by Alexie Aaron
“Mia Martin? Why does that name turn my stomach?” Angelo asked.
“You have to let this child go. I think you should also have a little counseling,” Nicholai said to an empty room.
Angelo had run to the bathroom and was throwing up. The ghost was patting his back.
“This room is positively Dickensian. It reminds me of those old Polish homes after the occupation. Spartan but clean. I think the ghost has attached herself to Mia,” Nicholai said, opening the closet.
Angelo accepted the cool cloth the ghost handed him. He reached out and connected with the woman’s forehead with his hand. “She’s barely holding it together. She has maybe two years. She thinks that Mia is her baby. I think if it wasn’t for her, the child wouldn’t have survived the parents’ inattention.”
“She’s got a few magazines in her closet. The mailing labels all have Ralph Mendelssohn’s name on them and a Chicago address.” Nicholai carefully extracted one of the labels off the magazine. He looked through the closet and noted that it looked like the girl had two nice outfits for just about every year of her life hanging there. In between, there were clothes which looked more like hand-me-downs or purchased cheaply from thrift stores. He looked at a torn magazine picture that was pinned to an outfit. His eyes burned. Why was this bothering him so much? “Angelo, look at this and what do you see?”
“I think this Mia was trying to look like everyone else by finding clothes in thrift stores and garage sales. Actually, I admire her choices. A bit gothic but not offensive. I don’t get it though. If this is Mia Cooper, her parents are both celebrated college professors making enough money to support this house and an apartment in the city. Why didn’t Mia benefit by their wealth? This all reeks of an experiment of some kind. I really wish I had entered her mind.”
“Do you think we should call social services?” Nicholai asked.
“And tell them what? We don’t know where Mia is.”
Nicholai held out the mailing label, “I bet this man does. If not, he’ll want to know why?”
A pecking at the window alerted the birdmen that one of the observers had some information. Angelo read the bird and nodded. The bird flew away.
“Wyatt Wayne’s sedan has just left the mansion. He’s placed a warder spell on the house, so we can forget about getting in there.”
“Maybe we should follow the sedan for a while,” Nicholai said. “Demons don’t usually go out unless there is someplace they have to be. Let’s at least see if this Mia is with them and if she is under duress.”
“You know, Wyatt had the audacity to comment on birdmen parents selling their children to the Brotherhood. I bet he bought the Coopers’ child.”
“I’m looking at the differences between the houses. She’s probably better off there.”
Angelo took one last look around and agreed with him.
~
Mia kissed the ground before she rose. “I never want to travel that way again. Give me a thousand metal birds, leaky boats, smoke-filled cars, and puke-smelling buses.”
“I think it’s scrambled my senses. All I can see is dirt.”
“I think we landed in a plowed field. You’re a farmer, what are they growing?”
“Does it matter?”
“Guess not. Where’s the city?” Mia asked, looking around. All she saw was dirt. Maybe her senses were scrambled too.
“When you and Ted visited, were there any farms?”
“Nope, except for Glenda’s but that was north. I’m trying to remember the lay of the land when I was airborne…”
“Well?”
“Hold on, I was fighting a dragon at the time.”
A plane flew overhead. It was climbing.
Mia nodded and pointed in the direction of where it had come from. “We go that way.”
They got as far as Route 400 when a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s car pulled over and rolled to a stop where Mia had sat down to retie her shoe.
“You’re way too young to be hitchin’,” the deputy said, getting out of his vehicle.
“I’m older than I look,” Mia said lamely. “I wonder if you can help me. My brother dropped me off at Meadowlark Road, and my parents were supposed to be there to pick me up, but they never came. Did you get a report of an accident? I’m really worried.”
The man lost his hard edge and offered Mia a seat in the back of the cruiser while he made a few calls.
When he came up unsuccessful, she said, “My uncle works at the Home Depot…”
“The one off West Kellogg?”
“Yes. How far is it?”
