Authors Note:
The first posting of this story I considered 'unfinished' and rough. I
was impatient with it and just posted it one day without much thought.
This is the revised version with grammatical and spelling errors fix. I
am 'fairly' certain that I got all of them. The biggest challenge of my
writing is grammar and spelling so it takes more than a couple of
drafts to 'finish' one of my stories.
I also fleshed out the story a bit by adding some details and
conversation lines that enhanced the plot. I was going to change the
ending but I decided to add a couple of twists instead for when I go
back and add perhaps another chapter or prequel to this universe. The
ending grew on me although at first I thought I ended it too abruptly
so I didn't change it... much. I am a fan of subtleties and I added a
few to the story and made a few previous subtleties not so subtle for
non-subtle people not like my subtle self and the other subtle people
who didn't find the subtleties subtle at all.
Yeah, whatever. Anywho...
I honestly don't know when I will start writing on this universe again.
When I envisioned Alira I saw a past and future Alira who were
different but the same. I have a general idea of how the life of the
past Alira came about but if I write about her I doubt there would be
much if any TG involved in the prequel. But I have an idea... That I
will not share because like most ideas they can change and modify so
much that they never reflect the original and false expectations are
set for the reader anticipating the idea to come about in the story. I
am probably going to practice up my writing skills with a few more
stories before coming back to add a chapter. This story is a benchmark
for me. Something to rate myself with concerning newer stories I write.
William's Construct
By Triss Morgan
Scrambling, William launched himself up the side of the hill in fear.
His pursuers chased after him while taunting and yelling out
obscenities. He ignored them and kept trudging along to escape the
insults thrown by the boys closing fast behind. Faster and faster Will
wished his little body up the hill, yet slower and slower it responded
out of weariness. The boys giving chase could see that they were
catching up to the little boy and this only served to fuel their fire
and yell out more obscenities and taunts while running to catch up.
Soon, William realized he would be caught and then he would have to
take the impending beating from the boys. But luck seemed to turn his
way as he sighted a hole in the side of the hill that looked just big
enough to hide in. He immediately changed course to take him out of
sight of the boys long enough to hide him so he could stuff himself in
the hole.
William managed to scramble behind some boulders that took him out of
the sight of the boys behind before his arms gave out from fatigue. He
knew that he only had a few precious seconds before they would be over
the boulders and beating him senseless. He stuffed himself feet first
into the hole hoping the boys would overlook it and think he had
continued up the path into the trees.
After he finished pushing himself in he saw the boys climb over the
rocks and land on their feet. They paused briefly then continued around
the bend and into the trees. Will couldn't believe his luck. They were
easily thrown off of his course, even if it would only be for a few
precious minutes. Those minutes should be enough for him to run back
down the hill and seek better safety.
Quickly, Will began moving his small body forward and out of the hole,
but instead he found himself slipping back into it. He whimpered out of
frustration and tried moving forward again but his luck seemed to have
turned again. Gravity had taken a hold of him and was stubbornly
pulling him deeper and deeper into the darkness of the hole. The boy
had no idea that it had been this big when he first shoved himself in
the hole that he was currently slipping deeper into inch by inch. Panic
overtook him. He realized for every second he was stuck in the hole was
another second that he lost for his escape from his assailants.
Eventually they would return when they didn't find him in the trees.
That thought spurred William into a desperate struggle with fingers and
nails clawing for any purchase and forward motion. This seemed to only
speed his fall into the darkness behind him.
Suddenly, the little boy lost contact between his feet and the ground
and his slow and steady plunge back into the void became a faster
plummet as he lost all contact with the earth on his body. A moment
spread into an eternity as weightless, dark oblivion enclosed him.
Oddly, exhilaration spread throughout his body until that moment in
eternity was ended by jarring shock impacting his small body on the
earth below. Pain overwhelmed him and caused his mind to quickly
succumb to complete darkness.
* * *
Slowly, the boy began to awake and collect his thoughts. He saw a
radiance that seemed to become brighter by the moment. The boy's first
thought was of his death, but he quickly pushed that thought away since
his body was racketed with intense pain. His next thought was a wish
for the pain to end, but his mind screamed that this was good since it
proved that he was still alive.
Minutes or hours, he didn't know which, seemed to pass while the glow
became stronger and his pain lessened. He realized that he should
probably get up and see what fate had brought him this time after he
conceived of the clever idea to hide in what turned out to be a deeper
than realized depression in a hill just so he could avoid pain and
trouble from another sort. Out of the frying pan and into the fire,
Will thought with a pained shrug. His life seemed to follow that
pattern. He wasn't sure what fate had against him to curse him so
frequently.
As he stood up he took in his surroundings that were illuminated in a
pale light that permeated the area. He quickly grasped that he was in a
small cavern with pale-yellow stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. He
also remarked that the floor was clean and appeared to be paved in a
dark blue and gold marble pattern that told him someone made this
place. Even with the pain running up and down his back and legs he
resigned himself to the beauty this chamber invoked and couldn't help
but admire its splendor. Everything seemed to glow with a penetrating
light that had been increasing since he had first fallen into the
chamber. Or could it be since he began to regain consciousness? He
didn't know. He looked for the light source but could not find it
except that the light seemed to be stronger from the direction of what
looked like a hall that led out of the current chamber. He decided to
walk into the hall seeing as he couldn't see any other way of getting
out. Even the hole in the roof that he fallen through could not be
seen.
Whether from shock or pain, he noticed that he was unusually calm,
especially after his ordeal with the boys and him falling through a
hill to crash dozens of feet below. He slowly walked through the hall
gradually loosing his limp from the pain that was quickly fading into
an afterthought. He was certain that he had broken something but was no
longer so sure.
As he walked down the hallway he noticed strange patterns on the sides
that seemed to be illuminated by the pale light that was brighter than
the rest of the hall. The patterns dazzled him and they seemed to dance
across his vision with him unable to focus completely on them.
He eventually came to the end of the hall and the beginning of a much
larger chamber. He entered not just a larger chamber but a much grander
chamber and wondered how such a room could exist under the little hill
he had run up to escape his pursuers? He looked about the chamber
taking in the view seeking anything that would help him despite the
overwhelming curiosity nagging in his mind. Around the edges of the
giant room he saw only darkness hinting that this room could be much
larger than he first thought. Giant, white, marble pillars ringed the
chamber stretching towards the hidden ceiling holding who knows what
from falling from above. The marble floor slabs where inlayed with
large illuminated patterns that drew the eye towards the center to a
white, patterned, marble table that had something peculiar lying on it.
