Tyler found himself back in The House of Cards, but in an entirely different location. He stood in front of a large door. The suit he usually wore when visiting was gone, replaced with his normal clothes.
"Tyler," Isla called.
He turned around and saw her dressed in winter clothing. Another woman with dreadlocks stood behind her, one of the players at the table.
"You remember Mal?" Isla asked.
Tyler nodded. "Nice to see you again."
Mal's face was constant, a single expression that rarely changed. "You too. I hear you're having a rough time."
"Just not in a learning mood."
"That's a shame, cause learnin' is exactly what you're gonna do." Mal replied.
Tyler chuckled, then turned to Isla. "You mentioned meeting someone? I've already met Mal."
Isla nodded and gave a devious smile. Tyler felt something tug on his shirt. He looked down and saw a little girl with greasy, thin black hair, tied up in long pig tails with a streak of green highlighting the left side and another of purple on the other.
She looked no older than nine, and spoke loud and clear to make sure he understood every word she had to say, “You are very skinny.”
She didn't bother to wait for his response. The loosely fitted skirt waved as she walked, the sleeves of her shirt dragged the ground behind her as she pranced away.
"Tyler," Mal began, "This is Jynx, my daughter."
"I'm adopted," Jynx added in a loud, chipper tone.
Tyler glanced at Isla. "I don't understand."
Isla grinned. "That child I told you about. I was talking about Jynx."
Jynx squealed as she broke into a sprint, the long sleeves trailing desperately behind her as she ran for the door. They all followed, stepped outside, and Tyler's eyes went wide.
Thunder sounded off in the distance as the light tapping of rain hit the ground. The wind wailed, pleasant at the start, then shifting to a dry and frigid current of air. Tyler shivered and in the moments after, the breeze returned to normal. They left The House of Cards and entered a vast landscape.
To Tyler's left, he saw a desert and on the right he saw thick forests with trees standing taller than any he’s ever seen. He saw a massive inferno, burning trees down and spreading wildly across sections of the forest with a hunger. Moments later the trees stood again, growing just as tall in seconds.
He saw mountains in the distance. Noticed the mountains crumbling only to have more jut up from the ground. They stood on an old decaying road with cracks splitting the pavement. Debris littered both sides of the road, from abandoned, worn out furniture to rusted cars and broken wagons.
Jynx darted forward to a caravan wagon parked on the road. She jumped into the driver's seat, sprawled across the wooden bench. Isla pointed to the wagon, and he followed her. When they neared, Jynx sat up, lifting her upper body with nothing but the muscles in her core like an old horror movie. The wagon was huge, with a circular door and lanterns lightly glowing a faint green light.
"What is this place?" Tyler asked.
Jynx screamed, “This is hell.” She suddenly burst into manic laughter.
Mal spoke up,“Ignore here. We really don't know what it is. It's chaotic, ever-changing.”
Isla gave him a gentle push on the shoulder, "Still not in a learning mood?"
Tyler smiled. "I could stick around a little longer."
They each sat on the wooden bench at the front of the wagon. Mal took the reins as Jynx appeared beside Tyler, making him jump.
"You're like us, right?" she asked.
Tyler nodded, unsure if he was right. "What exactly are we doing here?"
Isla leaned back and said, "To give you something else to think about. What better to occupy your thoughts than an ever-changing land. This is where chaos is born. This is where we thrive."
"How can we thrive in chaos? It's random."
Mal snapped the reins. Despite having no horses, the carriage moved forward. Tyler braced himself against the wagon to avoid falling over. Mal surveyed the uneven road as she spoke, “An illusion. Nothing is random. If you knew the initial conditions of the universe at the big bang, the entire history of the universe could be predicted. You'd be surprised at the results. You ever wonder why drunk drivers survive the car crashes more than their sober victims?”
Tyler nodded. “The alcohol. They have poor reflexes. They don't see the crash coming, so they don't tense up.”
“How strange is that?" Mal asked. "The person who, by all rights, should be the one that dies survives the crash. One bad choice and lives go to shit.”
