The Sorting Room Read online

  “So, you should know, that you aren’t immortal like you were before. Living on Earth comes with a bunch of new threats that you likely were not aware of before.” Delphine slowly nods. “How long have you…” “Lived here?” Elizabeth finishes her sentence quite accurately, as she can only imagine what Delphine is thinking all too well. “It feels like yesterday, but in reality, I suppose it’s been about twenty-three Earth years. Time exists here, and moves quite quickly.” Delphine nods. “Are you doing okay, sweetie? I can only imagine how hard this must be for you. Evander tells me that you weren’t quite cut out for sorting?” Delphine looks down at her feet and nods. “Well that is rather unheard-of. But I believe that everything happens for a reason. You’ll find your niche, I really do believe that, and you should too.”

  “Elizabeth? Did Evander tell you… everything?” Elizabeth slowly nods with a sheepish smile. “Yes, but I really don’t want you to feel ashamed. That’s over and done with now, so you can move on. And I must say, it was so brave of you to agree to live here, in Luna’s place. My circumstances for coming here were different, as I was bred and trained for this exact purpose.”

  “I just… hope she can return home after all of this. I know some stuff kind of happened, but I still hope they can figure out a way to get her back. She was, is… so gifted with sorting. And I’m obviously… not.” Elizabeth nods. “Well, everyone is different. Although I sure do wonder how the heck they messed up this badly…” Delphine nods, and then begins to softly cry. “Oh, darling, come here…” Elizabeth wastes no time in enveloping Delphine in a big hug. “You still have so much to look forward to, my dear. I promise you, life here will be good. Not as bad or terrifying as they may have made it seem to you, okay? We’ll ease you in. Luckily, I have a lot of connections with the big-wigs who carry out the yearly census, so we’ll just say you’re my long-lost niece, okay? Really, I’ve already thought of everything, please don't worry…”

  But Delphine wasn’t crying about the prospects of living on Earth. Certainly, that was likely part of it, but she was primarily wondering about her identity. Why did the dog bite her? Why does it seem that no matter where she is, in the Upperworld or on Earth, it’s as if she doesn’t seem to fit? It’s certainly not her pale pink hair, as Elizabeth assured her that pastel hair colors are very “in” right now. That’s a good thing, considering that her hair seems to grow in naturally with a pinkish hue - so she’s at least a stylish freak of nature - at least that’s what Delphine is telling herself.

  ✷✷✷

  Anthony awakens from a deep sleep by the screech of a car and a blood-curdling scream just outside his window. He figures out that Luna is in trouble within just a few seconds of the incident. He wastes no time in grabbing his coat and running outside to investigate, not bothering to wake up Felicia, as not to scare her until he is sure what is going on.

  He rips open the front door and tears down the driveway to see a most gruesome scene: A large, bald, concerned truck driver is standing over Luna with a flashlight in one hand, and a cell phone in the other, calling 911.

  “I was just driving the truck back to the depot when I swear, this little girl comes out of nowhere! I… I still don’t know how I didn’t see her, or what she was doing walking in the middle of the road in the middle of the night.”

  Anthony pushes the truck driver and his various explanations out of the way to lean down and try to revive Luna. Her face is scratched up, but it’s nothing compared to the impact wounds on her torso, which are apparent even through her jumpsuit, as blood has already soaked through in three different places.

  “CALL 911, YOU IDIOT! DON’T JUST STAND THERE! You’re lucky I don’t call the cops!” “I did, I just did… I’m, I’m so sorry. I had no idea…” Then Anthony tries to get her attention. “Luna, Luna, CAN YOU HEAR ME? LUNA!” He starts crying, his tears disappearing through the sheets of rain now falling over him. Sirens in the distance offer him some relief, that at least help is on the way. But at the moment, realizing that he might have lost Luna forever… well, it affects him more than it logically probably should have. Anthony continues to cry, whether from fear and distress, or the harsh realization that he has fallen in love with Luna, even within just a few short days. It’s ridiculous, preposterous. But now he’s sure. He’s sure of it as he rakes his fingers through her long, raven-black hair, once voluminous, now soaked with blood and caked with wet dirt.

