“Now let’s not jump to any conclusions just yet,” Riccan stated, coming late into the conversation, but thinking Jon’s fear might not be too far off the mark. This was exactly the type of problem he dreaded most and desperately wanted to avoid.
“We should probably go home,” Valentina suggested, tugging Jon’s sleeve to get him moving. “Maybe Sofia’s at our house, like Jena suggested.”
“Yeah, maybe. Let’s go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick, and if your father hadn’t gotten home when he did, I would have called the police!” Zoey jumped toward Valentina and Jon as they entered the house.
Jon ignored his mother’s tirade; instead, he swiftly looked around the room and asked, “Is Sofia here?”
“What? No! I told Mrs. Castillo the same thing when she called. Don’t change the subject on me, Jon. You’re in trouble, too, mister!”
Finally, reaching his breaking point, Jon’s temper exploded, “Sofia’s missing! I think Dr. Gascon or the AFOSI team took her because of what you did to our mom! If anything happens to Sofia, I’ll never forgive you!” With each word spoken, Jon stepped closer to his shocked mother until his last words were said within inches of her face. He glared meaningfully at her before storming out of the living room to get to the sanctuary of his room.
“Who is AFOSI?” Zoey turned and asked Oliver, feeling quite overwhelmed with Jon’s reaction.
“They’re a government team assembled to investigate, or in this case, interrogate aliens on Earth. Jon might be right, Mom. Sofia might be in their hands right now having who knows what done to her. I hope your insecurity about our feelings for you has been worth all of the pain you’ve caused so many people. I, for one, am not so sure.” With her temper simmering below the surface as she finished speaking, Valentina turned to follow her brother’s example and leave the room.
Zoey’s anger flared, her hand shot out and grabbed Valentina’s arm to prevent her from leaving. “You do not get to speak to me that way, Val! I’m still the mother who took you in when you were little.”
“Since when does that make up for hurting people, Mom?”
Before either of them saw it coming, Zoey’s hand flashed out and slapped Valentina’s face. Valentina’s hand covered the hot spot on her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. Zoey covered her own mouth, her expression horrified at striking her daughter. “I’m so sorry, Val. I didn’t mean…”
“Save it for someone willing to believe you!” Valentina fled from the room before the tears could betray her true feelings to the woman who she used to think loved her more than anything. She ran through her bedroom doorway, slamming the door behind her. She hurled herself face-down on her bed, burying her face in the pillow to muffle the sobs she could no longer withhold.
Feeling a hand on her back, Valentina’s body stiffened with tension until she heard her father’s voice. “Val, honey, I’m so sorry. Your mom didn’t mean to hit you; she’s just so scared of losing you that she doesn’t know how to control herself.”
Snorting inelegantly, Valentina turned her head to regard her father before saying, “Mom’s fear might come true.”
“What are you saying?”
“Because of what Mom’s done, we might have to leave Earth forever. It was bad enough knowing Mom called Dr. Gascon to take Vinia…”
“Val, what are you talking about?”
Valentina sat up, sniffing loudly to keep the snot from dripping, before she asked, “Mom didn’t tell you how she sold our mom out to an evil, demented psychiatrist? That figures! I guess I can tell you since she’s too cowardly to do it herself.
“Mom arranged for Vinia to be abducted when she left our house after meeting the two of you. Dr. Gascon took her to New York, drugged her to incoherency, questioned her, and did who-knows-what-else to her for four days before we found out about it and had her rescued.”
“I’m sure your mother never intended…”
“No, Dad, it’s exactly what she intended! She told me herself she was glad she called and that ‘the sick, deranged woman’ would get the help she needed. She planned all of it, Dad; she never had any intention of trying to understand or get along with her. Mom knew exactly what she was doing, and she didn’t do a thing to make sure she was okay. As far as Mom was concerned, she had removed the threat to her children. She doesn’t care about anyone else but herself.”
“That’s not…” Oliver began, but let the words die unspoken by the look he received from Valentina. He cleared his throat and started again, “Where did you and your brother go?”
Valentina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, having someone reasonable to talk with was a huge relief. “We went to Tuala to talk to Behn. Nothing we said would convince him to come home. Dad, I think Behn might be the safest one of us all since he’s not here.”
“Because of this AFOSI thing you talked about?”
“Yes. What if they have Sofia, Dad? I’m so scared!”
Oliver pulled Valentina close to his chest and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. “I don’t have the answers, Val, but I’m here for you. I’m always here for you and your brothers.” He kept rubbing her back soothingly, letting her feel his unwavering love.
“We’re going back to Tuala tomorrow to find out what Vinia told Dr. Gascon. We’ll know more after that.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Maybe Behn’ll decide to come home with you after he’s had a night to think about it.”
“I don’t think so, Dad. Behn’s got bigger problems than just what Mom did.”
“I know he took his breakup with Juila hard, but they’ll work things out.”
“No, they won’t. They can’t ever be together and they both know it.”
“What do you mean? Did Juila find out he’s from Tuala, and now she doesn’t want anything to do with him?”
“No. I wish it were only that simple. It’s much more complicated.”
