First Light, Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Luz and I were walking to our lockers, hardly caring if we made it to class on time, even though we always did.  We were middle school goody-two-shoes in that regard.  My friend was a sweet Hispanic girl with a purple glow to her heart.  Sadly, those who had that look were often teased for having a “purple heart.”  Mine was ruby red with a golden aura, as unique as someone with yellow streaks in hazel eyes.  

Lockers were one of several places people liked to share their light.  Opening our hearts to one another we could reach out and touch the light of another, feeling joys the same way they do.  Everyone experiences happiness differently, and some like the feel of one heart over another.  Sharing light was a part of any social gathering, and a display of friendship.  It was a little like giving someone a hug, but more emotionally charged.  One doesn’t usually just go around hugging people randomly.

Across the way I saw Alex.  He was a year older than I was, biologically, with blonde, spiky hair and a perky smile to match.  Whenever he decided not to use his contacts, a set of small-framed glasses perched on his nose, but his face was currently undecorated by them.  Alex always wore loose, wrinkled button-up shirts that somehow managed to always smell like sweet fresh-cut grass, even in that winter when my assigned seat was by him.  

And I found him irresistible.  Often I had gone to my father, asking for advice and still judging the right time.  That was something else I could always depend on my father for.  Helping me understand boys.  …At least a little.

Alex knew I existed at least.  We’d talked before, and we were a bit more than acquaintances.  I had never been sure if he liked me in return though, and we had not shared each other’s light.  We hadn’t hugged either, for that matter, I thought.

…But that was a part of life.  Most days were typical.  We had a social life while skipping the assignments we had done at least twice before.  We knew we’d get A’s on our next test since we understood the material inside and out.  With all the time we had, it was impossible not to know the material.

It’s amazing how great spans of time can simply fly by, and amazing how great a span it was.  To go through adolescence would seem to most a long time, but with the power of light, even longer.  Light was an incredible force that lengthened life and improved health in its purest form, something that was never scientifically explained, and certainly not in class.

And, of course, our social studies teachers were having a ball.  Society struggled to compensate for the long life, and our teachers loved to have class debates on how our government should adapt accordingly.

Meanwhile, I hated graduating from a school only to go back to it for “refresher courses.”  I know I was in middle school for at least a normal generation on and off.  It was all rather boring, and many kids were never sure what to do with themselves, so minor mischief increased over the years.  

Amazingly, however, the more serious stuff all but disappeared for a very long time.  People of the world loved the light, and so society began to revolve not around jobs, money or the like, but around light, instead.  It was something else that the teachers droned on about.  Attendance to religious gatherings skyrocketed, each group relating the light to an essential part of their religion (and it all fitting so perfectly it still gives me goosebumps). Generations were passing, and I can no longer remember how many.  I do know, however, that the world was then at peace for a long time.

Of course, in the middle of my thoughtful moment, my own peace was disturbed.  I felt something run into me from behind, and I stumbled.  Looking to see what it was, I saw Quinton running off somewhere.

“How rude,” I mumbled.  Quinton was never the nicest of guys, a real rarity, quite thankfully.

“But don’t you feel sorry for him?” Luz commented.

“Why?  He’s a jerk.”

“I think he hurts inside.”

“Luz, you sound as if you like him.”  I raised an eyebrow of disbelief.

“No way!  But I feel sorry for him.”

“Okay, I’ll bite.  Why?”

“You notice no one shares light with him?”

“Well, he’s a jerk.”

“I get the feeling his family doesn’t either.  I mean, wouldn’t you feel hurt and want to strike out?”

I hummed a note of thought, but I still didn’t care for him.  “I wish I could share more with my…”

“I know, Abby, and I’m sorry.”

The light brought most people together, especially families.  And I envied those families.  I loved the light, but I could never love what it did to my family.

My father had always been dedicated to his work, but after the discovery of light in one’s heart, he became fully obsessed with it, spending less and less time with my mother and me.  I would feel lonely, sometimes crying at night, and my mother would come in and try to reassure me that my father did not love the light more than us.  But even then there was always a hint of uncertainty in her voice, as every day my father would return home late, beaming with happiness, and unable it seemed to speak of anything but some minor discovery about light.

Just as I sighed, I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I looked back.

It was Alex.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I—“

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes!”  I was a little choked up.

“You sure?  You can’t even get your words out,” he smiled a little.

“Well, you know about my family.”

“Oh. Your dad out late again?”

“He didn’t come home until 1 pm.”

“I’m sorry, Abby.”  His hand slid from my shoulder to my upper arm and I could feel my spine tingle.

“It’s-it’s okay.”

“Um, Abby?  I was kind of wondering…”  He ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

“What?”  My heart rose into my throat, perhaps literally.

“Well, we, uh…  We’ve never shared each other’s light before—“

“You’d like to?” I sputtered.

