“Can I still see their memories?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes, but not right away. Could you wait until Maggie gets you more oriented in the Web?”
He said it nicely, but I still wanted to buck the system.
I guess Maggie could read me better than I thought because she said, “Do you remember Kara from the infirmary? Her parents were killed in a car accident right when she was maturing physically. She couldn’t let go fast enough with her mother, and it started to kill her. Her brother James stepped in and forced his sibling attachment to override the mother-daughter bond. It’s why she stays calm when he’s near. He’s been holding onto her for dear life ever since. She’s lost in the Web and can’t figure out how to use her soul to get back to her body. That’s what Gerome means by waiting for me to get you oriented. If you’re out in the Web and lose your sense of direction, you could end up like Kara—lost, with little chance of ever returning to reality.”
“If it’s so dangerous why would anyone even want to go? What’s so great about being a Weaver or being in the Web? It’s starting to sound more like a curse to me.”
How depressing.
“Imagine being connected to a network of knowledge and experience that goes back millennia. It’s mind boggling how much there is to learn, to see. The landscape is like the northern lights in the Alaskan sky, but vast and endless like space. Every planet’s minds look like a cluster of bright stars, and you can travel anywhere as fast as you can think—the problem is in knowing where to go and how to get back.” Maggie’s face glowed. “Gerome has traveled farther than anyone I know and never been lost. He should probably be the one training you, but we’ll wait for advanced navigation until you get the basics down with me.”
My outlook improved with that explanation, and I felt like I couldn’t get started soon enough. The worry about losing my privacy became a tiny whisper.
“Let do this then.”
Gerome got up at my affirmation and pushed the coffee table away from the couch so Maggie and I wouldn’t be cramped sitting on the floor. I arranged myself in a copy-cat position of Maggie’s in front of her.
“Do we need to touch?”
“No. Do you know how to meditate?”
“Um, you mean go to my quiet place in my head?”
She smiled. “Yes, dear, that would be about right.”
A little bit more fidgeting from both of us, and then she closed her eyes. I followed the leader. Gerome moved to the couch and lay back down.
“Gerome will be our monitor as most fathers are when the bond forms. If things look to be going wrong with our physical bodies, he’ll wake us by reaching for us in the Web. Mainly while we get settled and centered, he’s just going to be quiet.”
That last bit must have been some inside joke because he laughed.
“I mean it, Gerome.”
His voice came deep and sure. “I hear you, Maggie, now shut up and meditate.”
Absolute quiet ruled. The wind had died down outside, and the air in the house was still. I fell into my old habit of quieting my mind easily, except this time a voice in my head was waiting.
“Can you hear me, dear?”
“Yes, clear as a bell.”
“That was fast. Usually, less able students need longer to get centered. Maybe this will be a piece of cake for you. Can you open your mind’s eye?”
“You mean you want me to dream?”
“I don’t know, honey. We’re talking mind to mind right now. If by dreaming you mean seeing me, then yes, dream away.”
What came into focus was blurry at best. It wasn’t an image of Maggie exactly, but it felt like her bound up in a flaming cord of light.
“You’re beautiful, Maggie.”
I became lost in awe of her. Then I noticed another light farther away but attached to her natural orange glow. It was bluish and extremely intense like an LED flashlight. The colors kept changing.
“You’re not so bad yourself, sweetie. I’m going to reach out to you now, and I want you to reach, too. You’ll feel it when we overlap, but don’t panic, okay?”
As Maggie spoke, I felt a warmth push, and I strained for contact. There was a flash of Maggie’s face in my mind with a strange vision of her and Gerome laughing over dinner. Then more flashes as her memories poured at me fast and furious.
If I didn’t escape, I might drown in her, so I pulled instead of pushed. I heard Maggie in my mind.
“It’s okay, dear, just give me a minute. I can get us situated. It just took me by surprise is all. Remember, don’t panic.”
