When All is Null and Void

Chapter Six

When Caleb woke again, he knew two very certain things: He was in his room at Angelica's apartment, and his head pounded with the ferocity of a pickaxe in the ice. He rarely had headaches, but he'd experienced a few migraines in his life, and this was the worst possible kind. His throat was parched, lips cracked and aching along with his head. He couldn't even deal with the fact that last time he'd awoken it had been in Rhea James' laboratory of nightmares. How had he gotten here?

Glancing at his nightstand, a full glass of water stood in solidarity. Three white, circular pills sat next to the cup with a note. He could barely read the words without nausea threatening to consume him. He didn't care if the pills were some sort of poison; at the moment he would take the slim odds of dying over this pain. After swallowing the tiny pods and downing the cup of water, Caleb closed his eyes again and tried to sleep.

His stomach burbled, a tumultuous revolt against what Rhea had injected him with. Caleb tossed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position, but this bed had a spring that poked against his side no matter how he laid.

Whenever he finally did fall asleep again, he dreamed of the beast that had been in that dark place with him. It was foggy, far less vivid and real as it had been when he'd first experienced it, but his skin still crawled with fire ants at the sight of it. Those spider legs bore down on him, reaching and ready to drag Caleb into the shadows. Dimly, Caleb wondered if Carter and Alia were dead.

The sun had gone down the next time Caleb opened his eyes. Angelica's Holo was quiet, but the bass buzzed against the wall in a low, hypnotic drone. Caleb nestled back into the blankets and slept easily. After showering, Caleb noticed the small, black velvet box next to his bed. A shimmering silk ribbon of deepest red sat atop, tied in a near perfect bow. Had it been there last night? It could have been; Caleb had been so blinded by the headache he'd only noticed to the medication.

Leaving the button and zipper of his pants undone, Caleb picked the box up. It was lighter than he'd anticipated, and he almost dropped it. The ribbon shimmered as he untied the bow. It fell limp in his palm, and when he opened the box, a tiny bloom of light grew into an index card sized message.

Caleb Carlisle, please report to the James Estate at 10am on the 6th of May for your orientation. You have been chosen, and to be chosen is rewarded. Rhea James

The light dimmed, revealing a golden ring. It was the same gold he'd seen on so many fingers in the last few days, only this one seemed duller, somehow less vibrant. When he touched it, a shiver of quiet joy rushed through him. It was just a hunk of metal, but that secret place in the back of his mind begged to differ.

He might have stared at the ring longer, if he wasn't afraid of being late for school. He set the box back onto the nightstand and yanked a gray t-shirt over his head before zipping up his jeans. His entire body ached with soreness from all the physical activity Peggy Landers had forced upon him.

He trotted out of his bedroom, past the empty living room, and to the stairwell outside the apartment. Mrs. Peters stood on the landing outside, watering her succulents that drooped to the floor. In the time Caleb had lived with Angelica, Mrs. Peters had never taken Caleb's advice. She just couldn't understand that a New York stairwell wasn't the place for a cactus to grow, and that they needed far more light and far less water.

He didn't stop to greet her, instead chose to hop down three steps at a time. "Be careful!" she called to him. "You'll break your ankle."

"Kind of the plan!" Caleb shouted back. He could hear her low chuckle as he pressed into the sunny outdoors.