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Copyright 2009 by Garvath Publishing
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The only disappointment Nathan had with Ghoram was that he had stayed single. Ghoram had explained how it didn't seem right for him to pursue a relationship in a 'borrowed body', and Nathan had to admit it made sense. Still, when at the Oreni's suggestion he had insisted that Ghoram and young Olos move to a village so Olos could grow up among other children, he had hoped Ghoram would bond to a young lady there.
(He wistfully wished he had someone himself, but he was a decidedly different case. He was an 86 year-old man in an undersized nine year-old's body. Marriage just wasn't a practical idea. At least he didn't have the 'raging hormone' factor to deal with.)
Other than Ghanning the occasional message and visiting twice a year (on each of their 'birthdays'), he had stayed out of Ghoram's and Olos' everyday lives.
Olos was now 15. While he'd done exceptionally well in school, he had surprised both Nathan and Ghoram when he announced his wish to attend the University.
Ironically, he had planned to mention to Ghoram that he himself would be attending the University the next year to do some more research on Klein's disease. He had not actively worked on it since his father had retired. That had been 27 years ago.
Ghoram had tried to tell Olos he was too young for the University, but Nathan had quickly pointed out there was no age limit, only academic standards, which Olos clearly met.
"We could share a room, Uncle Nathan," Olos had said.
"Us and a couple of dozen more," Nathan had replied. "Although I imagine we'll get picked on a lot for being the two youngest ones there."
"That's not fair," Ghoram had replied.
"Olos and I are old for our ages. I think we can handle it," had been Nathan's observation, to which Ghoram had questioned "Other way around, don't you mean?. I'd say you're young for your ages."
"Okay, old for our apparent ages," Nathan had ammended, winking at Olos. "I meant we can take a little teasing. Don't worry, Olos, most of it will be directed at me, and I know a lot they don't."
Nathan's enrollment went surprisingly well this time. One of the biology students he'd worked with 27 years before was currently head of the biology department remembered Nathan. He'd actually greeted Nathan by name before stopping himself and starting to apologize.
"No, it's me," Nathan had assured him. "We were right about the non-aging effects. But the other concerns are still very much a factor. I want to take another stab at beating this thing."
After that conversation, Nathan knew he could ask for anything and likely get it. The hardest thing was getting his old friend to agree not to tell everyone who he was.
The beginning of the academic year went very predictably. Nathan was teased as much as he expected he would be. At first it was difficult to keep Olos from always defending him, until he asked Olos who he thought was carrying out the pranks on those offending students.
Those students never directly suspected Nathan of such subtle mischief, but clearly got the message to leave him alone eventually. By midterm that first year, Nathan was grudgingly accepted as 'one of the guys'. Olos had gradually become accepted long before that.
Problem was, Olos didn't realize this was the case. Though actually the older of the two by far, Olos retained no memory of his life as an Oren. He'd only lived 15 years as a human. Fifteen is a difficult enough time for anyone emotionally, but the Oreni seemed to have no emotions, and Olos seemed to be easily overwhelmed by them. As a result, normal teen angst was almost crippling to Olos. He was especially sensitive to other people's opinion of him.
Both Olos and Nathan aced their midterms. This annoyed the older students who didn't do so well (and of course all the students were older, so there was a fair amount of annoyance).
One student couldn't resist accusing Olos of carrying out 'special favors' for his professors. Olos had absolutely no grasp of the off-color implications. The older student realized that, and decided to escalate his taunting.
Olos had developed a reputation for being honest and open, (sometimes too much so, in Nathan's opinion). Consequently, everyone in the dorm knew that Olos had never known a mother, and had grown up living with Ghoram, a single man.
The older student 'explained' that he was referring to the same 'special favors' Olos had done for Ghoram. This also had no effect, as Olos had no idea what the student was implying.
Seeing this, the student began describing what he meant in explicit detail. When comprehension finally dawned on Olos, no one was prepared for what happened.
Lightning quick, Olos sprang at the older student, knocking him to the ground and pummeling his face with rapid-fire fists. He literally screamed "My father wouldn't do that" over and over as he continued his attack.
Nathan has not witnessed the beginning of the confrontation, but he was pretty sure he recognized the screaming voice and ran to investigate. He arrived totally exhausted from the short run, and found two students restraining Olos, while a third stood between him and the bloody man on the ground, facing Olos, and obviously trying to calm him down.
Nathan was stunned by Olos' appearance. The raw hatred and fury in his face far surpassed anything Nathan had seen in his 86 years. The man on the ground looked as if he'd been attacked by a gang, not a lone teenager. Of course he understood that head and facial wounds tended to look more serious than they actually were.
