Stolen Secret

by Piper Dow

  One of the guys got onto his hands and knees in front of the pole. Kelly was the second to swing over, behind the toothy grinner. They had to grab the feet of a couple of the others, to make sure they didn't kick the pole, but the rest of the team made it over quickly. Brad, the guy on the floor giving everyone a leg up, was the last to come over. He stepped back to get a better start and jumped up to catch the rope as high as he could. His feet cleared the pole and he swung across to the other side with a yell like Tarzan. The tail of the rope tapped the second pole and sent it tumbling to the mat.

  Collective groans rose from the team, but they quickly regrouped for another attempt.

  Chapter twelve

  Matthew pushed the bag of trash away, not bothering to look through it. He could tell by its weight it was just paper and floor sweepings. He was looking for the snack food the craft store threw away when it was past its expiration date.

  He had waited at the back of the parking lot this morning, cupping his coffee in his cold hands to pass the time. He'd seen the worker throwing the trash into the dumpster from the stairs, then close the door. He'd waited still, making sure they were done with their trash run before he'd approached the dumpster.

  Now, he moved quickly through the trash. He never made a mess, only ever took what he needed. He'd learned which stores tossed their things in ways he could use them. This store bagged their trash from the waste paper bins at the registers and in the restrooms, but they just tossed the rest of their trash into the dumpster. They didn't always toss the snack foods. Matt supposed they might be on a truck route to be collected and accounted for, but once in a while he got lucky and they'd throw out a line of bars or something.

  This morning he wasn't lucky. He shook his head in frustration and moved the bags back so that it didn't look like someone had ransacked the dumpster. He used the window on the side as a step and climbed out over the top. He grabbed his coffee from the stairs where he had stowed it for safekeeping and headed for the next store. Office supplies, but once he'd found a bag of popcorn in there with a slit in the bag that had tape over it.

  He gave the dumpster contents a cursory search from the ground rather than climbing in. Nothing good. He let the rubber flap fall closed.

  His stomach twisted. He swallowed the last of his now cold coffee and tossed the cardboard cup into the dumpster door, then shoved his hands into his pockets and headed for the back of the dollar store. He needed to find something to eat. The grocery store would have something, for sure, but it was about a mile away. The dollar store wasn't as big, and only carried a small selection of groceries, but he had been lucky there before.

  There was a bag of frozen dinners that had been sliced open, a case of chips with no clear reason for being in the bin, some bananas that had turned black with the freezing temperatures, and a few bottles of juice that had already frozen solid. Matt selected a bag of chips and a bottle of juice and climbed back out of the bin. He stuck the frozen juice in the bag and pulled the strap onto his shoulder. He could melt it later, either near his campfire or if the day got warm enough, but he didn't want the cold bottle to lower his body temperature. He opened the bag of chips and dipped his hand in as he walked.

  He headed around the side of the store to the parking lot in front and pulled a few carriages from where they were stuck with their front wheels over the curbing of an island. He pushed the carts into the corral before making his way to the road. The chips would buy him some time, but he needed to fill his bag with food to last a few days, if he could find it.

  KENZY WATCHED THE MAN peering into the dumpsters, looking around to make sure he wasn't seen. It didn't occurr to him to look up. It never did.

  She flew soundlessly to the roof. Peering over the edge, she watched the man toss aside some wilted lettuce and bruised peppers, then examine a bag of apples. He added the apples to the growing pile of food he was amassing at the entrance of the dumpster.

  He was being selective. Kenzy would have bypassed the carrots he had taken and grabbed the granola bars, but he had scrutinized the label and tossed those away. He studied a couple of packages of meat, pulling one open and sniffing it before rewrapping it and adding it to his pile. She laughed, the sound coming out as soft pips of air. Imagine, a discriminating bum. Who would believe it?

  He carefully packed his sack, putting the carrots and the package of meat at the bottom and adding a loaf of bread at the top. He kept the bag of apples out. Kenzy wondered if he had had second thoughts, but he shouldered the sack and grabbed the bag of apples to carry by hand.

  She kept him in sight as he made his way back to the road. She'd been on her way to the next town over, where they had a shelter, when she looked down and saw this man climbing out of a dumpster in back of the plaza. She'd left her mission for a minute, curious.

  Carl had assigned her to follow someone from the shelter for a few days, see if there was a pattern so they'd be able to know where to grab him. If she could save herself the hour of flight to Silverton by finding someone here to grab, it would be worth a few minutes of surveillance, wouldn't it?

  Plus, she was hungry. She waited until he was almost at the road before gliding down to the dumpster. She grabbed one of the smaller packages of meat he had tossed aside and flew back to the roof. She'd have plenty of time to eat a bite and still track him, unless he got into a car. But if he got into a car, he wasn't one they'd want to grab, anyway, and she'd be on her way to Silverton with a full belly.

  She ripped the plastic wrap away from the meat and held the cubesteak with her talons, ripping into the tasty muscle with her beak. Not as good as fresh rabbit, but better, actually, than those mice Carl bred. A good sight easier and faster than hunting, too.

