Prologue

"Looking for a flicker in the face of the clock Hidden in the mountain, in the body of the rock No one seems to notice or to feel the aftershock They’re all too busy playing for time"

- Peter Gabriel, Playing For Time

Seeing an opportunity to make things better, she ran at it. She ran and threw herself at it with all the force and determination she was able to drag from the very depths of her being. As her body met the weak spot in the barrier she heard a crack. The sound travelled through her body and reverberated, her bones rumbled; she knew this feeling, it was the slip between spaces; the "here" and the "next".

The buildings around her began to bleed into the sky above them. Reflections grew brighter, and the hum grew louder until it engulfed her and she felt her feet lift off the ground. Celeste closed her eyes as her head began to spin. She let her head fall back and stretched out her fingers to feel the air rush between them.

It was a sensation that filled her to the brim with anxiety; the feeling of being pulled from one place to the next. She was surrounded by a blinding, cool light, and a hum that resonated to her core. There was something different about it this time though and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Now at least familiar with the process, she was able to find enough of herself to keep calm, waiting until she ended up where she inevitably would. It was just a matter of time, and patience. She lingered in the feeling for a few moments, and then her feet felt the ground again. The gentle tap as her shoes made contact with the gravel and dirt.

When she opened her eyes there was a feeling of dread that overcame her. This wasn’t just a where, it was a when; across and ten years forward. “I can’t be here” she said to herself, “this isn’t fair”.

From her left she heard Genevieve’s voice, but is was distorted somehow, sounding like her words had been spoken through a fan, or caught among the sound of glass shards hitting the floor. “Fair is a hard thing to accomplish in these spaces; but what you have here, is hope”.

Celeste tuned to look at her, only to see a flickering image of Genevieve, shifting between shades of purple and blue. “You’re not her” she said, not exactly surprised, but curious as to what was happening.

The image of Genevieve turned and looked down toward the city, nestled in the valley between two large mountains. Pillars of light marked the entrance to the city from this side. Celeste knew this place. Her eyes traced the path from the entrance, along the roads and through the parks to the purple glow of the Complex, and from there across to the western edge of the city to a building called the Echelon, the place where the “masters” of this place kept themselves.

“You’ve told all of this story, except this bit” Genevieve’s tone calm, but containing a trace of disappointment. “Part of you broke because this was the part you left out. How were people to know when you only tell them half a story? Caught up in the wonder and the intrigue of this place and the spaces attached to it, but only ever hinting at Anier”.

Celeste sat on the dirt and pulled her knees up to her chest. “Why couldn’t I have gone back and fixed it? Made it better? Stopped it from happening?” Her eyes scanned back to the Complex and caught the orange strobe of light through the middle of the building, telling her that it had been active. She followed her questions up with another: “and why would they turn that back on?”

Genevieve looked down at her and shrugged “I couldn’t explain why, but I can tell you this place has changed, and it’s important to see how. As I said…” she turned her gaze back to the city, looking at the Complex so she could see what Celeste was seeing, “maybe hope is enough? Isn’t that why you came through the barrier?”

“I wanted to see her again”. Her head fell back and she looked up at the dusk-coloured sky with its deeper oranges and pinks to what she was used to back home. It was hard for her to imagine being in this space again, all of it was hard; and it was harder now knowing that she was here without Anier.

“I think you’re looking at this from the wrong perspective. This place is full of stories about her, and you could possibly learn more about her and what she left behind by walking those streets”. Genevieve gave a nod toward the city as she finished speaking, encouraging her that little bit extra.

Genevieve walked ahead and kept talking "even if I could have brought you back the ten years that you wanted, what would it have changed? You would try to save her, the inevitable is postponed, and God knows what happens to those continually caught in the crossfire. Worse, what you feel now would just be amplified because you would have to go through it all again, and nobody deserves to have their heart destroyed like that"

Celeste picked herself up off the ground and followed her "so what you're saying is that nothing I could do would Change what happened? That I have to just go in there and remember her? How is that fair?"

"There's nothing of fairness in either of our worlds, you know that more than anybody." The image of Genevieve began to flicker, and as she was about to fade she turned back and left Celeste with one last comment "Remember her story. Help them break the cycle. Be the reason why".

"Fine" she said, exasperated, and then again as she picked up her pace toward the gates to Arcadia.

Celeste walked cautiously into the city, its perimeter lined with food courts, cafes, and the occasional shopfront. The people seemed very much like the same people they were when they left, but there was a difference in the air. Something felt like it had changed, there was life here; when she left this place it was in the aftermath of a violent crackdown from the Masters.

As she walked the streets she began to notice the posters on the walls, she got curious enough to get closer and inspect them and noticed the reason why she was likely brought here. On the posters were the depiction of a figure whose features strangely resembled those of Anier, her tall figure crowned with a halo of light. At the bottom of the posters were the words:

“Remember her story Break the cycle Be the reason why”

The experience was surreal and brought to Celeste a flood of questions she couldn’t answer, which also meant that she was about to get overwhelmed. She closed her hands into a fist and let them relax as she settled herself down. Having calmed down enough she walked over to a woman who was putting up one of the posters not too far from her and asked “who is this person, and what’s happened here?” her voice a mix of wonder and disbelief.

“Anier?” the woman responded, her tone indicating a strong reverence. She put her arm around Celeste’s shoulder and walked with her down the street to a café “let me tell you about her, she is an important person in these parts now”

Music: Peter Gabriel – Playing For Time In Strict Confidence – Salvation