by Caleb Karger
“The ninja can tap into just about any type of camera there is; security, phone, computer, TV, and gaming system. There’s really nowhere people go without some sort of device. And for the more remote locations, we rely on satellite imagery,” Katherine said.
“So, basically, there’s no such thing as privacy,” I said.
“There hasn’t been for a long time. We figure the more we know, the better we can detect when things go wrong,” she replied.
“Yeah, but invading people’s privacy for safety’s sake…is that right? To me this sounds like we’re trying to play God, watching everybody and judging them. How do we know what’s right and wrong?”
“You’ve heard of the term ‘a necessary evil?’” she said. “Sometimes you’ve got to do something questionable for the greater good. We don’t think of the humans as individuals. We think of them as a collective. We have to do what’s best for the majority.”
“I guess…”
She gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “Relax. The ninja aren’t a bunch of creepers. We only do what we have to.”
“But…it just sounds like if the wrong people got their hands on the system, a lot of bad things could happen. How do you know if the people monitoring everyone aren’t up to something bad?” I asked.
“It’s impossible to infiltrate the organization. No one has successfully corrupted the ninja for thousands of years,” she said and waved off my concern. I had a funny feeling in my stomach. I wondered if she was purposely naïve because she believed in what we were doing so much. Or, maybe I didn’t know what I was talking about.
The rain had finally given up as we returned to the floating platforms. The sky was dark, and the nearby asteroids were lit up like mini moons. The raging ocean at the bottom of the cliffs had settled down. We stopped in front of a rope bridge.
“Spaz, this is you,” Katherine said.
Spaz shuffled forward. He exchanged long glances with Castile. He held up his fist and Castile touched it with his own, then he faced Katherine.
“We’re all going to be together again soon, right?” he asked. Katherine nodded. Spaz held his chin up high. “Good. I’ll miss you guys till then.” He waved and made his way across the bridge. Then he disappeared through the portal.
We repeated the process for everyone until I was the last one. Katherine climbed the bridge with me. Now that the platforms had dried off and there was no wind trying to throw me into the ocean, I was able to notice the spectacular view of Harukan. It glowed with billions of spots of light. Everything around it was dark, untouched by civilization.
“Are you coming with me?”
Katherine sighed. “Not yet, but I’ll be there soon.”
I didn’t know what amount of time apart I should be preparing myself for. I could relax a little knowing that I would see her again. I dared to hug her.
“Don’t take too long.”
“I won’t,” she said and gave me a squeeze. I hesitated to let go. I could feel her fingers scraping across my back, not wanting to let go, either. I stepped back towards the portal. I gave her a salute then braced myself as I crossed the threshold.
Chapter 18
Home
I fell onto a dark, grimy road. All around me was a swooshing noise that sounded like air pushing through a vent. Suddenly, a bus honked several times. I turned around and was blinded by its headlights. I rolled out of the bus’ way as it sped by and noticed I was in a tunnel. Further down, some buses were parked.
Where am I? I wondered. Did Katherine send me through the wrong portal? I couldn’t even see where a portal could be. I looked up and hidden in the pipework on the ceiling was the arch. No one would ever notice it unless they were intentionally looking for it.
When I pulled my mask off, I was back in my pajamas. I was thankful that I had at least put shoes on. I jogged down the tunnel before another bus came. As I approached the parked buses, I realized that I was in the underground part of the bus station downtown.
I passed through the glass doors separating the buses from the interior and took the escalators upstairs. I tried to ignore everyone’s gazes. There was no doubt that I seemed strange walking about in my pajamas. I reached the exit and escaped outside.
“Daniel!” A tiny body struck me and little arms squeezed me. I smiled as I saw that it was Hannah.
“Hey,” I said as I lifted her up to hug her. She weighed next to nothing. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to pick you up. How was camp?” she asked.
“It was great.”
“Oh-my-goodness! Look at you! Where is my son?!” My mom squealed with delight. She pulled me into a hug. When she let go, she squeezed my arm. “Look at the size of that! You’re a whole new person.”
“Thanks, mom. I worked my butt off.”
“Literally,” she said. “C’mon let’s get out of here. What on earth are you wearing?”
“Oh, um, it was a long ride from camp. I wanted to be comfortable,” I said.
“Well, we’ll get you changed. I’m sure none of your clothes will fit you now. Then we’ll find something to eat,” my mom said. She slipped her arm around my shoulders and hugged me tightly once more. Together, we went to the car. I took the passenger seat and kept my sword’s carrying case on my lap. “What’s that?”
“A poster I won,” I said, and I was glad she started driving so she couldn’t ask to see it.
At the rate my mom was driving, it took forever to get to the highway. Or, maybe it just seemed that way. I was so used to Katherine’s speeding.
I zoned out as my mind replayed the events in Harukan. I couldn’t wait to return and explore the city. The next time I looked up, we were pulling up to a strip mall. All of the stores were expensive designer brands, but my mom got out of the car like it was nothing.
“What’re we doing here?” I asked.
