Anomaly Read online

  The door switched again and she gasped as she peered through the window of the white door. It was her hospital room, a sparse, white cube with a single bed and one big window on the far side. She could see herself in the bed, though she scarcely recognised herself. The Alice lying in the bed was deathly pale and sickly thin. She had no hair or eyebrows and her skin appeared taut and stretched over her bones. Why are you dreaming about this Kyle? She hated seeing herself like this, she hated what had happened to her, this Alice was a shadow of the girl she had once been. She looked back at Kyle and saw that he was crying, his tears making translucent pathways down his cheeks. This is wrong Kyle, you shouldn’t have to see this, you shouldn’t have to relive this, even in your dreams.

  ***

  ‘You look exhausted,’ Cameron said as he and Kyle walked back up the slope to their flat.

  ‘I didn’t sleep very well last night,’ Kyle replied. Alice walked beside them; Kyle’s eyes were bloodshot and shadowed. He had been struggling to keep awake through his lectures all afternoon.

  ‘Are you really that worried about going back home?’ Cameron asked. Kyle rolled his eyes.

  ‘No, that’s just annoying.’

  ‘Oh it will be fun,’ Cameron said, putting his arm around Kyle’s shoulders and giving him a squeeze. ‘Lara will be there too.’ Kyle shrugged him off. Alice stopped. Lara had been a girl at their secondary school; she had never been particularly fond of Alice but the two of them had been civil with each other. Alice had always suspected that Lara secretly liked Kyle; the thought did nothing to calm her nerves now though. You’re being stupid Alice; he can go out with whoever he wants. A stab of pain hit her and her soul flashed with both sadness and guilt. It was so hard watching the ones you loved move on with their lives, Ahrl had warned her. She caught up with the two boys as they entered their flat.

  ‘What has she done?’ Cameron said in dismay, his eyes darting between fake cobwebs and spiders hanging down from the ceiling to plastic miniature skeletons and ghosts. ‘You guys aren’t even going out tonight, hell you’re not even pre-drinking here with us.’

  ‘Do you like it?’ Dani called cheerfully, appearing from the kitchen. ‘Ta da!’

  ‘Tell her it’s a fire hazard,’ Stuart yelled from the kitchen. Dani shot a scowl in his direction.

  ‘It looks lovely Dani. Are you sure it’s really all necessary though?’ Cameron asked.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, her gaze travelling to Kyle. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked. ‘You look shattered.’

  ‘I’m fine.’ Dani frowned.

  ‘Well, get some caffeine in you or something, we’ve got to be at work soon, it’s going to be super busy.’ Kyle nodded resignedly.

  A couple of hours later Alice had positioned herself in the back corner of the bar, closest to where Kyle was stationed. She watched as he darted back and forth from the drinks on the back wall to the cash register. The crowds were so thick you could barely see the people three feet behind you. Most of the students were dressed up in bright and elaborate costumes, ranging from the traditional witches and ghosts to the not so traditional crayons and traffic cones. With alcohol kindling in their veins, students squeezed past each other in the narrow gaps, making their way to the bar and then back through the bodies to the dance floor. The bar provided a small but substantial barrier between the sober and intoxicated souls, and Alice gazed in a fascinated horror at the students on the other side.

  Alcohol was a Negative tool. It clouded the emotions and blurred the lines, meaning that anyone, even after a couple of drinks, had less control over their mind than they would have had otherwise. It seemed obvious, yet it was one of mankind’s biggest mistakes; drinking had become a cultural norm, and with drink, the living unknowingly opened their souls to Negative energy. This was the reason so much violence and hatred occurred around intoxicated people, and why so many gave into primitive desires. Alcohol also blurred the soul and Alice struggled to pick out the individual emotions. She could see huge splurges of colours throughout the masses, yet she couldn’t tell which emotions belonged to which person.

  Alice’s eyes caught a spectacular golden flash from somewhere at the very back of the Ballroom and then it was sucked underneath the sea of emotions. Someone positive was amongst the envious, the lustful, the tired, and the angry. Alice narrowed her eyes as she searched for the source; it was like being an astronaut in space and searching for a single burst of aether. Movement distracted her search, as Dani ran over to Kyle with a panicked expression and a desperate look in her eyes.

