Gerome took her comment in stride. “I didn’t, but I can get them for you. Would you like some bread and butter?”
“I want some,” I chimed in.
Butter had become an addiction, and Maggie made sure it was always available. Having been on the same monotonous diet for so many years, sometimes it felt like I was discovering foods all over again.
Gerome zipped over to the bread box, flipped it open, and grabbed a cellophane-wrapped loaf of French bread. He tossed it into the air. I barely caught it. Maggie wasn’t amused.
“I’ll get the butter, so you don’t toss that at Cassandra, too.” She began to rise from her chair, but my uncle grabbed the butter dish from the counter, pulled a knife from a drawer, and made it back to the table before she even got completely upright.
Maggie sat back down with a sound of annoyance and held out her hand to me for the bread. As she began cutting pieces from the loaf. Gerome took his seat at the table.
“So is anyone going to fill me in on your little-unplanned Web adventure today?” he asked.
I was pretty impressed he hadn’t raised his voice, so I decided to play his calm game, took a sip of my soup and accepted the now buttered bread Maggie politely handed me. “I didn’t intentionally go into the Web without permission. I laid down to rest on Maggie’s couch while we were talking, centered myself, and then poof.” I shrugged. “I could see you and Maggie, so I thought she might know. I decided not to worry too much about it and explore.”
Maggie looked like chewing was making her nose hurt. I watched her set the bread aside and try to sip some of the soup off of her spoon with a grimace. Gerome reached for a drink then realized he hadn’t put anything out for us and rose again.
Once he was settled in his seat, and we all had a beverage he continued, “So what did you learn from your solo trip?”
I finished chewing and thought for a minute about what I should share. “You are where you think you are when you think it. My bond with Maggie isn’t permanent because I almost broke it. Are you going to let yourself die if Maggie dies?”
Maggie coughed into her soup, as Gerome sputtered, “Why would you ask me that?”
After Maggie had wiped her mouth, she explained, “Cassandra asked about what would happen if Kara died, and I told her James would have to decide if he wanted to fade or let his sister go. That led to the story of my parents. Now she’s probably worried that if one of us dies, the other will leave her alone.”
My aunt’s tone softened. “Cassandra, I will be terribly devastated if anything happens to Gerome but I won’t leave you, neither would your uncle.”
Maggie urged Gerome to chime in.
My uncle fidgeted in his chair, apparently uncomfortable with the subject matter.
“You are our responsibility, and it would be very selfish for us to do that.” His eyes narrowed. “What did you mean you almost broke your aunt’s bond with you?”
“Well, we’re tied together. It feels like she’s an anchor and I wanted to see what would happen if I pulled her chain so to speak. I pulled on it once, and nothing happened. I tried again, a little harder, and I felt her presence fade. She came and yelled at me after that, so I guess that’s when she found out I was in the Web.”
I picked up my bowl, impatient with the spoon, and drank my soup from the side. My uncle’s puzzled face disappeared from my view while I took in a mouthful of bite-sized chicken and vegetables in liquid. When I lowered the bowl, Maggie and Gerome were sharing a look that spoke of something they probably weren’t going to share completely with me. I thought with silent satisfaction I could play that game too.
Gerome opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, undecided. He picked up his bowl in a copy-cat of my soup drinking method.
My aunt made an aggravated grunt. “You’re both savages, absolutely no manners.”
We grinned then drank with loud slurps.
Maggie chuckled and groaned, “Ah, the humanity! Don’t make me laugh. My face can’t take it.”
As if we had choreographed our moves, Gerome and I put down our bowls with concerned frowns toward Maggie.
She noticed. “If you two are going to look at me like that the whole time this is healing, I might go crazy. It’s just a nose, and they always look terrible when they get broken. I’ll live. Cassandra, I have a question about your statement earlier. What did you mean by ‘You are where you think you are when you think it?”
