Polaris (16 page)

Aaron continued down the rest of the stairs, through Zion’s house, out the portal on the wall, and stopped on the ramp of the municipal building. He laid his head back against the brick wall, closed his eyes, and listened.

Nothing. That is, nothing out of the ordinary. Aaron knew his life could possibly change forever, based on his next move, and no one cared. He opened his eyes and watched the people of Bixie scurry about their day. If he lost the game, would his parents even realize Nakal was not their
real
son? Or would he really become part of the nothingness?

Nakal continued to think back to that day, in his mind he was back inside the volcano tunnel. Breathing heavily, he leaned against the cavern wall. He reached for his backpack, opened the zippered compartment, and placed the fragrance and the access card inside. He pulled the bag close to his chest, closed his eyes, and thought about what he’d done.

Nakal smiled to himself. “Wait until they get home and find that mess.”

He stayed at the tunnel’s entrance for several minutes before deciding to head back home. He knew he’d waited too long to make it up through the tunnel, up to the surface, and back. After his home invasion he knew his rite of passage was over. He’d have to go home and face the consequences, which would probably be some menial tasks to complete so he would learn his lesson. But he wanted to visit the library pod one last time before his punishment

As Nakal made his way back to the library, he looked in the direction of his home. His parents would be starting their evening routine: dinner, light cleaning, reading, and then bed. His father would surely tell his mother how proud he was and how today Nakal would become a man. His father would even reminisce about his own rite of passage, and then they would share a laugh. Nakal loved to hear his parents talking and how they shared everything with each other. It was at that moment the reality of his offense hit him like a ton of bricks.

“What was I thinking?” His shoulders slumped, and a sound as if he’d been punched in the stomach rolled from his mouth. “The council members will not only punish me, but my parents as well.” He repeatedly kicked a large boulder, pummeling it with his foot as tears streamed down his face. “I’m so stupid!”

He wasn’t concerned about his punishment by the council members; he was too stubborn to be broken by them. However, he hadn’t considered what they would do to his parents. He walked along the darkened streets alone. It was past curfew, and everyone would be in his or her bunk by now.

The library was the most prestigious building in the area where the commoners lived. It was a gift from the council members. Something for the not-so-privileged to enjoy and have a taste of the finer things in life. Built entirely from white marble stone that was imported from Earth, it stood out against the gray clay homes in the background.

While on a mission to Earth, the fleet discovered a beautiful tree called mahogany and said the earthlings made furnishings from it. They brought several tons back with them and created the furnishings that filled the library. It was a majestic place. It was Nakal’s oasis in the desert, and he wanted to visit it one last time.

Inside the library, Nakal admired its beauty as he made his way to the pods. He removed the access card and inserted it into the pod. The door slid open, and he stepped inside, taking a deep breath as he made himself comfortable in the seat, after placing the card back inside his backpack. When the door closed, it illuminated and a voice said, “Welcome, Gatekeeper. Where would you like to go today?”

Nakal sat up straight, and his pulse increased as panic ran through his body. He fidgeted, unsure if he should speak. He swallowed and chewed his bottom lip.

“Take me to the last place I visited,” Nakal answered.

The pod darkened, and then an image of Earth showed in the distance. The screen flickered, and an image of North America appeared. Fast forward again, the screen filled with an image of the United States, then the northwestern quadrant, and finally it zoomed in on one section of that quadrant.

“Moving into Montana,” the voice said. The image zoomed in more. “You have arrived at your last location, Bixie, Montana.”

“Could you remind me why I studied this place? It’s been a long day,” Nakal asked.

The voice responded. “You were researching family life on Earth.”

Nakal leaned back in the chair and allowed his mind to navigate through the town. He watched as families sat in parks with picnic baskets, having lunch. Parents were pushing their kids on swings, laughing, playing, and hugging one another—it was a beautiful, peaceful place.

Just as he started to ask his next question, the pod went black and the door slid open. The red lights inside the library flashed, and the sirens blared, signaling something was wrong. Upon hearing the alarm, all families must calmly and expeditiously leave their homes or places of employment and proceed to the Circle.

The Circle was the meeting place where major announcements were made, lawbreakers were punished, and new laws were announced.

Nakal climbed out of the pod and ran behind a pillar that had a view of the Circle. He watched as families gathered, looks of concern on their faces. He scanned the crowd, trying to find his parents. They were probably concerned that something may have happened to him during his rite of passage. Those types of things were usually privately said to the families, but since the council members disliked Nakal’s father, he knew they would have no problem making a public spectacle of him.

