The Freshman Ch. 36

Jason briefly slept, but woke up after just a couple of hours. He got up quietly to not disturb his companions and worked his way through the rows of cots to get to the exit. He stepped outside. The day was dreary and overcast, but there was a hint the sky might clear up before sunset. Jason wandered around the silent tents for a few minutes. Then he noticed the Priestess who had collared Cecilia, the one member of the Danubian Clergy who spoke some English.

He approached her. She looked hard at him, for a moment not recognizing him because of his body paint. Then she realized that standing in front of her was Jason Schmidt, the unlikely hero of the coup and the boyfriend of the young woman she had collared at the beginning of the summer. Jason was not sure what to do. He needed to talk...talk to someone about the weird feeling he had experienced during the first night's march. The Priestess, astute at reading other people's emotions, picked up on the needs of the young man standing in front of her.

"You want say me?"

"Uh...yes...I kinda want to talk..."

"We talk, yes. You kneel, I salute, and we talk."

Jason went to his knees and touched his head to the ground. The Priestess told him to get up and she saluted him. He saluted back, in the ancient exchange between a member of the Danubian Clergy and an average citizen. Slowly, very haltingly, he talked about what had happened during the march and his strange feeling of anxiety. He began to ramble, but the Priestess cut him off.

"So, you afraid. No?"

"I guess...kinda..."

"You no guess, Jason Schmidt. You say me if you afraid."

"Yes. I got scared last night. And Cecilia did too."

"So you scared. Why you scared?"

"I don't know. Maybe 'cause...you know, it kinda felt like we weren't here..like we were somewhere else. It just didn't feel right..."

The Priestess thought about Jason's statement for a moment.

"Maybe you say me truth, Jason Schmidt. Maybe you no here. Maybe you some other place."

The Priestess told him to stick out his hands. When he complied, she grabbed them, held them very tightly, and closed her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, Jason closed his eyes as well. Jason felt the Priestess's hands shake as they continued to hold his in a painful vice-like grip. Then she said "Doc-doc" and released him. Jason opened and closed his hands to restore the circulation, surprised that a woman could have squeezed them so hard. The Priestess then looked him hard in the eye.

"You say me truth. Last night you afraid."

"Yes, Priestess. I just told you that. I wasn't lying."

"Tonight you more afraid. Tonight you see truth. You see truth, and you find me in Temple tomorrow."

"But..."

"No 'but', Jason Schmidt. Tonight you scared. Tomorrow you see me."

The Priestess abruptly turned away; making it very clear she had nothing more to say to him. He was not reassured in the least. If what she was saying was true, a very unpleasant night awaited him. He returned to his cot, glanced at Cecilia's sleeping body, and lay down. For a while his eyes watched the tent's canvas as it slowly moved with the wind, but finally managed to fall asleep.

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A few hours later a Priest woke everyone up with a shrill whistle. The sun was low in the horizon and there was a lot for the marchers to take care of in the next two hours. They had to drink, go to the bathroom, get their body paint touched up, and finally attend a worship service before collecting their torches and setting out. Jason reluctantly took his torch, glancing with increasing anxiety at the ever-darkening sky and the black ribbon of road that led back into Danube City. Tonight you more scared, Jason Schmidt. Tonight you more scared.

The darkness descended on him as ominous feelings surged through his body. Perhaps he was just imagining things, but he thought could actually feel the dead entering and leaving his body. It was at that point that he began having visions. The first he had was not frightening at all. It simply was an image of Cecilia, standing in an American-style kitchen, cooking a pot of rice and beans. She was somewhat older, her face thin and lines beginning around her eyes and mouth. The beginnings of gray already were forming in her jet-black hair, which was cut much shorter. The vision ended when Cecilia turned around, smiled at him, and handed him a plate. There was a final detail he noticed before the vision faded to blackness, that she was wearing a Danubian engagement necklace. Jason realized he had seen a moment from his own future, a future he was destined to share with her.

The marchers stopped for their first break, two hours after walking through the throngs of silent worshipers. With a new torch and his stomach full of blackberry punch, Jason descended into the darkness again. His mental wanderings took him through the lives of his parents and the slow deterioration of their marriage over the years. His thoughts jumped back and forth through time as he saw his parents' house, first for sale and unoccupied when they first bought it, then for sale and unoccupied as it sat following his parents' deaths. He saw his father as he worked in his office and his mother at the country club. He saw Amanda Galloway's face morph into the face of Heather Jones, and then the face of Heather Jones morph into a crushed skull. He relived the accident that killed her, seeing it in intimate detail from the perspective of someone watching from the outside. Then he saw himself, scrubbing toilets in the state hospital while several mental patients stared at him.

The visions continued as Jason saw the world from the perspective of Cassie's boyfriend. The world swirled around in a pot and ecstasy-induced stupor. He listened to his father's insults and experienced the breakdown that led to the final drug-induced rage in May. He watched his mother blow-drying her hair in the bathroom and the horrified expression on her face just before her head blew apart. Then he exchanged places with his father, lying helpless but still defiant in the last moment of his life.

