“I’m kind of in an awkward position back here; if I try to leave the car I have to remove the knife from your neck, and no telling what you’ll do. You could speed off and leave me here. I still need you to drive me out of the city.”
“So you think knocking me out―”
“Not me, you need to knock yourself out.”
“Me knocking myself out will be helpful? What if you need a quick get away?”
“Well, I don’t know what else to do.”
“How about my word, my word that I have the fear of God in me that if Chrysler finds out I didn’t drop you where I was supposed to, he’ll throw me into the arena. Okay? How about that? I have no choice but to sit here waiting for you to stroll through the gardens and decide it’s time to go home.”
“Okay, I can live with that. So you’ll wait here?”
“Yes! Just go, okay, go and do whatever it is you gotta do. This is ridiculous. First, you kill my prize fighter, you force me to be your own personal chauffeur, and then you have the nerve to demand I knock myself out.”
He continued in a tirade of insults and complaints as I uneasily drew the knife away from his throat and opened the door. He was still shaking his head and taking his anger out on the steering wheel when I jogged over to the entrance. My jog slowed down to a slow walk, I was amazed at the world I entered. If Eve’s Garden of Eden filled me with a fascinating awe, the Botanical Gardens put it to shame with sheer size and beauty. The path I walked was paved with marble bits that sparkled under the moonlight. On either side were endless lawns of grass adorned with flowers of various kinds and colors. Flowers grew into larger plants, and even further, trees of varying shapes and sizes, leaves of green, orange, and purple surrounded me, swaying through the night breeze at every turn.
Birds flew from branch to branch in merry games of tag; others bathed in fountains that had a different stone angel or cherub spouting water into a waiting pool. In the distance, I saw a glass structure covered in black tarps, no doubt to keep out the sun, but it was easy to tell at one time this building was something of pure elegance and beauty. Glass spires reached up high over the trees, offering anyone who climbed to the top a wonderful view of the whole garden. I thought to make my way to the structure until I noticed a small arched bridge overlooking a blue pond where swans lazily drifted back and forth. What caught my full attention was the lone figure sitting on the bridge railing, her soft, white dress fluttering in the breeze. The colors of her hair danced about her face, seemingly one with the rest of the garden. Gia looked absolutely beautiful. She needed to be painted and forever immortalized for all to see.
Nervousness crept into my body as I approached her. I kept telling myself I wasn’t ready; I should turn around and wait for another time to talk to her. By the time I was close enough to call her name, I had completely convinced myself she wouldn’t want to see me. I paused and watched as she stroked her hair behind her ear, staring into the pond’s shallow reflection. She looked up, and my heart stopped as our eyes met, and I froze like a trapped deer staring into the eyes of a ferocious predator. The moment held for an eternity, and then she was running toward me, a mixture of emotions painted her face―happiness and sadness, but most importantly there was no anger or disgust. She closed the distance by throwing herself around me, locking her arms around my neck, resting her face on my chest. She’s going to hear my pounding heart.
“I thought I’d never see you again.” No hint remained of the girl I met before, the hardened, street smart girl was gone, and the girl I now held in my arms was as delicate as the flowers that surrounded us. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of this.”
I was at a loss for words. Part of me wanted to lash out at her for lying to me, demand an explanation. But the rest of me, the majority, just wanted to hold her and breathe in the sweet smell of her hair. “I had to come see you, to know if it was all a lie.”
She pulled back from me, tears falling down her cheeks. “Of course it was a lie!”
I couldn’t find my voice. I stared at her, knowing my face must have been nothing but confusion. It made her lighten up and smile. “Come here, will you?” she said, leading me by the hand to the bridge. She sat down, and I sat next to her. She held our hands in her lap. Leaning in close, she kissed me on the cheek.
