2.1 New Semester, New Me

“Hi, Mom,” I said, answering the phone.

“Erind, dear!” The phone wasn’t on loudspeaker, yet Mom’s strong voice reverberated throughout the corridor. “Thank goodness you picked up. I couldn’t contact you; I thought something bad happened to you.”

“I was inside the elevator, Mom. I’m in my condo building. Now, I’m walking to my room.” While wearing bloody clothes underneath stolen clothes, I added in my head. There was a whole lot more to add, but I couldn’t tell Mom about the full details.

The train station wasn’t too far from my condo. Around twenty minutes of brisk walking, cutting through tight inner blocks and a wide park. The problem was my odd, oversized attire. But since news of the Adumbrae attack had spread, the streets were emptier than usual. And this was La Esperanza anyway, the fashion capital of California. People who saw me would’ve thought I was strutting around in an avant-garde fashion style.

“Oh, that gave me quite a scare,” Mom said, audibly exhaling. “I saw news of an Adumbrae attack in La Esperanza. A train station. Three Adumbrae! Have you heard of it?”

“It’s the station near my place. I had just come from there. Lots of police and stuff.” No point lying because she’d eventually realize I would’ve been there since that was my way to university.

“Mother Core’s Grace! Are you alright?”

“Completely fine. Don’t worry, Mom.” I had my story prepared. “When I got there, I folded my bike as I always do before going down to the subway. There was, like, a lot of yelling. People were suddenly running everywhere. Didn’t know what was going on, but I joined them.”

“If in doubt, join the crowd. That’s what I always tell you. It might not apply to most things, but when there’s danger, you have to quickly react. Such a relief you’re safe, dear.”

“I found out a few moments later that there was an Adumbrae attack.” Gauging I didn’t sound distressed enough, I added, “It was so scary, Mom. Like, a ComExo was getting carried by a helicopter. I think I heard a roar. That must be the Adumbrae. Probably gunfire too. I just super ran away! I even forgot my bike.”

It had been ages since I pretended to be scared. The last time might be back in high school when our group of friends went to a haunted house. No, not that. The roller coaster ride I had with my cousins three years ago was the previous fake scream session I had no choice but to do. It would've been super weird if I sat in rigid silence while the coaster twisted and turned like pasta coiled around a fork.

I was quite adept at approximating an average person’s reactions in most situations, with a few exceptions. Being afraid was one of them. Stress, anxiety, I could feel those in small doses.

Fear? Not so sure what it was supposed to be.

“I’ll buy you a new bicycle,” said Mom. “Material things, there’s money for that. What’s important is your life. I have to pray to the Mother Core after this for keeping you safe.”

I turned away from the phone to snort. Mom was far from religious, especially after Dad disappeared. I hadn’t seen her pray to the Mother Core, the Christian God, or any other deity. People suddenly turn religious in times of trouble.

As for me, I turned to an Adumbrae. Guess I’m evil, then?

Shrugging, I replied to Mom, “I can’t believe I was that close to meeting an Adumbrae. How did you know what’s going on here, Mom? What time is it over there? I thought you were already asleep.”

I stood in front of my unit’s door and fished out my key from the pocket of my stolen pants.

Earlier, I had stopped by a public restroom in the park fronting my condo building. I removed my jacket—well, it really wasn’t my jacket since I just stole it—so I can get to my backpack. Difficult finding my wallet with my key card since everything inside my bag got glued by dried blood. A lady in the next stall complained of the smell. Very impolite to call out a fellow woman during a heavy flow day.

Fortunately, my wallet, though plastered with blood flakes, was in one piece, along with everything inside—key card, credit cards, plural, school I.D., train pass, and other important stuff. I was worried my wallet might’ve gotten skewered by the spike.

On the unfortunate side, my notes were a total loss. My bike and bag, I could buy them again. Correction. Mom would buy them for me. But my notes… I had handwritten several pages to help them stick in my mind. All gone.

“It’s half an hour past ten here,” Mom said as I pressed my card key against the lock.

The door clicked open. My room was dark because I always closed the heavy blinds during the day. I flicked up the switch by the doorway as I entered. Light with a soft yellow hue bathed the minimalist room. It wasn’t a design choice. I just hated buying furniture. Long story.