Her mental voice sounded a little breathy. I wondered if her ‘don’t panic’ was for herself, too. I held absolutely still. A feeling broke like the surface of a bubble popping and the overwhelming smothering sensation stopped.
In its place came a comfortable, peaceful, warm feeling that reminded me of my mother’s hugs when I was a kid. I felt sad suddenly because this should have been with her, not Maggie. Then I felt ashamed because this was fantastic, too, and what if Maggie heard me think that?
“I believe we’re as we should be. How do you feel?”
“I feel…it’s hard to explain.”
I guess my confusion came through to her because I felt a mental shrug.
“That’s okay, sweetie. Do you want to call it quits and try again tomorrow?”
Before I could answer, a violent tugging, rippling sensation coursed through us.
“That’s Gerome pulling our chain. We better see what’s up. You go first, and I’ll come after. Do you know how to ‘wake up,' honey?”
“I think so.”
In a flash, I was sitting on the living room floor in front of Maggie with an enormous smile. Someone banged on the front door.
Chapter Five: If I Knew I’d Know
Gerome was already standing in the entryway waiting for us to come out of it. He pantomimed for us to move the coffee table into place. I guess Gerome didn’t want anything to hint at our recent experience. He didn’t have time to explain. There was a loud booming knock again.
Someone hollered, “Sir, are you in there?”
Once Maggie and I got up off the floor, we tried to seem casual on the couch. Gerome straightened his shirt and smoothed his hair before opening the door.
Two men stood on the porch. I’d have to call them Yin and Yang they were so opposite to one another.
The taller of the two, Yang, was as black as Melody from the school and taller, if humanly possible. I had a feeling they were related.
The other man, Yin, was younger and as short as I was, about five foot one, with sandy blond hair, extremely pale freckled skin, and an unimpressive physique.
Of the two, Yang seemed to be the leader, so he spoke first in a deep baritone. “I’m sorry to bother you, but you said to report any perimeter breaches to you immediately and personally. I assume that order still stands?”
They had both stood at semi-attention when Gerome opened the front door. Yin didn’t seem to be taking anything too seriously, and his posture hinted he thought this was all a joke.
Gerome was definitely in a leadership position for more than the Council. If he were the head of security for the compound, this would explain why he had the clout to delay the final decision on my status as a threat.
Yin didn’t wait for Gerome's response. “It’s probably kids sneaking out to the pit for some fun after curfew.” He stared skyward barely keeping himself at attention. His bloodshot eyes danced away from Gerome.
When Gerome spoke, he ignored the shorter man as if he hadn’t talked and gave Yang his full attention. “You assumed correctly, Malcolm.”
At that, he closed the door partway to grab his jacket and mine off the wall hooks. My coat fairly flew at me. I barely caught it, and the zipper hit my cheek. Ow.
“Cass, let’s walk the fence.”
This was different. Gerome never did anything without reason—asking me to accompany him while he addressed a security breach had to mean
something.
Maggie stood. “I’ll head back to the clinic then while y’all play soldier.”
Gerome gave her a scathing look and this time, it was Maggie who shrank back sheepishly. She rolled over the back of the couch and snatched her coat. Maggie squeezed in between the men outside and her husband with a speed I envied.
At least she got to escape. I zipped up all the way to my chin then slid my hood over my hair as I joined my uncle.
Gerome turned to Malcolm. “What section is the breach in and how old does it look?”
Malcolm and Gerome started in the general direction of the area Malcolm gestured to as he answered, “Not too old and it’s on the end closest to the pit, so Harris could have a point about kids sneaking out. I thought better safe than sorry.”
I fell in behind the two talking men faster than Harris, so he was left to close the door to the house. I noticed his hesitation as if he thought about leaving it open to the elements. Common sense overcame temper tantrum, and he slammed it hard then trotted after us. I found it interesting nobody locked their doors here, apparently even the head of security.