“Too far for me to let you walk.”
“My aunt teaches at Robinson Middle School.”
“How about I drop you off there?”
“That would be so great! Would you like a peanut butter sandwich?” Mia asked and dug in her pack and pulled out the compressed loaf of sandwiches.
“No, miss, I’ll pass. Can I have your name?”
“Mia Murphy.”
“Parents?”
“Stephen and Chastity Murphy.”
“Your aunt’s name?”
“Which one, I have four?”
“The one at the school?”
“Mary Garrett.”
The deputy, satisfied, shut his door. “Put on your seat belt,” he instructed, and when she had, they pulled out into traffic.
Murphy looked over at Mia. She could lie so easily. If you didn’t know her tell, you would be in a lot of trouble weeding through the lies. In this case, she had charmed the deputy to not only not dispute her story but conned him into giving her a ride.
The lunch hour was going on when he pulled up. Many of the children had decided to eat outside to enjoy the warming spring weather. Mia burst out of the car calling, “Aunt Mary!”
Two teachers turned around and stared at the girl with the backpack. One started to walk over. That was enough for the deputy. He drove off and tapped his horn goodbye. As soon as he left, Mia walked quickly into the building, avoiding the approaching Marys.
She headed to the office, walked in bold as brass, and tapped the bell on the counter.
A woman walked out of the inner office. She was wearing a name tag.
“Hello, Ms. Peters, I’m supposed to drop off some science fair equipment to Theodore Martin. Should I leave it here, or can I take it to him in class?”
Ms. Peters looked at the large backpack and worried what Ted Martin had borrowed. He was a smart kid, but he could talk paint off a barn when he got going. “Let me get his next class,” she said, pulling out his class card. “He’s at lunch now. He’ll be in room 116 when lunch is over. Let me write you a pass. Your name?”
“Mia Murphy, my aunt is Millie Martin.”
“So Ted’s your cousin?”
“Kissin’ cousin,” Mia said, adding a giggle for effect.
“Room 116 is down the hall. Take a right at the trophy case, and it’s down there on the left.”
“Thank you, Ms. Peters. Do I return the pass when I leave, or should I have Ted bring it to you?”
“No, just toss it.”
Mia left the office and headed down the hall. Murphy was beside her. He whispered. “I’m not your father.”
“Come on, Pa,” Mia said. “We’ll wait for Ted by the room. I suspect I’ll have to do some fast talking to get him to come with us. Whoa, there’s a girls’ room. I really have to pee.”
“I’ll wait outside.”
“Keep an eye out for Ted or Cid. Cid’s going to have real thick glasses and be pudgy.”
Murphy waited outside the girls’ room. The halls had a few students walking to their lockers, extracting lunch bags, and leaving. He had been in Big Bear Lake’s high school a few times when Mia had to drop off something to Dieter. This school wasn’t as old, and it was very clean. Colorful posters decorated the walls. Quite a few advertised an upcoming science fair. “This is where she got her convincing lie from,” he said to himself.
Mia walked out,
and the two continued down the hall. They turned the corner by the trophy case, and Mia stopped. “Cid Garrett!” she called.
Murphy looked at the boy who resembled more of a dormouse with spectacles than the Cid he knew. The boy wasn’t much taller than Mia. He weighed probably twice her weight, but that wasn’t saying much. Mia was way too thin.
Mia said under her breath, “We can cross him off the list. No one wants to repeat this age looking like this.”
Cid looked at the blonde girl who had called him. She was walking quickly towards him. He couldn’t see her clearly and had a hard time figuring out what the boxy green thing was on her back. She got within a few yards, and he could see it was a large expensive backpack. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Ted Martin. I was told you may know where he is.”
“He was supposed to meet me for lunch. We were going to go over the geography questions before sixth hour’s test, but he never showed.”
“Where were you going to meet him?” Mia asked.
“At his locker. I waited there, but no Ted.”
