Episode 4: The White Lotus

 

"You dirty bastard," Luka charges at me with unbridled fury, slamming me to the floor. The attack is a whirlwind, too swift for comprehension. Pain explodes across my face, radiating through my jaws, eyes, and forehead. Every part throbs with pulsating agony. Distant voices call out names—mine, Luka's. I see Iris attempting to intervene, but she's knocked backward. Luka has transformed into a feral force. If a broken nose incites this, he'll be wildly dangerous in the trial. On the bright side, everyone witnessing this will enter with the awareness that aligning with him is a terrible idea.

 

"Stop, you're killing him!" Iris's desperate wails echo as my vision sways on the edge of darkness.

 

"You want to meet your mom so bad," Luka's words punctuate each sentence, each syllable accompanied by a brutal blow. "I'll get you there." Another punch lands, and another. The taste of iron floods my mouth, but I've lost track of where the blood is coming from. It's all a messed-up, twisted dance, and I can't figure out why it's dragging on like everyone here is cool with him taking out his revenge. I'm not even fighting back. I'm just taking it, like maybe a part of me wants him to end it all. Maybe...

 

"Enough!" Hendrix's voice cuts through the action, authoritative and commanding. Suddenly, the weight on me is gone. I can't see a damn thing, but I hear him. Strong hands slide under me, lifting me from the ground as if I'm being carried to heaven.

 

"Calum, you'll be okay" Theodore's voice is just a soft murmur.

 

"Calum!" Another woman's voice reaches me, unfamiliar and distant. I wish it were my mom's or even my sister's. Someone familiar. Yet, everything descends into silence until even the muffled sounds of the crowd fade away.

 

---

 

It is intensely cold. Gradually, my senses return, revealing a white-washed hospital room that mirrors the brightness at the end of a tunnel. The furniture and decor are familiar. It's Grayne Haven, the sole medical center in the town. Years ago, my grandmother was moved into the assisted living facility here. We tried to visit her at least twice a month, but I've only seen her once since Mom's disappearance and Celia's death, a guilt that's weighed on me for years. After her reaction to the news, I couldn't bring myself to face her.

 

My gaze shifts from the hospital room's sterile whiteness to the vibrant, concerned eyes of Iris. Her bubbly personality seems to breathe life back into the atmosphere.

 

"Calum? Oh my god, I'm so glad you're awake! How are you feeling?"

 

"With my fingers," I joke, rubbing the coarse blanket. "I've been better. Way better. My face hurts."

 

"Yeah, I'm sure. Your face doesn't look good at all." She furrows her brows. "No offense. You were cute before." A flush of embarrassment tinges her cheeks as her gaze momentarily darts away. "Anyways, Theodore wanted me to tell you he couldn't stay but to give you this." She extends a folded paper towards me, and my arms groan in protest as I reach for it. An intuitive itch in my heart hints that this might be what I think it is.

 

Eagerly unfolding the paper, bold words come into view at the top.

 

Ocalian Charter Trial Application

 

A surge of anxiety courses through me as I hold the paper, my heartbeat skipping erratically. Just a few days ago, I was shredding anything associated with the Charter, and now, I'm applying to become one. What the hell happened to me?

 

I glance at the unfolded paper, and Iris senses my unease. "The other Charters agreed to let you apply without getting all the stamps. Don't worry, though; you didn't miss much. Honestly, Koba was the most interesting out of all of them, even though I didn't really like her." She giggles. "And don't even get me started on the guy from Tamak. Ew."

 

We share a laugh, but as I lay the paper beside me, doubt creeps in. Staring out the window next to my bed at the towering trees that cloak Grayne, I admit, "I don't know if I want to apply. Nobody in there is going to want to be my ally after seeing how Luka just beat the shit out of me. I'll die in the trials."

 

"Who?" Iris questions.

 

"Luka."

 

"Luka? Like, Luka Harrison?" Iris pauses, her gaze intense as if she's trying to decipher why I would say that. "Calum, that's not who hit you. Luka wasn't even there today." Her words cut through my thoughts. That's impossible. I vividly saw him—blonde hair, piercing eyes. He's the only one with reason to attack me.

 

"I'm confused. Yes, it was. I was looking right at him. Did you forget he was literally in my face?" I plead for her agreement, a lifeline to sanity. She just shakes her head.

 

"No. I heard Hendrix call him Cameron, if that rings a bell."

 

"What?" I yell, sitting up straight, causing pain to shoot from every direction in my body. "Cameron? Why would he—" My voice trails off as I recall our last conversation. "We didn't fight that bad. We've had worse arguments before; I don't understand."

 

"Is he your friend?"

 

"Yeah, we've been best friends since, like, second grade. We fought yesterday, but it was nothing. I thought we'd be over it today like we always are." My eyes dart to every corner of the room, scanning for my phone.

 

"Iris, where's my phone?"

 

"Here," she snags it from the stand on the opposite side and tosses it into my hands. "Don't bother texting him. If that's where your mind is heading."

