The Beauty's Beasts Chpt. 9

The next day at school, Blake waited in class, knowing Arya would likely be late, as usual. But when the lunch bell rang, and she still hadn’t shown, he was beginning to wonder. And he wasn’t the only one. Mr. Black asked Penny, who was Arya’s snobby nerd roommate, what had happened to her. Blake listened in on the conversation.

“She was groaning and coughing when I woke up this morning. Said she didn’t feel too well. I thought she was faking to get out of class, but she had a fever, so I told her to stay in bed for the day.”

“Very well, then. Let me know if she’s still feeling unwell after school is out today. I’ll be in the library doing some grading, most likely. If I’m not there, you can ask at the office.”

“Yes sir. I understand.”

Blake felt bad about Arya, almost feeling responsible for her, because of the previous day. With a deep sigh, he turned and headed for the lunch room. Chandler was waiting for him there.

“Hey, Blake. What’s up? You look down, bro.”

“Aw, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Nah, just school stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, alright?”

“Okay, chill man. If you don’t want to talk about it, I get it.”

Blake took a deep breath and nodded.

“Sorry. Thanks, Chandler.”

Then he perked up a bit.

“Who’ll we sit next to today?”

“There’s a couple seats still open over by Trent and Julian. Do you wanna sit over there?”

Blake shrugged.

“I guess so.”

They unpacked lunches and sat at the table, Trent next to Chandler, and Julian next to Blake. The conversation was mostly held by the others, and Blake was oddly quiet throughout the meal. Chandler noticed. After lunch was done, they walked back to the classroom together. Chandler was laughing and talking as usual, but underneath, he was worried about Blake. He was acting very oddly today, and Chandler thought he knew the reason why. He was much more observant than the others credited him to be. He couldn’t absorb information very well, but he was very observant. A certain girl had been missing from the class today, and Chandler guess that she was the reason for Blake’s silence. But he said nothing, for he knew it wasn’t his place to intrude upon this newly formed friendship.

“She really needs some friends,” he said to himself.

“Blake will be good to her, I know.”

And so the day passed without event, and without spark. As Blake walked through the school gates and out to the street, headed for home, he glanced up towards the dorm building, a sigh passing through his lips. At home, the thought of Arya never left his head even once. He was distracted and spacey. His younger sister noticed this at dinnertime when he nearly knocked over his own cup.

“Hey, earth to Blake! What’s up with you today? You’re acting dumber than usual.”

Blake blinked and looked up with a confused look on his face.

“What?”

Chelsea rolled her eyes.

“Good grief. What’s your problem today? I could knock you over and you wouldn’t notice!”

Blake shrugged dismissively.

“Just problems at school, that’s all.”

“You get into a fight, or something?”

Chelsea grinned teasingly.

“The only problem at school is your grades.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Blake stood to his feet.

“I’m going to my room. I’ve got a ton of homework to do.”

Chelsea watched bemusedly as he walked out of the dining room. She heard his footsteps ascending the stairs and enter his room above.

“Homework? What’s up with him today?”

The next day, Blake dragged his feet as he entered the classroom. He hadn’t been able to get much sleep last night. Arya’s- or rather, Layra’s- words had returned to him while he lay on his bed, and he hadn’t been able to get them out of his head until the night was half gone. He sat in his chair behind his desk, dark circles under his eyes, and he yawned widely, resting his head on his desk while the other students began to file in. Then his head perked up as he saw the familiar blue hair and glasses enter the room. Arya, earlier than usual, walked through the door and sat in her seat at her desk, while Blake watched. He gave a small wave in her direction, and she responded with her usual smirk, and a nod towards him in acknowledgement. Then the bell rang, and the teacher began the lesson. Blake, trying his best to stay awake, was sure his grades would take a dip that day, what with his eyelids drooping shut every five minutes and all. When he was sure he could stay awake no longer, the lunch bell rang, and there was an almighty scramble as everyone headed for the doors. Blake, taking his lunch money from his desk, stood, but then thought twice and turned away from the doors. Chandler was out in the hallway when he realized that his friend hadn’t exited the room along with all the others. He was about to go back in, but he heard a familiar voice from inside the classroom, and with a knowing grin, he turned and was to the lunchroom with the rest of the gang, chatting it up with Charlie and Kyle on the way. Inside the classroom, Blake approached Arya, who was sitting at her desk still.

“Uh… Hi.”

Arya looked up at him standing there.

“Yeah? Oh, it’s you. Whaddaya want?”

“I was wondering… Would you mind if I had lunch with you today?”

Arya blinked at him, incomprehensive.

“Huh?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me for lunch. We can stay in here, if you’d like.”

Then his meaning dawned upon her, and her eyes grew wide.

“With me? You want to sit with me? But I’m the scary new girl!”

“You’re not so scary. Tough, but not scary.”