With curiosity getting the better of William he started towards the
center to see what was atop of the marble table. As he got closer he
noticed wisps of smoky light collecting in between him and the marble
table. He stopped a moment to think on this and the smoky light stopped
collecting as well. Curiously, he took a few more steps forward and the
light began to collect again. By this time the boy had completely
forgotten his pain while his young nature reasserted itself and he
looked on with wonder. The closer he got the brighter the collection of
wispy light before the table. Finally, he saw what was on top of the
patterned marble table.
It was a coffin. Kind of like the gold coffins the William has seen on
TV about ancient Egypt. It seemed to be shaped like a person. Probably
the person laying in the coffin the boy thought for obvious reasons. It
was patterned with teal and silver lines designed to emulate and
outline the features of the person who was laid to rest inside. It also
seemed to outline weird symbols that were similar to the symbols and
patterns that adorned the floor and hallway.
Finally, the wispy light collected into a more distinct form shaped
like a woman. After a few more seconds the form became more defined and
took on the intricate features and details of an adult woman, but she
was still glowing and it was a warmer glow than the rest of the
chamber. William's breath caught in his throat when he looked closely
over her.
She was beautiful. Even at his young age the boy couldn't help but
admit that. She stood taller than his mother, probably just less than
six feet he thought. Long vibrant silver hair shown with red highlights
that changed as the hair moved around her shoulders or where the light
reflected off of it. A long heart shaped face with a strong jaw gave
off a regal aristocratic impression. Her skin was smooth and had a
slight tan that was barely noticeable under the glowing skin. A white
robe cascaded down her body providing modesty but still giving off many
hints suggesting a lush womanly body that was attractive, toned, and
confused young William. The image provoked unfamiliar feeling from his
prepubescent body. Then he noticed her eyes. Deep ocean blue eyes that
penetrated his soul and there also seemed to be something else,
something that perturbed him. There was the unmistakable presence of
power behind those eyes that told William that this was an adult that
would not be trifled with. He couldn't help but stare at the woman for
several moments while lost in wonder at what stood before him.
?You have come at last, young William,? declared the glowing woman with
a slight smile tugging at her full lips.
William continued to stare and he wondered how such a woman could know
his name when he had never seen anyone like her before?
?I have been waiting for someone like you for many, many years. I am
glad that you've finally arrived,? stated the woman plainly and she
seemed to wait for Will's response now.
Neither person spoke for several minutes as William continued to stare
while the woman observed her visitor with a keen eye that could
penetrate even the most guarded exteriors. Light continued to swirl
around the grand chamber while they stood face to face with it dancing
around and between them as if excited to see what would happen next.
Who would concede first. Finally, the woman broke the silence.
?You can speak now,? she stated plainly.
William, finally managing to break his trance, spoke, ?Wow!? and that
was all he was able to produce from his boggled and sensory overloaded
mind.
?Ok...? said the woman and she seemed to hesitate for a moment to think
as if unsure of some decision, and then as if coming to that decision
she continued.
?I am the construct of Alira. I am her guardian of her tomb and the
powers that lie in it. You, young William, are a person of great
potential.? She waved her hand before her dramatically. ?I have been
created to pass on these powers that I guard here to a person that is
most worthy to receive and do good with them.? She paused as if waiting
for William's response and when she didn't immediately receive one she
asked, ?Any questions??
William continued to stare at her, and thoughts of him either dreaming
or being dead skipped across his mind. He couldn't understand how she
knew his name and how she could be real. Being an inquisitive person,
William decided to begin with questions since everything he was seeing
here seemed too awesome to believe. He felt that death or dreaming were
the most logical answers to what he was experiencing. Then again, it
could also be some elaborate hoax created to deceive and make fun of
him. That thought didn't last long because no one would go through the
trouble to create such a hoax to deceive him. They would have to be the
best pranksters living to pull something like this off. Most people
bent on making fun of him or hurting him would just come right out and
either beat him or cruelly tease him. Staring into the woman's deep
ocean blue eyes William managed to focus and he began his questioning.
?How do you know my name??
?You seem like someone who would be named William.? She responded
coyly. Seeing no response from her admirer she added, ?Actually, I read
the aura or energy around your person and each aura is unique to that
individual. It told me your name and what you are like as a person,?
she finished although her attempt at humor was lost on William.
?Ok, so you 'read' this aura, can you 'read' peoples minds too?? He
quizzed.
?No, despite what most people think in your society, there is no such
thing as telepathy. The closest any person has come to that is a strong
empathic ability. Sometimes that will give images and words other than
emotions and feelings. This is especially true between twins or
siblings.?
?Ok, another one: Who is Alira??
The woman gathered herself up as if preparing for a huge monolog on a
subject that was to be presented before her clueless student.
?Alira was a great sorceress who lived many centuries ago. Her life was
a sad one to begin with. She was first taken when young as a slave for
a dark man who abused her in cruel and unspeakable ways. This dark man
taught her to use magic in ways that could only hurt her and help him.
Eventually, she managed to break his hold on her and she killed him.
She set out on her own vowing to never be a slave again. At the time
she freed herself she was miserable and only performed evil acts to
make others suffer with her. It was hard for her to conceive of
anything else since the dark man had warped her mind so thoroughly.
Eventually, she fell in love and changed her ways for a man who saw her
pain and dedicated himself to freeing her of it. She then devoted
herself from then on to only do good works and help people in need and
punish those that did terrible deeds to good and innocent people. She
became a protector and teacher. She tried hard to make up for the evil
acts she performed during the first part of her life, whether she felt
satisfied and repentant with her accomplishments we have yet to see.
Later in her life, a terrible twist of fate happened. She had no choice
but to be buried and leave her power in this tomb for a person worthy
enough to continue her ideals and not abuse her power. That is why I
exist. I am her construct and I am able to judge a person who is worthy
to receive her power. I have decided that that person is you, William.?
She looked solemnly at William sending shivers down his spine as she
had told this story. His wonder and awe for the woman was quickly
changing to something more akin to anxiety and fear.
William thought for a moment on what the construct said about Alira. He
wasn't so sure anymore whether he was dreaming or dead. There was
something telling him that this was very real. Finally, he asked, ?Why
was I chosen??