The wind had died down considerably, but it was still cold. Maggie had assured me winter did end here. I had yet to see a warm day. It was only the beginning of December. The sky had a solid mass of clouds evenly coating it. Not one tiny ray of sunshine could peek through. The scent of ozone was in the air signaling rain could hit anytime.
We traversed almost the whole length of the compound. The perimeter was a giant rectangle. We ended up behind a storage or utility building of some kind. My thighs were burning from the exertion, and my body was starting to warm up. I could see the cut in the chain link fence immediately. It started at the bottom and went straight up for about two feet. The cut ends still had a shiny fresh metal look. They hadn’t been exposed to the elements long.
Directly behind this section about a hundred yards out sat a good sized dense area of wind-twisted, hardy looking trees and scraggly undergrowth. If the pit they were talking about was out there, I had no idea why anyone would want to go. Scattered about the underbrush were clusters of round spiked cactus. Stepping on one of those at night would not be what I considered fun.
Malcolm and Gerome squatted next to the fence, and my uncle said, “Standard procedure. Seal it. Watch the area at night for the next few weeks. See if whoever did this is stupid enough to come back for a repeat adventure. Most likely it was kids, but keep your guard up. I’ll put out a notice with Melody so parents can keep an extra eye out for curfew violations.”
Harris and I were still standing by the utility shed, and he snorted, “Told ya,” under his breath.
He looked sideways at me and smiled. I slid away from him. Harris reminded me of Thing One. When I was new and still crying for my parents, Thing One would smile while he grabbed my fingers and twisted them until I screamed. Harris' lips curved the same way. Moving away was the wrong decision. It encouraged Harris to crowd me. His pleasure grew.
He leaned closer. “Feeling sick?”
His breath smelled like garlic. I could see his freckles weren’t all the same color. A sense of shame came over me for being ill in the park. Just how many people knew about that?
I noticed one of his arms moving toward me, and I reacted. Before I knew it, his fingers where twisted hard and sharp until he grunted in pain. Harris was no longer snide and satisfied.
He moved farther away hugging his hand to his chest with a whispered, “Bitch.”
Gerome and Malcolm rose in front of us. Harris put his hands down by his side as if nothing had happened, but I could see him flexing the fingers on his injured hand.
“I’ll get with Facilities & Repair on the fence right now. It should be an easy fix. Do you want me to talk with Control about the watch schedule?”
Gerome considered Malcolm’s question. “Have them alternate the route, so there're only a few seconds between guard overlap. Everyone wears an ear piece with a check-in every two minutes. That’ll help keep them alert tonight at any rate.”
Harris complained, “You’re seriously gonna make us all check in every two minutes just because some kids broke curfew for kicks?”
Malcolm wore a long-suffering look on his face and Gerome stared straight ahead as if Harris was the least of his worries.
Malcolm replied, “You don’t have to check in, Harris, because you won’t be on rounds. Have fun with kitchen duty until you can learn to follow the chain of command and keep your mouth shut.”
Harris opened his mouth indignantly as if to object. Malcolm was having none of it and bent down to his level to say, “You got anything else to add? I can think up something better. You want some time alone with me on the mats?”
Harris straightened to a proper stance of attention. “No, sir.”
Malcolm backed off and straightened his shirt front. “Your kitchen duty starts now. I find out you made any side trips on the way, you are mine on the mat. Do. You. Hear. Me?”
Harris shouted, “Yes, sir!” and turned to head to the kitchens.
There were probably barracks for the young men and women who served in the security force but didn’t want to live with their family, so the kitchen was likely near that.
Just when I could see most of the back of Harris's head he turned. Making sure the other two men couldn’t see, Harris mouthed, “Later.”
It was a threat. So be it. I would cross that bridge when I came to it. The voice in my head wanted a rematch.
Unexpectedly, after Harris was out of hearing range, Gerome said, “Cassandra, you leave that one alone. If he gives you any more trouble you don’t try to handle it, you run. If I’m not around, find Malcolm as fast as you can.”
