"The Eternal Winter is due to arrive in a few decades, the human race must be prepared for all kinds of trials, or it won't survive."
- Introduction to the book "Survival: A Pressing Matter" by Glauco Hersburgg
Caelie woke up with a scare. Her eyes wide-open staring at the room taking place around her. It was the same room as always, the one she had been sleeping in for the last few years since she was promoted from an orphan to orphans' teacher. Everything was in its right place, exactly where she left it the night before. Except for her. She was off, somehow.
She sat down on the bed and stared at a small point on the wall. What was that dream from last night, again? She frowned. Definitely weird. Everyone would laugh at her if she talked about it. But somehow, Caelie didn't want to share it with anyone, not even the other teachers. Only she could know about it, and that's how it was supposed to be.
The girl shook her head. No good would come from thinking about that early in the morning. She had a lot to do and couldn't afford to be worried about a dream or whatever it was.
Caelie had been teaching the orphanage's children in the building adjacent to hers. She would usually walk together with Lyn or another one of her colleagues, every morning. Lyn was waiting for her by the door of the building.
"The sun seems weaker than normal today," Caelie said, staring at the sky.
The other woman glanced at her and then at the sky. She seemed reflective for a while. "It does, indeed," she said. "But it's no surprise, right? It's dying every day a bit more," rolled her eyes and went back to staring at their path.
Caelie couldn't stop looking at the sun. Yes, it was dying, but she had always thought they would have a bit more time before it was gone entirely and the Eternal Winter arrived, which would probably kill half of the human population, that wasn't really significant by now.
Lyn turned around. Caelie was walking right after, but with her eyes still on the sky. "Hey, watch out."
The girl stumbled on a rock and dropped the notebook she carried. Shoot. She had to be more attentive, or at least don't waste so much time staring at something that would never stare back at her.
"You have to be careful with that," said Lyn, picking up the old book from the floor and giving it back to its owner.
Caelie picked up the book from the other woman's hand. For a fraction of a second, she saw something. The images passed through her eyes, like a vivid dream or a memory. Someone holding that same notebook that was hers now. A young boy with messy red hair, he grinned at it, staring at the journal like it was the most important thing in the world.
She frowned. What the heck was that? It was for sure not her memory. Great, now she was hallucinating. Caelie was, indeed, going crazy for what it seemed.
Her entire body was dizzy, and she had to lean on a wall near, or she'd crash. Her eyes now that the vision had vanished from her head were locked on Lyn.
"Are you okay?" the other teacher asked, lending her a hand.
"I'm sorry. I'm fine. I just felt sick for a second," Caelie said and shook her head. Lyn stared at her for a minute, with squinty eyes. "If you're okay, we should go, or else we'll be late." Not that anyone was counting the time now that the world was dying. Keep learning was one of the few things that still made them few human and not just animals trying to survive.
But Caelie had, indeed, to be careful with those things. She had only gotten that notebook after insisting a lot that she needed paper for her classes. It was half used, but still, it helped her a lot. Paper - along with other feedstock, like wheat, water, meat - was a problem in Vämir. The country was going through a general supply shortage. Since the Moon had vanished from the sky, everything was chaotic. It had been hundreds of years before, but things were only getting worse. The sea didn't stop advancing to the continent, and soon there would be only one island standing. And now, to improve things a little... The Sun was dying too.
Truth be told, it had been dying for centuries, but everyone hoped it'd never reach its end.
Caelie hugged her own body. The days were darker and colder. She knew... No, everybody knew that when it vanished for good, the rest of humanity that was still struggling to survive would be condemned.
"It's crazy, right?" Lyn started. Caelie was lost in her own thoughts. She glanced at the woman and blinked, waiting for her to finish.
"How people believe the Sun is dying because it's sad," she rolled her eyes and chuckled. Caelie laughed on the other side of her mouth. She didn't know what to believe but loved to think all that tale was true. It was romantic, and it meant there was still hope. And hope was exactly what people needed that time. If someone heard her talking like that she would be labeled mad. Only the fool believed in the tales. But if that were the case, then she'd gladly be a fool.
"Scientists everywhere are trying to find a way to make humankind survive, and people are out there telling tales about an epic romance that never existed," Lyn muttered.
"Well, they don't seem to have reached anything so far," Caelie said, shrugging, with a little yet cheerful grin. She knew what was coming next. Lyn was a science woman, she didn't believe religion, tales, myths, and legends. Only in what they could prove scientifically. Yet, she continued.
"If they don't have a better answer, why say the tales are not true?"
Lyn rolled her eyes again.
"You're a romantic soul, Caelie, that's the only explanation for your foolishness," she said. "But there's no place for love in this world anymore."
Caelie gazed at her while they walked. Lyn was right. People didn't love or wanted to be loved in Vämir, their only wish was to survive as long as they could. If a couple would join together, it was just because they wanted to perpetuate the generations. It was disheartening to think that she lived like that her whole life. "There has to be more to this life," Caelie smirked.
There had to be... Something like that odd sensation in her body that it was off place, she still felt that throughout the rest of the day. Caelie avoided contact with anyone on the way back to her room. She knew she would've loved that the previous day. But now, there was just this anguish inside her chest. No one she knew could help her with that.
Caelie reached her room and went straight to the bathroom, one of the perks of being a teacher. The girl stared at herself, in the mirror. The glass was cracked on the lower part, and it was so worn out it was almost impossible to see through the layer of rust. She took a deep breath and waved her head. The only thing wrong was her paranoia. Everything was in order.
"It's okay, Caelie. You're just a little ill.", She said to herself while taking off her clothes. Water was also something scarce, but she needed a bath. And since she never merely relaxed, she indulged herself this time.
Caelie tied her hair back with a pin and turned around. She saw it just then. The mark on her back, near the left shoulder. The girl frowned and got closer to the mirror. It was more like a tattoo, the lines in black ink drawing a figure in her skin, but she was sure she didn't have anything like that in her body. Not before. "When did that...?" she muttered, confused.
It was small, with an arrow pointing down and some outlined circles. The girl had never seen anything like that before. How the hell did it get there?
Caelie had been avoiding thinking about the dream she had last night, the vision of the boy that morning, and that sensation that she had something important to do. She kept repeating to herself she was just sick, but...
"This can't be real," Oh, but it was real. Caelie touched it and tried to rub it, but it wouldn't disappear. It was as real as everything that had happened to her until that day.
"No, no... Not me," Caelie said. She was panting, and the bathroom suddenly started to spin around her. "That can't be happening to me." Whatever it was. Caelie leaned on the sink and grabbed her clothes again. What the hell she would do now? Her limbs trembled, and her stomach curdled.
And then it showed up. A man. Well, it was not exactly a man, but a translucid old man. In her bathroom. She was halfway through her shirt and nowhere done putting her underwear. "What...?" she stared at the figure dumb-founded, incapable of speaking or moving.
"Hey, you, mind giving me a hand?" The creature said. "You know... I'm kinda dead, so..." He raised his arm and tried to touch the wall, but it crossed it. "I can't touch anything."
What the...?
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What do you think of this chapter?
Who is the red-haired boy? And the ghost?
Why is Caelie able to see him now (when she clearly couldn't before)?
Please vote and comment if you enjoy it! I'd love to hear your thoughts ;3