Gleam - Chapter 79 (Patreon)

Three hours. Four, if Chance counted the time it took Barbara to find yet another stack of papers she’d somehow misplaced. That was how long it took them to fill out all the documents and get the keys to their room.

By the time Chance and Bella finally left the office and found their room on the fifth floor of one of the tall, square buildings, both of them were a gentle wind from being dead inside.

Bella pushed the small metal key they’d spent a good part of the day trying to get into the keyhole. It didn’t move. She narrowed her eyes and gave it a sharp twist. There was a brassy click and the door creaked open, revealing the room behind it.

Two plain beds sat on either side of it, each with a white sheet and ratty pillow at its head. There was a single square window in the center of the wall. It was covered by a thin layer of dust, and the view through it was of the street below.

“Not the most welcoming room I’ve ever been in,” Bella muttered as they headed inside.

Chance flopped down onto his bed. It bounced slightly and he grinned, bouncing a few more times before stopping when it gave him a slight creak of warning. “It’s got a bed!”

“Most rooms have beds,” Bella pointed out. “I’d have been pretty pissed if we went through all that crap only to find out that our room came bedless.”

Chance patted his pillow, checking it for bugs before nodding in satisfaction and testing it out. “Not everywhere I’ve been has a bed, and it’s been a while since we last had one. It’s still nice.”

Bella opened her mouth, then closed it slowly. She sat down on her own bed, testing how much give it had. She shifted, then stood back up and headed over to the window and peered through it.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to answer this, but… what exactly did you do when you were back on Earth? Before you were here?”

“Not much,” Chance replied, sitting up and fluffing his pillow. “Just kind of hung around, really. I guess I went to school for a while, but that seems like it was so long ago.”

“I’d heard that people on Earth have a bunch of teachers that cover different topics, rather than a mentor that went over everything. But the way you say it makes it sound like you weren’t getting taught before you got sent to Gleam. Did you finish?”

Chance waggled his hand from side to side. “Not really. There was more, but I didn’t really get to doing it. I couldn’t afford it.”

“Schooling costs money? But your city would benefit from your increased talent.”

“It’s a long story,” Chance said with a chuckle. “I was planning on getting more, to be honest. Not because I loved it or anything, but that’s just kind of what a lot of people do.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Well, my parents got killed by a truck.”

“Truck?”

“A big carriage.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. You were looking for them in Gleam, weren’t you?” Bella asked, averting her gaze.

“I put a bit of a pause on it,” Chance admitted. “A part of me hopes that they’re somewhere on Centurion, even though I know that’s not very likely. They’re probably just dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like there was anything that could have been done about it,” Chance said. “That’s just how life is sometimes. All I can do is make the best of it.”

Bella fiddled with the window until it creaked open, allowing a refreshing breeze to enter the room. It kicked up all the dust on the windowsill and she sneezed. Bella waved the dust away, rubbing at her nose with her finger.

“Is that why you appreciate normal things so much? I don’t think I’ve met anyone that was excited to find a bed in their room, even after traveling without one for a few weeks.”

“Well, there was a little while in my life where I didn’t have much of anything. No bed, no change of clothes, just whatever I had on me and in my pockets. Honestly, it wasn’t even all that long. It felt long, though. Makes it a lot easier to realize what you’ve got after you don’t have anything, you know?”

Bella fell silent for several seconds. She stared out the window at the empty street below them. “I never really thought about it like that.”

“Just some stuff my dad taught me,” Chance said with a grin. “You don’t have to feel bad about it. I would have loved to somehow save my parents, but that’s not something anyone can change. What I can change is the lives of people I meet now, and I’m happy I was able to come to Centurion. I’ve lived more here than I ever did on Earth.”

Bella pushed away from the window. She stood in the center of the room for a few moments, her face unreadable. Chance’s grin faded slightly as he caught the look in her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“I – I’m just thinking, I guess,” Bella replied. “About what I could have done differently.”

“No point beating yourself up over the past. The only thing we can change is the future.”

Bella let out a bark of bitter laughter. “Yeah, that’s a great thing to go by if you don’t actually regret anything you did in the past.”

“I guess that’s true.”

They were silent for a few moments. Bella remained where she stood, perfectly between the beds and across from the window.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Chance asked.