  ‘Kyle!’ she shouted over the loud blaring music. ‘We’re running out of glasses!’

  ‘I’m on it,’ Kyle replied as he picked up a couple of plastic baskets and made his way out of the bar. Alice followed unwillingly; she kept close on his heels as Kyle weaved his way through the crowds with surprising agility. He swiped up empty glasses from the sides, chairs, and floors. He made several trips into the Ballroom and back to the bar, swapping his baskets for empty ones. Then he descended down a flight of stairs into the little beer garden outside.

  Just as Alice’s bare feet hit the bottom step she felt a sudden heat in her torso accompanied by an all too familiar fluttering sensation. She felt an overwhelming pressure surrounding her mind and then the colours merged into one cinematic image. She saw Kyle, or at least a future version of him, as he picked up glasses from a low wall. A chill shot through her as, seconds later, a man with a Negative soul entered her vision. It was as though a mighty black hole was centred at his torso, overwhelming every other emotion. He was tall, broad and muscular; he held a drink in his right hand and had his back to Kyle as he talked to a young woman who was dressed as some sort of animal. Kyle moved along the wall, collecting the empty glasses and heading closer to the Negative soul. The vision distorted slightly, stuttering like a scratched disc and causing Alice to wobble as it struggled to correct itself. What the? Her question echoed around her mind, just as another man, dressed as the Mad Hatter, ran by. He tripped over his own feet and stumbled straight into Kyle, who then fell like a domino, straight into the man with the Negative soul.

  It happened quickly then. The Negative soul spun round. Orange fire surged up at the centre of his soul and blackened quickly like the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion. His anger fuelled and intensified the Negative energy inside him. It obscured his torso and most of his face, moving like a swarm of blurry mosquitos around his skin. He lashed out and punched Kyle in the jaw with a resounding crack. Kyle’s body twisted awkwardly to his left and he fell, his head catching the sharp edge of the brick wall and sounding another gut-wrenching crack. Alice cried out as his body slumped to the floor and Kyle, conscious but disorientated, touched the side of his temple. Bright red blood painted the tips of his fingers and then he passed out.

  The vision faded, slipping from her mind. Her ears popped and she was greeted with the low mismatched chorus of drunken conversations. She blinked and clutched the sides of her head as it pulsed painfully. She tried not to panic as person after person passed through her on their way down the stairs, jarring her senses. She stepped out of their way and almost fell through the fencing. She bent over with her hands on her knees and closed her eyes, willing the dizziness to end.

  As soon as she could, she straightened up and scanned her surroundings. She spotted Kyle collecting empty glasses from a table, and then she spotted the low wall and the Negative soul, just metres behind him. She cursed and made her way over, dodging the bodies and flailing limbs as best as she could. She approached the wall cautiously. The Negative energy around the man’s soul bloomed like a dark, twisted rose. It stretched out with fog-like, thorny tendrils, reaching towards her as it tried to cancel out her Positive energy. The man, who was completely unaware of the Negativity in his soul, seemed relaxed; he had a charming face and an easy-going smile. He would have seemed normal and friendly enough by any li
ving person’s standards. Alice felt the chilling bite of Negativity even before the repulsive energy brushed against her body. She grimaced as the glow from her skin faded. She ignored it and focussed all of her attention on the plastic pint glass before her and then she tried to grab it. She blinked in surprise as her fingers curled straight through the plastic. She panicked and tried to grab it again and again.

  ‘No, no, no,’ she said, as every attempt at moving the glass failed. She swiped at it and watched as her hand and wrist sailed right through it. ‘Damn it!’ she yelled in frustration. Kyle’s bloody fingers and ashen face flashed through her mind and she felt hot tears erupting from her eyes. She swiped at the glass again as Negative energy seeped into her skin and entangled itself within her. ‘Move. You. Stupid. Cup!’ she hissed through clenched teeth. She glanced backwards over her shoulder and saw Kyle approaching the wall. ‘No!’ she cried. She glanced around desperately; there was no way she could use suggestion here, the souls were either Negative or blurred from alcohol. It would be like trying to penetrate a glacier with a bendy straw.

