Page Turners - Chapter 13 [Page 35] - The Grid
Charlize placed her hand on the invisible wall that was the end of the Page, and the world rippled. She traced her finger along its surface until she found a loose strand. Just like she had every time before, she peeled away the strand to reveal an invisible page and turned it.
The blue lawn that seemed to stretch on forever rose and lurched towards them. The whole landscape seemed to open its maw, ready to consume them whole. The world arched over them, swallowing them up as the Page turned.
Page 35 was barren of organic life. After thousands of years of systematic destruction and reconstruction, the only natural thing that remained was the violet soil. Even that was as hard as cement, having absorbed stone and metal dust throughout the Grid's construction.
The Grid dominated the environment, starting at one edge of the Page and ending at the other. Enormous straight-edged pillars made of stone that sheened like metal, stretched up into the sky, far beyond the limits of the human eye. They were at least 10 ft wide on all four sides and were intersected with horizontal pillars, roughly half their size. These pillars were spaced out at regular intervals and were open on top, to allow spheres to roll along them like tracks.
Rushing sounds could be heard whooshing overhead in every direction and height. In the distance, they could hear clicking and rolling, as the balls locked into place in horizontal pillars and rolled up or down them. The cacophony of clicking, clunking, rolling and whooshing, made each of them feel like they were in the beating heart of a machine.
Charlize looked to Od, who had an unusual expression on his face. He seemed shocked, which she expected, considering he had never seen Page 35 before. But he wasn't looking out at the new Page, he was gazing right past her.
She turned to see what he was looking at. Stunned by what she saw, she immediately entered her battle stance. Before her, stood a barefoot young woman in a hoodie and leggings, sporting a bob haircut.
“Who are you?” Charlize asked as she clenched her clawed fingers.
“What do you mean? Why would you ask me that?” the young woman replied.
“Don’t play games with me, girl!” She commanded before suddenly pausing. The girl? she thought. “Are you her? You’ve healed!”
“She’s fucking grown!” shouted Od as he pulled Charlize out of the way to get a better look.
“I’ve grown?” asked the young woman, before looking over her new body. “Oh shit, I’ve grown!”
“Hey! Watch your language, little lady,” Od reprimanded.
“How?” Charlize asked, struggling to form a proper question due to her mind racing through enumerable possibilities — none that made sense.
Before the conversation had a chance to continue they heard a familiar voice.
The Contract will be presented and accepted. The terms will be adhered to. Refusal to accept or adhere to the terms will result in immediate expulsion from the Page. Presenting Contract.
The Author's voice echoed through their ears and minds, as they were presented their new contracts.
Charlize looked over her new terms, written in the same living ink as before, but this time on a yellow-beige sheet that seemed soft and gummy.
Contract
The Author gifts you the following:
* Access to the Seam - 5.5%
* Lifespan - 100 years
The Author demands the following:
* You will never offend or harm a Quillia unless provoked.
* You will never Breach the Seam.
* You will never disobey the Author or Page 35.
Do you accept the terms?
“5.5%, that's all?” Charlize asked the Author in frustration.
Reassessing terms….No amendments are required. Accept or be ejected, the Author answered, in a voice only she could hear.
“Fine. I accept.”
She heard Od accept right after her and turned to see how the young woman was doing. She was looking at Charlize and talking but her words made no sound.
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“I can't hear you. You cannot discuss the terms until you accept them.”
“I accept,” she said.
“So, what is it?” Charlize asked.
“Is a thousand-year lifespan normal for this Page? Seems a bit much,” she said with a chuckle.
“A thousand?!” Od gasped.
“And your access?” asked Charlize, barely holding her composure.
“1%. That's less than you had last time. That can't be right, can it?”
“No, that's not right. Not right at all,” she said. Raising her left hand to check her fingers. She saw they were still damaged, bone protruding through the skin, confirmation that the girl’s healing was exclusive to her.
How could God allow 1% on Page 35? It doesn't make sense. Anything less than 3% should be out of the question. How is she expected to survive, that's not fair, it's outside of God's law. The Author could be accounting for my protection, but even that doesn't make sense. Contracts are strictly individual, even my weakest clients never had a Contract like that. It's her. Her new form, this wonky Contract. She's breaking the rules.