  After finishing off the steak, Kenzy sighed. She understood the rationale behind finding people to run their tests on, she really did. They were making progress, too, or at least that is what Carl said. What she didn't understand was why she was always the one who had to do the surveillance to find people. Carl told her it was because it was such an important job, he couldn't trust it to anyone else.

  What Kenzy knew was flying so much made her tired. Shifting so often made her tired. Carl bred his mice and thought they should be enough, but Kenzy didn't see him shifting every day with just rabbits to sate his hunger, and it amounted to the same thing. Just because he was bigger in Shadeform didn't mean he understood Kenzy's energy requirements.

  She eyed the dumpster. There was another steak in there, and she could still easily catch up with the homeless guy if she took just a few more minutes. She wasn't so hungry, now, though, and Carl would really be hacked off if he knew she had taken time to eat one steak, never mind two. Still, that steak was just sitting there, going to waste.

  The ear-splitting screech of metal on metal interrupted her internal argument as the back door opened. Two store employees walked out, chatting and pulling out cigarettes. Kenzy launched off from the roof, the decision made for her. She flew toward the road and started circling, flying higher and sharpening her eyes. There, almost a mile away. He was really moving! He must either be cold, or in a hurry to get his food back to camp.

  She pumped her wings furiously to catch up, then glided to a high branch on the side of the road a few hundred yards ahead of him. He was singing—she could hear it from where she was. He wasn't half bad, either. She recognized that song.

  He glanced around the street, then hopped over the barrier on the other side of the road and jogged down the embankment. Kenzy saw a car traveling this way from the grocery store, but the man wouldn't have seen that from his spot on the road. Interesting. She flew soundlessly into the trees across the road to continue her pursuit.

  Chapter thirteen

  The course was more amazing, more fun, and more challenging than Kelly expected. After the first class, they walked through the mist and started each day with what Mr. Staples called an ice breaker—something designed to get them to know each other a little better. The first t
ime was simple, just tossing a ball around the circle and whoever caught the ball having to answer a question written on the ball. They were soft questions; what is your favorite color, name a favorite song, pick one: book or movie? Kelly picked movie, hands down.

  Over the first week the ice breakers grew increasingly personal. Kelly learned that Brad's parents divorced when he was five, and Ashley lived with her grandparents. Bizzy and Tyler's parents had never married, but they lived in the same town and got along great. Tim was allergic to nickel, which he learned when he pierced his ear at home and got a nasty infection. Drew enjoyed fishing, but he'd get sick from eating seafood. Amy had asthma.

  After the ice breaker they would do a low element team building activity like the one they had done the first day. One day Mr. Staples split them into two teams and had them stand on either end of a telephone pole mounted like a balance beam a foot from the ground. They had to get both teams to the other end of the beam without anyone getting off the beam.

  "No one is to be lifted or passed overhead," he directed, "no flying, either. If anyone touches the ground you have to get back to starting positions and try again. Go!"

  This time it was Tyler who offered the solution. "It's like that game they have on the tables at the Cracker Barrel restaurant," he said. "You have to jump the pegs, right?"

  It still took them several tries to get it right. They found it worked best by spreading out so they had enough room to move, then as each person reached a person from the other team they would grasp elbows and lean out, slowly circling as though dancing a slow dance, until they had traded spots. Then they would turn to grasp elbows with the next person, repeating until they had passed all the members of the other team.

  Another class started out with Mr. Staples directing them to assemble their circle around a giant web of rope. They each had to grasp the rope in front of them so that the entire web was supported at waist height.

  Mr. Staples walked around the outside of the circle. "Okay now, when I say go, I want you all to sit down at the same time, without taking your hands off the web. Ready? Go!"

  Kim moved faster than the rest, failing to keep the rope taught and causing several of the others to stumble into each other. Once they had managed to sit as one, Mr. Staples directed them to use what they had learned to help them stand as one, again without removing their hands from the web. This time they counted down in unison before pulling against the webbing together to gain stability as they rose.

  "How many of you felt unbalanced during this exercise?" Mr. Staples was back to pacing around the circle as he led the discussion. Kelly had noticed that he rarely stood still. A few hands went up. He nodded. "What happened when someone let go?

  "It affected the stability of the web, and made it harder for the rest of us," Tim said. He pointedly didn't look at Kim.

  "Right. So, knowing that this course is really about looking at the bigger picture, what does that tell you?"

  "That whatever one person does can impact everyone else," Bizzy offered.

  "That sharing the problem with others can make it easier to accomplish," Brad said.

  "It is easier to support others when you get the same support in return," Kim said.

  Mr. Staples nodded again. "Right. All of those are excellent insights." He gestured for them to make their way to the benches at the side of the gym. "In order for this course to truly be life-changing for you, we have to move through a few stages. First is making sure your physiological needs are met. That's one reason I urge you to make sure you've eaten a healthy lunch before coming. That's why we take a break half-way through class, to make sure everyone hits the bathroom or gets a drink—we focus better when we're physically set. Next is safety."