I picked up my bread and used my finger to spread the butter more evenly over the surface then licked it. “I saw something interesting and I ‘focused’ on it when I got into the Web. Maggie’s connection stopped my progress. I got a little scared and disoriented. When I yanked on our bond the second time and felt the ‘tear,' I started to drift again but got myself under control. Maggie sent some emotions my way, and I concentrated on her, and there I went. I figure it’s mind over matter. As long as I’m secure in my sense of ‘self’ I’ll never get lost; we control what we do there.”
Gerome spoke up. “That’s probably the quickest, simplest breakdown of navigation I’ve ever heard. In theory, what you’re saying is correct, but it’s not always as simple in practice. I may need to start teaching you sooner than I thought.” His brows furrowed, and his eyes didn’t seem to be seeing the kitchen like ours were.
I said, “I’ll try to be more careful while in the Web, but I wasn’t trying to go there today. What if I go to sleep tonight and ‘wake up’ there?”
Maggie responded, “If that happens, dear, you just stay near my light and try to make me aware of your presence or try to wake up for real. I believe the state of your mind has to be alert for most people to slide into the Web, but as you keep proving, you aren’t most people.”
We were all picking at our food silently, not eating when an electronic chirping came from Gerome’s coat. My uncle jumped up and went around the short divided wall to rustle around out of sight in search of his cell phone. When he came back, phone to his ear, he answered, “Yes?” He went down the hall to the room he shared with Maggie.
When he didn’t return after about five minutes, Maggie and I began to clean the kitchen. I left Gerome’s water glass on the table in case he wanted to finish his drink and cleaned up the rest of our meal by transferring everything to the sink for Maggie to wash.
I tried to slink away to my room, she admonished, “Huh-uh, you get over here and dry what I wash.” I sighed, resigned to the task, as I held out my hand for the towel. Pity parties only lasted so long, and I guess my grace period for no chores was over.
Maggie and I were finishing the dishes when Gerome came back into the kitchen and filled us in.
“The Council decided since we’ve detected no threat through her bond to Maggie her status is now temporarily cleared. If anything in the future should happen to make them reconsider, they’ll absolve me from my Council duties.”
Gerome said all of this gravely.
Maggie rubbed her chin as she muttered, “So it’s a possible set up?”
Gerome nodded. “Yes. If I’m out of the way, then those that side with me will be forced to vote with the majority or leave. I say we consider this a reprieve and keep a weather eye out for skullduggery against Cassandra.”
Maggie snorted. “All I can say is, I’m glad Cass doesn’t have to go to school. Melody can’t be everywhere at once, and you know Harris would stoop to using her daughter.”
Gerome turned to me. “The warning I gave you about Calvin Harris goes triple now.”
“Does this mean I can’t train with Malcolm tomorrow?” I was feeling let down about that possibility.
“No, you’ll still go, and I’ll escort you,” Gerome responded crisply. “I would only stress you stick to Malcolm like glue and follow his every instruction. I mean every, you hear me?”
My cheeks relaxed in relief, and I gave Gerome a thumbs up. Malcolm didn’t seem unreasonable. I was excited to have an event planned for the next day. It felt like everything had b
een on hold after Gerome rescued me, until today.
Gerome jerked his head. “Time for bed. You’re going to need all the sleep you can get before Malcolm gets a hold of you.”
I mumbled a good night to Maggie, ignored Gerome’s jab, and headed to brush my teeth. When I was through, I lingered in the doorway of my room staring into the darkness. Without a doubt, going to bed was the hardest thing I did.
Somehow I feared if I went to sleep, I might wake up in my cell and this life would be a dream. I wasn’t going to let my fears run me, but sometimes I had to wind down before bed by writing.
The feel of the pen in my hand and the scratch of it on the paper reminded me I was living in a real place with real people. I kept my notepad in the drawer of my nightstand for easy access, and to my knowledge, even though my aunt and uncle knew I kept it there they hadn’t peeked.