The construct peered at him with a frown that told William that she
wasn't going to like the explanation she was about to give him, but she
answered and said, ?After the many centuries Alira has been entombed
here, you have been the only person to enter... ever. Because of that,
I am forced to make a decision. I will not exist for much longer.
Despite all the power that you see around here, it has weakened
significantly over the years after I moved Alira's tomb to the New
World and now only seems to serve as... visual effects you might say. I
will no longer be strong enough to exist any longer. When that time
comes and I cease to exist, this power will be released and no one will
continue the ideals, work, and guardianship of Alira.? She glanced out
of the side of her eyes looking forbearingly at William and continued,
?Because of these circumstances, I am allowed to place precautions that
come with this power since I will not have time to properly train or
prepare you. There are consequences that will be enforced on you when
or if you abuse this power while imbued with it. Every consequence of
this power will help strengthen you in working with it and help keep
you from abusing it. Power has its responsibilities, especially powers
that are entrusted to you. Always remember this, William.?
William was quivering by now and wished he was dreaming so he could
wake from this frightening dream. The look in the construct's eyes as
she warned William was enough to quell any ideas of wanting power of
any kind for any reason whatsoever. He decided it was time to bow out
and hope he could escape something that seemed certain to happen
judging from the look she was giving him. Time to test my luck, he
thought.
?Thanks, but I think I will be leaving now. I don't want anything to do
with this power you were going to give me. I appreciate the thought
though,? As he was saying this William was inching towards that hall
wanting to just get away from this tomb and the glowing woman who was
beyond the creeping-him-out stage. He continued talking as he shuffled
back, ?If you could just point me in the direction of the nearest exit
I will wake up, err, I will just leave actually.? The construct frowned
at this and William hastily added, ?On second thought, there is no need
to show me out. I can find my way. See ya later... or not.? He said
quickly and started to walk faster towards the hall. He was never good
at talking himself out of things.
The construct looked on William as he hurried toward the hall and
smiled sadly shaking her head. ?William, I have already made my
decision. When you leave here, you will leave empowered, although you
will need to learn control and how to use this power on your own. That
I cannot help you with since every person is different and I have no
time left. I might be able to help you later, but not now. So this
power and the essence that first came with it will now be yours.?
After she finished declaring that last part she rushed forward in a
blur of light while William's frightened legs began running full out to
escape her. He obviously wasn't fast enough, he noted with detachment,
as the light washed over him and darkness quickly engulfed young him.
* * *
An alarm went off in the darkness shattering it with a very familiar
and very annoying screech. William opened his eyes yawning. He
stretched out and wondered why he would set his alarm for a Saturday
morning. He debated about going back to sleep but then remembered last
nights dream. It was very vivid for the first couple of seconds but
seemed to fade rapidly like most dreams do. He wasn't eager to
continuing that dream so he thought it best to remain awake for the
time being. He quickly pulled off his covers, got out of bed, and
plodded towards the bathroom. After taking care of morning business he
looked into the mirror and began combing back his hair.
?What the heck!? he yelled as he looked into deep ocean blue eyes. Not
the normal puppy dog brown that he was so used to. The contrast between
his new eyes and tanned face left a striking impression. He shook his
head, rubbed his eyes and looked again. Still there he thought. He then
remembered the woman construct in last night's dream. It was starting
to come back to him after fading earlier this morning. He breathed in
and out to calm himself. His eyes were the same as the woman's. It was
a dream wasn't it? His eyes seemed to state plainly that it wasn't a
dream. Perhaps it was some strange coincidence that his eyes
spontaneously changed to blue from brown over night?
?Whatever,? William snorted.
He quickly changed his cloths and decided it best to retrace his steps
back to the hole he found yesterday to find out what was really going
on and hopefully fix it. He wasn't eager to explain to his mother why
his eyes spontaneously changed color.
He started down the stairs and came past the kitchen. His sister,
Melissa, was inside fixing herself some breakfast as he rushed by. She
shouted, ?Hey! Mom said for you to weed the garden before you went out
today.?
William just continued on past the kitchen not looking in her direction
and shouted over his shoulder, ?Can't talk... busy!? And he continued
out the front door with his sister explaining the trouble he will be in
if he doesn't do it before mom gets back. He grabbed his bike and
stopped. How is it that he still had a bike when the same bike was
trashed yesterday during his escape? How did he get back into his bed
last night from the tomb? He mentally chalked those strange questions
up to be figured out later.
Speeding down the old gravelly road William couldn't help but enjoy the
wind blowing past him while he skimmed along past houses and fields. It
was a grand day, he decided, a day to be enjoyed with the sunshine and
warmth that was ever present on all grand days. Will tried to jump the
front tire of his bike while traveling the gravel road and nearly lost
control. He sighed, but he wasn't daunted. He still thought it was a
grand day and continued down the road enjoying the smell and tastes of
the neighborhood. He avoided the school since he didn't want to chance
running into the boys again even though it was a Saturday. No need to
risk spoiling this grand day, he thought as he relished the sunshine
and clean air all the more.
While traveling past a pair of houses he noticed a boy named Tommy get
out of a car and limp up the steps of his house. Will didn't know him
well and Tommy was a year older who was only a little bigger than
himself. He wondered why he was limping but didn't slow down and
continued on with no more thought to the subject.
After awhile, he came to the bottom of the hill a few miles past the
school. He hopped off of his bike and looked up the small knoll for any
sign of the hole. He soon spotted the path leading up the hill and past
the pile of boulders that eventually led into the trees. Deciding to
check around for the hole he started up the hill, and walked around the
rocks for several minutes but couldn't find it. There was nothing to
indicate that a hole was ever here.
Strange, he thought. He debated on getting a shovel and digging down to
prove beyond a doubt about the dream but just the thought of digging a
hole that didn't seem to exist wasn't what he would call fun. Plus, he
had the unmistakable fear that is he stayed around too much long that
the hole would suddenly appear below his feat only to drop him into the
chamber below and that wasn't an attractive thought.
William sat down on one of the firm, stable looking rocks so he could
rest and enjoy a bit of the view from up near the top of the hill
despite the weirdness of this day. He looked toward the West and
noticed looming storm clouds collecting and knew that the day wasn't
going to stay so nice, warm, and grand. He resigned himself and decided
there was nothing more to learn here and enjoy what was left of the
clear day.
