Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter (3 page)

He carefully put them back into the can and pressed the plastic lid to seal it, then returned it to the cabinet.

He knew there was only one thing he really wanted to do right now.

He stepped out into the desert night and walked down a well-worn path, passing row after row of old and broken down aerocraft. He wondered if they would ever take to the sky again.

He looked up at the star filled night and smiled. It was going to be a good night for flying.

He arrived at a clearing. He turned to look back at the shed in the distance and saw the glow of light spilling out from it. He would use it like a beacon to guide himself back home.

He took several deep breaths. The cold air filled his lungs, and it felt refreshing. He closed his eyes and slowly stretched out his arms like wings. He felt a gust of wind blow across his face as a feeling of weightless overcame him.

He opened his eyes and shouted with delight. He looked down and saw the ground far below. In the distance, he could see his home, the shed, and the foundry. Behind the foundry were trucks and scrap carriers parked in the lot. All looked like toys sitting on a giant-sized play set. He leaned forward and glided over the terrain.

He learned how to fly on his own. Flying was something he could do ever since he was a child.

He didn’t know how or where the gift came from. He would often play in his room by himself and hover a few inches off the ground and never think much of it. To him it was normal as breathing or walking.

One day his mother stepped in to check on him and dropped a basket of laundry with a loud gasp. He could still remember looking at her with a smile. She smiled back with tears of joy in her eyes as her hands went to her chest.

“Darling, I’m so proud of you. You are a natural. But I need you to settle down before your father comes home.”

“Why mommy?” he said in an innocent voice.

“Daddy may not be ready to see this. Let’s keep this a secret just between you and me. Our little secret. One day we will surprise Daddy with it. Oh, he will be so pleased.” She clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. He could never forget her smile.

Lost in his memories, he didn’t realize how fast he was traveling as the landscape beneath him began to blur. The cool air blowing across his face put him at ease as he reminisced about happier times that were long gone and replaced with sadness. His mother had left, and she wasn’t coming back.

She always encouraged him in everything he did. She often took him to run errands in town. She would tell his father they would be back soon but if they were late, no worries. “We might drive out to see my sister,” she would always say

Breeze’s aunt lived on the other side of town, but on the way to her home, his mother would sometimes take a different route.

“This isn’t the way to Auntie Hazel’s house!” Breeze would always shout with delight.

“I know sweetie, we’re going to see our friends in the mountains. But you know that already. Don’t be silly.” She would say with laughter in her voice. “And don’t tell Daddy. Remember that Mommy says it’s okay to tell a little white lie. Tell him we went to see Aunt Hazel.”

“Why do you call it white lie?”

She paused for a moment before answering. “Because it’s a lie that’s….clean. It’s not meant to hurt anyone.”

His memories would become fuzzy from then on. He could only remember seeing men in white coats. They always smiled, and with his mother by his side, would kneel down in front of him and tell him things. Things that he would remember when the time was right about how to use his gifts and not be ashamed of them, and to use them to help, never to harm.

He shook his head to wake himself up. He felt like he was trapped in a dream. He looked around and realized how fast he was moving through the air. He looked down to see the town of Conception was just below him. The glow of its lights was like a torch that could be seen for miles around. He ignored them and pressed on. He had a different destination in mind.

He veered off to his right and headed west. There was a mountain range there. The same mountains his mother would take him to as a child to see the men in white coats.

The flat desert turned into jagged mountains. He had to ascend to clear the peaks. He wobbled a little and gritted his teeth as he struggled to maintain control.

The mountain range gave way to a wide open plain of pure white sand that seemed to stretch forever. Off in the distance was a solitary mountain. As he drew near he could see the moonlight reflecting off a vast lake that lay before it.

He aimed for the shoreline of the lake as he prepared to land. He never wanted to get close to the mountain. Though it seemed inviting, something deep inside his mind warned him to stay away. For now, at least.

He descended gradually, and then panic gripped him as he began to wobble. His landings were often disastrous, and this was one was shaping up to be no better.

The earth raced up to meet him as he arched his back and glided perpendicularly over it. He flailed his legs wildly just before touching down then stumbled upon contact, coming to a stop by falling headfirst into the sand.

He groaned as he sat up and took in his surroundings while brushing sand from his face. The night was quiet and still. Not even a light wind was stirring.

He stood up to admire the lake and how it reflected the stars above perfectly. It was like a portal into heaven.

He turned to face the solitary mountain in the distance. He often came here to see the lights that emanated from it. They started off slowly at first with a single ball of light that would rise up from the mountain, followed by a second and a third, until the night was filled with balls of lights zipping about haphazardly, then abruptly ending their wild maneuvers to begin forming geometric patterns. The shapes they created ranged from circles and squares to more complex octagons and tetrahedrons of intricate detail.

He came here for many reasons, one of them was that it was the last real connection to his mother that he had. He also came because he felt compelled, as if the lights were trying to convey a message to him that he needed to decipher. It seemed as if they were pleading with him to understand their meaning. He didn’t have a clue what they were trying to say.

He had tried to approach the mountain many times before while flying, but each attempt would result in a crucifying pain that would make him plummet to the ground.

He had also tried walking but would be forced to turn around as vertigo would set in, while simultaneously the balls of light would rush back inside and never come back out again for the night.

So, he would do what he was doing now and stand along the shoreline of the lake and watch in awe at the spectacular light show before him as brilliant balls of light raced across the sky trying to speak to him in a language he did not understand.

He watched as they created yet another spectacular geometric pattern as they swished and swirled across the sky. They would line themselves up in straight lines, and then rush toward each other to intermix and form triangles and squares or spirals and circles that spun like pinwheels.

