Dark Secret

  SABLUNE

  "So, is everything okay with you and Bitha?" I asked Aerix as we walked through the steel-plated rooms in search of an exit to this area of the Dimensional Archive.

  We had broken up into groups to keep eyes on the front and back of our search. Aushen was with Aerix and me; Fadabiea was up ahead with Nika and Nova, the three of them laughing and joking with each other. Occasionally, Fadabiea tossed glances back and met eyes with Aushen, naturally, beneath the notice of her fiancé.

  "As far as I know, yes. Why? Did you hear something?" Aerix returned, unconcerned.

  "No, nothing in particular. I just noticed you guys haven't been spending as much time together, I wondered if something might have happened."

  "She has friends to congregate with; she doesn’t need to be around me every second of the day. Just because she doesn't act like Nova doesn't mean something's wrong, you stupid nyctophile," Aerix snapped.

  I turned away from Aerix and crept up to Aushen. "There's my daily good deed gone to waste."

  - It doesn’t matter, - Reezin opined.

  Okay, and? I shot back to my pragmatic lens.

  ~Aerix has a right to be upset,~ Riflecks pointed out.

  -You have a right to shut your mouth and stop bitching over every little incident.-

  ~This is why people don’t like us when you take the lead.~

  -Which is why I take the lead, so we don’t care whether they like us or not. Then it can’t affect us.-

  ~It affects me,~ Riflecks argued.

  -Which is why you have little to no say.-

  You both are being incredibly unhelpful right now, I berated the lenses.

  Riflecks and Reezin did not respond. Both looked at me from the inner reaches of my mind, standing out against the dark walls of the room they shared.

  "Just, like, get good, I guess. Also, what’s a Nyctophile?" Aushen asked boredly, trudging along beside me.

  I nearly forgot that I had prompted him. "Fuck if I know, I just work here."

  "What's Aerix so pissed about, anyway?"

  "Probably that I'm a dumb Riftard, who won't mind his business."

  "Ha, dumbass."

  Something was off between Fadabiea and Aerix, and Aerix seemed completely oblivious. But Fadabiea... the way she kept glancing back at Aushen when she thought no one was watching felt different. Bitha wasn't the type to be disloyal, but that look wasn't just friendly. Was she really getting so invested in him that she was forgetting who was on her arm? I made a mental note to talk to her. And maybe warn Aushen before he walked into the middle of whatever this was becoming.

  If she doesn’t check herself, everyone else will become an afterthought.

  -You are already an afterthought to them.- Reezin stressed.

  ~It’s pretty heartbreaking.~ Riflecks struggled against his chains, at the same time, I felt my body begin to shake.

  Reezin, handle him.

  -I thought you’d never ask.- Reezin wrapped Riflecks in more black material, covering his face and preventing him from speaking.

  I felt my heart rate return to normal, and my nerves settled with ease.

  -Crybaby ass bitch,- spat Reezin.

  I had once again gotten so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed that we stopped, and ran into Fadabiea. She turned around and flicked me on the forehead. "Hey, space case, you gonna zone in or keep running into the back of people."

  "Switch places with me," chimed Nova, wistfully.

  I shook my head and nodded to the area ahead. "Why'd we stop?"

  "Do you not see the door?" Fadabiea quipped, accusatorially.

  "Do you see who asked," I replied calmly.

  "Bluey, you asked," Nika stressed.

  "Yeah, well not about the door. And stop siding with the tree sucker."

  "Still asked," Fadabiea said smugly.

  "Oh—my—nights. Can we go through the door or do something generally useful?" I groaned irritably. "I understand usefulness is a hard concept to grasp for a gardener."

  -We could just kill her now and save ourself the trouble later. I don’t get why we haven’t yet.-

  We’ve already decided that she’s useful at times.

  -But does that outweigh the conflict that keeps disrupting you?- Reezin interrogated. -Your problem is letting that little blue baby have a say.-

  The Verdancy Echo tilted her head languidly. "Are you still talking?"

  "What I'm doing is going through the door. Being useful. Unlike you," I smiled condescendingly and poked my head in the door.

  "You see anything? Since you're so much more useful than me."

  "First of all: No, not quite. Second: I'll have you know, I could off myself and be more useful than you, still."

