Jyra Read online

  It wasn’t until a strong hand gripped the back of my neck and pulled me up that I stopped raining down punches, and I struggled for several seconds before realizing it was Laquilla who had separated us.

  “Jyra, calm down.”

  I stopped flailing and stood peaceably for a moment, while Xissa’s cronies rushed to her side to help her up.

  “Are you insane? I’m going to sue you!”

  “No, you’re not.” Laquilla said calmly. “The teacher is going to be here in seconds, and you’re going to explain that you fell and hit your face on the desk, then pulled it down on you when you fell to the floor, and Jyra here was helping you up.”

  “Why on Latier would I do that?”

  Laquilla finally let go of the back of my neck and lowered herself so she was staring Xissa in the eye. “Because if you don’t, I will make your life a living hell. You will never have a single day of peace as long as we both attend this school together. And if any of your little minions rat on me, I’ll ruin all your lives? Got it?”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Or did you not put two and two together and realized that Harlynn Mazzcraft was my big sister?”

  Xissa went pale, but before she could answer, the teacher came barreling in.

  “What is going on here?”

  There was a very pregnant pause before Xissa hiccup-answered through split lips. “I tripped and fell, then brought the desk down on me. Everyone was helping me up, but I got blood everywhere.”

  The teacher’s eyes slid from the injured, to her friends, to Laquilla, to me. I could tell that she knew something was up, but she couldn’t quite place it. She could just review the mandatory security footage of the room, but she would need a reason to acquire it. She wouldn’t need a reason if we all agreed that was what happened.

  “Class, is this true?”

  There was a wave of nods and a few affirmative grunts, but the teacher caught my lack of movement. “Jyra, is this true?”

  I thought about it long and hard. No, of course it wasn’t true. But I was still reeling from the loss of Andi, and it wasn’t like Xissa didn’t deserve it. Also, saying the real truth might stop me from getting the education I needed to find my friend again, whatever strange land she had disappeared off into.

  “Yes. I am most worried about her injuries. She hit her nasal bridge very hard.”

  “Hmm, alright then. Xissa, how about we get you to the infirmary?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  The teacher came and led my arch nemesis out. I feel safe in saying that she will not bother me again.

  But now, as I talk to you, dear friend, I realize that this day will forever be a turning point in my life. It is the day I lost my best, bravest, and closest companion.

  It is also the day I learned to lie.

  I think I understand the neurotypical a little better now, and I am no longer scared.

  I’m just angry.

  Please don’t leave me too.

  Your always friend,

  Jyra

  Part Two

  Daans 2nd, 4712

  Greetings, my friend. I’m afraid that in the finals of my Secondary Consulate Learning and my mad rush for filling out applications, I haven’t written in you in months.

  I apologize for that. I always feel better after ordering my thoughts within the 0s and 1s of your memory. I finally stopped seeing my therapist, by the way, which has left me feeling slightly lonely. It made me wonder how I survived my childhood, with only you, Laquilla, and him as my companions.

  But either way, I am most excited, for today is my first day of internship with Mayvar Technologies, a highly experimental lab that studies wormhole technology.

  The premise was still fairly new to our space travel but offers up much more expedient ways of traveling the stars. I cannot tell you how excited I am. This is truly an amazing opportunity.

  I’m writing this to you on the carrier shuttle, in case you were curious. Not that you have the ability to be curious, but I like to pretend you have a rather inquisitive nature. The laboratory has its own very small satellite vessel off the Quadric Station, so I will now be working off-planet side.

  Isn’t that exciting? All my work for all those years is really paying off. Although…I have a confession to make.

  I am very happy about today. Ecstatic even. But I can’t help but feel like I am forgetting something. Something vitally important. Yet if it is so important, why can’t I remember it?

  Unknown. I will update you if I formulate a hypothesis. Oh, and please remind me to call my parents tonight. You know how mother gets. Even if I have grown much more adept at social interactions, she still sees me as her little brainiac.

  Vibrating with excitement,

  Jyra

  Daans 4th, 4712

  Oh, my dear, scientific theory! This place is amazing. My first day went amazingly well, but I was so tired that I didn’t have the energy to describe it to you in the detail I wanted.

  So, first of all, my quarters are surprisingly spacious, all things considered. I was expecting a ration can, with maybe a pull-down bed, but I have room for my bed, desk, a standing closet, and even some foliage from home.

  There’s a communal bathroom, but it’s well-kept and there’s one per wing of the station, so it’s never overcrowded.

  And the facilities! Oh, goodness, the facilities. Everything is new and shiny and useful. It’s amazing!

  Anyway, I suppose I should tell you what happened, rather than just describing all the benefits. ‘The meat of the story,’ as my dad would say.

  I remember the first moment I walked into the greeting area after the shuttle docked. I felt so small. While I was the proverbial rock star of my school, I was just a poor, unfortunate guppy here. Soon, I was going to be surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds of our time.

  And I couldn’t be more excited.

