Dark Powder

(I'm sorry if there are a few scattered grammatical errors. I haven't revised it completely yet, and I really just want critiques on the characters, plot, setting, and writing style. Not so much the mechanics, though feel free to mention anything to me if you want. Thanks for reading!)

Chapter 1

I walked into the blindingly bright hall, blinking rapidly. Where was I? Where were the pale blue walls of the hospital, to which I had become all too familiar with? As my eyes adjusted to the lights, I saw an ornate set of thrones in front of me, all inlaid heavily with jewels. The three thrones were empty though, but in front of them stood a tall, thin young man with pale orange hair. The bright light, I realized, was provided by the magnificent, massive windows that made up the walls and ceiling of the hall. I gave a start as the man spoke, breaking the warm silence.

“Welcome to our lovely region of Zaira. You are James?” the man asked, a large smile lighting across his face as he spread his arms in welcome. I felt rather like I was in one of those hokey movies where someone is introduced to a new land. But that might have been because that was what was happening…

“Yeah, yeah I’m James. How did you know my name? Where am I?” I asked typically. They were basic questions. Like I had memorized a script.

“I think I have already said, you are in the lovely region of Zaira. And I know you’re name because we have been watching you,” he answered. I noticed his face was narrow, and his eyes small. But for some reason none of it pieced together into either an unpleasant or enjoyable face. It was just bland.

“I mean, where exactly is this Zaira place? And watching me? Is this some stupid horror film?” I taunted, though slightly frightened myself.

“Well, Zaira is about 30 billion miles from Earth, if that’s what you are asking. And we haven’t been just watching you. We watch many people. Many dying people. You were dying, of tuberculosis,” the man stated simply.

“I know that. What do you mean I was dying? Aren’t I still dying? Why am I here?” I asked, now thoroughly confused.

“Well no, you aren’t still dying,” he confessed, looking forlorn and hanging his head, “Most technically, you are almost dead.”

“I’m… dead. So is this some sort of afterlife?” I asked, the reality of it not sinking in.

“You will be dead, or you will die, if you don’t accept this generous offer we have for you,” he looked up, his eyes sparkling again.

“So I’m not dead then. What offer?” I asked eagerly. Maybe on some condition I would be able to go back home, perfectly cured… But no, of course that was asking too much I realized as he explained the offer.

“The offer is this. We can give you another 500 years of life… as a Find and Retriever. F.A.R for short,” he said slowly, like I was extremely dimwitted.

“500 years as a Far? What is that?” I asked skeptically.

“Here in Zaira Fars have a special position. The Zairian people were all retrieved, by Fars of course, when they were dying. They all now have a special position in the community, because Fars only take people with certain… qualities. Fars themselves are very respected,” he added.

“So wait,” I said, shaking my head as if that could straighten my thoughts, “These people that live here, in this place, were all dying when they got here? But what do you mean ‘certain qualities’? And do I have these qualities?” I inquired, desperate for information.

“Yes, they were all dying. And, if you accept this offer, you will learn about the qualities soon enough. You do possess some of them, but we did not choose you because of those qualities,” the man replied apologetically.

“So why did I get chosen? And does everyone with these qualities become a Far?” I furthered.

“You were chosen because the princess of these lands took an interest in you. Fars bring back files of information on people that could possibly contribute to the community and the king and princess review them. She found you. Normally, you wouldn’t have been chosen as a Far, but she liked you I guess. Which also ties in with your other question. No, not everyone becomes a Far. They, like I said, have a high place in the community, and find other people for the community. But the citizens do all different things beneficial to the lands, just as is needed in any other place, or country such as you have on Earth. Only, our citizens are hand-selected,” he answered.

“Why did she take an interest in me? And what does that even mean?” I raised my eyebrows, awaiting the answer. I had never been the most desirably boy, being increasingly wild as I got older, or so my mom had said, and I never even considered my appearance. It was of no importance to me.

“Well, the princess has her own taste. You will have to ask her why she picked you, but now I need to tell you the condition of your offer,” he explained, trying to be patient.

“The condition of my offer? Like, what I have to do to become one of these Fars?” I was curious. A condition with a princess… Sounded like something I might be interested in.

“Yes. And remember, becoming a Far means 500 more years of life, in this world though. You will be assigned an area that you will scout for dying people, after you are trained of course. So, your condition. The princess wishes, in return for this generous offer, for you to marry her,” he said lightly, cringing back, most likely predicting my reaction.

“MARRY HER? I’M FOURTEEN!” I cried. This was probably my worst nightmare. Getting married at fourteen… God. It sent shivers down my back. “I haven’t even met this princess! And how am I supposed to do well as a Far with a wife?”

“Trust me, you will be able to see her. But it will be minimal after your marriage. It doesn’t even matter if you like her. She needs to be married, to a respectable Far, to claim the throne. Her mother, the queen, passed away near a month ago, and her father is almost 400. You could go about your new life without barely any contact with her, because though technically the marriage would make you king, Jisabelle believes she could handle ruling alone,” he pointed out.

