The Rebellion (Chapter 2)

Wilhelm's Girl

Wilhelm walked through Utavi woods and stopped in the middle of the clearing. He vaguely remembered a time when he and his sister would come running down this same path on their way to the Utavi village. A village of oval shaped people that had crash landed on Imaginess before either of them was born. The aliens had been banished from the planet long before he was born but he had always loved it when Brittney had taken him here and told him the story even though she had never met them herself.
The village was considerably run down now a place long forgotten by the people of Imaginess. What a shame. He thought as he looked out over the edge of the hill he was on toward the glistening lake. Such a beautiful view. Some people still visited the lake but few ventured up the hill to the village many missed this experience.
He tried to imagine the place back when it had been well cared for but the image of the weeds and vines that had mostly overrun the place now invaded his mind. He walked to the middle of the ruins to a fairly new statue that was erected in the middle of the place. The statue was of a dragon on its hind legs breathing fire, a girl was on his back grasping a sword. Not a very realistic statue he thought. He bent down and cleared the dirt and leaves from the name plate, it read: here lies Seurmiera savior of Imaginess and beloved of many. May her memory remain even in death. He stared at it for a moment remembering life with the dragon. “I wish you were still here Miera.” He whispered. “Things have been so different since you and Tidwit died but especially you. The two of you went through so much and now your gone. Mom’s practically gone insane. You always seemed to know when something was wrong, you always helped to keep her sane.”
Wilhelm sat there examining the statue and thinking about the dragon. Wilhelm had loved the dragon he was just glad that she had died a natural death and not the tragic death that Tidwit his mother’s chimp had. The poor chimp’s skull shattered when a careless child threw a rock and knocked him out of the tree he had been sitting in. Tidwit was buried in the court yard at the Queen Mary under his favorite tree. Seurmiera had been buried in the courtyard as well until his mother couldn’t stand the sight of the statue anymore and she had it moved out here. Her excuse being “Seurmiera knew about the Utavi even before we did so it’s only right that we bury her there.”
Wilhelm stood and Vito came and landed on his shoulder. The two examined the deserted village “What do you think Vito do you think the two of us could make a living here.” The bird made some twittering sounds and Wilhelm nodded although he couldn’t understand animals like his sister could he liked to pretend and besides he had been with Vito long enough to know somewhat what the bird was saying “Yeah I think we could make it work. It will definitely need some fixing up but it will be worth it.
Wilhelm examined the houses until he was certain he’d located a suitable house. He had decided to move out not long after his mothers declaration. As big as the mansion was it just felt to crowded and he was tired of feeling as if he was stepping on his sisters toes by being there. He needed escape however temporary it may be. He began clearing away some of the debris and doing what little he could to fix it up without any tools. Even without tools the place looked quite good by the time he was done. He was thirsty from working so hard and dirt stuck to his skin so he climbed back down the hill in the direction of the lake with Vito not far behind him.
As he sat there washing the dirt from his hair and skin a sound from outside the clearing caught his attention and Vito went flying off into the woods “Vito? Vito come back here.” There was a crunch and Wilhelm froze waiting to see what would come out of the woods. “Who’s there?” he yelled out hopping he sounded braver than he felt. A girl stepped out from behind a tree her clothes were tattered and her hair was a mess. She had mud splattered on her clothes and a couple scratches and bruises on her face and arms. “Are you all right?” Wilhelm asked running over to where the girl had collapsed and pulling her into his arms.
“I need…water.” The girl whispered hoarsely between dry lips. Wilhelm ran over to where his things were and filled his canister with fresh water from the lake he brought it over to her and she drank greedily. She drank three fourths of the thing before taking a breath then she wiped her mouth and put the canteen down. “Thank you.” She gasped.
“What happened to you?” The girl shrugged.
“Nothing much just had to go through some hard underbrush. It was a long trip.”
“Where are you from?”
“Alinta.”
“Alinta? That’s halfway across the planet did you walk that far.” She shook her head.
“Of course not I hitched a ride from a couple people.”
“Still that’s a long trip. Why did you come so far?” She shrugged again and looked around. The thought that her behavior was strange crossed his mind but fled when she tried to stand. He stood up and helped her to her feet stepping back when she got her footing. “Easy now I don’t think your in any condition to walk yet.”
“I’m fine, I little scratched up but not beyond standing on my own two feet.”
Wilhelm stepped back in obedience and shook his head. “Still I’d feel much better if you rested a bit before continuing to where ever it is your going.”
The girl nodded “I’m actually staying here in Zora. I have an aunt who lives here.”
“Well the least you can do is join me for lunch I was just about to eat.” Wilhelm motioned to a basket sitting on a stone.
She nodded and turned back to him. “First I have to know your name.”
“Wilhelm. It’s Wilhelm.”
“I’m Wella.” He took her hand and shook it.
The trap was set and Wilhelm had been caught in it.

