Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls, Page 2

  Maren decided that it wouldn't hurt for her to have a quick look around Jeremy's room. Maybe she'd ask to borrow a book?

  Maren glided her finger across the bookshelf and stumbled upon Cajjez Jeremy: Events Log. Maren looked anxiously at the door. Maybe just real quick, she thought to herself, pulling the book down from off the shelf. She sat on the floor and opened the book to the first page, setting it in her lap. Scribbled in near-illegible cursive, were the detailed observations of Jeremy Chikalto:

  Day 1: I haven't written about this before. Once, when I was a child, I recall catching a ball and having the distinct impression that the ball disappeared. Only, I was able to produce it again within a matter of seconds. My father hadn't noticed and when I later told my mother, she laughed and gave her blessings to a childhood so ignited by imagination. I came to believe that it was a cute thing.

  But it's happened again. Yesterday morning as I was coming out of the foyer, I saw the air tremble before me. I was rushing to my room, excited to try on a new robe, and I literally walked behind the air! There was a bright light and I fell back. When I opened my eyes, I discovered that I had returned to the foyer. The air continued to twitch in front of me and I ran to my room.

  Maren squinted and reread the text. Jeremy was always making strange claims. If someone weren't scaling the side of the castle with the intent of breaking into Jeremy's room, it was that his hat was emitting poisonous gasses. He is so odd.

  Jeremy opened the door. Maren slammed the diary shut and looked at the Cajjez standing in the door frame.

  “What are you doing?” said Jeremy. His voice was cool and centered.

  “Oh, well. Hi. I was... just looking through some of your books. I'm sorry, I–”

  “I see you've found my diary? Is that of particular interest to you?” He propped the door open with a crystal door-stop before turning to Maren with a faint smile.

  “This? I don't know. I was just wondering if I could borrow one of your books.” Maren let out a nervous laugh. “I apologize,” she offered, her cheeks turning a shade of crimson. “I haven't seen you in a while. You look older,” she added hopefully.

  Jeremy slipped the diary from Maren's grasp, crossed the marble floor, and sat at his desk, where he laid his head down. Confused, Maren got up and left the Cajjez alone. Maybe she'd get a chance to talk to him later.

  Chapter 4

  The Earth Studies Achievement Award

  The next morning, Jeremy felt well enough to call a servant. A short, plump man tiptoed in, careful not to make eye contact, and bustled around the broken glass and jagged picture frame. After Jeremy had finished his morning tea, he went to his parents' dining quarters to join them for breakfast.

  “I've already given my word to Ms. Fritz.”

  “He needs to be here–Wantoro, quiet!” whispered Jeremy's mother when he opened the door. Jeremy only raised an eyebrow and took a seat, too consumed by his own thoughts to care about the petty trials of ordinary life. After breakfast, there would be more empty festivities. If only they could sense that this world was the tip of the iceberg. What secrets lurked below the surface?

  Raaychila excused herself, shaking her head in pathos, as she left the room.

  "What's eating her?" Jeremy bit a cherry from off its stem.

  “Just anxious about your performance today with Maren."

  “Well that's silly.” Jeremy flicked the cherry pit across the table. It landed on the floor.

  Wantoro dabbed at his mouth with his napkin and stood up, towering over Jeremy. “Call to the servants to get this cleaned.” He frowned as he stepped over the cherry pit.

  Maren's parents, Mateo and Gillian, waited inside the Watican Hall. The sparkling chandeliers emitted a soft, blue light; an elaborate garden centerpiece housed songbirds serenading from their golden perches. Mateo whistled at the birds but was soon winded. He huffed and puffed merrily before settling back into his seat. Guards lined the perimeter of the Hall, and Mateo pointed excitedly to the starch white uniforms of the Intergalactic Intelligence Unit.