“I was lying to Chrysler―” At the mention of his name, I stared at her accusingly. She sighed and continued, “Daddy, I was lying to Daddy. I needed to figure out the safest way to get you out of here. You have to understand. When he found us together, it took everything in my power to keep him from killing you. I had to make up a story about using you to get back home. I convinced him you were just a pawn. He took pride in the fact that his favorite qualities were rubbing off on me, that I could easily use you to my advantage. It lightened his mood. But there was no way to keep you out of the arena, so the best I was able to do was talk him into letting the both of you fight together…”
Talking about the arena made me remember the look on Smith’s face right before…
“I’m so sorry,” she continued. “I know it must hurt, but you have to understand that both of you were going in, regardless of anything I did. At least I gave you a fighting chance. And… and you made it.”
“But you were using me. You needed to get back here, and you didn’t tell me. You just went along for the ride.”
“None of what I told you was a lie. I wanted to escape Brooklyn. That’s all I felt you needed to know. Would you have helped me if you knew who I was?”
“Yes!”
She looked down at our hands. “Maybe, yes, you probably would have. But I didn’t know that then. And, by the time I knew you better, it was already too late.”
“How did you end up in Manhattan? Smith said Randy was supposed to pick him up, but you weren’t supposed to be in the car.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out a way to leave Brooklyn forever. Twist, you have to believe me. I hate it here, and I hate my father. He parades around like he’s some sort of elegant man of honor, but he’s a monster. He’s done things, things I can’t believe a sane human being would willingly take part in. He’s been planning to make a move on Manhattan for some time now, and with Smith I saw an opportunity. Randy, he’d been giving me the eyes for a while, a comment here, a touch there, hugs that lasted too long. He wanted me. So when I found out he was going into Manhattan to get Smith, I talked him into taking me with him. I promised him that, once we were safely into the city, he could do whatever he wanted to me. All he had to do was let me go after. Daddy would have no reason to believe I went with him, and I would be free.”
“You were going to sleep with him just to get out?”
“Of course not! I planned to beat the living crap out of him before he put his hands on me. But he was all amped up on some drug; I didn’t take into account how much of a horny monster he was, and, before I had time to think, he was all over me. I started freaking out, fighting back like a nutcase. It only got him going more. That’s when you guys showed up and saved me.” She rolled her eyes when she admitted we saved her. “But I was rattled big time, and technically it was the first time I was ever completely on my own. So I kind of clung to you guys.”
“That’s why he never met Smith.”
“Yeah, I asked him about Smith, hoping to gain some time. He said Smith could wait. What we had to do was more important. Only there were so many Suits around. I guess they were looking for you guys. So he thought it was best we go to Times Square, where the law wasn’t allowed.”
I nodded, not wanting to look at her; I could feel her staring at me, waiting for me to say something. Instead, we sat in silence. Until something occurred to me. “Knowing everything that happened, you willingly brought me into Brooklyn. You had to know you’d get caught.”
“I grew up here.” She indicated the garden around us. “This is pretty much all I know, this and the arena. The couple days I spent in Manhattan were the first I’ve ever seen of anywhere else
, the first time I made friends. Even Dodgy, as annoying as he is. I’ve never been around anyone who isn’t working for Daddy or some potential person for him to make a deal with. I didn’t have anything to lose by coming back home, but you had everything to lose without my help.”
I chuckled under my breath. She turned my face toward her. “What? What’s so funny?”
“So why do I feel like I’ve lost everything anyway!” I felt overwhelmed with emotion. There was emptiness in my stomach, and yet I felt like I was overflowing. I couldn’t stop shaking; my body was on the verge of bursting. That’s when I realized I had nothing left to hide, and the tears came with an uncontrollable sobbing. I buried my face in my hands wanting to hide my shame and pain. But Gia wouldn’t let me. She took my face in her hands, using her thumbs to wipe tears from under my eyes, before pulling me close and kissing me. She leaned in, putting her hand behind my head, running her fingers through my hair. Everything I had felt, all the pain, sadness, and failure that made me feel detached. I had somehow found a cure in her, and she thought the same of me. We pulled at each other as if we needed to become one, because separate we were broken, but together we were whole, immortal, and could face anything that was thrown at us. Dodger would think that was totally gay! But I didn’t care. I loved her.