His mind then shifted to the world from Cassie's point of view. He saw in vivid detail her boyfriend's body tumbling down the stairs and the horror of his mangled face. He relived her flight to the neighbor's house, and watched her crouch in terror in her neighbors' bedroom as the shotgun went off downstairs. He watched as the street filled with police cars, ambulances, and reporters. He watched as his sister came completely undone, as horror and panic took over and she began screaming incoherently. Finally, he saw her in the state hospital, in a catatonic state curled up under a table, with the psychiatrists and his grandmother trying to coax her out. His grandmother was holding an old stuffed rabbit, Cassie's favorite toy when she was little.

"I brought Bee-Bop, Cassie. I brought him, just for you. Don't you want to come out and hold Bee-Bop? You can come out, Cassie, no one's gonna hurt you..."

There was a final vision, of Cassie sitting curled up in an armchair in the guestroom of his grandmother's condominium. The curtains were closed and the room was dark. In the darkness Cassie was holding Bee-Bop the rabbit.

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That night Cecilia experienced three visions. The first was of Jason. She was cooking dinner in her kitchen, an old Dominican recipe of rice and beans. She had endured several years of life in college without rice and beans, but now that she had her own kitchen, she would cook rice and beans, whether Jason and the kids liked it or not. Fortunately Jason was flexible when it came to food, so he gladly took the plate she had given him. He was somewhat older, but very wiry because he had not given up running. Even now he was still running marathons so he always had a healthy appetite. As for the kids, well...maybe they wanted junk food, but that wasn't going to happen. Jason was even more of a heath nut than Cecilia, so the kids had to eat healthy as well. That's just the way it was, rice and beans and lots of exercise to work it off. She had a comment for Jason Junior, or J.J. as he was called in the house. Don't you argue with your father about the beans, J.J., 'cause you know that isn't gettin' you anywhere.

Cecilia took her first break very relieved, thinking, if that's the future; that's what I want. She smiled at Jason as she picked up her replacement torch. The next part of her journey was not nearly as pleasant.

Her mind traveled to the penitentiary in Camden, where Raul Sanchez was exiting the facility with a bunch of other released prisoners. Raul had been let out on parole, but he had no intention of complying with the conditions of his release. He had some scores to settle and then he'd pick up where he had left off. Vicente Torres and Cecilia's younger brother were there to pick him up, along with Raul's girlfriend. Vicente passed Raul a cell phone and Raul immediately started making calls to let everyone know he was back on the street and ready to roll. He called his supplier and then stopped off at the bank to get some cash that the girlfriend had been keeping for him in her safety deposit box. He counted $ 20,000 and the group headed across the river to pick up two kilos. The $ 20,000 was a down payment; but the supplier knew Raul was good for the rest and fronted him the kilos. Hey, no problem...

As they went down the stairs, Vicente suddenly had a feeling something was not right. He had this feeling; something wasn't right. He told his companions to get in the car right away and passed Raul his pistol.

As they opened the doors to get in the vehicle, the young woman dropped her purse. She bent down to pick it up, but suddenly dropped to the ground. A burst of automatic gunfire shattered the car's windows and sprayed glass around the car. The young woman lay flat on the ground until the glass stopped flying. The Sanchez brothers and Vicente Torres were slumped in their seats, still alive, but not for long. They were bleeding heavily and gasping for breath. The young woman pulled her own gun from her purse and quickly pumped a finishing round into each of their heads. She reached under the seat and grabbed the two kilos. Then she jumped into another car and the driver sped off.

Raul's gang had dominated the project for several years, but now it was time for another group to come in and take over. Raul's girlfriend had been smart enough to see it coming and had teamed up with the winning side. Over the next month there would be a total of 14 additional shootings in the project. By the end of the year control of the area would change hands and a new set of faces would be passing out bags of crack on the sidewalks.

Cecilia was shaking badly when the marchers got to their next break station. She was stunned, unable to think or react. Was it possible? Were her brothers and her ex-boyfriend really dead?

She wanted to talk, to find out the truth, but at that moment there was no one to turn to. Jason had a completely stunned, vacant look in his face. Obviously he was dealing with his own terror, and was in no condition to help Cecilia with hers. As for Vladik and Tiffany, she was in his arms, shaking violently and crying. Suddenly she heard the voice of that Priestess echoing in her head.

"Now you see truth. Now you see real truth."

The marchers set off again, for the final stretch of walking through the streets of Danube City. There was only one vision remaining for Cecilia that night. She saw a four-year old boy, wandering among the needles strewn about a bunch of dumpsters in her housing project. She called out to him, and recognized him as her cousin's son. The boy lifted up his arms and the vision faded to black.

