Versus

“This man just experienced a great personal and financial loss. The company that took it, did so illegally and he was devastated. He wasn’t thinking clearly and was being manipulated by the DM. The DM was trying to convince him to destroy the property…and even worse. Emma, revenge is dangerous but even more so when it’s under duress.”

He was telling her things about that day that she could’ve never known. She was more confused than ever. That’s when he continued.

“As the man was getting into his car, you saw the look on his face, the weight he was carrying in his heart, and you walked up to him. No worries for your own safety. You reacted. Do you remember why?”

Her thoughts went back to the man’s face. He was so sad. His anger was severe, but his hurt was crushing to see.

“I remember hearing some kid tell him something about getting revenge. It was horrible what he said.”

“That wasn’t a kid.”

“It was, I heard him.”

“That’s how the Galen knew. All of the other kids were on the bus. The DM was next to the man and told him how to seek revenge and you heard the DM and responded. That’s what made the Galen begin to watch you. You told the “DM” to “leave him alone” and he had to obey. That Galen didn’t sense you at first. He only sensed the DM. When the DM left the man, you spoke healing words to him which allowed him to calm down. The Galen could sense you only after the DM fled.”

“I thought I was telling the kids to leave him alone.” She was replaying that moment as the pieces began to come together, “How did I hear the DM without a parent or a match? I thought I had to have one.”

The kindness of McAlvey’s face was comforting but even that didn’t help when he paused to arrange his words.

“That is still a bit of a mystery. See, you shouldn’t have been able to hear him without a match with you, touching you. The fact that you heard this DM leads us to believe that there is a connection between you and this particular one. That is why the Galen has stayed close by. They believed that this DM had been following you. You were being tested perhaps.”

“What kind of connection could I have with a DM?”

With an apologetic tone, he clarified, “Your father could have had other children.” He said the words that already appeared in her brain as a manifested nightmare.

“So, I can hear him?”

“Yes.”

“And the Galen saw him?”

“Yes.”

“Why could I only hear him?”

“Well, there’s another difference between them and us. Once they have changed, they can no longer be seen. Like the full-blooded Galens. You would have to be touching your match to see them. But hearing them appears to point to the connection I mentioned.”

“Do you know if they are looking for him?”

“They’ve been by your side until you were safely in our care. Just in case.”

Fear began to sink in, “What about Mom?”

“She is under their constant supervision now also. You needn’t worry. She is safe.”

She exhaled deeply, feeling so much stress leave her body as she digested the words, “She is safe.” She had feared for her for so many years. To know that she had a Galen nearby gave her a greater peace than she could remember ever having.

It was evident that she was overwhelmed for she was to her feet, standing still, staring off towards a window. The dean stood beside her as she turned to him and hugged him before she realized she was doing it.

“Do you feel better?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled down at her when she released her grip.

“I really do. I have been worried about mom for so long.”

“I know.” He patted her shoulder as he began to walk back to his desk.

She was looking at him. Wondering if she was supposed to follow. He grabbed a flyer from his desk and walked back to her.

“I know you’ve wondered about how a match is found. It’s extremely rare that a Galen just chances upon their match. As it requires contact with your match for more than just a few seconds, it can be quite difficult to identify who your match may be.”

He grinned again. This time his grin held more boyish playfulness. He suddenly looked younger.

“That’s ONE of the reasons I called you in here today, actually.”

“Really?”

“Every year we hold a ceremony. It is the most important tradition here at school. Well, anywhere really! But here, we have our special spin on it, if you will. It’s always the 2nd semester of the year. It gives the new students time to settle in here.”

She was intently taking in every word. He couldn’t tell if she was breathing. She was motionless.

“This ceremony is in one week and will be announced tomorrow. I wanted you to know first.”

He laughed, “Well, at least there’s one thing you know that the others don’t.”

She tried to smile, but it felt awkward. She was aberrantly confused as to what this tradition could be or what it meant.

“It is quite the soiree if you will.”

“A party?”

“A ball.” He announced with excitement, but it was accompanied by hesitation. This could be very intimidating to young students, but especially someone who has so little knowledge of the history.

She suddenly looked pale.

He handed the flyer to Emma and continued, “When you first see the other realm, it can be confusing. Most students have a parent to help them navigate through what they can see. This is complex and we are here to help. So, when the match occurs, each couple is led out by faculty or a chaperone into the banquet. They are waited on by our volunteers and given instructions on what to do to learn about one another. Your match will be one of the most important people in your life. The closest of friends. We nurture that from the beginning.”

This all sounded quite elaborate and frightening to her. As excited as she was to finally see the other realm, she would be tied down to someone she may not know. What if they didn’t hit it off? She couldn’t wait to talk to Aala. Surely, she has talked with her dad, her gifted parent, who must have told her about this.

She began to read the flyer…

“Dion University. Match ceremony to be held Friday, January 31st. Formal attire will be provided. Ceremony to begin at 4 pm. Your assistants will arrive with essentials at 1 pm. Dance instructions will occur, this week, in class in preparation for the dance.”

He could see that her face looked like most young adults when they faced this for the first time. Nervous as though it were a prom date. But in reality…it was simply a ball. No one had to ask anyone to go as their date. That horrible fear was removed. All students were taught a simple ballroom-style dance, a few days before, which entailed moving to a different partner after several movements about the room. White gloves were worn during the first 30 minutes to lighten the mood. There would be drinks and music. Light refreshments also.

After the initial 30 minutes were up, the volunteers would blindfold the girls and remove their gloves. A male partner would take the hand of the closest girl and the music would begin again.

If the student found their match during the dance about the room, a chaperone would discreetly remove the couple from the floor. They would be taken to a banquet, in their honor, to celebrate with food and time to get to know one another.

The blindfolds became a tradition when it seemed stressful for those waiting for their match. Watching others leave, while so many remained, was excruciating for them.

It took time to make it all the way around, for each boy to dance with each girl. It was found that if the girls were blindfolded, they didn’t know who had left the floor, and everyone continued to have a better time. It eliminated stress and everyone even smiled now, clearly able to enjoy the dance. So many improvements from years past.

“Do you have any questions?” He asked while noticing the look of horror on her face.

“I don’t guess so.” She couldn’t imagine asking any of the questions floating around frantically in her mind. These would wait for Aala.

He grabbed a duffle bag from behind his desk and walked back to her. As he handed it to her, he said, “Just a few things that your friends may have that you don’t have. I thought about the years that their parent was explaining history about us so I began to make you a “get to know us bag”, if you will.” He chuckled.

The bag was embroidered with the school name and logo and her initials. Someone went to a lot of effort to make this feel as normal as possible. She was touched.

“That’s really nice, thank you, Sir.”

“My pleasure.”

“Take a look at it all when you get back to your room.” He began to turn towards the door, and she understood that this meeting was politely over.

Leaving his office, a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She knew now that she belonged, but it was replaced with another weight altogether different. The ceremony.