She asked Vanessa in a hushed tone.

Marith looked up at the trees on the higher terrain to their right. Despite the rosy, sunlit weather the range of trees cast sinister shadows amongst each other. It was not unthinkable he was lurking in there, waiting for another chance.

“No, I am fairly positive he won’t. We are too far out of Sweet Lake right now. The Kid’s body is there and I suspect he needs to stay around his master.”

“Don’t you think he wants another shot at us?”

“They are probably waiting for the Kid to awaken right now, before they undertake another attempt.” Brad had overheard Marith’s concern.

Her stomach turned as that sank in. “So Jonathan and I are fair game again as soon as the Kid is… among us?”

“Honestly?” Vanessa sighed. “We don’t really know, but I don’t think so, since we would all be potential targets if that’s the case.”

“No Rebirthed member has ever been assaulted by that thing, so don’t worry too much about it,” Brad attempted to ease her mind.

The rest of the afternoon they spend strolling alongside the shore, hiking trails parallel to the beach, having lunch in a nearby village and pottering around in little shops. William bought some fishing gear in a bait and tackle shop, the girls checked out some places that sold locally crafted souvenirs without actually buying anything and they all repatriated in front of a book store.

Lisa seemed to be missing and since William was sharing his newest purchases with the group - Marith wasn’t that invested in fishing - she let her eyes wander around the street.

“She’s inside.” Brad nodded towards the store.

“Thanks.” Marith smiled. His talent was quite handy. She just hadn’t realized it was always on.

“Do you always know where we are or do you have to pick someone and concentrate?”

“I can kind of always feel where the Pupils are without effort, like in a lucid dream. People that aren’t Rebirthed yet or that don’t belong to the group at all are more straining to locate. It helps if I have met the person before or when I have previously seen the object I am looking for.”

Marith nodded at his elaborate answer. “Pretty neat,” she said.

“It sure is, but it can be tiresome as well. We are together now, but when everybody is moving around like pawns in a board game a part of my brain is always working on that, processing their movements.”

Their conversation had become somewhat isolated from the rest of the group. Marith hopped from one leg to the other with her hands deep in the pockets of her coat. She stared up at Brad, straight into his eyes, something she rarely did.

“Last night…”

“Shhhj,” he hastily interrupted her, with big eyes. “Guys, we are going to see if Lisa is ready to go.”

Some of them nodded and luckily nobody was inclined to follow them inside. Kyle was giving the group a mockery of the most annoying clients that came by the clock store. Jonathan and William concurred about the peeves of working in retail.

“What is it?” Marith asked after she was pulled by her sleeve between carousels displaying postcards and cabinets filled with books.

She knew that if she didn’t get an answer out of Brad she would keep searching for the thrill and excitement she experienced last night for a long time, probably in vain. He seemed to realize that.

“That was very stupid of him… to come and see you.”

“Who was that? Did he come for me?”

“That was the one Prophet you haven’t met yet,” Brad hesitated. “Yes, he came for you. He was one of the first ones to join the Chain and his triangle isn’t complete yet.”

Marith thought about that for a brief moment, then cocked her head. “You mean…?”

“Yeah, that was your Prophet. You are very likely going to be his Mage.”

“That’s amazing,” Marith let out, breathless.

“Did you see him? Up close?” Brad inquired, ignoring her enthusiasm.

“No, not really. It was dark and we were interrupted by Jonathan. Why?”

“No reason.” He shrugged and scanned their surroundings to make sure nobody overheard them.

“When do I, you know, meet him again, officially?”

“After your Rebirth Juliette will arrange for you to be connected to him. When the Runner is also connected to both of you your triangle will be completed.”

“When will my Rebirth be? It’s no big deal, right? You can do it any time?” Marith was fishing about this elusive Rebirth she kept hearing about.

“I don’t really get to decide that,” Brad admitted.

“Rebirths happen when the opportunity presents itself,” a light voice behind her rang.

Marith abruptly turned around to face Lisa. The blonde student was leaning against a cabinet with a heavy book under her arm.

“Oh.” Marith had to mull over that cryptic answer for a little bit.

Lisa seemed to feel some sort of apprehension for her, or for the look on her face, and tried to clarify herself. “Don’t worry about it. When the circumstances are right the decision to Rebirth you will be made and Vanessa will be there for you.”

Marith wished people would stop telling her to not worry about things when her life was being turned over, but she decided to give it a rest. It wasn’t that she was out of questions to ask, she was out of energy to deal with the answers.

Lisa paid for her book, had it wrapped, shoved it deep into her backpack and they joined the group outside. The air was getting chilly. In the twilight they headed to the house to shower and to cook dinner.

