Sphereshifters: Aleph (Story Arcs 1, 2) Page 2

go after that. Lancer was left alone, with only static burs stuck to his clothes to keep him company.

  Rei's Introduction

  Reisalily smiled, her bright white teeth flashing between two prim and proper lips. "Yes, Ms. Allen."

  "If you'd like extra credit, let me know, Rei. I'd love to see another panorama like the last." Ms. Allen stood at the door to the small school building, handing children their homework as they left. "Do you know if Lancer is babysitting tonight?"

  "Just me. He said he'd help with my homework." Translated, this meant Rei would end up helping with his.

  "If you want company, why don't both of you come by my house at six? I've got something I need to do, but I haven't been able to. A sitter is so hard to find. I'll make hot chocolate."

  Rei nodded, taking her homework paper, folding it into a neat square, and putting it into her purse. "I'll tell him." She skipped outside.

  The lower school building was on the outskirts of town near the forest, and Rei had to walk down a dirt path, through the village, and out the other side to get home. Lancer(which, she thought, was a silly nickname, considering his real name was Layne) and the older kids had to walk even further, though. They went to school somewhere inside the forest; a secret, Lancer said, but Kanin had told her it wasn't anything special. She wandered around school, waving to teachers and friends before going to the forest path where her brother would come stumbling along on his way home.

  An older boy and girl, twins, exited first. "Rei," they said. "Your brother is going to be late," the boy added. The girl giggled. "He tried lightning sphereshifting. If you touch him, you get shocked like you've walked on a rug with socks on," she said.

  "First time Jaylee's not tried to touch him in years," the boy said.

  Jaylee pouted, her hands on her hips. "Don't say it like that, Jared! I just think he's nice. There's nothing wrong with hugging someone. Anyways, I did hug him when you weren't around. It tickled."

  "I'll tell Dad to plan for the wedding."

  "Don't you dare!"

  The twins ran off. Rei waited alongside the path, watching other boys and girls leaving. Some talked to her, others passed by. An hour later, the sun creeping downwards from its peak, her brother ambled through the forest.

  Electric sparks clung to his shirt like cockleburs. He walked without paying attention, eyes focused on his shirt, hands brushing off sparks. They avoided his touch, shimmying about. He grumbled and gave up.

  "Layne!" Rei ran and pounced on him.

  He looked up, startled, then fell backwards. The electricity on his shirt crackled. Rei giggled and squirmed as the jolts tickled her skin.

  "Rei," Layne said, rolling her off of him, "Could you call me Lancer? Everyone else does."

  "Nope." She shook her head.

  He grumped.

  "Jaylee said you're cute and she wants to kiss you."

  "Ugh." He looked less annoyed than he sounded.

  "Ms. Allen asked if you would babysit Francine tonight. We can do homework together."

  "Ugh."

  "Are you going to say something besides 'ugh?'"

  "Ergh." He scrunched up his eyebrows and tried to look serious, then burst into a grin. "Alright, I guess. Sure. We can go. I'm great at homework. What are you studying? I'll help you both finish in no time."

  "I'm doing advanced meteoroshifting, but Francine's doing basic pyroshifting."

  "I'm an expert in both. Don't worry." He pounded his thumb into his chest.

  "How do I shift water into a cirrus cloud?"

  He stared at her. "Uh. We aren't even home yet. I'll tell you later."

  "What sphereshifts are you learning?"

  He mumbled. "General sphereshifting classification."

  "I did that a few years ago." She took his hand and skipped alongside him while they walked home. "It was fun. I really like water sphereshifting. It's neat, don't you think? Ms. Allen says I'll be able to make cumulonimbus clouds if I practice, but I like regular water more."

  "What huh?" Lancer looked up at the clouds as if they had nametags for his recognition.

  "Thunder clouds! Maybe I could shift thunder and lightning. Kanin can."

  "Oh, yeah. I did that today. Easy! Thunder all over. Nothing to it."

  Rei poked at a spark on his sleeve. "That's lightning Thunder is the the sound it makes."

  "Right. That's what I meant. I did it so much I got bored and forgot."

  Rei smiled. "I can help with your homework if you want."

  Lancer made excuses and tried to turn the conversation to something else. Halfway through the village he finally conceded and said he might let her help if she somehow finished before he did.

  "I always do." She giggled and ran away when he made a grab for her arm.

  He chased her home. "I'm a monster!" he yelled. "One who eats little girls who know the difference between thunder and lightning!"

