Before they left the offices, after Cædmon was finished with all the documents, they were told that an appointment was scheduled for the very next day, which Luna was ecstatic about, but Donner not so much.
“They said it’s a new policy, you should be happy about that. That means progress.” She tried to reason with him that night, once Cædmon was long gone, hopefully, and the other occupants were asleep.
Honestly, she didn’t know how to think of Ant and Georgia anymore. They were the people she lived with, but what did they know about her? And what did she know about them? On the face of it, they were practically strangers and that would get worse once she went away to school. Georgia had a whole new friend and Luna hadn’t even met the brat, which was for the best because she’d have to…
“Shit!” she exclaimed, as she rummaged through the refrigerator. “I didn’t think of that!”
More people knew she existed besides Georgia and Ant. Ant’s whole blog was about the three of them. If she suddenly stopped writing about her orphaned niece, people would notice. And there were pictures in an album that Ant was sure to show her new mommy friends whenever the lady and her kids finally came to the farmhouse. So far, they’d had meetings at a playground and Luna wasn’t there for any of it, but her existence was sure to be found out eventually. They would question why she was never seen and where she was and Ant wouldn’t even remember that she existed.
“Donner! What should I do?”
“I don’t know and it isn’t as important as what is happening with Society and its interactions with you.”
“It’s way more important!”
“No. Not now. You can put off any of those issues by telling your aunt not to invite outsiders to the house for a while and showing up occasionally to do school work and crafts so she still has fodder for her public online diary,” he didn’t have much respect for the career, “but this scheduled meeting is too far outside the norm. I doubt it’s ever happened before for this sort of issue. Papers are put at the bottom of the pile and they are not dealt with until they come to the top. Your case has been pushed ahead and that points to interference. Someone has realized something and they are no doubt digging for further information right now.”
“Well, so what if they are? They don’t know anything about me and there’s nothing for them to find out.”
“You are incorrect. They are looking because they’re already suspicious. I doubt it is the normal channels of government that are involved. There are pieces of that puzzle that operate on different levels and no one else would be part of this. It must be the Sphere.”
“What’s that?” She tried a carrot stick dipped in hummus and found it lacking. No, vegetables were not for snacking on.
“A highly secretive group. I’d not yet penetrated their ranks before losing my life. I did have a contact, but he was still in the beginning stages. Though he was convinced to speak of it a little, he was not prepared to do what I needed of him. It was a slow process. They do not accept just anyone into the department. The penalty for revealing any information is fierce. I have some insight, but not much, and most is based on observation of the contact.”
“So? What do you know about them? And what should I eat because fruit and vegetables aren’t cutting it.” Though Ant gave up the vegetarian lifestyle, she still didn’t bring junk food into the house. “If I ever see a baked veggie straw again it’ll be too soon.”
“I don’t know Luna, take yourself to the supermarket and steal a candy bar for all I care,” he paused. “Actually, don’t. I suspect you are under surveillance. The Sphere is known for its clandestine dealings.”
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“You mean someone other than Cædmon is stalking me? Great.”
“As much as we do not know about them, we know enough to warrant caution. If you must make yourself food, go into the pantry.” It was a closet with a tiny rectangle of a window; the place least able to be surveilled.
“Fine,” and closed herself in the small space. “But I’m pretty sure I could deal with it.” Chinese buffet dishes were once again on the menu. “I need to try new foods,” she said. “I want a whole world to choose from. Chinese will stay number one, though.” Ungle. It still made her sad to think of him being gone forever. “I hope he’s reborn soon and that his new life is the best,” was her makeshift prayer before beginning to eat, though she wondered who would hear it. “How does this world work anyway?”
“I don’t know and that haunts me, but we haven’t the time to be concerned about it now. That is a question for less dire straits. That is, potentially, the sort of thing the Sphere of Enigma is researching.”
She paused mid-chew. “Sphere… of Enigma? What kind of horseshit name is that!?”
“I was not involved in that meeting. It was christened ages ago. I believe it is nearly as old as Society itself. A rare moment of forethought on their part, though as far as I know it’s done no scalable good, and, as you say, the name does not inspire confidence. Though that may have been a strategic decision in those earlier days. That was the time before apathy took over as it has now.”
“What was Society like, way back when? Before you had everything to complain about?”
He didn't comment on her snark but did answer the first question. “In the olden days, Society was far ahead of the magicless world. They survived while others died thanks to their abilities, which led to jealousy. I’ve told you before, about the way the two worlds used to interact. Magic users, some called witches, wizards, others mages, were so far above those without power that they began to see themselves as gods, and the rest of the world did not appreciate it. Burning at the stake, drowned with millstones tied to their feet. Though they didn't often nab true practitioners, and I wonder now if the whole thing was not the will of actual gods.”
“You mean like Father Time? And…” she felt weird saying it, “Life?”
“They used to worship, or at least acknowledge, higher powers, but their obvious superiority compared to other, similar beings got the best of them and that faded. Nyx and Aether didn’t last long in that regard either, though the school held onto some tradition longer than the rest of Society.”
“So you mean me, right? Like me?”
“Some of those ancient texts are now in Arcane, which is why we need to get there. A ritual or forgotten anecdote may hold the key to freeing me.”
He was going to keep ignoring her attempts to make him acknowledge her as a god, which she admitted she was having a hard time with too, so she let it go like the magnanimous child she was. “Okay, but what about a body? Say you do get out, but then where do you go? What if you end up on the bridge and get reborn? I don’t think your soul or spirit or whatever can hang around. Those ghost things in the cave were one and done.”
“Yes, however, they represent an idea that was lost to Society and I'm sure there is more to it than what we saw at the time. That was a curse against the one who would disturb the hidden treasure, but we don’t know what else is possible.”
“What I'm saying is, I wouldn’t try to leave without having somewhere to go. I don’t think souls can go around homeless. If Father Time and Life are real, then wouldn’t Death be real, too? Do you think Death would let that kind of thing happen?”
“I don’t know and that is, again, why we must get to Arcane.”
“My whole life is about going to school,” she said as she stood and shook herself. Her legs felt like they were being pricked with tiny needles. “And I can’t even go yet. How old am I again?”
“Try to remember your own age, you’re six.”
“I’m gonna have a hard time if you’re not in my head anymore to remind me of stuff.” It was going to be very quiet without him.
“You need to stand by yourself, I will not stay here to prop you up.”
She knew that, but it was a strange feeling. Empty. Different than when Pink or Ungle died, but still a loss. She shook herself. It hadn’t happened yet and maybe never would. They still had to find out so many things and who even knew if it would work?