  She tried to grab at the cup again, tried to will her fingers to feel its organic polymer dimensions. Despair washed over her and she felt a burst of icy pain deep in her soul. She stared down at her right arm in horror as Negative energy swirled around her form. Its smoke-like appearance made it appear so weak and harmless, but Alice knew better; it was burning pathways into her soul. She felt her energy levels drop and her awareness and intuition became slow and fuzzy. She cursed herself for losing her head; she had panicked when she should have remained calm. She had opened the door to Negative energy without even realising it herself. The Thirteen had warned her so many times about this; there was a skill to controlling the emotional balance in one’s soul, but that took time and she didn’t have time. Fear threatened to overtake her emotions as she clutched her burning arm. She had to remain calm; she had to focus on Positive. She shut her eyes tight, as wrinkles of pain etched their way on to her face.

  The Negative energy began to recede, its grip loosening as it withdrew from her soul. Alice opened her eyes as warmth cascaded through her. It was gentle but powerful, like the sun’s morning rays melting the frost encasing blades of grass. She could sense and see this Positive energy; it was a misty, golden cloud, with colours that refracted as though the cloud were made of fine prisms. She felt contentment and let out a sigh of relief; Positive always brought an overwhelming quality of peace with it. Alice turned to her left, her eyes locking briefly with Sophia’s as the Positive energy radiated from her living core. Sophia was dressed as Wonder Woman, and her hair was held back by a shiny red headband. Sophia’s red painted lips smiled as she reached for the problematic cup. Her tanned arm brushed against Alice’s, sending shockwaves through Alice’s soul. She felt the flickering vibrations, the spikes and surges; this was one exceptionally powerful soul. Sophia’s energy was evolving on its own momentum, growing in intensity and flowing with purpose. It knocked away the last remnants of Negative energy in one sweeping, fluid movement. Sophia picked up the empty glass without a word and turned away from the oblivious, dark soul. She strode off in the opposite direction, stacking all the empty glasses along the wall. Alice stared after her, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ as she watched the positive soul go.

  Twelve

  Thoughts were funny things, Kyle realised. They weren’t always logical or linked to one another. Halloween had been a busy night; the staff had been kept on their feet. Though this wasn’t the thought that troubled him; he remembered Sophia being there amongst the crowds, she had been acting strangely. He had been sent out several times to collect the glasses and on one particular occasion, Sophia had decided to cut across him and stack glasses too. He had decided then that she was probably drunk; everybody else was.

  If he was honest, he didn’t know what possessed most drunk people to do half the things they did, but helping stack glasses along a wall was a new one for him. He also wasn’t sure why the insignificant memory had resurfaced in the first place. He was standing on a strip of grass with strangers, friends and family. It was cold and dark, and they were all facing in one direction as though they were about to pay homage to one God. The cathedral stood behind them and a large, controlled bonfire crackled to the left. He was trying to relax and enjoy himself for the sake of his family and friends. There was no reason for Sophia’s erratic drunken behaviour to enter his thoughts. If thoughts were a game of chess, he decided they were goddamned knights and queens. They either veered off sharply or went wherever they pleased.

  ‘Hey Kyle!’ he heard Cameron call. He turned and saw Cameron and a couple of old school friends approaching him. Guilt twisted his insides as he recognised the faces. Along with Cameron there was Jamie and his girlfriend Imo, Jack, Lara and Cameron’s younger sister Jess. Kyle stared at them; they were the same people but somehow changed, two years had altered them. Jess was still at the sixth form but the others had gone to university; they looked different, older. All of their lives had changed direction. He wasn’t sure if they were more strangers now than the friends he had once known.

  ‘Hey Kyle.’ Imo was the first to greet him, her white-blonde hair pinned behind her head. She held Jamie’s arm but she smiled and Kyle immediately felt his unease slip away. Alice had always liked Imo.

  ‘Hey Kyle, it’s been too long,’ Jamie said. He was tall and dark compared to Imo and he clasped Kyle’s wrist in greeting.

  ‘Hi.’