  There was a whole gaggle of us; you could practically smell the apprehension and wide-eyed hopefulness to us. Every race was there. Krelach, nesr-roona, kodadt, sierr, and moorarie, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

  Metaphorically, of course. Only krelach and kodadt have physical tails.

  After a bit of us standing there awkwardly, a guide came to greet us. She had what looked like some sort of moorarie bodyguard. Or at least, that’s what I assumed by his four bulging biceps.

  One by one, she called our name, then handed us a badge. From there, we were led to the cafeteria, the bathrooms, the rec rooms, and then finally, one of the lecture rooms where we were split into smaller groups according to dormitory wings. Afterward, we were shown our individual quarters then introduced to the team we would be working for.

  I was assigned to Dr. Kryssik, who was experimenting to see if it was possible to fold space in order to form artificial wormholes between specific destinations. Although it seemed my duties were along the lines of fetching refreshments and computing basic calculations of the results, I was still beyond thrilled.

  It’s nearly morning, and I am supposed to go into work in about an hour, but I am currently too excited to rest or sleep.

  In fact, I don’t think I have slept since I arrived; I’ve been too excited. Remind me to do that tonight, please.

  For now, I shall set you down and force myself to eat something.

  Still exuberant,

  Jyra

  Daans 8th, 4712

  I don’t know what to say, diary. Things are wonderful here.

  But I am not.

  I don’t know whether it’s the sudden transition in my life, living in space, or too much adrenaline and excitement over several days, but I feel ill. I haven’t been able to sleep in days. Every time I do, I have dreams. Awful, terrible dreams.

  I can’t describe them to you now, other than to say they’re full of darkness, screaming, and fear, but I can tell you that when I jolt awake, only an hour has passed and I’m covered in sweat.

  I’m anxious. I feel like s
omething’s hovering just beyond my comprehension. Like something I should remember but have blocked off into some far recess of my mind. It is infuriating. It’s frustrating. And it’s stealing the joy I normally derive from my work.

  Speaking of work, I am managing to learn, even though I’m dragged over and drawn out. It’s fascinating here. Dr. Kryssik subscribes to the many dimensions’ theory and that wormholes are tunnels cutting through those dimensions, rather than solely our own solar system. If one had a way to control the wormhole, they could essentially travel to any other existence they wanted. Perhaps one where we were all cats, or that space hadn’t been traveled at all.

  Anyway, I really should try to get some more sleep. I still have four more hours before my shift starts. I just…I’m afraid again. And I don’t like it.

  Your thoroughly exhausted friend,

  Jyra

  Daans 8th, 4712

  I had another dream.

  It’s only been a couple hours since my last entry, but I must write this down.

  I don’t understand it at all, but I feel as if it is the most important thing I could ever tell you.

  Just like before, there was fire, destruction, and hurtling through malignant darkness that gripped at my limbs and tried to keep me in its suffocating grasp. But this time, there was something different.

  Flashes of red hair, curled almost impossibly tight. Chubby cheeks in a broad smile. Laughing, and playing.

  I think it was a person.

  And I think perhaps I knew her.

  Tonight, when I come home from work, I will dream more purposefully. For now, I need to wash this sweat from me.

  Perplexed and still very tired,

  Jyra

  Daans 10th, 4712

  I have made a breakthrough. A universe shattering, life-altering breakthrough.

  And I remember, dearest data-pad. I remember everything.

  How do I start? How do I begin a tale that rewrites the past several years of my life? How do I explain how I forgot in the first place?

  The logical conclusion would be to start where we left off last. I will try to contain myself, but it is difficult. Please excuse me if I get lost in the stream of my consciousness, as I feel like my mind is rushing like the thousands of rivers of Latier combined. I will try to report in a linear fashion.

  After my last awful dream, I returned to work, shaken and unfocused. Thankfully, if my employers noticed my flirtation with the edge of a full-on breakdown, they did not comment, so I was allowed to wallow through my sleep-deprived hysteria in peace while I fetched drinks and snacks and ran parameter calculations. In fact, it wasn’t even until half of my twelve-hour shift was over that I spoke more than two words to another person.

  Her name was Zkkyv, but she allowed most of the staff to call her Zik, as her krelach name was especially difficult for most other species to pronounce. She was a sweet girl, with fur of a deep mahogany, and her six eyes were an understanding hazel. I found her particularly cute, with her pale pink nose and kind personality, although I would never say it directly to her. It felt much too forward. Besides, she would probably just think me odd, and I had spent many years learning how to come across as slightly less odd. Thankfully, the bar for being odd was a lot higher around here.

  Gratefully, the rodent-like alien spoke to me first, dismissing any of my normal worries about being weird. “Are you alright? You look a little pale. I mean, uh, paler than usual.”

  “Yes, I am aware my coloration is lighter than most sierr, as I am half-kin.”

  “That’s not what I meant, sweetie. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Quick as a wink, she was on a chair and pressing one of her dainty, three-fingered hands to my forehead. “You furless species are so silly. Your skin changes color to warn you of things, but you never listen. And right now, you’re running a temperature. Here, just sit down a minute. You’re probably dehydrated. You sierr need lots of water, right? Even if you are mixed, if I recall.”