“Um, yeah!”  

“I…”  

It seemed like the world grew silent even though we both knew the hall was full of the diminishing banter of fellow students.  To share light was so easy…

It was like relaxing.  It was something so natural.  It felt like breathing out so that one’s soul could come and embrace the person in front of them.  I could feel him take my hand, but leave one hand free.  And from both of us, light poured forth as our hearts revealed themselves.  His was white and golden, unbelievably beautiful.  Hesitating at first, we both reached out to each other’s light, placing our fingers into the glow.  

I felt warmth in his heart unlike what I expected, and we both looked at each other in amazement, surprised by what we had inadvertently revealed to each other, and we looked into each other’s eyes, smiling.  

He felt the same.

I flexed my fingers in his heart, softly grasping his light and feeling as if my heart were flying.  Tears came to my eyes, and he let go of my hand to wipe them gently away…

A ringing bell pulled me away.  We were late.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“No wonder you were late!” Luz said excitedly as we went outside for the remainder of our lunch break into the school’s field.

“I can’t believe it still!”  I swooned.  

“Hey, look, it’s him.”

“Alex?!” I burst out, looking around.

“No, no!  Quinton.”

“Oh, that jerk,” I said, looking out into the field.  There he was, standing out there and looking into the line of trees that was the edge of the school property and the beginning of the unknown.  It was a small section of woods that none of the kids were allowed to enter.

Luz sighed.  “I’m going to do it.”  

“Do what?”  I asked as she began to walk to him.  “You’re not, are you?!”

“Yes, I’m going to share my light.  If I don’t who will?  He needs someone to at least extend a hand.”

“Luz, I don’t like it.”

“Look, I’m trying to be better than the cliques, okay?”

I sighed; she had a point.

She ran up to him as I approached, leaning over in a cute, perhaps flirty way that she often did with any guy.  I couldn’t make out what they were saying, only that he looked surprised.  And with that he nodded, and they revealed their light.  He snickered at her heart, surely because of the color, but soon looked amazed again, placing his hand curiously into hers as she placed hers in his.  Both hearts were cool colored, but his was a dull blue with an odd black haze that partially shrouded his heart.

I got within earshot just as they stopped talking.  I will never forget his face as it suddenly turned to an avaricious grin.

With a single movement he grasped at her light and ran, and she fell to the ground, remaining glimmers of light retreating into her.

“Help!” I cried, but I wasn’t the only one who had seen it.  Others were rushing at the retreating Quinton and to the side of Luz.

“Luz!”  I cried.  “LUZ!!!”  I propped her upon my knee and another girl took her pulse.  

“A… Ab-by?”  She was barely responsive, her expression pained with a blank, almost emotionless stare.

“Abby!”  I turned to see Alex, his hands grasping Quinton’s arm and heart so that neither may flee.  He pinched the light in two and handed it to me, the feeling odd.  I could feel part of his heart with Luz’s.  Yet I was unsure if it was as much as she had lost…

Gently I placed it over her chest, the purple-blue and black mass entering her body.  Her eyes focused.

“Thank…  You.”

But her eyes flickered closed.

“Someone call for the nurse!”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The event went on the five-o-clock news, and stories ran for days.  Luz revived, but her trust had been shattered, along with that of most people, it seemed.  It was unbelievable that one’s light could be stolen, and it shocked the world.  My mother and I sat eating a late supper again and talking about it.  Once again, we decided to eat without my father.

“The doctors looked her over, but aside from going into shock and some intense stress on her system, they can figure out nothing else.”

“…Abby?” my mother suddenly asked.  “How much do you trust Alex?”  

“What?  Mom, I told you, I love him!”

“I- I’m sorry hon, you know I worry.”

“Yes, but please, Mom, don’t ask that again, it hurts.”

“It’s just that you share your light with him and I don’t want—“

“I know, but don’t worry, okay?”

“Just be careful.”

“I will, Mom.”  I tapped my fingers to the pop song softly playing on the radio.

She pushed her brown hair behind her ear and looked at the clock.  “Your father’s probably out again tonight.”

“Again?  But he didn’t even come home last night.”

“Well, he did call.”

“When are we going to be a family again, Mom?  When can we go out and do things together again?  Every day Dad’s out longer and longer.  It’s like he doesn’t want to be a part of the family anymore!  He’s always working on something to do with light or that black stuff they found!”

“Abby!  You know--!”

“Do I know better?  Tell me, Mom, how can I know better when he’s never here?  When’s the last time you shared the light with him?  When have you last KISSED?  You don’t know either, do you?!”

“Abby, I--!”

The radio’s music cut out and was interrupted by a news flash.  “Another light-stealing has occurred in Diggs County today.  Authorities are currently investigating.  The victim is in fair condition tonight and is recovering.”

