A quiet fracture in the fabric of reality.
Dona Jussara had arrived at the Empire of the Gods about a week ago, and Rayan was already disturbed by what he had witnessed.
The behavior of the woman living in apartment 1704 was not that of a seventy-eight-year-old.
The city was Tahall, the year was 2082, and its proximity to Heracles meant it was almost entirely controlled by the AstraBio Experience corporation. Tahall still housed many humans, despite the hybrid invasion of 2080.
On that cold May day, Rayan Gollback reflected while sitting in his armchair.
What was happening with Dona Jussara?
The question refused to leave him. His mind circled endlessly around what Jussara really was. He couldn’t explain it — but he had heard her speaking on the phone, and her voice sounded like that of a young woman, no older than twenty-five. Twice that week he had heard her talking to someone, and the feeling had always been the same.
Rayan decided to go down to the condominium convenience store to grab a protein bar. He stood up, put on more appropriate clothes, and left his apartment.
In the corridor on the seventeenth floor, he heard whispers coming from apartment 1704. Those sounds definitely did not belong to an elderly woman. Once again, what he perceived were murmurs — young whispers, almost too light for that silent environment.
She had arrived alone at the condominium and, yes, she was a self-sufficient elderly woman. She depended on no one for daily life, but that did not explain the way she expressed herself.
He entered the elevator and went down to the first floor.
As he stepped out, he found Juliette.
— Hello, Juliette.
— Hello, Rayan, how are you?
— I’m well, dear. We haven’t seen each other in a while. What have you been up to?
— I’ve been away from Heracles. I went to Sky City, to my mother’s house. I missed her.
— Is Sky City already fully inhabited by hybrids?
— It is. Mom called me precisely to talk about that. She’s feeling insecure and wants to come to Tahall. I’m thinking about finding something for her here at the Empire of the Gods.
— That’s beautiful, Juliette. Bring your mother. I want to meet her when she arrives.
— Let’s have a glass of liqueur together then.
— Deal. I’ll hold you to it.
— Please do.
Rayan went to the store, grabbed the protein bar, and returned to the elevator. He pressed 17.
The elevator began to rise, slower than usual, until it simply stopped. The doors opened as if someone had requested the stop — but no one was there.
Curious, Rayan stepped out. As soon as he set foot in the corridor, the elevator doors closed and continued upward on their own.
That floor did not seem to belong to the Empire of the Gods. There were no doors like the others — only a few, each with its own light.
The first was blue.
The second, orange.
From the third, glowing yellow, a young woman emerged.
She walked past Rayan and gave him an ironic smile. She hurried down the corridor, entered the blue door without looking back, and disappeared.
Rayan turned around and called the elevator. It arrived scraping the wall, as if it were too wide for the shaft.
The doors opened. Rayan stepped in and pressed 17 again.
When he exited on the floor, he saw Dona Jussara leaving her apartment.
— Hello, Rayan. How are you?
She offered him an ironic smile — exactly like the one the young woman had given him moments before.
A chill ran through his body, but he answered naturally:
— I’m well, Dona Jussara. And you? You know that if you ever need anything, you can count on me.
— I know, dear. Thank you. I’m going to visit a friend in the other block.
— Go in peace…
— Stay in peace.
She entered the elevator and left.
Rayan remained in the corridor, feeling his thoughts bubbling inside his head, as if something were about to emerge — but still out of reach.
What was happening with Dona Jussara?
Did she know?
Should I ask?
Back in his apartment, Rayan opened a protein bar and drank coffee. He thought about Juliette — he felt the urge to share with her the weight he was carrying.
He lay down on the couch. His mind blended Jussara and Juliette into confused images.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Rayan stood up and opened the door.
It was the girl from the alternate floor. She smiled, touched Rayan’s face, and kissed him.
Time seemed to stop in that instant — she was a magnificent woman.
Rayan let himself be carried away, feeling desire invade his soul.
But his mind did not forgive and whispered, almost imperceptibly:
Are you really kissing Jussara, Rayan?
He pushed the woman away.
When he looked again — he saw Jussara.
Rayan woke up, sweating, intrigued and irritated. He went to take a shower. He needed to relax.
He decided he would look for Juliette. He needed to share with her the discomfort he felt regarding his neighbor.
Through the condominium app, Rayan found Juliette and sent a message:
— Hello, Juliette. Good evening. What are you doing?
— Rayan, I’m baking a cake to have with coffee. Why don’t you come? It would be a pleasure.
— I will. I need to talk… it’s 1506, right?
— Exactly.
— I’m on my way.
Rayan put on perfume, looked at himself in the mirror, brushed his teeth, and left.
Inside the elevator, he met Martha, the building manager of the Empire of the Gods.
— Hello, Rayan.
— How are you, Martha?
— I’m well, dear. We’ve gone so long without seeing each other… it doesn’t even seem like we live in the same building.
— True. How about we plan something in the party hall? A gathering so we can get to know each other better.
— Fantastic idea.
— We’ll talk — I need to go.
The elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor. Rayan stepped out and saw Juliette at the door of 1506, with a charming smile that seemed to take him to other worlds and bring him back.
— Welcome, Rayan. Come in, let’s have walnut cake.
— Wow… this feels like a dream.
— What do you mean? — Juliette asked, amused.
— I love walnut cake. And I really needed to talk to you… incredible things are coming together.
Juliette served coffee and a generous slice of cake.
— You really love it, huh?
— I do… thank you very much. But I want to talk about Dona Jussara.
— Dona Jussara? Who would that be?
— An elderly woman who lives in 1704, next to my apartment.
— Wait… I’m almost sure a friend of mine lives there — Bruna.
— Bruna?
— Yes. Haven’t you ever seen her?
Rayan felt confused.
— I know Dona Jussara… we’ve talked… but sometimes I hear the voice of a young woman. It doesn’t make sense. She lives alone.
— That’s strange… come.
Juliette opened the door and they walked to 1504.
— This is the corresponding one, right? — she asked, observing the door as if trying to orient herself.
— Yes.
— I’ve been there, Rayan… and there’s no elderly woman at all.
Rayan thought for a moment.
— I’m thinking about organizing a party with Martha, the building manager.
— A party?
— Yes. To see who from 1704 shows up.
— That’s a good idea. Need help?
— I’m not sure yet. Let’s see if Martha reaches out.
They said goodbye and Rayan returned home.
That late afternoon, his mind would not detach from Juliette.
He felt something being born — but he still didn’t know what.
He liked his solitude… and feared losing it.
Rayan tried to take a nap, listening to the silence of the apartment as if it were hiding something. He managed to, but soon woke with the feeling that someone had passed through the door.
The apartment was too silent.
He walked to the living room.
On the table, there was a cup — not his.
Still warm.
Rayan felt his heart race.
He opened the door carefully.
In the corridor, Dona Jussara was walking slowly toward the elevator.
When the light flickered for an instant… she was no longer an old woman.
She was the young woman.
She entered the elevator and, before the doors closed, looked directly at Rayan and smiled — an ironic, ancient, impossible smile.
The next day, Rayan went to the front desk to ask for the residents’ registry of the Empire of the Gods. The concierge promptly assisted him. He searched for apartment 1704 — he found:
Bruna Vasconcelos, 24 years old.
Date of acquisition: 03/2079.
Rayan, as if holding the weight of the world, looked at the concierge Venâncio.
— Tell me about Dona Jussara, Venâncio.
The concierge frowned, confused.
— There is no Jussara in the Empire of the Gods records, son.
Rayan heard that like a cut to his soul.
He left, lost — without direction.
E.N.D 🌺
Deixe um comentário