 

I ignore her plea and sift through my notifications. Three missed calls from Gemma but zero texts, odd; an email from Portscord University about some Senate hearing concerning my fight with Luka, not unexpected; and a system update informing me that my wallpaper has changed, what? I hadn't even noticed. The photo of my sister and me that once filled my screen is gone, replaced by a black background sporting a white lotus symbol.

 

"What the heck? Who messed with my wallpaper?" I shoot an accusing look at Iris, but she throws her hands up. "Not me. I just met you. I don't know your passcode."

 

The truth is, nobody knows it. Not even Cameron or Gemma. And that symbol–I've seen it before. On the card Theodore handed me.

 

"What does this mean?" I turn the screen to face Iris, who snatches it from my hand. "This was not my wallpaper."

 

"That's odd. It's a white lotus." Her voice is soft, with a slight tremble as if on the verge of tears. She reaches into her shirt, revealing a small black necklace with the same symbol dangling from it. Her eyes meet mine.

 

"What the hell? I'm so confused." Nervous laughter escapes my mouth. "Where did you get that?"

 

"For my 16th birthday. It was gifted to me anonymously while I was living in foster care." Her gaze is suspicious.

 

"I've only seen it once. On Theodore Wallace's business card."

 

"Oh, I got one!" Iris digs in her pocket and pulls out a pile of cards from the various Charters that she met. "Here it is," she turns it over and over, examining it carefully. "I don't see a lotus." She hands it to me.

 

I examine it too, only to be surprised that there's no lotus symbol on it like there was on mine. "That's not right. Grab mine. In the pocket," I gesture toward my coat hanging on the rack by the door. She ventures over and retrieves the card.

 

"Not on here, either." She hands it to me.

 

I do everything I can to inspect it, aware I probably look completely unhinged. I wipe it, shake it, bend it – everything that may prompt the lotus to reappear. But nothing happens.

 

"I know I saw it on here. The day he handed it to me."

 

A gentle knock at the door interrupts the flow of our conversation. "Calum, you've got a visitor," the nurse announces with a warm smile as she opens the door. The room is silent for a moment until a walker appears into view, followed by its navigator.

 

"Grandma?" My heart skips a beat as I see her, aged many years since we last met. She's different – older, frailer, and sicker.

 

"I'll give you both some space." Iris rises, collects her belongings, and quickly exits the room without another word. Grandma takes the seat she vacated, the nurse assisting her as she settles down. "Thank you, darling," she murmurs, patting the nurse's shoulder. "Theodore came by and told me you were here. What happened, my boy?"

 

I start bawling. A decade's worth of pent-up emotions gush out at once. She's a reflection of Mom, with the same tender eyes that radiate a love beyond imagination. Her hands bear scars from the days in the Charter. Just like my mother, she addresses me as 'my boy.' "I'm so sorry, Grandma," I manage to say amidst the tears, choking on my words. I need her to understand the weight of my remorse for not visiting her. "I wanted to see you, but it hurt. It hurt so much."

 

Her hand finds mine, and she tightens her grip. "You are so strong, Cal. So, so strong. You have been through more than enough. Do not apologize to me."

 

Wiping away the tears, I take a clearer look at her face. Sorrow, compassion, and love—these emotions grace her presence, offering a comforting embrace. It feels as though Mom is still with me, if only a little bit.

 

"I don't need to know why your face is all beaten up," she says, patting my hand. "But I need to know about where you're going when you leave this hospital." Her hand moves over to the application folded beside me, subtly expressing her desire for answers. "I can't say I didn't see it coming. It's in your veins."

 

Her familiar phrasing hits me like a bullet. It's hard to discern if she's relieved that I'm applying or if there's a tinge of regret. "I want to find her."

 

"And I'm sure you will," she reassures with a smile.

 

"You think she's still alive?"

 

She leans back, her eyes reflecting certainty. "Oh, I know she is. A mother can feel the presence of her child, even when they are not around. I don't know where she is, but her heart is beating as strong as her love for you."

 

"I'm scared, Grandma," I admit, regretting the display of my weakness.

 

"That's normal. So was your mom. So was your sister. So was I," she chuckles. "Seems like you've already made a friend. She looks awfully familiar."

 

"I just met her today at the ceremony," My phone lights up beside me, revealing a text from Gemma.

 

"A white lotus," Grandma snatches my phone, her eyes fixed on the image in contemplation.

 

"Does that mean anything to you?"

 

"It holds a lot of significance for me. And for your family," she replies, placing the phone back on the bed and rising from her chair, using the walker for support. "You'll unravel its meaning when the time comes. And if it doesn't, visit me after your trial, and I'll tell you everything." She leans down and he plants a kiss on my head.

 

"What if I don't make it through the trials, Grandma? Like Celia? There are so many candidates, and they only rescue ten."

 

"Your mom faced it. I faced it. Generations before you faced it. You can too," she sighs, the weight of history in her voice. "Don't make more enemies than you already have, Cal. When you reach the trials, focus on the training courses, especially in strategy," she slowly opens the exit door. "And as strange as it may sound, I don't think becoming a Charter was your sister's destiny." She pauses. "But it's undeniably yours."

 

Then she's gone.

 

End of Episode 4.