Tyler turned to the sight of movement in time to catch Jynx crawling into the wagon from a side window. He turned back to Mal, "So it's a force of destruction?"
"No." Isla said. "It's a force of change."
“That would mean chaos can be calm and still.”
Mal laughed, “Most believe chaos and order to be opposites. The destruction, the erosion of a mountain, and the ripples in a lake, these are but tools in the toolbox. What happens when a nation falls?”
Tyler shrugged. “Chaos?”
“Does it? Chaos existed before the fall of the nation. More than likely it caused the nation to be in the first place, as well as sealed its fate. Luck be a lady who stabs you in the back."
Isla nodded with a knowing smile. "What is there to destroy in a pile of rubble? Order and disorder need one another to survive. It's not about taking risks. If you make a bet, may it be the right bet.”
Mal handed the reins to Isla, “I'll show him” She motioned for him to follow, and shimmied to the side of the wagon, opening the door and stepping inside. Tyler did the same.
The inside of the caravan seemed bigger than the outside. Shelves lined the walls, filled with all manner of containers, hanging fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Jynx was rummaging through a chest at the foot of a bed. Her legs swung in the air, as her upper half disappeared into the chest and reappeared again with a random object in her hand. She studied it, found it lacking in whatever purpose she had planned for it, if indeed there was a purpose, then tossed it back into the chest. Eventually she pulled out a small snow-globe.
She gave it a shake. “Woah...”
Tyler caught a glimpse of the globe. Inside the glass was a park bench and a few street lamps. On the bench sat a couple, a man and a woman, engaging in a kiss. He felt static radiating from it. It was so strong he felt goosebumps crawl up his arm.
Tyler and Mal followed as Jynx skipped to the back of the wagon. Jynx abruptly stopped and waited staring up into the air as if expecting something to be there that wasn't. She looked up at Mal and back to the air, then back again.
"Sorry little one. Where to?” Mal asked,
“Anywhere,” Jynx screamed, throwing her arms into the air.
Mal raised her hand and shifted a blue wheel on the back door. “Chicago?”
“Perfect.” Jynx replied. Mal opened the door and Jynx ran through. Tyler held a hand out to stop her, then recoiled at the sheer drop in temperature. The door didn't open to the outside of the wagon, but to a snow covered city.
"Chicago?" Tyler asked.
Mal nodded, grabbing a coat hanging off a hook on the wall. Tyler slipped it on, and they marched through the door. Jynx was running, dragging her sleeves behind her and indifferent to the cold.
“Is this the real Chicago?” Tyler asked.
“Yes,” Mal replied, “Were here, but not physically. We can influence change though. Just watch.”
Tyler focused on the little girl as she ran, tripped, and fell into a pile of virgin snow. She giggled, sat up, and looked around. She eyed a park bench, looked at the snow globe, and quickly rushed over.
On the bench, a young woman sat reading a book. She wore the same clothes as the woman in the globe, a red peacoat and jeans with a white beret. Jynx crept up and gently placed the globe on the opposite side of the bench, then ran to a tree behind the bench.
Moments later, a young man approached the bench looking concerned. He wore the same clothes as the man in the globe. A black jacket with sweat pants. The woman looked up and spoke. Tyler was shocked to realize he heard every word.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked, “did you lose something?”
“My book, I think I left it here.” he replied.
The woman looked embarrassed as she closed her book and showed it to him. “Is this it, It was laying here, I found it and started reading it.”
“Oh my god, yes, that's it.” The woman looked slightly disappointed and attempted to hand it back.
The man reached out to take it, then stopped. “How long have you been reading?”
“About two hours. It got me hooked.”
The man slowly sat beside her. “We have a class together, comp one. You can give it back when you're done.”
Jynx rushed to the bench, grabbed the globe, and slammed it in the space between them hard, causing a loud thud. They both looked down at the globe. Mal laughed, tilting her head in admiration. Jynx stared at the couple. It took a few minutes, but eventually it did happen. The couple exchanged a kiss.