“Take me there,” Mia insisted. “We’ll look for clues.”
“Who are you?”
“Mia Mur… Mia Cooper.”
“Which are you Mia Mur or Mia Cooper?”
“My mother remarried. I’m Mia Cooper now. Do you know any Coopers?”
“No.”
They walked down the main hall and took a smaller hall. He stopped halfway down. “His locker is 1010.”
“Binary,” Mia said. She knocked on the locker. “Ted, are you in there?”
“What? I mean, yes, get me out!”
“Give me your combination,” Mia insisted.
“No, I don’t know you.”
“Ah, for heaven’s sake, give it to Cid.”
“Not with you standing there.”
“I’m walking away,” Mia said and did just that.
Ted whispered the combination to big ears, and soon the door was opened.
Murphy and Mia watched as the tall thin boy seemed to unfold out of the space. His large feet led the operation. He managed to exit the locker with his hat still sitting backwards on his head. He turned and looked down at Mia. His large Roman nose was covered with freckles. His auburn curls stuck out from under the Chief’s ball cap.
“He looks like Sticks,” Murphy said.
“Yes, evidently, I have a type,” Mia said.
“How did you know I was in there?” Ted asked Mia.
“Believe it or not, you told me eighteen years from now. I’m Mia Cooper, and I’ve come from the future. Come with me if you want to live.”
Cid’s mouth dropped open.
“Cute, who put you up to this?” Ted asked.
Mia looked up and down the hall before she touched the strap of her backpack and said, “Enterprise, beam down Mr. Murphy.”
Murphy slowly materialized like he had seen on the original Star Trek. This time, it was Ted’s mouth that dropped open. Cid’s expression, however, was skeptical. Mia winced. He probably heard Murphy moving around prior to her stunt.
“I really need to talk to both of you privately. Murph, you better disappear. I’m sure one look at that axe and we’ll all be in the office.”
Murphy disappeared.
“He’s a ghost,” Cid said.
“Yes, smart boy, you got it in one,” Mia said. “What do you say, guys, can you skip the rest of the day? It’s really important.”
“If you come from the future, tell me where I’m living thirty years from now?”
“Not on Mars,” Mia said, knowing this was a childhood dream of Ted’s.
“She knows about Mars,” Ted said. “We can retake the test.”
“In my timeline, you never got out of the locker in time. Cid takes the test alone and aces it. After, he smarts off to one of the jocks and ends up with a broken nose.”
Cid pushed his glasses up. “I can retake the test. Let’s go.”
Ted turned and took out a few books and slammed the door. “Come on, let’s leave out the back way.”
Mia had a hard time keeping up with Ted. “Hey, stretch, you want to slow down?”
Ted sighed and did so.
“Thanks, he always does that,” Cid said. “I end up running after him.”
“Don’t worry, you end up tall, and it’s no longer a problem,” Mia said.
When they walked off of the school property, Ted turned and asked, “Why would the future send a child? What’s in your backpack? Is it your time machine? Why do you travel with a ghost?”
“I’ll answer the first question when we get to your house. I know your mother works today and won’t be home until seven. My stuff is in my backpack. I travel with a ghost because he has my back. How far is it to your house from here?”
“A few blocks. Let me carry the pack.”
Mia shrugged it off her shoulders, and Ted lifted it up. “Wow, Mighty Mouse, you must have some muscles.”
Mia dropped her mouth open in surprise. Murphy materialized and caught her before she fainted. He lifted her in his arms.
“What did I do?” Ted asked.
“It’s what you said. Let’s get to your house, and we’ll explain everything. Mia has been run off her feet.”
“How long can you do that?” Cid asked. “Ghosts aren’t supposed to be able to do that.”
“Who says?” Murphy asked.
“Science.”
“Well tell science to move over. Magic Murphy is in town.”
Chapter Ten
Murphy followed Ted up the stairs and to his room. He gently laid Mia on the bed and said, “No nonsense, I’ve got to go outside and recharge,” before disappearing.
