Circumstellar (5 page)

“Um, ok, Principal Dipper.
Thanks for giving me this. I’ll be sure to look at it.” I looked at the odd little pattern again, bemused. Giving up on making any sense of it here, I put the envelope in my bag and stood up.

“Make sure that you do. This is a very important matter, Miss
Fairheit.”

I exited the office just in time for class change. Hurrying to my next class, I could practically feel the letter burning a hole in my bag demanding to be read. It looked like I’d be wide awake for Biology.

I
sat in my seat and waited patiently for the second bell to ring. Why did five minutes have to take so damn long? I reached into my bag and grabbed my biology book and notebook. After tossing the pair on my desk, I flipped the pages around to what I thought the day’s lecture would be on. Glancing around, I dug for the letter and tucked it under my notebook.  Mrs. Mizar was notorious for taking up notes, and I really didn’t want her snatching this little treasure before I had the chance to read it. I saw Lesia and Ty enter the room together. Lesia caught my eye and came over to take her seat beside me. Ty followed suit and sat behind her.

“You’re really on the ball today.
First homeroom and now Biology. The teachers will suspect you’re up to no good,” Ty teased, taking his seat.

“Half the time, they’d be right,” I said, looking at the clock. “I just got out of
Ursa’s office at the beginning of class change.”

“So?”

“So?”

“So,” Ty began again, “what was that about?”

“Oh. Nothing really.” I hated lying to my friends. “She just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dead or something since she and I didn’t get to have our usual chat.” Okay, that wasn’t totally untrue. She did say she was glad to see I was alive.

The late bell chose to end my suffering, signaling the beginning of class. We all turned our attention to the blackboard as Mrs.
Mizar began her lecture on the more fascinating aspects of taxonomy. Shifting my gaze around, I noticed that not two minutes into the lecture the majority of the eyes in the room had that distinctive glazed over appearance. Lesia, one of the few exceptions, was focused acutely on the board, pausing only to jot down a few notes. The only other exception was Ty. His eyelids were all that captured his attention. Seeing my opportunity, I slid the note out from under my notebook with the gingerness of a ninja. I frowned at the strange stick figure, still clueless as to what it was. After quickly making sure Mrs. Mizar’s back was still towards me, I eased the envelope open and took out a single note.

You have many questions. Come to the temple at the edge of town for the answers.

Gee, whoever sent this sure had a lot to say. I flipped the note over to see if anything was written on the back. Blank as my classmates’ brains. I stuffed the note back inside the envelope and glared at the stick-dot thing. Was it so much to ask that I actually got a break every now and then? Shit. What was that? Like two whole sentences?  And it wasn’t even on a full piece of paper, either. Just some little cheap-ass note card . . . when did it get so dark?

Startled, I looked up and into soul-stealing black. Mrs.
Mizar was standing beside me, her ominous shadow casting over my desk. Her eyes moved down away from mine. I looked down and saw what caught her attention. The envelope laid in full view right over my notebook. I contemplated snatching it up for a second before deciding that would probably only land me in more trouble. Besides, if she really wanted to read my little love note and embarrass me in front the class, she was going to be disappointed.

“I, uh –”

“Well, well, Miss Fairheit. I’m glad to see you’re finally taking an interest in the sciences. Unfortunately, it seems that while you are up in space, the rest of us are still here on Earth mastering classification,” she quipped, turning and walking back towards the board. “But I assure you, astronomy will come soon enough. Right after genus and species. Kings play chess on fine green sand, children.”

Relief washed over me, and I pushed the envelope back under my notebook. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw
Lesia looking at me. Ignoring her, I spent the rest of the period lost in taxonomy land with Mrs. Mizar, determined not to get caught again.

I managed to make it through the rest of the day without much incident, but it wasn’t like I had to keep sneaking a peak at the note to know what it said. It was pretty straight to the point on what I had to do. I’d been waiting for Lesia to ask about the letter, but she didn’t say a word about it. It was a bit unnerving, to tell the truth. I knew she was fully aware that something was up, but all I got was feigned ignorance. It crossed my mind that she was probably trying to respect my privacy or wait for me to bring it up, but the more exciting part of my mind concluded she was just waiting for the right moment to spring. Either way, the suspense was really starting to get to me, and her patience far outweighed mine.

