X2.2.4 – The Skips

"He was about to leap down to his death," said one of the acrobats standing next to Roa as he lay on his bed hyperventilating. "I grabbed him just in time, fortunately."

"What?" Balter said sternly. "I can't have either of them dead. They're worth too much to Madame Solstice."

"His friend is doing a bit better, but not by much," he pointed at Rosso, who was huddled in a corner with his hands on his ears.

"What the hell is the matter with them?" Balter asked.

The door opened. Roa looked up and noticed the blue-haired girl come in.

"What do you want, Indigo?" the cat-man asked.

"Balter, you're going to kill these two. They're obviously rookies or resets—or both. They can't handle this much jumping from world to world. It's been eight months and we've been to at least—thirteen worlds," Indigo pointed out.

"Are you saying they got the Skips?" Lhalo asked.

Indigo kneeled down next to Roa's bed and rested her hand on his arm.

"Hey, kid, are you alright?" she asked, but Roa did not answer and instead kept on breathing heavily and sweating profusely. "Listen, you're going to be alright. I need you to answer me, ok? I will help you."

The boy nodded.

"Good. Is your mind racing all the time?"

He nodded.

"Are you sleeping?"

He shook his head.

"Are you seeing things that are not there?"

He nodded again, more panicky now.

"It's worse each time we jump, right?"

"Yes," said the boy, shaking.

Indigo stood up and looked at Balter with a stern look.

"They got the Skips, Balter. You keep forcing them to jump, and eventually they will go completely insane," she said. "You either let them go, or you stop the caravan for a while."

"The show must go on! You are the one that is out of your mind. You know damn well that Madame Solstice will never change her schedule. People are waiting for the circus to arrive. Her—debtors are waiting. No way, can't do it. The spectacle cannot be stopped. No way," Balter shouted back.

"Then let them go. They won't be of use to you if they die. Who's going to buy a dead—empty map?" Indigo said.

"Wait, are you saying that these kids know the way—the way to the Dreamer?" asked Lhalo, causing Balter to shoot an angry look Indigo's way.

"You keep your damn mouth shut, Lhalo, or I will make sure of it myself that your life will become a living hell from now on. Understood?" Balter screamed.

"Yes, Mr. Balter."

The circus manager began pacing back and forth. "What the hell do I do now? Madame Solstice will have my head if anything happens to these two. The damn Skips—we didn't even go through worlds with any crazy natural laws. It's not like we went through the Outerworks several times. What's the matter with these two weaklings? I thought they would be stronger than this. How does the famous leader of the revolution against the Lord of the Worlds manage to get the Skips—after only a few jumps, for that matter? You tell me that, Indigo?"

"He's obviously been reset, Balter. Don't you get it? He probably doesn't even remember the way to the Core anymore. He's worthless," Indigo pointed out.

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Roa's fingers grabbed the bed sheets as he began grinding his teeth and groan loudly.

"You're going to kill them," Indigo said as she held the boy's hand.

"I can't stop the show, but I can't let them go either," Balter murmured to himself. "And I don't care if he's a reset. Buyers will pay a very high price for someone like him—especially if they don't know that he's a damn--RESET!" he screamed really loud as he stared at Lhalo who looked down at the floor.

The earthling's breath reached a very high rate and his eyes rolled back when all of the sudden the room was filled with light.

"Woah," said Lhalo. "This kid's got an immense aura inside of him."

The others stood dumbfounded.

"So, you're the Sunflower then," Balter said, his eyes narrowing. "I knew those red irises and white hair were no coincidence!"

Roa looked at his arms and noticed that they were covered with the glowing, golden tattoos again. He could not stop his breath, nor his mind. He looked around for his friend and noticed Rosso in a fetal position hitting his head with his fist.

"Make it stop," murmured Rosso over and over.

"Alright, alright, I got it," Balter said, taking out a large map and placing it on the table, running his index finger over it. His eyes darted all over the place. "I got it. We will cancel one show. And in the meantime—"

"What the hell is happening to us?" asked Roa, squeezing Indigo's hand.

