WnW 3.11

Thin flowering trees created a canopy of white and pink petals, shading the dirt path that ran behind the biology building. The travel of hundreds of students had beaten this trail into the earth, an alternative and more scenic route between the various faculties of Sillwood University, going around the back of many of the buildings, but not all of them. The trail curved in front of a tall building used for archival purposes, as it was a bit too much of a detour for people just going from class to class. I stepped off the path and went to the back of this building to find my favourite little spot of last year’s semester.

A large tree had grown here, hidden from any human meddling by the lack of windows on this side. It had a trunk that was much wider than the other trees, with red leaves shaped like the Canadian flag, so I assumed it was a maple tree. The large leaves dampened the midday sun, creating a soft glow and dappled shadows on the ground. This was the best place to just sit and relax, far away from the loudness of the campus center. A place where I could close my eyes and listen to the wind making the leaves rustle and branches creak.

But I wasn’t going to relax just yet. Last year I had considered using the tree to climb up onto the roof of the three-story building. It was tall enough from what I could see at ground level, but there weren’t any low branches to grab on to. I would have to scale about ten feet of bark to reach the lowest branches, or… I could try to jump up. Before that would have been impossible, but now I had something to test.

I looked around to make sure there wasn’t anyone coming. There was the sound of distant laughter, but no one was near. I turned back to the tree and crouch low, resting on the balls of my feet. Then I sprouted bone from the back of my knees. I made it grow downwards and weaved it around my ankles. Slowly, with intense focus, I formed a kind of brace around my legs.

On that last day before classes, instead of going to Alek, Nell and I did some training of our own. I had mentioned some ideas to Nell and she had given me some direction on how to try them. But she had also noted that my control over the antlers was good enough that I could try to weave them into a more complex Shape.

I ran my hands along the smooth bones, checking my work. Good. The bones had locked my legs into this squatting position.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to tap into what Nell had jokingly called sports mode after hearing the term from Kay. I felt a little tremor of energy pass through my limbs and then it vanished. This was hard to do without Nell. I tried again, focusing on that instinctual feeling of flight or fight that came with it. Another false start, like I was trying to start a lawn mower. C’mon body, take this seriously. I needed this to work in times of actual danger. Aaron’s weathered face came to mind, eyes full of promises of violence. My heart lurched into high gear and my skin ached slightly as it compensated for the growing muscles.

Not wanting to waste the chance, I immediately started to push against the bone braces. The antlers creaked like the branches overhead as I poured more and more tension into them. Just a bit more…

Just as I started to think about the next step, the bones snapped. The tension released and I shot into the air. Somersaulting, legs carrying over my head, I pinwheeled my arms in a vain effort as the world spun. There was a jolt of pain as my legs smacked into the tree. My head hit the ground a moment later. I lay there dazed with my legs in the air, admiring the maple leaves, turned partially see-through by the light.

The idea had been to store energy in the resistance of the bone braces, in an attempt to emulate the jumping power of some insects. I called it Locust Legs. But the antlers were too weak, even when I weaved them together. I sighed and let go of my Shape, returning my body to normal.

Plan B was less exciting. I walked around to the back of the tree and grew a sharp branch before spearing it into the trunk. Snapping it off with a quick wrenching motion, I stepped up onto it, testing if it would hold my weight before doing the whole process again, this time a step higher, creating a ladder.

After reaching the tree’s actual branches, I scaled those to the top. Heights didn’t scare me but this high up I could feel the actual trunk of the tree shift slightly with the wind. I picked a sturdy looking branch for my bridge to rooftop access. I stayed low, steadying myself on nearby branches as I shuffled closer to the roof’s edge. Just as I was considering jumping, a wave of hunger washed over me, so intense it made my knees weak. I swayed a little before realizing the danger of falling and snapping back into focus. I stayed still for a second, feeling the hunger ebb away until it settled into the background of my mind. Too much Shaping? I had been making a lot of antlers today.

I tested my footing, then hopped from the branch to the rooftop, landing safely. The wind seemed to rush to greet me, blowing back my hair, giving me an uninhibited view. The university was on the west side of the city, which was slightly elevated which meant that I could see a good portion of the city from here. What immediately stood out was the downtown, with its tall skyscrapers of silver and green, looking like glass bottles washed up on a beach. It was easy for me to imagine the district at night, when the buildings’ silhouettes would be changed by neon lights and signs.