  “Look, Gillian! It's the IIU. My father's father's brother was a member, top secret stuff.” Mateo shoveled four ginger biscuits into his mouth. Mateo was an impressive figure when measured horizontally. He had married into the Nononia royal family of the planet Olg when he was young and fit, but time and a passion for fine dining eventually weighed him down. "You know," he added, "I bet they're here on a mission. Maybe they've got word of a bomb scare! Remember a couple of years ago when – ”

  “Mateo, you're acting like a child! Put those cookies away.” Gillian, a tall, bony woman with sharp cheek bones and blonde hair, grabbed the package of cookies from Mateo and shoved them in her purse. "Our daughter will be up on that stage in a matter of minutes and I don't think it's appropriate to contemplate a bomb scare."

  “I was only kidding. Have a drink.” Mateo pointed to the cocktail in Gillian's hand and smiled.

  “Mateo, Gillian.” A squat woman with a severe bun pulled a chair up to Gillian and Mateo's table. She bowed before taking her seat.

  “Ah, Ms. Fritz, one of the few Earth Scholars who've actually been to Earth!”

  “The pleasure's all mine. The journey wouldn't have been possible without your family's generous foundation.” Ms. Fritz grinned and then helped herself to the ice box on the center of the table, taking an ice cube and generously slathering it onto her head in an attempt to slick the illusionary stray hairs back to her scalp.

  “Ms. Fritz, I'm told you might be attending Lejjone Panil?”

  “Yes, Ms. Nononia. Wantoro has agreed to send his son Jeremy to boarding school this year and I'm to accompany him.”

  “Oh?” Gillian set her cocktail down. “So he'll be with Maren. And he's agreed to go?”

  “He doesn't know yet, but they'll tell him at breakfast tomorrow. We're going to the races.”

  The blue light emitting from the chandeliers began to dim just as a hush went over the songbirds. Mateo gave a descending “woooooooooo!” for good measure.

  “Oh, look! Here they come!” Gillian raised her hand to her mouth as Maren entered onto the stage, her blonde hair swept into an elegant twist, a single curl at the nape of her neck. She wore a pink silk leotard and matching tu-tu, with intricate lace frill accenting her sleeves. Maren's silver slippers padded across the stage, an 'awe!' from the audience meeting her halfway. Maren rolled her eyes, a feat in and of itself given the amount of eyeshadow burying her eyelids. The audience applauded as she leapt.

  Jeremy entered right in a gold leotard, speckled with silver clocks on the sleeves, legs, and torso. He smiled his most angelic smile, his bright white teeth glistening, and kicked up his legs to a crescendo championed by the orchestra pit. After he nailed the landing, he twirled tantalizingly close to Maren. The audience gasped and applauded.

  When the performance concluded, the conductor gestured towards Maren and Jeremy. “Thank you, Cajjez Jeremy Chikalto and Maren Nononia, for that remarkable performance of The Battle of Bhan Mountain.” The audience erupted. “And now it is with great honor that I introduce Vinya Raaychila Chikalto.”

  Raaychila entered onto the stage and bowed, thanking the conductor as she took the microphone. “On behalf of the board of the Nononia Earth Studies Foundation I welcome all of you, and I thank you for extending a heartfelt Watican welcome to our special guests.

  “Two-hundred years ago,” continued Raaychila, “the Earth Studies Achievement Award was inaugurated to keep faith with the idea that the people of our galaxy, though separated from Earth, could still achieve spiritual enlightenment alongside our Earthen brethren through the pursuit of knowledge and mercy of God.

  “The nominees for this year's Earth Studies Achievement Award: Lilith Pendoza, Senior Technical Analyst of the Watican Guard, who succeeded in deciphering an Earthen global satellite system code; Gorda Fritz, Earth Studies Scholar and leader of the Milky Way Geological Research Group, whose work around volcanism and deep seismic-refl
ection data expanded our current understanding of Earth's surface; and Peter Nebolt, Professor of Religious Studies at Bester University, for his work on the Qumran Scrolls and analysis of archeological data on the site of discovery.” Raaychila took a deep breath and peered over the audience. “And the Earth Studies Achievement Award goes to... Ms. Gorda Fritz, Earth Studies Scholar and leader of the Milky Way Geological Research Team.”

  Gorda Fritz slathered another ice cube onto her head before rising from her seat.