Then Blake was witness to what he always claimed after to be nothing but a real, actual, genuine miracle. Arya smiled at him. Not her smirk, or a half-smile, or anything like that, but a real, joyful, sincere smile. It was the first time he’d ever seen her really smile, and he found he liked it.

“I’d like that a lot! Yes, you may sit with me.”

So he sat in Chris’ chair and smiled back at Arya.

“You should smile like that more often. You have a really pretty smile.”

And Arya blushed. She hit him over the head with her pencil, but she also blushed. Then she pulled out her little brown bag and began to withdraw the contents within. It was with a flourish that she produced a white china dish filled with a steaming, appetizing, colorful noodle dish. It was soba noodles, with corn, mushrooms, cabbage and carrots, topped with caramelized onions and garlic. With just a hint of lemon, and some sage to even the scale, it was certainly a treat for all the senses. She drew out two plates, a teatray with a teapot, sugar bowl, cream pitcher and two teacups on it. She then pulled out two pairs of stainless steel chopsticks, finely made, and with an engraved design on the handle. One pair she handed to Blake, and the other, used to serve the both of them. She then poured tea for the both of them, and they ate together that day, thoroughly enjoying the fine meal. As they finished, Blake then asked the obvious question.

“How do you do that with the paper bag?”

“Do what? You mean pull all that stuff out of there?”

“Yeah. Does it all fit in there, or is it, like, a secret portal to a pocket dimension, or something?”

“Well, not really. I suppose to explain it, I’ll have to go backstory on you. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all. Go right ahead. I’m actually quite curious about your backstory.”

“Alright then. I am personally a highly gifted individual, able to warp reality around me to my will, to a certain extent. Some may call it magic, or miracles. Miracle is a good word for it, but I call it creative suggestion, coupled with a highly developed mind. I can create a suggestion in someone’s mind, or everyone’s mind, that something is real. Through this, I can actually change reality. After all, what is reality other than one’s perception of it? In any case, I have been called a witch before. A misleading -but to some, accurate- assessment. But whatever the name you give it, the talent remains.”

“So was the food real?”

“Very real. I made it last night. Then I put it into this bag, which I made bigger on the inside, and simply put a time seal on it. If anyone else tried to open the bag, it would simply be an empty paper bag.”

“Amazing!”

“You know, it’s funny that you, a normal highschool boy, believe and live with all this magic and strangeness that’s been happening recently.”

“I don’t know why. I’ve seen it, so why get all flustered about it? But I have to ask you, this tree, what is it, and why do we have to find it?”

Arya’s faces grew solemn.

“The Tree of Life. That’s what you’re referring to, is it not?”

“I don’t know, you were talking about it when you had that… whatever it was, the other day.”

“It’s called a possession. I get possessed by people who are in other worlds. Basically, I’m an amped-up telephone. If you know the right number, boom, possession. That’s how it happens.”

“Well, a girl who used to come to our school, Layra, possessed you, and she said that the twelve guys in our gang here had to remember something, and I was supposed to ask you about the… Tree of Life, did you say?”

“Remember… Ah! Your memories! No time to explain right now! We have to talk to the others immediately!”

She jumped up, a new fire in her eyes, which had faded purple again, and she pulled Blake with her as she ran to the lunch room. They skidded to a stop beside the gang’s table, and Arya, panting, turned to Blake.

“Right, tell them what Layra told you.”

Logan jumped to his feet.

“Layra? Blake, what’s going on? You saw Layra? Where is she? Tell me!”

Blake held up his hands cautioningly.

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down! I didn’t actually see her. She sort of… called me. Anyway, she told us not to try and find her, because she knew you’d want to, Logan. But she told me we had to remember something. All of us! She told me we had to ask our parents how we were born, and we had to find the Tree of Life, whatever that is. Arya knows what it is, but she wanted me to tell you guys about this first.”

Logan still hadn’t sat down yet.

“You really spoke with Layra? How is she?”

“She said she’s fine, Logan.”

Shane spoke up.

“What’s this about a tree, now?”

Arya broke in here.

“What Layra said, in paraphrase, was this, ‘Tell them I’m alive. Tell them I’m fine, but don’t try to find me. You all have a job to do. You have to find the Tree. You have to ask your parents how you were born. You have to get your memories back.’ She had a specific message for you, Logan. She said she’s always above you, observing. She said you’d understand.”

Logan sat back down, a sad smile on his face.

“I do. Thank you.”

Chris was the next with a question.

“So why do we have to ask our parents how we were born?”

“I can’t tell you everything, because I don’t know. You’ll have to find out for yourselves.”

“But we have our memories,” Kyle said, puzzled.

“Yeah, why would we need to get them back if we already have them?” Anna asked. Arya glanced sharply at her, as if just seeing her.

“Anna, don’t take this the wrong way. You’re a sweet girl, and I like you, I think. But this has nothing to do with you. Layra had something to say to the both of us, and I don’t think it’s good. She said I’d be leaving this world with you very soon.”