A solitary light caught his attention from the corner of his eye. It hovered high in the night sky as if it had just descended from the heavens. It began to glow brightly as it drew closer to the balls of lights. The balls of lights ceased their gyrations as if they sensed the newcomer’s presence. The solitary light began to pulsate and change colors, slowly at first then with a rapid intensity.

The balls of lights responded by lining themselves in a straight line. They too began to pulsate rapidly and change from red to orange, then blue to violet, before merging into one and bursting outward in a soundless explosion of white light and disappearing. The light show was over, and the mountain continued to hold on to its secrets.

Breeze scanned the night sky for the solitary light but couldn’t find it. He shrugged. It was time to head home. He had school tomorrow, and he hadn’t even started his homework that was due from last week.

Once again he went through his routine of shutting his eyes and holding out his arms. He went into a trance and forced himself to concentrate. The rush of air across his face was the signal that he was airborne. He glided away from the mountain as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes so he could better read the nav-compass lashed to his wrist. Meanwhile, a light trailed him from behind.

He rocketed across the desert landscape as the ground below became a blur. He had never flown this fast before; he was beginning to lose control.

Ahead on the horizon was the glow from the town lights of Conception. He wanted to slow down to begin his descent, but any attempt to control his flight only made him race ahead even faster. He whooshed over the town and set off a sonic boom that rattled windows and doors of the homes and buildings below.

Panic swept over him as he barreled through the sky at a frightening speed. No matter what he did to regain control, any attempt to slow down only increased his speed. When he tried to descend, he would rapidly ascend.

It became too much. The slipstream of air rushing into his face made it difficult to breathe while his uncontrolled ascent into the upper reaches of the atmosphere made him shiver violently from the cold.

He started to lose consciousness. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he passed out.

He dropped like a stone, plunging through thick white clouds as he hurtled toward the desert floor below.

He woke up and was back home sitting at the kitchen table. Mom was making breakfast while Dad chattered endlessly about something. His mother was dutifully listening to him, nodding her head as she cracked eggs into a hot skillet.

He looked around the kitchen, soaking in the cozy feeling of a home that was alive with the sound of family. He heard a giggle and turned to face a little boy smiling at him. He looked familiar but couldn’t remember his name.

“Breeze, play with me?” the little boy said with innocent eyes.

Breeze opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

The little boy spoke again. “Breeze, you need to wake up before you go splat.” He pointed at the ground.

His eyes opened and he was greeted by the sight of the earth rushing up to meet him. He yelled in panic as he desperately willed himself to slide horizontally. His efforts were not in vain as he ceased his descent only to burst forward with incredible speed, setting off multiple sonic booms as he streaked over the land.

He could make out the looming presence of an approaching mountain range just ahead. He knew he would impact them based on his heading and altitude. He needed to do something, and fast.

Drawing upon willpower like never before, he forced himself to descend. To his growing distress and panic, he ascended. He strained as he tried to angle down and felt a sense of triumph as he slowly descended toward the desert floor. Buoyed by his success, he tried to slow down only to burst forward again with incredible speed.

Then, with a sudden lurch, his body felt as if a giant hand had grabbed and flung him into the ground. The last thing he remembered was the ground rushing at him like a blur while the air before him shimmered and crackled as if he were looking through a window that was about to shatter.

He impacted with a mighty roar. Dirt and debris flew everywhere as he plowed a trench into the earth.

He came to a stop after what seemed like an eternity.

He groaned as he tried to raise his head. Blood trickled from his nose, mixed in with dirt that was smeared across his face. He tried to look up at the night sky, but could only see blackness surrounding him.

He passed out with his face planted into the ground.

He woke up gradually as a thin strip of sunlight poured onto him. He tried to move his arms and legs, but the slightest effort made him wince with pain. He slowly pushed himself up from the ground and stood up, only to lean against a wall of dirt to support his wobbly legs. His head was pounding like a drum and the smell of moist dirt filled his nostrils.

He looked around in confusion as he expected to see the wide expanse of the desert but instead found himself at the deep end of a trench made of dirt and mud that seemed to stretch forever in the opposite direction.

He tried to recall the events from his foggy mind that led him here, but could only remember flying to the White Mountain to see the lights, the struggle in controlling his flight back home then the sudden acceleration ending with him impacting the ground.

His head began to pound with a searing pain. He groaned loudly as he rubbed his temples and looked at the trench. He did this. How he survived the impact he couldn’t figure out.

He needed to get out. The longer he stayed, the more nauseous he felt. He turned to face the earthen wall he was leaning against. He dug one hand into the soft soil, then another. He jammed a foot into the dirt and stepped up. He managed to get halfway to the surface when his strength gave out, and he tumbled to the ground. He cried out in frustration and was rewarded with another searing headache.

Holding one hand to his head, he stood up and wobbled as he tried to maintain his balance. He thought about trying to fly out, but the mere idea made his head pound even harder. He couldn’t climb out, he just didn’t have the strength. He had only one option. Walk.

He turned to face the length of the trench and saw how it gradually sloped up to the surface far off in the distance. He grimaced and started walking when a flash of wisdom came to him.
The beginning of a journey starts with a single step
.

With that thought echoing in his mind, he pushed forward. He plodded along for what seemed like the better part of a day as the pain in his head slowly faded away, only to come rushing back the very moment he thought about trying to fly. He stopped occasionally to lean against the side of the trench and rest. He swallowed and felt how dry his mouth was and began craving a drink of water.

He looked up at the upper rim of the trench and could see blades of grass and roots from trees poking out. He had never really seen so much vegetation before. His world was a dry and arid land sparsely populated with harsh and scraggly trees weary from their endless quest for water.