William walked up front with Kyle and Jonathan. Vanessa, Juliette and Amber wandered behind them and Lisa, Brad and Marith closed the ranks. Marith couldn’t imagine the guys up front were still talking about fishing of dealing with difficult customers, but then she had difficulty conceiving of any topic men could be discussing amongst each other.

“What kind of book did you buy?” Marith asked Lisa.

“It’s a gift for William. He likes to spot birds and he wanted this book that is out of print. I searched it online and found out this little store had it. I put a reservation on it, before we came here. I snuck away when he was bedazzled by the fishing gear in the bait shop.” She lovingly giggled at his hobbies.

“I figured it was for college,” Brad joined in.

Lisa gave him a twisted look. “Why on earth would they sell books for Philosophy majors there?”

Brad raised his arms apologetically. “I don’t know. I never went to college.”

“You study Philosophy?” Marith asked enlivened.

“Yeah, pretty pointless, right?”

“No, not at all! I think it’s marvellous.”

Brad wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

“Don’t ask me what I am going to do with that piece of paper once I graduate, because I just don’t know.” Lisa chuckled anxiously.

“I don’t think that’s important right now,” Marith started. “Do you like what you do?”

“I love what I do.”

“Just being content with what you do and where you are is underrated. Simply being happy is depreciated, but I think that’s very important to become even remotely successful. Let’s be real, you have to have feeling with your discipline to excel in it and it clearly suits you as a person.”

“Wow, thank you,” Lisa answered surprised and grateful. “I really needed that. The amount of critique I get when I discuss what I study… it’s unbelievable.”

“Oh, I know,” Marith replied, kicking a loose stone in the sand towards its friends.

Marith was relieved Lisa didn’t ask about her educational situation. Maybe she had heard about it already and didn’t want to put her through the humiliation of having to share her failures again. She had been talked about, before returning to Sweet Lake, so much had become clear. Maybe Lisa’s mind was occupied by visions and prophecies, maybe she could only think about William. Whatever the reason was, Marith appreciated it.

The humiliation of not being able to stand on her own two feet even though she had a brilliant IQ, marketable skills and a decent job in the Netherlands was a heavy and embarrassing mental burden. This weekend was all about not being reminded of that.

A restless, cold wind was playing with their hair and clothes and they could hear the waves crashing on the shore. The darkness had emerged fast and they relied on the moon, the visible stars and some smartphone flashlights to navigate. Luckily he way back seemed to be shorter, but that might have been because they knew the length of the hike now.

Soon they could see the lights that surrounded the mansion, towering high above the shoreline, like torches encircling a stronghold. Brad had put them on when they had left earlier that day, which turned out to be a smart pre-emptive measure. The place was pretty far removed from any other residences and they might have strolled past it in the dark.

Teamwork put the risotto with vegetables, accompanied by the salmon, on the table in record time. Jonathan and Kyle got to light the fires the second night. Brad and William were put to work in the kitchen, where Amber and Vanessa oversaw the quality of their work, intervening in a clamour of disapproval when necessary. Marith and Lisa laid the table, while Juliette grated the cheese and took care of the drinks.

After a day of hiking, shopping and facing the outside world in general the dinner was consumed in half the time it had taken to prepare it and they ended up in front of the blazing fire in the living area, before any of them realized their weekend of freedom was almost over.

Maybe this trip was about being away from parents for some, being away from trauma for others. For Marith being away from the darkness of Sweet Lake turned out to be a nice break. She felt as if she could think more clearly. There seemed to be less worried buzzing in the back of her mind, less humming of negative, unproductive internal voices.

They sat drowsily scattered over the plain of mattresses, leaning against the surrounding couches, between layers of pillows and blankets. The cold outside, the heavy meal and the warm fire had made them rosy.

“Desert anyone?” Juliette asked, emerging from the kitchen with a platter filled with contents Marith couldn’t make out yet.

“Hadn’t even noticed you had left,” Amber yawned and stretched out her arms. She had succeeded in ending up next to Brad this time. He was staring into the fire with his arms crossed and a dull look on his face.

“Oh, ‘s mores,” Will perched himself up against the couch when he got a clear sight of the plate Juliette carried over.

Lisa shook her head and poked his chubby torso through his green vest. Will stopped her by intercepting her hands and carefully holding them in his until desert arrived.

Juliette handed steal pins, probably meant as meat skewers, and napkins and let the plate go round. It was filled by big, fluffy marshmallows, sweet crackers and milk chocolate bars.

