She looked happy. This was what she knew; this was where she belonged. He wanted her to have her simple life back. At least as much as that was possible at this point. He idled in the parking lot until the last strand of her flowing hair disappeared from his view and drove out to the street.
Normally he would’ve been in his wetsuit by now, paddling out on his surf board towards the break. At least that would’ve been normal up until this month. Sadie’s condition had ballooned out of control in a matter of weeks. Thanks to his own incompetence.
Today he was too apprehensive to drive the five minutes back to his house. He couldn’t even bring himself to leave the neighborhood surrounding the school. He had to stay close. He made it as far as across the street and parked on the corner, facing the school, concerns weighing heavy on his mind.
He reached down and retrieved the handheld tracking monitor he kept secured to the underside of his chair. Sadie’s red dot pulled up on the map and sat unmoving at the northwest corner of the school grounds. He knew there was a good chance the dot wouldn’t move again until lunch. She had a habit of leaving her wallet in her locker during classes. Maybe it was time to consider adding a few more devices to her belongings, so he could follow her more closely. His insecurities had been mounting ever since that first contact with her on the beach.
His copy of Sadie’s diary still sat in the pocket behind his chair. He reached around to give it a glance then set it next to the tracking monitor in the passenger seat.
He thought of that night at the beach after he pulled her from the ocean, the panic that took over when he saw her fall. That was the first sign of his emotions controlling his actions. He almost gave in to them that day. Her flushed cheeks were warm under his hands; her soft lips came within inches of his own.
It took everything in him, all of his resolve, to leave her standing there in the dark. He remembered his pulsing heart as he sprinted away through the shadows, running as fast as he could, anger surging through his skin at his own weakness.
He wanted to beat the shuttle back to the parking lot, so he could ensure she made it safely to her car, but he couldn’t trust himself yet. He stopped just before he reached the end of the path, gasping for air and cursing himself for letting down his guard.
After that he thought he’d doubled his focus. Even when Sadie came to his gate the very next night, he was able to hold himself back. Even when his hand hovered over the button to the intercom, staring at her sweet, unknowing face in the monitor, he didn’t press the button. He kept his control.
Even when Hamlin denied his request for reassignment, he’d kept himself together. It was her car accident that really changed things. Now his nerves were on edge any time he didn’t know exactly where Sadie was, who she was with, and what she was doing. He couldn’t let down his guard. Even if it meant sitting all day long in his car doing absolutely nothing but stare at her little red dot on the monitor.
He wasn’t even sure when he was making his decisions based on duty and when they were purely to indulge his desires to be near her. The bonding effect of the Healing Water was growing too strong for him to control.
He pulled his head back to the headrest with a deep breath. He just needed to collect his thoughts today, regain his focus.
Hamlin’s voice played back in his head from their meet the morning previous. I know you’re concerned, but you must refrain from giving her constant exposure to the Healing Water. In order to gauge the extent of the defect you must allow the effects to take their course. Stay on high alert, but only intervene with more Healing Water when it is absolutely necessary to maintain normal function.
Rayne realized he shouldn’t have given Sadie that water bottle this morning, but he didn’t have the will. He wanted her to have at least one nice day back at school before he let her system run out, leaving her vulnerable just for the sake of observation.
He knew Hamlin was right though. It would be wise to figure out how long her system could manage without help. He needed to know what he was up against. He would always be close enough to step in if necessary, but he hated to watch her suffer in the process.
The weight of responsibility hung on his shoulders. He practically held Sadie’s well-being in the palm of his hand. He would never forgive himself for his mistakes or for dragging her into the mess he created.
At what point should he say enough is enough? Where was he supposed to draw that line? Was it wrong for him to tell her all those things last night; about his house, and the bonding, and her mother? He knew it was against the rules, but was it wrong?
It was her happiness that hung in the balance. Didn’t she have a right to be involved in her own life? At what point would it make sense to allow some risk to her protection in order to avoid the grossly obtrusive invasion of her privacy…and her trust?
He wanted to do the right thing, but he wasn’t sure what that was anymore.
Before, that meant do anything and everything possible to follow the Keeper Code and fulfill his duties. That’s what The Academy trained him to do. That meant do whatever it took to do your job, even if it meant breaking and entering, lying, stealing…
As long as it was for the right reasons, it wasn’t wrong. That’s what they required you to believe.
He could understand if there were some gray areas requiring him to break a few small rules in order to accomplish the greater good, but just about everything was starting to look like gray area lately. He didn’t know what to believe in anymore.
At least as a Keeper his job required only a small amount of deception, and there was a great deal of good being done as a result, so it seemed like it was probably worthwhile. But they weren’t the only agents out there. There were Scouts and Backers too.
Backers were just a bunch of business men needed to create the funding to run everything else. From what he’d gathered over the years, their practices were fairly ethical, but Scouts were a different story.
Rayne knew he could never survive as a Scout. It was no wonder Ash was so unhappy all the time. The way they went around borrowing technology, or sensitive information, or advanced weapons, or anything they felt would benefit them; as if somehow they were entitled to it without question.
