It’s the ground we’re standing on. Do you believe in it? It believes in you. It feels you. Rejected you’re presence and holds your integrity. Do you honor it? Acknowledge it? What is the limit and what’s the absurd? Logic…


Locke.

Locke’s head has been a bog since the event and he hasn't been able to re-establish himself since. He’s been attempting to understand what everything meant from the battle arena and remember what he’s capable of what he will do but it’s been sending him into loops and migraines. Locke keeps trying to reach for what he knows he’s capable of but it’s not the same it’s out of reach because he’s jumping over things that are needed. Making the ground he stands on limited. Unreliable. Locke’s rushing into it.

“I’m…” Locke thinks to themself

Locke finds himself back in the house with everyone else. Nora and Corin have seemingly unlocked their abilities and transported them to there. He can’t feel the presence of “head” or “she” but it’s more so because he doesn’t want to. Wait…

Locke looks down and realizes he’s a girl again. Must have gone unconscious during the escapade or maybe it was the jump between time and space? Either way this body isn’t what he was expecting. He’s feeling strangely comfortable in it but he might just be at his limit for staying sane and keeping things in perspective. Locke was a giant. Unconquerable undefeatable Goliath. Performing before the gods and vanquishing entities that were sorta his fault but whatever. Locke did it successfully. Locke should be proud to be himself.

But… Locke feels this haze of depression. Repression? Because he’s unable to imagine the next pages of his book that he just recently knew completely. Others know it better than Locke. He feel molested in a way. How can Locke say this? He feels naked before the crowd and it annoys him. He’s the pinnacle of martial combat form yet he’s been made naked to these attacks. A blind spot. Something that needs to be taken into account.

A chapter even? He tries to remember and the migraine returns. It’s something he’s gotta figure out naturally no doubt. Wait, that means he’s gotta live in the moment…

Locke looks around himself again. Everyone seems really depressed and down. Nobody is saying anything. Except Tye maybe he seems to be laughing. Well she seems to be laughing. They’re all girls right now save for Brent. It’s really strange how Brent never changes. What’s his secret. He’s closer to enlightenment then they are isn’t he? Another defeat? Locke can’t stomach it.

He’s tasted defeat too many times now to enjoy his crown, his title. To be compromised so much makes him feel helpless and not himself regardless. He can feel himself reaching for something, anything familiar. To that sweet taste of superiority. Maybe that’s it. Maybe his perspective has been all wrong. His goals are not righteous because they’re founded upon selfish ideals. Selfish desires. He must free himself of his self indulgences and become more like Brent. Maybe? But he has to embrace his identity. Who he is. Now he’s back in this dumb loop again.

Gotta live in the moment…

“Tye are you okay?” Locke inquires.

Tye is laughing on the floor in a menacing fashion.

“Tye!” Locke persists.

“What?!” Tye shouts back attention now solely on Locke. Tye’s eyes a funneling blue true. Locked directly onto Locke’s without any restraint. The magic in those eyes so clear and indomitable. Locke turns their gaze away.

“Are you okay?” Locke asks.

“My dad just tried to rip my eyes out of my head after abducting my roommates and has his entire organization on alert for us and he was going to chop my thumbs off? Also he was laughing. He was fucking laughing at the end of it. He saw me as a girl. He knows way too much. I’m so fucked I can’t even describe to you what’s going on.” Tye confesses.

“…” Brent nods.

“Nice input but no, I don’t have any money to get a new spot for us. My family is excommunicated. That little miracle was from grandma and she doesn’t…” Tye stops himself. “I need to go to my grandma. Sanctuary!”

“You’re grandma is the head of house right now right?” Locke inquires as the thoughts begin to turn in his head. The Lancaster lot is a large and old money family sending its roots from Britain to the colonies. They land in New York and take up root. From there they gather everything and spread. Chicago, Las Angeles and Miami are the other main cities you’d find a Lancaster outpost in. As to Locke’s knowledge.

Everything for them is hush hush. Even the family members play a game of cups. They try to keep distance and secrets to protect themselves. The eyes give them power but it distances them from being human. Thus a curse. That’s how Locke sees it. Sees it now. Imagined it before magic was legitimized to themself. It’s a wonder and a blunder to think about the Lancaster Dynasty. Shaded in absolute mystery.

