- Dimension of Abnormality, Part I: The Exile
- Dimension of Abnormality Part II: The Soldier
By Rebecka Jones, Staff Writer
Nova had barely slept in the past week, but that didn’t stop her from pushing herself harder during training. She didn’t have time for sleep. Only for strengthening her power.
She worked her body for hours every day, building muscle in her arms, legs, back, and core. If she was going to be fighting against the humans, as Adira had told her several nights ago, she needed to strengthen herself physically, too. She worked up her endurance by running miles around the Great Tree and swimming laps in the golden lakes. Her flexibility improved as well, as she practiced stretches with an instructor recommended to her by Adira.
Nova also did exercises for her mind – she would find herself sitting in the middle of the field for hours, eyes closed as she felt the plumes brushing her arms and the wind whispering in her ears. In these moments of quiet and darkness, she would reach deep within her mind to find her power again, to feel the electricity in her body pulse and glow. But, the power she felt the night she opened a portal to Caligo never came back.
Maybe it was because she was too weak. Maybe it was because, deep down, she really didn’t want to fight. She did hate the humans for how they rejected her and cast her out, but she could never use her power against them without seeing her father’s face flash across her mind, blue eyes alight with joyous laughter as he watched his daughter twirl in her dress. He was human, whether she liked it or not. She even had friends who were human, who helped her in her darkest of times and loved her when the rest of the world didn’t.
But, she had to remember that the majority of the human population despised her kind. It didn’t matter if there were a few who accepted her; their voices didn’t matter in the midst of mass murders of the anomalies, of the imprisonments and torture their race put these people through, all because of their abilities. All because they were born different and were, therefore, a threat to humanity.
Could her father and her friends ever forgive her for hurting their kind?
Nova chose to reject those thoughts as soon as they came to her mind. She had to focus on what was at stake here: the lives of those with abilities. Hence, she had to focus on mastering her power channeling. Which is why she was in the field once again, inhaling the brisk night air and listening to the wind rustling the grass around her, silencing the voices in her head.
She imagined a place to go – a place that isn’t Caligo. A place closer by… perhaps the Great Tree? It was only a few miles away. Wait, no, she thought. She must push herself a little harder than that if she expects to make any progress.
Perhaps Lunella, one of Apricus’ moons. The one in the middle of the line the planet’s three moons made as they crossed the sky. It was also the brightest, casting an orange hue on the yellow grass. It may have been over a hundred thousand miles away, but she was nearly able to fully open up a portal to a planet in a whole other solar system. This should be nothing.
Closing her eyes, Nova imagined she was floating in light gravity above the surface of Lunella. She twisted and twirled as she glided, looking out into the vast expanse of space. She could see Apricus’ golden oceans from here and, looking to the side, could see Lunella’s sisters, Halo and Celyna, orbiting around the yellow planet. In her mind, there was only silence and empty thoughts.
Slowly, Nova felt heat in her veins. That heat rushed through her body and entered her fingertips, electrifying them. Her heart began to pound swiftly. Her eyes pulsed and began to glow as she opened them.
This was it. This was the moment. She felt the power surging through her, ready to burst.
Lifting her arm and popping her fingers before stretching them outward, she leaned into that power, grabbed hold of it, and released it.
Her heart rose into her throat as space tore before her. A spinning black circle formed and pulsed, and the air rushed from her lungs as the space opened more and—
“Nova!”
All power vanished from her fingertips at once, and the purple glow from her eyes faded. The hole closed and disappeared, leaving Nova alone with the yellow plumes.
And with her interrupter behind her.
She spun around and glared at the owner of the voice, catching her tongue when she noticed a blue-green Alaptera standing there, chest rising and falling rapidly as if he flew there as fast as he could. It seems he did, judging from the wild look in his beady eyes and the lone feathers fluttering to the grass below him.
Nova didn’t get a chance to respond before he began blabbering breathlessly. “The colony! The Chieftess! They need to see you! Something has happened!”