  CHAPTER 12

  Onyx approaches the utero chamber for the umpteenth time since Luna’s banishment. It’s killing him slowly, every time he has to help another recruit adjust to life in the Upperworld, since Luna was supposed to be here too. It’s interesting how his focus has changed from being upset and shocked about the radical discovery of his own origin, but now, all he can think about is Luna. Per usual, Onyx manages to shove his feelings deep under the surface, hoping that they stay put until he gets back to the safety of his pod where he can properly vent. Trying to live in this mechanistic environment, with excess human emotion still in him, is more of an impediment than it may appear.

  He raises his forearm over the sensor of the chamber, until it blinks green and opens, granting him access to the rapidly-growing recruit in the beginning stages of the light-gathering process. He walks in and sits on the floor next to the tall, clear cylinder holding the beginnings of a new sorter. The pale, almost pink blob of flesh floating in the nutrition-packed fluid vibrates slightly, and Onyx watches it grow with zero interest in the process. He’s been watching this happen for over four hundred Earth years, after all. Right now, he just sits, and waits, for the cylinder to eventually drain and deposit the fetus on the floor next to him as a fully-formed being, within about an hour.

  In the time it takes for the being to fully form, Onyx breathes deeply and tries to center himself, as he must remain calm in order to comfort the new recruit. The amount of emotional energy it takes for him to both hide his traumatized state, as well as provide stability and guidance for another individual, is incredibly taxing. He can feel his body heaving, his heart beating loudly in his ears, but he fights to gain control of his own heightened emotions.

  Forty-nine minutes and thirty-two seconds to go. Onyx leans his head against the smooth, white, sterile wall of the utero chamber and tries to relax. As if in response to his internal pain, the fetus in the cylinder gurgles, a typical side-effect of excess air in the forming process. But somehow, Onyx feels threatened by this simple, natural process. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight, as if something quite evil was gaining life through that tube. Onyx quickly tries to shake off the feeling though. It is infinitely more probably that his lack of sleep mixed with internal emotional pain was just beginning to take its toll on him. At least, that’s what he tells himself.

  ✷✷✷

  Overtaken by his own curiosity about Delphine’s odd inability to sort, Evander decides to ask Jade if she knows anything about it. It is likely a futile attempt at gaining insight, as Jade knew about both Onyx’s and Luna’s rather unorthodox entry into the Upperworld, yet she was sworn to secrecy about it as Primary Guide. Well, he himself was the appointed Treasurer of the Upperworld, so maybe, just maybe, he had enough clout to get something out of her, if only he could figure out the best way to ask.

  Once he gets up enough confidence, Evander makes his way to Jade’s habitation pod. Before he can change his mind, he swiftly pushes the small button next to her automated door, notifying her of his presence. A small green light responds to his presence, signaling him to let himself in. Evander hesitantly does so, and after walking through Jade’s incredible sterile, organized living area, he finds her in the kitchen area reading the latest issue of the Upperworld’s newspaper. Her immaculately-painted fingernails glow eerily in the low light, a very pale blue.

  “Oh, hello Evander. I was just, sitting here. Doing nothing. Catching up on reading, you know, the usual. Since I’m off work, at the moment.” Evander is immediately taken aback by her unchara
cteristic rambling. Not much can cause Jade to become unglued.

  “Um, Jade, is everything okay?” Jade nods her head rapidly, with much enthusiasm, as if to be compensating for something subconsciously.

  “Oh yes, right as rain, or so I’ve heard. Isn’t that what the humanoids are saying these days?” Evander is now even more taken aback by her eerily sunny disposition, but tries to brush it aside as he is here on a much more important mission.

  “Well, as the Treasurer, I’ve recently realized that there is a small breach in my records…” Jade nods.

  “Oh, is that so?”