With great effort I pulled back from her hungry lips, but she continued to lean in, following me for more. I held her back at arm’s length. “We have to get out of here, I have to get the box back to Dodger. Who knows how he’s doing? After he’s cured, we’ll hook up with the Runts and leave the city all together just like you wanted.”
“Twist, I can’t… there’s no way I can get out of here again. I’m sorry.”
“Are you kidding me!” I kissed her again, hard and passionately to hammer in the point. “There’s no way I’m losing you again.”
“How, pray tell, do you plan on sneaking me out?”
“Don’t worry, I got it covered.”
“Oh, hell, no! Are you serious? No, no, this is not going to happening!” the driver yelled from the passenger side window, seeing Gia and I walking toward the car, hand in hand. “I’m not getting involved in this!”
I opened the back door for Gia. She smiled and hopped in. I walked around to the driver side and said, “Well, we could always knock you unconscious and leave you here. Say I overpowered you.”
“I’d like to see that happen!”
I nodded behind him; he turned around just in time to see Gia crawling up into the front passenger seat. Just before he could protest, she elbowed him in the jaw, hard enough to snap his head into the side of the car. I opened the door, and his unconscious body fell to the ground.
odger taught me to drive when I was fourteen. We’d found an abandoned car that still had a tank of gas while hiding out in an old lot. Having told Gia this, she insisted she drive instead. The trip with her back to Manhattan was a pleasant one. I still felt a sense of dread, but together I think we were both safe, like a vacation from life. We were off to a better future. Travelling through cannibal territory was a smooth ride. The cannibals steered clear of cars, a clear sign of people marked as Chrysler’s. Any attack on a driver or passenger would be seen as hostility toward Chrysler himself and invite his unforgiving wrath. Once we reached the bridge, we drove down the center at a slow crawl as she blinked the headlights in the same pattern she used with the flashlight. After a response from the top of the watch tower, she put her foot to the gas and we were off. We reached Red’s camp just before morning. That’s when our little fantasy vacation melted away.
I knew something was wrong when we pulled up near Union Square. The normal hustle and bustle of the Tribe was gone. No music or cheer, no people partying about; it was a ghost town. We left the car on a side street and cautiously made our way to the tents. I must have been tense because Gia took my hand and smiled at me reassuringly.
“Where’d everyone go? Is it because the sun is coming up?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ve never seen this place so empty, day or night. Let’s find Dodger.” We went straight for the medical tent, and dread filled me as we opened the flaps. What if he was dead already?
I didn’t have to worry too long. We were greeted by a number of people, all standing around his bed. Red’s face lit up when she saw me. I also saw a couple of men, and one of the old timers I barely remembered from the bar. Most importantly, Dodger was sitting up on the bed, his abdomen was heavily bandaged, and he looked tired, but, when he saw me, his eyes narrowed.
“So,” he said. “You finally decided to come back, huh? What were you guys doing gallivanting around town; eloping, renting a room… I dunno, what do people do with whores these days?”
“Screw you!” Gia shouted, pushing past me into the tent.
“Don’t call her that.” The sternness of my voice surprised me. “Come on, man, chill.”
“Oh, well! I guess the little guy grew some balls.” Dodger’s smile seemed more of a mask than sincere. “And I’m sure he put them to use.” He glared at Gia, and she shot him back a look just as hard.
“What’s your deal, man?” I shouted, marching over to his bedside.
“My deal? I thought you were dead! You just disappeared. I had no idea what happened to you. Anything could have happened to you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, and you proved that when you went off and tried to sleep with Eve!”
Gia shot me a pained look, but I didn’t have time to explain anything. I was beyond angry.
“I told you before I don’t need you to babysit me!”
“Apparently not, now that you have her.”