Olos struggled to get free and continue his attack. Nathan stepped in and shouted "Olos! Enough!"
Olos looked at Nathan as if he didn't recognize him. "Olos!" Nathan repeated. "That's - enough," he said quieter but forcefully. He was still winded from his run.
As if a switch were thrown, Olos went from fury to tears. Nathan wasn't sure which alarmed him more. The students restraining Olos looked decidedly confused, but released him.
Olos went to his knees sobbing violently. Nathan stepped closer, at eye level now that the teen was kneeling. Abruptly, Olos caught Nathan in a bear-hug of anguish.
Nathan was alarmed at first. With his body's toxic nature, he'd always been careful to avoid physical contact with anyone. He wasn't bleeding though, and Olos wasn't likely to bite him. While Nathan's sweat contained the toxin, and he knew Olos' hands could have small cuts or abrasions from the attack, he forced himself to relax. He knew the virus itself wasn't present in simple sweat. The small amount of toxin Olos might get in his cuts would merely act as an antiseptic.
Interestingly, the gathered crowd now seemed concerned with Olos' well-being. No one was paying any attention to the bleeding man on the ground. A few followed as Nathan led Olos to their dorm. Mostly, they just dispersed to their own destinations. Eventually, the older student was left alone, still lying where he had fallen.
The next day, rumors circulated that the student was pressing assault charges against Olos. Repurcussions to the rumor itself were so negative, it would have been insane to follow through. Olos had unwittingly won the respect of the rest of the students.
Olos was the only one unaware of this. He walked around in a daze. He made no eye contact, and only spoke to answer questions - in monosyllables when he could.
Everyone knew whose fault the altercation had been, even though no one had witnessed its beginning. Both students were well known, and everyone knew Olos would not have started a fight, even though he had thrown the first - and only punches.
The faculty really couldn't ignore something this serious. The man had lost several teeth and needed stitches, after all. A week after the incident, Olos was called to meet with the Dean of Students.
While Nathan had not been invited, no one questioned his presence at the meeting. Everyone knew he was somehow family to Olos. When everyone was present, Nathan addressed the group. "I know I am not officially part of this, but may I say something before we start?"
"May I say something?" boomed an imposing voice. Everyone, including Nathan, was startled by the face now floating in the room.
"First!" Nathan exclaimed.
"Historian," First acknowledged.
Nathan would rather that First had not mentioned that. Most of the faculty didn't know he was the Nathan Klein. He groaned inwardly at the surprised murmur. So much for remaining incognito.
First spoke again. "It is important to know exactly what provoked his outburst. While none of you were there, an Oren did witness the event.
Suddenly in the middle of the room was a lifesize depiction of what happened. Unlike a film, video, or even holographic scene, these characters appeared solid and alive. As the scene replayed itself, even Olos watched and listened with interest, although partway through he put his hands over his ears and looked down at the table in front of him.
Once the image of Olos lunged, the scene disappeared. "How can he say that stuff?" Olos asked immediately. "People don't really do that! But it's in my head now and it won't go away." He resumed the vacant stare Nathan had seen so much of the past week.
After an awkward silence, the Dean addressed Nathan. "You wished to speak?"
"I don't think I need to at this point," Nathan replied.
"I was planning to give Mr Ghoramson a verbal censure and probation, however I'm disregarding all that. I don't believe he's done anything wrong. Mr Klein, can you recommend anyone who might offer emotional counseling for Mr Ghoramson? I imagine you've met a lot of good folks during your illustrious career."
"I believe I can arrange something," Nathan replied.
"You're really Nathan Klein?" someone asked.
"Please," Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "Are we done here?" he asked the Dean.
"Absolutely," the Dean said, tearing up a stack of papers.
Nathan counseled O8 himself through a series of conversations over the next several weeks. While the shock of what the other student had described to O8 was a factor, it was clear to Nathan from the outset that something else was the real problem. Nathan had an idea what it was and repeatedly tried to draw it out in these sessions.
It was a couple of weeks before Nathan had the insight to focus on Olos' feelings about the incident. Nathan had witnessed some extraordinary anger, and believed it was central to the issue.
Although Nathan had asked several times before, one day when he asked Olos how he'd felt during the attack, Olos opened up. "I wanted to kill him," he said. A trace of the fury was back in Olos' eyes. This time Nathan knew they were getting somewhere.
"I wanted to come right out of my body and burn him alive where he stood! But I couldn't. So I used my fists."
"Why did you want to kill him?" Nathan asked.
"You heard what he said about my father!"
"I heard. They were awful things, but you know they weren't true," Nathan replied.