“We’ve got to get you something nice. I’ve decided to take us out somewhere decent,” my mom said. I noticed that she was in a white dress with a pearl necklace and Hannah had brushed her hair.
“We can afford that?”
“Yeah, you won’t believe it! Mom won a contest!” Hannah said as we entered the store. My mother floated over to a mannequin in a gray suit.
“You’d look handsome in this, don’t you think?” mom said.
“What contest?”
“I don’t know, I just got a letter in the mail saying I won. There was a check for a fat amount of money. I thought it was a joke, but I took it to the bank, and it was the real deal,” mom said. She laid a tie around my neck. “Hmm, no.”
I wondered if Katherine had something to do with this mysterious check. I made a mental note to ask her about it another time.
I settled on charcoal pants and a navy button up shirt. I ignored my mother’s protests about wearing my sneakers with it. I didn’t want her wasting money on shoes I’d hardly wear.
Located across the street at the bottom of a sleek high-rise was the restaurant. People packed the waiting area. While my mother fought her way to the hostess, Hannah and I wedged ourselves onto one of the benches. The second I sat down, I felt a buzzing on my butt. I jumped from the surprise and forgot I had a cell phone in my pocket. The second I took it out, everyone’s eyes zoned in on the phone. They were probably wondering where I got it because it looked so new, and everyone had to have the latest device. Doing my best to ignore them, I opened my messages.
KatherineC: Sitting at home watching cat videos…can you tell I’m bored? :(
I laughed, and I swore the biggest grin found its way onto my face.
Kaine: LOL. I miss you, too.
“Who’s Kaine?” Hannah asked. Her chin perched on my shoulder. I turned the phone over so that she couldn’t read anything else.
“You can’t just read someone else’s stuff,” I said.
“Why? Are you texting you’re giiirrrlllfriend?” she teased.
My face flushed red. “She’s not my girlfriend,” I said ir
ritated. Although, I didn’t know if I was irritated at the question or the fact that Katherine wasn’t my girlfriend.
“Come on kids,” our mother called.
We followed the hostess to a cushy booth. She practically threw menus at my mother and sister then set mine down in front of me like it was sacred. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you,” she said, smiling extra wide.
My eyes followed her as she went back to her post. She giggled and whispered to several other waitresses. They all kept looking at me. I figured I must’ve had funny hair from being wet or something. Why else would they stare? I picked up my menu and tried to hide behind it, hoping the girls would leave me alone.
The waitress wasn’t any better. She only asked what I wanted and seemed to be unaware of my mom and Hannah. Even after my mom got the waitress’ attention, she had to fight to keep it; the girl’s eyes kept trailing back to me. Then when she brought our drinks, she’d given Hannah the wrong thing.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but are you from a show or something? I feel like I should know your face from somewhere,” a woman from another table asked me. I shook my head. “Are you sure?”
I gave her an odd look. “I’m pretty sure I would know if I’d been in a movie or TV show.”
“Must be your good looks then.”
I turned to my family, and we exchanged baffled expressions.
I was taken aback when our food arrived. The smell hit me long before the waitress set the plates down. It smelled like soft cat food after it had rotted a week.
I thought for sure after weeks without meat, the steak I ordered would’ve hit the spot, but I stared at it utterly disgusted. For the first time, it didn’t look like food. I could see if for what it was: a stinky, bloody carcass. Even the potatoes and the broccoli looked unappealing because I could smell the butter and milk they were drowning in.
“Is there something wrong?” the waitress asked.
“I think I’ll just have a salad with no dressing, thanks,” I said and did my best to shelter my nose from the stench radiating from my mom and Hannah’s plates.
They asked about the camp while they ate. I answered truthfully; I told them it was a lot of hard work and I had to do things that I didn’t think I could do.
“Tell mom about your girlfriend,” Hannah said, snickering.
“I told you she’s not—”
“What?” My mom perked up, on alert Mom Mode. She put her finger in the air as if to tell me to hold on a minute. She shook her head several times. “No, no, no, Daniel.” She took a bite of her food and forced it down quickly. “You can’t have a girlfriend yet. We haven’t even had ‘the talk.’”
“Mom! She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a friend!”
“Yeah, right. Two seconds off the bus and you’re texting each other your undying love,” Hannah said.
“You are not helping,” I growled. Hannah wiggled her eyebrows at me, challengingly.
“I thought we agreed—that since you have a finite number of texts—you’d only use them to contact me for emergencies,” my mom said.
“Did he show you his new phone too, mom? It looks expensive.”
“Wait, how’d you get a new phone?”
“I…uh, the camp gave it to me,” I said, struggling to think. Lying to them was a lot harder than I expected it would be. “And you don’t have to worry about the texting; I’m going to get a job to pay for it.”
My mom’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. “Really?” She sawed at her steak. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
“I can do it,” I said, a bit agitated because of her attitude.
“If that’s what you want,” she said. “Just no girlfriends.”
“What’s the big deal if I had one anyway?”
“You’re seventeen, you don’t need a girlfriend right now. You can start dating once you finish college. The same goes for you.” Mom pointed at Hannah.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” she said and gave me a firm look. “Who is this girl, anyway?”
