by Nina Perez
Jack and Violet were too afraid to talk about what they’d found in Dr. Tesla’s office with him in the house so they went about the rest of the day like it hadn’t happened. The questions swirled in their heads. Did someone on The Trust have a hand in their parents’ death? Were they behind it or helping whoever was?
Finding out that Gervais was a member pushed him to the top of the suspect list. He obviously knew their parents since he’d handled their legal affairs, but they weren’t sure how he’d have had the opportunity to poison them long-term. That meant he was most likely working with - or for - someone else. Then there was also the question of what he was. He couldn’t be a warlock – Dr. Tesla held that position.
Their discovery also fueled Violet’s determination to perfect the defense spell she had practiced with Kalina. She was disappointed when Dr. Tesla told her she wouldn’t be training that night because Kalina had to take care of something for The Trust. When asked if it had anything to do with why he was suddenly called away for the weekend, he replied, “I’m not at liberty to say just yet.” That only made the children more suspicious.
Violet sat at Ms. Harkin’s kitchen table, spooning a syrupy apple mixture into pie crusts. It was exactly the kind of thing she imagined she’d be doing with her own mother were she still alive. Thanksgiving was in three days and she’d been missing her parents more than usual. She guessed that it showed on her face because Ms. Harkin encouraged her to talk about them.
“This one time, my Dad showed up at school out of the blue. I was called to the office and there he was. It was so weird seeing him there because I don’t think he’d ever been. I didn’t participate in school plays and stuff like that. So, anyway, he said to me, ‘Did you forget you have a doctor’s appointment today?’ And I’m thinking maybe I had, but that was usually the sort of thing Mom handled. We get out to his car and he tells me we’re having a father-daughter day. Just the two of us. We went into Little City and had lunch, saw a movie, he even took me shopping and let me spend way too much money on clothes I didn’t need. I remember thinking he was the best Dad ever.”
“That’s a really nice memory, sweetheart. Did you have times like that with your mother?”
“Sometimes. She worked a lot, so there wasn’t a lot of time for stuff like that. We mainly spent time at home. We used to do these massive jigsaw puzzles together. Dad hated it because we’d have the whole thing laid out on the dining room table for weeks. Then, once it was done, we’d just put it back in the box. Dad didn’t see the point, but we just liked having something we could do together.”
As Violet spoke, she touched the gold chain hanging from her neck. Ms. Harkins nodded at it.
“Was that hers?”
“Yes. It belonged to her mother. I never got to meet her. She died before I was born. My mother was wearing this the night she died.”
“It’s nice that you have a piece of both of them to carry with you.”
“I guess. I just started wearing it, probably because the holidays are coming up. It just seemed right. Anyway, do you have plans for the holidays, Ms. Harkin?”
“I’ll be spending Thanksgiving here, alone.”
“Oh, no.”
Violet thought about inviting her to Dr. Tesla’s, where she’d be spending Thanksgiving with Jack. She knew Ms. Harkin had been interested in meeting them, but she didn’t want anything weird to happen while Ms. Harkin was there. Not that she imagined anyone doing spells at the dinner table, but you never know.
“Don’t worry about me. I hope to be with my children by Christmas.”
“I didn’t know you had children.” Violet sat back in her chair, ashamed. She spent all this time at Ms. Harkin’s house, talking about her own family and problems, and she never bothered to ask Ms. Harkin about her own life.
“Yes, two,” Ms. Harkin said, carefully pinching the rim of a pie crust. “I should be spending Christmas with them so I don’t mind so much being alone on Thanksgiving.”
“That’s nice. Well, you should at least let me stop by for a little while. No one should spend a holiday alone.”
“That would be very nice, sweetheart. Hmm, I need to prebake this other pie crust. I have some pie weights down in the basement on the baker’s rack. I better go get them.”
“Let me get that for you, Ms. Harkin.”
“Absolutely not. You’re a guest. I’m not so old that I can’t handle a trip to the basement. You wait here.”