“I have no plans to sleep just yet,” Mom continued. “Work, work, work. You know how it is with Greaves, dear. What happened to La Esperanza was all over the US news. I wasn’t watching, though. Sandy, she’s my new assistant, by the way, a cheery girl, you should meet her. Always on top of things. She dyes her hair—wait, where was I?

I rolled my eyes. “The news.” I inherited my rambling thoughts from Mom. Dad was very direct and concise.

“Oh yes! Sandy saw what’s happening on the news and immediately called me. She knows you’re in La Esperanza because I’ve told her a whole lot about you. I didn’t expect you were right there when it happened. You should go to the doctor for a check-up. Make sure everything is fine.”

A doctor examining me was the last thing I wanted to happen. Actually, I didn’t want that to happen. “Nothing’s wrong with me, Mom. No injuries or whatnot. Just tired from all the running. A bit of a headache too.” Slowly sliding in cues for Mom to end the call. I wasn’t going to end it myself because I was the dutiful daughter.

“A headache? Take aspirin and have a nap for a couple of hours. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. I bet all that late-night movie watching on your computer strains your eyes.”

I inwardly groaned. “I don’t have time to watch movies anymore, Mom.”

Such a mom-thing to eventually connect everything to eye strain and computers. Best keep quiet about watching movies on my phone while on the train. She’d say the train’s movement strained my eye, too.

“I know you have mountains of law books you’re required to read,” Mom said. “Take care of your eyes, or you might have to wear glasses before you finish law school. Most lawyers I know wear glasses.”

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Glasses?

I felt around my eyes. Shit.

I dropped my glasses somewhere. I was too focused on not dying that I forgot about them. It wasn’t like I needed glasses to see, so they weren’t forefront of my mind. Was I wearing them while climbing the stairs? Probably not. I must’ve lost them while crawling on the train floor.

“I will, Mom,” I said. Mental note to buy new fake glasses. All my classmates expected me to have them. Glasses. Not necessarily fake ones. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Of course, I’ll worry about you,” she replied. “I’m not there to look after you. After my stint here in Switzerland is done next month, I’ll visit you for a week. We can go shopping and do whatever it is you want to. Is that okay with you, dear?”

“I’m excited for it,” I said, mustering up gusto.

“Hopefully, there are no more Adumbrae attacks. Where are you now?”

“In my room, Mom.”

“Aspirin, water, rest. Got it? And always, always watch the news. You could also check up on your friends if they’re safe. Love you, Erind sweetie.”

“Yes, Mom.” I hesitated, then added. “Love you too.” The call clicked end.

My friends, huh? I was friends with all and an enemy to none. That was my face for law school.

But there was one person I was sort of close with—my best friend, Deen. Resident popular girl of Cresthorne College of Law. ‘Close’ wasn’t an accurate description of our relationship. Deen considered herself my best friend and wiggled herself into my life. I couldn’t get rid of her because she wasn’t exactly bothering me. She was a bother but in a very friendly way, which meant I couldn’t go all Rule #4 on her.

That said, she was very helpful. Translation, useful. And being next to one of, if not the most beautiful girl in school, was good cover. No one noticed me.

Checking my phone’s inbox, I saw Deen had messaged me several times. Right, I had told her where I lived. As my best friend, she did well to remember and realize that I might be caught up in the Adumbrae attack thing. She also informed me that classes were cancelled since the entire train system was shut down by the police.

“I’m fine, Deen. Don’t worry,” I said while typing the words. “I ran away from the train station and returned to my apartment. Thanks for your message. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I double-checked my message. Complete sentences. Correct punctuation. All in accordance with Rule #16. This Rule also applied to taking notes, meaning I really invested I lot of time preparing for classes.

“I have to write all that shit again.” I sighed, walking into my small-but-big-enough-for-one-person living room. “On the bright side, no classes!”

Passing by my wall mirror, I paused to view myself.

Every morning, before I go to university, this was my last stop, checking my outfit, makeup, and hair. Funnily enough, this was the first time I was wearing a different outfit from the one I left the house with.

The jacket and the baggy pants—baggy for me—did a good job of covering the blood. I took them off, piled them to one side, and looked at the mirror again. I could pass off as an extra in a zombie movie. This was also a good look for Halloween. Realistic too. But it was January.

