Lumen (21 page)

A couple of moments later and before Karsar is even aware of it, he’s on the floor, clutching at the cut on his side, and the blood leaking from beneath his bandages.

Jac woke the next morning groaning at the sound of Daniel’s alarm. He flailed his arms in the air and stretched his legs, twisting in the sheets Daniel had got him from linen closest at the end of the hall.

Daniel hadn’t slept all night. He’d cleaned his room, fixed both the window and the mirror and was now in the washroom, taking a shower. He did try to go find the building where Mia was staying but the internet on the laptop was blocked, and all the calls he tried to make from his phone were being diverted. He couldn’t sleep, not knowing if Mia was okay or if Karsar had got to her, and he wasn’t chancing both their safety by teleporting.

“Daniel!” Jac groaned.

Daniel appeared, wrapped in a towel with his clothes bunched up in his arms. He turned the alarm off. “What?” he asked, shivering as the cold air bubbled his skin in a thin layer of goose pimples.

“I just wanted you to turn the alarm off.”

“Okay, I’m gonna get changed and then get breakfast,” Daniel said, pushing his head through a t-shirt.

“I’ll have to get up then, won’t I?” Jac said, huffing.

“No, but you will if you want some breakfast.”

Jac sighed and then lifted his head from the pile of sheets he’d used as a pillow. “Should I come down with you?”

“I’m sorry to say this, but you’re going to be confined to these four walls until you leave,” Daniel said.

Jac glanced around the room and sighed harder. He had so much that he needed to tell Daniel but there was never the right moment, or feeling, he was waiting for a feeling inside to tell him when it was right for Daniel to know.

Daniel was usually let in early so that he could have the first pick of the food, but this morning everyone seemed to be going in early. He glanced up at the clock on the wall inside the cafeteria. At this rate he wouldn’t be able to take Jac any food back and go and see Marianne before lessons started, although he only had one question left to ask, he wanted to know if there was any way he could repel himself from Carlie.

Daniel grabbed a tray from the pile and queued with everyone else. People were still making sly comments about him and the staff behind the counter. He shared sympathetic glances with the workers; they were a long way away from home and probably have been since taking the job, the highest paying job they’ll ever get. Daniel pushed away the thoughts of other people as his stomach rumbled. He started to pile food on a plate, sausages, a couple of buns, some strips of bacon and two poached eggs. He took two sets of cutlery from the knife and fork stand at the end of the aisle and then turned, barging into Taner.

“Watch it!” Taner shouted, his tray wobbling in his hands.

Daniel took a deep breath and backed away, not wanting to start anything.

“Scum,” Taner muttered, his lips curling.

Daniel shook his head and tried to forget. He grinned, he couldn’t forget and he pushed into Taner, flicking his tray up with a little energy. Taner started to yelp as hot milk from the cereal doused him, leaving tiny welts forming up his torso.

Daniel smiled as he watched Taner drop his tray and the rest of the milk splattered up his pants. Taner glanced up at Daniel, gritting his teeth and trying not to cry, not in front of the now quiet cafeteria.

“Oi!” Jasper shouted.

Daniel turned and teleported before it could escalate.

“Did you hear them?” he asked, placing the tray on his bed.

“Who?” Jac asked, folding the sheets up.

“The people from the cafeteria, but I got my own back, although I doubt it will stop them speaking about me.”

“I can guarantee that they’ll always speak about you, you have left an impression,” Jac said, tucking into the food.

“Sometimes I think I should have stayed at home and just gone to the library with my dad,” Daniel sighed, putting a sausage and a few bacon strips on a bun. “I’ll eat this and then I best get to class. You best be listening in.”

“It’s not that easy y’know. I have to concentrate,” Jac said, chewing on a sausage.

“You don’t have anything better to do,” Daniel said, before taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. He nodded at Jac and then turned and disappeared.

There were a few people standing around outside the Mythics classroom. Daniel walked through everyone huddling close to the door, he tried not to push but sometimes it’s the only thing you can do. He sat in the front row and finished eating the rest of his sandwich, and slowly the snide comments ambled in and sat around him. It was comforting knowing that Jac was listening and Jac had a temper when he wanted.