  "He does taste good," Nova opined idly.

  "I'm choosing to ignore that," I put out immediately, followed by agreement from Aushen and Aerix.

  "At least I can change a lightbulb. Must be why you're so dim-witted," Fadabiea retorted, almost proud of herself.

  "Can't we just take the elevator?" Aerix vouched unexpectedly.

  "Honey, that was hours ago," Nova reminded them, beneath the Psycho Duo's bickering.

  "I forgot," Aerix sighed apologetically.

  I exhaled regretfully and spun on my heel, relinquishing temporary victory to the Vanguard of Verdancy. I kicked open the door, ripping it from its hinges, and stuck out my arms mirroring a grand gesture as if I were admitting my friends to a royal ball or a Red-Carpet event. They filed in an orderly fashion, like elementary schoolers, except for Nova, who made a point to brush her hand across my face as she walked by, sending a chill across my skin. "Mine," she purred.

  -She will grow tired of us eventually.-

  I actually didn’t ask, I thought back to Reezin.

  My inner voice promptly fell silent.

  I slipped into the room with the others, making an effort to take in my surroundings this time. My eyes swept over the room, closely watching for potential threats.

  The room was relatively unfurnished except for the occasional box or desk chair scattered about. It turned out to be some sort of office, as it had said on the door. The walls were gray and bare, with little personality, the floor was carpeted in a muted navy-blue, all the overhead lights were off. There was an abundance of windows that lined the walls of the room, temporarily illuminating it at times with flashes of lightning. The windows themselves were hammered with a heavy onslaught of rain and were otherwise the only source of illumination. There was a corridor with doors on the wall opposite the door we came through.

  “Anyone else feel like a forty-year-old nine-to-fiver about to lose custody of the kids?”

  This coming from Aushen, face pressed against the glass of a window in the far left, staring outside intently. Fadabiea yanked him back by the collar, as lightning blasted the window, electrifying the windowsill where Aushen’s hands had been a moment before.

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  “Idiot,” she muttered under her breath, although she had an amused look on her face.

  Silently, we decided to look around, kicking aside boxes and peeking into other rooms, not looking for anything specifically, but just seeing what was around. Nova stayed near me, smiling facetiously. Still, her presence was comforting, I didn’t feel as wound up. We came across a room with a table surrounded by black desk chairs, like the one we had seen in the first room, there was a large whiteboard on one of the walls.

  “Nova, I have something productive in mind for you.”

  Her eyes lit up evilly.

  “Write, ‘I will not be obnoxiously down bad’ a hundred times on the whiteboard.”

  She crossed her arms and seethed wordlessly. I took her hand and brought her in for a kiss, any annoyance she had dissipated, and I led her out of the room to search the one across the hall. Only to find it was occupied.

  Aushen was pressed against the table under the weight of Fadabiea, who began shouting violently. "Give it to me!"

  “I am so glad I have visual context,” I sighed in relief.

  She reached over Aushen, snatching and grabbing at nothing while he stretched out his hand to keep the enclosed object away from Fadabiea. With a sense of finality, she jumped onto Aushen’s back, effectively pinning him to the surface of the table, still he managed to keep the object from Fadabiea. She yanked his head back with a fistful of hair, and with a heave Aushen rolled himself over, causing himself and Fadabiea to crash to the ground.

  The Verdancy Echo hopped to her feet, raising what looked like Aushen’s cellphone.

  “Ha! Idiot.” Fadabiea tapped away at the phone a few times and passed it back defeatedly. “I don’t know the password.”

  Fadabiea had noticed us staring and shot me an accusing glance, before turning to pull Aushen to his feet. “He took a stupid picture of me and wouldn’t delete it,” Fadabiea offered immediately.

  “I just wanted a good picture; I can’t take pictures of my friends?” Aushen asked in a baffled tone.

  Nova and I looked at Fadabiea expectantly.

  “Okay, I don’t want to hear shit about how it’s poetic justice.”

  I gave Fadabiea a pointed look.

  You need to figure out what you want. I conveyed with my eyes.

  In response she shrugged her shoulders. I’m trying, give me time. She raised an eyebrow questioningly and made a pleading gesture with her hands.