Ms. Harkin descended the basement stairs, just off the kitchen, and Violet started cleaning off the table and countertops. A buzz from her backpack by the door indicated she had a message on her cell phone. She checked it and found a text from Kalina.
I’m waiting.
Violet looked out the window. The sun had just set. Kalina wasn’t wasting any time. Violet sighed and texted back.
Be right there.
Training with Kalina went a lot better than the first time. Violet managed to successfully cast the spell more than half the times she tried. Dr. Tesla watched from the deck, and no one was sure where Jack was. Violet thought having Dr. Tesla observe might result in performance anxiety, but he was actually helpful; giving tips and words of encouragement. He taught her how to concentrate on the spell and keep it active without chanting the words continuously. As Kalina stood on one side of the blue wall of light, Violet was able to walk around it to where she stood and keep it held up for almost a full minute.
“Well done, Violet. Your studying is paying off.” Dr. Tesla said proudly. His approval made her feel good, more than she would have thought.
Kalina slowly paced the floor in Dr. Tesla’s office, running her fingers along the spines of the tomes on his bookshelf – some were almost as old she was. Dr. Tesla watched her from behind his desk.
“Say what’s on your mind, Kalina.”
“You know me too well, Robert.”
She came to stand in front of his desk. “She’s very powerful. More powerful than she should be at that age and considering she’s not a born witch… have you considered…”
Dr. Tesla stood also. “Have I considered that the prophecies will come to pass after all, and that Violet will fulfill the first part?”
“I know you very well, too. So, I know that you have indeed considered it.”
“I have, but I don’t believe that is what is happening here. Violet is more open to what is happening to her. Whereas Jack…”
“Jack runs from it. It scares him.”
“I cannot blame him, really. No, I think it’s perfectly understandable that he has refused, but we must get him to see the light.”
“Then you should tell them. Tell them everything.”
“Kalina, being the head of The Trust aside, I also have to consider the mental well-being of these children. Jack has to come to terms with all that has happened to him this past year. He needs to do that before he can open himself up and embrace his power. Telling them about the breach and the possible…”
“Traitor. The possible traitor.”
“Yes. It will only hurt things. It will not help.”
“Do we have any leads on the breach at the facility?”
“None so far. They came closer than I am comfortable with. I don’t need to tell you how catastrophic it would be if they were able to retrieve the bo-”
Kalina held up a hand, turned her head sharply towards the office door, and spoke loudly, “It is not easy to eavesdrop on a vampire.”
Violet opened the door and timidly stuck her head in the room.
“I’m sorry. I was debating on knocking.”
“What do you need, Violet?” Dr. Tesla asked.
“Well, you have a lot of books in here. I was wondering if there was another book of spells I could look through. Maybe study some new ones?”
“I think the book you have now is a very good starter. I’d suggest spending more time with it before moving on. Did you need anything else?”
Violet grinned. “Nope. I’m good. Tha
nks.” She closed the door.
Dr. Tesla turned to Kalina. “How long was she out there?”
“Not long, I don’t think. I wasn’t actively listening for her. Her heart rate accelerated and it caught my attention.”
“She heard something, then.”
“Most likely. All the more reason to just tell them…”
“Maybe.”
“She’ll tell Jack about whatever she heard.”
“Indeed.” Dr. Tesla sighed. “Here we go.”
Chapter Fifteen
Can You Show Me
Violet immediately went to Jack’s room to tell him what she’d heard. Jack walked over to his bedroom door, opened it, and checked the hall before closing it again and turned to Violet. He looked bewildered. “Breach? Facility? What the hell does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but I bet it’s why Dr. Tesla had to leave suddenly last weekend.”
“Okay. So, The Trust has a facility, somewhere, with something in it that someone tried retrieve or steal? That’s not really much.” Jack sat heavily at the foot of his bed.