I started at the ‘more’ in Gerome’s warning. I guess my altercation hadn’t gone unnoticed.
At hearing his name, Malcolm nodded solemnly at me and added in his deep masculine voice, “I saw your little finger hold. Who taught you?”
I squinted up at him. “I learned from the receiving end.”
Honestly, I don’t know what made me do it. I’d seen Harris’ hand coming my way and reacted before I thought it through. The little voice in my mind was feeling smug at the result, and slightly powerful.
Malcolm frowned but didn’t ask for more information. “If you want to learn some defensive moves I can teach you with the rest of the recruits. What do you think, Gerome? She’s tiny but fast and thinks on her feet.”
Besides being coworkers, Malcolm and Gerome were obvious friends. The two men were a closer match in height than I thought they would be, but where my uncle was lean and wiry, Malcolm was built like a freight train of muscle.
“That’s why I asked her to come with us,” Gerome replied. “I need to make it clear to the Council she’s part of my family in every way.”
The way he stressed ‘every’ made me think Malcolm probably knew about a bond to either Maggie or Gerome.
“She can’t go to school since she already knows everything.” At that, he canted his eyes at me. “But I can’t have a thirteen-year-old cooped up in the house all day or let her wander around getting into fights. I need you to handle her training personally or assign her to someone you trust.”
Surprise etched his face then morphed to amusement. “An attachment? Way to commit, soldier.”
Gerome stretched his lips in a rare grin. “Even I break the rules sometimes, especially when they don’t make any damn sense. You know we both have a decision coming soon, right?”
The bigger man took his time to respond, and I could see him weighing his decision.
“I’m with you, but I’ve got to make sure Melody is with me. She’s all the family I’ve got, and I can’t leave her here. I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”
They gave each other a short nod to settle the matter for the moment.
I spoke up. “I thought Maggie was training me?”
Gerome sighed, and an ‘aha’ light flashed in Malcolm’s eyes. “Cass, Mal
colm would be responsible for your physical training, but every part of your ‘self’ needs to be in shape. The Trinity is mind, body, and soul. Malcolm heads up physical training for the whole compound, especially the teenagers.”
There was that nickname again. I guess it didn’t bother me too much. Idly, I wondered if I could start calling him Ger.
“Don’t think I don’t know why! I’m the biggest scariest dude you’ve got, and even then they test my patience. Hormones, pimples, mood swings, and broken hearts everywhere I turn. It’s like a soap opera, but I can’t change the channel.” Malcolm turned to me and got serious. He poked an index finger at my shoulder. “I’m not gonna cut you any slack because you’re Gerome’s blood. Can you handle it? Tell me now if you’re not up to it because once you say ‘yes’ you belong to me.”
I stared hard at Gerome for a minute. To his credit, he didn’t flinch. If Gerome trusted Malcolm not to hurt me, then I was in. “When do I start?”
“Tomorrow?” Gerome threw a glance Malcolm’s way that asked for affirmation.
“Sure, six a.m. sharp in front of the training building. Gerome can give you directions, just come in the front doors. Wear loose clothes and be ready to sweat with the rest of the class.” Toward my uncle, Malcolm added, “I’ll head over to Control to set up the schedule change and then go to Facilities & Repairs.”
When he strode away, his pace ate the distance at warp speed. Four of my steps probably matched his one.
I looked up at Gerome. “Now what?”
He thought for a minute. “I can’t let you tag along with me today. It’s probably better for you to head back to the house or see Maggie at the infirmary. She might like your company.” He tried to soften the brush off with a thin smile.
“I’m not stupid, Gerome. I also know there’s more going on here than my issue. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have reminded Malcolm he had a choice to make.”
Gerome gave me an appraising glance then gazed off toward the wooded area beyond the fence.
“Things have been bad for years, but I believe our people have finally reached a breaking point,” he replied. “Do you remember when I told you not all Weavers are good or share the same purpose?”
Chimera (The Weaver Series Book 1) Page 6