William, being twelve years old and in seventh grade, was bright for
his age. Although sometimes he was considered too bright and some
people thought he needed to be 'dimmed' a bit. He was looking forward
to summer beginning next week just so he didn't have to be around
people that constantly picked on him since William was already in high
school. While all seventh graders and up were in high school he was the
one that most went out of their way to vent on. It was all thanks to an
overzealous politician building a bigger than needed high school, and
some eighth graders who decided that they didn't like being in the
middle school as they spilt gasoline up and down the halls off the
building only to be fried by their own match as the vapors ignited.
Cruel, cosmic irony.
Sighing, William picked himself up and traveled down the hill and back
to his bike. Getting on, he started up the long sloping road back up to
his house. A spur of the moment thought had him taking a side trip
along a path through a field and into a copse of tall conifers. He
soaked in the crisp, clean smells of a field in season as he entered
the trees the trail traveled through. Out of the corner of his eye he
saw some kid on a dead run back towards the road. His bright day just
became dimmer as fate twisted yet again for young William.
?Hey, Loser!? shouted a boy as he jumped out by the path the running
boy took. He stuck his arm out across the dirt trail clothes lining
William off of his bike which sent him over the end of his seat and
crashing on his back forcing all the air out of him. For a moment all
he saw were stars as he heard laughter around him. This isn't good, he
thought with pointed obviousness.
?Hey!? shouted one of cruel voices, ?I thought we beat up your bike
enough yesterday so that you couldn't use that piece of junk to run
from us anymore?? questioned a boy named Joe in a slightly bewildered
and harsh voice. He was the tallest and meanest of the three boys who
chased him yesterday and with an athletic build that shouted future
football linebacker he was an intimidating sight.
?Yeah. Where did you get this new one? That last one couldn't have been
fixed. We made sure of that,? declared Toady proudly. There always
seemed to be one for every group of bullies. This one just happened to
also have the nickname and the short weasel like look that went along
with the stereotype.
Although, the third boy, Eric, didn't say anything as usual as he stood
by laughing. William would have been considered him an okay guy other
than the fact he hung out with the wrong crowd that seemed to torment
those smaller than they were.
?Spying on us again? We will have to teach you what happens to those
that get into other people's business then run away without talking to
us!? stated Joe as he cocked his foot back with Toady moving closer in
anticipation and Eric also had the look of anticipation on his face.
The kicking and hitting started in earnest. William just had to stay
and bear it as usual since he was down on the ground and they wouldn't
let him up. He could never understand why people like them wanted to
beat people that couldn't fight back. At least they usually got bored
when he didn't offer a resistance. But this time the three boys were
taking the beating to a whole new level. Normally, they would keep it
light until they were bored since they didn't like to leave too much
'evidence' of any crimes rumors claimed they had done.
Pain exploded throughout William as the beating became more incessant.
Shards of agony moved from each blow to his head drowning out all
thoughts. Fists and kicks rained down on his small body causing
ruptured capillaries and deep bruising. Will became worried but his
mind had shutdown by then with all the pain assaulting it.
After losing track of time during the agony and pounding, William felt
something break in his side after a massive kick was delivered. He
screamed out in agony with it echoing off the trees scaring nearby
birds into flight. Then the situation got weird.
Inside of himself, in the center, William felt something burning. He
achieved a whole new level of fear because of this. He quickly
suspected this was related to the beautiful yet frightening construct.
The pressure and burning kept building, and he became more alarmed
wondering what would result from this.
Suddenly, as if floodgates were thrown open, the pressure exploded from
within. White light danced in his vision as he screamed once again in
dire agony raking his throat raw. Burning pain wholly filled every part
of his body leaving nothing untouched. The pain continued to grow and
then as suddenly as it had started... it stopped.
Silence permeated the area for a moment until someone rudely
interrupted it.
?What the hell was that?? quivered a white faced Toady.
?Lightning,? Eric stated plainly but not so sure himself judging from
the hint of fear in his voice.
All three boys looked up and saw the dark rain clouds above. They then
felt the first smattering of raindrops on their faces. While beating
little William they had failed to notice that the sunlight had
disappearing behind the clouds signifying impending rain. All three
looked back at William on the ground to see that he was unconscious
with mud already beginning to cover him as the rain began to pour down
in earnest.
?Come on,? said Joe to the other two. ?I think he has learned his
lesson,? The other two nodded hastily eager to get undercover from the
storm and away from anymore lightning. All three hurried off sloshing
in the mud as the rain drove harder into the ground leaving William
completely soaked through.
Soon, William began to come around from the ordeal. He was thankful the
boys had left, but even more thankful that all the pain had
disappeared. He paused as he thought about that. He should still be in
a lot of pain from the beating but he didn't feel the slightest twig.
Except for the cold rain and mud he seemed to be ok.
He gingerly raised himself up from the mud and stood turning in the
rain looking on his surroundings. He noticed a large maple tree off to
the right that was split down the center, charred, and steaming in the
rain. Probably from a recent strike, he thought. He saw his bike lying
on its side untouched. William guessed that they hadn't gotten around
to destroying that yet. He just shrugged, counted his luck, picked it
up, and started along the path back to his house deep in thought as he
replayed the strange events in his mind.
As he came around the front of his house he had come to the conclusion
that the lightning was just a coincidence, or a coincidence until
proven otherwise that is. This was unlike William since he fancied
Sherlock Homes and Homes always claimed that there was never such a
thing as a coincidence. He needed time to sit and think about this for
a while after he got back into his room.
Dropping his bike on the porch he entered the house and froze. What
happened next was the scariest thing that could possibly happen to any
boy his age. He was already beginning to regret he was left alive after
the beating and wished he was the tree the lightning had struck when
the voice spoke.
?Freeze, mister!? shouted a shrill voice that had the power of making
hell freeze over on a whim. ?You have tracked mud into this house,
again!?
William's heart skipped a beat, many beats in fact. Heart failure
seemed imminent. He was caught, and he knew it. He had been too
distracted to notice he was still covered with mud from head to toe. He
was going to die even after surviving a chase up a hill, falling down a
hole, some construct claiming possession of him, another beating that
rivaled Rodney King, and finally, a lightning strike. As if to validate
the thought lightning struck near the house at the same moment flashing
the interior of the house with an eerie luminescence. Coincidence?