“But… I’m fourteen… What would my parents think? And why can’t some other Far marry her?” I argued meekly. Though, the way he put it, it didn’t sound that bad. I avoided death, got a wicked cool job in another world, became a king who didn’t have to rule, and didn’t have to see much of this princess.

“You’re not going to see your parents again, regardless of if you get married or not. And the princess adamantly stated she wanted only to marry you,” he noted.

“Oh yeah… So if I don’t take this offer, I die?” I gulped. Doing this seemed a lot less frightening than dying would be. At least this seemed familiar. I disregarded the latter comment. To ask about it was too similar to my question about why she had chosen me to even bother with.

“We let you go on,” he countered.

“Marriage… Life…” I connected the two. Marriage would be easy, I supposed, and I dearly wanted more life. “500 years…” I muttered. “Won’t I die before 500 years pass?”

“Well, if you take this offer, you stop aging. You will stay fourteen forever, or for 500 more years. Technically, I am 95 right now,” he told me.

“Oh,” I said, surprised. That simplified things.

“So…” he prodded.

“I don’t get to meet this princess before I agree to marry her?” Just a small thing…

“You would have been able to, but she is otherwise occupied at the moment,” he said.

“Well then… When do I meet her?” I sighed. Marriage was worth more life.

“Are you taking the deal?” A grin was inching back onto his face.

“I suppose I am,” I conceded.

“Perfect. Now, I don’t know if I ever introduced myself, but I am Max. I’m supposed to get you acquainted with your deal, which I already did, mostly, and tell you about your training, which will begin immediately after the wedding. Speaking of which, your wedding is to be in two weeks, during which you will get to know the princess. Her name is Jisabelle. Most of us just address her as the princess, but you may call her by her name. Far training takes about two months, then you will be assigned an area, as I have already said. I am constantly repeating myself. Hmmm… Oh yes, once you have your area… Well, that you will learn in your training,” he looked questioningly at me, as if I was to know if he had missed anything.

“So I won’t ever see my parents again? Or my friends?” Okay, I really didn’t have any close friends. Sure, tons of people had been my friends. Tons of people to share dumb stories with a talk about girls to, but no friends I would truly miss if they died. That seemed a little harsh, but it was true.

“According to your file, you didn’t have many friends who you were close to,” Max said, laughing quietly.

“Okay, fine, but my parents…?” I scowled.

“Also according to your file, you never got on very well with your parents. I’m sure you will, as do most people, get over it in a matter of months. Things are easily forgotten in Zaira. I wouldn’t worry,” Max said happily. So that was the answer. I would just forget them? I couldn’t fathom whether that was good or bad… I mean, at least I wouldn’t mourn them, but then again, I wouldn’t even remember them.

“Would you like to wait for the princess here, or out in the garden?” Max asked.

“The garden,” I said. I could use some air and sunlight to process all of these new happenings. Max led me outside, and again the sunlight was piercing.

“Is it always this bright here?” I wondered aloud.

“You’re eyes will adjust to it,” Max responded nonchalantly. “Here is the garden.” We stopped in front of a worn wooden gate that led into a colorful garden. “I will escort the princess here when she comes.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, already passing through the gate. The garden was more magnificent and strange than any I had ever seen. Vivid plants lolled about along the fence, and a few climbed happily up into the air with no apparent support. I stopped at a clearing in the vegetation where a splendid rainbow-tiled fountain spouted water droplets that individually shimmered and danced through the air before plopping into the basin at the base. Several stone benches were placed around the fountain, and I sat on one of these to wait for the princess. As I sat, pondering everything that had happened in only the past ten minutes, a furry feeling brown flowered plant crept across my lap at an astounding rate. This was weird. More to add to the fantasy movie my life had just become. When I touched the fuzzy thing, it purred. When I tried to push it off, it hissed. Wow. I had been adopted into wacky land. But apparently, my thoughts had lasted longer than I thought, for it seemed only minutes had passed before Max was back beside me, only this time with a young lady.

She was clearly years older than I, at least sixteen in appearance, though she must be older if she had stopped aging as well. I had figured that most people must stop aging here. Max silently exited, allowing me to focus on the princess’s face. She had straight hair the color of corn silk that was intricately braided. Her features were precise, her eyes a cold hazel, and her figure beautiful, at least so it looked under her flowing silver dress. She was hot. Maybe this marriage thing wouldn’t be so bad.

Her personality, thought, as I realized after a couple of hours of mingled talk, was dry. She was somewhat demanding, and incredibly girly. She gave the impression of self-centeredness as well, though her words never hinted at it. And the accent of her voice was something that left me piqued with interest long after she stopped talking. It was like molten lava, warmly entrancing, but at the same time, viciously intimidating. But the words she spoke in it each felt like a spark against my skin.

