Rising Shards

Tik was very reluctant, but I thought I could handle seeing at least some of whatever this incident was, the one that got my parents exiled from their home. Once Stella and I reassured her that we could handle it, Tik changed the image, and found our mother joining the event. She fought through the crowd to get to the front of the stage. She took her seat, under the shadow of one of the statue’s arms.

“This thing looks like a giant safety hazard,” I said.

Mom’s gaze was between the statue and someone on stage.

“Is that the guy?” I asked, pointing to the one Mom was staring at. “The one that…you know…”

“No,” Tik said. “I think that’s her father. If I remember right, he was a stage designer for this event.”

“Huh,” I said. “So that’s my grandpa?”

Grandpa looked…like a jerk. He had the same hair color as Stella and I, but was stockier, and had a full beard. He was smugly parading around with a bunch of other guys in fancy robes.

A speaker took center stage with a scroll.

“Citizens of Quatra, fourth prime city in the grand nation of Indicordia!” The speaker yelled, his voice projecting really well despite having no microphone or anything similar. “We are gathered here in the founding area of our city, where at last choosing, our King Ihli was chosen. Today, we determine the three possible successors, the chosen! The only true hope of tomorrow!” The crowd exploded with cheers.

“It’s weird,” I said. “This looks like an alien world to me.”

“This place was so different from your home, yes,” Tik said. “Alien is a good word for it.”

“Enough time has been spent in anticipation, so we will begin right away!” The speaker continued. “The chosen were determined by many factors. The old rulers have carefully examined every recently graduated citizen and have chosen wisely.”

“I guess bad speeches aren’t exclusive to here,” I said, picturing Penteldtam giving one of his speeches on this stage.

Mom fidgeted in her seat. I hated to admit it, but it looked familiar. She looked like she was going to have a panic meltdown. Being in a crowd of so many people would make me anxious, too. Part of me was disappointed I had anything in common with her. The speaker rambled on and rattled off names, and some people climbed up onto the stage. None of them were ones I recognized, so my parents and Tik and River Kathron weren’t chosen. Someone tapped Mom on the shoulder.

“Your father needs you back behind the stage.” A guy wearing fancy robes like the ones on stage said. “Immediately.”

Mom looked up at the stage. There were tons of cables on the sides of it. She sighed and started inching through the crowd. Many were frantically scrambling around, excited to see the future leaders. Mom reached a jungle of cables on the side and slowly walked through them. I expected her to bust out some sabotage here, like knifing up the cables or using Cani powers to explode them. But she just kept walking. Until the stage rumbled, and she started screaming. The stage started falling apart, and so did the vision.

“So that’s where that old guy died.” I said. “Sorry, that’s really blunt. I don't normally talk like that, I don't think. I dunno how to talk about this. Especially here where my filters seem like they’re not working.”

“You’re fine,” Tik said.

“I guess Mom didn’t do it.” I said.

“It seems that way.” Tik said.

“Dad still might’ve,” I said.

“I’m sorry to say you may be right,” Tik said.

“It’s alright,” I said. “I mean, it’s not, that’d be awful on so many levels. But I already know they’re awful. So…”

“Then I’m sorry the burden of knowing any more about them is falling on you and your sister,” Tik said.

“I feel a bit clearer, somehow,” I said.

“That may have helped untangle the energy blockage you were experiencing,” Tik said. “If you think of my power like one of those cables, and your energy as another, and your sickness as a third, it was as though they were crossed together.”

“So I can wake up now?” I asked.

“It might take a minute,” Tik said.

“I’m still a cat back home, right?”

“Yep,” Stella said.

“So if there’s anything you gotta ask me,” I said. “Maybe ask it quick because I can’t talk when I’m a cat.”

“I think I’ve put you through enough today,” Tik said.

I couldn’t remember anything else about the dream, because soon after I snapped awake on the couch, with the world looking big again with my view as a kitty cat.

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