“Yes!” Jynx cried jumping into the air, “It is done.” She rushed through the door and back into the wagon. Mal gave Tyler a look and followed her.
“What just happened?” Tyler asked, closing the door behind him. Mal shrugged, shaking her head.
“She does that.”
“His name is Robert E Knight,” Jynx began, exaggerating every word, “In 3 years he creates a weapon that would kill millions. Now, they will marry after she gets knocked up. They will die in a car crash in two years.” Mal smiled, patted her on the head, and walked toward the caravan.
Tyler snapped, “You sentenced an entire family to death?”
Jynx shrugged as Mal turned to face him. “She saved millions.”
“So this is what you do, go around altering the course of things for the greater good?”
“Tye,” Jynx pleaded with tears forming in her eyes.
“How do you justify playing god like that,” Tyler asked.
“That man was so sad.” Jynx said.
Mal spoke with her arms crossed. “By our estimates, Robert Knight commits suicide in five years, broken and alone. We all die. Jynx made sure he would die happy. I'd say that's worth three years."
Tyler didn't know what to say. He looked down at the little girl and questioned his judgment. He didn't want to respond, as if his refusal would leave his beliefs unscathed. In the end, he offered the girl a hug which she accepted.
“He’s sorry.” She called out sniffling.
Mal smiled. “We do what we can, I't's not always so pleasant, I’ll admit, but it’s not black and white either.” Jynx nestled into her bed, waving her arms so Mal would notice.
Tyler tried to keep a civil tone as he spoke, “I just don't believe in that. What gives you the right?”
“We do,” Mal said, tucking the little girl in. "We are the exception to fate. That means we get to decide."
Alright. Onto the second chapter of yesterday. I already read this one and I don't think there'll be much to say. Anyway, onwards. "The loosely fitted skirt" This sentence doesn't make sense as "the" is an odd article to use. I'd go with a possessive like "her" instead. "They allow followed, stepped outside, and Tyler's eyes went wide" The tense in this sentence doesn't really work. You switch, in a list format, from complete past to a more active past tense. It should be something like "They all followed and, upon stepping outside, Tyler's eyes went wide" Okay. Final summarizing comments now. There are a number of distracting typos, mainly in the realm of phrasing and comma usage. Other than that, this chapter is so crazy and poses to the reader several good questions of morality. I really like it, though I was a bit distracted while reading the ending. An additional thing that you kind of skipped over from the last comment: What is Synchronicity?
Oops, my bad. Synchronicity is the first theorem, which deals mainly with luck. The term refers to strange coincidences. like siblings being born on the same day or having a song in your head that plays the moment you turn on a radio. These are synchronicities and a lot of new age beliefs like to say the universe is saying something. In the context of the book, these events tend to occur when a discordian internalizes the static, and invites or denies luck to themselves or others respectively. It isnt touch on in such detail, but i may have to go back and review how it's explained. Sorry I missed those typos. I was really trying on this one cause of how critical it is. I'm glad it worked out, and glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again my friend. I'm working on the next chapter, no promises for tonight though. I wanna give it a good extra pass or two since we're nearing the climax of the novel. I don't want that to be distracting.
Oh, ok. That makes sense. I either completely missed it or you didn't properly explain it originally. Not sure which, but I definitely didn't know that. Really!? The climax already. I don't know why, but it barely feels like we've hit the exposition(probably because we're only beginning to explore some aspects of the Prestige), so that's surprising. How many chapters does your current layout of the plot have? As for timing, don't worry about anything since I probably won't be able to read until about this time tomorrow anyway.
I didn't explain it properly lol and, currently, we're looking at 40 chapters, 70-80k words. The exposition is a problem I'll need to address. There are probably many places before this where it will need to be expanded. That's effectively what I meant. The rest of the book is showing off the prestige, particularly the scarlet arts and arcana Discordia. There will be more in the way of exposition as these genres are explored, but the plot will be moving forward soon.