She’s running before the Alaptera could finish his sentence, closing her eyes for a brief moment to find her power again, imagining herself inside the Great Tree. Her breaths were turning ragged from running, her nerves keeping her from visualizing.
The image fled Nova’s mind immediately, and her eyes shot open. She huffed in dismay, as her mind started reeling back to what the messenger Alaptera said. Something happened while she was gone, and it didn’t sound good. Her heart dropped into her stomach as her mind went through the hundreds of terrible scenarios.
The messenger Alaptera flew overhead, keeping pace with Nova as she ran. They passed through the dark oak forest surrounding the Great Tree, eventually making it out into the small clearing. The massive Tree loomed over Nova as she approached. She drew the attention of the Alaptera guards by the big gate but, once they recognized her, they let her pass without a word.
She ran up the spiral staircase, right to the Chieftess’ quarters. The messenger followed close behind as she made it to the top, watching as hundreds of beady eyes turned towards her. She paused, catching her breath and spotting the Chieftess over the crowd of Alaptera, standing from her noble seat at the end of the long, high room. Her vibrant blue and gold fur made her easy to spot as she made eye contact with Nova, walked down the steps to her chair, and gestured for her guest to walk over to meet her.
Nova nodded, and the crowd parted for her. Making her way over, she tapped her heart three times before outstretching her arm towards the Chieftess as a sign of respect. The Chieftess tilted her crowned head in approval, her emerald green robe swaying by her large talons.
“You called for me, Chieftess,” Nova said, her voice shaking. “What is the matter?”
“A ship has been spotted flying by the canyons,” the Chieftess began calmly, despite the hundreds of panicked eyes on her, now including Nova’s. “We had some of our guards shoot it down because we cannot have unidentified ships in our skies, but we believe it was a human operating it. The flying pattern was too flawed to have been a robot.”
Nova’s heart skipped a beat. A human ship? What is their purpose for being here?
She swallowed down the bile climbing up her throat, not wanting to ask the question that popped into her mind immediately but unable to resist. “Do you think it is from my birth planet?”
“We are not sure. We were unable to see any signets on the body of the ship before it came crashing down. We have yet to investigate the crash site,” The Chieftess paused briefly. “We want you to join the investigation with the other guards.”
Suddenly, Nova felt faint. The room began to turn and distort, and she had to prop herself up against the stairs to avoid crumbling to the ground. She tried shaking away the feeling, but she couldn’t pull herself together after hearing those words come out of the Chieftess’ mouth.
“Nova?” The creature asked. Her voice was composed and even-toned, though tainted with concern.
“You want me to investigate?” Nova gasped the words out. When the Chieftess narrowed her eyes, Nova cleared her throat and finally composed herself. “I don’t mean to question your decision, Chieftess, but you are aware of the threat humans pose to me—to all Alaptera—and, yet, you want me to go investigate? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“I understand your concern, but you must trust me. If this pilot is human, it will understand your words. I want to speak with it—figure out where it came from and what its intentions are. I will not allow it to hurt you.”
The Chieftess’ assurance did nothing to calm Nova. Her throat was dry—all words had left her—so all she did was nod. She will not question the Chieftess further; what was said had to be done. But Adira’s words about destroying the humans still echoed in Nova’s mind.
Nova’s heart might as well have burst out of her chest from all its pounding. It refused to settle, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself that she would be safe. She had about fifty Alaptera guards at her sides, protecting her, not to mention her powers. And her strength, too, if her powers didn’t cooperate. She was brave and powerful, as Adira reminded her every day. There was nothing to be afraid of.
But, as the weak and worthless creature she was in her mind, she was terrified.
The trek to the canyons was about seven miles, but Nova was still fully awake and energized with nerves by the time they arrived at the crash site.
The guards dispersed from their formation and surrounded the crater created by the ship, which lay on its side in the center of the disrupted ground. It was covered in mud and dust, so Nova couldn’t make out any symbols of Caligo or other human planets. This didn’t calm her as she approached the crater, taking in the dented and torn hunk of metal. The guards had their spears and arrows drawn, pointing towards the broken ship.
