of Lyneea quickened his pulse. If
he thought the gesture would work, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But
she'd shredded gift bouquets on more than one occasion in a fit of
rage. "You have a wonderful evening, Justine."
"Thanks, Mr. Zoleki. You too."
Magnius walked through the front door and
breathed a sigh of relief. The fresh air revitalized his spirit and
reminded him life was too short to spend pining over the past. What's done is done, he thought. If we can work it out,
we will. If not, I have only myself to blame.
He gazed up at the sky. A light mist
continued to fall, which covered his face and made him squint. He
shivered from a brisk gust off the ocean and slipped on his coat
before heading to his hoverbike.
"Great." The hoverbike dripped from the storm
in spite of its location. Water covered the seat and the display
console. He tilted it and watched the rain spill onto the ground
and collect in puddles on the pavement.
Before he could open the storage compartment
under the seat, large droplets splattered against the ground for a
few seconds before a torrential downpour came forth like the whim
of an angry God. He wanted to scream at the sky to vent his
frustration and had he been home right now, he would've. In a fit
of controlled rage, he slammed his hands onto the seat of his bike
and stooped over it. He closed his eyes and let the cool water
drench him. It streamed down his face and found its way under his
coat. Riding home and getting out of the clothes became his only
desire.
The rainfall tapered off in a steady
transition back to drizzle. When he reached toward the compartment,
an enervating aura washed over him. A rash of imaginary needles
pricked his skin, causing a stinging sensation over his entire body
for an instant before evaporating. He spun around but saw only
clusters of puddles and rainbow-hued vehicles in the parking lot.
No shady figures. No ghosts of the past.
Then he heard a voice behind him.
"Magnius."
He turned his head and saw a dark man
standing across from him on the other side of the hoverbike. His
heart leapt into his throat. "Tiyuri…I never expected to see you
again."
Memories returned from his childhood on
Superbia. As a youngster, the man kept him on a short leash and had
an even shorter fuse. He'd been a tyrant when it came to chores,
and Magnius lost count of the times he'd endured a beating for
ignoring his responsibilities to play with friends. And while
Aliane was never present for the punishment, he always felt her
invasive mental stare watching him.
Tiyuri crossed his bulging arms, covered with
a glistening sheen from the rain. "Most people don't live long
enough to tell me that. Why are you masquerading as your kid
brother?"
"I never had a brother. I worked in the Hall
of Records on DeSoto for years, which made forging the necessary
paperwork to change my name trivial. Faking my own death was the
hard part." The glossy pavement reflected cracks of sunlight in the
clouds above. "I look half my age. I don't want people to think I'm
a psion. That's easy enough for you to understand, right?"
"That would've never been a problem if you
stayed on Superbia."
"It's been a few years so it's easy to
forget, but I was an outcast there. It got to the point where if I
didn't leave, I was going to have to kill myself. So I have no
regrets about leaving. What are you doing here anyways?"
Tiyuri raised his eyebrows. "It has come to
our attention that you are no longer as powerless as was once
perceived. Aliane would very much like to speak with you about
it."
I'll bet she would , he thought. He
clenched his fists to redirect his seething anger. "I hate to
continue to disappoint everyone after all this time, but I'm still
the poster child for failure. I'm pretty sure I'm just doomed to
live forever. Thank you for reminding me of that. I'm going home
and I suggest you do the same."
Before he could turn and mount the bike,
Tiyuri caught his shoulder and held it in his firm grip.
he thought the gesture would work, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But
she'd shredded gift bouquets on more than one occasion in a fit of
rage. "You have a wonderful evening, Justine."
"Thanks, Mr. Zoleki. You too."
Magnius walked through the front door and
breathed a sigh of relief. The fresh air revitalized his spirit and
reminded him life was too short to spend pining over the past. What's done is done, he thought. If we can work it out,
we will. If not, I have only myself to blame.
He gazed up at the sky. A light mist
continued to fall, which covered his face and made him squint. He
shivered from a brisk gust off the ocean and slipped on his coat
before heading to his hoverbike.
"Great." The hoverbike dripped from the storm
in spite of its location. Water covered the seat and the display
console. He tilted it and watched the rain spill onto the ground
and collect in puddles on the pavement.
Before he could open the storage compartment
under the seat, large droplets splattered against the ground for a
few seconds before a torrential downpour came forth like the whim
of an angry God. He wanted to scream at the sky to vent his
frustration and had he been home right now, he would've. In a fit
of controlled rage, he slammed his hands onto the seat of his bike
and stooped over it. He closed his eyes and let the cool water
drench him. It streamed down his face and found its way under his
coat. Riding home and getting out of the clothes became his only
desire.
The rainfall tapered off in a steady
transition back to drizzle. When he reached toward the compartment,
an enervating aura washed over him. A rash of imaginary needles
pricked his skin, causing a stinging sensation over his entire body
for an instant before evaporating. He spun around but saw only
clusters of puddles and rainbow-hued vehicles in the parking lot.
No shady figures. No ghosts of the past.
Then he heard a voice behind him.
"Magnius."
He turned his head and saw a dark man
standing across from him on the other side of the hoverbike. His
heart leapt into his throat. "Tiyuri…I never expected to see you
again."
Memories returned from his childhood on
Superbia. As a youngster, the man kept him on a short leash and had
an even shorter fuse. He'd been a tyrant when it came to chores,
and Magnius lost count of the times he'd endured a beating for
ignoring his responsibilities to play with friends. And while
Aliane was never present for the punishment, he always felt her
invasive mental stare watching him.
Tiyuri crossed his bulging arms, covered with
a glistening sheen from the rain. "Most people don't live long
enough to tell me that. Why are you masquerading as your kid
brother?"
"I never had a brother. I worked in the Hall
of Records on DeSoto for years, which made forging the necessary
paperwork to change my name trivial. Faking my own death was the
hard part." The glossy pavement reflected cracks of sunlight in the
clouds above. "I look half my age. I don't want people to think I'm
a psion. That's easy enough for you to understand, right?"
"That would've never been a problem if you
stayed on Superbia."
"It's been a few years so it's easy to
forget, but I was an outcast there. It got to the point where if I
didn't leave, I was going to have to kill myself. So I have no
regrets about leaving. What are you doing here anyways?"
Tiyuri raised his eyebrows. "It has come to
our attention that you are no longer as powerless as was once
perceived. Aliane would very much like to speak with you about
it."
I'll bet she would , he thought. He
clenched his fists to redirect his seething anger. "I hate to
continue to disappoint everyone after all this time, but I'm still
the poster child for failure. I'm pretty sure I'm just doomed to
live forever. Thank you for reminding me of that. I'm going home
and I suggest you do the same."
Before he could turn and mount the bike,
Tiyuri caught his shoulder and held it in his firm grip.
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