Scouts showed no restraint. They were the only department that used guns to get the job done. Yet somehow this was deemed to be admirable, the highest honor that could be attained by an agent, not to mention the outrageous amounts of compensation involved. Rayne could never understand it all.
Lately he wished more and more to go back to his once simple life at the orchard.
Across the street students filed out of classrooms and milled around the school grounds during break. Rayne watched them with a strange sense of envy, wondering what it must be like to know your greatest concern was a math exam or whether you would find a date to the school dance.
He thought back again to his last meet with Hamlin. He always appeared so confident. When Rayne relayed Voss’s message, Hamlin didn’t even flinch. Here he was caught in the middle of a terrible scheme that threatened to ruin everything he’d ever worked for and there was not a trace of fear or anger in his eyes.
Everyone expected Rayne to be just as confident. He did everything he could to live up to their expectations, but he didn’t know how much longer he could keep it going. He almost felt like he was faking his way through everything. He didn’t feel confident anymore. It was all just an act he learned through his training. What did Hamlin ever see in him in the first place? Was he even cut out for the life of a Keeper? He was truly beginning to doubt himself.
He never aspired to this life in the first place. He was content with a simple existence, living and working at the orchard with his family. That’s all he ever planned to be.
He glanced at Sadie’s red dot on the monitor, but of course it didn’t move; and the light on the diary didn’t illuminate. That was a good sign. It meant she was having a normal day. He rested his head back in the seat and closed his eyes.
That’s all that he wanted…Sadie’s happiness.
His mind kept turning and he pondered how he got to this point in his life. In the beginning it all just fell together like it was meant to be. He wasn’t sure he felt that anymore. There was so much pressure, so many expectations all counting on him to perform, to be something he felt incapable and unworthy of being.
A stream of memories played through his head from his old life, his uncomplicated life at Lizzy Grove. Playing in the fields, swimming in the purple sea after school, listening to his father tell stories by the fire.
That was so long ago. More than anything, he remembered the day he met Hamlin—the day that would lead him to a whole different world.
***
Rayne had lived seventeen years at the time, his body age still that of a twelve year old. His physical development was normal or perhaps even a little faster than the average. It was probably all the work out in the orchard that kept him strong.
He unloaded the crates of lizzy fruit optimistically from the truck while Lark and Flint carried them across the lot to their booth. Every Friday his brothers made the drive into the city to attend the farmer’s market sponsored by The Ambassadors Council, but this was the first time Rayne’s mother finally allowed him to go along.
The market was held in the park across the street from The Court of Ambassadors. Rayne had only been to the heart of the city a few times and the building looked more amazing and grand than he remembered.
The truck bed creaked under his feet as he stood mesmerized, gazing at the massive arched windows and towering pillars that surrounded the famous clock tower he’d seen on TV growing up.
Suddenly a lizzy fruit launched in the air and pounded Rayne’s arm. He stumbled back over a crate and landed with a thud.
Lark laughed wholeheartedly at the comical fall created by his throw. “Time to wake up,” he said between laughs.
Rayne rubbed his arm and stood with a smirk. He may have been smaller, but he had plenty of fight in him to return the favor.
Lark turned his back about to pick up a crate. “Come on, you little daydreamer. These lizzies won’t unload themselves.”
At the first chance, Rayne launched himself off the truck bed onto Lark’s back and knocked him to the ground. They laughed and wrestled in the grass until Lark finally pinned Rayne under his arm.
“Okay, okay, mercy,” Rayne said, squirming under his brother’s grip. He knew when he was beat.
Lark gave him a hand to his feet and messed Rayne’s hair with his palm. “You put up a good fight, little bro.”
Flint jogged up to the side of the truck. “Oh man, the fight’s already over? I wanted a piece of the action.”
“You can have next round,” Lark joked, “but my bet’s on the kid.”
Rayne lifted his eyebrows. “You better watch your back; you never know when the kid’s gonna strike.”
Flint pretended to be afraid and cowered behind Lark. “Not the attack of the kid! Somebody save me…”
After the booth was set up, they all sat on stools and waited for customers. Every time a pretty girl walked by, his brothers nudged each other with their elbows, egging each other on.
“Hey look at that one,” Lark said. “You think I should talk to her?”
Flint shoved his shoulder. “No way, man. City girls are way out of your league. I’m gonna talk to her.”
Lark jumped from his stool. “Not if I get to her first.”
Flint followed after him, grabbing Lark’s arm with a smirk. “No, you have to stay and help the kid run the booth.”
“No, you have to stay and help the kid,” Flint returned.
Rayne shook his head. “Hey, I can handle the booth myself, you guys.”
Both brothers stopped pulling on each other long enough to look at him. “Are you sure?” Lark asked.
“I can handle it,” Rayne said eagerly.
Lark and Flint peered mischievously into the other’s face with a silent challenge and bolted through the crowd, stumbling over each other to pull ahead in their race.
It was kind of interesting to watch the city people shuffle around the market in their fancy clothes, but not for long. The farmer’s market was more boring than Rayne expected. He’d barely sold a couple crates of fruit.