Nova stopped at the edge of the crater, taking a deep breath. She forced herself to prepare for whatever was in that ship, human or not. She hoped it was not the former, for she could not comprehend what she would do if she saw a human face after all these years of exile. Would she kill them immediately from all the torture they’ve caused her? Or would her pathetic feelings get in the way and cause her to cower?
The rage from what they did still burned in her veins, but it was only faint compared to the deep fear in her heart. She could never forgive them, but she couldn’t forget about her father – she couldn’t stop loving him despite his humanity.
Burying all her thoughts and emotions, she focused on the task at hand. The Chieftess’s orders were her priority; nothing mattered but the objective she’d been given.
“Reveal yourself! Who are you?” Nova shouted from the top of the crater, saying it once in Caligean and once in Earthen English.
A moment passed. Then another. A whole minute passed and nothing stirred. Nova looked to the closest guard, who nodded his furry head, and she followed behind him as he made his way down towards the ship. A second guard followed obediently, standing behind the first guard with his spear drawn and muscles rigid.
The trio approached the ship. Close up, Nova could hear the clinking of broken metal falling and an engine hissing. She hesitantly made a trip around it, finally finding a hole in the flat roof. The guards entered before her, scoping the area before signaling to her that it was safe. With another deep breath, she stepped inside…
Which was just as bad as the outside. There was shattered glass all over the ground that had once been the side of the ship. Loose wires hung from the walls—one of which had once been the ceiling—with sparks flying erratically from their torn edges onto the papers, books, filled jars, and containers that were scattered around the floor.
They seemed to be in a sleeping room, Nova determined as she spotted an upturned cot in the corner. The guards moved through the doorway of the room and she followed behind and entered a dark corridor. Lights flickered on the walls, some dead with shattered bulbs. The trio kept moving from room to room, only finding more supplies and no pilot.
Nova felt relief warm her chest. Maybe this ship was just a drone. She didn’t have to worry about facing a hu—
A loud thud sounded behind her and she spun around in search for the source. At the end of the hallway, a silhouette was on the ground, shaking as it released a gasping noise. Then it rose, revealing long legs and bulging arms. Those arms rose into the air in surrender, and the shadow stepped forward. Nova realized she was alone with this shadow, for the guards had moved forward without noticing her absence.
Nova’s heart finally stopped pounding as the flickering light illuminated the figure, revealing a straight nose, full lips, brown skin, and silver eyes, staring right at her. Short black hair fell over those piercing eyes, with locks sticking in different directions. Those lips parted slightly as its metallic eyes widened.
Human.
The dormant rage in her veins suddenly awakened, and in a second, she had her arm around the human’s throat, squeezing. All the cowardice and fear vanished from her the second that human face appeared, all rational thoughts disappearing as anger took their place like blazing fire.
The human made a guttural sound, clutching at Nova’s hand. “Wait,” a choked voice came from it. Male. Caligean.
Nova’s fingers turned white from her grip, and she had no intention of letting go. The victim seemed to catch on, so he forced out, “Please. Negasi. Armani.”
Nova’s body stilled. Her grip loosened on the man’s throat, causing him to dissolve into a coughing fit with his hand pressed to his throat. She stared at him, taking in his midnight-blue uniform, broad shoulders, sharp jaw, and large hands. She felt static in her hands and feet, and her vision blurred as everything seemed to distort.
That name. Nova could never forget that name.
Father.
All strength had left her, so all she managed was a whisper. “How do you know that name?”
The soldier looked up at her after recovering, silver eyes wide. He rose to his full height, almost two heads taller than her, and cleared his throat.
“I was sent here to find you, Nova Armani,” he said with a deep, even voice in the Caligean tongue. His words sent chills down Nova’s spine, but they were not as chilling as his next words: “Your father, Negasi Armani, is critically ill. He does not have any more time left.”