“Do you know how you healed yourself, girl? How you grew?”
“I honestly don't know. I don't feel strange in any way. Just feel like me! Anyway, didn't you say you were going to give me a name and teach me about the Seam and other stuff?” the girl asked, her speech gradually speeding up with her excitement.
“Calm down a moment, would you? It seems you haven't totally grown up yet. Od, did you have any ideas for a name?” asked Charlize.
“No, I…..I'd rather not,” he said, eyes dropping to the floor before they quickly sprang back up, “Wait, you're telling me you've been with her for all these years and you haven't thought of anything?”
“I don't know. How about Paige?”
“You serious? I mean, you're clearly not even trying,” he says exasperated. “You know, where I'm from originally, we used to farm fish.”
“Is this going to go anywhere, Od?” asked Charlize with a sigh.
“Hey! Let him tell his story,” the young woman said. Her body language was strong and confident as she stared down Charlize.
“Why, thank you. As I was saying, we used to farm fish. Was damn boring, days would drag sometimes and when we had big hauls, my back would be aching the next day. Was peaceful though,” he paused for a moment, lingering on the thought before continuing. “We used to farm this fish called the tilapia. It would grow super fast, from fry to full-grown in a couple of months. Tough little buggers too. Seems to fit the bill doesn't it? Tilapia?”
“How about Tilla?” Charlize proposed.
“Tilla? Hmmmmm, yeah I like it. Tilla sounds cute. Call me Tilla!” said Tilla.
“Then it’s decided. Charlize, Od and Tilla. We make quite the trio,” said Charlize, initiating a smile that was echoed through the group.
She stepped to the nearest pillar and placed her palm on it, closing her eyes to focus. It only took a few seconds before she turned around and rejoined the group.
“We go this way. We should keep moving.”
“Wait, we’re not heading to the other side?” Od asked, confused by her command.
“Not yet. This Page is complex. As you can see everything looks the same, and it’s easy to get lost. Old Bookwyrms have left behind a few markers, best we follow them until we reach the Cube. For now, we’ll follow the Page’s edge.”
“The Cube?” asked Tilla.
“It’s the main hub of 35, a city I suppose. Let’s walk, I’ll tell you more as we go. The journeys are only going to get longer from here out. Get used to staying on the move.”
“Off we go again!” Tilla hollered.
“I like your new hair by the way,” said Charlize.
“Oh, thanks! Me too! I always wondered what it would be like if it was shorter.”
“Well then, it looks like your wish came true,” Charlize said, followed by a cautious laugh and a distant look.
They began their new journey on the new Page. Remaining parallel to the Page’s edge, they continued to move forward under Charlize’s instruction, passing pillar, after pillar. Od was frustrated with their new route, still confused as to why they were not venturing deeper into the Page and heading to the other side. Charlize explained that it would be foolish to blindly move through Page 35, especially with Od’s limited lifespan. According to her, Bookwyrms of old had left breadcrumbs to follow on this Page, as well as other Pages that were difficult to traverse. The problem was that they needed to be discovered in order, as one lead to the next. When she touched the pillar earlier, she was able to detect the first breadcrumb via the Seam. Upon reaching that first breadcrumb, their path would become clearer.
Tilla sprinted ahead, bounding through the air and doing cartwheels as she experimented with her newly grown body. The others trailed a few meters behind, watching as the young woman, who was a little girl just moments ago, fearlessly ran ahead.
Od subtly weaved a String and let it slither its way to Charlize's ear.
“What the hell is going on? Is she really human?” he asked, sending his thoughts along the String.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Charlize answered.
“You’d know better than me, wouldn’t you? Not even a guess?”
“She seems to be playing outside of the rules. Which means she exists beyond God’s realm. That leaves us with three possibilities, at least I can only think of three.”
“Which are?”
“Either, she is some kind of God that we don't know about, or she is a Seamstress. That, or she is a walking, talking Creation.”
“Woah, those are the only options? You can’t be serious? None of those are even possible are they?”
“Impossible options are the only ones left. My best guess is a Seamstress, but I’m going off nothing.”
“Could she really be a new God?” Od pondered.
“What if she is? What does that mean for your mission? For you to truly kill God, would she need to die too?”
“I….I don't know.”