The more I thought about all that happened, the more I wanted to spill everything to my friends. They had always been there for me, and I for them. This time was different; I knew they would only freak out if they found out about the attack and stop me from going to that temple. I couldn’t let that happen now that I was so close to potentially finding out something about what had happened last night. I would tell Ty and
Lesia everything soon, but right now, I needed to do this more than anything. I needed to know about those strange guys, and maybe I might find out something about myself. A surge of determination flashed through me as I resolved to go seek out the temple. I just hoped the note wasn’t some bogus lead.

We made our way down the hall and out to the front gates when Ty turned to speak to us. “So, ladies, what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon? I managed to find some spare change around the house ‘
cause I know a certain someone’s been dying to go to the arcade,” Ty sang out while pulling a bag of change from his pocket. It was so true. I’d been itching to get on the joystick and earn some respect. There was nothing more satisfying that kicking some poor arcade junky’s ass with a sword-wielding Chinese girl to the beats of a Japanese dance machine.
Resolve, Ingrid, resolve.
No! I had to go to the temple. I already decided! It’s a shame determination didn’t come with the same entertainment value as a video game.

“Sorry, Ty,” I declined, my voice laden with disappointment. “I can’t. I already planned to go . .
.um,” I paused, trying to think of, well, anything, “home.” That was hard. “My aunt. I didn’t see her this morning, and I need to go check on her.” Why did lying have to take so much effort and brain power?

“I see,” he said, giving me a skeptical look. While I was on the issue, why did my friends have to be so good at detecting my
lies. “How about you, Lesia? Any other plans?”

“I think I’m going to head home, too. I have some things I need to catch up on.”

“Another time then. I’ll see you both tomorrow, but don’t expect me to have any more change,” he replied, giving us a half-hearted wink. “See you later!” I watched him turn and leave with a knot in my stomach. I really did want to go to the arcade with him. Hell, I wanted to go anywhere with him. I sighed and looked at the ground.
Soon
. Soon I’d have my answers and be done with this. I saw a slight movement out of the corner of my eye and almost jumped out of my skin when I saw Lesia still standing beside me. Her doe eyes stared into mine, and I feared she heard my thoughts. That or I had done something stupid like say them out loud. It wouldn’t be the first time. In times like this, I found it’s often useful to use one’s best defense. Play dumb.

“Aren’t you going home,
Lesia?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Ingrid.”
Damn.
“I know something’s up. I just wish,” she began, looking sadly at the ground, “I just wish that you would trust us enough to tell us what it is.”

Wow, I felt horrible. Seeing her so sad and concerned only made the guilt burn deeper into my chest. The thought that she felt I didn’t trust them filled me to the point I could feel the truth rising in my throat.
Resolve.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth!” I blurted out, instead. “I trust you guys more than anyone else in the whole world. I trust you guys with my life! But it’s just . . .” I faltered, not sure what to say at first. “You just have to trust
me
on this. I have to figure this out on my own for now, and then I promise,” I declared, grabbing her hand, “I will tell you everything.” She didn’t say anything as she continued to look at the ground, but I could feel her fingers tighten around mine.

“Just tell me,” she pleaded, “does it have anything to do with your injuries?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, debating if I should answer that question with honesty or not. She chose that moment to look up at me, and I knew in an instant what I was going to say.

“Yes.”

“And that note?”

So, she did see the letter. I didn’t even contemplate lying to her this time. It was senseless at this point. She already knew what I was going to say.

“Yes.” Simple, but effective.

“Can I see it?” I opened my mouth to protest. “Just the envelope, I mean. I won’t read that note if you don’t want me to. It’s just I noticed it had some design on the front.”

I didn’t see any harm in that. I dug in my bag reaching for the little envelope. Besides, maybe she could make some sense of the weird thing. I sure couldn’t. Handing her the envelope, I looked at her face then took a step back. Her brows furrowed as she turned it around in her hands, looking at the sketch from different angles. Her eyes darted to the sky for a moment, and she held out the envelope for me to take back.