“Dude, you have a girl in your bed,” Cid said.
“She’s unconscious. Does that count?” Ted asked. He stared down at her. “I wonder how she knew that stuff. Do you really think she’s from the future?”
“I don’t know. She has an actual ghost as her traveling companion. A ghost with an axe. I mean how cool is that?”
“A bit comical if you ask me,” Ted said.
“That axe is real sharp. Don’t make fun of the ghost,” Mia said, opening her eyes. She looked kindly at Cid and then glared at Ted and said, “How could you!”
Ted took off his hat and rubbed his head in confusion. “How could I what?”
“You called me Mighty Mouse, which means you’re the one that made the wish, and you’re the one that changed time. Why? What’s so important for you to do in 1998 that you would jeopardize our…”
“Whoa, Mia,” Murphy said, moving through the wall. “I think you’ve got this wrong. Ted, do you have a candle?”
Ted put his hands in his pockets and drew out fistfuls of junk. He put the contents on the bottom of the bed to shift through. “I have a lighter but no candle. Maybe my mother has one in the cupboard. I’ll be right back…” he said and left before they could stop him.
“What do you need a candle for?” Cid asked.
“It’s a long story.” Mia pulled the pillow out from under her head and put it over her head. “Cid, would you mind providing a little pressure so I can kill myself now?”
Cid backed away.
Ted ran in with a box of birthday candles, a few white stubby candles they had used last Halloween, and one of the fragrant ones his mother kept in the company bathroom. “What’s going on? Why is she under the pillow?”
“I think she wanted me to kill her,” Cid said in a horrified, hoarse voice.
“What’s her name again?” Ted asked Murphy.
“Mia.”
Ted sat down on the side of the bed. “Mia, I brought the candles. No one is going to assist you in your suicide attempt, especially in my bedroom. Let me…” Ted said, pulling the pillow away from her. “There, now sit up, and tell us what’s going on?”
“He’s got the same voice,” Mia said to Murphy. “His voice in my head when I’m working…”
Murphy looked a
t Mia, and even though it saddened him, he saw how deeply Mia was in love with Ted.
Ted looked from the girl to the ghost and back again. “Okay, guys, you’re freakin’ out the little guy, and I’m a bit unnerved too. What’s going on?”
“I’m not a little guy,” Cid scoffed.
“Be nice to him. He’s going to be tall and outmuscle you,” Murphy said.
“Yeah and I’m going to win the Nobel… No? Damn.”
“You still could,” Mia said, sitting up and sliding her legs over the side of the bed. “We only came from twenty years in the future. There’s still time.”
“So I still could go to Mars,” Ted said.
“I lied about that,” Mia confessed.
Ted’s ego was restored. “Okay, spill it. Why did you need a candle?”
Mia looked through the candles, and although relieved that it wasn’t her husband who made the wish, she was disappointed that their quest had to go on. “Twenty years from now, we’re all at a birthday party. We take these unusual candles that two from our group bought from a flea market and place them on the cake. I lit them, we all wished, and blew them out. Next morning, I’m twenty years in the past. I’m a thirty-two-year-old in a twelve-year-old’s body. I have the complete memories of a woman, but the skills of a child. Someone had wished to either go into the past, become twenty years younger, or for something that brought us to this time.”
“There is a hole in your story,” Ted said. “I never wish on birthday candles. Not scientific.”
Mia closed one eye in irritation. “Murph, he’s right. I had forgotten about that until now. I could have saved us time.”
“What time?” Cid asked and added, “I wish on candles all the time.”
“What do you wish for?” Mia asked.
“To be able to see without these things,” Cid said, lifting his glasses off his face. “I’m almost legally blind without them.”
“In the future, you get an operation that gives you that wish,” Mia said gently.
Ted waited and then repeated Cid’s question, “What time? What time have you wasted?”