Rev's Odyssey by R. R. Kaufman (the reading list .txt) 📕

different colors and shapes, as they swam in and out of the coral. Rev felt guilty. She was sure she would have found her mother safe, and that both of them could have returned to Genus. No such luck.

Kosni returned with Rev’s drink.

 

Rev

Mother is still missing. Stike told me that she and professor Mars are both gone.

 

Kosni

Where? Brix isn’t that big. Does it have anything to do with Razor?

 

Rev

I’m not sure, father. Nobody has seen them in two days. They’ve looked everywhere. If Razor captured them she’s not saying. Everybody’s worried.

 

Kosni

I know Stike must be frantic too. His father wouldn’t leave without saying something about where he was going. Razor must be after them and they’re in hiding together.

 

Rev

I hope they’re safe. A lot has changed in Brix over the last three and a half years. Razor has complete control over the community with her drokes. She has built big factories that pour out black smoke. Stike said it’s contaminating the rivers and our seawater. They don’t know how to get rid of Razor. But their problem is now our problem. We have to work together to defeat her.

 

 

Kosni

Rev, I don’t want you to go back there. This Razor is toxic. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.

 

 

Rev

I understand, father but I wouldn’t go near her. Stike and his friends know everything about her and I would just stay in the background. He’s my cousin and I trust him. He’ll protect me and help us find mom.

 

Kosni just stared down at the floor. How could he convince his daughter not to return to Brix. Any father would worry about his fifteen year old daughter in a dangerous world. He had always been able to solve any problem that came up in Genus and his family. Genus had no army. It didn’t need one. They had always been at peace with Brix. No one could have thought this was going to happen. He was hopeful his wife, Cyna, was safe with his brother, professor Mars. He knew he had to work with Mars, who he hadn’t spoken to in fourteen years since their fallout. He was running out of options.

 

Rev

I killed one of the drokes.

 

Kosni

What?

 

Rev pulled the yellow piece of metal from her pocket and placed it in her father’s palm. Kosni stared in disbelief.

Rev explained how Stike was supposed to guide her back to the dive cliff but didn’t return on time. She panicked and decided to return to Genus on her own. She encountered the droke and defeated it.

Kosni carefully studied the object. It was thin and about the size of his middle fingernail. Long and short thin lines ending in dots formed some kind of pattern. They flowed parallel to each other, without touching one another. Kosni turned the object over to the other side. He noticed it was different. There were multiple lines but this time they joined each other and formed pathways. He slowly looked up at Rev.

 

Kosni

It’s gold!

 

Rev

What’s that?

 

Kosni

Gold has never been found on our planet, Radium. According to the old books that we discovered in Genus, when we settled here twelve years ago, gold is extremely rare and has amazing powers. I have no idea what purpose this object serves. But one thing is certain. I know if you destroyed the droke and took this gold piece, Razor will be furious. She will hunt you down. She might kill you. I can’t let you go back to Brix.

 

Rev remained silent and stared out the huge glass window at the peaceful underwater world. She always loved Genus ever since she was a little girl. She couldn’t imagine her life without it. She turned around and looked at her father.

 

Rev

I guess we can always live in Brix.

 

Kosni

No. We can never return to Brix.

 

Rev

Why? Has it something to do with your brother? You and mother said you would tell me about the family secrets when I was older. I think now would be a good time.

 

Kosni

Your mother is not here. We all must be together first, before I speak.

 

Rev

Please father.

 

Kosni

Very well, Rev. When Mars and I were young we did a stupid thing that changed everything.

 

Rev

What stupid thing?

 

There was a knock at the door. One of Kosni’s advisors entered the room. He explained that the pollution was getting worse and moving closer to Genus.

 

Kosni

Please Rev, I have to attend to this. I’ll talk to you later.

 

Rev nodded her head and left the room.

 

Chapter 4

 

 

Rev woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She ventured outside Genus and wanted to see the toxins that were getting closer to her home. She hitched a ride on top of a speckled whale and glided over the sea floor for about ten minutes. As the whale moved upward she approached the black water above her.

She was stunned by what she saw. The black contaminants were thicker and closer to Genus than when she examined their effect two weeks earlier. At that time, the black water was more transparent, but now, no light shone through it. It was larger in size and was drifting down nearer the sea floor.

Downcast, Rev returned to Genus.

