INTO THE VOID

CHAPTER 18: UNVEILED

Xaviere woke up suddenly. He looked around the room, the light was turned off and everywhere was dark. He usually turned off the light whenever he slept due to the hyper-photosensitivity that came with his eye defect. He looked at his alarm clock sitting unmoved on the bedside table; the alarm had not gone off yet, it was just a minute from six am. As he stared at the digital clock, he saw the time change and the alarm suddenly went off. Immediately the tune played, he turned it off.

Xaviere sat on his bed and wondered for a minute about what exactly is going on. Just like the many mornings before, he woke up with no definite grasp on the events that transpired in his dream; all he saw were flashes, pieces of a whole that made no actual sense. On some mornings, he did not care. He just began his routine paying no attention to the incomplete dream while on some other mornings, the glimpses of events were to disturbing or captivating to ignore. On this morning however, he was very particular about remembering this dream. He thought and thought and then all of a sudden, he felt a touch on his arm and someone then said in a sleepy voice,

“You’re up quite early.” On hearing Petrichor’s feminine voice, he was taking aback. At first he was going to ask what she was doing in his dorm, in the room, on his bed and under his sheets but then he hesitated and looked in her eyes. Suddenly, everything added up in an instant. The kiss, The VOID, the Mongolian Mission, The Infirmary, The Library and The Story of Zeros and Ones. Never has he been so happy to see her. For the first time in his life, he was not behind a curtain seeing shadows; everything was unveiled. He knew now who he was.

“I always wake up by six; even when I don’t want to. My alarm clock won’t let me.” Xaviere said with a smile on his face. In past mornings, he will look for his glasses whenever he woke up but right now he didn’t need them. He could see very clearly. At this moment, staring in the eyes of this woman he has come to love, he could see with no blurs, no hindrance; Xaviere could see.

“I need to get going. We have classes to attend.” Xaviere whispered to Petrichor who was in one of his big, round-neck shirts. She had nothing else on, just his shirt. They both lay beneath his duvet and she curled her legs between his.

“Don’t go… please don’t go. Let’s just lay here forever.” Petrichor said as she held on to his Daffy Duck T-shirt. He smiled at her and then they locked lips.

“Sorry to break up your whole love birds routine but I'm going to have to turn on the lights.” Logan said. On hearing Logan’s voice, Petrichor pulled back from Xaviere’s face and dragged the duvet over her body. She felt very embarrassed.

“Just a minute bruv…” Xaviere said as he tried to act as normal as he could.

“I will be in the bathroom.” Logan said. Was this some parallel universe or alternate reality? Xaviere wondered. If anyone was going to be caught in bed with a girl, it should have been Logan. He was a sophomore and a football player and he is well… Logan. But in a weird twist of events, Xaviere was the one sharing a duvet with a female that morning.

As they got up and got in their clothes, Xaviere could think about were the series of events that led to this particular moment. He fought a crazy monk, samurai style, in The Soulish Realm; how mind blowing was that? He had the ability to geographically translocate which was just basically teleportation if you took away the heavy nomenclature. He woke up in bed with a girl he was scared to talk to the first time they met. This was all so crazy. Xaviere was freaking out but in a good way.

“What classes do you have today? Petrichor asked indulgingly.

“I think its Basic Medical Laboratory techniques. Yeah that’s it. I have that class by 9.”

“It’s Saturday, genius.” Logan who had just got out of the bathroom said. “How exactly are you giving off hangover vibes when I'm pretty certain you had nothing but fruit punch yesterday?”

“It’s Saturday?” Xaviere asked Petrichor with his eyes wide open.

“Duh, yes it’s Saturday. The frat parties are done on Fridays.” She responded.

“He obviously won’t know that. That was his first frat party or any party at all to be honest.” Logan said tauntingly.

“C’mon, I have been to parties before.”

“Oh really; what parties have you attended before, some naming ceremony or some catholic kid’s baptism?” Logan asked. Petrichor laughed.

“I have in fact been to a couple of parties in my lifetime. I may have not danced or you know spoken to people but it still counts. I have been to parties.”

“Do you always crash them?” Logan asked sarcastically. Xaviere laughed awkwardly. “I never knew you could fight like that. That was some John Wick stunts you pulled out there.” Xaviere wanted to respond, but he did not know exactly what to say.

“The guy deserved it. You footballers think you can do whatever you want. Sometimes you guys need to get a bloody nose before you stop.” Petrichor answered, breaking the awkward silence.

“Whatever you say…” Logan said raising both hands in the air like a culprit caught at gunpoint. “I’ve got training. I'm off to the field. You kids don’t have too much fun without me.” Logan said pointing as he got his backpack and walked towards the door. Logan left the room and both of them were finally alone.

“What’s up WXYZ?” Petrichor asked. She used the nickname Alice gave him, so much, one would think she made it up.

“My ceiling, the roof, the sky, bunch of planets, a vast ever expanding universe; well, I will say a lot is up.” Xaviere answered with a smile on his face.

“Oh My God, you’re so goofy.” Petrichor said laughing. “So what exactly do you do on Saturdays?” She asked.

“I normally take a run, do a little exercising, you know I have to keep the boys in shape.” Xaviere said as he flexed his right bicep.” Petrichor laughed placing her fingers over her face. Xaviere laughed too. “After the jog, I come back here and take my bath then I whip a culinary master piece for breakfast. After eating, I study. I revise what I learnt during the week. After studying, I might just dabble in some literature, read a few books or take a walk. I really don’t do a lot now that I think of it. Xaviere said. “What about you? What are your weekends like? You are out there saving the universe.” Xaviere asked.

“Not exactly, but yeah I do sometimes have some minor missions on over weekends. I go to the rink, practice some routines. Not really major. I watch a lot of movies too; classic girl stuff.” She said.

“Nothing is ever just average with you.” Xaviere said looking intently at her. She looked back at him.

“You do have a way with words.” Petrichor responded.

“I say nothing but the truth. I have been completely honest with you, finding no feelings. I have been an open book but I can’t really say the same about you. I know yes, secrecy was a necessity in the line of duty you had to carry out and yes, I admit you need your duty to the best of your abilities. But, right now, with no more veils, with all curtains open, there are some things I would really like to know. We just shared a bed. Tell me Petrichor; if that is even your real name, are these feelings real or am I just another mission?” Xaviere asked with teary eyes. Petrichor looked at him and grabbed his face with both her hands.

“Don’t ever doubt what you mean to me.” She said. “For a long time, my life has been empty, no actual meaning. I dedicated myself to those missions. I have had no live apart from The VOID. That all changed since I met you. You’re so beautiful and sweet and innocent and sincere and I'm so sorry I couldn’t be honest with you. You fill an emptiness nothing has been able to fill. You make me feel whole; you make me feel alive.” Petrichor said still holding him.

”Tell me then, who exactly are you, Petrichor Dune?” Xaviere asked with a tear now rolling down his cheek.