Memorize (Book One)

Free Falling

It is a stunning sight. This room is hardly wider than a large corridor. Platinum-like walls shine softly on both sides, reflecting long lines of shelves ahead of him. On those shelves, boxes of equal size, neatly set and sharing the same steely glow. The light that has just rushed in the room is crude, and somehow it seems to hurt Jay's eyes much more than it should. Like an old wound that suddenly awakes. The sporadic distant hum of the engines is temporarily hiding his quick, jerky breath.

Why am I lying on my knees?

Standing up, Jay's shuffling feet echo awkwardly in the room. Seconds are stretching into precious minutes. He reaches the first boxes and slowly lays a timid hand on one of them. There are two names engraved on it. And a year, a month, a day. But there is also a problem.

Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, Starling Kite has made it safely to the surface. The Medicators have just given their pass. In a few minutes, The Skandalopetra Battle will start. It is now time for Ama and Starling to meet in the Deep Pool. All those who have booked a spot in the Caves will have the privilege to stand a few inches from these two amazing athletes. Yessss, the swiftest diver and the most enduring one, face to face thirty meters below the ground. Remember, there will be only three rounds. The winner will immobilize their opponent for a full minute.

Jay is contemplating the box, puzzled. Inside, a whole life is summed up in a few trinkets. He moves the container slowly, and hears the objects rolling from one side to the other. Somehow it is beautiful. Each surface is polished and faintly mirrors his face. It is smooth and soft under his fingers. All the edges are rounded. It is almost like touching a person's skin. But...

On the shore, Ama and Starling are walking towards each other. Ama's long black hair is woven back into a large braid. Starling shakes the shorter curls that fall in front of his eyes, and winks at Ama. They shake hands, then take three steps back, still facing each other, and walk on the diving boards synchronously. The speaker has stopped commenting. The spectators have stopped cheering. Silence falls again, after the raging rounds of applauds that followed Starling's successful ascent. The displays focus on the two navy blue slim silhouettes that soon plunge into the Deep Pool. Thousands of spectators situated in the Caves watch the athletes going down and hitting the ground.

This box is a solid block of its own. It won't open. It won't show any roughness or dent. Jay runs his fingers on all the sides and edges. He knocks, scratches, taps gently. This is not a box. This is a fortress of another kind.

Never mind. It's not my box, anyway.

He puts the box back on its shelf, respectfully, and moves on. Advancing in the room, he can't help feeling dizzy again at the sight of this long chamber. He can't see the end of it. Luckily, it looks like the boxes are classified following a simple alphabetical order... Birden...Deanun...Eerival... Slowing down his pace, Jay comes to a stop. On a higher shelf, among thousands of others: there it is. His heart skips a beat.

Jay Fleogan (Dryhten). Oh my! This is me.

Round One. A thin, heavy belt keeps them from drifting too high from the ground. The signal vibrates, and Ama pounces on Starling in a lightning-speed move. He lurches on the left and seizes her ankle. Ama bends backward and they soon become entangled into a swirling ball of fury. Suddenly Ama's arm is around Starling's neck. There is a moment of bewilderment, then Ama is projected high up and Starling soars even higher to fall back down on her. But before he can hold her flat on the ground, she rolls on the side, and the signal vibrates again.

Jay is staring at his box. So this is who he was: Jay Dryhten. He feels his body shaking softly, a storm brooding within his cells, an eruption brewing in his head. Without giving it a thought, he finds himself holding the box tight in his arms. He shuts his eyes and listens to the sounds of his past life; there is the locket, for sure. There is something like pearls rolling, and a heavier object too. It is there, and he can't touch it. He strokes the box, tries every nook, every edge, every line, then throws the box on the ground in desperation.