After several such incidents across the globe, it had been discovered that the heart not only contained light, but that a person could recover even without their light if they survived the assault.  However, when parts of their hearts were taken, in total, it seemed they became more stoic, perhaps because they tended to pull away.  People were no longer mugged for money but for their light.  

The report continued.  “Meanwhile, in Tokyo today a similar incident involved not just the stealing of light, but of a whole heart.  Only because the criminal was so daring as to do it in broad daylight do they know it occurred, as the victim literally disappeared!  It is believed, however, that the thief is an American tourist, and appears to be 5’10 with graying hair.  The man was also described as having a ‘black heart.’”

“A whole heart!” my mother exclaimed.  “Now do you understand why I worry?”

“In other news, Tokyo also seems to have been overcome with a monster scare.  Reports have arisen this evening of a yellow-eyed creature attacking people.  Few can discern what it is since it tends to stick to the shadows, but it’s believed to be an assailant dressed in black trying to steal light.”

“What people won’t stoop to nowadays…” my mother shook her head.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The days were growing cold as they always did in autumn.  The leaves had burst into the colors of dusk, and dead leaves crunched loudly under my feet and Alex’s.  Luz had recovered, but she had never quite been the same, though that was far from surprising.  Still, she seemed much less likely to share her light, and not just because she was afraid of being attacked again.  

She seemed to covet it.

Alex and I were going to visit her at her request.  She said she had something astonishing to show us.

“I wonder what it is?” I asked no one.

“Dunno.”

“That was hypothetical, silly,” I laughed at Alex, taking his hand.  The feeling of it at times was almost as good as the light.

He chuckled.  “With you, I never know.  But…  I do worry about Luz.”

“Yeah, she’s changed.  Her sense of humor has kinda gone down the tubes.”

“Yes…”  

It wasn’t much longer until we arrived on her doorstep and we rang the bell.  Luz opened the door and let us in.

“Luz?  You okay?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m very okay.  I’ve discovered something about my heart.”

That caught both of our attention.

“Something new about the light?” Alex stammered.

“No, but just as good.  Take a look.”

With that she revealed her heart, and she seemed to concentrate.  The black haze she had managed to receive from Quinton concentrated into the middle of her heart.  She smiled in a way I had never seen her smile before.  “Go ahead, feel it.”

We hesitated.

“Go on, you don’t need to be afraid of the dark part.”

I looked at Alex, and he didn’t budge.  I went ahead and reached for it, feeling it in its pure form.

A rush came over me, a feeling related to, but certainly not the same as light.  Emotion flooded me, but it was overwhelming with this.  A surge of power sent my hair on end, and pride swelled my chest, a confidence that some could say was arrogance.  But the power…!  It was a shot of adrenaline and a feeling of invincibility!

I pulled my hand out, gasping for breath.  It felt…  great.

“…Alex, you gotta try it!” I blinked.

He wrinkled his brow, but reached forward, feeling the darkness.  But he quickly pulled back, looking as if he needed to go to Confession.  

“I…I don’t like it!  It isn’t right.”

“Are you afraid of the dark, Alex?”

“Luz!”  That was atypical for her.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  But do you want to know the best part?”

“…What?” Alex said with concern.

“I was attacked again yesterday.”

“What?!  Luz, are you—“

“I’m fine!  Better than fine!  Because look…!”  And from her emerged something else…  

“Is that…?”

“Yes, another heart, or a small part of one.”

“B-but Luz!” Alex and I stuttered.

“He tried to take mine…  But he didn’t know I had found the power of darkness.  And I got him before he could get me!  And now I know what it’s like to have more light…”

Alex took a step back.  “That’s wrong, Luz.”

“Better that than letting him keep doing it right?”  She reabsorbed both her heart and the dark mass that was the other.

“Luz,” I said, “There are still debates on capital punishment.”

“But--!  Well what do you want me to do about it?”

“I don’t know, Luz, I don’t know.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Time passed, and it seemed the whole world was coming apart.  Muggings were more and more common, and the trend of the costumed attackers was growing.  Worse, it seemed some countries were starting to wage war on one another, especially in Africa and the Middle East.  People loved the light, and they were now fighting over it.

Worse still, the word of darkness had spread, possibly from Luz’s surviving attacker.  Darkness became a weapon to gain more light.  Retail store cameras captured the acts, and I swore that the more light those criminals took, the more and more darkness I saw in their hearts.

I was lucky not to be in one of those areas.  We lived on the city outskirts, and the city was one of the safest.

The television was now on constantly to keep us updated on things.  “Reports say that weapons of ‘darkness’ are beginning to be used by soldiers in the Middle East.  As said in an earlier report, science still does not fully understand darkness, even less than it does light.”

