by L. J. Fox
Ten people disembarked from the tram at her stop on Collins Street. Four turned right and headed down the hill and six turned left including Layne. There were three possibilities from the three men who were now walking in front of her. Two men in neat suits and one in casual clothes. She could not detect any of the three to be a Bray. This was very strange. Was it possible her attacker had not exited the tram at her stop after all? Was he playing a game with her?
She sat on a park bench out the front of the Bray building. She needed a few minutes to think and clear her mind. A few familiar people passed her and headed into the office. She felt confused and frustrated. Why had she not been aware that there was a Bray on the tram? Could she have missed the sign? Ever since she had learned to identify a Bray in her immediate area, it had not let her down and she did not even need to try. She just instinctively knew. Maybe the ability was not flawless and some Brays were not identifiable. She had not met a Bray like this yet, so did that mean this was a new person she had not yet met? If that was the case, why had he done this to her? He had obviously identified her as a Bray.
She felt distinctly uncomfortable and suddenly not as strong as she had thought she was. She felt vulnerable and weak, and threatened. She thought of Andy. How she wished he was there with her now, and they could talk this over.
She sighed, took a deep breath and headed into the office.
Chapter 60
Layne’s morning was uneventful. Her thoughts kept going back to the tram ride that morning. There was obviously a way of blocking another Bray from being aware of you. How could she achieve this? Was it the same as turning off one of her senses? She couldn’t just phone Narelle and ask. Narelle may not even be aware that it could be done. She had no one to ask. All she could do was experiment. How to experiment and how to know if you were successful – that was the question?
She concluded that in public, if a Bray detected you, they always turned to look at you and smile. It was a common courtesy. Of course, that did not happen at work, as they were all Brays. The only way she would know is if she did not get a courtesy signal from a Bray in public. She couldn’t think of how she would know at work if she was successful or not.
At lunchtime she walked up Collins Street to her favourite kebab shop. Their lamb kebabs were delicious even if she did smell of garlic for the rest of the day. Walking behind a Bray at one stage, she tried to turn off her Bray identity. Her hopes were dashed when the young man turned and nodded at her. Standing at the kebab kiosk, she tried turning her thoughts inward. With Bray abilities, she liked to think of them as pictures. It helped her understand and absorb the knowledge. With turning her thoughts inward, she likened it to hiding her light in a black box and closing the lid. She needed to concentrate to keep the lid closed and not let any light seep out around the edges of the lid.
Layne was aware there was a Bray just behind her in the queue. She deliberately had not turned and nodded or smiled at the person. She took the wrapped kebab from the young girl behind the counter and turned. Two people back she saw a familiar face. It was Terry, a young man who worked on the same floor as her. Their eyes met.
“Hey, Layne. Looks like you are a kebab fan too.” He laughed.
“Can’t help myself.” She smiled at him and moved on.
There was no way of knowing whether Terry had detected her or not. He would have recognised her anyway.
After lunch she felt bored. She had read everything she could find. She had a good theory knowledge of the Bray history and operation, though there were blanks. Warren was obviously keeping certain areas secret from her. Areas such as the security side of things. She was certain that there was a division within the Brays that were the heavy arm and did any dirty work that needed doing. She was certain of it. She had heard a few whispers and read a few innuendos. Was it this division that had murdered her parents? Again, she felt a rising anger. She couldn’t remember ever feeling real anger before she came to Melbourne. As her powers grew, so did her anger, her confidence and her arrogance. Did that mean she was truly turning into a Bray? Even that thought made her angry.
She was determined to ask Warren some questions about her parents. It was time. No matter what the outcome might be, she was prepared. She had to know. She was strong enough now and felt she could cope with what she was told. Clearly, Warren had arranged to have her parents murdered. She was just surprised that they had not killed her as well. Something was missing. There was a piece of this jigsaw that did not fit. Why had they not killed her?
Layne got up and hid her light in the black box. Firmly she closed the lid, then walked across her floor to the lifts. She kept her eyes down on the floor in front of her and concentrated on keeping the lid closed, and on the task at hand. When she reached Warren’s floor, she saw his secretary, Annie, humming as she placed files in a drawer. Her back was to Layne. Quietly Layne walked straight past her without detection.
This floor was very quiet compared to the noise and bustle of her floor. As she stepped down the corridor, she could hear voices. The voices grew louder as she neared Warren’s office. Her lid was firmly closed on the black box and she tip-toed, less the Brays in Warren’s office hear her footsteps.
“Come on Warren. You are not thinking straight. You can’t hide her.”
An unknown male voice with an American accent was firmly saying.
“No. I know. I just don’t want .. well … if she finds out …” Warren’s voice sounded emotional.
“Anne-Marie? Are you talking about Ann-Marie?”
“Well … Yes … I don’t know …”
“It is just a matter of time. Layne is playing you. You are an idiot. You can’t even see it.”
The American voice was strong and angry.
“No. She is still learning. She had a long way to go yet.” Warren sounded weak and pleading.