“She’s the one I met before school ended. She was at the camp too.”
“Wait, the girl who dragged you out all night and made you think it was okay not to tell me where you were?” my mom asked. I gulped, and somehow she knew the answer. “I’m not sure I approve of this girl. You knew her for all of one day, and already you were making bad choices.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“Sure I do. Everyone knows those kinds of people. They’re the fun, good looking ones, and they’re great to hang out with. They invite you to parties, and you’re all buddies. Next thing you know, you’re a parent,” my mom said. I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “You think this kind of thing can’t happen to you, well it certainly can. It happened to me, and I’m not going to let my kids make the same mistakes.”
I was surprised. She didn’t usually bring up anything having to do with our father. Either she’d cry, or get mad at the whole situation. Anytime I asked about him; she’d say, “He’s just like every other dead beat. One day, he just left.”
“She’s not that kind of girl, and she’s not even interested in me,” I said and shuffled my salad around. “Anyway, what have you guys been doing this summer?”
Thanks to my mother’s ten-second attention span, she easily switched to talking about the garden she started in the backyard. Hannah talked about which assault rifles she’d been drooling over and couldn’t wait to be old enough to buy on the black market.
I had missed them, even with all of their craziness. I knew I would find a way to make this work. I wanted them in my life. Part of me felt guilty that I could be with my family and Katherine couldn’t be with hers.
After stuffing ourselves, we wobbled back to the car and returned home. I smiled as we pulled into the driveway. The last time our house had been in style was the 1970s. It needed a new paint job, and my mother might’ve been over zealous with the landscaping, but it was nice to be home.
For a moment, I hesitated to go inside. I worried about all of the camps that had been burning down. If the ones in my state were the latest to be hit, that meant my enemies weren’t too far. Were the Betrayals still hunting me?
I did a quick scan of the area around me. I didn’t feel like I was being watched, so I went inside. Maybe they knew that by now I was a lost cause.
I was about to settle onto the couch to watch a movie with my mom and Hannah, but my phone vibrated. I went to the kitchen in case Hannah felt like reading over my shoulder again. I’d hoped it was another message from Katherine, but it wasn’t. The text read: CAMP UNDER ENEMY ATTACK.
Before I could do anything else, the phone’s GPS app opened. A destination was already chosen. Judging by the distance on the map, it was in the mountains.
Was this my first assignment? And was I expected to run that far? I figured I’d better get a move on if I was going to get there in time.
“I think I’m just going to go to bed,” I said and faked a yawn. I went up to my bedroom, put my mask on, and strapped my sword onto my back.
I was nervous and excited. This was a real mission with real danger. I remembered all of my mistakes during training; dropping the dummy, not moving fast enough, or not paying attention to small details. I couldn’t screw up anymore. I had to get things right.
Chapter 19
Bloodline
T rying to escape out of my window was a lot harder than the movies made it look. I had to break the screen off and then jump across the street to the nearest rooftop. I leaped from house to house and hoped no one saw or heard a ninja on their rooftop trying to make sense of GPS directions.
I was relieved when the phone guided me to a portal so I didn’t have to run the entire way. When I came out on the other side, I was surrounded by trees. The smell of something burning filled the air, and a wave of heat carried on the wind. I dashed through the trees towards the sound of screaming.
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Everything was on fire by the time I reached it; the cabins, most of the ground, the sheds, and signs. The buildings were starting to collapse. I didn’t know where to begin.
Luckily, I wasn’t the only one to come through the portal. I spotted Wolf trying to put out some of the fires using toilet water, Katherine was chasing the Betrayals off into the woods, and Hot Stuff was pulling people out of the buildings. I’m sure the rest of the team was running around nearby.
I raced to the first cabin that still had screaming campers inside. Fire crawled up the walls, I could get through it just fine, but I wouldn’t be able to carry someone out. I concentrated on the flames, willing them to get smaller, cold and weak. They rapidly turned to dim embers. I kicked the door down. The kids inside were coughing on the ground. Some of them had bubbling skin like cheese on a baking pizza.
“Everybody outside!” I said.
Desperate for air, those who could move, ran past me. I threw the last two over my shoulders. We didn’t get very far because fire and smoke surrounded the cabin.
“Where are we supposed to go?”
“I wanna call my dad!”
“Uh.” I looked around. Where were they supposed to go that would be safe? The camp was getting engulfed while the woods were most likely swarming with Betrayals.
A strong gust of wind surged by, clearing away the fires. Hot Stuff trotted past us, carrying a boy on her shoulder. She dropped him on a wide stretch of grass next to the other unconscious campers she’d rescued.
“Over there.” I pointed and led the way over the charred ground. My lungs felt heavy, and breathing became a labor from the smoke. The kids huddled together on the grass. I had no time to waste trying to calm them down, I turned around and searched the other buildings.
I went from cabin to cabin dispersing fires, tearing down doors, or bracing weak ceilings so campers could escape. By the time I reached the last cabin, I could no longer hear all of Wolf’s splashing, but there were still plenty of fires left. Why did he stop?