“Okay, Ingrid. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, turning to leave. I looked after her, grasping the note in my hands.

“It’s Orion!” she called, glancing over her shoulder and pointing up. “The constellation.”

So, here I was – making my up an enormous hill. The temple, like all other temples in the world, was built on the summit. The walk across town hadn’t been as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had the nerve to think that would be the hardest part. Proven wrong for the umpteenth time. I took in a few deep breaths and continued to hike up, the Orion envelope in my inescapable hold. I didn’t know what awaited me at the top, but I knew one thing for sure; if what awaited me was a bunch of jokesters with telescopes, there was going to be some serious hell to pay. I leaned against a pine tree to catch my breath, enjoying the shade it provided. The only saving grace of this trip was the fact the temple was right beside the forest. The trees shielded me from the glare of the afternoon sun. Gathering the last of my strength, I made the last stretch to the top.

I leaned over and let my body relax from the test I just put it through. Once my heart rate returned to near normal, I looked around. I’d never been to the temple before, so I had no idea what to expect. It looked like the whole top of the hill had been flattened to make room for the grounds. An expansive building centered at the far end of the grounds closest to the forest drew my immediate attention. It had a tall, sloped roof, and the whole thing appeared to be made of wood. Deep green lining added decoration around the edges of the roof. Almost a dozen other smaller buildings of similar style were scattered around. Stone walkways weaved around, cutting through deep grass and connecting all of the buildings. Off to the side of the buildings, a large dirt field sat. The whole place had a distinctively Asian feel to it, which was a definite oddity considering it had been built nearly a hundred years ago in the middle of the United States.
A log cabin Chinatown. Impressed, I made my way to the central walkway and started towards the large building.

“Girl.”

I almost knocked myself over spinning towards the voice. Looking for the source, I saw a woman standing on the porch of one of the smaller buildings. Her dark brown eyes flashed with amusement as she blew smoke from a cigarette. She was an older woman, perhaps in her fifties. Her long black hair streaked with gray, and her tanned skin was starting to crease with wrinkles. Glancing at her frame, I noticed she was quite short. It looked like I had caught her at leisure time, for the only clothes she wore was a light green robe. I looked up at her face again and waved. She didn’t respond; her attention focused on two things.

“You must be Ingrid
Fairheit,” she said, her eyes piercing into mine.

“That’s right. And who are you? Did you send me this?” I asked, holding up the envelope.

“So many questions,” she commented, tapping her cigarette against a wooden beam. “So impatient. I’ll start with the first, and we can continue from there. My name is Meissa, and I am the master of the Orion Temple.”

“W
hat the hell is the Orion Temple?”

“You’re an impertinent one, aren’t you?”
Meissa asked, a smirk forming on her ruby painted lips. “Reminds me of someone I know.”

“Well?”

“Yes?”

“You said you’d answer my questions,” I huffed in annoyance. “So start answering!”

She tilted her head, looking at me with half lidded eyes. Clucking her tongue, she then turned to walk into the door behind her.

“Hey, wait!” I shouted. There was no way I was going to let her go without telling me anything.
Especially after I hiked all the way up that damn hill. I dug my toes into the path prepared to run after her.

“Aren’t you coming? I thought you wanted me to ‘start answering,’” she mocked, not even turning to look back at me. I glared at her back, wishing she would spontaneously combust. Wait. Tell me what I wanted to know and then combust. I seriously debated leaving then. I didn’t need her. I could find another all-knowing old hag to tell me about my attackers, or better yet, find out on my own. I just needed to find a lead or a clue or something somewhere . . . anywhere . . . that didn’t exist. Swallowing my pride, I started walking after her. The sooner I got this over with, the better.