  When he caught up with her, backing her into a corner by their shed, she wiggled and feigned cowering, then jumped into his looming, monster-like arms.

  "Caught ya!" he said, hugging her and picking her up. The sparks had dissipated, and now his touch was warm.

  She squeezed him, nuzzling her head against his shoulder

  Rei, Taken

  Babysitting his old teacher's daughter, Francine, and his younger sister, Rei, was not what Lancer wanted to do on a weekend night. He wanted to go out with people his own age; have fun and adventures. Jamison said it was amazing having a party on the small island in the middle of the lake. Ashley told him about this one time her older brother used sphereshifting to transport them all to a lavish market in the center of Garde. He wanted to do that.

  But he couldn't. First off, to get to that island, he needed to know basic water sphereshifting or else he needed to swim; and that, he knew by experience, was too difficult. Also, while Ashley's brother could do most of the transportation sphereshifting, each person going needed to know a minor amount about it, and he knew nothing.

  Or, more accurately, he knew how sphereshifting should go--he knew it so well it hurt--but he couldn't manage it. Maybe he didn't know it that well, and his tests scores agreed with this, but he knew it. You did this or that, then this and that happened, and poof. Sometimes he got the poof, but it was more of an explosive, accidental kind.

  So now, when everyone else was out having fun, enjoying their youth, Lancer was babysitting two twelve year old girls. If that wasn't bad enough, he couldn't even help them with their homework. Rei understood it all, assisted Francine, and then corrected the weak answers he put on his own papers.

  "I'll make some tea," Rei said brightly. "Does anyone want some?"

  "Oo~ooh." Francine's face lit up. "Mom has fancy sugared biscuits, too."

  "Where are they? I'll bring them with the tea?"

  The girl's collaborated. The tea would include cookies, all brought in on a platter. Rei left to get to work.

  As soon as Rei left, Francine sidled up to Lancer, twirling her hair around her pencil. "Rei says such nice things about you, Lancer."

  Lancer stared blankly at the younger girl. "Yeah. Thanks."

  "I heard Jaylee talking the other day and she said you were a good kisser. Well, she said she thought you'd be a good kisser. A boy in my class wanted me to kiss him, but he's gross." Francine stumbled through this speech, trying to attract his attention. "If you want to kiss me, I won't tell anyone."

  Lancer jerked his head up from his homework. He'd missed half of what she said. "What? Uh, no thanks."

  "You're only four years older than me. It's not so bad. My dad is six years older than my mom and I've seen them kissing."

  Lancer scooted away from Francine. She scooted closer to him.

  "You know, you're so good at homework," she said.

  He wasn't good at homework. He'd gotten every answer but one wrong, and that one was lucky because he'd meant to put something else. Rei corrected them all for him. "Thanks."

  A crash sounded from the
kitchen, and water seeped through the crack beneath the door. Rei screamed, her voice soon muffled by an unknown source. Lancer jumped up, bounded into the kitchen, and rushed to his sister's aid.

  She was gone. The burner on the stove flamed idly, the teapot formerly above it laying on its side on the ground. Shattered cups and crushed cookies covered the floor. The window above the sink was opened wide, dirt smeared on the sill. A wrinkled note sat on the counter top.

  "I have her," it read. "Tell no one. Or else."

  Signed; the Archaic.

  Entering the Umbral Stand

  The Archaic lived inside the Umbral Stand, a close grown grove of dark-leaved umbrella trees; everyone knew that. Lancer knew he needed to go there himself and rescue his sister on his own. He could have told someone what happened and they would have rounded up a search party, but did he have enough time? Madness, the rumors said, had claimed the Archaic's wits years ago, so who knew what he had planned for Rei. Besides, the note he left said to tell no one, and Lancer wasn't about to let anyone but himself save Rei.

  Except Francine.

  The young girl insisted on tagging along. He argued with her for ten seconds before relenting. Rei required rescuing and he had said he would babysit Francine. So she came, but Lancer regretted that.

  “Ew!” Francine shrieked. “It's touching me!”

  “Quiet,” Lancer whispered. To stop the girl from yelling and alerting everything in the Stand he grabbed the stringy end of a creeper vine dangling in Francine's face and pulled it away.

  “You're so brave,” Francine said, awed.

  “Quiet,” Lancer repeated.

  Francine ignored him. “The Archaic is so weird. Why's he live in such a dark place?