What was taking those two so long? They should’ve had time to be turned down by every girl in the city by now.
He couldn’t sit on that stupid wooden stool any longer, so he plopped on his back in the grass at the side of the booth. No one was going to stop to buy anything anyway.
The clouds formed funny shapes against the purple sky in the distance, but the sun still beat down on him from directly overhead. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the bottom of his t-shirt. It seemed hotter here than Lizzy Grove. He was used to being right next to the sea where the air was cooler during the hot months of the year. It made the waiting seem even longer.
A man’s voice jerked him from his thoughts. “Business slow today?”
Rayne pounced to his feet like a cat. “Sorry,” he said, brushing the dirt and grass from his shorts. He stopped mid-step when he recognized the man’s face. His eyes went wide. “Uh, wow, Ambassador Fairbanks. Sorry, I was just…”
Hamlin smiled knowingly. “Enjoying the sunshine?”
Rayne nodded and grinned, feeling foolish. “Yes, sir.”
“Well, I can’t blame you, son. I’m trying to do the same myself. After being stuck in meetings all morning, I thought I could use a break. How’s the crop today?”
Rayne stuttered over his words. “It’s g-good.” he tried to recuperate his composure. “I mean, actually, it’s excellent, sir. This is one of our sweetest harvests this season.”
“Really?” Hamlin said in a cheerful tone. “Do you think I could try a sample?”
“Of course, sir. Help yourself…on the house.”
Hamlin surveyed the fruit to make his selection. As he pulled a lizzy from the basket it knocked a couple loose and they rolled off the stand. Rayne reacted out of instinct and caught both pieces before they hit the ground, returning them to the display.
Hamlin threw his lizzy in the air and caught it in his palm. “You have quick hands, son.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I get a lot of practice up in the lizzy trees.”
He watched with anticipation as Hamlin sank his teeth into the fruit’s juicy, red flesh.
Hamlin tasted the fruit thoughtfully and swallowed, pausing for a moment.
He finally smiled in Rayne’s direction. “I think you’re right, young man. This is one of the best lizzies I’ve had all year.”
Rayne beamed proudly. “Thank you, sir.” He watched Hamlin take another bite. “Is it true what they say about the name?”
“The name?” Hamlin asked between chewing.
“Lizzy, the name of the fruit. Did William Fairbanks really name it after his first wife, Elizabeth?” The intrigue grew in Rayne’s voice. “The one they say died before he discovered the first Threshold, and before he founded the city and married Jane Carpenter? I just always wondered if that was true and thought, since they were your direct ancestors, you might know.”
Hamlin looked amused by the boy’s interest. “I’m afraid we don’t have any records preserved that mention her.”
Rayne looked at his tennis shoes with disappointment. “Oh. Okay.”
Then Hamlin brought his head near to Rayne’s and whispered, “But according to my grandmother’s old stories from long ago, I’d say there’s a good chance the rumors are true.”
“I knew it,” Rayne said with a grin.
Hamlin tossed his lizzy core in the trash bin. “I think I’ll buy another for the road. How much?”
“Oh, no charge, sir. It was an honor meeting you.”
“No, I insist. How much?”
“A dollar a piece,” Rayne answered.
Hamlin tossed a bill lightly on the edge of the fruit stand with a nod and began to walk away.
Ra
yne collected the money expecting to see one dollar, but found a one-hundred-dollar bill instead. With surprised eyes, he grasped the large amount of money in his hand and immediately left his booth to run through the market to find Hamlin.
“Ambassador,” he called out. “Sir, wait.”
Hamlin turned with a confused expression. “Is everything all right, son?”
“You accidentally gave me a hundred dollars,” Rayne said, holding out the money.
Hamlin took the money from his hand and examined it lightly. “Yes, it appears that I did. And…you ran all this way to come return it to me?”
“Of course, sir. Lizzies only cost a dollar. That would be stealing to keep it,” Rayne insisted.
Hamlin lifted an eyebrow. “Right you are, young man. Very wise.” He held the bill back in front of Rayne. “I’d like you to keep this, as a gift. I’ve enjoyed our talk and I think you deserve a reward for your hard work today at the market.”
“Wow, thank you.” Rayne looked at the money in his hand and back at Hamlin. “Wait; I don’t think I can accept this. It just doesn’t feel right to accept the money when I haven’t earned it. And what will my parents say when I arrive home with a full truck of fruit and a hundred dollars too?”
Hamlin rubbed his chin and grinned. “Yes, I see what you mean. Tell me, what’s your name, son?”
“Rayne.”
“Tell me, Rayne, about how many lizzies do you think you have on display today?”
Rayne didn’t understand the point of his question. “Um, I don’t know. Let’s see…there’s twelve lizzies per box and three boxes per crate; we brought thirty crates today and we’ve sold about two, so that would make…just under nine hundred. Why do you ask, sir?”
Hamlin looked pleased with his answer. “You know, that really was one of the best lizzies I’ve ever tasted. I’m thinking some of my colleagues in the office might like to try them as well.”
Deep Blue Secret Page 21