He spotted his parents near the edge of the circle, their arms embracing one another. They were one of the last families to show up. Nakal’s father stood tall and proud, his jaw locked in place. He looked down at his wife and gave her a reassuring nod that all would be okay.

The flashing red lights stopped as floodlights filled the stage. The twelve council members of the Legend walked out in single file, led by the Gatekeeper. All eyes turned toward him. Nakal eased out the front entrance and hid behind a large boulder. His heart pounded in his ears.

Nakal watched as the Gatekeeper scanned the crowed, his gaze stopping on someone in the back before he spoke. “I am sorry to have to disturb you at this hour, but due to the severity of the events it could not wait.” The Gatekeeper paused before continuing. “We try to maintain decency on this planet and believe that we treat everyone fairly and with respect. However, I have not been shown the same. Tonight, some vile member of our society has vandalized my home, causing considerable damage, stolen priceless items, and left my wife and children afraid.”

Gasps from the audience rolled across like dominos falling.

The Gatekeeper raised his hands to quiet them. “We cannot dismiss the fact that we believe the attack was planned to cause us harm, but thankfully we were not home at the time. Friends, we must act, and the guilty must be punished.”

A disturbance came from the rear of the crowd. Nakal watched in horror as several members of the fleet grabbed his parents and dragged them onto the stage. A red spotlight centered on them.

Nakal’s father pulled his trembling wife into his arms. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted.

The Gatekeeper turned to face him. “Your son, Nakal, was the intruder.”

Nakal’s mother shook her head. “No,” she cried out. “You are mistaken; he is on his rite of passage and probably on the surface by now. He could not and would not do something like this.”

The wall behind the council members lit up as video footage showed Nakal ransacking the house. The footage slowed down as it showed him stomping the oil painting of the Gatekeeper in slow motion, causing him to look wildly insane. Then it zoomed in on his face as he screamed, “You’ve been demoted!” Specks of spittle flew from his mouth. The camera stopped on that image.

Nakal’s mother cried out again as another red spotlight was focused on a large boulder near the library. The crowd all turned to look.

Nakal rose slowly from behind the boulder and looked at his parents. “I’m sorry.”

Nakal sat in a jail cell alone with nothing but his Thoughts. The council members had a device they used that released someone’s thoughts. They appeared as shimmery, wispy versions of the person they’d come from. They did this so they could find out a criminal’s inner thought process—perhaps give them insight on why the crime was committed. This way, nothing could be hidden from the council members.

Nakal’s Thoughts sat directly across from him. “Well, you’ve done it this time, haven’t you?”

Nakal glared at his counterpart but said nothing, knowing anything that was said would be held against him.

“You do realize they are torturing your parents because of what you’ve done,” his Thoughts said.

“Would you shut up?” Nakal replied.

“If you admit that this was all your idea and they had nothing to do with it, maybe they will spare them.”

Nakal sighed. “You’re right.” He stood, walked over to the door, and knocked on the glass. When no one responded he yelled out, “I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt my parents. They had nothing to do with my behavior. Punish me, not them. Please.”

Nakal’s Thoughts vanished when the door opened. A fleet member escorted Nakal to a larger room where his parents stood facing the Gatekeeper; they smiled weakly when they saw him.

Tears poured down Nakal’s cheeks as he ran to embrace his parents.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you in on this.” Nakal wiped the tears from his face as he continued to hug his parents.

“Yes,” the Gatekeeper interrupted their reunion. “You should’ve thought about what you were doing beforehand.”

One of the fleet officers handed Nakal’s backpack to the Gatekeeper, who reached inside and pulled out the fragrance and the access card and held them up.

“I’ve decided that since you love Earth so much, you and your parents will help us out with a project on that planet. You must do as you’re told or you will be released into the universe for your ultimate demise. If you succeed, you will return and live as one who never completed the rite of passage by serving the commoners and doing any menial tasks they do not want to do themselves. You will live, but you will live as an outcast for the rest of your life.” The Gatekeeper handed the backpack back to the fleet officer. “Are we in agreement?”

Nakal’s father nodded. “Yes, we will do whatever you say.”

Nakal fumed on the inside, but he remained silent as he glared at the ground.

Aaron was still conflicted about which direction to take. He no longer trusted Zion and D1. He also no longer knew what to think about Mr. Kessler. Instead of wasting time trying to decide who was being truthful, his thoughts went back to a statement that D1 had made. Nakal was in an illegal meeting with Sirius. He thought that should buy him some time to go back to the meteor and find Parker and his mother. But he needed a way to get there.

He ran to the library and stopped at the sound of a honking horn. He looked at the library parking lot, and there was the red truck in the same place he had parked it before leaving for the paper mill.