"My father would never hurt me."
"True. You father would never hurt you. But Ghoram was not always your father. Remember, the Oreni brought you to him. You don't consciously remember anything before that, but you were hurt seriously. Your subconscious may retain that.
"So while you know your father wouldn't hurt you, you also know someone did, and he made you feel it could have been your father. That would have been intolerable, and I think maybe that's what set you off."
Olos looked at him, nearly in awe. "You know what happened, don't you?" he asked.
"I know more than I'm telling you. I won't lie about that. But you aren't ready to hear it yet. After all, I don't want you beating me up like that."
Olos look of alarm was classic.
"I'm joking, kid. I'm not worried about that, but I'm totally serious about you not being ready to hear about what happened to you.
"Right now, one important thing to keep in mind is this: There is nothing wrong with you. Your anger is a normal human emotion, and strong emotions like fear and anger can sometimes make us lose control. This is especially true at your age.
"During adolescence, your brain is literally being rewired, and the emotions are particularly affected. That's just part of human existence. I know you understand it's not acceptable to go around beating people up, and I'm sure you're apalled at yourself for doing it.
"Alright. Move on. Learn from it, but don't dwell on it. As you mature, your emotions will be easier to manage. But that only happens through experience. If you shy away from your emotions now, you'll never learn to manage them. Then, down the road something happens and you get surprised again by an explosion.
"Another important thing to keep in mind is that your father was once in a situation where he was terrified for his life. When fear is that strong, it's hard to tell where fear stops and anger begins. While hasn't tried to hurt you, He has tried to kill someone."
"My father? NOW you're joking!"
"No, actually now I'm dead serious. And he was about your age, give or take. I'm not telling you this to suggest you come from a family of killers. I just want you to understand that this isn't some strange flaw in you. You're simply human.
"Anger, fear, worry, love, surprise, joy, amusement, these are all part of life. Remember the flight we took to get here?"
"How could I forget?" Olos asked, surprised by the shift in topic. "You took us in the cockpit."
"Well, emotions are like the sights, sounds, feel, and smells of the flight. They're what make flying enjoyable. We're all like pilots. The pilot experiences all those things I mentioned, but what would happen if he just sat back and took it all in?"
"The plane would crash?" Olos offered.
"Exactly! The pilot experiences the sights, sounds, etc., but he still needs to fly the plane. You released your controls, and you crashed. You've got to learn to experience the emotions without relinquishing control.
"Your emotions make life worthwhile, but not if they control you. Got it?"
"I think I do," Olos smiled. It was the first smile Nathan had seen since the blow-up. And it appeared genuine.
"You'll still need time to really come to terms with all this, so don't be surprised if it keeps coming back at you. Guilt, too is an emotion, and can be a great reminder of what not to do. Just don't wallow in it."
Final exams were approaching. Nathan took it in stride. He wasn't here to 'pass', so there was no anxiety about the exams.
Olos, on the other hand, seemed to be developing worry to an art form. Nathan wrote it off to Olos' need for social approval. He'd be glad when the boy grew out of that.
He made sure to spend plenty of time with Olos to keep communication lines open. They didn't always discuss weighty matters. Often it was just idle chatter. During one of these chats, Olos surprised the heck out of Nathan.
"I had a crazy dream last night, Uncle Nat," Olos said.
"Do I want to know?" Nathan asked.
"Not one of those dreams!" Olos said, play-punching Nathan (he'd learned to watch his strength around his tiny uncle).
"Good. So care to share it?"
"You and I were twins. It was really strange."
"Twins?" Nathan echoed, stalling for composure. "So what did we do?"
"Mostly, I got you in trouble. No one else knew you had a twin, so everyone thought you did things when it was really me. Are you feeling okay?"
"Nathan had hoped his shock wouldn't show, but apparently it had. "No I'm not, really, but I'll just sit a minute and I'll be alright." He knew Olos would assume it was his Klein's disease acting up again, and he did nothing to correct that impression.
It bothered him to withhold so much from Olos. He was never dishonest with the boy, and he was resolved never to be dishonest, even if he ultimately had to admit what the Oreni had told him not to.
The chances of Olos guessing his true origins were remote, but incidents like this really made him wonder sometimes.
Besides, the shock had dropped his blood sugar, based on how he was feeling. The toxin the virus kept producing in his body mildly interfered with his blood sugar regulation, keeping him prone to chronic low blood sugar. Usually it was only a problem with heavy exertion, but there were enough random episodes to make it an effective cover story for his reaction to Olos' dream. He wondered how long he could keep this secret, and whether it was really necessary.