‘s Mores were one of the very few American snacks Marith had missed in Europe. She carefully took a marshmallow, two crackers and a bar of chocolate and made a display on the napkin in her lap.

Vanessa and Juliette positioned themselves around the fireplace, where Brad already sat. They took everybody’s pin and held them in the heat of the flames until the white, sugary clouds melted to perfection, before passing them around again.

They ate in silence. Kyle, being a growing teenager, finished his in no time and jumped over the couch to go through his luggage, while Marith was still enjoying the sweetness of her desert.

Sucking the sugar off her sticky fingers in vain she peeked past the massive furniture, realized what he was looking for and made eye contact with Jonathan. He noticed and she nodded towards the rumbling and mumbling that came from the foot of the stairs where most of their luggage had found its destination.

Kyle returned with two little, purple bags made out of velvet and tied with golden ribbons. Their initials were embroidered in the fabric with gold wire. Marith received her gift with eagerness.

She opened the bag and examined its contents for several uncomfortable moments, until realizing she was given the most useless timepiece she had ever laid eyes on. Marith stared at a plain clockwork and realized it had no dancing, swirling, glittering clouds, nor interesting moving objects, wheels and trundles inside. It was smaller than the one she had seen Vanessa use and didn’t seem to tick or indicate anything remotely important.

“It's not for timekeeping,” Kyle told her when he saw her disturbed look.

“I hope not,” she joked in return. For a moment she was surprised at her own lightness.

The dysfunctional watch had an old fashioned chain hooked to it. Marith put it around her neck with some hesitance.

“You can't wear it like that. It will be too obvious. Put it in a pocket.”

“What do we do with them?” Jonathan asked, examining his clockwork.

“Nothing yet. These will simply shrouds you from our enemies.”

“I’ve seen Vanessa’s one,” Marith started with a playful tone. “This one doesn’t look as cool.”

She saw Brad snicker without tearing his eyes away from the flames.

“Once you formally join us,” Kyle said, “you will receive another one. A clockwork that contains a pearl and a diamond and that is crafted out of gold or white gold.”

“Oh, here comes Kyle’s speech again!” Brad suddenly slapped his leg in feigned anticipation.

Amber stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar. Marith wished Lisa would close it for her, but Lisa was leaning back in William’s arms, staring at the flames.

“First of all, it is the only history lesson you will ever need. And second of all, this is the last time you have to hear it.” He pointed at Jonathan and Marith. “They are the last two to join the Chain.”

Marith had a secret admiration for the way Kyle kept himself standing among the older men. He must have been the youngest of the group, together with Amber. She remembered she didn’t have that kind of self-assurance and bravado at that age, only to remind herself she still didn’t possess it and that it might never come to her at this point in her life.

“The recent Oracles and Watchmakers have cycles, but the First Ones didn’t. They were immortal, just like the Kid, or so they thought.”

“Why is he even called the Kid?” Jonathan interrupted him.

“I am surprised this question didn’t come sooner,” William mumbled, while scanning the living room for the plate holding the ingredients to another ‘s more.

“You bombarded us with the most inconceivable clarification for various disasters. Calling a centuries old, undead being ‘the Kid’ was the least bizarre thing I heard that afternoon,” Jonathan remarked.

“Looking for this?” Amber passed the plate back to William with a faint smile.

“Quiet, people! I am about to embark on a magnificent tale with you guys. Our Genesis, so to speak.” Kyle perked himself up at the centre of the group and started talking. Everybody turned around until they more or less faced each other in a circle.

“In the beginning there were three. A woman, fair as pearls, with a vision stretching far beyond any imagination. A man, more valuable than gold, shaping our world with his cleverness. And their child, though as a diamond, unique as life itself, connecting his parents’ talents through time and space.

“A Prophet, a Mage and a Runner, brought forward by the Well. The Web, moulded by the man, allowed by the Well, would ensure the ethereal freedom of all the Well’s creatures.

“The man, a Watchmaker by profession, built his wife a stronghold, so she would be safe from the distractions that the human era entailed. As the accumulation of all visions the Well’s creatures conceived she would be able to see the future take form forehanded. Sharing that information with her husband he knew what was required to maintain and support the Web and warrant the freedom of mankind.

“Their son would run between their two worlds to ensure their unity. Carrying her prophecies and his response back and forth, keeping both his parents safe and guarantee the future of humanity, while receiving messages of his own. A powerful position for a young man,” Kyle continued with an ominous undertone.

“All three were immortal, or so they thought. They might have been immortal, but not invincible by a creature just as strong.