"It's ok. You'll be ok. You've caught a travel bug called the Skips. It's what happens when a Jumper jumps too much. You must not be used to going through so many worlds. Your minds are having a hard time adapting to so many different natural laws. That's all," Indigo said with a kind smile.

"Lhalo, I need you to get jester's crew to jump to—Room 1776Z of Floor 895F, not 895G, of the Pantries of the Palace. I need them to find and bring back at least—45 milliliters of Dusk Dragon's tears from a woman named Heeleeah. She's one of the utmost experts on alchemy. Have them ask her how to treat the Skips in a short period of time—without the usual waiting period. Go!" Balter screamed.

"Yes—yes, Mr. Balter. Right away."

"We're going to wait for jester's crew to return with the potion. Indigo, go tell the troupe that until they return, no one is getting paid and that everyone is on half rations. No shows, no money," Balter stormed out. "Now, I have to convince Madame Solstice to do the one thing she hates most—change the schedule."

"I need to pee," said Roa, standing up. The whole room was spinning as thousands of voices spoke over one another in his head.

He opened the door of the bathroom and relieved himself all over the floor, leaning on the wall, attempting with all of his strength to not lose his balance. He saw his reflection in the mirror and noticed the bags under his eyes.

"I look great," he said, attempting to lighten the situation. The tattoos were glowing still. "My aura," he said with a genuine smile. He felt relieved that he still had it in him. Then, he noticed a tree on his chest. One branch at the top was wrapped by two lines shaped like helixes. Roa ran his index finger over them until it stopped on some round dot at its top surrounded by fire.

His eyes then focused on another tattoo.

"That's Antarctica," he said. "I remember this continent. It's Earth," he caressed it. "Why are there flowers blooming in Antarctica?" he asked, as he noticed many colorful petals inside of the outline of Earth's frozen landmass.

He sighed and turned around, heading back to his bed. Before he could do so, however, he noticed the biggest of the tattoos on his body. His back—it was almost completely covered by a beautifully ornate mandala. His head began spinning again and he stumbled back to bed where he passed out for several hours.

"Better?" Indigo asked after giving the two children Heeleeah's potion after the jesters had returned from afar after a very long, hard week.

Rosso sat up with a jolt. "Woah—it's like all the voices suddenly just--shut up."

"Yeah, that potion seller is a miracle worker." Indigo smiled. "The usual cure for the Skips is just--not jumping for some time, allowing your mind to get used to the world you are in. But, given our—time constraints, this potion will act as a shortcut, for now. If you boys feel like you're getting the Skips again, just drink the rest of it. It should be enough."

"Please, help us leave this place, Indigo," Roa asked. "Our friends are waiting for us in the Elsewhere."

"I can't, kid," she responded, noticing the defeated look on his face. "You wouldn't know how to find them, anyway. The Palace and the worlds of the Innerverse are too many, too big, too complicated to not get lost. Without your auras working, you'd probably die out there. You are safer here."

"I don't want to be here anymore," he said.

"Tell you what—you boys get your auras going again, get those Compasses at least pointing somewhere, and I will help you learn a special Gift," Indigo said with a warm look on her face.

"Which one?" Rosso asked.

"The Blurr Gift. If you concentrate on a person's aura enough, you might be able to send them a telepathic message, even from afar. That way, who knows—you might just be able to talk to your friends, or your girl, again."

Roa's eyes lit up. He looked at Rosso and noticed that he was beaming.

"Deal," the boy said to her.

"But you're going to need to master your auras first, and that will take time. Meanwhile, I recommend you two learn from the acrobats, befriend the musicians, and learn as much as you can from everyone here. They may seem like weirdos, but other than—you-know-who and her cat, the rest of us—are actually pretty nice," she said, twirling her fingers goodbye as she walked out of their room.

Rosso sighed. "Looks like we are officially part of the circus."

"Yeah. This is definitely not what I was expecting. But you know what—" Roa said.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what you're going to say. 'Trust in the process of life.' I get it." Rosso shook his head and they both went to sleep.

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