Marianne walked into the room; she smiled and nodded at Daniel. “Today we’re going to be talking about legends,” she said, taking a seat and facing the class.

There was excited chatter coming from the first two rows, nothing about Daniel, it was about the lesson, how they’d looked forward to this lesson since they started. The rumour was that this lesson had been the one when teachers entrusted information that the rest of the island didn’t know.

Marianne talked for some time, telling the class what they’d already learnt until something caught Daniel’s ear and he started to pay more attention.

“People used to deal in Luminary blood, sometimes it was normal blood and other times it was animal blood. It killed a lot of people; they thought that a little bit of it would allow them to soar just like the Luminary. There was a bit of real Luminary blood in circulation though. That killed people as well,” she explained, captivating everyone.

Is that why Reuben was trying to get Karsar? I bet Karsar thinks it was my idea. Shit. I think I should tell him that it wasn’t…I should probably go to sleep and call him, or get him to call me.

“With the Luminary blood people would try to take down the pillars of power by summoning them through prayer or a group invocation,” she sighed, “they’d try to get them to will all their power away. However, only the most foolish people would try and get the attention of a Luminary, because it would never end well.”

Daniel turned, hoping to see somebody that had been with him in Reuben’s class yesterday. He was the only first year that had been there, so he wore the sickly pale face alone.

“Who would our prayers go to?” a girl from the second row asked.

“We pray to the planet, not the planetary person. Each Luminary has a planet to which they are tied to, so when we pray it’s like our calls are being diverted first,” Marianne replied, combing the end of her plait. “Nobody knows the name of a Luminary, if you did it would be easier to call to them. They’re probably living in some fancy castle somewhere, somewhere
 off
the island.”

Daniel frowned as Karsar’s face flashed before his eyes. He could see his face clearly in his mind, the horror on his face when he thought he was going to be trapped forever.

“So they don’t listen to our prayers?” she asked.

“Of course they listen to our prayers. It’s our need for energy that gives them the power that they have, so of course they listen to our prayers.”

“Oh, but what if we—” the girl began.

Marianne held her hand up and the girl fell quiet. “I have something interesting to tell you about Luminary blood. It’s still sold today in the markets, and there are poor sods who will barter for a vile of it, although it’s almost certainly poisoned so that you’re susceptible to being controlled.”

“People do that?” Daniel asked.

“Yes, every day in fact. It happens in the City mainly, where money is money and everyone wants it,” she replied. “Besides, you can’t take the blood of a Luminary, they have guardians, born with them and they’ll die for them. They are ruthless people, but you’ll never come across one in your life. You might in a dream after you’ve prayed for something big, like love, a saviour, or prosperity.”

It wasn’t long before the lesson was over, a few students had stayed back to ask Marianne some more questions. Daniel had stayed back as well, but teleported back to his room when he realised that he couldn’t talk privately with a queue behind him.

Jac was laid in Daniel’s bed, his eyes closed and his arms folded over his chest.

“She’s right you know,” Jac said.

“Who?” Daniel asked.

“Your teacher.”

“Oh,” Daniel nodded, “why do have my phone?” he asked, looking at the phone clutched in Jac’s hand.

“Mia called, she seems nice.”

“You answered my phone?”

“Yeah, it kept ringing so I pressed one of the buttons and hoped for the best, then her voice came through,” he said, passing Daniel his phone.

“I tried to call her last night,” Daniel said, pressing buttons on his phone to call her. He pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the dialling tone.

The dial tone rung once before Mia answered. “Daniel?” she said.

“Hi,” Daniel said, slowly, biting his teeth together. “I tried calling you last night, but my calls kept on bleeping out.”

“You probably have crap signal,” she said, “I had fun talking with your friend—” she trailed on.

Daniel creased his brow and scratched the top of his head. “How come I didn’t hear anything?” he asked, looking at Jac.

They both answered him. Jac shrugged. “I did try to tell you that the phone was ringing,” he said.

“—I don’t know,” Mia giggled. “Is your friend like you? He said you spoke about me, 
telepathically
. Can he do the same things you can?”