“Why? It wouldn’t change anything.”

“It might make you feel better, though.”

“Why does that matter?” Bella asked, turning away from the window to look at him. “It’s in the past.”

“If it’s still bothering you, then I’d say it’s in the present as well.”

Bella opened her mouth. Then she let it close. Chance scooted farther down his bed to make space and sent a pointed glance at the space he’d made. Bella snorted, but she slowly walked over and sat down beside him.

They sat silently for nearly a minute.

“My parents died as well,” Bella said, finally finding her voice again. “But I could have done something about it.”

***

Rain poured down over the town in sheets. Bella stared out of the window with wide eyes as flashes lit the sky in the distance. She’d had to stack a few pillows to get tall enough to actually see out of it, but it would have been worth it if she could catch a glimpse of a real cultivator.

A rumble shook the heavens, and a brilliant flash of lightning screamed through the sky. It split the thick gray clouds apart, and the resulting shockwave struck the town like the roar of a furious god.

Bella flinched as the window rattled and her precarious stack nearly gave out, but she managed to catch herself on the windowsill before she could fall.

“Get down from there, Bella. It’s dangerous.” A set of calloused hands gently picked Bella up from her perch and set her back on the ground.

“Dad! I’ll be fine,” Bella complained, kicking her feet. “Put me back up! I wanna see the cultivators.”

“You’ll get a chance to see cultivators soon enough, honey,” her father said, ruffling her hair. There was a steely tone of stress beneath his words. He pulled the curtains shut over the window, blocking out the rain. “Cultivators are fantastic, but these two are bad men, okay? We can go see a real cultivator later.”

Bella frowned, but her father’s hands guided her away from the window and deeper into the house. She cast one last glance at the window over her shoulder, watching as the lightning illuminated two distant figures far in the clouds above before they were cast into darkness once more.

“Where’s mom?” Bella asked.

“She’s getting your brother. She’ll be back soon.”

The worry in her father’s voice was thicker this time, like he was speaking through a mouthful of mud. His fingers tightened slightly around Bella’s shoulders. “She and Tim will be back soon enough. We just need to sit tight for them. Your mom is big and strong. She can fend for herself, you know.”

Bella nodded eagerly. “Mom is a Shikari! She could beat those bad men up.”

Her father chuckled. “Mom is retired, Bella. She doesn’t do any more beating up. The bad men won’t pay us any attention as long as we stay out of sight, okay?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small deck of cards, fanning them out between his fingers. Bella’s eyes traced the cards as one of them danced to the front, flipping itself around to reveal its face to her.

“I haven’t told you the story about the story of this card, have I?”

“You have. At least ten times, dad.”

His face fell in exaggerated disappointment. “Oh. I see. I guess you don’t want to hear–”

Bella flopped down at stared up at him with expectant eyes. A small smirk flickered across her father’s face and he started to lay cards out, launching into a story. Ten had been a gross underexaggeration– he’d told it to her more times than she could remember, and it changed every retelling.

That didn’t stop her from listening intently, clinging onto every word he spoke. Minutes ticked by, and the rain continued to batter down on their rooftop. The cards seemed less lifelike in her father’s hands than they normally were. Several times, he fumbled slightly and nearly dropped them, and Bella spotted several tricks that normally would have sailed right beneath her nose.

Several loud thuds echoed through the house, from the direction of the door. Cards spilled across the ground as Bella and her father scrambled to her feet.

“Stay here,” her father said, sprinting for the door. Bella, of course, darted after him as fast as her small legs would carry her. As they ran past the window, Bella slowed. She darted up to it and pushed the curtain to the side, squinting into the night.

The storm still raged outside, but the thick gray clouds had peeled away from a small area in the sky. A man floated in the air, a sea of sickly green and blue energy swirling around him. Bella stared at him, trying to make his features out through the pouring rain.

A bang echoed through the house as her father yanked the door open. He drew in a startled gasp, and Bella yanked her eyes away from the window.

“Dad?”

He didn’t respond. Bella started toward him.

“Stay back!”

Bella froze. She’d never heard such fervor in her father’s voice – but that only served to push her curiosity even further.

“What is it? Is mom there?”