“Well, next time I eavesdrop on a warlock and a vampire, I’ll do better. They also said something about a possible traitor.”
“Someone in The Trust; that goes with what we already suspected. Gervais?”
“But why would a member of The Trust need to break into their facility? Why wouldn’t he have access to it already?”
“He probably does, but he couldn’t exactly let everyone know what he was doing, could he?”
“True. So, what do we do?”
“I think you were right.”
“Wow. Okay. Say that again. Just wanna make sure I heard you.”
“Seriously, you were right. I need to do whatever it takes to get Dr. Tesla to answer my questions. He doesn’t know that we know about Gervais being on The Trust or about this facility. If he tells me about this breach, maybe it’s a sign that we can trust him.”
“Maybe, but what does it mean if he doesn’t?”
Jack and Violet were used to small holiday dinners with just their parents or maybe a co-worker invited over because they had no other place to go. A Thanksgiving dinner for four suited them just fine, even if two were a warlock and a young woman with long silver hair like someone over twice her age. The children settled in around the table, taking in the tremendous spread. Ms. Sweet had outdone herself: sage butter-roasted turkey with cider gravy, thyme honey-glazed ham, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, homemade bread and several pies.
“Will Kalina be joining us?” Violet asked, placing her napkin in her lap.
“No,” Dr. Tesla replied, pouring a glass of wine. “She has an assignment.”
Jack grinned. “Wow. Working on Thanksgiving. You’re a slave driver, Dr. Tesla.”
Ms. Sweet and Dr. Tesla exchanged quick glances.
“You would be wise not to repeat that in Kalina’s presence. Shall we eat?”
Violet and Jack shared raised eyebrows and shrugs. Dr. Tesla stood and cleared his throat. “Ms. Sweet, I think we all agree that you deserve a break. Allow me.” He carved the turkey, placing slices on a silver serving platter which he then passed around the table. After their plates were filled with some of everything, they began to eat.
Violet eyed Ms. Sweet curiously. She wore a simple black skirt and white cardigan sweater. Her silver hair was tied back into a long ponytail. She wore no make-up - she never did - and her face looked as fresh and young as a teenager’s.
“Ms. Sweet, where are you from?”
Again, Ms. Sweet exchanged looks with Dr. Tesla before answering. “Originally, my family is from Europe.”
“Where in Europe?” Jack asked.
“Oh,” Ms. Sweet replied after taking a sip of wine, “all over.”
It was Violet and Jack’s turn to exchange looks. “How long have you worked for Dr. Tesla?” he asked.
“Actually, she doesn’t work for me specifically. She works for The Trust. The head of The Trust receives a special assistant during his tenure.”
Violet and Jack were doing quick math in their heads. Dr. Tesla said he’d been the head of The Trust for almost twenty years. Did that mean Ms. Sweet had been working for him that whole time? How was that possible?
“Make sure you save room for dessert, children. Ms. Sweet, those pies smell heavenly.”
Ms. Sweet smiled shyly. Jack and Violet felt like they were both missing a joke.
After dinner, Violet asked Jack up to her room. He sat at her desk while she pulled a box down from a shelf in her closet. It was big and rectangular, with a dark blue ribbon attached.
“Here, I got you something.”
He looked confused and said, “I think you have your holidays mixed up.”
“Just open it.”
Jack removed the ribbon and box cover and pushed aside tissue paper. He held up a black leather jacket.
“It’s better than the one you have now. I noticed you don’t spend your money on much of anything. And I get it. I get why. I didn’t know your parents, but I’m sure they wouldn’t want you to do without. So, I got it for you.”
“Violet, this is too much.”
“It’s nothing. Really.” Violet bit her bottom lip and nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She felt foolish, so she kept babbling. “I’m sure Sheila will really like it on you.”
Jack looked up from the jacket and shook his head. “Who?”
“Really? She only sits at our lunch table almost every day.”
“Oh, right.”
“You haven’t noticed that she likes you? Like, likes you likes you?”