“As time moves from order to disorder the diamond thought he was strong enough to pulverize the pearl and mould the gold. Which urged First Oracle to turn her most clear visions into prophecies and hide them from her son.

“The Kid was running visions to his father, shrouded in mist. Underestimating their son’s growing potential his parents communicated through him, but not with him.

“One day, as the Kid travelled towards his mother’s dimension to collect a message for his father, his intentions were not so pure. He had grown envious towards the freedom of the humans in the Web he was serving and protecting. When could he experience such liberty and lightness? Why didn’t he have a say in the course the Web was taking? He didn’t share the dutiful stance his parents had taken towards the Web or the Well anymore.”

“Why not?” Marith asked.

“He wanted a normal life. Filled with freedom, joy and happiness, not with duties and plights,” Brad answered, before giving the floor back to Kyle.

“Running back to his father, after his heinous act of matricide, a special place in the Web was crafted for him. The Empty. Shaping a place so dark and disconsolate had taken its toll. First Watchmaker was weakened to such an extend it wasn’t even a fair fight anymore. He was murdered by his son, before he could imprison his mind.

“The Kid was never given this much power by the Well. He had taken what wasn’t allowed to be taken. In order to survive he had to gather energy. Receiving information from a free Web wasn’t important any longer, since it didn’t provide him with enough vigour to survive. The forces of nature had been whacked out of balance. Taking energy by influencing the Web became his means to survive. Humans were no longer free.

“To find a solution for this hungry being the Well showered Earth with asteroids. Several for each continent, to create the Hotspots that could bring forth humans who would be able to make a difference.

“Over time these humans united and rebelled. The groups of people strong enough to free themselves from the mental oppression of the Kid formed Chains. One for each continent, one around each Hotspot. Each Chain contained twelve members. Four Prophets, four Mages and four Runners to fight for the freedom of mankind, the way the Well had intended. And so these inhumans were born from humans. Rebirthed into half-gods to protect and sustain the Web.

“The Well provided nature with a new Watchmaker and a new Oracle and an Armsmaker, a Potionmaker and a Keymaker fighting by their side. However, the Kid, the last of his immortal kind, had no natural enemies anymore and therefor nobody has ever been able to kill him. All they could do to be free was to put the Kid in his mental prison where he remains ever since.

“To this day the ultimate aim of the Kid is to regain power. One of his mother’s prophecies stated that when the cycles of Oracle and Watchmaker renew simultaneously the Empty will be momentarily weak enough for the Kid to escape.”

“And we are at that point in time right now?” Jonathan asked wearily, still holding his clockwork.

“More or less,” Kyle said, wobbling his head to indicate it is all based on estimations. “Oracle, Watchmaker, the Elders… their lifespans are much longer than that of ordinary humans. A decade means nothing to them, but is a long time for most creatures in the Web.”

“So…” Marith started thoughtful. “When you say it like this I sense that the Kid could awaken tonight, but also five years from now.”

“Yeah,” Kyle nodded hesitant, “Oracle and Watchmaker both need to be replaced since their cycles have come to an end simultaneously, but that doesn’t mean they will both find their successor in the same month or even in the same year. One of them could be replaced right now and the other one after I finish college, for instance.”

“When the Kid does come, how will we know when he is awake?”

“There is a justifiable and increasing consensus that we might not be able to know at all when he arises. Everything around the Kid and his actions is vague and shrouded. That is how he was designed.” It came from Vanessa who had been silent for most of the night, not to steal Kyle’s thunder. “Of course, we have seen an increase in mental problems and poverty in the area. That will probably continue and spread, but for now I couldn’t tell you what else we can expect.”

“The Prophets can feel when certain events are coming, but the resurrection of the Kid will likely not be one of those things,” Lisa added superfluous. “We don’t know what he will call himself after his awakening. That is why we keep it at the Kid for the time being, but he will probably adopt an alias that is appropriate for this time and age.”

“If the Kid comes to us in his human form, will he still be able to, you know, attack us from a distance again?” Jonathan asked with a worried undertone.

“Yeah, what exactly are his capabilities after his awakening?” William tuned in.

“The Kid likely possesses quite a wide arrange of tricks, being the First Runner and all,” Kyle started, “but he will probably lose his abilities to attack people with reflections of his mind. All his energy will go into maintaining his human form in this dimension.”

“Will he have access to the Web, when he gets to our dimension?” Marith wondered.

“Yes, he will be part of it, but he won’t control it right away,” Vanessa answered. “His anchor will feed him and make him more powerful and keep him grounded in this dimension, but he can’t use our communications, if that is what you are asking. The triangles have a closed information circuit.”