Brittney knocked on the beautifully engraved door of one of the most beautiful mansions in Arlington, Virginia where she lived. A woman came to the door. “Hey Brittney come on in don’t mind the mess I’m in the middle of something.” She turned and walked back inside the house motioning for Brittney to enter.
“When are you not in the middle of something Shanti?” Brittney asked as she walked past her friend into the house.
“When the president stops trying to convince your mother to build houses for humans on Imaginess.” They had moved into the living room now and Shanti removed a laptop and stack of books off of the couch moving them to a paper covered coffee table before sitting down. “Have a seat.”
Brittney sat and continued the conversation. “Yeah well maybe you need to start convincing my mom about that.”
“You don’t mean she’s going to,” Shanti practically shouted, “that would destroy everything I’ve worked on the last 7 years.”
“No not quite.” Brittney shook her head trying to calm her friend
“Then what.”
“She wants me to rule Imaginess.”
“WHAT.” Shanti stood now. “That can’t be right has your mother completely lost her head. That’s just asking for a rebellion.” She began pacing the room angrily
“That’s what I tried to tell her but she wouldn’t listen. But what’s worse is that I had this dream of this guy telling me to get off of Imaginess before the 4th of July party. He said that my mom had failed him and that now my mom wouldn’t live much longer and that the planet was going to fall into chaos. He also told me that everyone else would be safe and not to worry about them. I don’t know I’m worried.”
“Gaylin.”
“What?”
“You were wise to listen to him Brittney. Gaylin has visited your mothers dreams many time and always with good council. He gave her this prophecy ‘that when the Imaginese and Earthling stand together him and his wife would be released.”
“But who is he.”
“He’s Leena’s father who was put into some dream world when she was two that’s why she was adopted.”
“What could have my mom done to make him so upset.”
“I don’t know but I would stay far away from Imaginess until after the 4th of July party.”
“That’s what my mom said. She was really freaked out. I think she knows she’s done something wrong but she’s unsure as how to fix it. She seemed to think that it was too late for her.”

Wilhelm and Wella made their way through the woods and toward the mansion in the middle of the city. It had been about a week since Wilhelm and Wella had met in the woods that brisk morning and they had met there everyday since. She helped him fix up the house that he hoped to make into his home and they always had a picnic lunch. It had been nearly a whirlwind romance and sometimes Wilhelm wondered if things were progressing too quickly, until he saw her that is. She had a way about her that calmed all his fears. She had such an innocence about her that she was hard to resist, she seemed almost shy but yet when in the middle of a full blown conversation he had found a very opinionated young girl. Someone that was much too hard to resist.
They walked inside the mansion and Wilhelm led her toward his mother’s office. “I don’t know of this is such a good idea, Will.” She said letting her shyness surface.
“Don’t worry about it my mom may be busy but she always has time for her people especially her kids.” He knocked on the door and opened it and pulled her inside. “Mom.” He began pushing Wella in front of him slightly. “I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine.”
“That’s nice Hon,” she said not looking up from her paperwork. Sira who was standing behind her gasped and clapped her hands joyfully.
“Oh, about time, Will good for you.” Leena cleared her throat to get Sira’s attention and handed her a stack of papers.
“Get these to the decoration committee so they can begin to prepare for the party in a week.” Sira frowned and took the papers and started out of the room as she left she turned to Wilhelm. “Maybe you should try your father he’s in the library.” Wilhelm nodded then turned back to his mother as Sira hurried out of the room. Leena still didn’t look up.
“Fine then,” Wilhelm said hotly, “if you don’t care enough to take a two minute break then don’t bother even asking if you can use my wing of the house for the party because you can’t. And it would serve you right if I didn’t even show up for this stupid party. Come on Wella.” He grabbed Wella’s hand and hurried out of the room and started in the direction of the library.
If he had had looked more closely he would have seen the single, large tear that fell from her eye, the shaking hand, as she sorted through her papers and the look of pain in her eyes as she watched him disappear.