  The audience applauded as she made her way to the stage. “Thank you,” said Ms. Fritz, taking the microphone and holding the award up over her head. “It is with a profound sense of humility that I accept this award. The journey to and from Earth is a long, trying journey, twenty-three years round trip. Not many before myself have chosen to make it. It's a sacrifice, and one must learn to let go of her ties to the Farmoore Galaxy. I was fortunate to travel with my parents, both scientists before me, and I think that they are truly the ones who deserve this award, God rest their souls. Earth is a planet of rich volcanic activity. In the Farmoore Galaxy, not one of our planets has ever had a single volcanic eruption, and I tell you, it is an awesome force of nature.” Ms. Fritz's eyes glazed over as with tears. “The Mantel, especially, is a beautiful and highly viscous layer.”

  Chapter 5

  A Visit From Beyond

  After Ms. Fritz had finished her speech and Raaychila made her closing remarks, Jeremy walked off the stage in a fit of laughter. “The Mantel, especially, is a beautiful and highly viscous layer!” he cried out between laughs. Maren watched as the heavy gold-plated doors swung behind him. Very rude.

  Maren and Gillian returned to their table. Maren took a seat and squirreled through her father's dessert plate for a pastry puff.

  “So what do you think of Jeremy since you last saw him?” said Mateo between bites.

  “Oh,” Maren blushed and set down her pastry.

  “Do you think he's handsome?” pressed Gillian.

  “Mother!”

  “Well of course he is,” said Gillian. “Mateo, do you think they would make a good match? I've been torn about this for years now.”

  “Hah!” was all Mateo managed to say.

  “Years?” Maren frowned.

  “Oh honey, don't be naive. You're destined to marry someone powerful. Of course Jeremy's behavior is a bit disturbing. And he's so arrogant. I just don't know anymore. You should keep him company and tell me what he's like.”

  Maren only shrugged. "Well I'm going to bed."

  Jeremy leaned over his bed and clicked off his bedside lamp. The light dimmed until the room was pitch black. He pulled the covers tighter around him. “Did you see Maren? She's cute. I wish I had more time to talk to her. She's leaving tomorrow and we've barely said a word to each other.”

  Lyrna settled at the foot of his bed, her long ear tufts bobbing up and down as she groomed herself. She grunted.

  “She'll be at the races tomorrow, so maybe– ”

  Something fell off of Jeremy's dresser and crashed to the floor. Lyrna hissed and slinked out of the room through her door flap.

  “Lyrna, don't go!” Jeremy sighed and fluffed his pillow. He stared up at the high vaulted ceilings, recalling in his mind's eye Maren's open-backed dress, the way it draped her figure in pink silk, her lustrous blonde hair piled on top of her head, her pouty lips...

  CRACK.

  Jeremy's heart jumped and he sat up in bed. Moonlight filtered in through his windows, casting strange shadows on his walls. The room was buzzing as though every object was vibrating subtly together.

  CRACK.

  “Lyrna?” But Jeremy knew it wasn't Lyrna. The air began to twitch.

  “Jer –” A deep, hollow voice briefly penetrated the air.

  “Hello?” Jeremy's voice trailed off.

  CRACK.

  It was the loudest crack yet. Jeremy felt a tug at his insides. He sensed that if he wanted to, he could leave his room entirely and go behind the air.

  “Jeremy Chikalto,” said the voice.

  Jeremy's heart was pounding hard. He faced the source of the voice. There, in the center of the room, floated an airy mass. It was faintly human. Its long face would materialize every few seconds, revealing shades of purple, and pieces of hair floating in and out of space and undulating like Medusa's snakes.

  Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but found that he could not.

  “Jeremy Chikalto,” said the voice. “The Kingdom is at hand. The end is near.”

  Jeremy gazed into the black of the creature's eyes. “What... what are you?”

  "I AM THAT I AM sent me." The messenger disappeared. Jeremy kicked the covers off of his legs and moved closer to the source of the voice. He could feel his night clothes move with a sort of magnetic tide, in and out with static. The messenger reappeared in front of him and he stumbled back, almost falling over a foot stool.

  “...sevenfold.” The messenger fizzled slightly. “Leave... and travel through the Haze.” The messenger disappeared.

  CRACK.