“She needs to meet Dustin. You don’t realise what she is.”
Layne stood quietly on the other side of Warren’s door. She was almost afraid to breath in case they heard her. Anne-Marie? Anne-Marie? The only Ann-Marie she had read about was Dustin Meyer’s wife. Is that the Ann-Marie they were talking about? Dustin Meyer was the global head of the Brays. Her mind recounted what she had read in the past couple of months. Dustin, around 45 years old, lives in Los Angeles, California. First wife, Cora, killed in a mass shooting in a mall by a crazed gun man. Second wife, Anne-Marie and a son, Tristan, thirteen years old and being groomed as the next global leader of the Brays. Would that be the Ann-Marie they were referring to?
Who was this American voice? It must be a visitor from the US, and close to Dustin Meyer, she mused. What did he know of her?
She reached out to the door handle and threw the door open. Warren had been standing and staring out the window at the beautiful view. He spun around and stared at her, eyes wide and mouth ajar. Her sudden appearance had shocked him. She saw the black leather chair in front of his desk move slightly. She could only see the back of the chair. She concentrated on who was in that chair. A few seconds passed silently.
“Layne, I presume.”
The American voice said as the chair turned around to face her.
Chapter 61
The person in the chair looked to be around forty years of age. He was dressed quite casually compared to how the Brays at the office dressed. He was wearing canvas type of trousers and a checked shirt with casual shoes. His hair was dark and wiry and his eyes were a piercing hazel colour. He had a slightly bemused look on his face, not the shocked look like Warren.
He looked up at her, waiting for her to react in some way. She stared into the eyes of this stranger.
“Enjoy travelling the trams, do you?” she asked him casually.
He chuckled slightly and grinned. “Such interesting people you see on trams.”
“You are … ?” she asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
He stood and stepped forward, putting his hand out in greeting. She reached forward to take h
is hand.
“I am John. John Springer.”
Their hands clasped together and their eyes held. She felt they were both sizing each other up, friend or foe? Warren had been standing stiffly like a deer caught in the headlights. He shook his head and stepped around the desk towards them.
“Ah, Layne … my dear … John has come down to assess you. Remember I mentioned him to you?”
“Yes. I think John has finished his assessment.”
She turned back to look at John Springer. John smiled at her without speaking. Warren signalled to the table and chairs to the side of his office.
“Why don’t we take a seat and have a chat?” He said politely.
“Good idea” said Layne and headed over to the chair closest to the door. Better to be prepared should she need a quick escape. The other two sat and the three of them stared at each other awkwardly.
Layne started the conversation.
“John, can we start with you explaining to me what your role in the organisation is?” she asked.
John sat back in his chair. “Ok. I am based in Redondo Beach in California. I travel around and assess young people, keeping an eye on promising people. I report directly to Dustin Meyer and sit on the Global Executive Panel. Warren asked me to come and take a look at you.”
“And …? What is your assessment, considering you have not met me until just now?” Layne asked.
John looked across at Warren. “Warren and I were just discussing your abilities. You see … Warren is under the impression that you have low to medium powers.” He leaned forward in his seat to address her through her eyes.
“But … I was assuring him that you have very strong powers.”
She remained silent. Her face did not betray her thoughts.
“In fact, I would suggest that you have stronger powers that anyone in this building.”
Warren cleared his throat. “John. I hardly think that would be the case.”
Warren looked across at Layne, expecting her to deny what John was saying. She just smiled at Warren. His face took on a slightly haunted look.
“She is still learning. Narelle has been helping her.” He said defensively.
“I know” said John. “Indeed, she is still learning. How powerful do you think she could end up?” He looked at Warren who had turned a shade of grey.
“Layne. Are you playing with us?” asked Warren.
Layne snorted in derision. “Am I playing games with you? That is quite funny.”
She stood up, feeling her anger building.
“You have played games with my life, my whole life it seems, but now I want answers. You owe me answers. You are the one playing games with me … with my life.”
She could feel her voice rising. She told herself to remain calm.
John addressed Warren. “Tell her. Tell her what she needs to know.” He said firmly.
Warren shook his head and pursed his lips.
“You tell her, or I will.”
Warren spun around to John. “I sent for you. I asked you to come. You had one job. Just one job. Don’t sit there and tell me what to do.” He showed a spark of anger.
John turned back to Layne. “I report to Dustin, as Warren well knows. Dustin will be very interested in hearing about how strong you are.”
“NO!” said Warren loudly.
Layne looked at Warren puzzled. She had no idea why Warren was behaving the way he was. What was it with Dustin? Layne sat down again. She looked from one to the other. Why were they so at odds with each other? What was going on?
“I want to know what you did to my parents. I was three years old and my parents disappeared, never to be heard from again. Just three years old. You have deprived me of my parents. Time is up. I need to know. What did you do to my parents? I want to know.”
Her voice was rising again in emotion.
“My mother … how could you harm your own daughter? What sort of man are you?”