William thought. Not likely. He was about to die and nature was just
confirming the thought for him. William knew that it couldn't get any
worse for him, but he soon found out that he knew nothing at all.
?Also, you were supposed to weed the garden this morning,? she paused a
moment to let the comment sink in. ?I know Melissa told you about
that.? The voice stated threateningly.
Yep, William realized that it could get much worse. The past twenty-
four hours all seemed to come crashing down on him and weeding the
garden was the straw that broke him. He started to cry, and then cry
harder making a pitifully choked, sobbing noise. His mother, seeing her
poor boy in muddy clothing sobbing his eyes out did the best thing any
mother could do at that point. She hugged him and began patting his
head while shushing him. This only served to make William cry harder.
He began to apologize profusely between sobs and then mumbled
incoherent words about his day in the rain and why he was muddy. The
poor sod couldn't have sounded more helpless if he tried. His mother,
being taller than Will, hugged him to her breast while she rocked and
shushed him. Eventually, William managed to calm down.
?Don't worry, dear, Melissa will help me clean up this mess.?
?Like hell I will!? a voice shouted from the kitchen.
?Just go change your clothes and have a nice, long, hot bath,? she
whispered cajolingly ignoring Melissa for the outburst.
William got up and moved back up the stairs to do as she said. He was
too broken to do anything else right now. As he discarded his clothing
on the floor and stepped into the nice warm shower, he noticed his deep
ocean blue eyes again in the mirror. That was enough to bring him back
from his self-pity. He wondered why his mother hadn't noticed his eyes.
He then realized that it was dark downstairs since no one had turned on
the lights when the storm came in. He didn't know how he would explain
his eyes away.
With no other thoughts than those of comfort and cleanliness, he
stepped into the shower and washed.
* * *
After dressing he heard his mother calling him from downstairs. Now he
had little choice but to see what his mother thought of his eye color.
He couldn't avoid it forever. Maybe he could hide for a few hours but
he killed that thought and decided now was better than later. His
mother would notice his eyes soon, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to
go through this alone.
He stepped around the corner at the bottom of the stairs and saw his
mother fixing lunch. Realizing he had skipped breakfast that morning
made him feel ravenous with hunger as the aromas assaulted his nose. He
sat down while his mother dished him up some beef stew and then sat the
bowl down on the table in front of him.
?Eat up. Melissa cleaned and ate already and went to Carrie's house for
the weekend.? His mom stated.
But before he could dig in she asked the question his stomach had
distracted him from thinking about in the past couple of minutes.
?William, look at me,? he looked up, ?What happened to your eyes? Why
are they blue?? she thought for a moment, ?Where did you get the color
contacts? Are they clean? I hope they haven't been shared with anyone
else. You could get pink eye and other diseases that way,? she paused
the interrogation to take in a breath and look closer. ?Those aren't
contacts! What is going on, young man?? she commanded sternly.
William didn't know what to do. The truth was too outrageous to even
mention to his mother. He was going to come completely clean but he
became defensive and decided to tell a half-truth instead.
?I just woke up and they were like this, mom.? He replied with a
grimace. No mother would believe such a lame explanation no matter how
close to the truth it hit.
His mother rose back up and put her hands on her hips and gave him her
best skeptical eye. ?Just woke up like that, huh? Why don't I believe
you?? Her mother alarm was going off big time and William knew it. He
changed strategies.
?I felt sick and passed out yesterday. I remember noticing that they
were a little different when I went to bed last night. I was tired and
I haven't been feeling very well lately.? He looked at his mother
earnestly with tears of frustration threatening to spill out of his
eyes. Her instincts to care for her sick child kick into high gear when
she saw a single tear leak out of the corner of his eye. Almost all
doubt left her face then, but that was enough. She started consoling
him again. It was ironic the first answer being closer to the truth
didn't wash with his mother and the second being more of a lie did. He
normally didn't cry but his emotions seem to be bubbling under the
surface more than usual. Then his warning alarms went off.
?I am going to call Dr. Parker and have him make a house visit for us.
Were going to get to the bottom of this. Any child that is passing out
and waking up with a different eye color has got to have something
wrong with them.? Without another word she hurried off to the phone and
placed the call. William knew that he had carried the act off too far,
but then he knew he couldn't have explained away his eye color to his
mother. The contact idea didn't even cross his mind before she asked
the question and his mother could see that they were obviously not
contacts. He was screwed no matter what he did now. He was terrible at
talking his way out of things and even worse at lying to his mother.
Later, Dr. Parker arrived to take a look at William. Dr. Parker had
been the family doctor since William was born. He was old with grey
hair and a friendly disposition, but he was still able to walk around
with a sprig to his step suggesting youthful tendencies. He began
examining William while asking him questions with a hem and haw coming
out now and then in response. Finally, he took a blood sample, some
skin samples, and said he will be in touch and then quickly left with
few pleasantries exchanged. This was very odd for Dr. Parker.
His mother just told him to rest up and that is what he did all day
Saturday and Sunday not having to deal with Melissa since she was over
at a friends. Finally, Dr. Parker came by Sunday afternoon to talk
about his findings. William knew that it was bad because of the
clinical attitude Dr. Parker was taking, and he never visited on
Sundays for work.
?The news I have to tell you is very surprising and remarkable. I
thought my samples somehow became contaminated but the skin and blood
samples both checked out. Fortunately for you, William, you are not
sick,? William stopped breathing. He wasn't sure if he should be happy,
sad, or something else. He could see the other shoe was about to drop.
?But you are a girl!? finished the good doctor looking relieved,
exasperated, and confused all at once.
William's heart stopped which seemed to be happening a lot lately. Dr.
Parker said it with such fervor and conviction that he knew he wasn't
joking about something like this. His mother, bless her heart, hugged
William and said sternly, ?This isn't a joking matter, Doctor Robert J.
Parker!?
Dr. Parker's hands went up and he quickly explained, ?I am not jesting,
my dear. I wish I were for William's sake. I checked my tests five
times over with the same results. No sicknesses, but lots of female
hormones, with the XX chromosome pairing instead of XY. I don't know
what to make of it since I delivered William myself and know for a fact
that he is, or at least, he was a healthy young boy,? defended the
doctor as he looked down towards William's pants.
William put his hands on his lap and could only look uneasily at the
doctor and that must have been enough to confirm for Dr. Parker that he
was still male in that aspect.