  “I have work-”

  “Work can wait. Besides, you’ll do no one any good if you’re unconscious on the floor, and you might even distract others. In addition, you know that dehydration can cause confusion and paranoia, neither of which are conducive to the scientific environment.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I murmured, allowing her to jump out of the chair and lower me into it.

  Too quickly to be anything but a krelach, she zipped about the refreshment area, whipping me up a cup of ice, a cup of water, a cup of some sort of vitamin-rich juice and a bowl of mycel kelp salad. It was very sweet, and I found myself touched by her gesture.

  “Thank you.” I said, slowly sipping at the water. It was a bit too warm for my liking, and I realized that’s why she brought a second glass of cubes. Different species had different internal temperatures, and therefore different preferences of how hot or cold their food was. How incredibly considerate of her.

  “No problem. I, uh…look, I don’t want to sound weird or anything, but I noticed you when I first came here.”

  I finished another sip of water, trying to predict where this conversation could possibly go, but I was always terrible at that. “You did?”

  “Yeah and I, geez this sounds creepy no matter how you say it, but I uh…I kinda had a dream about you.”

  “About me?”

  The fur on the krelach’s cheeks puffed out, and I computed that it was the equivalent of a sierr blush. “Well, not you specifically. I couldn’t really tell who I was talking to. But they asked me to look after you. And, um, they might have said something about telling you to reread your logs. It’s silly, I know. And I probably sound crazy. But I’ve been watching you, and you, uh, just look like you could use a little help right now. So that’s what I wanna do. Help. Even if it’s a crazy dream that made me notice you in the first place.” Her voice began to pick up in speed and pitch as she went along, until her tail was whipping anxiously back and forth along the floor as she speed-talked to me.

  “You have dreams?” I repeated somewhat blearily.

  “Well, I mean, everyone does, but I’m guessing you’re stating that in a familiar way. As in, you also have these strange dreams?”

  I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak.

  “Yes. But I only just started getting them when I started this internship with you. I guess the voices, uh, kinda say…you’re leaking?”

  “Well, that is not a very flattering adjective.”

  “No, definitely not. But yeah, I just wanted to tell you that you need to get some rest. Like really. Okay?”

  I was a bit puzzled by this whole event, but I nodded. “I guess I’ll try.”

  “Oh, good. Good. Maybe after our shift I can walk you to your quarters? Make sure you get there okay?”

  “If you so wish it.”

  “Thanks. I do.”

  And with that, she finished tending to me and grabbed the snacks for everyone else. We returned to our shift as if nothing was amiss, but true to her word, she escorted me back home.

  The world was suddenly becoming a very strange place. I hope it still made sense in the morning.

  Unsure of my path,

  Jyra

  Daans 11th, 4712

  My dear, long-term friend. I am practically shaking as I dictate this to you. I feel as if entire worlds – no, universes – are opened up to me.

  Despite how tired I was, when I returned to my quarters, I could not sleep. I stirred restlessly, vacillating between thinking the krelach was delusional to knowing that what she said had to be true.

  I supposed there was really only one way to find out, so I forced myself up out of bed and requested sleeping aids from the medical dispensary tube by my desk. Gulping them down, I settled back under my covers and readied to either prove or disprove my hypothesis.

  I had no idea what was about to happen was going to invert everything I knew.

  I fell into my dreams rather quickly, tumbling into
a void of darkness, smoke, and fire. I walked along the embers and destruction once more, terrified, but curious.

  “Hey, can you hear me?”

  I jumped, whirling to face the voice and saw someone standing beside me who couldn’t have possibly been there before.

  “Wh…who are you?”

  “You can see me! Dude, I've been trying to talk to you for weeks!”

  “My name is Jyra. You must have me confused for this ‘Dude’ fellow.”

  “Um, it's a common expression where I'm from. Sorry. But point is, we’ve been seeing you for a while, but breaking through to your reality has been nigh impossible. It's like it was sealed off.”

  “My...reality?” I looked this strange being over. He was tall, almost impossibly so, and very slender. His skin was light – almost golden – and he looked out at me from hazel eyes. Humanoid, definitely. But different. I couldn't put my finger on it. Just different.

  "Yeah um, right. You might not know about the layers. Here, take my hand."

  Logic dictated that I would not hold hands with some stranger, and yet I did. And as our palms touched, something rippled through me and reality – dream-ality? – shifted.

  Like a blanket being pulled off a display, suddenly multiple people came into being. Startled, I looked around to see several dozen figures standing around. There were humans, and not quite so humans, sierr –but slightly…different sierr- and many species I could not identify.

  “W-who are you?”

  “I dunno,” The man holding my hand said. “We’re all just people, really. Nothing special about us. But for some reason, we can all see each other. And we all have the dreams.”

  I continued to stare, a bit slack mouthed as my brain rushed to keep up. I realized that each and every face was new, which was impossible. The mind couldn’t create new faces in sleep; it used a repository of all the people you had ever seen, and yet here I was, surrounded by strangers that I had never seen before.