She needed to get her mind off the looming danger. She entered the indoor climbing gym. On one side of the high glass room, there were embedded in the glass wall different sizes and shapes of rocks, most of them small. Rev looked up at the rock-climbing wall. She had never reached the top shelf of the monster high wall. The overhang at the top had always eluded her. Each time she approached the uppermost ridge she had to bail.

Rev put an ultimatum to herself. If she could climb to the top, then she could convince her father to return to Brix. And if she didn’t succeed? Well, that wasn’t going to be an alternative, Rev thought. It was do or die.

Rev fastened her climbing belt around her waist. She pulled down on the hanging rope attached to the auto belay at the very top, and fastened the rope securely to a metal ring on her belt. The auto belay was a safety device her father had invented. If Rev lost her grip on the wall and fell, the rope attached to the top belay mechanism would increase the tension on the rope, preventing a climber from falling fast. Rev rubbed a chalk ball on her palms and fingers. She did a slow stretch of her body, focused and started to climb.

Her climbing instructor had taught her to use her leg muscles to climb instead of her arms. Push with your legs, Rev, instead of pulling with your arms, she could hear him say. Rev had learned, by doing this, she could conserve more energy.

She studied the wall and planned her climbing route. She secured her footholds carefully, flexing her leg muscles and stretching her arms out straight to get a good finger hold on each rock. She saved her arm muscles for the overhang at the top where she would need them most. By putting lots of pressure on her big toes she was able to pivot her body around and kept her balance and center of gravity close to the wall.

She used her time and energy wisely and was halfway up before she took a breather. She looked through the glass and saw a group of stingrays floating effortlessly towards her before veering off in another direction, and slowly disappearing.

Now came the hard part. Rev approached the overhang. It jutted out at a sharper inward angle to the main wall. She would have to use her arms and fingers to exert more energy. She took a finger hold on a small rock and swung the upper part of her foot on to another rock to secure a toe hook. This helped her pull her body inwards, towards the wall. She moved her other foot forward with the same movement. She let go of one hand and grabbed another rock higher up with her other hand. She swung her right foot higher on the hangover but missed her foothold. Her other hand slipped from the rock and she was hanging on by her left hand only.

This was the farthest Rev had ever been able to climb. This was the point of no return. She had to hold on.

The fingers on her left hand began to cramp up. She made a desperate swing with both feet and one foot managed to grab hold of a rock with the heel of her shoe. She took a finger hold with her right hand and took a deep breath. She was only one foot to the top of the overhang. She kept her body as straight as possible to maintain her balance and center of gravity.

She maneuvered both of her feet on to each big toe. Pressing hard on the rocks with each toe she let go of her finger grips and jumped over the edge of the overhang and grabbed hold of the rocks on the vertical wall above the overhang. She swung her right foot over the overhang and pressed down on a rock. Her fingers grabbed hold of higher holds and she used both legs to push her to the top.

Rev grabbed hold of the victory ring at the top. She rested a few moments and then fell backwards. The auto belay released her slowly as she descended to the cushioned floor mat.

 

Chapter 5

 

 

Rev downed a large glass of water. She gazed out into the sea world full of life. She despised this, Razor, whoever she was. Nobody had the right to destroy her world. She was deep in thought when she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Rev quickly turned around.

 

Rev

Raká, I didn’t hear you enter.

 

Raká

You weren’t supposed to. I see you conquered the wall.

 

Rev

Yes, but now I have a bigger problem to overcome.

 

Raká

It’s everybody’s problem, Rev. Don’t put this burden only on your shoulders. Together all of Genus will come to a solution.

 

Rev

I know but I feel my brain exploding. Mother and professor Mars have gone missing and Stike didn’t return. I can’t remain static and just do nothing. Our time in Genus is running out.

 

Raká was Rev’s trusted friend and one of her father’s most important advisors. A number of years older than her father, he had always been there for her family. She had always cherished his advice.

But now, something stirred inside Rev. As an obedient and disciplined child, she was admired by everyone in Genus. Citizens of Genus believed that Rev would follow in her father’s role as director of Genus. But after turning fifteen years old and witnessing the future destruction of Brix and Genus, Rev was confused. She was restless and wanted to take action. After defeating the droke she was certain she could help.

 

Raká

What plan do you have in mind?

 

Rev

First, I need to find my mother and uncle Mars. Stike will help me. Together we can find support and pressure Razor to get out of Brix. That will end the pollution and eventually restore both our worlds. Without that there is no hope. Why can’t father understand that?

 

Raká

He does.

 

Rev

Then why won’t