"Maddy? Is your mother Rory?" Valie asked, “Rory Nicotero?”
Maddy nodded, looking only a little confused.
Rory Nicotero, their strange dinner guest from two nights before. What did it mean? Valie tried to shake away the thoughts by literally shaking her head.
"Your name is Valie?" Carson looked at her sarcastically.
"That's right." She said defensively.
"Why are you here?"
Valie could only shrug. “You tell me.”
Maddy was about to say something, but Carson interrupted her, "Answer my questions."
He put emphasis on the "s" at the end, and threw a look back to Maddy as if to say "satisfied?"
"I don't know, okay? I don't know. All I know is is that tonight started off and everything was normal. I went to work, got off work, then was kidnapped by two men, we got into an accident, then someone named Phaedra brought me here," Valie started to whimper, she knew the tears were coming, "and she wouldn't even let me have my cell phone!"
No one said anything; Valie would admit the last bit wasn't necessary.
There was a brown couch in the cabin that looked like it had seen better days. Valie moved to it, and as she sat, a whirl of dust surrounded her. She coughed and waved it away, then started to cry in her hands. It was her “condition” that was making her cry, she didn't want to, but it wasn't something she could control, no matter how she tried and at that time, she really didn't care. Trent sat next to her, putting his long arm around her, in an attempt to offer some comfort.
The cabin was really only one big room; there was one door that led to a small bathroom. There was the couch and a table with four chairs. Other than that, there was nothing but open space.
Maddy sat on the other side of Trent, carefully perching herself on the very edge, as if she wanted as little of herself on the couch, while still sitting. Carson pulled a chair from the table and sat across from the three on the couch.
Maddy started to explain that she was the first one to the cabin, and was then joined by Carson, then Trent. They were all brought by Phaedra, just like Valie was.
Carson said that he wasn't kidnapped--he knew Phaedra. He didn't say how, but he trusted her and that's why he came willingly.
At that statement, Valie had to restrain herself from lunging at Carson. The casual way he talked about getting to the cabin infuriated her. She had been kidnapped, had gone through the most horrifying experience of her whole life, and Carson was just dropped off by his good buddy, Phaedra.
Maddy stated that her mother had flown her in from England three days prior; they were staying in their summer home in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Maddy was at home, making herself dinner, when she felt someone behind her. A rag was placed over her mouth and she woke up in the cabin. She woke up to a note that told her to stay put; before she could think about leaving or really process any of it, Carson came through the door and about an hour later, there was Trent.
Trent said that after he left his science club meeting, he was confronted by a woman that he later knew to be Phaedra. Valie guessed that Phaedra probably had the hardest time with Trent. He didn't elaborate on how she got him there, but whatever happened, it was why Phaedra got to Valie so late.
Valie asked Carson how he knew Phaedra and he looked extremely annoyed to have to be explaining it again.
"She used to date my brother." That was all he said. As to why his brother's ex-girlfriend went on a kidnapping spree, he didn't say.
Then, Valie asked the obvious question, why were they there? Why did Phaedra bring them?
No one knew.
None of them experienced anything like Valie that night either, none of them could explain who those people could have been.
What did it all mean? Trent was her cousin, Maddy's mother was friends with her uncle, but what was the connection with Carson? Why would there be a connection in the first place? What did the four of them have in common?
Valie felt helpless. On one hand, she wanted to take her cousin and go home, but on the other hand, she knew something wasn't right--in that moment, Valie knew that leaving would be a bigger mistake than staying.
As the four of them talked, well actually three, Carson sat in his chair with his arms crossed in silence, not participating in conversation. Valie asked Maddy if she had known that her mother had been to dinner at their house the night before, Maddy said no.
Trent and Maddy both had the same thing to say, nothing happened out of the ordinary that would indicate something bad was going to happen. The only thing Valie could think of was that the man who took her from the street came into the grocery store. He said he knew her, she had gotten a good look at his face and was fully prepared to give a statement to the police, Valie said to the others, trying her best to sound confident, although the thought of ever seeing him again or even talking about what he looked like gave her goose bumps.
Maddy told them that she and her mother came to Wisconsin every summer because her mother was born and raised in the area, her life had been pretty much equally divided between the different countries, adding in that she and her mother traveled a lot. For no particular reason, Valie felt a small surge of jealousy. Carson didn't offer any details up on his life, and Valie was starting to get the impression that he was more of an introvert.
The four of them had agreed to wait for Phaedra; they wanted to know why she brought them there, they wanted to hear an explanation. What was she protecting them from? Trent asked multiple times, he seemed to be doing the worst with the news that someone kidnapped Valie. He couldn't quite sit still and Valie could feel him shaking. Valie loved her cousin, but he had never been very brave and had the tendency to be easily rattled.
The thought that provided some comfort was that Valie didn't feel afraid of Carson or Maddy, they seemed to be just as confused as she was, as Trent was.
The four sat quietly once again.
Carson then finally spoke, "You two are cousins?"
Valie nodded, wiping her eyes with her sleeves.
"Like, real biological cousins?"