She addressed Warren. “What sort of people are you?”
Warren looked at her silently, also not giving anything away.
“You cannot sit there and ignore me. I want answers. I want you to tell me what you did to my parents. My grandparents need closure for their son. I need to know. WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PARENTS?”
Anger got the best of her and momentarily she lost control. It only happened for a second, but she pushed at Warren. He yelped in pain and threw his hands up to his temples. She immediately felt remorseful. She needed to maintain control. John looked at her with a knowing look. He also knew what that pain felt like.
“Warren!” John said firmly to him.
Warren slowly removed his hands. He seemed stunned at what had just happened.
“Tell me about my parents.” Layne’s words were slow and measured.
Warren shook his head as if clearing it.
“Tell me about my parents.” She said again, louder.
“Beverley’s my daughter.” Warren suddenly said. The words hurried. Layne nodded. Waited.
“She was going to be the next head of Australia. She had agreed to it. She had been trained. She would have been a great leader.”
Layne tried to picture her mother agreeing to lead the Brays in Australia. She had trouble seeing this picture. Warren would not look at Layne. He was looking down at the table in front of him, as if being tortured to speak.
Layne touched her fingers to the gold infinity necklace around her neck. She would find out this morning one way or another.
Chapter 62
“Go on.” Layne encouraged firmly.
Warren glanced at John as if seeking help. John kept his face blank. Warren shifted uncomfortably and took a deep breath.
“She married a normal person. Kept it a secret for so long. We just didn’t suspect it at all. If we had, we would have stopped it earlier.”
Stopped it earlier – he said it so matter-of-factly, like telling a child they can’t watch a cartoon. His face showed the disgust he felt. Layne told herself to keep calm. Let him speak.
“By the time we found out, she was already carrying a child, You.”
He looked up at Layne, then turned back to look at the table in front of him.
“We kept a watch on things for a while. We thought we would be able to persuade Beverley to come back with the child, but she wouldn’t. We had put so much time and effort into her training. She was too important to waste her life in that way.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Then we found out that the two of them were talking to a journalist. They were going to go public and spill the beans on the organisation. That couldn’t happen. Not yet.”
He paused and looked at Layne to see her reaction. She was trying very hard to keep calm and keep her face neutral. If she showed anger or any emotion, he might stop.
“What did you do?” she asked quietly.
He sighed again. Getting this information from him was like pulling teeth.
“We arranged for the journalist to have an accident …”
Layne cut him off. “You killed him.”
Warren slightly nodded his head in acknowledgement.
“What about my parents?”
“They were on their way to see him. We had a couple of local policemen pick them up. Policeman that are in the organisation.”
“Brays?” she asked.
“Yes” He looked across at John.
Layne stood up again. Her face showed she was deep in thought.
“That’s not quite right. Is it? My mother would have known there were Brays in the police vehicle. She wouldn’t have stopped. She could have over-powered them and changed what they were doing.”
Layne assumed her mother would have had this same power that she had. Warren and John exchanged glances. Layne looked from one to the other.
“Unless … someone with the power to appear normal pulled them over.” She turned to look at John.
“Someone like you.” She glared a
t him.
John stared back into her eyes for a few minutes as if he was making a decision.
“Yes. I came to help. The situation was getting out of hand. I pulled them over, in a police car.”
Layne’s eyes narrowed. “You are a regular good Samaritan, helping out where needed, aren’t you?” she said sarcastically.
“Once my mother saw you, she would have realised it was a trap and she could have over-powered you. How did you prevent that from happening?”
“I told them that we had kidnapped you and would harm you if they did not comply. Another car arrived with two men to help. We took them to a farm not far away.”
“What farm?” Layne asked.
John looked at Warren. Warren sighed and replied.
“Tonkin’s farm, Burbank.”
“What happened at the farm” Layne urged.
Both men were looking very uncomfortable, as she expected.
“I was waiting there. A few of us were.” Warren said.
The two men looked at each other again and were silent. Both were a little afraid at what Layne could do once they told her what had happened.
“and …?” Layne asked.
Still silence.
“You killed them.” Layne eventually said as a statement, requiring their confirmation.
John looked at her.
“Your mother was not killed. She is alive.”
Chapter 63
Over the next hour, the story emerged. Layne was shocked beyond words. Shocked. Saddened, but also exhilarated about the thought of her mother being alive. Her first reaction was to find her mother immediately, reunite, but she needed to hear the rest of the story.
Her parents had been captured as they drove to meet with a journalist. They had been taken to Burbank Farm at gun point and told that their daughter was being held by the Brays at a destination unknown to the people present. This was a precaution knowing that Beverley could potentially force the location from them. Beverley was told that she would be brought back into the Bray’s fold and that her daughter would remain safe as long as she cooperated.
Layne felt a tear slip down her cheek as the men relayed this story to her. She imagined her mother knowing that her beloved husband was doomed and she could not stop it. How different it could have been if she had known that they were bluffing about having Layne.