“Well you’ve found yourself a girl. Good for you Will.” Wilhelm had found Mattim in the library just like he had been told and his father’s reaction had been much what he had expected from his mother. “So Wella are you coming to the 4th of July party?”
“No offence sir” Wella responded letting her shyness fade for the moment and her opinions surface, “but I find it revolting the way your wife seems to have forgotten that 4th of July falls on the same day as Techno a day that as you may well remember is very, very important to the Imaginese’s. I well understand that you and your wife were raised on earth but she lives here now. And if you don’t mind me saying I think she works too hard to please the Earthlings.”
Mattim’s eyebrow rose as he said. “Well, well Will it looks like you found yourself a tough cookie she sure speaks her mind. That’s good it’s nice to know what people are thinking sometimes and to tell you the truth I agree. I don’t know what’s gotten into my wife lately I’m sure it will pass but just to be safe, Will, would you mind having a talk with Jatar just to be sure.”
“Yeah no problem,” He grabbed Wella’s hand, “come on. Wait until you meet Jatar”

Wilhelm and Wella made their way down, down, down into the depths of the mansion. The place was humid and dank and covered in cobwebs. They soon came to a big metal door. Bubbling and banging sounds came from inside. Wilhelm knocked on the door. There was a pause and then a grating sound and the door creaked open. Wilhelm entered followed closely by a once again timid Wella. “Don’t worry Wella, Jatar’s not dangerous.”
“But what about all those story’s about monsters and stuff.”
“Their just that…stories. they aren’t true.”
“Who goes there?” Came a new voice from out of the smoke that flooded the room. “Wilhelm is that you?” A grinding sound was heard and then the smoke parted and a face appeared it was coming towards them.
It was a friendly face a bit grayish and strange, a long nose covered most of his face with nostrils on the top near his eyes, he had two mouths one on either side of the nose and he looked much like an elephant. The room in which they were standing in was filled with all sorts of lab equipment and a couple cages of smaller creatures that Jatar used as food.
Since Juptans feed by controlling them Jatar had decided that he would get a bunch of small creatures and control them when he was hungry that was what most of the people on his planet did when there was no war to be fought. The little creatures had become more than food though they had become his friends. He didn’t get visitors very often since he had to stay hidden. Leena had told him that the Imaginese would not approve if they knew that a Juptan lived on Imaginess. Brittney came to visit him when she was on the planet and his friend Tucker who ruled the planet Saturn came and visited sometimes and of course Mattim, Leena and Wilhelm visited often but those visits lately had become few and far between.
“To what do I owe this honor?” He said wiping his three-fingered hand on a cloth
“Two things actually.” Stated Will stepping forward “for one I would like you to meet someone,” he pulled Wella to his side. “This is my new friend Wella.”
Jatar stuck out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” Wella took it and gave it a timid shake. “So what’s the second thing?” Jatar asked stepping back from Wella and looking back at Wilhelm.
“The second thing is my mom. She’s been acting strange lately Dad says the last time she acted like this was on their honeymoon.” Jatar cringed.
“Yes, the honeymoon I’ll never forget that day. Bless that wonderful monkey for breaking my nose and saving that poor girl from what I was about to do.”
“Yeah well it’s happening again have you seen anything that might explain her behavior?” Jatar went over to a table and shuffled through some papers he frowned and then went over to a computer and clicked on a couple things, jotted down a couple notes and then stood up shaking his head. “It seems to me that Leena has been having some highly adrenaline-laced dreams.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he held up one of the papers that he had been looking at, “These are normal brainwaves during sleep,” he pointed to the computer, “these are Leena’s brainwaves. As you can see hers are considerably higher.”
“Is there anything you can do?”
“Not unless she comes down for testing but good luck convincing her that there’s something wrong. She’s a stubborn one that mother of yours” Wilhelm nodded agreeing.