The two weeks passed quicker than they should have, as things tend to do when you dread something, like a wedding. I had spent most of them talking with Jisabelle while she showed me around the lands. I grew accustomed to the queer flora that grew in Jisabelle’s garden, and with the buildings in the ciry. I began, like Max had said, to forget my life before I came to Zaira. It had a quality about it that drew you away from past events. But when those weeks were over, it was wedding time. An awful, overdone wedding with hundreds of people and silver and white lace everywhere. Baskets of flowers, satin ribbons, and every other dreadful thing decorated the vast ground that the rows of chairs for the guests were spread over. Worst of all though, I had to wear a tux. I had to thoroughly scrub and brush my hair, trim my nails, and brush my teeth. Of course, it wasn’t like I was always completely filthy. I just preferred a bit of unkemptness.

And then all those people came, and Jisabelle came, wearing a fancy, poofy white gown. And I had to kiss her. Obviously that was not the worst part, because she looked like a goddess, but it was awkward just to have the whole experience of getting married after only thirteen years of life. But at least I could continue with my life because of it. Well, the wedding didn’t last too long, and the day after I was sent to Far training. There the fun began.

~

I reflected on the first time I had come to Zaira as I approached my first mission. This girl I was retrieving would be there soon, and first impressions of the place flashed back to me. I jumped in the window on the side of her cream-colored house, after deftly opening it. Some would call it breaking in, I called it mischievous genius. And I had to get in there somehow. But the front door was not an option. Only the people I was retrieving were allowed to see me. So this girl I was coming for, Claire, her parents couldn’t see me. Or, if they did, I kind of had to erase their memories of it, which I myself wasn’t allowed to do. I would have to take them back to Zaira, apply for memory erasing, then take them back. So, I went through the window.

The room was, predictably, dark. This was my first person I actually had to retrieve. I had finished my training two months ago, and had been assigned an area with about a 20 mile diameter that I scouted for possible Zairians. Claire I had found in the hospital one day while I searched for dying kids. Nobody in the hospital had seen me, because training had taught me how to be invisible, even in broad daylight. But I had seen the wrinkled doctor tell Claire that she needed a bone marrow transplant to put her in remission from her acute myeloid leukemia, but they couldn’t find a donor because she had such a rare blood type. Her only close family, her dad, didn’t even have to same blood type as Claire, so he was out of the question for donation. But I had seen an intelligent, brave look in Claire’s eyes, so I kept tabs on her. When I had gotten a decent profile on her, I took it back to Zaira and Jisabelle, my wife, approved it. I still shuddered when I thought about how Jisabelle was my wife.

Bringing my thoughts back to where I was, I remembered what I was doing. I had to take Claire back to Zaira for her trials. Step 7 of the guidelines.

Ah, the guidelines. The ones every Far memorized before they were assigned an area in some location of the world.

1 ) Every possible person found must be about to die, most preferably from a disease. A diagnosis of death should be found from a doctor, or from lab tests.

2 ) Every possible person must be under the age of 21. Children are easier to take, and better for the community.

3 ) Qualities seen in a person are judged by the Far. They include: Extreme intelligence, beauty, generosity, kindness, energy, etc.

4 ) When a possible person is found, they are to be watched and taken notes on by the Far for one to two weeks.

5 ) Files are to be taken, when completed, to the king of princess for approval. It may take a day or so for approval or vetoing.

6 ) Should a file be vetoed, the possible person is forgotten, and the Far goes back to work.

7 ) Should the file be approved, the Far will be sent to collect the person, explain to them about Zairian, and take them through their trials.

8 ) There are five trials the must be completed for the person to become a Zairian citizen. If even one is missed, or not attempted, the person is sent on.

9 ) Once the trials are finished, a record of the person’s scores are to be taken back to the king or princess for examination, and then for placement in the community.

10 ) Once a person is placed, the Far settles them in and goes back to their area. The guidelines were strictly followed by all Fars. Consequences for breaking or skipping steps in the guidelines were severe. Though I was already on step 7, the trials were going to take awhile. They were strenuous, and required time to complete. Claire would have a taste of them soon enough.

Claire’s room was bright green and covered in posters and pictures, and she dozed quietly in her bed. She didn’t have too long to live, and I guessed she preferred being at home as opposed to the hospital. And I didn’t blame her. Hospitals were dull and lifeless, and always had a nasty clean smell. Like everything, even the molecules, were dead. I never knew if that was because of how hygienic hospitals were, or because the other diseased molecules killed the healthy ones. Better not to linger over it too much. Claire’s chocolate brown hair was sprawled wildly across her pillow, and she smiled slightly even in sleep, like she was enjoying her dreams.

“Claire,” I said, leaning against her bed, not wanting to frighten her too badly. She didn’t move. “Claire!” I nudged her back with my hand. She sat straight up. Turning towards me, her mouth opened wide to scream, but I quickly clapped my hand over it. The last thing I needed was to just grab her and vanish while her dad charged in here. It made it all the more like kidnapping. “Shhh.”

“What the?” she snarled through my hand.

“I’ll explain it all later. Trust me. I’m not going to hurt you or anything. You have to come with me to Zaira,” I had expected her to be freaked, but I had learned very little in training about convincing a person to just go to a different world with me. They had just said, “Calm them down. Convince them you are not kidnapping them. Get them here.” Incredibly helpful. It only left you with one small question: HOW???