My Brother's Keeper: Ch. 7

Chapter Seven: Through the Portal

The fire crackled and popped as Lelani watched the giant offer more kindling to its greedy, flaming fingers. Using a thinner branch, which wasn't saying much because it was as thick as a normal tree trunk, he stirred the enormous logs around, causing the fire to happily grow in size.

The girl took a cautious step away from the rock she was hiding behind. When the boy had stood to his full height and started to move just a few moments before, fear had hijacked her senses. Forgetting his cautious behavior and attempts to communicate, she had quickly taken refuge behind one of the boulders from before, her heart pumping furiously. The last thing she wanted to know was what the bottom of his boots looked like.

But now, he sat a safe distance away, tending the fire. Her heart had returned to normal by now, and she smiled, moving even closer to the flickering warmth. Fire had captured her interest at a young age, and she was dying to get closer, her curiosity growing with each passing second. She was amazed by how realistic it looked. It was usually easy to tell if something had been computer generated by looking at the digital fire or water—but this fire looked so real. She idly remembered reading somewhere that people who liked to do dangerous things with fire were called pyromaniacs around the turn of the twenty-first century. Smirking, her mind began filtering different ideas for experiments with the flames.

A scraping sound brought her attention back to the giant. He was holding his big, white plate, inspecting the food. Lelani absentmindedly reminded herself that he had made it clear that he didn't want to eat her. She heaved a sigh of relief as he placed the meat close to the flames, most likely to warm it up again.

Staring into the orange light, she allowed her mind to wander. The giant who called himself Rexathor was truly strange. For being created by a computer, he sure acted like a real human. If being close to thirty meters tall still constitutes as being human, she mused silently.

Nevertheless, he was able to respond and problem solve in his environment unlike any computer program she had seen before. Even current technology was still flawed when imitating human behavior. Wasn't this game made during the mid-twenty-first century? How in the world could something this sophisticated be created? Then again, a lot of technology was lost during World War Four.

It seemed like he was able to understand a few Esperanto words and phrases, but most everything else was lost on him. With a horrible accent and grammar, he had mentioned that he knew someone who would be able to speak to her. She wondered who this "someone" was. Hopefully, this new person was not a giant as well, but something inside warned her against making any such assumption. Whoever they might be, they would enable Lelani to give Rexathor a piece of her mind. She was not going to let him get away without explaining things.

A realistic wind ripped through the area with incredible speed, blowing her auburn hair every which way. She shivered, suddenly finding herself chilled to the bone.

"Hey, Lelani," rang the giant's voice, quickly gathering her attention. He slowly stood, pushing himself up from the enormous boulder he was sitting upon just a moment before. Resembling a living skyscraper, his huge frame expanded into the sky, moving with each gentle breath. A curl of black hair fell into an eye, and he blinked it away, probably unaware of its presence. After saying something that sounded like a warning in his strange language, he began to move. The blood drained from her face as the living skyscraper stepped towards her.

Boom, boom! The earth trembled softly with each advance that the giant took, becoming more and more powerful as the distance between them quickly vanished. He looked like he was trying to take gentle and slow strides, but each step felt and sounded like a hundred people jumping in unison.

Lelani gasped fearfully and scrambled backwards, stumbling into the boulder for support as he came closer and closer. He was just so big! The sole of his boot alone was easily as large as a van. Not to mention his incredible height! She was forced to lean back and crane her neck to see his face, almost losing her balance in the process. Pressing herself flat against the rock, she watched as his boots came to rest just a few meters away.

His face looming above morphed into one of concern as he said a few puzzling words. Lelani didn't have to wonder his meaning for very long because he soon made it clear; bending at the waist, the giant lowered his knees, a low thud ensuing when they collided with the earth. His blue eyes caught hers as he smiled gently.

The girl tried her best to calm her racing heart. She gulped nervously and stepped away from the boulder in an attempt to mask her fear.

He wasn't trying to step on me, she told herself. And although I didn't understand, he probably was trying to warn me.