Wella sat on a bench in Wilhelm’s vine covered balcony. Wilhelm stood leaning over the railing looking out over the city to all the people most Imaginese but a couple humans walking around totally oblivious to the problems that the people in this house had been having lately. Wilhelm had gone to see his mother to ask if she would go and see Jatar, but as Jatar had said she had refused to go.
“So Will are you really going to go to that party that your mom is holding or are you really going to bail?” Will turned around surprised by Wella’s sudden question she had been pretty quiet since leaving Jatar and now for the first time she spoke again.
“Of course I am, I have to.”
“Apparently you don’t your sister doesn’t as is obvious by the fact that she left.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
“Well are you still planning on not letting your mom use your wing?”
“Yeah I was considering it.”
“Will think about it. Think about what you have. You have a whole wing available to you and remember 4th of July is on the same day as Techno the people would love it if you held a Techno party while your mother’s party is going. What type of image would that leave your mother if neither of her children turned up and not only that but one of them was holding his own party.”
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it, Will” She said standing up now and coming to his side. “Just think of the impact that would make.” She placed her hand on his arm now and he glupped. “Please Will, for me.” She batted her eyelashes looking at him pleadingly.
“I’ll see what I can do.”

There was a full moon that night as Wella snuck out of the mansion and into the damp air, she ran to the servant’s gate and opened it she waited there under an awning pulling the light shawl which was the only thing she had thought to grab tighter around her shoulders as the mist got heavier.
Suddenly a figure loomed out of the darkness. The figure ran under the awning to join her, wiping the water from his face. Wella ran into his arms clinging to him as if her life depended on him. He pushed her off “Well there’s no time for this now we need to get down to business. Tell me what you found out”
Wella frowned at Japhin put off by what had just happened. She recovered quickly realizing that it would do no good to let him see her disappointment, “It seems almost impossible to get Leena to change her mind nothing her son does seems to get through to her even her own husband doesn’t agree with half the decisions she’s making. And as it turns out her oldest daughter the one that’s supposed to become leader left Imaginess she didn’t even stay for the celebration of her favorite holiday and Wilhelm isn’t letting his mother use his wing of the house which is the best wing of the house if I do say so myself. I suggested to him that he hold his own party a Techno party.”
Japhin’s eyes lit up. “What did he say to that?”
“He said yes, we start the decorating tomorrow.”
“Wonderful! Anything else I should know.”
“Not that I can…wait there is one more thing,” she hesitated and Japhin grabbed her by the shoulders shaking her slightly to get it out of her.
“What? What is it?”
“They have a Juptan in their basement apparently that’s what keeps them safe and why we never have any attacks anymore. He could be a problem.”
Japhin released Wella’s shoulders and began to pace, “A Juptan, they are practically impossible to defeat.”
“He said something about a monkey breaking his nose if that helps anything.”
“A monkey broke his nose?” he had stopped now and was staring at her curiously, “What exactly did he say?”
She told him.
“Well this is just wonderful. A new way to defeat the Juptans.” He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek in an instant changing from sinister to sweet. “Thank you sweetie. Now you should get before they realize that you’re missing. I’ll meet with you again in two days.” Wella nodded and turned to run back into the mist.
As soon as she was within the gate she stopped, leaning up against the
wall ignoring the mist that surrounded her. She wiped her cheek where he had kissed her. What is wrong with me? She thought Japhin’s going to make this all better and besides Japhin isn’t a human lover. But maybe it’s ok to be a human lover maybe it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be a human lover. Maybe we’ve just misjudged them. Oh I don’t know I’m so confused maybe I just need to sleep. With that Wella turned and ran back into the mansion.