“So he can’t see the visions of our Prophets?”

“He might be a Runner, but he’s not a Mage or a Prophet. So, he has no way of looking into the distant future on his own,” Juliette clarified. “He or his anchor would have to come very close to us and reveal themselves to break into our communications.”

“We predict that they will both stay below the surface of our attention until a new Oracle or Watchmaker are found or will present themselves,” Brad mused.

“How will we know when there is a new Oracle or a new Watchmaker to take over the reins from his or her predecessor?”

“Well, there are a few rules to go by,” Vanessa answered. “Very likely they will reveal themselves or will be found around a Hotspot. They will hopefully be recognised by their peers or Elders and then it is their duty to present them to Oracle.”

“We can only hope the other Chains find them before the Birdman or the Kid do,” Juliette added.

“Wait,” Jonathan frowned. “What would they want with the successors?”

“The goal of the Kid is not to just simply torment mankind,” Amber shared with an affable tinge.

“I got that…” Jonathan retorted to elicit a further explanation.

“In his mental form he can only exist in the Empty forever. A later Watchmaker adapted the fabric of our reality so that his body can’t survive here for long. If he wants his physical form he will need a constant flow of energy, hence the Birdman,” Kyle informed patiently.

“The Kid will want to be able to survive in our dimension again. In order to do this the Elders expect him to attempt to kidnap the new Oracle or Watchmaker, whichever is found first, for leverage.

“Then he is in a position to bribe himself into Oracle’s world to force her to share her visions or to force Watchmaker to make this dimension suitable for him. Depending on which successor is found first he will act and scheme accordingly.”

“But how would they be able to find a new Oracle or Watchmaker if they don’t have a Chain for support? You just explained the Kid can’t see the future,” Marith brought in.

“Very clever,” Brad tore his gaze away from the dancing flames to look at her. “That means he will use us the same way we used his attacks to find you and Jonathan.”

Marith nodded and swallowed with difficulty. This turned out to be a race with high stakes.

“The Kid is a Runner that wasn’t born yesterday. Travelling insanely fast isn’t his only endowment. He possesses great insights and strategies. Since he is the First Runner his capabilities will reach beyond those of our Runners. Make no mistake, if we find a successor we have to vouch for that person’s safety immediately,” Juliette warned.

“Would the Kid really be able to rule the Web by himself?” Marith fought back the panicked pitch that seemed to have come from her throat.

“Who knows?”

“Let’s not find out whether or not he’s capable of that.”

“We know the Kid’s goals, but what is our goal exactly? You said he needs to be stopped after he awakens. Do we kill him? Can we kill him?”

“He was captured by a Chain, just like us, back then.”

“Since he is an immortal it is impossible for us to kill him. We need to separate his spirit from his body and send him back to the Empty.”

“The First Ones were, of course, murdered. That makes the Kid the only immortal in our world right now. He has no natural enemies as we speak.”

“How did the last Chain succeed?”

“Mentality, strength and strategy,” Brad shrugged, “the usual.”

“Yeah, sure, the usual,” Marith snorted sarcastically.

“When the Chain is completed it resonates with the Web and it will fully function. Before this has happened we are no match for the Kid,” Lisa emphasized, looking around the circle. “If you do bump into him at whatever occasion don’t agitate him or take him on by yourself.”

“That might just be what he wants,” Brad added, “because then the Chain is broken and we are no nuisance to him anymore.”

Time passed quicker than Marith had become used to. She felt as if she had found her tribe. The whole weekend had turned out to be a pretty amazing slumber party.

When depressed all the time the lows are very low and almost constant. The highs on the other hand felt extremely high. The sad thing is that those highs might be another person’s normal, but Marith wasn’t picky. She didn’t take those highs for granted and felt quite euphoric returning from the cabin at the shore.

After bringing back the mansion to the neat state they had found it in on Friday night, by lugging the matrasses upstairs again and vigorously cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, they had closed the front doors behind them to get going on the four hour drive home.

For logistical reasons Marith ended up in Kyle’s van on the way back as well. This time Amber had taken Vanessa’s place. Brad would drive Jonathan and Vanessa back to the Bellevue building, before dropping off Juliette at her apartment above the local bar.

Trips like this reminded Marith that travelling and socializing might drain her from energy, but that no person is made to live at home or stay static in one place. She was born to undertake things, even if those things seemed scary.

Her intentions had always been to see and do things. Being held back by anxiety and fears that felt rational, but probably weren’t, she had found herself in her early twenties locked up in an apartment she didn’t own playing her cello. She wanted to live her life care free. She wanted to be careless, reckless even, and enjoy it.

