The Nibiru Effect

Memory 31

I awake feeling rested and refreshed.

"That's odd," I mutter as I sit up and stretch. There's no reason for me to be happy, yet I feel great. Amazing, even.

I glance around, but there's no sign of my companions. If the past week is any indicator, Jonn is off somewhere looking for Avalon. As for Kara, she's probably tending to the sick korrigans, doing her best to ease their passing.

A blur of movement catches my eye, and I turn to find Korri standing before me.

"Hi," I say.

Korri gives me a big smile but, as usual, doesn't speak. I've known him for a total of seven days, yet never have I heard him utter a single word. But that's okay because he's the only korrigan I've met who doesn't treat me like the hero they believe me to be. He follows me everywhere I go, but he doesn't seem to want anything from me. He just hangs around and smiles at me whenever I acknowledge him. At first, I found him kind of annoying, but now I'm grateful for the company.

"Hungry?" I ask.

Korri nods. He may not speak, but he understands everything I say.

I glance around, but our food supplies have run out. That means I'll have to leave the cavern. Under normal circumstances, such a thought would terrify me, but for some reason, I'm looking forward to feeling the sun's hot rays on my skin.

I put on the shoes the korrigans designed for me. They're made of leather and string and take forever to put on, but they protect my feet better than any modern-day shoe ever could. Not to mention the fact that they're incredibly comfortable.

"Ready?" I ask once I'm done.

Korri nods.

The change in ambient light is drastic, and it takes my eyes a moment to adjust. When the world finally comes into focus, I find a dozen korrigans gathered before me.

Some are male. Others are female. Some are elders. Others are mere children. All seem hopeful. Their rosy pigment tells me they adore me. Under normal circumstances, I would feel bad for giving them a false sense of safety, but the truth is Kara was right. Without me, they would be completely devoid of hope. For the first time in my life, I feel as though I'm making a difference. Perhaps being trapped in the past isn't such a bad thing. Of course, it's only a matter of time before the korrigans figure out I'm an imposter, but until that day comes, I'll do my best to keep them from giving up.

"Good morning," I say.

I receive a few smiles and waves in response, but no one speaks. They just stand there and stare at me. It's about to become awkward when Korri tugs on my hand.

It's the first time he's touched me since that first day when I accidentally replicated his appearance. I half expect the now familiar heat to overwhelm me, but it doesn't.

"What is it?" I ask.

Korri releases my hand and gestures for me to follow him.

"Do you want to show me something?"

Korri nods and runs off. I throw one final glance at the group of korrigans before following him.

The orange-haired korrigan leads me along the perimeter of the village, dodging the other korrigans with surprising ease. He may be small, but he moves quickly, and I have to jog just to keep up. We eventually reach a small wooden enclosure, but Korri runs right past it. I linger long enough to notice a dozen creatures standing within. They are a few heads taller than me and appear to be a cross between a bird and a dinosaur. I would like nothing more than to take a moment to study them, but Korri is pulling ahead.

"Wait up!" I call out, but the korrigan doesn't hear me. I hurry in pursuit, but it's not until he finally comes to a stop that I manage to catch up.

"You're... fast... for a... small guy," I pant.

Korri doesn't respond. He merely points at something behind me, a proud smile curling his lips.

It's a tree. The narrow trunk is so pale it's almost white, and the leaves so dark they're nearly black. But the tree is far from colourless. Thousands upon thousands of red fruit weigh down the branches, causing them to droop. A thick carpet of fallen fruit covers the ground beneath it.

"What are they?" I ask.

Korri's response is to approach the nearest branch and pick a couple of fruit. He hands one to me and devours the other. I hesitate for a moment, then plop the fruit into my mouth and bite down.

A delighted moan escapes me as an explosion of juice splatters my tongue with flavour. It's both sweet and sour, and I immediately recognize it as the juice my friends and I have been drinking for the past week.

Korri and I spend the next few minutes stuffing our faces. It's not until someone calls my name that I realize how full I am. I groan as I turn to find the korrigan priest striding toward me.

"Good morning," he says.

"Good—" I begin, but the second half of the sentence is cut off by a powerful belch. It's not until Korri starts laughing that I realize he's the one who burped. I have no idea how such a small being can produce such a powerful sound, but I'm grateful for the joy it brings me.

"I see you two are having a good time," says the priest.

"Yeah," I admit. "Korri's a cool guy."

"Cool?"

"It means 'nice,'" I explain. I hesitate for a moment then add, "Why are you here?"

"I was hoping we could take a walk. There's something I would like to discuss with you."

I glance at Korri, who shrugs.

"Okay," I agree.

Moments later, we're walking through the village. Korri follows a short distance behind. I feel sorry for him, but there's nothing I can do to change the way the other korrigans treat him. He's a freak—at least by korrigan standards—and that makes him an outcast.

"I saw a bunch of feathered dinosaurs in a holding pen," I say when the priest fails to speak. "What are they?"

"They're called kaars. We use them to transport the food we can't grow within the village limits. We also use them when travelling great distances. It's much easier than walking."

I can't help smiling. Not only is the name reminiscent of modern-day vehicles, but their use is surprisingly similar.

We spend another minute or so walking in silence. I'm just about to ask another question when the priest finally speaks.

"When are you planning on leaving?" he asks.

My heart skips a beat.

"Leaving? Why would I leave?"

"You're our saviour," reminds the priest. "Your destiny is to travel to the Mountain of Fire and speak to Korrigana. The longer you delay, the more of us will die."

I don't know what to say. Should I admit I'm not the one they have been waiting for, or should I continue stringing them along? Lying doesn't feel like the answer, but telling the truth would be even more devastating. I'm debating what to do when the priest collapses.

I watch in stunneddisbelief as red veins appear across his entire frame. His small limbs shakeuncontrollably. Red froth spills from his mouth as his now bloodshot eyes rollback in their sockets. Korrigans converge from all directions to help. I juststand there, too stunned to react. Now more than ever, I regret accepting myrole as saviour of the korrigans.