"Yes!” Valie snapped back, feeling irritated. Something felt inconvenient about him and she didn't appreciate his questions.
"How so?"
Valie sighed, "Our parents, his father and my mother, were brother and sister, satisfied?"
"And you live together?"
"My mother was killed when I was a baby and my Uncle Leon was the only family I had."
"How did she die?"
Valie looked to her right. Maddy was leaning in close with interest, Trent looked uncomfortable.
"Car accident." She answered succinctly.
"Were you injured tonight?"
"My head," Valie said, bringing her hand up to her face. Valie went to touch the bump, but it had gotten smaller, almost like it was disappearing, which was surprising. Valie looked into Carson's eyes, and just for a second, she felt like they were the only two people in the room.
He looked down and cleared his throat. "Our parents...that's why we're here."
"What?" Trent, Maddy, and Valie all said at the same time.
"Valie, you didn't have a father. I'm betting that, Trent, you never met your mother." Carson didn't give them a chance to respond, "and you never met your father," Carson said waving his hand towards Maddy.
"What are you getting at?" Valie asked.
Carson stood and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He carefully pulled out a bent picture. Immediately, Valie felt irritated that someone would bend a picture like that.
He held it out; they all leaned forward, trying to see.
"You guys recognize a parent?"
In the photo, stood seven people. Five of them were holding babies. The picture's color had faded over the years, and no doubt from being folded and tucked in someone's wallet.
Valie noticed her mom right away. She was holding her as a baby. She was sure of it because it looked like it was taken the same day as the picture Valie carried in
her pocket. Her mother was wearing the same clothes and Valie was wearing the same purple dress.
Next to her mother was her Uncle Leon. To Valie, he looked so young, with a full head of curly hair and smaller glasses. On the other side of him was Rory Nicotero, same hair, same face, but a few less wrinkles.
"This is my father," Carson said, pointing to a handsome man in a suit with light hair and a stoic face, "and this was his wife," he pointed to a small woman, next to his father, with blonde hair in a pixie cut.
Valie wondered why he didn't call her his mother.
None of them recognized the man who was wearing black, with his dark hair slicked back. He stood with his arms behind his back and he didn't look very happy. He stood at the end, a couple of feet away from the others. Then, there was another man none of them recognized, wearing a suit and a smile. He was a very normal looking man, but unfamiliar to them.
"So...were they all friends?" Valie asked. “Our parents...they were friends? Is that what connects us to each other?”
Carson flipped over the picture. In red faded cursive writing, it said, "Stan Wozniak's Team."
Each exchanged glances with one another. Valie let out a small laugh and shook her head, breaking away from the little huddled mass they created as they were hunched over the picture. She looked to Trent for some explanation. To her, it seemed comical how ridiculous it was all becoming. Carson folded the picture and then looked to each of them as he put his wallet back in his pocket. "Sorry to have to be the one to break the news, but we're The Wozniak Five.”
Chapter 6
Valie recalled a time when she had the wind knocked out of her after falling down a flight of stairs and landing on her tailbone. It was a horrible feeling, but she never thought that it would be possible to have the wind knocked out of her by words. One simple sentence and she couldn't breathe.
Trent started to laugh nervously when Carson told them they were The Wozniak Five, and told him his joke, which, while funny, was not appropriate at that juncture in time.
“It's not a joke.” Carson replied.
It was such an unbelievable thing and it was starting to worry Valie that Carson's face remained the same after he said it. He still had that grim, unmoving expression.
"I know it's hard to believe, I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't see the signs." Although his expression wasn't changing, Valie could tell by his tone that he was genuinely sorry for being the bearer of that "news."
Coughing for a breath, Valie moved from the couch to the floor, wringing her hands, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. It had to be anxiety, or shock, or something, she thought, she'd never felt anything like it, but every breath was a challenge.
Trent continued with his nervous laugh and then said, "I've studied The Wozniak Five, like a lot, there's no way that we are them. No way. It's impossible, does everyone understand that? It's impossible!"
Again, no one said anything; he looked down for help.
"Valie?"
Valie opened her mouth but no words came out, so she continued with her heavy breathing.
"It's...improbable, not impossible," Maddy said with her voice barely above a whisper.
Trent looked completely flabbergasted. "Are you all being serious? I kinda can't tell."
"When's you birthday, dude?" Carson asked him.
"September 18th."
"Mine as well," Maddy said.
Valie didn't have to answer, Carson skipped right over her.
"And that's my birthday also," Carson said, "What does that tell you?"
Trent made an obvious face, "It means we all have the same birthday. Maybe our parents all met in a Lamaze class or something and our mothers all gave birth to us on the same day. I just...I'm failing to see how our parents knowing each other indicates anything. We have the same birthday, big whoop."
"You know it's true," Carson said fatefully.
"Know what? There's nothing to know!" Trent shouted, throwing his hands up.
Carson ignored him, "I was never sure. My father is an alcoholic. One night a few weeks ago he said something while he was getting smashed, something that made me think. When I asked him about it the next day, he denied it. So I went looking and I found the picture hidden in his office. I had a feeling since then, but I never knew for sure...until now."