I wouldn’t want anyone ever to see the collection of random thoughts and poetry. I sat with crossed legs on my bed, turned on the lamp then took out my notebook.
My jailers had never allowed me pen and paper, so it was a joy to hold them. Some words had been floating around in the back of my brain off and on all day. I gathered them to the front of my mind and began to write.
The home of all the kooks and crazies,
Demented jokes and crushed yellow daisies.
You are the beginnings of pure disaster,
Of all evil spells you are the caster.
A shell of vulnerable innocence,
The definition of society’s juvenile delinquents.
Queen of Hearts, Wicked Witch of the East,
On your soul vultures of civilization feast.
Of every wrong of dark shadowy conquests,
From the crotch of eternity to your maker’s requests.
I had no idea what the poem meant, if anything, but it always felt good to get the things in my head out. That done, I set my alarm and crawled under the covers. I always left my door open so that I could hear Maggie and Gerome snore. Nothing lets you know you’re not alone quite like a couple of family members sawing logs in unison. I wondered if Maggie’s snore would be different tonight because of her nose…
With that idle thought, I closed my eyes to dream.
Chapter Seven: Through the Looking Glass
My alarm woke with a dying puppy electronic screech. I swung my arm to hit the snooze button and shut the dang thing up; only it didn’t work.
The annoying sound was coming from the hallway. Gerome’s cell phone started to ring as an irritating counterpoint. I looked at my clock and saw it was about two a.m. Maggie came rushing down the hall with a swishing sound as her nightgown rubbed on her legs and her bare feet slapped on the hardwood floor.
Maggie sat on my bed and patted my hand while she continued to watch the hallway. I suppose she was waiting for Gerome. I could hear my uncle’s gruff voice faintly over the alarm, talking on his phone.
I had been dreaming of being in the Web and searching endlessly for something or someone, so I was glad to be awake. The memory of the dream was rapidly beginning to fade, but it was still distressing not to remember the whole of it. I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle. My inner voice buzzed with excitement and anticipation, but I didn’t see any reason to feel either of those things. The juxtaposition of my emotions created a jumbled havoc inside.
Maggie turned on my bedside lamp. We sat there waiting and hoping whatever was happening wasn’t too serious. Gerome’s voice got louder, then clearer as he moved closer.
“…keep her contained until we can get an ID. I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed.”
My uncle ended the call and said to his wife, “You stay indoors with Cassandra and lock the door when I leave. We had an unidentified intruder I have to check out at the station.” He headed back to their room to throw on some clothes.
Maggie and I looked at each other. Just when I was going to ask how someone could even get into the compound and why they would try, I heard the faint ringing sounds of a different cell phone over the blaring alarm. Maggie jumped up and almost crashed into Gerome as he turned into my open doorway holding Maggie’s cell phone in his extended hand.
Maggie grabbed it. “This is Maggie.”
I could hear panicked yelling, but I couldn’t tell if it was male or female.
Maggie replied in a business-like tone, “You’re sure you checked everywhere? The lighting is dim at night in the clinic. Did you turn on all the lights and look again?”
More panicked yelling.
“Okay, I’ll pass it on to Gerome. This may be the cause of the alarm, David, we’ll see. Just stay by the phone. I’ll get back to you soon.”
My aunt informed Gerome, “Kara’s missing. David did his rounds at one a.m., and she was in her bed per the usual. When he went to check on her because of the alarm, she wasn’t there.”
Gerome started dialing on his phone immediately and fired off to Maggie, “What was she wearing?”
“White socks and an ankle length lavender nightgown.”
Someone picked up on the other end of my uncle’s phone, and he barked, “I need a description.” Silence as he listened and then, “It’s not an intruder. Sound the all clear. It’s Kara from the infirmary. We just got the call she went missing. Get her brother.”
The alarm went silent, and my ears were ringing from the assault.
Maggie said huskily into the silence, “I need to get dressed. She'll require an evaluation.”