Coming into the building, I noticed it was some kind of living quarters. In the center of the room stood a large wooden table. It was beautifully crafted with animals carved into the legs: dogs, birds, snakes, large cats and such creatures from what I could make out from my position. Four chairs surrounded the table, each with light green cushions in the seats and similar animal carvings along the legs and backs. Looking past the table, I noticed the far wall across from me appeared rugged and uneven. Small lettering decorated the wall, and I realized what it was: books spanning the whole length of the wall, jam packed onto shelves. A personal library it seemed. To my right, an old wood-burning stove and a set of cabinets laid against the wall. From the smell, Meissa could only be cooking dinner. The last wall on my left was adorned with a simple doorway, which I assumed led to a bedroom. The sound of some guy saying something about the waves being just right and the roar of a crowd drifted in from the doorway. There must have been a television or radio in the room, though which I could only guess.

“When you’re done being nosey, you can take a seat,” she said, walking over to the stove and checking on her meal. I shot her back another dirty look as I dropped into one of the chairs at the table. I hadn’t noticed when I entered the room, but the surface was decorated, too. The same stick figure on my envelope had been cut into the top. I reached forward and traced the image with my finger.
The Orion constellation. I heard a clanking noise and saw Meissa dishing out her food. My stomach unleashed a loud growl, and I hoped she hadn’t heard it. A low chuckle dashed that dream, and I settled for crossing my arms and sulking. I didn’t look up when Meissa came to the table.

“You stomach makes almost as much noise as your mouth,” she teased. “
Here.” My eyes widen with surprise as a plate was placed in front of me. Meissa took the seat across from me and set her own plate down. The dish consisted of chicken, peas, and rice. Nothing dramatic, but I eyed the plate so wistfully you’d think it was covered with fairies.

“I can’t accept this.”

“I invited you here, did I not? You should take advantage of your host’s generosity,” Meissa curtly pointed out, “instead of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere with your
bellyaching
.”

For a fleeting moment, I convinced myself the food in front of me would be better served on her face than in my stomach. Another rumble persuaded me otherwise, however, and I didn’t waste any time in shoveling the nourishment into my mouth. “Hag,” I muttered in-between mouthfuls.

“Careful now,” she warned with a sharp look, “you still haven’t gotten what you came for.” We eyed each other with the intensity of a raging fire before returning to the meal. I hated to admit it, but for a hateful old bitch, she sure could cook. I devoured the last of my share and leaned back, waiting for her to finish. The content feeling of a full stomach washed over me, and for the first time in two days, I allowed myself to relax.

“
Ursa tells me,” Meissa began, standing with her now empty plate, “that you don’t get much care at home.” I lowered my eyes to the table when she stood beside me and grabbed my plate. I bit the inside of my cheek debating whether to answer or not. I didn’t know how I felt about my principal sharing my life woes with a stranger.

“It’s just me and my aunt,” I responded at last. “She’s the one with the money.” The sound of running water filled the air.

“Surely you have some inheritance,” I heard over the stream.

“Well, I do, but it’s in a trust. I’m only sixteen.”

“I see.” The sound of water stopped and a dull
clang
soon followed. Looking up, I watched Meissa close one of the cabinets before returning to her seat across from me.

“How do you know
Ursa?” I spit out as soon as her rear hit the cushion.

“An old, dear friend,”
Meissa said with an oddly nostalgic look on her face. “She always kept me out of trouble.” I watched with mild fascination as the woman’s eyes momentarily lost focus. Fond memories, perhaps? Who knew the old witch had it in her. The edge returning to her gaze, she smirked at me. “Now, the endless questions.”

“Who were those guys that attacked me?” There was no doubt in mind that she knew all about the previous night.

“Somehow, I knew that was going to be the first thing out of your mouth. The Ankida.”

“The Echidna?”

“An-ki-da,” she spaced out each syllable. I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She stared right back at me, that insufferable smirk still heavy on her lips. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“
And
?”

“Yes?”

“
What
are they? Where did they come from?”

“I don’t know,” she stated. I let out an exasperated sigh and buried my head into my hands. I knew this was a waste of time.

“Nobody knows. They just came from the north one night.” I looked up from my hands and saw her eyes move up as though she was remembering something. “Millennia ago.” She had my full attention now. This time, I knew there was more to come.