Her father drew a shaky breath. He pushed the door shut and locked it. “No. Mom’s not there. She’s going to be staying outside with Tim today.”

“In the rain?”

“She likes the rain.” His voice broke slightly, but his face remained flat. He strode forward and grabbed Bella, pulling her toward the back of the house.

The window rattled as a peal of thunder shook the house. Bella craned her head back, trying to see what her father had been looking at. She let out a startled yelp. Water was pouring through the window and down over their couch.

“The window!”

“Forget the window! Just –”

There was a sound like that of a watermelon being split by a knife. He staggered, his eyes widening. “Bella, go to the safe room. Now.”

“But –”

“Now!” he roared. “And close the door behind you. I’ll join soon.”

Bella spun and sprinted away, all thoughts of curiosity dead. She flew down the halls and sprinted into the small room at the back of the house. Grabbing onto the heavy metal door, she heaved it shut with all the strength in her small arms.

If the hinges hadn’t been so well oiled, it would have been impossible. Even with their smooth movement, the door still closed at the speed of a crawling snail. The instant it slammed into place, Bella grabbed a crank wheel and spun it, locking the latch with a thick piece of steel.

They’d had practice in running to the safe room before, but Bella had never seen her father quite this serious about it. She stared at the door, trembling, for several seconds. Bella leaned against the wall and slid down, hugging her knees to her chest.

Then she waited.

The roar of the rain outside didn’t abate. Even here, she could hear its furious blows pouring down on the house above.

Something wet touched the bottom of Bella’s shoe. She yelped, scrambling back and looking down at the floor. A puddle had formed at the base of the door, and it was quickly expanding.

The water churned and twisted into ropey vines that meshed together and melted into the shape of a person. His dark hair hung damp around his shoulders, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

“A cultivator,” Bella breathed, staring at him with wide, terrified eyes. “Were you the one at the door?”

The man paused. Then he tilted his head to the side, a flicker of a smile passing across his lips. “No. Is that really the first question you have for me?”

Bella swallowed. She scooted away until her back hit the wall. “Dad? Dad?”

“He’s a little preoccupied, I’m afraid,” the man said, resting his hand on the door. “Do you like cultivators much, girl?”

Bella swallowed, then gave him a small nod. “Why isn’t my dad here?”

“I liked your first question more,” the man said. He stepped closer and leaned down, peering into Bella’s eyes. “You look just like her. How amusing.”

Bella’s body screamed at her to run, but there was nowhere to go. She held his gaze, desperately fighting against her instincts. There was no ground left to give. “Who are you?”

“I – an old acquaintance of your parents,” the man replied. “Do you know what that word means? Acquaintance?”

“Like a friend,” Bella said, swallowing. Her parents had never mentioned being friends with cultivators, but they’d also refused to let her meet any. Maybe they did know him.

“Yes, that works. I’m here to help you,” the man said. His lips split apart in what was likely meant to be a reassuring smile, but it was anything but. “Your mom and dad are hurt. They sent me to ask you for help.”

“Mom and Dad are hurt? What happened?” Bella asked, scrambling up to her feet.

The cultivator spun the wheel on the door, unlocking it. It swung outward and he stepped out into the hall.

“Come. If you don’t act quickly, they may not survive at all.”

Bella sprinted past the man. She skidded to a stop as she reached the front of the house, her eyes going wide. Her father lay face down on the ground, a pool of blood spreading around him and mixing with the rain pouring in through the window.

“Daddy!” Bella screamed, nearly slipping in blood as she ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder. “Dad? Are you okay?”

“I’m afraid he’s going to die,” the cultivator said, stepping from the darkness behind her. “You see that hole in his back? That’s his heart. Clean through.”

Bella spun toward the cultivator. “Help him! Please! Cultivators can do anything!”

“I’m afraid I won’t,” the man said. “But – I told you. You can.”

“How?” Bella begged. “Please!”

The cultivator extended a hand. “I will give you the strength to do it yourself. It is the only way. Then you will do me a favor in return. How about that?”

Bella grabbed his hand. Thunder pealed outside, and the rain poured down even harder. A flash of lightning lit his face. Energy poured into Bella’s body like a torrent of flame. She screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground beside her father.