Putting on a brave face, Lelani stepped even closer. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, "I'm still really nervous around you, so please don't step on me!"

He listened with an attentive look but slumped his shoulders after a moment, murmuring a few booming and regretful words. The girl tilted her head in confusion, her hair swaying in the breeze.

His large expression contorted into a grimace. "Um, I undarste-end very little," he managed. Lelani nodded but frowned, thinking about the huge roadblock that their languages presented.

An unexpectedly colder wind than before swept through the open area, invoking a shiver up her spine. The boy seemed to take note of it and leaned down slightly. Saying a few sentences, he motioned to the fire with a bob of his head. Smiling, he lowered his large hand and placed just one meter away.

Lelani gasped and stared fearfully at the open palm resting before her. His huge fingers, which appeared to be as tall as her shoulders, lied nearly flush to the ground, twitching occasionally with anticipation. Does he want me to climb into his palm? I've only known him for a few hours, and he expects me to trust him with my life like that? How do I know that he's not planning on hurting me?

She nervously glanced at his face for a sign of his intentions, but found only his quickly fading smile. Looking down again, she noticed his other hand resting on a knee for support. What is he going to do? He's getting that confused look on his face again. Is he going to force me into his hand? Is he going to grab me? That's the last thing I want.  Oh goodness, should I run again?

The giant frowned and started to move his hand upward, but Lelani reacted before he could take her by force. Gasping, she jumped backwards, yelling, "No, please, Rexathor!"

Surprise rippled across his face as he heard his name and pulled his hand back even quicker. She stood in a stupor, realizing that he wasn't trying to grab her in the first place. Goodness, I need stop being so jumpy. It didn't look like he was going to do anything, I suppose. At least, I hope he wasn't going to do anything.

After explaining something softly, the giant fished something out of his pocket and held it was out, his fingers extending the offering closer. The girl's emerald eyes searched his soon blushing expression for any tricks before sneaking closer. Squinting in the glow flicker of the fire light, she made out the wrinkled mess of cloth she had used to cover herself earlier.

Anger coupled with embarrassment brought color to her cheeks as well. Her mind jumped back to the incident as she cautiously reached out and grabbed the cloth, careful not to make contact with his skin.

How dare he take my clothes! I was perfectly dressed when I first arrived, but after he took me with him, he stripped me down to my underwear! He just wanted to get me out of my clothes, I bet. She sighed and quickly wrapped the bluish cloth around her shoulders, adding it into the equation of her warmth. Well, at least this stupid blanket will keep me a bit warmer.

"Come close-ar to the… uh, fie-ar." He motioned towards the flickering flames, making her wistfully look towards its glorious warmth. She couldn't help but find herself being drawn closer, avoiding his massive bulk to reach its comfort.

The trek to the fire took longer than what she assumed it should have. After all, hadn't the giant taken only a few steps to reach it before? She sighed, concentrating on reaching its warmth and ignoring the massive young man behind her. Soon enough, she reached a cozy rock about ten meters away from the flames and settled down, holding her hands out to the welcome heat.

The booming voice of the giant rang out again, and the girl looked over to see him reaching for his plate. No, no! I'm not going to allow this to happen, she franticly thought as she scrambled to her feet, waving him off.

Thankfully, the boy did not make a move towards her, but instead spoke gently as he reached into his belt, pulling out a rather large knife. Sawing off the edge of his meat, he stabbed it with the tip of the knife and said, "For eating." He opened his mouth, his teeth glimmering in the fire's flickering light, and popped the meat inside, chewing with gusto.

"Mmmmmmm," he managed through closed lips. Shoving the food into a corner of his mouth, he mumbled a few words that were probably meant to convince her of the food's wonderful taste.

Lelani couldn't help but allow herself a tiny giggle. It was surprising how quickly this giant could turn from being absolutely frightening in one moment to amusingly silly in the next. Somehow, it reminded her of Fylo. This was the sort of thing she could see her little brother doing.