I raised my shirt, half expecting a scar. Nothing, as if I weren’t turned into shish kebab earlier.

I shouldn’t get injured in front of others. Medical examinations should be avoided. Do all jobs require a medical certificate? I probably shouldn’t think too far ahead. Would I even last until graduation? To survive, I needed to think like a criminal.

Technically, I was a criminal. I’d be executed if the authorities knew I was an Adumbrae. No trial, no due process. I wouldn’t have rights if it were proven I was no longer human. Adumbrae could turn volatile if left alone for too long, like mutate into an even stronger monster or something. An even worse fate for me was getting captured for experiments. I’d rather just get offed quickly.

Stripping down to nothing, I threw all bloodied clothes on top of the stolen ones. Then I emptied my backpack of anything I could still use. The rest, my notes, binders, and the bag itself, went to the pile. I did keep the bullet that shot me. Criminals needed to have souvenirs. I could turn it into a keychain to hang with my favorite granny wolf one.

Trophy-taking has led to criminals being caught. I still wanted to do it because I didn’t want to be the uncool criminal.

“Garbage bag, garbage bag,” I sang, opening the cabinets under the sink. “Found it.”

I dumped the pile into the garbage bag and tied it shut. How to get rid of this? Throwing it away as usual was a no-no. I had no idea where the building’s garbage went. Whether it be to a landfill or a recycling center, there was a huge risk of someone finding my bloody clothes. A couple of crimes had been inadvertently solved that way. Those nights watching true crime series with Mom were paying off.

“I have to burn them,” I said. “But first, a bath. And then vacuum this entire place.” I’d been shedding dried blood flecks all over my unit like dandruff.

Warm water massaged my body, washing away dirt and stress. I watched the water, streaked with red, swirl into the drain.

Was the entire thing planned?

Seriously, what was the likelihood of two, three, actually, Adumbrae transforming at the same time, at the same place? Maybe if they were a group of Adumbrae that could control themselves…

But the Adumbrae that attacked the train seemed to be mindless. They attacked indiscriminately, with no goal whatsoever. They’d be classified as UMs, an Unripe Manifestation. Fidgeting Hoodie, Baggy Overalls, and whoever that fish monster used to be—they all failed to keep their shit together. Their connection to the other dimension collapsed, and they mutated to… those things… because of the residue of the Adumbrae power. UMs were the most common form of Adumbrae.

Would that eventually happen to me, too? How long would I last?

Fidgeting Hoodie probably didn’t last two weeks before he lost his humanity. Just a Tier One UM.

The other possibility was I’d keep my sanity until the Adumbrae starts Rending the veil between worlds and coming over to ours. Those CMs, Complete Manifestations, needed an army to take them down. Or a Corebring. CMs weren’t mindless and a whole lot more powerful.

I’d be proud if I could hang on until I reached Rending.

Still, Rending would be a bad ending. Hey, it rhymed! Did this count? The two words were identical except for the ‘r’. Felt like cheating in rhyming. Oh, that rhymed too! Or did it?

Where was I…?

Right.

All endings were bad because I’d lose myself. Becoming a UM meant no one was in control. Becoming a CM meant that the Adumbrae had full control.

“There’s no cure once Seeded,” I recalled Dad saying in a couple of his lectures.

“Except for death,” one of his students mumbled to his seatmate.

“I’m not going to die,” I promised myself. “I will not—blargh!” Water went into my mouth. I shouldn’t have spoken while looking up at the shower head. So much for my cool moment.

I checked my abdomen for the umpteenth time to make sure there was no hole. Then I checked the rest of my body while I lathered myself in soap for any growths. People who were Seeded didn’t transform into full-on monsters in a blink. There’d be some tiny mutations here and there that’d spread over time. That’s why those PSAs always tell people to be watchful of others. Even as kids, we were taught not to trust adults with ‘weird stuff’ on their bodies.

“Huh?” My hand felt a small lump when I touched my back.

I thought it was a pebble or a clump of blood stuck on my skin, so I turned around to shower it off.

“It’s still there? Wait…” I realized that it wasn’t on my back. I let the water wash away the suds on my right hand.

Sitting on my palm was a tiny white crystal, about the size of a pinhead.