Anna was taken aback by Arya’s frankness. Kyle put his hand in front of Anna protectively.

“Is that a threat?” He asked, glaring at Arya.

“Not in the least. It’s stated fact. I don’t threaten, that’s not how I work.”

“Then this… tree?” Charlie asked curiously. Arya took a deep breath and began her explanation.

“The Tree of Life. Maybe you’ve heard about it before in stories or legend. Well, it’s more than just a story. It’s real. The history of the tree is this. It has kept the universe alive for millennia, standing tall in the world you now know as the Above. But nearly three hundred years ago, war broke out for control of the Tree, and it raged throughout both worlds, this one as well as the Above. The Tree was split in two, and the halves were flung far out into the farthest realms of the two worlds. No one knows where the two halves rest now, but somehow, their power is still keeping the universe alive from wherever the two halves reside. There were twelve guardians of the Tree, so the story says, with certain powers to protect the Tree against those who wished to have the Tree for themselves, but when the Tree was divided, the guardians vanished, and were never heard from again. That is the mystery of the Tree of Life.”

“What has this got to do with us?” Stuart asked impatiently. Arya shrugged.

“No Idea. But Layra seems to think that it has something to do with you, and you trust her, don’t you?”

There was a murmur of assent, and Julian stood to his feet.

“Alright, if we all agree to trust what Layra said, then what’s our plan?”

Seth took a bite of his lunch and gestured to Arya.

“If we are to take her at her word, then our first course of action would be to request information from our parents about our births, and then meet here tomorrow to discuss the implications.”

Trent snorted.

“Do you honestly have to use big words all the time?”

Seth glanced at him questioningly.

“And the problem with that would be…?”

Trent rolled his eyes and shrugged.

“Nevermind.”

“Right then!” Stuart said firmly.

“We have our mission! The only thing left is to carry it out. Are we together on this?”

They all put their hands out over the table and together they shouted a war cry of friendship and brotherhood.

“For Layra!”

And so, when school ended that day, and all the students had returned to their respective homes, they requested, directly and by phone, of their parents as to the incident of their births. In layman's terms, asked their parents how they were born. They returned to the class early on the next school day to discuss the results of their strange survey. And strange results they were, indeed. Blake was the first to speak up.

"Well, my mom told me I was adopted. I don't remember it, but they brought me home from the orphanage when I was around eleven years old. I can't remember anything before that."

Seth started up, stunned.

"That's what my dad said, too! I was adopted when I was ten! And I can't remember anything previous to my adoption!"

Chandler agreed, and soon the entire group was in an uproar as they all shared similar stories, all except for Chris and Logan, who sat quietly on the sidelines. Then Arya turned to them and asked her question.

"Do you have parents at all?"

Logan looked up sharply, and Chris' eyes narrowed. Then Logan shook his head.

"Layra told me that I was born far from here, and Chris found me and took me in before we both became werewolves, and we've stayed together since."

"She's only half right. You did live far from here at the beginning, but didn't she tell you that you were moved from foster home to foster home when you were young?"

"Yes, she did mention that."

"I'm afraid that you weren't born on earth at all. None of you. Chris, how far back do you remember?"

Chris looked thoughtful, and surprise dawned on his face.

"Now that you mention it, I can only remember back to when I met Logan. I remember seeing him on the side of the road, and I had the feeling that I needed to go and talk to him, and that's how we met, but other than that, I don't remember anything."

"Then it had been made certain," Arya said, bowing her head solemnly.

"You are the twelve that I'm looking for. Twelve boys, all around the same age, who somehow came to the same town, enrolled in the same school, ended up in the same class, all made friends with each other out of all the people at this school, and all adopted under the same strange occurrences, and missing the memory of the first half of their life. It's all too strange to be a coincidence. I believe that you are the ones I am searching for."

Julian spoke up.

"What do you mean you were searching for us?"

"I'm from the same realm as Layra, although we are not of the same race. I suppose you could say that she's my... cousin. But I was sent by a high authority to find you twelve and give you a mission."

"What kind of mission?" Charlie asked, in accordance with everyone's thoughts. Arya nodded, chuckling to herself.

"Of course, that is important. Your mission is to search the globe for the two halves of the Tree, and to bring them to the Above, so that they may be restored. I understand if you don't think you can do this, with all of the people you know here. This is your life now, you are probably thinking, and you don't want to leave it. I can understand that. You have a month to think about it. Don't bother telling me if you accept the mission or not. I won't be here."

Blake stood up suddenly.

"What! Why not? Where are you going to be?"

Arya smiled sadly at him.

"You heard Layra. I'm leaving with Anna soon. I don't know when or how, but I am. Sorry."

Just then the bell rang, and class began, so they weren't able to continue the conversation. But the day was nowhere near over just yet.