Slowly Cecilia's conscience returned to the real world, the long line of fires extending as far as the eye could see in either direction. The throngs of kneeling worshipers began chanting out loud, after having prayed in silence for two full nights. Suddenly every church bell started ringing and the crowds began singing the ancient hymn that marked the end of the Day of the Dead. Cecilia noticed the sky was getting light and realized that she already had passed into the Plaza of the Ancients. As she and her companions walked around the Temple she could see the glare of the huge bonfire near the river that was consuming the torches, all 2,400 of them, that had been carried by the marchers during the final leg of their journey. A Priest directed the marchers to move up-wind from the fire so they could get close enough to throw their torches onto the massive pile of burning wood. With a grunt Cecilia threw hers as hard as she could and it landed about halfway up the side of the pile. Jason and Vladik managed to get theirs clear to the top. The marchers now had just two more obligations, to wash off Death in the River and to gather for a final hymn in the Plaza. Cecilia forced herself into the cold river, trying as best she could to get the paint off the lower part of her body and her face. She was about to step out when Tiffany admonished her.

"You gotta do your back too. They want you to get all the paint off before you go to the Plaza."

Cecilia sighed and forced herself to drop into the water. Jason helped her wipe off what was left on her back. Shivering in the pre-dawn cold, Cecilia and the others stepped out of the water and made their way back to the Plaza. The criminals gathered, pressing their bodies together for warmth as they sang the final hymn of the ceremony. Afterwards they quickly dispersed to get cleaned up and then go to the Central Police Station to pick up their winter capes and boots.

Vladik led the others into the Temple. He had to go back on duty shortly and needed to get his collar off so he could go to the police station, shower, and put on his uniform. A Priest quickly unlocked his collar and the naked couple departed the Temple.

Cecilia was dead silent, too stunned by what she had just seen to speak or react. She stood in the main chamber of the Temple, shivering from cold and fright. She did not have a clue what she should do about her visions. Had she seen something that already had happened? Had she seen the unavoidable future? Had she seen something she could prevent?

Jason was every bit as badly shaken as Cecilia. However, he did know what they needed to do: find that Priestess and talk to her. Without saying a word, he grabbed Cecilia's hand and led her around the Temple. The Priestess was waiting for them, standing elegantly in her severe black dress and wearing an equally severe expression. Jason immediately knelt and touched his head to the floor, with Cecilia following his lead.

"Now you stand up."

Jason stood up and saluted, with Cecilia once again following his lead. The Priestess saluted back.

"Now you say me what you saw. You say me truth, and I ask Creator what you do."

Jason went first. He briefly mentioned the visions of his parents, suspecting that the visions that really mattered were the ones of Cassie. He took it for granted that if the Priestess thought the stuff about his parents was important, she'd interrupt him, which she didn't. When he finished, all she said was.

"Your father dead. Your sister not dead. You remember, that your path in life. Your sister not dead."

Jason was bewildered by that statement, but stayed silent as Cecilia talked about her own vision. The Priestess made her concentrate on her first vision, the one with Jason, and her final vision, the one about her cousin's child. She seemed not at all interested in the middle vision, the one of her brothers getting double-crossed and killed. Cecilia wanted to return to that middle vision, but the Priestess kept cutting her off. Finally Cecilia became exasperated:

"Priestess, how come you aren't worried about what happened to my brothers? I just saw them fuckin' get killed and you..."

The Priestess drew her fist across her chest, the impolite Danubian way of saying "shut up!"

"You say me, what you do about brothers? How you help dead brothers? That not your path in life!"

"But are they dead?"

"Yes. They dead, and they dead with broken soul, no?"

"I 'spose. I 'spose you could put it that way. I 'spose all of their souls are broken. All of 'em. The whole fuckin' project."

"No. No all soul broken, Cecilia. Your brothers dead. But little boy no dead. He no broken. That your path in life."

The Priestess gave that thought a chance to sink in. It was true that when Cecilia left her family, the one thing that filled her with guilt was having left her cousin's son in that dysfunctional environment. She was the only one in the household who had given him any care at all, and fortunately he was off the bottle just before she left. She was the one who had gotten him to the point where he could walk and feed himself, because her cousin was never around to take care of him. She had to abandon him to save herself. Now, with her family decimated by the local gang war, perhaps it was her destiny to go back and extract him from the dying neighborhood. As badly as she wanted to ask the Priestess that question, Cecilia realized she already knew the answer.

The Priestess grabbed a hand from each of them and clamped down in a painful vice-like grip. She closed her eyes and her arms started to shake. Cecilia and Jason gave each other frightened looks, but then the Priestess opened her eyes and quickly released them. She pulled out a key from a pocket in her dress and unlocked both of their collars.

"Now you go on path. Your sister and your little boy. Creator give you power fix soul. You go and you come. When you go, you say me and I say professor. You go and you come."

Jason interjected:

"Priestess, are you saying we're supposed to bring them here? To Danube City?"

"You go and you come. That your path in life."

The Priestess handed them two prayer robes to wear home, a clear sign their penance had ended. Their days of wearing the Temple collar had passed, and now it was time for them to fulfill an obligation they had towards two other people. Two trips, to journeys into the past, and two lives to save. They quickly went to their homes, got cleaned up, and for the first time in nearly four months, got dressed.