  Now, I motion sternly.

  Soon, she mouthed, now with her middle fingers held up.

  I rolled my eyes and stepped back from the door and Nova closed it with a soft click.

  “You think they’re gonna make out, Darling?”

  “You just want an excuse for us to,” I exposed.

  “You know me so well.” Nova pressed her lips to my forehead and sauntered off to find the others.

  I Shadow Shifted back into the room and thickened the shadows to render myself invisible. Aushen and Fadabiea were seated at opposite sides of the table, staring at each other as though there were a bag of narcotics lying in between them, and neither of them had a clue as to what to do with it. Aushen began fidgeting with a pen, dropping it several times whilst dismantling it and reconstructing it in an almost obsessive manner. Creation and Destruction, presented perfectly in that simple action.

  Ten minutes. That’s how long I watched these two stare at each other before either said a word to the other. I jumped at the sound of Aushen’s voice. “So, I guess you want to talk to me about something?”

  Fadabiea smiled, almost sadly. “Yeah, that’s what I want.”

  Liar.

  -Liar.-

  ~Liar.~

  With an internal glance, I seen Reezin give a shocked look at Riflecks and plaster his face again, then walling off the cage. It then projected itself sitting on the table between Aushen and Bitha.

  “Do you have some sort of issue with me?” Aushen said with worry.

  “I have plenty of issue but none with you.”

  Reezin twirled his finger around his ear, making a “cuckoo” motion.

  “So, what’s wrong?” Aushen began tapping his feet melodically. “What’s the problem?” He asked again, quieter this time.

  “I don’t know, man. I’m just insane, that’s all.” Fadabiea put her head down then lifted it a second later, expressing clear indecisiveness.

  “Okay, well how about I try and make this easier for you. If you don’t have an issue with me, then how exactly do you feel about me?”

  I studied them both closely, this was surprisingly bold for Aushen, and it was clear that Fadabiea was just as shocked as I was. Was that it? The question that would topple the precarious engagement being held over our heads?

  “I don’t know.”

  “You say ‘I don’t know’ a lot.”

  “I don-,” Fadabiea caught herself, “I just have to figure out some things. Me and Aerix are not as close as we used to be and its confusing me. And then there’s you and it just- I get- I feel off... like nervous, almost.”

  “Are you afraid of me?” Aushen questioned worriedly. “Is it because I’m the way I am? Because I’m not a normal echo?”

  “No, nothing like that. I’m just afraid of everyone; I can’t stand the idea of hurting someone else because I’m not doing the right thing.”

  “Just do what you think is right, express how you feel to the people around you; they can help you better if they know what’s happening.”

  Fadabiea looked up, nearly in tears, speaking almost imperceptibly, “What if what you feel isn’t the right thing?”

  The shock that came from those words was instant; afflicting Aushen with something that looked like disbelief, me with confirmation of Fadabiea’s romantic conflict, and Fadabiea herself with regretful relief.

  I heard the door handle turn, and within moments I was outside, rounding the corner as if I had been looking for Aushen and Fadabiea along with the others. Nova and I shared a look of knowledge beneath the notice of everyone else. This time Aerix was displaying some manner of internal confusion, attempting to assess the abnormality of the scene in front of them. A quizzical look was shot my way, as though they were trying to recall something but failing miserably.

  Nika got bored quickly, it seemed, because she was the first to speak up. “So anyway, I’ve found a thing, if any of you lot care.”

  Fadabiea, who had recovered from their spiel swiftly, spoke up, “Yup, y’know, I’ve found a lot of things in my time as well. Want to be more specific?”

  Her voice was calm and steady, but I knew better, she was bouncing her leg rapidly and her hands shook slightly. Fadabiea was putting up just enough of a fa?ade for no one to ask what was wrong with her. I decided to draw attention away from her for the sake of her mental stability.

  Facing Nika I asked what she had found within the scope of being a “thing.”

  “I found a lift.”

  “What,” Aushen said in a dead tone.

  “An elevator?” Aerix verified.

  “Ahn ewa-vae-turr,” Nika mimicked insultingly.

  “Can we focus?” I said to get the conversation back on track. “Where is it?”