Daydreaming about how she needed to participate in her own life to experience it to the fullest she realized she had no clue on where to begin or how to take back control over the path she was on. A growing sentiment that her fate was sealed by the choices she hadn’t made, was creeping up on her and was eating away at the frivolous feelings she had tasted before.

There was something about countless trees flashing by a driving vehicle, the calming colours of nature and Kyle’s music selection that slowly pushed her into the deep, dim, unconscious fragments of her existence.

An elongated, shiny, fat cigar on wheels swiftly soughed through the rain. The wheels of the car that was towing the aerodynamic recreational home were barely touching the asphalt. The driver was on his way back. He felt skittish, but also full. He had seen the light. There was hope for him, for his future. He had met the guardian that was promised to him. He knew he had so much to give and was now sure that someone out there was going to receive it.

Marith’s head was resting on her folded winter coat, clenched between her shoulder and the window of the van. She barely registered the crackling of candy wrappers or the murmur of the other passengers and continued her mental travels through time and space.

The road was mostly empty. Due to the mediocre weather and the fact that it was a Sunday morning most people were probably spending their quality time inside. Slightly surprised she was in the backseat of a spacious American car with the Pacific Ocean in the distance on her left she leaned forward between the two front seats. The sea had been on her right mere moments ago.

Cruising through a town that consisted of six streets at most they drove past older, poorly maintained houses in various colours, surrounded by malnourished lawns and shabby looking electricity poles. They neared an intersection where a timber lorry was waiting for a red light.

She slyly looked at the driver. It was a young man, maybe three or four years older than she was. He had a distinct posture, with soft features. She checked out he visible parts of him, without sensing the urge to disturb him. She just wanted to observe him, not interrupting the train of thought he was clearly invested in.

His firm shoulders and neck morphed into a full head of thick, but short, curly hair. Judging by the shape and size of his torso she expected him to be medium high and not overly athletic. He was wearing a dark blue wax coat and underneath a mustard coloured turtleneck that washed him out in the unfortunate combination with his skin tone. What was just as mesmerizing as his sensitive contour was his manly smell. It was as fresh and mature as the nature they were surrounded by.

The car had just come to a full stop behind the logging truck when the traffic lights switched to green. Waves of alarming premonitions were beaming off the tree trunks in front of them. Marith tore her attention away from the enchanting driver and forced herself to focus on what was in front of them. The inconceivable ways of the Web showed her what it was that he was thinking about so deeply.

She glanced at the rear-view mirror right into familiar and tormented eyes the moment the tree trunks swooped into the car. For one glorious fraction of a second nothing but their interconnectedness existed. She then woke up with a blow in the back of Kyle’s van.

Not at all coincidental the nightmare continued, backed up by the full force of her imagination. The agony that her childhood endowments had burdened her with had returned. Horrendous, bloody images emanated from the dark, repressed centre of her subconscious.

After taking the only exit leading to the tri-lake area they headed into fellow users of the road. Before them a fully loaded logging truck exerted itself climbing up to the higher terrains. A station wagon from the early two thousands, transporting a young family, followed in its tail.

Between rocky mountains and thick greenery the brake lights of the truck flashed bright red to let a mother bear with her two cubs, that had appeared quite unexpected at the brink of the road, cross safely. The car behind it slowed down as well. It was the first time Marith had seen bears since her return and she perked herself up to watch them.

They took their time and scurried leisurely into the vegetation on the other side of the asphalt after taking in the vehicles that stood waiting for them. The mother bear was shielding her young and wouldn’t follow them until after they had disappeared into the forest.

Marith’s heart was beating ferociously at the sight of the magnificent diversity of life nature had to offer, or so she thought. The truth was that her nerves, the electric circuitry of her heart, was aware of something she was yet about to grasp.

As soon as the procession of vehicles pulled up and gained velocity it happened. Defying all odds, the laws of nature lost against the pile of dead trees that started to slide. Seemingly without being subjected to the concepts of time or gravity they swooped through the windshield of the car behind the lorry. Since Marith was already awake she couldn’t escape this round and was forced to witness the gruesome events in front of her taking place.

The young boy with the curly hair and the thick glasses was laying on top of his blond, older brother, protecting him with his life. The moment the trunks had started to slide he had enveloped the boy’s head with his hands, like a helmet, and had pulled him down to the car seat, before plunging down himself. After all he had seen the freak accident happen several times now.

He had yet to learn that he would never be able to know both the time and the place his predictions would unfold. The infinite guilt, that would haunt him for the rest of his life, prevented him from fully comprehending the workings of his talent for the majority of his pre-teen and teenage years.