  He gestured at the climbing wall and pointed up to the domed ceiling, where cables and ropes criss-crossed at various stages. "Of course I mean physical safety, which is why we use harnesses and spotters when we are using the high elements, and we build up to doing those after we've established competency using lower elements. We don't want anyone getting hurt. But guys, if you get hurt physically, you'll heal. If someone gets hurt emotionally, those wounds can last a lifetime. What we're trying to do here requires genuine safety. If someone is trying their hardest, doing their best, we don't make fun of them. Some of us are stronger. Some of us are quicker. Some of us think faster. Some of us are more compassionate. Some of us are kinder. We all have our own strengths, and our own weaknesses."

  He paced back in front of them, his tone and intensity urging them to understand. "You are all going to make mistakes. Maybe not today, maybe not this week. But, at some point during this session, you will each be the one that causes the team to have to start back at the beginning of the exercise. I can promise you this, because I make sure of it. I'm the one who schedules which activities we do, and I watch and learn your strengths and weaknesses to make sure that each of you has the opportunity to fail. Why would I do that?" He faced them, hands on his hips and head cocked, waiting.

  Tyler glanced down the bench at the others . "To give us a safe place to fail. If we fail in a safe place, we can learn from it. If we fail with people who will use it against us, we may not try again."

  Tim stared at his feet, resting his forearms on his thighs. He picked at his thumbnail without saying anything. Some of the others shifted restlessly.

  Kelly studied Mr. Staples. He surveyed the students until his eyes met hers.

  "What we're trying to do in this course is sensitive. We mix Shades and Lights together. The premise behind our purpose is that the more you know, not just about each other, but actually know each other, who you really are, the safer you all will be. I give you the opportunity to fail in front of Shades, in front of Lights, knowing what each other is, in a place and with people you know you are safe with because they failed in front of you and you kept them safe."

  Kelly offered a small smile. Janet had been right, this was a great course to have chosen.

  NOTING THAT THE GAS gauge hovered well below a quarter of a tank, Kelly sighed. She had planned to stop at Dunkin's, but she'd be better off putting that money into her tank. She set up the app on her phone to play the music she'd downloaded and pulled out of the parking lot. Around home, or her college campus, she knew which gas stations were cheaper, which ones had better food, and which ones to avoid regardless. Here, though, she wasn't sure. She glanced at the gas gauge again. She had enough to get to that station she had stopped at for a snack after meeting Joel the other day. At least that station had been clean inside.

  She glanced around when she pulled up, glad it wasn't super busy. She decided she had time to grab a coffee when she went inside to pay, since they were so much cheaper here than at the donut shop. The same guy she had given the granola bar to was standing near the corner of the store, hands in his pockets, watching the cars passing through the intersection. Kelly gazed at him in the rearview mirror for a moment. Mind made up, she closed the car door and walked over to him.

  "Hey," she said.

  He had watched her walk up, lowering his gaze the closer she got. Now, he met her eyes. "Hey." He smiled hesitantly, unsure.

  "I'm going to get a coffee. I was wondering if you would like one?"

  Surprise flickered quickly across his face and was gone. He nodded. "Sure. Thank you."

  Kelly smiled. "I'm Kelly." She started for the door. "I'll let you make it how you like it, okay?"

  He nodded, falling into step behind her. She headed for the register, paid for the two coffees, and directed the cashier to put the rest on the pump. The guy had gone straight to the coffee area. Kelly went to tell him he could get his coffee and was surprised to see him washing his hands at a small sink in the corner. She'd never even noticed a sink before, and most of these chain gas stations were set up the same.

  She handed him a cup and took hers to the counter to add a few packets of sugar before adding coffee. He filled his cup two-thirds of the way with the steaming hot liquid and brought
it back to the counter to add a couple of creamers. Kelly turned to the coffee carafes to fill her cup, topping it off with half and half from the dispenser. She added a cover and glanced around. The guy had already returned to his spot on the wall outside. He raised his cup and nodded to her when she exited the store. Kelly smiled and raised her own cup in return, then headed back to her car. She set the coffee in a cup holder inside before pumping the gas.

  Starting the car, Kelly watched to see how much that had put in the tank. The gauge rose to just under three-quarters of a tank. Nodding, Kelly took a sip of her coffee and pulled back out of the lot. Time to head home.

  Chapter fourteen

  Mackenzy watched Carl peeling the orange with his pocket knife from the corner of her eye as she carried the laundry basket through the room toward the washing machine in the hall. He kept telling her how important his work was, but here he was, just waking up. It was after ten.

  "Quit it, Kenz. I don't need your stink eye this early in the day."

  Kenzy clenched her teeth, mulishly pressing her lips together to keep her comments in. Early in the day, my eye. She opened the closet door and dropped the basket to the floor, not bothering to try to do it quietly. Lifting the lid on the washing machine, she tossed a detergent pod into the bottom of the tub and started adding clothes on top. Is this part of the work that's so important only I can do it, too?

  "Geez, what crapped in your cornflakes this morning? My head is throbbing! Can you keep it down a little?" His growl stayed this side of nasty, but only just.

  Kenzy forced herself not to react. She kept her back to him and closed her eyes, counting to ten before slowly unclenching her fists. If he needed quiet, maybe she could go out for the day. It had been a couple of months since she had just taken a day for herself. She glanced down at her jeans. They probably should go into the wash, too.