Looking further, I could see the iconic “Sill” of Sillwood. The tall cliff overlooked the Old Town. While the top of the cliff was green with trees, the layers of sedimentary rock were coloured slightly different shades, giving the cliff the appearance of a lopsided cake, with skewed horizontal lines running across it. The cliff was unstable and had been slowly crumbling over the years, making the part of the city beneath it at risk of falling rocks.

There had been a landslide when I was a young teen that had finally forced the hand of the city officials, who called for the city to evacuate the Old Town. While the barricades kept most out, the unhoused and those looking to escape the law had made it their new home. It was a common point of criticism of the city council, that they had made promises of renewal for the Old Town but deep pockets kept turning them to more profitable endeavours.

Shading my eyes, I scanned the old buildings. Some had been destroyed by the crumbling Sill and I wondered if my dad’s old workplace was among them. To find that out, I needed to talk to him.

I let out a sigh and pulled out my phone, sending a single line of text: “Hey. We need to talk.”

To my surprise, my phone rang a moment later. I took a moment to compose myself and then answered, “Hey.”

“Hey, Nick,” my dad spoke softly. “What’s up?”

“Aren’t you working?”

“Yeah, I am. I just figured this was more important. Your mom, she kept telling me that I was using work as an excuse to be more distant. I didn’t want to hear it at the time. It just came across as ungrateful for my sacrifice but now I… Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“That’s okay.” I said, watching the tops of the trees sway.

“Did you want to ask me something?”

“I want to know the full story.”

“Ah.” Dad fell silent and I could imagine him taking his glasses off for a moment to think. 

“I owe you that much. I really am a biochemist, Nick. I research and develop psychoactive drugs for depression, mania, all sorts of mental disorders.”

“Is that what you gave me? A psychoactive drug?”

Dad was silent on the other end. I could hear him breathing. “You were always good at cutting to the point. I’m not sure who you got that from.”

I felt sick to my stomach. “It was just a normal pill?”

“Not at all. But let me start at the beginning. It started very benign. One day we hear from our boss that our company got bought out. The mood was high. Renovations began almost immediately. We were paid well and I think that dampened people’s doubts. But then we started to get less and less communication from our boss until he just vanished one day, replaced by a stranger who had a different way of running things. I was given formulas and sample drugs and was told to replicate them. We weren’t a production facility, but they seemed satisfied with the small amount we made…” Dad trailed off and I wasn’t seeing the trees anymore. Just white walls and lights that bleached the colour from the surroundings.

“Then they started to bring in test subjects. We never saw what happened to those people, one day they would sit in those windowed rooms, and then the next day they would be gone. My coworkers who were the most vocal started to disappear. Not just quit, I knew these people, Nick. They’re phone numbers were deactivated, houses sold. Them and their entire families, vanished. I needed to do something. But I was too afraid that something would happen to you and your mom.”

“Then one day I was contacted by someone. They said that they worked for the government and that they needed samples of the drugs I was producing. Otherwise they couldn’t do anything to help me. So I-” he stopped and took a shuddering breath.

My heart ached. I wanted to scream at him, blame him for everything that was fucked up about me. But that wouldn’t help. That rage was an endless well. Something needs to change.

“What happened, after you smuggled out the drugs?” I asked, the words constricting my throat.

Dad coughed and said, “ I dropped them off at a pre-planned spot. They kept saying it wasn’t enough. I kept going. It felt like the only path forward. Then one day, the agent stops contacting me. A few days later I show up to work and the whole building has been locked down, covered in police tape. I just felt so relieved that I didn’t have to go back there.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Despite all that I did, you were so brave.”

I couldn’t handle much more of this conversation.

“What was the address of that building?” I asked.

Dad was quiet for a moment. “Why…”

“I’m going to go look at it.”

“Nick, the Old Town isn’t safe-”

“That’s fine,” I said bluntly. “This is me being brave.”

“Well… if that’s what you need to do, I won’t stop you. 314 Perch Road. Just be careful.”

“I will,” I said, then I hung up and tried to shake the tension out of my arms.

I descended back down the tree, taking risks by dropping from higher branches to land and balance on lower ones, instead of finding a safer route. My feet hit the ground and I rolled to reduce the strain on my body.

Turning back to look at the tree, I wondered if my Locust Legs were worth working on. With Nell’s help, I might just be able to reach the lowest branches with just a regular jump. How far away was I from that? I slipped back into “sports mode” and jumped. My hand swiped at the branch I’d been aiming for but came up short. I landed awkwardly close to the tree and had to stumble sideways to avoid crashing into it.

“What the fu…”

I whirled around to see three people staring at me, mouths open wide in astonishment.