Will's mother just stared at Dr. Parker not quite soaking in what he
had just said while her mouth was open. Finally, she finished soaking.
?How did this happen? What is going to happen to William? How can we
stop it?? pleaded his mother rapidly.
?Frankly, I don't know how this happened. I wish I did. From what I am
able to ascertain from the blood tests and skin samples they all
suggest that William is entering puberty, but puberty a young woman
would enter. I am willing to bet that given time, Will's body will
correct itself and take on the secondary and possibly, if seemingly
impossibly, the primary characteristics associated with his, um,
gender. I don't know how to stop it. Like I said, by his genetics,
William is totally female. I didn't have any samples of him from before
to see if his DNA read as male. If we were to reintroduce male hormones
and suppress his female hormones that could very well cause more damage
and severe complication to his body than what, in my professional
opinion, is acceptable. I suggest that we take a while to let this
settle in and think about how we can help William deal with this
transition,? Dr. Parker finished.
William, by that time, let out his breath he had been holding for the
entire monolog. He began replaying the events from the large
underground chamber with the woman construct. She mentioned that there
would be consequences associated with this power that was supposedly
given to him. These consequences were also to help strengthen poor
William too. Were they there only if he abused his power though? Then
he remembered the last part: 'this power and the essence that first
came with it will now be yours'. This 'essence'. His Sherlock Homes
wannabe mind was working overtime. The construct was made to represent
Alira and her power after her death. The construct would pass on the
power and essence from where the power first came from. Alira was a
woman. The construct had deep blue eyes. The power was originally
Alira's. The essence associated with the power is changing him into a
girl. Bloody hell!
By this time William's mother and Dr. Parker were looking at William as
he finished the last bit of logical deduction and turned ghost white.
They had been discussing what to do during the transition. Fortunately
for William, summer was about to begin and he could hide out around the
house during the time his body began to change. William was never a
social person and liked to do things alone and he didn't have to worry
about any friends coming over to hang out. That was a surprising plus
for being an outcast, he thought sardonically.
Doctor Parker said that he would help as much as possible. He didn't
know how fast William's body would change and so he suggested that they
play it by ear until the time William needed new identification records
and then Dr. Parker would call in a few favors and get that taken care
of. Will's mother and the doctor both agreed that they should keep this
secret so Will wasn't made into a lab rat while testing is performed by
doctors that didn't care for anything else other than prestige and name
recognition. His mom and dad had a bad history with doctors like that.
Another bonus for the good doctor is that he had kept everything
confidential and is the only other person besides William and his
mother to know. William didn't want Melissa to know but his mother
pointed out that she would find out eventually and the sooner the
better. William conceded the point, but he wasn't looking forward to
her reaction with the news.
Eventually, Dr. Parker left William and his mother alone. Melissa would
arrive from a friend's in a few hours and William's mother said that
she would tell her. All he could do was nod his head and go to his room
to think.
William's dad was a hippy. Center-your-life-force-and-make-the-world-a-
better-place-through-love-and-crystals kind of hippy. His mom and dad
met at a concert and got married a week later. His dad never liked
being around children, but he respected the idea. After Melissa was
born, William's mom could barely keep him from leaving. Two years later
William was conceived and his dad left abruptly saying that he couldn't
be around children and needed to be out in the world keeping it alive
and aligning his spiritual awareness. Etc. etc. He left a few things
behind and one of those things was a book on meditation. William first
picked up this book not knowing what to expect, but soon found out that
after repetition and practice he became quite good with meditating and
relaxing. This helped William in the past few years as he dealt with
being classed as a social outcast while still achieving the good grades
expected by a proud mother.
Shortly, he was on his mat in the lotus position delving into a deep
relaxing trance. After relaxing his mind and body for several moments
William noticed something different about himself. He had become adept
enough that he could change his body temperature and almost 'see'
things about himself. What he saw was a strange kind of energy in his
center. He knew immediately that this was the power given to him by the
construct. There was no other explanation for it. Deciding to see if he
could manipulate it he began to 'poke' at it and see if he could get it
to loosen from the tight confines it was bound in. He wasn't
successful. He attempted to channel the energy out of the tight
confines but only managed to get a couple of wisps out of it and they
quickly dissipated.
Meditating on this more, he decided that with practice he would be able
to release the energy outside of the confined space and manipulate it.
What to do after he was able to manipulated it outside of the space he
didn't know. He would find out when that happened. He wondered what
other consequences the construct put on him. He was curious to know
since this was beginning to get him excited about the possibilities.
Until he remembered the price he was paying for this power so far. He
became depressed after that thought, but someone knocked on his door
interrupting his self-pity.
?Can I come in, Will?? asked his sister Melissa.
Before William could speak or get up she was already stepping through
the door and into his domain. She loved to annoy him with that. This
time was no different.
?Mom told me. Is it true?? She bent down and looked into Will's eyes.
?Wow! Your eyes are different! I am going to have a little sister now!
This is so cool!? She clapped her hands together, ?This is so weird! My
little brother will become my little sister!? Melissa proclaimed
exuberantly. She beamed and thought out loud of the things that they
could share and do together. Melissa always did look to the bright side
of things when it was to her advantage, William noted glumly.
?What? It isn't enough that you have a little brother, now you want to
see him changed into a little girl for your amusement? I probably won't
change much if not at all. I bet you that I will stay as a boy and be a
jock on the football team with plenty of girlfriends,? defended William
futilely.
Melissa just smirked and brought out the proverbial needle, ?Nope, mom
told me all about what Dr. Parker said and what will happen to you. You
are going to be a girl because he said your genes say so and you are
going through a girl's puberty. I will finally have someone I can share
stuff with and confide in. I bet you are going to make a cute little
sister too!? She finished while gushing.
That hurt as William came crashing back into reality. Melissa and
William have always had an agreement to never cause trouble for mother
to worry about. They would always share responsibilities to help her
out. They got along but they were not very close as some siblings were.
Melissa was obviously looking forward to the closeness a new sister
would bring.
Now William paid a closer look at Melissa to see what he had to look
forward to for his future. Melissa was pretty in a cute way with her
dark natural tan, dark puppy dog eyes and very dark brown hair cut at
her shoulders. She was about 5'7? just shy of mother's height and with
a build that suggested youthful athleticism with several hints of the
beautiful woman that she will grow up to be. She was already a split
image of their mother in more than just body.