“Thousands of years ago, a large group of nomads came to a grand human city. Though the
travelers possessed human form, their language was strange and clothes foreign. But what eclipsed all other aspects of the strangers,” she paused, her sharp eyes piercing into mine, “were their inhumanly bright, glowing eyes.” I sat in shock, my mind struggling to register what all this could mean.

“The ‘
Ankida,’ they called themselves, had traveled for many years looking for a place to finally settle, but the humans of the city were wary. Frightened and mistrustful of the visitors’ cursed appearances, the humans tried to force the Ankida to leave. Words turned into threats, threats turned into conflicts, and eventually, the conflicts turned into war.

“The
Ankida were strong and fierce, some even wielding strange abilities the humans had never seen before. Desperate for help, the humans of the city sent messages all over the globe asking for the best warriors the world had to offer. The messages were answered.

“With skill and new resolve, the humans began to strike back against the
Ankida. Taking advantage of the Ankida’s aversion to light, the humans would wield bright torches and weapons that produced blinding sparks. They would even douse the battlefield in oil while the Ankida retreated during the day, waiting patiently for night to fall and their chance to light it on the unaware enemy. The war raged on, neither side willing to surrender to the other despite the carnage and bloodshed that continued to spread across the land,” Meissa paused in her story, clearing her throat and licking her dry lips.

“So what happened?” I was completely enthralled.

Meissa smiled. “
She
happened.” At my confused look, she continued. “The beautiful and powerful priestess Ourania. Unable to bear the pain of watching her people be ravaged, Ourania prayed and prayed to the gods until one night a magnificent sphere of fire descended from the heavens onto the battlefield. While both sides retreated in fear, Ourania rushed onto the field and collected the rock that had fallen from the sky.”

“A meteorite?”

“Yes, a meteorite. Ourania took her gift from the gods and from it forged five statues, each a representative of a great legend eternally painted in the night sky. The temporary halt in battle didn’t last long. Ourania descended on the battlefield with the five meteor stones, and with every last drop of her great power, she formed a gate to seal the Ankida. With the majority of the Ankida locked in another realm, the war ended, but only five mighty human warriors remained.  The dying priestess gave each of the warriors a stone statue, making them promise to forever guard the keys to the Gateway.”

Meissa
stopped there, waiting patiently for me to say something. I sat in the hush, letting the story sink into my mind. That was a lot to absorb, and I was finding it difficult to process. The whole thing just seemed way to fantastical to be real. If there really had been some huge war like she said, surely there would be some record somewhere.

“Okay, I’m no pro at staying awake in History class, but I think I would remember something about an ancient super war. I’ve never heard anything about this before,” I pushed in doubt. I may have to add “senile” to the list
of words to describe this woman after all.

“Of course not, you silly girl,”
Meissa snapped. “Can you even image what kind of disaster that would create?” I raised my eyebrow and she continued. “Image what would happen if all the self-proclaimed adventurers and collectors in the world set out to find and gather all the keystones – not to mention the Gateway. How many would seek out the Ankida?
No
,” she stressed. “In order to protect humanity, all knowledge of the stones and the Ankida must be erased from history. Ensuring the secret is kept has long been a duty of the five lines.”

“The five lines?”

“The descendents of the five warriors,” Meissa clarified. “You asked me what the Orion Temple was. We are the last of the great line entrusted with the protection of the Orion Keystone. For thousands of years, we have lived in secrecy, vigorously training our bodies in combat in order to protect the stone from all who would come to possess it.” Her dark eyes bore into mine. “Killing any Ankida that should dare enter our midst.”

My mouth felt like it was lined with cotton as I gaped at her. More than anything, I wanted to find an escape route, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from hers. It was like she had me paralyzed in an invisible hold. My throat constricted, but I forced myself to speak.

“Is that,” I whispered with a dry crack, “why you asked me here? To . . . to . . .” I couldn’t get the words out. Struggling, I made myself say it. “Kill me.”

Her lips curled, the most awful, cold smile marring her face. She tilted her head and surveyed me with intensity. I couldn’t believe this was happening. What had I gotten myself into this time?