For when you look at them they can see and they never want to be seen. Sounds superstitious hocus pocus but now Locke is willing to buy into it. All that said the only ones with eyes like Tye’s are all almost dead or older. Money’s generation is apparently the last one to have the trait. It’s itching at Locke’s mind. He knows why they went on the world tour escapade. He knows why they left but his subconscious isn’t allowing him to remember. Or something else isn’t. He needs to find a way to protect his mind from these infiltrations.

Something ingenious. Which is why he’s in luck because apparently he’s a genius in combat martial arts. If he can be a genius in that then why can’t he be a genius in something else? What are the limits? What we place on ourselves right? It just has to be grounded in science and logic and ideally in honor and other things he wants himself to be. A true mystery. Locke can’t help but feel excited.

The Lancaster Grandmother has Tye’s eyes but they’re a different color. Green. That’s gotta mean something. He’s gonna figure it out. Make a way to counter it. So he’s not so naked against his new enemy… frenemies?

Anyway, Locke thinks to herself. Themself.

I think that was the break. I think I can gather myself now and pick up the pieces. Build something better out of it. This mind game is insane and I’m exhausted.

“Hello?” Tye is snapping

“Go figure Locke is locked up in his mind again. Broke a circuit. Was it worth it? Hello?” Tye continues snapping in front of Locke’s eyes.

“I need your help.” Tye complains as she tries to shake the daze out of Locke’s head. The two of them are girls right now. In the front room on the couch. Half slumped over. Piled on. Corin and Nora lay lying on the floor before them. Passed out from exhaustion. It’s part of the spell Locke thinks. Part of what it takes to make things happen. Connection. Infection. Its what kept them together for better weather.

Instead of getting lost in the sauce they had each other and made something better of it. Maybe there is something to that? A new way in step he’ll have to do the math.

“I said I need your help! Hellooooooo!” Tye keeps snapping at Locke.


“I’m here what’s the matter?” Locke replies.

“You’re really something. I’ll give you that. Okay. I think I’ve got a plan. But these two need to not be lying on the floor anymore. Let’s get them to a couch or something. Also, Brent went out to get something. I figure Brent is so neutral nobody will bother with him. I’m kinda gambling at the moment.” Tye is prattling on. Pacing between them.

“They grabbed Brent too aren’t you kinda risking things sending Brent out alone? Have we ever sent Brent out alone for anything? Remember what happens when Brent goes alone?!” Locke can feel his heart beating faster. Brent is a giant by nature and a pacifist until a situation demands otherwise. He stands out like a sore thumb. He also attracts attention of random animals and he has a short attention span and forgets what he’s doing half the time. What the hell is Tye thinking? They need to be boarding up the windows and stuff.

Getting ready for an invasion. Call the police and start turning the Lancaster’s in. Sue for protection. What the hell is Tye’s plan?

“So, I own a boat. Well, I stole it. From family. I’m borrowing it. Brent is getting the thing right now. We just need Corin and Nora to do their thing. It’s really complicated I can explain as we go but we need them to wake up first. We gotta like lay low till then. Brent needs to get to the boat first though. I think.” Tye rambles.

“You sent Brent to get onto a boat that’s owned by one of your relatives? By himself. While everyone is looking for us?” Locke admonishes.

“Yeah, well, that dude is invulnerable. Remember?” Tye replies.

Locke thinks back of all the times they had to resort to sending Brent out to do something when they were in a bind during their travels. It was a marvel and actually a practice in observing the impossible. Things would just happen. Good or bad. He would get to there and back again. Untouched really but if you were watching it was a close call at all times. You’d find the devastation after the fact that’s how they’d know about it. Follow the breadcrumbs of distaster it would lead to an unattended Brent.

There is no way around it. Something loves Brent. They protect him. At the expense of everyone and everything around him. Dumb luck, magic whatever. It’s not clever, it was like their cheat code for when Money threw something impossible at them.

“You’re taking a big risk. We live here.” Locke states.