“No. How do you know that?”
Violet looked at her fingernails. “She told me… kinda.”
Jack laid the jacket back in the box and looked at Violet suspiciously. “Violet, you didn’t.”
“It was only for a minute! I couldn’t help it. Anyway, forget that.” Violet waved her hands in the air. “Just accept the stupid thing, okay? I was going to wait till Christmas, but I didn’t want you to freeze to death.”
As he ran his hand over the soft leather, Jack wanted to have a snappy comeback. He wanted to tell her that he couldn’t accept the gift. Looking at Violet’s face, all Jack saw was sincerity and hopefulness and he knew he couldn’t do either. She reminded him of his mother, standing there, especially the way things were towards the end when all she did was reach out to him and he pushed her away. It was too late to make it up to his mother, but he thought meeting Violet halfway would mean something.
So, he simply said “Thank you.”
Jack stood on the front steps of Bobby’s house, now outfitted with a handicap ramp, contemplating whether he should ring the bell or just go home. He’d been there for fifteen minutes and figured he needed to make a decision one way or the other before the neighbors got suspicious. He wasn’t far from his old home, and although he thought it would make him sad to be there, he was surprised to find he felt a sense of comfort.
He wondered if this was what it was like for Violet when she visited her neighbor. He thought at first that it was silly; that Violet was holding on to things that could never be - wasting her time and prolonging her heartache. It turned out that he was wrong, and probably a bit envious. As he stood on the front porch of a house he’d spent almost as much time in as his own, all he could think of was the many good times he’d had there. It made him long for his old house, but not in a way that was sad or depressing. Instead, Jack realized that by ignoring the way his life used to be and, by extension, Bobby, he ran the risk of losing touch with all that was good about that life.
Jack had convinced himself that visiting Bobby was the fastest and easiest way to prove to Dr. Tesla that he’d had some kind of breakthrough. It was a means to an end; the end being getting more information out of Dr. Tesla. But on the steps, and perhaps even before that, Jack realized that he needed to be there for no other reason than he missed his friend and owed him an apology.
>
He rang the bell, his hands shivering from the cold and nerves. Razor, Bobby’s black Lab barked until Mrs. Matthews arrived at the door and shushed him. When she saw Jack, relief, sadness, and happiness washed over her face. It made Jack feel even worse. He was expecting anger, but she pulled him through the doorway and into a hug. He tensed at first, but when no vision came he allowed himself to relax in her arms.
Jack refused all offers of something to eat or drink, insisting that he couldn’t stay long. She excused herself to get Bobby. The layout of their furniture had changed and there seemed to be less of it. He guessed this was to accommodate Bobby’s wheelchair. The picture of him and Bobby in their fifth grade soccer uniforms still rested on the fireplace mantle. Jack chuckled at the memories of how bad they were.
“Boy, did we suck.”
Jack placed the photo back on the mantle and turned slowly. Bobby sat in his chair with a nostalgic grin on his face. “Well, one of us more than the other.” He added.
“Remind me again why we joined the team?” Jack asked.
“Because you said girls liked guys in uniforms.”
“Right. Turns out I was wrong about that.”
They laughed, Jack nervously. He hadn’t rehearsed what he was going to say, and now he regretted it. Bobby watched him expectantly – he was still his best friend, he wasn’t going to make it easy for Jack.
“Listen. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about what happened to you, but more than that, I’m sorry that I didn’t stop it.”
“How could you have stopped it, Jack? You couldn’t have known.”
Jack blew out a long breath and looked down at his shoes. He couldn’t tell Bobby the truth until he had all the answers, and even then he wasn’t sure it would ever be safe enough to confide in him.
“You’re right. I couldn’t have known. I just wish things had been different. When you were in the hospital, I should have visited you, but I felt guilty. I know it doesn’t make sense now. Hell, it didn’t make sense then, but I felt guilty. I wished… I wished… I had been in the car with you.”