“…Mom?” I asked, trying to change the grim subject.  “Can I go visit Luz?  I haven’t seen her for a while.  It would be good to check up on her.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.  Please?”

“Dear, a storm’s coming, and it’s dark out.  I want you to be careful.”

“Mom, in case you haven’t noticed, it’s been getting dark earlier.”

“Really earlier, now that you mention it.  It shouldn’t be dark this early.  We’re still on daylight savings time...” she pondered.

“Whatever.”

“Don’t get that tone with me.”

“Sorry.  But please?  I mean right now, we could all use a little company, especially her.”

My mother sighed.  “Okay, but take the subway.  The security is pretty good, and it’s automated so you’re sure to reach your destination..”

“I know, Mom,” I said, throwing on my white checkered jacket.  “See ya!”  I rushed out the door, grabbed the bus to the north subway, and began to head into the city.  The radio was full of announcements too, a common thing in this world of chaos.  I wondered how soon it would be until the U.S. entered some sort of war.  The president had already spoken of possibly taking “preventative strikes.”

A particular bit of news caught my ear as I was exiting the bus.  “Reports are coming in now of an attack in BrendanCo. Labs.  As you know, those are the same labs where light—“

“Dad!”  I gasped.  “Sir!” I yelled to the driver, “Can this bus take me to the south subway instead?”

“Are you sure, kid?”

“Yes!”

“Fine.  Get back on, no charge,” he grumbled.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When I had taken the subway, it was eerie.  There were few security guards and those who were there looked ready to run at the slightest hint of trouble.  But nothing was odder than what I saw when I got to the surface.  

The wind blew hard and I held my jacket against me.  Lighting struck and rattled the sky.  But with each crash an ominous star peeking through it all seemed to tear itself into a giant rip in the atmosphere, an orb of what I guess would be described as a dark energy.  Bolts arced along its surface and green sparks seemed to fall from it.

“What in the—“

Something was very wrong, and my heart beat anxiously.  I looked at the gates to find them open, the control panel smashed in.  Part of the gate was even crushed as if it had been stepped on by some giant movie monster.  Entering the facility should never be so easy.

I walked in, my surroundings pitch black.  I dared to reveal some of my light to see.  

The shadows seemed to move.  

“Dad?  Dad?!  Hey, Doctor Taylor Mesna!”  

I heard a shuffling behind me, but I turned only to see my shadow.  Bizarre sounds began to echo in the halls, like course squeaks and sharp whispers.

I saw a slight glow up ahead on the floor and went toward it.  The form was black and seemed to move slightly.

“Hey, are you okay?  You hurt?”

The form rose up to my eye level, yellow eyes staring at me as antennae flickered in my face.

And if it had been three feet shorter it might have been cute.

I screamed my throat raw, and scrambled to turn around.  Behind me arose the shuffle of many footsteps, probably because there was more than one following me at the time.  The sparkle of my heart was all that illuminated the dark, sterile walls as I dashed down them, a door at the end being my greatest hope.

With a single frantic motion I swung the door open and tried to shut it behind me.  The antennae of one of the monsters was caught, and it squealed in pain as I shut the door, thereby popping it off.  Locking the door in a hurry, I stepped back as the antennae twitched its last.  I breathed a sigh of relief and began to search for a better light source.  Whatever those things were, I knew they certainly were not men in costumes.

The area seemed to be for storage.  The whole place was well-stocked with large, unusual batteries, lights, cleaning supplies, spare furniture, glassware I could only guess the purpose of, technical equipment that was gibberish to me, paper and more.

There was scratching at the door, but it held fast. Still that did not slow my heart as I picked up a battery and sat it on the seat of a rolling chair.  Of course, being the bright fourteen-year-old I was, I touched the sockets to test if the battery was charged.  

I found myself on the ground, feeling like a horse had kicked me in the chest and gasping for air.  Certainly not a kitchen battery, I noticed.  

I picked myself off the ground and grabbed a desk light, plugging it into the battery.   I squinted, as the light seemed very bright to me by comparison.  

The scratching stopped.

An eerie silence filled the room, and I rolled the chair over, looking to see if they had left.

I could see traces of shadows under the door, but they changed somehow…  And slid right under the door itself.

I shrieked and almost fell over, shining the desk lamp at it to get a better view.  The storage room was full of shadows, however, and the creatures found them easily.  Either way, they did not seem to enjoy the light as much as I did.

I needed to at least see them better, and I struggled to find another lamp.  Not caring which one, I grabbed an oddly-shaped one and plugged it in.

It was suddenly hot, and I was blinded.

I opened my eyes to a shushing sound and black smoke rising in the bright room.

I had grabbed a halogen lamp.

“Well, th-that works,” I stammered, adrenaline making my tongue clumsy.  I picked up the hot lamp by the insulated handle and placed it on top of the battery.  Now I had a portable light source.