  Jeremy held his breath and waved his hand over the area where the presence had been. Nothing. The breeze made his curtain dance and he ran to the window. Jeremy looked up at the night sky and felt a sense of urgency overtake him. Was it a dream? Some part of him always knew he'd receive a visitor from beyond.

  Chapter 6

  Lejjone Panil

  The morning following the Awards Ceremony bought about a flurry of motion. The Nononias and Ms. Fritz were to accompany the Chikaltos to the race track. Mateo, Gillian, Wantoro, and Ms. Fritz were already seated in their jeep. Escort vehicles waited patiently on either side. “Where is Jeremy?" demanded Wantoro.

  "I'll find him. You go on ahead." Raaychila excused her frazzled husband and paced back and forth on the patio. Lyrna appeared. “Did you find him yet?”

  "Mew."

  “I'm excited to see Diamond in the Rough run.” Maren poked her head through the doorway.

  “Hello.” Jeremy appeared on the patio. He dragged his nails across the wall as he walked. A sliver of gold foil fell to the floor.

  “Jeremy, I wish you wouldn't do that.” Raaychila pushed past Maren and looked down at her son. “Where were you? You weren't in your room.”

  “I went for a walk.”

  “You should have been getting ready. Everyone's already gone to the race track. Jeremy. Jeremy!”

  Jeremy fell forward into his mother’s arms and started to laugh.

  “Jeremy?” Maren had approached from behind Raaychila.

  Raaychila turned. “Maren, why don't you wait in the jeep.” She turned back to face her son. “Jeremy, do you need to skip the race?”

  “No. I'll be fine.” Jeremy walked over to the jeep and sat down next to Maren. His face was void of expression and he stared dully forward.

  Wantoro, Gillian, Mateo, and Ms. Fritz were all seated in a skybox overlooking the large race track. The inside of the track was lined with a manicured hedge, and in the center was a fountain with a massive overflowing cup, inside of which was a sculpture of Vordin Chikalto on his steed, charging forward, flail spinning. Breakfast was served. Orange and purple flower petals were scattered on the plates and napkins. Gillian frowned as she extracted an orange petal from her morning cocktail.

  “Here come the horses! Oh, I mean...” Mateo pointed at Maren, Raaychila, and Jeremy, the dimples in his red apple cheeks pulsating as he heaved with laughter and slapped his knee.

  “Jeremy, your looking so lively this morning,” Vor Wantoro deadpanned as his son appeared.

  “Yes, let's just proceed.” Raaychila forced a smile as she took her seat. She shuffled though her purse and set a small pile of pills beside Jeremy's water glass.

  A gun fired and the horses took off. Mateo let out a squeal. "Our bet's on Diamond in the Rough, right Maren?"

  Maren smiled. The horses rounded the first bend.

  “I don't need these, Mother.” Jeremy pushed the
pills away from him. The announcer blared "Clean and Crazy moves into the lead."

  Wantoro lifted his glass. “Congratulations to Ms. Gorda Fritz for her award. I know we've talked in private about–”

  “Boarding school, yes,” interrupted Ms. Fritz. “And I will be honored to oversee his studies.”

  “Wantoro, you know how I feel about this!” Raaychila rose from her seat and tossed her long, red hair over her shoulder.

  "Stable Queen is a close second."

  Ms. Fritz lifted an eyebrow.

  “Raaychila dear, relax.” Wantoro squared his shoulders and looked at Ms. Fritz, a tangle of frizz slowly rising from her head. “I've changed my mind. Jeremy will not be attending Lejjone Panil this year. Next year, perhaps.”

  Celeste was now in the lead, and she raced past the booth. Maren shifted uncomfortably, her attentions divided.

  Raaychila gave Wantoro an appreciative pat on the shoulder. "Excellent news, right Jeremy?

  Wantoro turned to Jeremy, who seemed unresponsive. "Jeremy, sorry to have kept you in the dark about this. Jeremy. Jeremy!"

  “Jeremy,” whispered Maren timidly.

  "Earth to Watico is bringing up the rear."

  “Maybe we should just leave him alone, he's not feeling well,” said Raaychila.