Crying in the desperate, breathless way only small children could they felt the blood, streaming from the tree trunks, trickling down their necks.

“Stop the car!”

“Why?!” Kyle yelled back from behind the steering wheel. He was so alarmed he had immediately stomped on the brakes, before receiving an answer.

“We need to help those people!”

Marith could feel the harrowing pain and the hopeless shock the children in the back of the station wagon were going through. The suffering bore itself in the core of her being, never to be forgotten, wallowing in her stomach, pulling at her brain.

Lisa stared at her from one of the seats in the middle of the van. She looked into her eyes, investigating her face, not at all worried about what was happening outside.

The van stood still in the middle of the road. It had been an emergency stop. Kyle and Amber joined Lisa and looked around at Marith, alone in her delusions in the absolute back of the car.

Marith felt like a zoo-animal, being observed by more intelligent creatures. When a dead silence took hostage of the occupants she figured there must be a reason for that.

“Oh,” she sighed, as she wiped some tears from her face with a sleeve. “Is that Nick? And his brother?”

“Nate,” Lisa stated dryly. “Yes, they are.”

William stared bewildered through the windshield to the void patch of road Marith was concerned with. “What’s happening?”

Lisa took his arm, bared it and swiftly bore her fingers into the insides of his wrist. She found the pressure points with ease and showed him.

“I used to see it every time I came home from college,” she explained her flat response to the horrors unfolding outside the car.

The truck driver had jumped from his cabin and sat crouched on the desolated road, with his face in his hands. He had no way of knowing the children were still alive.

“I feel…” Marith started and exhaled strongly to prevent bursting out in hysterical crying.

“Everything,” Lisa finished for her, as she put her hand on Marith’s arm for support, after releasing Will’s wrist.

The history that was unfolding before them took a leap forward as the emergency services arrived to saw the car open. Nobody wanted to witness what was about to be revealed when that happened.

“Let’s go. We know how this story ends,” Lisa said to Kyle.

Kyle turned the key in the ignition to spur the van back to life. Marith couldn’t help but look at the blood covered ends of the logs that protruded from the rear window of the car and shuddered.

Her fellow passengers went on to explain what happened after this life-altering event. Marith was aware of most of that information already, but was happy they attempted to distract her a little bit.

The Pine brothers had both been under the impressionable age of ten when the accident had occurred. The family had been on their way to celebrate the anniversary of the company, which also marked the day it would be passed on to the next generation, the parents of Nick and Nate.

Almost all personnel and their grandparents, the founders of the company, had been waiting at the main factory when they got the news. The Pine elders decided to keep the reigns of the company until they became too old to run it, which was at about the same time Nick returned from college.

Both Nick and Nate are now owners of Pine Industries, although Nick is leading it by himself. Their grandparents deceased, one not long after the other, when Nick had neared his mid-twenties. He was almost thirty now.

“How was I able to go from an ordinary dream to witnessing a piece of local history?” Marith asked when she came to her senses again.

“It wasn’t an ordinary dream then,” Kyle murmured, focusing on the road.

“Do you remember how we explained that everything in the Web is connected by waves and strings of vibrating pieces of information, during our first meeting in the forest?” Amber asked in an unusual compassionate tone.

“Yes.”

“These vibrations in the Web are energy,” Amber clarified. “The Flow is the stream of energy that we can all pull or receive from the Web. It is a vital exchange of information between the Web and the Pupils, but also within the triangles and eventually within the Chain.”

“Energy can be bound to a time, place, object or even a living creature. There is a certain energy around that location, because of the trauma that has been suffered there in the past. Right now there is a Flow from the past bound to this place and it is reaching out to you,” Lisa went on to explain.

Marith just rubbed her temples and was looking for the horizon, as a sudden wave of nausea took over.

“Our brains have the ability to use, or even to hack the Web in a conscious way. Other people, certain people with certain sensitivities, can get signals and messages from the Web, but it is always in an unconscious way. That is what just happened to you. After your Rebirth you will have more control over it.”

“Can’t wait for this Rebirth then,” Marith muttered.

They could see the entrance signs of Sweet Lake appearing at the side of the road, which got her thinking about the state she had been in a little over two weeks before, when Nick had picked her up from the airport. She remembered jumping from his car to throw up in front of one of the signs, nauseated by a lingering concussion, caused by the train accident. Back then she was still unaware it had been an attack on her and not a freak accident as it had been described.

