Chapter 16: Remnant

Chapter 16
Remnant

“He was there when we left.”

“This is bad.”

“Who is he?”

“Jack Ulog is one of the most dangerous men alive. I’ll call you later.”

Call ended.

I closed my phone. The fact that I could even answer my phone still surprised me. It was dead yesterday, and now, it was alive. Like Jack.

Clickclickclickclickclick.

I turned toward the woman who stood on the stairs, clicking her red fingernails against the banister.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You must have been speaking with a representative from the Crown of the Sun. I suppose it was Eason.” An almost wistful tone upon her voice. “No matter. Would you listen to what we have to say?”

“No.”

Words pressed against the lips of the woman’s mouth, but before they could escape into the air, I continued.

“But Grace wanted to, so here I am.”

The woman smiled, but it was a smile of mist – fading in a moment. “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Anna.”

“Hank.”

“Grace.”

“It’s a pleasure. Let me begin by telling you of the Children’s mission. We search for unity and peace. We wish to understand the Affects and reach toward them, for not all things are evil. Let me show you.”

A door opened from the top of the stairs, and something human walked out. But it was not human. It had a head, eyes, mouth, nose, hands, feet, and skin, but all at once, everything was wrong. It had a head of grey twisted hair, dull grey eyes, a pale thin mouth, a blank sharp nose, sickly ashen hands and feet, and skin like moonlight.

“This is Anthony, a Remnant – an Affect that was once human.” The creature waved at us.

“What?” Grace spat out.

“We don’t know why there are such things or how they came into being, but can we deny them existence? Do we follow the words of the Crown and believe all Affects are evil?”

Anthony descended from the stairs and raised a hand toward me. My mouth twisted. I raised my own hand and caught his. His hand was strangely powerful in its grip, but it was neither hot nor cold. It felt absent, ethereal, but also present.

“How do you do?” he asked.

I stared at Anthony. “You can speak.”

“Yes.”

“Anthony is a Remnant that still resembles human. There are many Remnants of different size and shapes, but not all can speak. Anthony, like some other Affects, is special and can remember.”

“What do you know about Affects then?” Grace asked.

“Legends say that-“

“I don’t want to know what legends say. What do you know?”

“Affects are what is left.”

“What is left? Left after what?”

“Miss Lovenson, you know.”

A shadow cast itself across Grace’s eyes.

“That Roc was special.”

Grace held Gilbert tightly in her arms.

“Your family, Miss Lovenson-“

The doors behind burst open. Eason walked in, smoke trailing behind him.

“You could’ve called,” Anna smiled.

“They’re coming with me.”

“What if they want to stay?”

“Do you want to stay?”

“No.” Grace’s voice whispered.

I began “She said“

“No!” she raised her head and beamed in sing-song.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward Eason.

“What’re you doi-“

“Let’s go!” she shouted. “Eason’s treating us to lunch!”

“What?” Eason blurted.

“Then, take them, Eason,” Anna stated. “Please do visit again under happier circumstances.”

“Not anymore,” Eason answered.

“Oh, and Miss Lovenson!” Anna shouted.

Grace turned around toward her.

“Find out what your parents were researching.”

The doors to the suite closed, and we found ourselves in the elevator, descending down.

“Why did you come?”

“I felt uneasy leaving you two in the hands of the Children, and with Jack wandering the streets, I can’t take any chances.”

Didn’t you say I would be drowning in a whirlpool alone? The words nearly escaped my mouth, but I knew better now. I had learned from the last time I had pushed someone away.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“What?” Eason asked somewhat shocked.

“I said ‘thanks.’” I stated clearly.

“Did Jack hit you across the head?”

I bit my lip. He smiled.

“What are Remnants?” Grace asked Eason.

“Shades,” the detective replied.

“Shades, huh?”

We walked out of the building and into the streets. It was raining now. Eason opened the doors of his car and let us inside.

Text and Images © Jonathan Lee