“Please enlighten me then. I can’t possibly help unless I know all of the facts, you know.”
“Trust me, Dad, you’d be safer not knowing all the facts about this. It’ll be safer for everyone, the less you know.”
“I don’t like thinking you kids don’t feel like you can trust me.”
“It’s not that, Dad. You’ve been amazing with all of this. It’s just, with this AFOSI thing, if they took you or Mom away and forced you to talk, then a lot more people would get hurt. I don’t want to be the reason for it, and I don’t want you to be, either.”
“Okay, but promise me that one day you’ll tell me everything.”
“Okay, Dad. I promise.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sofia tried to keep herself awake as the sounds of the night surrounded her. She had never spent the night outside alone before, not appreciating the novelty of it as she also found herself experiencing it on another world entirely. Her exploration of the beach and surrounding brush had kept her occupied during the daylight hours, but as night descended swiftly around her, she realized her plan to come to Tuala unannounced had perhaps been a bit misguided.
Several times during the day, she had heard voices of people. Each time, she had run as far as she could before taking cover until she felt certain nobody remained. The owner of the birth crystal never appeared, which both horrified and relieved Sofia. She could not imagine how a person could so blithely leave such a precious gift behind, but she also had no way to explain to the owner how she could not give it back simply because it would not come off.
Her stomach growled loudly, making her wish she had thought to bring food from home. The few pieces of identifiable fruit she had discovered had not gone far toward satisfying her hunger. The two bananas beside her left her little comfort, she did not want to eat them until it became absolutely necessary. The scurrying of something nearby had her heart racing, temporarily making her forget about her rumbling stomach.
In the morning, she would go back to th
e village and let them know she had snuck her way into Tuala. Until then, she had to stay awake and alert. She had never before felt how slow time moved as she concentrated on the rhythmic sounds of the water crashing onto the powdered sand.
When the clouds moved inland, the full moon shone brightly, creating shadows around her and illuminating the surface of the water in sparkling, shifting patterns. Sofia looked up into the sky, seeing the same stars she had always known, and feeling comforted by something familiar in this strange land.
Chapter Eighteen
DEBBON CONTEMPLATED DIFFERENT scenarios for arriving in Apio unnoticed. After all, he did not need to draw attention to Ian’s house or have Elder Vargen alerted to his presence in his District. Finally, he decided to bring the head of his household staff, Crysta, to act as a diversion.
They flew to Apio, where Crysta visibly exited the telepod beside Debbon, who used an invisibility shield to conceal himself. Crysta continued on to the marketplace while Debbon walked in the opposite direction toward the neighborhoods and Ian’s house in particular. As had been arranged, Debbon knocked on Ian’s door, while still shielded, and walked in unannounced as soon as Ian opened the door.
Once they were in the privacy of Ian’s living room, Debbon let the shield dissolve from around him, making him visible to the nervous occupants of the room. “I hope you understand the need for these precautions,” Debbon spoke softly, not wanting to alarm them any further.
“Yes,” Ian replied, bowing respectfully to the Elder gracing his house. “We appreciate what you’re doing for us, and we,” he gestured to himself and the two other women in his house, “want to cooperate fully.”
“Where’s the other woman?” Debbon asked, searching the room for the third person he had requested to be at this meeting.
“She wasn’t able to get away tonight,” Ian answered, feeling as though he had failed to honor the Elder’s request to assemble everyone.
Immediately assessing the mood in the room, Debbon regrouped his plan and said, “That’s okay. I can come back again to finish. Now, who wants to go first?” He looked over at the two scared women, trying to keep his posture and tone as unaggressive as possible.
As he had done for Ian, he unlocked the memories of the two women, cataloged all of Elder Vargen’s crimes committed against them, and then created a shield of protection around them. The process had taken longer than Debbon would have liked, but he also wanted to be as thorough as possible in creating his case against another Elder.
Just as Debbon had suspected, these women knew of other people within the company, which also made complaints about not having any memories of their pasts. Debbon noted their names, realizing as he did so, that he would likely encounter the same thing with each subsequent interview.
Thinking this would only be a small-scale investigation had been his first error, and he was beginning to think this would be a task better assigned to a team of his most trusted counselors, perhaps even another Elder or two who could be irrefutable witnesses to the crimes being committed. Since only an Elder could unlock the victim’s memories, he had to entrust this secret operation with his peers rather than keep it to himself.
“I think I have everything I need for now,” Debbon declared once he finished with the second woman’s shield.
“What are we supposed to do now? I can’t possibly go back to my job knowing my family is probably worried sick about me in Los Angeles,” one woman cried out as Debbon stood to leave.
“Just as I explained to Ian, you must return and act as if nothing has changed. The only way we will keep any of you safe is to remain silent until enough proof has been found to indict Elder Vargen and get this whole operation shut down.” Seeing the looks of doubt and fear still on their faces, he continued, “I promise I’ll work as fast as I can. For the sake of others like yourself, please stay strong and know I’ll make certain you’re all returned home safely.”