William sighed again. His Sherlock Homes mind was going at it again. He
was resigning himself on becoming a girl. He had the nagging suspicion
that being empowered with Alira's essence meant more than just a sex
change into his female twin. Sometimes being bright came with a
downside. Sometimes he would rather live in ignorance. Why couldn't he
have had the option of the blue pill instead of being force fed red
one? In fact, he wouldn't be in this situation if he wasn't so bright
and curious. He shoved that line of thinking aside.
He asked her ?Could you please leave me alone? I don't feel like
talking much right now.?
?Ok, but when you feeling like talking or need help with... um, other
stuff then you know where I live. See you later, sis.? She smiled
sweetly but with no hint of malice showing, just anticipation of having
a baby sister to share 'sisterly' things with. William couldn't help
but groan.
After she left, William laid down on the bed and wondered what life
would bring now that he was going to become a girl. He had another
sneaking suspicion that he would be a complete girl, especially where
it counts. Not some boy-girl on hormones, but a fully developed girl,
and not just any fully developed girl, but a girl with power. William
quickly shunted that line of thought aside before it developed into the
clich? that was bound to follow. Soon after, he fell asleep.
* * *
Over the week, William was able to avoid Joe and his boys at school
without any other incidents to worry about. He noticed a couple boys
his age who were just older not showing up for school either. Tommy was
one and another named Kyle.
Melissa calmed down a bit when she didn't see any changes in Will but
she was looking at him like she wanted to talk more about it and it
seemed to be eating her up. Will made sure he wasn't caught alone with
her.
His mother went on as usual and he would catch her staring at him every
now and then. He imagined that she was worried about him. He just
didn't take coddling very often so she never pressed the issue until he
would be ready to talk to her.
Dr. Parker showed up once more retrieving more samples with a full
physical thrown in to add to the discomfort, but he still claimed his
first findings were correct, and reiterated on what to expect and guess
on how soon it would begin to happen.
Will wasn't able to improve his control over the ball of energy that
was stuffed into his body, until Saturday night that is.
William was in his usual meditative form just relaxing after trying
futilely again to manipulate the energy with almost no affect. He
contemplated what he was going to do during the summer and if he could
earn some extra spending money to supplement his allowance. Perhaps he
could mow some lawns for some of the elderly. He wasn't sure what he
was going to do or what he could do without his mother looking in on
him constantly.
Suddenly, William was hit with inspiration. Each time he tried to
manipulate the confined energy he was actually forcing his will on it.
That is something a guy would do to his environment to get his way. He
became certain that being changed into a girl had more to do with the
power than it first appeared. A woman would coax and guide things her
way instead of using force. It became obvious that he would have to
think like a girl to get the energy to work with him. This thought
disturbed him but it made more sense as to why the construct told him
the consequences would help him.
He gave it a try. At first nothing except the usual wisp of energy
flung off of the outside. He adjusted his thinking again and decided to
nurture the energy into releasing. 'Ask' it to help him out. He got a
reaction almost immediately. The outside actually expanded and then
gave off a shell of energy that far surpassed anything he was able to
do before.
Now he had a slightly expanded ball of energy with loose energy
floating around inside of him slowly dissipating thought out his body.
He was fatigued from doing that just once, but he wanted to do more. He
wasn't sure what he could do with the floating energy but thought on it
a moment. William impulsively gathered the remaining energy and pulled
it towards his hand and wondered if he could make it glow. He opened
his eyes and looked down at his hand seeing that it was glowing a pale
light. It was quickly becoming dimmer every second, but it temporarily
lit his room up for a few moments. He was ecstatic.
Soon after, his hand stopped glowing and William felt really tired. He
was still excited about his discovery and wanted to practice more, but
his tired body said otherwise. He took a break to eat then went to
sleep early for the night.
* * *
During the night William was dreaming of himself as a pilot flying
through the sky chasing pigs through the clouds. He was having a grand
time and didn't notice the irony of the dream as he flew through pink
puffy clouds in chase of pigs while coming out on the other side with
sausage on his wings. After only a few minutes of blissfully chasing
the swine he suddenly found himself in the large tomb that contained
Alira's coffin. He instantly became more lucid and would have ran away
if he could have moved his feet but he wasn't in control of his dreams
anymore.
?Welcome back, William,? said the warm voice he could never forget.
?You have pasted the next step related to attaining control in the
power given to you. I thought it would take you longer to reach this
step. I first thought years when you were more grown, but I am glad
that you are progressing faster than I anticipated. I honestly didn't
know if you were suitable for this imbuing,? she said seemingly proud
of herself in her choice. ?I have only a little time before I must go.
Do you have any questions?? She paused on that and looked earnestly at
William.
William had many questions after the first encounter, but now he
couldn't think of any. So instead, he asked, ?Why are you still alive?
I thought you fell apart because you gave me this power that held you
together??
The woman construct just smiled on that and looked off to the side for
a moment as she sat down on one of the marble steps leading up to
Alira's coffin before she answered. Without thinking Will found himself
sitting too.
?I was created by Alira a moment before she died to represent her and
her power as you know. Simply put, I am the power and the power is who
I am. I have existed for much longer than Alira anticipated and I have
become more and more aware as a result. I observed the world changing
as time went on, and much to my disappointment, I could not coax anyone
worthy to enter into the chambers to fulfill my purpose. I managed to
help you inside because you where partly in so I could exert some
influence over you.
?I didn't immediately fade away which was originally intended. I
believe it is because I am more aware.?
The construct paused a moment and then she turned and look William
directly in the eyes with those ocean blue eyes. ?I know you won't like
this one bit but I can't stop it now. I am fading away but as I fade I
am combining with you and we will become one. Because I am just a
construct you will have primary influence on your body and you will not
be aware of what parts of me are left behind. It will seem normal to
you although you will probably pick out parts that never existed before
we combined. In many ways this came out better than Alira anticipated.?
She paused for a few moments allowing William to digest what she said.
Before he could say anything she looked into his eyes smiling her warm
smile and said, ?I won't be able to visit you again since we will be so
much alike we will essentially be one. It is best that you and I allow
the combining without separation. We wouldn't want you ending up with
split personalities now would we?? she smiled wider at her attempt with
humor, but Will wasn't smiling. He was frowning. She coughed. As if
constructs needed to cough, Will thought irritably. She continued, ?I
hope for the best and I think it will happen for us. Sweet dreams,
William.?