  “Yes, and I was wondering if, you would be able to provide me with the missing information?”

  Jade nods emphatically. “Absolutely. What are you looking for?” She immediately walks over to her main computer stashed discretely in one of the kitchenette cabinets.

  Evander gulps, willing both air and saliva to satiate the growing lump in the back of his throat. “Well, I have no records on the origin of Delphine.” He notices Jade’s shoulders briefly stiffen, ever so slightly, and just for a split second, but they quickly relax, and she turns around with a plastic smile stuck on her face.

  “Sure… just give me a moment to pull up the official document. I am surprised you didn’t have it before, but I’ll print it out for you so you can file it away in the archives, if you like.” Evander nods, surprised at how easy this was.

  “Yes, that would be quite useful. Thank you, Jade.” She doesn’t respond, but instead just turns around, hands him the paper, and not-so-subtly guides him out her front door. When he is about to turn around to leave, Jade breaks her sparkling facade just for a moment, long enough to say: “Read this in the privacy of your pod, and do not share this information with anyone.” His face freezes, as hers regains its composure. “Talk to you later, Evander. Have a great day!” Then she waves, and shuts her door with a thud. And the weirdest thing about the entire interaction may have been that last portion. Jade never waves… to anyone. What’s her deal? I bet she’s hiding something. Something big.

  CHAPTER 13

  After what feels like a small eternity, the flashing lights and sounds in the distance finally make their way to where Anthony is crouched over Luna, while the truck driver who hit her stands there in a silent panic.

  As the ambulance pulls right over to them, Anthony barely gets to say a word before Luna’s small, frail, body is lifted by the larger, burly EMTs. Her damp hair cascades away from her neck, until it finally lands on the sterile, white pillow stationed on the gurney. They’re about to close the doors, until Anthony realizes that he has no idea which hospital they are going to.

  “Hey, where are you taking her? Can I ride with you?” One of the EMTs looks over in his direction, while yelling through the rain. “Are you family?” Anthony scratches the back of his head. “Well, no, not by blood. But -”

  “No ‘buts’. If you’re not related, you can’t ride in the ambulance with her. You’ll have to meet us at the hospital in the next town over.” Anthony breathes a sigh of relief, as he knew where that was. “Okay, thank you.” He begins to run to his car, but realizes that he needs his keys, and to bring Felicia with him. In a frenzied panic, he runs back inside the house and tries to calmly wake up Felicia, preferably without showing how scared he truly is.

  “Hey, Fel… I need you to come with me to the hospital…”

  “Uhhh, what? I was sleeping, Anthony.”

  “I know, but Luna’s been hurt and I have to get to the hospital, so I’m taking you with me. Hurry up and grab your coat and shoes.”

  “But my pajamas…”

  “Pajamas are fine, Fel. Just bundle up, it’s chilly out there.”

  Within a few minutes, Anthony and Felicia get into the car and make their way to the hospital. The rain and wind outside whips against the windshield as the two ride in a stunned silence.

  “Anthony?” He looks back at Felicia by looking up at the rearview mirror.

  “Yeah Fel?”

  “Do you think Luna is going to be okay?”

  Anthony takes a long, deep breath in and slowly exhales out through rounded lips.

  “Honestly, I don’t know, Fel. She is hurt really, really bad. But I sure do hope she’ll be okay.”

  Felicia nods, her long curly hair illuminated by the passing streetlights as they make their way to the hospital.

  Once at the hospital, Anthony grasps Felicia’s sweaty palm in his own, and saunters over to the front desk as calmly as possible.

  “Welcome to Oak Memorial Hospital. How can I help you?” The woman at the front desk wears black-rimmed glasses that sit securely at the base of a pointed nose, which make her appear rather bird-like.

  “Hi, I’m looking for a girl recently brought by ambulance to the emergency room, she goes by the name of Luna, but she was unconscious after being hit by a truck.”

  The receptionist doesn’t so much as bat an eyelash at his sensitive query, but rather checks her database on the computer without saying a word.

