The Catalyst

Chapter 7: Revelations

Hey everyone! Once again, this chapter is VERY important, so make sure to pay attention! There's not much action, mainly lots of talking, but you learn a lot about Dameon's parents and...ok, I'll tell you: there's a bit of foreshadowing for the future events of the book. See if you can find it!

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Chapter 7: Revelations

          If Lavinia’s eyes had not been dead serious, Dameon might not have believed her.

        He had expected something dark. Something that he would be hard-pressed to imagine. But as his aunt wove a tale of geniuses, firebrands, rebels, spies, and imposters, the only thought running through his head was it can’t be true.

        Like a veil, every single one of his beliefs - now childish delusions - were torn away, one by one. Dameon knew that there was much about his father and even more about his mother that he did not know, much that he had yet to learn, but now he found out that he had known absolutely nothing.

        “Your parents met in this very Lapillus division, in the Westminster college.” his aunt had begun, “A very prestigious university, ranked number one in the country at the time. Two young geniuses, both BioChemical Science Majors. Your mother had always lived in Lapillus, but your father had spent most of his life in the slums. He came to Lapillus holding onto the belief that the divisions were evil.”

        “Why?” Dameon whispered. His aunt shifted uncomfortably.

        “He… he believed that by keeping genes for high and low intelligence separate, as the divisions do, it only widened the gap between the smart and the stupid - but if I were to attempt to explain it all to you, we would be here all night. Suffice it to say that in the slums, he had made contact with some...unfavorable people. The kinds of people who stir up trouble in this country. When he came to Westminster he and your mother were instant friends. Very similar in nature- fiery, impulsive. And your mother, although Lapillus born-and-bred, was also unhappy about the divisions system, with a lot of the same issues as your father. Through their four years of college, she and your father were somewhat the rebels. Through quiet whisperings, secret meetings, they managed to pick out a small  group of fellow BioChemical majors who believed that the divisions should be brought down.”

        His aunt’s eyes grew unfocused, “You know, I still remember how, when she would come home on vacation, Lara would lock the doors to her room and spend hours in there. Sometimes I heard voices, and I think she must have been conference calling her ‘friends’ on the SmartVision. From what little I was able to glean, I think they were working on something -something to do with their final project for their majors - that they believed would eventually form a pathway for a replacement for the divisions. Though to this day I’m still not sure.”

        Dameon gulped, and resisted the urge to glance at his backpack where the Enhancement Solution was still carefully stored. Just looking at his aunt's eyes, he knew that above all he had to keep it a secret. Don't look at the bag. Don't look at the bag.

        Attempting to draw his own thoughts away from the contents of the backpack, he instead asked, “Is that why Ms. Acevedo said that Tenebris used to work at the Department for BioChemical Research?”

        His aunt Lavinia frowned, “Yes, I think that he and Lara worked there for about two years. Then, without warning, they both resigned. It seemed so stupid to me, because as you know at that time unemployment rates were still sky high, and if they quit their jobs, they likely would not get a chance to regain them. But then they packed up and moved to Chesta Vern, one of Salt Lake City’s suburbs.”