Before he could say or do anything else he promptly fell into a deep
dreamless sleep that continued throughout the night.
* * *
Sunday morning brought a slew of unwanted changes, at least unwanted by
William. The first thing he saw in the mirror that morning was an
androgynous person staring back. He had to stare for a moment before
realization set in that he was staring at himself. He also wasn't sure
if the person in the mirror was a girl or boy. He looked like he could
pass for either. He took a closer inspection of himself in the mirror
and noticed that his face had changed shape slightly and become softer
with the features. Looking down to his chest he noticed his nipples
were slightly enlarged and had some swellings surrounding them. Moving
down his waist didn't seem any different but his hips and rear were a
tad bigger.
Sighing, William didn't feel panicky which kind of surprised him but he
had all week to think about this and he felt a bit relieved that it
finally started to happen. Just so he didn't feel like he was a boy on
death row waiting for the switch to be pulled. It was certainly pulled
now. Thinking back, he bet that this had something to do with his
experimentation of the energy last night. If this happened every time
he experimented with the energy then he would look like a girl by the
end of the week. Oh joy, he thought.
A thought crossed his mind. William decided to check lower to see what
had changed below the belt. As he looked down he noticed the bathroom
counter was a bit lower than normal. He must be getting taller as well.
There is a plus to this after all, he remarked ruefully.
Pulling the waistband of his pajamas out he inspected himself. Half
sized was the first thought to cross his mind. This set him off as
realization hit him that he would probably be all girl in a while and
he would be sharing quality mother daughter and sister sister time with
his family. It could be worse, he thought. He could be turning into a
frog. For some reason that amused him and he shed the rest of his
clothing and hopped into the shower.
Later he walked down to the kitchen to grab breakfast and he bumped
into Melissa on the way. Both quickly apologized and then Melissa took
a good look at her little brother. A smile crossed her young lips and
Will could see the wheels turning in her head. Deciding not to stick
around and let her open her mouth so she could start the torment or
worst yet, gushing, William hurried on and into the kitchen.
After fixing himself breakfast his mom happened to walk in and with the
talent that all mothers had she spotted William and realized what was
amiss. Staring for a moment she just shook her head and said that they
would talk later. William felt relieved and he knew he was in for a
full inspection by his mother after she got back from work.
Will spent the rest of the day doing what most twelve year old boys do
best. Gaming. After getting bored of that he decided to browse the net
and look for anything on the sorceress named Alira. He wasn't surprised
when he didn't find anything after an hour of searching.
Despite the consequences from playing with the power last night he
decided to mediate and see what else he could do with it. He didn't
have as much luck tonight as he did last night but he was still able to
coax off a lot more energy than during the entire first week. The outer
shell of the energy, once again, expanded a bit more so that he was
'filled' further than before he started meditating.
Eventually his mother came home, knocked on his bedroom door, and
entered. William just sat on his bed playing a game not bothering to
look at his mother. She just stood there and eventually got tired of
his unresponsiveness and stood in front of the TV. Knowing that
eventually he would have to let her do a full inspection he got off of
his bed, stood in front of his mom and took off his shirt waiting.
His mother scrutinized his face for a few moments and then his chest.
She started reaching down to pull off his pants when the silence was
finally broken.
?Mom!? William said with exasperation.
?Don't mom me. I have seen you plenty of times before so this is
nothing new to me or you.? She answered while glaring at her son with
hands on her hips. She was waiting for his corporation before she took
matters into her hands, figuratively speaking or course.
William knew that he would eventually give in. He was just putting up a
token resistance to try and save himself from any embarrassment.
Sighing he pulled down his pants. His mother kept a clinical expression
on her face as she scrutinized his lower portions while walking around
him. William began having the feeling of being meat for inspection.
?I didn't think it would be so sudden and quick,? observed Will's mom
as William pulled up his pants trying to save what little dignity he
had left. Which was none when he realized his sister was in the doorway
taking in the whole scene with a thoughtful expression. She turned
around and left too soon for William to recover and yell at her about
knocking before entering a person's room.
With few pleasantries exchanged between him and his mother she left for
the night leaving Will to himself to think of what the future would
hold for him now.
* * *
For the next month William continued developing in body and power. He
progressed much slower than the first night but he eventually became
adept at making his hand glow, but couldn't do anything else. His body
kept changing bit by bit and his regular checkups with Dr. Parker where
always the same with him cataloging the changes and predicting what
would happen next. The doctor always offered him encouragement on each
trip. William was just glad for the encouragement but he ignored him
since he didn't want to dwell too much on the subject. His mind was
always on another game or how he could improve his control with the
power. He did try and convince his mother that he didn't need to go to
school but like all good mothers she told him to stop being ridiculous
and face up to his situation, in a motherly way of course.
William, feeling extremely bored one day after a month of hiding around
his house decided to venture out and ride to the local mall and hit the
arcade. It was about an hour's ride on his bike. He quickly brushed
back his lighter colored hair behind his ears and pulled on some baggy
cloths to hide his changes. During the month his hair had grown faster
than normal competing with his body that had added five inches to his
height. While walking to the door he told his mother that he was going
to the arcade in the mall. He was surprised when she told him to have
fun instead of drilling him with more questions. William just thought
that she must have been glad that he was going out to do something
other than hide away. But his Sherlock Homes wannabe mind was turning
away.
On his way there William sped down the road enjoying the warm breeze
and the fresh smells that he had missed since he had been staying
indoors for the last month. He was enjoying himself so much that all he
wanted to do was ride around a bit more, but he soon came into the
outside of the city and in the parking lot of the mall. He agilely
locked up his bike and walked into the mall with only one destination
in mind: The arcade of course.
After a few minutes of walking past the shops in the mall he realized
that people were watching him more than normal. He thought that maybe
he had something on his rear or some weird stain on his clothing that
was attracting their attention. He decided to stop by the restroom and
check and see what was wrong with him. He stepping inside and stared
into the mirror for anything weird or off but he just couldn't see
anything. Suddenly a voice interrupted him.
?You. Girl. This is the man's restroom. You shouldn't be in here,?
exclaimed some older man as he was walking out of a stall while
buckling up his pants. William just stared at the guy and then
stuttered out an apology while leaving the restroom only to enter no-
mans-land.
He passed some woman who smiled at him as she left the restro