“I know. I know. I just couldn’t think of anything else. He agreed and went off to do it. You see Nora needs a connection and Corin can make portals so we’re gonna steal that boat and make a portal between the house and here when she wakes up.” Tye explains. “Brent is going to be the anchor and so when they come around looking for us we’ll just blink on over to the boat. Easy.”

“Couldn’t she just have summoned us to the boat? Like how do you know Corin can make a portal on command? How do you know Nora can’t do that?” Locke complains.

“Dude, I’m sorry. We had to do something or I was gonna go insane. Nora is always saying just trust in her magic. I’m trusting in it. Okay?” Tye replies.

“Not okay. Shit. We gotta track down Brent and make sure he gets there. This isn’t some chess game and Brent isn’t some piece you chance throwing away.” Locke states feeling anger growing inside him.

“We knew you’d say that. He told me to tell you to shut up it was his decision.” Tye replies.

“He said that?” Locke asks.

“Sign language. You should learn. Ya know since you care about his feelings so much. You’ve only been around him for like years now. You and Corin both are so full of yourself. That’s why I’m superior to you two.” Tye finishes.

————————-

He stood above me and everyone else. It was his dojo and his art he’d been passed onto by ancestors who chose him as their curator. Caretaker. He was old then and was old long before Locke ever knew of him. An ancient man from ancient lands far to the east. Arriving by boat like the mythical legends of American old. Immigrants bringing their cultures and ideals to plant a flag from across the seas on this new land of liberty.

Locke had become a student in his youth enrolled as a way of passing time outside of collegiate activities. His parents loved Kong fu movies and his father and grandfather became students of this man. This elder. They were all foreigners to each other by one way or another. To the land, to the times, to everything but here they were congealing in this stew we call the great experiment.

He sat on his legs kneeling. Surrounded by his superiors and directly before him the grand master. Grey to the point of being white haired. Long beard and wispy. Eyes older than time can be recalled by anyone else Locke has ever met before. His age a mystery. His experiences legend and unspoken beyond his principle teachings of martial arts and way of living.

Taoism or Buddhism be they his major influence or some other foreign concept of far eastern ideologies. He was the pristine refined culmination of its maturation. Seeking shelter and knew home in this new land they all found themselves upon. Yet Locke felt himself the invader.

“He has great promise that is for certain but he lacks refinement and it’s obvious in his motions.” One of the elders argues to the master. “He does not understand because our languages do not mesh. There are gaps and thus gaps in his training. Unable to communicate. He needs to learn our language and culture to become able to fully grasp the truth of it.”

“He is unwilling to learn our language. He is only willing to learn our weapons and their application. Not the methods by which they are made and come to be.” Another interjects.

“Speak for yourself young one. Tell me. Why do you resist learning more?” The master interrupts.

Locke shifts in place. Finally feeling allowed to be acknowledged and speak. He’s still very young. Not more than fourteen. About to enter high school. He hasn’t many friends he keeps to himself. Inward he’s always been reflective and calm. Practices of their principles and if fate be so willing master of the martial arts world champion.

“I wish to see truth when I see it. I will always be limited so I wish to see it as it is and recognize it truly.” Locke replies. Even so young he is wise beyond his years and this statement peaks the masters interest as it stirs resentment and anger from the others within the room.

“Obstinacy!”

“How absurd!”

“The gull?!”

“Silence.” The master states raising his hand and peering down upon the boy. Upon Locke.

“I know of a man who sees things as he wishes. With eyes cursed. He has an unquenchable thirst. His truth is what he wants and thus he finds it were ever he looks. I have banished him from my side and I banish you to him now. Seek him out and find what truth is. Write it down and bring it back to me. Till then I will not look of you, speak of you, think of you, till you’ve completed this task. Show me what only the mind can see and I will see if I have been able to communicate truth to our greatest prodigy. Do that and you will be welcome back and I will finish my teachings for you. Until then never use anything I’ve taught you. Never use my name or this dojo’s in your game. Come back to me and show me what a blind man sees.”

“I have nothing else to teach you until you’ve taught yourself how to see again. I part you with a riddle I expect you to answer in truth. What is green what is blue what falls hanging perpetually in motion frozen in place in time and space? What is it that binds it but lets it it go all the same. Do not answer me now do not think about it till you’ve finished your book. Leave the answer at the end. I will judge you then.”