“Was the accident another attempt to eliminate a Pupil?” Marith suddenly wondered, now that her mind had fully returned to the safe and warm interior of their vehicle.

“We will never know for sure, but it’s not likely. Nate was a very early Chain member. It’s not plausible the Kid was strong enough back then,” Lisa shared.

“If you don’t take celestial events into account… we don’t know how the stars and planets were positioned that day,” Kyle remarked.

“So you weren’t all victims in accidents or robberies, before joining the Chain?”

“No, when the first bunch of us joined the Kid didn’t stage attacks yet. Some of us were found by Elders, who always keep an eye out. Some of us had mental problems and were patients of dr. Sybling. You were the only one that had to come from Europe,” Lisa said.

Kyle turned onto the road that circled around the town’s square. As soon as he took the corner they could see the lake. Grey colours dominated the landscape, but the view was as grandiose as ever.

“Did any of you knew him?” Marith asked leaning forward, as far as her seatbelt would allow.

“We were in the same year in high school,” William shared. “After graduation I went to trade school. Nate just disappeared. No goodbyes, no college applications, nothing.”

“We used to be quite close.” That answer from Lisa elicited an uneasy look on Will’s face, especially because Lisa hadn’t even been in the same year as them. “He had to leave Sweet Lake… As you might know, the more powerful the Kid becomes the harder it gets to get clean and clear visions. Because of this the Prophets have to fan out. By doing this we get a better access to the Web and the information in it. Of course, for Kyle and Amber this is nearly impossible, because they are still in high school and still live with their parents. That is why Nate and I had decided to move. That and the trauma of the accident he had failed to prevent, of course.”

“How much does Nick know?” Marith asked, suddenly anxious now that she was about to see him again. How would she hide had what she had just witnessed?

“We gave him Mountain Dew.”

“What was that?” Marith frowned.

“It’s a concoction from Potionmaker to make him more at ease with his loss and not question the situation too much.”

“Okay.” The look on Marith’s face continued to be the physical representation of a question mark.

“Nick wasn’t aware of it, but we did keep an eye out for him. This was especially easy when Juliette lived with him for a while. She noticed he was spending an insane amount of time and money on private investigators. Of course, Nick would have never been able to find Nate, because Nate is a Prophet and he could see the detectives and police officers coming every time,” Lisa said. “Also, Brad made sure the local police department would never get too close and would file nonsense reports to his superiors. We feared for Nick’s sanity and you know… did him a favour.”

“Is that ethical?” Marith wondered out loud.

“It’s debatable,” Lisa confirmed, “but in the end we did it to protect Nick’s future.”

“Who is this Potionmaker?”

“Currently, there is no Potionmaker alive, but Keymaker is guarding the potions that were prepared ages ago. Vanessa usually gets them from him.”

“Didn’t we tell before that one of the Runners is collecting Sunshine in Scotland?” Amber asked.

“Yes, we did cover that,” Kyle interrupted hastily.

Marith simply nodded at this flood of information as her nausea hadn’t subsided yet. She was quiet for the remainder of the ride and so was the rest. They crossed the village, taking the road along the lake and skipping the town’s centre. The slate-coloured water was motionless and, to nobody’s surprise, still failed to glisten. The low hanging clouds muted the diverse hue’s the trees had to offer, but Marith felt strangely comforted she was almost home again. The thought of being alone again and taking a warm bath or carrying out simple and mindless tasks, like doing the laundry or taking Olive for a walk, without having to partake in deep internal monologues about the impending awakening of an abstruse and obscure rogue calmed her nerves.

“Neat building,” Amber said, as they rolled onto the parklike surroundings of the mansion.

“Does Nick rent like a penthouse in there?” Kyle asked, slowing the van down.

Marith froze. What was she supposed to say? Lie and get it over with? Or be honest and possibly suffer remarks about the wealth of the Pine family? She glanced to the front of the car for help and saw Lisa, smiling amused.

“I don’t think it’s an apartment building, guys.” It came from William.

Marith blushed, relieved.

“It’s even bigger than his castle at the beach!”

Amber and Kyle where in awe, like most people that age would be. They were too young to understand financial success is mostly vapid. It can take worries away, but that’s it. The presence of money doesn’t guarantee a fulfilling life.

She thanked everybody for a lovely weekend, offered Kyle to pay her share of the fuel costs and agreed upon attending the meteor party, that would be held the upcoming weekend, in any case.

Still buzzing from the accident that didn’t just happen she unloaded her baggage and staggered towards the white house and stumbled up the terrace. Before ringing the doorbell she turned around and gave the car that was leaving the premises a half-hearted wave. She got a quick honk in return.