Fylo would have laughed at that. A sad smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. He always did want to know what our skills were. Heh, if he were here right now, he'd probably be excited instead of frightened. I would probably be holding it together better if he were here with me.

"For you," the giant explained clumsily, breaking her from her thoughts as he lowered his knife with a bit of meat balanced on its edge. The smile was quickly wiped from her face as she stifled a gasp, trying to calm her racing heart. The three-meter-long blade slowly came closer and closer, her knees trembling as her green eyes watched it glimmer in the low light. It stopped, hovering in the air as the giant held it an arm's length away from her grasp.

The girl's stomach growled with anticipation as she the smell reached her nose. It began to look extremely tantalizing and juicy, and she realized with a start that she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten.

Wait! How can I trust that this food is safe to eat? Okay, this probably isn't a trap, but have to remember that I'm inside a video game. I don't even think this is real food. I probably couldn't eat this even if I wanted to.

"No thanks," she murmured softly, looking nervously away from the knife.

Saying a few strange words in a caring tone, the giant placed the wooden handle of the knife on the ground, keeping the meat elevated but still only an arm's length away.

Lelani shifted uncomfortably, staring at the knife. She couldn't help but imagine it springing to life and attempting to cut her into a thousand pieces. Shuddering, she turned back to the fire, rubbing her hands in the warmth. Sometimes she wished it was possible to turn off her overactive imagination.

"Huh? What in the world—?"  A sudden twinge shot across her chest. Puzzled, she looked down, only to frown as the pain grew more intense with each passing second. Without warning, the pain jumped through the stratosphere, radiating from her furiously pumping heart. Her breath whooshed out, and she desperately clutched the source of her agony. Ignoring the blanket that slipped from her hunched shoulders, she allowed it to fall to the ground.

It was the same pain of her experiment. Only then, the pain had been extremely mild and not completely unpleasant. Now it felt like someone was carving out her heart for a human sacrifice.

Suddenly, the giant bellowed a surprisingly loud question—loud enough to add to the shudders running down Lealni's spine. She turned around and found his enormous face hovering a mere meter above hers, fright rooted deeply in his blue eyes. Feeling the blood leaving her face, she clutched her bursting heart tighter, noting the minuscule gap between them. A new wave of pain and fear stuck her, forcing the air to rush back into her lungs.

His huge hands nervously whirled around her as his voice thundered frantic questions. Lelani drew in a searing breath and screamed like she had never screamed before.

I am not going to die—not now. I refuse to! But… I can't take this anymore! I need help! Gasping, she desperately gazed into the boy's anxious face, swallowing the fear that wanted to naturally rise.

"Rexathor! Help me!!"

Before he could respond, a large, blindingly white area opened up between Lelani and the blazing fire. Its bizarre gravity overtook her, sucking her at horrifying speeds through the bubble-like feel of a transparent film. As soon as her entire body was inside the strangely familiar area, the awful pain dwindled dramatically. She welcomed a painless breath with relief.

As soon as she had entered the rounded area, the hideously bright light overtook her senses, blinding her for a short moment. Blinking, her pupils quickly adjusted, and she realized where she was.

"Oh no!" she cried suddenly. "No! I don't want to go any further!"

As if in response to her outcry, the tugging sensation slowed, and Lelani looked around, confused. Was the strange white room actually listening to her? The arch of each world, the giant one she had just left and the dreaded one she was returning to, sat opposite of each other, appearing to be about the same size. Below her hovering feet was the strange, gray circle in the endless sea of white. When she reached the exact middle of the circle, her speed reduced to a crawl, and for an instant, Lelani began to drop to the ground.

"What?" she questioned, puzzled. The moment quickly passed, and her old world began to call to her, causing her weightlessness to return. She approached the all-too-familiar image faster and faster, until she was thrown back into the dreaded testing room.

"Whoa!"

Reliable gravity claimed control over her body as she was flung inside the artificially-lit room, slamming her right into the back wall. Her vision darkened for a moment, dots swirling before her eyes. Dazed, she tied to sit up and rub her throbbing temples. It had all happened too quickly.