“Wh—what did...he...”
“Say?” Carson finished for her. Valie nodded.
"He said, 'You will never know suffering like I've known suffering. The five of you were given an extraordinary gift.'"
That statement lingered in the air. Valie thought back to everything that had happened over the past two days--Rory Nicotero and her uncle, were they acting weird because of their history? There had to be a purpose for her visit, she knew, but what could it be?
They were there for a reason. Valie thought of the strange way her uncle looked at her the last time she saw him, the saddened expression. Valie didn't believe it though, it was too far-fetched, it was too weird. Valie didn't even believe that The Wozniak Five existed. It was a hoax to her, it always had been.
“Perhaps,” Maddy started, “we should just stay calm and wait for Phaedra. Maybe she can tell us what's really going on, although, she should've been more forthcoming with information in the first place when she brought us to this bucket of yuck in the middle of nowhere.” Maddy finished with her nose in the air. When Maddy spoke, she sounded very matter-of-fact, as if she was used to always being right. Maddy settled herself back on the couch, sitting perfectly straight, careful not to let her skin touch any of the fabric. She opened the small purse that she wore over her shoulder, across her body and pulled something out. It was an inhaler. She put it to her mouth, pushed down, and took a sharp breath. "I'm asthmatic and I don't do well around dust," she said as she eyed the surroundings with a curled lip and a scrunched nose.
Meanwhile, Trent had started to pace back and forth, mumbling things under his breath. It was clear to the others that he didn't respond well in a crisis.
Valie was still on the floor, breathing in gentle heaves.
"There's something else," Carson broke in; his voice had a sinister tone to it, almost. "Each of you would be lying if you could sit there and tell me that you didn't ever notice that your bodies are different. They're different than your friends. You could never quite place it, but something felt off. Of course, not knowing what a normal body would feel like--none of you ever put much thought into it...but you knew something was different. Whether or not you admit it now." Carson pulled a switchblade from his pocket and put it to his arm.
Maddy screamed bloody murder and Valie felt compelled to cover her ears.
“Calm down!” Carson commanded.
"Whoa, dude...maybe you should, like, not do anything rash," Trent said carefully, taking a step back and putting his hands in front of him defensively.
Valie didn't say anything or move from her spot on the floor, she just watched.
"Listen to me. When I was a freshman, I was in varsity football. I was a starter, one of the best offensive linemen in the state. Then, one Friday night game, I got completely blindsided and was brought down hard. I felt my knee jerk out of place, my whole leg felt like it snapped in half and I knew for sure that my football career was over, one moment...just like that. No more games, no college scholarships, no more football."
He took a deep breath before he continued and cracked his knuckles. "By the time I got off the field and loaded into the ambulance, the pain wasn't as bad. I thought I was going into shock, but when I got to the hospital, the doctor wasn't as bewildered as I was. When he examined my leg, there was nothing wrong. The x-rays showed a totally normal knee and leg."
"How is that possible?" Valie asked, slowly rising to her feet.
"You tell me," he answered, "the doctor released me an hour later and cleared me for football. I've been playing with no problems ever since."
"The doctor didn't have an explanation?" Her voice was especially serious.
"He did, but he didn't tell me what it was."
"I don't...I don't understand. Why wouldn't he tell you?”
"The doctor was my father."
Valie's jaw dropped, then she closed it quickly. Trent's eyes had widened and he looked like he was about to be sick.
"I think that any other doctor would've been suspicious--a broken leg doesn't just heal in a matter of an hour, our bodies aren't normal."
Carson took his knife, put it to his wrist and pressed down.
"Oh my God! What are you doing?" Valie shrieked, reaching out to stop him.
Blood started to gush from his arm and drip to the floor.
Maddy screamed again and covered her eyes.
"This can't be happening," Trent said to himself, cradling his head in his hands.
"Just watch!" Carson ordered.
So they did. They watched, each of their faces masked with different horrific expressions.
Blood was dripping from Carson's arm, a lot at first, but then not as much as expected from such a big gash. Then, the blood stopped completely and the cut in his arm started to slowly disappear. Within a couple of minutes it was gone. No evidence that he'd ever inflicted such a dangerous wound upon himself, no scar...nothing except for the image seared in all of their minds.
Carson put the knife back in his pocket. "Think of every time you've been cut, scratched, or hurt. How long did it last? Any of you ever had Chickenpox, Mono, the Flu, anything like that?"
Valie didn't need to think about it long. She had never been sick, not a single day in her life. The only thing that had ever been wrong with her was the PBA. There were the days that Valie had faked sick to skip school and if everything Carson was saying was true, then her uncle knew she was faking. That small detail seemed more important than it should've to Valie, not to indicate that she believed it, but she was wavering. It seemed like the evidence was stacking, wasn't it?
“Yeah, I've never been sick, but um, it's like because I drink a lot of O.J., you know, not because I'm a genetically engineered person.” Trent proclaimed.
Carson looked at Valie and pointed, "That bump on your head is gone.”
The Pendants and the Mystery of the Wozniak Five Part I Page 7