  ‘Kyle!’ Lara said and she hugged him tightly. He felt her arms crushing his ribs and he could smell her sweet shampoo wafting up from her dark hair. Lara had been the popular girl at school and she had never been friends with Alice. ‘Oh my god, it’s been ages, how are you?’ she asked, releasing him.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Kyle said, forcing a smile.

  ‘Oh look who it is.’ Jack had always been the arrogant and charming type; a trail of broken hearts had followed him wherever he went. ‘You’re looking a bit rough,’ he said, as he clasped Kyle’s wrist and patted him on the back. It was true; Kyle was looking a little rough. His sleep had been plagued by nightmares he couldn’t properly recall; he only knew that he woke up frequently with his heart thundering in his chest. His disrupted nights had been getting steadily worse ever since Alice’s notebook had arrived, and he didn’t think it was an ill-timed coincidence.

  ‘You’re not looking too good yourself,’ Kyle replied. He could feel himself sliding back into the same routines again, the same old conversations and friendly insults. It was easy but it was different.

  ‘What are you doing with yourself these days?’ Jamie asked.

  ‘I’m studying business at Red Oak,’ Kyle replied. ‘What about you?’

  ‘Me and Imo are at Bath,’ Jamie said. ‘I study business too but Imo is studying Spanish, and she’s taken up French and German.’ He wrapped an arm around Imo’s small shoulders. ‘Imo’s the real brains, we can go anywhere in the world.’ Imo blushed.

  ‘Well, I think everyone is here,’ Cameron said as he glanced around. ‘Who wants a drink?’ He was answered by a chorus of yesses.

  ‘I’ll help you carry them,’ Jack said.

  ‘I’ll go too.’ Jess said and the three of them disappeared. Kyle gazed around; he could see his parents a little way off to his right and closer still, Hailey and Tank. They were both laughing. They look good together he thought and he wasn’t the only one who had noticed the pair; Kyle could see their father keeping a watchful eye over Hailey. He had noticed that the atmosphere at home had been a little tense between his father and sister; he wondered if Tank had something to do with that.

  ‘So,’ Lara said, jolting him from his thoughts. Somehow he had ended up alone with her and Jamie and Imo were cuddling a couple of metres away.

  ‘Where are you these days?’ Kyle asked. He couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  ‘Oh, I study dra
ma at Warwick,’ she said. Of course she does, Kyle thought. Lara had always loved drama at school, and she had been the leading lady in most of the school’s productions.

  ‘I should have guessed that,’ he said. He noticed then that her face was slimmer and her hair was slightly longer too; she had always had a short bob at school.

  ‘Well, you have been out of it for a while.’ Lara smiled. You could say it like that. Her face dropped slightly with concern. ‘How are you keeping?’ she asked gently, leaning in close, too close.

  ‘Fine.’ Kyle coughed into his fist and stepped away. ‘I’m fine.’ She narrowed her hazel eyes at him but didn’t press him further.

  ‘I’ve missed you,’ she said as she toed the grass with her boot. That threw Kyle; he didn’t know what to say to that but Lara kept talking. ‘It’s not been the same since you left the group. I mean I know we’ve all sort of gone our separate ways now with university and everything but…’ A firework suddenly screeched up into the air and exploded, followed by another and then another. Red, green, pink, gold, blue and purple; they were rainbow flurries of colours decorating the smoky night sky.

  Cameron and the others returned with the drinks and Lara dropped the conversation. Kyle almost relaxed as the warm coffee soothed his insides. It was getting colder, and most people were wrapped up in coats and scarves. He stood there in a daze watching the fireworks, listening to the music, the crowd, enjoying the faint smell of heated candy mixed with filter coffee, and the sharp, pungent tinge as sparklers were lit. Memories of Alice began to taunt the edges of his mind and he felt his face tighten.

  ‘Kyle,’ Lara said drawing his attention again. The light from the bonfire gave her jacket a metallic shine and highlighted her face; she was speaking, he realised, but no words were reaching his ears. He blinked and it wasn’t Lara standing beside him anymore, it was fifteen-year-old Alice. Kyle’s eyes shot around and he saw Talia, Cameron, Jack, Lara, Jess, Jaime, Imo, Tank, Hailey and others dotted around the field in little clusters, but they were all younger, all from a different time.