  “Ah yes, it seems that she is now in the urgent care facility. You’ll need to take a left down that hallway, and then take the elevator to floor 3.”

  “Thank you. Come on, Felicia.”

  ✷✷✷

  Onyx tries to steady his frayed nerves by breathing deeply as the utero chamber begins to open, revealing the unconscious body of his next recruit. In a matter of minutes, the recruit would awaken, and Onyx would be the one to guide him through all the things he would need to know as a sorter. The exhaust from the chamber cast an eerie fog over the room, and Onyx still can’t shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong.

  He steels himself to begin instruction by getting a look at his newest recruit. His hair is dark black, and his skin is very pale, and delicate. Onyx stares at the blank, sterile, white wall, waiting for the recruit to awaken. His mind takes him to his most major worry - Luna. He hasn’t heard anything about her, since the natural insemination, but that was all he had to know - she wouldn’t be allowed back to the Upperworld because of it. But luckily, Evander said he was working on a way to get her back, regardless of her physical state. Nothing was proven or guaranteed though, and Onyx makes the constant mistake of letting himself imagine the worst. His worries and pain are what keep him up at night, and there is never a sure way to alleviate that anxiety.

  “Uh, h…hello?” Onyx turns his head as his new recruit sits up, repeatedly blinking his eyes to adjust to the harsh fluorescent lighting of the utero chamber.

  “Hello, my name is Onyx and I’ll be your guide…” He begins his litany of instructions, still staring at the wall. Onyx knows all too well that getting emotionally attached to a recruit is never a good idea.

  “But, why does the light hurt so bad?” Onyx turns to look him in the eye to answer his question, but that is the first mistake he makes.

  The recruit’s eyes are a bright shade of… violet.

  Volume Three:

  The child

  CHAPTER 1

  He freezes mid-thought, not even bothering to keep to the same script he always used with new recruits.

  “What? How? Who are you?”

  He tilts his head slightly. “Um, I have no idea. I just… I just woke up? Is that what you’d call it? I feel like I… I fell asleep.”

  “You can already speak? And you don’t feel any pain from the light-gathering process?”

  He shakes his head. “None at all. I just remember being somewhere warm and snug, and then nothingness, and now I’m here.”

  Onyx’s face goes pale. “Let me scan your forearm.” Onyx removes the scanner from his utility belt, to find out the name of this new recruit.

  The scanner buzzes loudly, and a red warning signal fills the screen:

  Warning: System failure

  Retracted humanoid progeny of another retracted humanoid has entered the Upperworld

  Moniker: Seth

  No humanoid # available

  Maternal
Humanoid#4683929749857397562888393028

  Onyx falls to his knees as a wave of realization washes over him… his gut had been right. Something was very, very wrong. Then he runs as fast as he can out of the utero chamber, to nowhere in particular. He just has to get away.

  Luna’s unborn child had died, and ended up in the Upperworld? But how? And why?

  ✷✷✷

  Evander re-enters his own habitation pod with the missing information about Delphine’s history in his hand. He unfurls it without any hesitation, except for some curiosity about why Jade handed it to him so willingly, and then seemed utterly concerned that he keep it a secret. It only takes a moment for him to quickly understand why.

  Non-Humanoid origin

  Alternate Place of Origin: TARTARUS

  Reason for Upperworld Placement: SYSTEM ERROR

  Shadow #66666666666

  Moniker: Delphine

  His hands quickly begin to shake, realizing what this could mean for not only the Upperworld, but also human history.

  That’s why she couldn’t see the glow of an orb… she is a DEMON.

  Evander shakes his head, blinking at the revelation he held in his hands about that poor, not-so-innocent girl that he had so desperately tried to help. It is becoming all too much, much too fast. Little does he know that Onyx had also discovered something terrible about his previous charge. Between both situations, Onyx and Evander are about to have to fight forces much bigger than just some unruly humans. Very possibly, they’d be dealing with something as difficult and complicated as the forces of good and evil.