I was still sitting on my bed taking in everything. Was Kara awake? James would be over the moon! A sense of relief that left me feeling a little excited washed over me. Now James wouldn’t have to let her go or fade.
My uncle turned to me, looking alert but tired.
“Get dressed. You can go to the clinic with Maggie while I get everyone in the compound settled down. Maybe you can catch some shut-eye on her couch.”
I seriously doubted I was going to feel sleepy anytime soon; I was wide awake from the noise. My uncle left, and I shut the door after him, then went to my nightstand and gathered up my clothes. I hadn’t had a shower last night, but if the workout was still on with Malcolm in four hours, I didn’t want to waste the time and water. I changed quickly then picked out a pair of tennis shoes from the closet.
I went to brush my hair and teeth in the bathroom. When I opened the door, Maggie was waiting impatiently in the hall.
“Don’t forget to put on the deodorant I got for you. If Malcolm doesn't cancel his class, you'll be sweating.”
I sighed and went back into the bathroom cabinet to follow her instructions.
Maggie followed behind me and turned the tap on to get the water warm. “Good, now get out.”
Gerome waved bye and as he went out. When he opened the door, I saw it was still wet but no longer raining. I looked down at my tennis shoes and decided I better try to clean off my boots instead. My aunt and uncle kept a wire brush in a tub under the kitchen sink. I got it in hand, grabbed mine and Maggie’s mud-crusted boots, and began to scrape dried mud on the ground next to the porch steps.
It didn’t take me long to start shivering. I had forgotten to put on my coat; I persevered. When I breathed out in exertion, fluffy white clouds escaped. It was almost pretty, and while I was watching one of those white puffs fade into the shadows, I noticed movement in the dark distance.
The fleeting activity was close to the fence line. With only the moonlight for illumination, it was hard to make anything out other than a slight reflection off of their clothes. I shrugged it off as guard activity and finished up my scraping job.
Something made me throw the bolt on the door as an afterthought.
Maggie came out of the bathroom, noticed her mostly clean boots and said, “Thank you, dear! Did you see Gerome leave?”
I nodded as she went to make us tea.
Maggie asked me over her shoulder, “Do you want some bread, butter, and jam with your tea, honey?”
I smiled. “Yes, pl
ease.”
As I turned back to the entryway to grab the forgotten boot scraper I caught movement. I stared in horror as the doorknob moved slowly and quietly. I heard the door creaked in resistance. Whoever it was on the other side tried to push it open.
I gripped the boot scraper like a club and whispered urgently, “Maggie!” Motioning to the front door, I put my fingers to my lips for silence. I ran down the short hall to the laundry room to throw the bolt on the only other door in the house. I stood listening intently for any other movement in the rear of the house but could only hear the floorboards protest as Maggie headed my direction.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“The front door. I locked it when I came inside. Somebody turned the knob.”
Maggie frowned and listened. She grabbed her phone out of her back pocket and dialed. “It’s me. Someone just tried to get in.” Silence ensued as she listened to the muffled voice on the other end. “No, Cassandra noticed the knob turn. It was locked, thank God. We’re standing in the laundry room. You need to send someone.”
We stood in the laundry room for what seemed like a silent eternity listening to the house until we heard a big booming voice outside.
“You ladies all right?”
A relieved gush of air escaped as I recognized Malcolm’s voice.
Maggie disengaged the bolt and opened the door. “Malcolm, I have never been so glad to see your ugly face!”
I thought that was a strange, mean thing to say, especially since Malcolm was very handsome in my opinion.
He laughed and said, “Maggie, you say such sweet things to me. Next time I’ll let you rescue yourself, you old bat. So, can I come in?”
Maggie shooed me into the hall. Malcolm came inside and bolted the door behind him. He loomed over us, his head almost touching the low ceiling. I wondered what it must be like for him to stand so tall.
Chimera (The Weaver Series Book 1) Page 9