Jeremy sits in Chatravati’s office, listening to the foreign love ballad playing on the busted-up casette player. The Folkvanger remains invisible today, hidden away behind the autumnal wallpaper.
“I don’t know why I’m here,” Jeremy says, breaking the silence. “I stopped the troll.”
“You also caused half of the city to lose power,” says Chatravati. He is sitting calmly behind his desk with his hands linked together on the dark wood. He regards Jeremy keenly. “Sarra told me what you said to her, Jeremy. But I don’t think you’re quite right about being invincible.”
“Well then, what am I?” Jeremy asks. He’s frustrated and Chatravati can understand that. Being a teenager is difficult enough without having to come to terms with monsters and super-powers. “When you shot at me, the gun didn’t go off.”
“You are certainly special, Jeremy,” Chatravati says. “But to think of yourself as invincible, well… it could be dangerous. Remember when DuPont cursed you? Remember how sick you were?”
Jeremy shudders. In truth he remembered little about the feverish few days he spent in bed while DuPont tortured a vodou doll in his likeness. What few memories he did have of that time were coloured like bruises and made his stomach roll over.
“Do you know what my ability is? No? Then let me tell you,” Chatravati sits back in his seat and looks up at the ceiling. “I can see the potential of things, Jeremy. The causes and effects of them. I can see the links of the chains that bind us together.”
Jeremy doesn’t say anything, because he doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t exactly understand what Chatravati is talking about.
“When I look at a person I see them tethered to this reality by threads,” Chatravati goes on. “Depending on how hard I concentrate, I can see threads connected to those threads and so on, connecting every person on this planet with every other person; connecting every event to a cause, however distant in time or space.”
“So…” says Jeremy. “What do you see when you look at me?”
“That’s it exactly,” Chatravati says. “You’re unconnected. You have no direct links to the past, present or future. It is why a bullet won’t strike you, or a plant won’t bite you. It’s almost as though… you don’t exist.”
“If I don’t exist, then how can anything I do matter?” Jeremy asks.
“Just as the opposing ends of magnets repel each other, your… unique quality still exerts an influence on the world around you,” Chatravati begins. “Although things do not affect you directly, you can still have an impact on the rest of the world. Perhaps in far more dramatic ways than the rest of us.”
“I don’t understand,” says Jeremy and looks down at the floor. The cassette tape reaches its end and Chatravati flips it over and presses play. Another love song comes blaring out.
“For everything you do, Jeremy… reality has to compensate around you.” Chatravati says. “For want of a better word, you are… volatile. In a world where everything is predictable, you alone are random.”
“It is because of this,” Chatravati continues. “That you must be particularly aware of the potential impact that your actions could have on our world. Everything that you do carries enormous weight, Jeremy. You must be cautious.”
Jeremy notices how Chatravati said “our world” as though Jeremy himself isn’t a part of it. And if what the old man says is true, he wonders if he really is. Who am I? Jeremy thinks to himself. What am I?
This… is a lot for you to take in,” Chatravati says. “I understand. I should have been more open with you from the beginning.”
“I’m okay,” Jeremy says, but he can’t tell if he really means it or not.
“Good,” Chatravati smiles. “Then you should go and see Marcus and Sarra. I believe they have… a proposition for you.”
Jeremy stands up and heads for the door, but before he can draw it open, Chatravati says: “Jeremy?”
Jeremy turns around, but doesn’t say anything. “Life is confusing for all of us,” Chatravati says. “But it will all make sense eventually. I’m certain of it.”
Jeremy closes the door softly behind him as he leaves.
CONTINUES…/strong>
We’ll take a short break from Westcrest next week and instead visit the past of another character, so check back next Wednesday for a glimpse into the past of Marcus Tel-Ur.
Then find out what proposition Marcus and Sarra have for Jeremy when regular updates resume on the 19th of April!