“Very funny.”
Tyra reinforced her verbal taunt by sending Jake a virtual one that involved a holographic version of herself laughing on a continual loop. He swiped it from his mind, something he’d got used to doing when it came to her.
“Happy Birthday, son,” said his mother. “How are you feeling?”
“Tense.”
“Remember everything will be fine in the end. We’ve all been there, and it worked out great for me and your dad, didn’t it?”
“Crap it did!” bellowed Paddy. “You’ve got very short memories. Maybe you should go back and check them again on that fancy cloud of yours. The two of you have had more ups and downs than a roller coaster.”
“Not now, Dad,” scowled Deborah, growling under her breath.
“It’ll be a disaster, Jake. Mark my words, nothing good will come of it. It was better in the old days when…” Paddy paused while he fumbled underneath his silicon shirt to adjust the small metal box on his hip. “Why am I hearing Radio Seattle? I didn’t ask for that racket. See what I mean, it’s a nightmare…now what have I got? Bloody interference. No, madam, I’m not your Uncle Stanley, you’ve connected to the wrong member. Don’t tell me who I am! No, I’m not him. I don’t care if I do sound like him! Stop calling me, crazy bitch. Get out of my memory feed…”
“Have they arrived yet?” asked Tyra more through curiosity than malice on this occasion.
“No,” replied Jake.
“I wonder what they’ll be like,” added Tyra. “Probably losers like you. That’s how it works. They’re designed by the Circuit to replicate an individual’s characteristics, I learnt that in Circology.”
“Do they!? You’re screwed, then, aren’t you?” replied Jake who sent a couple of his own pernicious memories into her feed.
“Mum, he’s doing it again!”
“Jake, what have I told you about virtual bullying? It’s banned in this house, do you hear me? Until your guides arrive, I still have parental controls and I’m not afraid to use them.”
“She started it!” grumbled Jake.
“And I’m finishing it.”
“Debs, how do I block someone again,” barked Paddy, still arguing with his own virtual world somewhere near the living room door.
“Just think it, Daddy, and it will happen automatically.”
“Oh Christ,” he replied.
“What is it?”
“I think I’ve just blocked Aunt Lou instead,” he said, grinning. “The mind knows what it wants! No…I wasn’t talking to you, madam, whoever you are, hang up your end!”
“Are you ready then, son?” said Kyle with a friendly smile, placing a comforting hand on Jake’s shoulder. “You won’t know what the future holds until you go out there.”
“I know.”
“And I’d rather not replace the front door,” Kyle chuckled. “We all got nervous on Ascension Eve. It’s normal.”
“I think I’m ready,” said Jake. “I’ve been preparing for it my whole life after all. I just wish Christie were here.”
Anxiety welled in his chest and generated a flood of adverts for antidepressant medication and replayed some of his darkest memories as a result. Christie always put him at ease. There was nothing he couldn’t face when she was at his side in full support. How he needed her warm, infectious smile right now.
“Is she coming around?” asked Deborah.
“Later,” replied Jake. “I don’t think she can face the reality either. It’ll be better once we know what’s in the letter.”
“Just remember son,” said his mother. “This doesn’t change who you are. We love you whatever happens. Whatever the letter says you’ll still be the strong-minded, independent, caring, quirky and spontaneous boy you’ve always been.”
“I hope so. It’s just…” He stopped and stared around at the people who’d been there to support him his whole life.
“What?” asked Deborah.
This moment might be one of the last when they were all together. There was so much he should say, yet he was consumed by self-interest and the words escaped him. His parents had done their best, and he’d not always repaid their encouragement the way they’d deserved. He’d been an unruly child, often blaming the behaviour on his regular flashbacks, although it was more often down to teenage hormones. He had a habit of arguing with people over the slightest difference in opinion and his rebellious nature caused his parents to see too many head teachers and hospital wards. The opening of the letter wasn’t just for him, it was for them also. A reward for their hard work and patience. Which meant opening it increased the pressure on him further.
None of his childhood misdemeanours were particularly planned or purposeful, but they’d supported and protected him whatever the circumstances. They were the first to stick up for his interests, even when he probably didn’t deserve it. It was true to say they held him to their high standards, which he felt were often impossible to reach, but they meant well even then. As they waited for him to finish his sentence, he tried to express his feelings, but the words and emotions ran for cover, unable to make the jump from the virtual world of his cloud to the visible one where they might appreciate it more.
Kyle gave him a little nudge towards the door before it was forced open from the outside.
Jake sucked in a gulp of air and confidently strode through it. On the other side, hovering perfectly still and making a quiet humming noise, the pink chrome-coloured drone stared back at him. An unseen function analysed his identity before the basket that held the letter dropped down and towards him slightly. As he inched closer the name on the letter reinforced the magnitude of the moment. The drone fixed its small camera on his face and made a noise that suggested it sympathised with how Jake felt but it was also impatient and had other stuff to do.
He stretched out a shaky hand and the tip of his finger touched the paper. It was real. He’d always wondered what paper felt like. Paddy had talked about it, but his description hadn’t done it justice. It was an exhilarating feeling, like the first time he’d kissed Christie or plugged himself into the Dream Centre. He lifted the paper prophecy out of the basket and immediately felt a shadowy presence just behind his right ear. Moments later, a second entity expanded behind his left ear.
A gravelly voice broke his subconscious.
“Strap in, Jake, this is when it gets really interesting!”
- Chapter 3 -
Brother Job and Sister Dinah
The projection of an old man strolled purposely towards the drone and gave the machine a gentle pat with a virtual hand. It slipped through the metallic shell, but the motion was enough for the drone to register some unknown command. Its solar engine hummed gently, and a few seconds later it shot into the murky sky and out of sight. The old man swivelled around with a disapproving look on his face.
Jake knew about the guides, even if he’d not seen one before. Family members had described their own escorts in great detail. There were always two of them, normally a man and a woman. Each one had a unique responsibility in your future development. Although they felt very real to you, they were invisible and unavailable to others in either world. One of the rare times when the Memory Cloud carried a protected programme, locked and secure. The guides were strictly bound to the virtual dimension.