"Welcome back, 7-2521," came a voice that Lelani had hoped to never hear again. "We were starting to worry that you would never return." The man in the pinstripe suit stood in the corner of the room, holding a small, rectangular box. He twirled it a few times before tucking it away into an inside pocket. "Thankfully, you came to your senses and returned."

It only took a few quick glances around to see the changes in the test room. The lights had been turned on, flooding the room with white brilliance, second only to the bizarre round space Lelani had just left. The large screen on the wall had been turned off, and the green light signaling the power to the gaming console had died as well.

Using the wall as a support, Lelani tried to stand. "Where—where did you send me?"

"I didn't send you anywhere. You, my dear, are the one who did all the hard work. All I did was provide the equipment." An evil smile crept on his lips. "But I must say—you are a stubborn one."

"Huh," she asked, dazed. "What are you talking about?"

"Why your test, of course. After the hours we so graciously allowed you to have, you refused to come when we turned off the power. You had us sweating for a couple of minutes—we started to think that you might have died. That would have been quite unfortunate for us, wouldn't you agree?"

"For who? You or me?" she snapped.

The Overseer snickered to himself. "I would watch my tongue if I were you, 7-2521. I'm sure you will find the punishments in the west wing to be, how shall we say, unequivocally harsher."

Lelani was going to respond sarcastically before his coal-black eyes caught hers in a frightening way. Surviving the giant for a few hours had boosted her confidence a bit too high, to say the least. Now that she was back, she had to remember to play by the Overseer's rules. The argument died in her throat, and she cowered against the wall, fear creeping back into her senses. He came closer, his smile mirroring his heart of greed.

"That's better. You Skilled are all the same—you just need someone to put you in your place. Now," he sneered, "what of your report?"

Suddenly, the girl's eyelids drooped and her muscles softened, relaxing with a sudden lack of energy. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this tired. Her mind raced as she tried to process the man's statement. "My re-report?"

"Yes, you insolent girl. Report! You cannot expect to test without reporting."

"But, what do yah mean?" she asked, slurring her words together. "A written report? I've nev'r reported after testing before."

"Yes, but that will change now that you are living in the west wing. All we need is a verbal account of your testing experience."

Lelani's head drooped—it was getting heavier and heavier by the second. "Now? Yaaaaaawwwhhhhhnnn… Uhh, the giant. He was hugee."

"Giant, huh?" He raised a single eyebrow in question of her statement. He snapped his fingers and the door opened moments later, two technicians in shiny, black suits entering. "That is unexpected. You will have to explain yourself in more detail later. The exhaustion from your first test is making you quite useless right now."

A technician roughly grabbed each shoulder and forced her upright. Groggily, she looked the Overseer in the eye. "Layter?"

"Later. After your body is ready to continue. We wouldn't want to throw away a perfectly good bridge, would we?"

"Bridge?"

He narrowed his coal-black pupils, the evil smile dancing on his face. "Until next time, 7-2521. I expect great things from you."

Lelani's mind tried to process his words but made little progress. She allowed the technicians to drag her towards the doorway as her legs were hardly responding to her commands. But as soon as they stepped into the eerily glowing hallways of the orphanage, her alertness snapped back into place enough for her to stand up right.

"Okay, you don't have to be so rough," she mumbled to the technician on her right as she became more aware of her situation.

"What was that, princess? Was that a complaint I heard?" He shoved her to her knees, a grin entering both technician's faces when her body clunked on the ground. The girl stifled a yelp and hurriedly stood to her feet. Grabbing her arms again, they led started down the long hallway. "You'll get no sympathy from us, you lousy Skilled."

They walked without talking for a few minutes. Only the sound of their metallic footsteps kept the silence from reigning supreme. Lelani tried to fight the tears that wanted to pour out, successfully trapping all but one.

Why does life have to be like this?