“Leave her out of this. What the hell is your problem, man?”
“My problem is, here I am literally on my death bed, and, instead of being here talking with me, you’re off with her.” To Gia, he added, “Look, no offense. Let’s face it, I’m kind of a jerk. I’m not mad at you, really. Even though crap has hit the fan left and right ever since you showed up. But you know what? I’m just angry at the fact that my best buddy here decided it was in his best interest to disappear on me, again. So instead of enjoying my last moments of life sleeping with Red or getting wasted, I’m worried about him.”
She looked at him hard before saying, “Twist just saved your life, you ass.”
The moment seemed as good a time as any, so I pulled out the box that contained Reynolds’ meds and tossed it onto Dodger’s bed. I didn’t say a word; I waited for it all to sink in. Dodger looked at me questioningly and picked up the box.
“We found Smith,” I said. “I wasn’t going to let you die. You may have given up on yourself, but there was no way in hell I was going to.”
Dodger had no comeback. Everyone was quiet. Luckily, before it got uncomfortable, Red added, “Maybe we should give these two some quality time together.” She began leading the others out of the tent. Gia rubbed my arm, kissed me on the cheek, and walked out. I pulled up a chair and sat by Dodger’s bedside.
“You went to Brooklyn?” His voice had lost any sign of hostility. “I told you it was too dangerous, how’d you even get there?”
“Gia knew some people. She got us in. We weren’t just off making kissy faces, we did it all for you… well, there was some kissing.” I decided not to add fuel to the situation. Dodger didn’t have to know Gia’s secret, not now or anytime soon.
“Really?” He smiled mischievously. “So, you hittin’ that?”
“No. Too busy saving your life.”
“You shouldn’t have gone without me.”
“You would have tried to stop me.”
“Yeah… sorry, sorry I was being a dick. You were just gone, and, as much as Red tried throwing herself at me, it wasn’t the same. I dunno, dying and all, I was scared. And I may have—” He started coughing into his hand as he said, “Needed you.”
I playfully punched his arm; he winced in pain but nodded. “Well, now you don’t have to worry abou
t anything. I saved the day.”
“Yeah, buddy. You really came through. Guess I gotta start treating you like an equal and all that. Maybe even start respecting Gia—probably not, though.”
“There’s something else.” I hesitated. “Smith, he didn’t make it.”
I spent the next twenty minutes or so explaining everything that happened from the moment Gia and I left. However, I omitted the parts about her being Chrysler’s daughter, and glossed it over to make it seem like she and I were just separated during my captivity and the arena. Dodger had a way of masking his emotions, so naturally he didn’t have much to say about Smith’s death except how unfortunate it was. Instead, he focused more on my win over Samsung. More than once he patted my shoulder with approval, telling me how amazed he was with all I went through. For the first time, he wasn’t condescending or obnoxious. He had honest approval in his voice, and it made me proud. Eventually, I asked him where everyone was, and that’s when he filled me in. Not too long after I left, people started spotting Angels on the outskirts of Union Square. They weren’t approaching, just watching from a safe distance. Something was definitely up, so Red sent three trackers out to see what they could learn. Only one came back, and he was lying four beds over, groaning in pain with a knife wound to his side.
The Angels were planning an attack. More to the point, Eve was looking for revenge. The previous night, to everyone’s surprise, Michael and David snuck into camp and warned Dodger that Eve wanted his head. If he didn’t give himself over, the Angels would slaughter everyone in sight until they had him. The Tribe had a means to fight, a couple of guns, swords, and other makeshift weapons, but they weren’t fighters. These were peace-loving people who spent most of their time drunk, high, and deep in song. Dodger didn’t have a choice; he wouldn’t see people suffer because of him. He planned to turn himself over. He was already resigned to the fact that he would die and had nothing to lose. The only thing stopping him was the fact I was missing. Now that I returned with Reynolds’ meds, things weren’t so clear cut.
The Artful (Shadows of the City) Page 20