The first woman remained sitting on the couch, shoulders shaking with her silent sobs. She had not agreed to help, nor had she contradicted anything Debbon had said. Looking down on her misery, he made a decision. “Why don’t you let me take away your memories again,” Debbon started.
The woman looked up with a horrified expression. “NO!”
Placing his hand on her forearm, he assured her, “It’ll only be temporary. I can make it so you’ll have a trigger word that will allow your memories to return when the time for action comes. I could even have Ian be responsible for keeping you all safe.” He looked up to Ian and received a confirming nod. “Would that work for you?”
“How will I know you won’t just take away Ian’s memory as well and just leave us all to keep working for Elder Vargen? How do we know we can trust you?”
“Because Elder Debbon isn’t anything like Elder Vargen,” Ian spoke softly as he kneeled in front of the distraught woman. “He didn’t have to get involved in this matter, and he didn’t have to risk himself coming here to talk with any of us, but he did because he cares about what has happened to us. He wants to make everything right for us again, yet he needs us to be strong for a little longer. Please!”
“How can you know?” she asked, looking at him beseechingly.
“Because I have faith in him,” Ian answered emphatically.
The other woman stepped forward and tapped Debbon on the shoulder. “I’ll go first,” she offered. “That way, she can see what you’ll do and not be as afraid.”
“Thank you,” Debbon replied, touched by the woman’s belief in him.
Ian and the woman watched with avid interest as Debbon performed the task of masking the woman’s memories. Just before he finished, he tapped into Ian’s mind and joined him into the final closing stitch. He brought his hands away from the woman’s head and asked Ian, “Did you see how that was done?”
“Yes, that was amazing. So all I have to do is say that one word and the shield will simply unfurl?”
“Yes, I’m glad you understood it so readily. Have you ever tried using the elemy?” Debbon regarded the man carefully.
“No, but I have to admit, I’ve felt it being used around me, much like what you’ve been doing tonight.”
“You can feel that?” the first woman asked incredulously.
“Yes, can’t everyone?” Ian asked, looking at Debbon with a confused expression.
“No, certainly not,” Debbon replied emphatically. He turned to the first woman and asked, “Are you ready for me to shield you?”
“Do I have much choice?” she asked sullenly, looking down at her folded hands resting in her lap.
“Yes, you do have a choice. I won’t do it unless you ask me to.”
The woman’s gaze cut to Debbon’s face, trying to decide if he were merely trying to trick her. All she saw was an honest interest in helping her. Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Go ahead then.”
Debbon held back his obvious relief while he placed his hands on her head and performed the same service for her as he had with the other woman, bringing Ian in at the last stitch again. He waited in silence as Ian escorted his two co-workers out, thanking them for a pleasant evening.
“I have a list of six other people who you’ll need to gather together for our next meeting. Plus, I’ll expect the other woman to be present. It looks as though I’m going to have to enlist some help on this matter after all.”
Ian wearily sat on the couch and replied, “I figured as much. With as big as the facility is, there’s bound to be hundreds of us from Earth being held hostage until our knowledge has been exhausted. Do you think anyone has ever been sent home?”
“I don’t know, but for Elder Vargen’s sake, I sure hope so.” Debbon stood up, shaking out his legs to regain circulation and said, “I’ll be in touch with you about the next meeting. Like I said before, the sooner we complete the investigation, the sooner you’ll all be able to go home.”
“I’ll do everything I can on my end. I think I need some fresh air. Maybe a walk outsi
de will do me some good,” he said, winking at Debbon as he walked across the room.
As Ian did so, Debbon activated his invisibility shield and walked outside with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not knowing what would happen with Vinia in Roanoke that night, Amanda knew she had to go and see her parents. If they decided it would be safer to remain in Tuala for the time being, she wanted her parents informed about their plans. Also, they had to know that their daughter had not died at birth after all. Realizing she had stalled long enough, Amanda drove over to her parents’ house. Even as she let herself inside, she wondered if she should have called first.
“Amanda, what a surprise!” Diane called out as she discovered her youngest daughter had come over. “We just finished dinner, but I could still make you something. Are you hungry?”
“No, Mom, I wanted to sit with you and Dad to talk about something important.”
Diane already did not like the sound of this. Stalling for a few minutes, she said, “Let me send the girls outside to play, and I’ll get your father.”
Amanda paced in the living room until her parents were ready. Amanda sat in the same spot she had so often during her recovery from the coma. It felt surreal to be back here, delivering this amazing news. Her heart raced as she tried to imagine how her parents would take it.
Diane abruptly sat on the couch and reached for the comfort of Chris’ hand.
“Go ahead, Amanda, you know you can talk to us about anything.”
“It’s about Virginia.”
Diane’s face crumpled instantly, tears springing into her eyes, and she sobbed out loud. “I’m so sorry we kept the knowledge of her from you, Amanda. Your father always told me we should’ve told you when you were little, I just couldn’t face it. I was so sad, I blame myself, you know.”
Hearing her mom’s admission made her realize this was exactly the thing she needed to hear to clear her soul of this burden, she carried so heavily on her heart. Feeling at a loss for exactly where to start, she fumbled around with her words. “I went to visit her grave.”
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