After passing an uncountable number of closed doors, they finally reached a door that looked like all the rest—gray metal with a single round window at eye level. A technician entered a few numbers into the keypad under the plaque reading Epsilon Block, and the door slid away.

The branching hallway looked like it held less than the standard number of cells, but that could only equate into increased security on the block. As they passed the first cell, Lelani looked through the transparent door into the calming eyes of a young lady seated on the edge of her bed. Her soft, dark hair gracefully framed her face. Her arching eyebrows relaxed as their gaze locked oddly into place, and the young lady smiled.

Hello Lelani, echoed a voice. She blinked, wondering who had spoken. Her eyes widened as she realized she was hearing the voice as clear as a bell inside her head. The girl in the cell gave Lelani a small nod as her message flowed from one mind to the other's.

I'm Valice. Welcome to Epsilon Block. We've got to fix things for you real quick, so don't freak or anything and don't say anything when you're cut. We normally shouldn't do this, but it looks like you're really going to need some extra help. Trust us—you're going to need all the help you can get.

It took the message a total of two whole seconds to flow into Lelani's consciousness. Although it rushed past her mind so quickly, she still understood it all, like her brain had processed the thought like a thought instead of hearing words. She flashed the girl a look of confusion, but nodded gently in response, too tired to do anything else.

They passed a few more cells before reaching the cell of a boy Lelani thought she recognized. As soon as he saw her, the boy with light brown hair closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, deep in concentration.

Cut? I'm going to be cut? How in the world is that going to help me? I wonder how—

Lelani stopped mid-thought. She bit her lip as a searing pain shot through her wrist. A thin streak of red decorated the base of her palm. She looked over at the boy again and he sent her a sympathetic expression along with a mouthed "sorry."

She bit her lip even harder to mask the pain. Although the great need for sleep had dulled her ability to reason, she had to trust her fellow inmates—who knew what the technicians would do if they found out the Skilled on this block were helping her?

Hiss! The sound of a door opening focused Lelani's quickly withering attention to a blond girl of about sixteen. She was being led down the hall by a single technician and kept her face downcast. As soon as they were about four meters apart, the girl looked up, determination in her eyes.

My gosh—it's Shaynahe, Lelani realized. She looks like she's been through a lot. I can't believe that I was moved into the same block as her after—

The brunette lost her train of thought as she suddenly lost her balance and crashed to the ground, like some invisible foot had tripped her.

"Oh no!" came the voice of Shaynahe. Running over, the blond grabbed Lelani's hand and pulled her up. "Let me help you."

A hot searing pain rushed along Lelani's arm as her open wound pressed against Shaynahe's hand. She gasped, feeling a strange liquid entering her veins.

"Hey! None of that!" yelled a technician. The two men accompanying Lelani rushed forward and pulled the girls apart. A red line of blood was oozing slightly from the place that Shaynahe had gripped Lelani's wound.

Her blood… and my blood?

"You two Skillies aren't allowed to make contact outside of the regulated hours!" They pushed the girls farther apart, scowling. They went their separate ways, the two technicians pushing Lelani along until they reached her new cell.

They didn't say anything about the blood. Did they even notice? she pondered, suddenly becoming extremely drowsy again. Sleep was calling, and she desperately wanted somewhere to lie down.

"Get in there," one of the men said as the other shoved her inside. "You'll need to be ready when the Overseer calls you in for your next test."

Lelani gratefully allowed herself to fall onto the bumpy bed, her eyes closing almost immediately. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to stay awake.

The door was closed for only a moment before a chorus of voices echoed from inside the vent in the wall.

"Did it work?"

"I did my part."

"It looks like everything worked according to plan."

"Good job, everyone."

Lelani tried to open her eyes. "Whu—? Whut just happened?"

"Don't worry. We'll explain everything later. You just came back from your first experiment, right? All you're probably going to want to do right now is catch some Z's," informed the voice of Valice.

"Uhh…" She decided not to argue and quickly fell into a deep, dream infested sleep.