  With some huffing and more mocking, Nika started in the direction of the “lift,” and we followed her, waiting first for Fadabiea and Aushen to push themselves up from the table and walk beside us. Nika brought us around the corner of the hallway, which led into a room lined with vending machines, some of which the glass was shattered on, snack bags littered the floor.

  “What happened in here?” Nova’s eyes darted from place to place.

  “Like that when I found it, innit,” Nika said lazily.

  She pulled a bag of chips from her bag and began munching on its contents, pushing ahead once more. Nika stopped at a pile of vending machines that were toppled and flipped carelessly, blocking the entryway to another hallway. Nika bent down and pulled on the snack machine, with a creak it tilted upward. It wouldn’t sit upright all the way, blocked by the extensive amount of steel and snacks, Nika was forced to push her shoulder to the side of the vending machine and hold it in place.

  The enhanced physiology echoes develop upon ascension was the only reason they could withstand the force of their own Concept Energy. Without it, we’d likely tear ourselves apart. Most generic weapons can be fatal to us, as long as they pierce, puncture, and slash, but things like blunt force or explosions barely leave a scratch.

  Were Nika not an echo I would have had an extra source of entertainment watching it fall on top of her. However, she wasn’t breaking a sweat keeping the obstacles out of our way, despite her small stature. It was a pretty bizarre sight given that she looked like a normie, unlike Fadabiea and her horns, or Aerix with their freakish height.

  I was the last person to slip through the mess and roll to my feet, Nika subsequently appeared behind me, letting the vending machine slam down with a loud bang. She pushed through the smattering of echoes to the front of our group at the end of the hall and drew a flashlight from her backpack. With a flick and a flourish Nika lit up the back wall.

  Nova raised her hand and invoked a Concept, “Additive Concept: Contrived Incandescence,” brightening the cone of light, providing us a better view of the elevator. It also really hurt my eyes.

  “How do we feel about going up?” Nika asked as she shined her light downward and pushed the up button set in the wall, it resounded with a cheerful ding.

  The doors opened with a slippery whisper, where mellowed orchestra music hummed from an ornate interior that lingered with the scent of wood polish. Nika stepped onto the red carpeted floor and made room for the rest of us.

  After we were all inside, the doors closed automatically. There were no buttons to press to change direction, the elevator simply moved up on its own.

  Nova came up behind me and slung her arms around me, putting her weight on me. I leaned back into her and closed my eyes, the two of us swaying as one through the rocking of the metal box. The elevator ride was long but peaceful. Despite having to stand the whole way up and being crammed in a small space together, the feeling of bliss that filled the room made up for it.

  My eyes fluttered open at the soft brush of her hand at my neck. She led her delicate fingers up to my chin, tilting my head back for me to look at her as she towered over me. She leaned down, looking into my eyes with sun-soaked warmth. There was no malice or impurity in her actions right now, and she wasn’t drawing the attention of the others with her movements. Either they noticed and didn’t care, or they were all too focused on each other.

  Fadabiea hung her head, her hand in Aerix’s but refusing to look them in the eye. Aushen was in discussion with Nika but not really paying close attention, and instead casting worried glances at Fadabiea, whose gaze was fixated on the floor of the elevator. Nika herself was crouched down on the ground her mini workbench in front of her, she was calibrating her railgun, it clicked and beeped in response to her various prompts.

  I closed my eyes once more and let Nova hold me the entire ride, I had no energy to push her away like I normally would. Feathers encircled me and gentle hands stroked my face until I dozed off in the safety of my wife’s arms and wings. I was ripped from silence by lips being pressed to my own at an odd angle since I was turned away from Nova. The ding of the elevator registered in my ears, I brought my weapons to the ready, prepared to extend the blades of Sifyx into anything that moved.

  The doors rolled open with a shudder, and the sight before us brought sharp intakes of breath and some jaw dropping. Red and gold lined carpets spread across the floor, potted exotic plants dotted the floors and numerous drawers were placed against the walls. There was a few metal luggage carts, the ones with the hangers, placed lined up neatly in the corner. There were fountains that lined the wall parallel to a reception desk smack in the center of the lobby-like area, stairs on either side led up to a second floor balcony. We were in a hotel.