“Yeah, we all can. Everyone on this island is full of energy and power and, I don’t know why you can’t do it,” he said.

“What did she say?” Jac whispered and Daniel raised his hand to shush him.

“I wish we could too! Then I could fly,” she giggled. “Oh my—your friend said you summoned some god, guy, person.”

“It wasn’t as big as he made it out to be. In fact, it was nothing.”

“The way your friend—”

“Jac,” Daniel interrupted.

“Yeah, the way Jac put it, it sounded like you fought off a shark with your bare hands,” she laughed.

“I’m hungry,” Jac whined, flopping on the bed.

“I have to go, Jac can’t leave the room and I need to go and get lunch for us. I’ll phone you back later though.”

“Sure, but if I don’t answer then my father’s probably taken my phone from me,” she said, hanging up.

“Bye,” Daniel said as fast as he could and then pushed the phone into his pocket.

“So you’re the one who go into this school, not me,” Jac grinned.

“Whatever.”

“I’m just trespassing.”

“And eating all the food, and making a mess and—”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give the room a bit of a clean and I’ll try and eat less.”

“I’m joking, you can eat as much as you like, I’d rather you got fed than the people here.”

“Well, I am the only one who truly knows the meaning of 
slumming 
it,” Jac grinned. “So are you going to get me something, or do I have to starve?” he asked, holding his stomach as he started to curl up into the foetal position.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Daniel made his way back up the stairs to his room with two brown paper bags. The servers must have caught on because they gave him double without asking, that or they thought that Daniel needed to bulk up some more.

Three loud bangs rasped against door. Daniel knew it was his door, there was something in that echo he’d heard before. Jasper’s voice was the next thing to tremble, demanding that the door be opened. It was definitely his door.

Daniel teleported back into his room. It was clean and empty.

“
There are some people wanting to get into your room
,” Jac whispered.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“
I’m hiding in the closet.
”

“Come out then, I’m back now. No wait,” Daniel opened the closet and threw the two paper bags inside. “I’ll see what they want.”

Jac was stood, startled to see Daniel’s face when the closet door opened. He closed it as Daniel rushed to the door before another round of knocks.

Daniel unlocked the door and Jasper tugged on the handle and pushed it open. “What do you want?” Daniel said.

“Are you sleeping with Carlie?” Jasper asked. His forehead turned red and his lips thinned as he asked him again.

“No,” Daniel laughed.

Jasper took a deep breath and then punched Daniel square in the mouth. He stumbled backwards, holding his jaw. He pushed it side to side, rolling it until it clicked. He could taste the iron from the blood and see the light red gloss over his fingertips. He stumbled forward and the door slammed shut as he walked out into the hallway.

“I think it works,” Mark said, looking down at Daniel’s feet.

“What?” Daniel asked, seeing a faint glow connect three stones. “What is it?”

“Why, does it hurt?” Jasper grinned, turning to Mark and high-fiving him.

Daniel reached out to touch the spectral film encasing him. He pushed his fingers through it and tore a hole, his hands slowly started to blister and turn red.

“Don’t. That 
will
 hurt,” Jasper said.

Daniel clenched his jaw harder as the pain touched his nerves. He continued to rip at the barrier, but it kept on filling back up, even covering his fingers.

“What is it?” Daniel finally asked, rubbing his hands.

“You people shouldn’t have power. So you gotta give it up. Give it all up,” Jasper said.

“Why? Why don’t I deserve power but you do?”

“I deserve power because I have wealth, but for you it is a way to get by, therefore if your power goes, then you’re gone,” he replied with a snort of enthusiasm.

Mark sliced both of his hands through the air, and moments later Daniel fell to his knees. He turned and noticed blood, it was starting to soak the back of his jeans and pool on the floor.

“You’ll heal,” Jasper said, looking at the horror on Daniel’s face.

“But why are you doing it!” he shouted.

Mark swiped his hands through the air again and acted like he’d hit something, but tore right through it. Slowly, a light red line broke open on the back of Daniel’s hand, quickly covering him in more blood.