by Tina Chan
Kristi regarded her surroundings and realized that if they were ambushed, they’d be in deep trouble. The trees blocked the view to Route 56 and there was no one around to help them.
“I guess the traders left,” she said. “Let’s head out now.”
“They still might be around.” Chelsa knelt down by a footprint. “The fire’s not more than a few hours old and the tracks are fresh.”
“Something feels off. Don’t you think so, Jaiden?” Kristi approached her brother for support.
“Maybe. Wouldn’t there be more footprints if this was a trader’s campfire?” Traders were known to travel in groups to reduce their likelihood of being attacked by preying bandits.
“There’s always the possibility this belonged to a lone trader,” said Chelsa.
Jaiden looked torn between siding with Chelsa or Kristi.
“How do you know that this set of footprints isn’t from a spy member of the network?” Chelsa challenged. “Anyways, I’ve always gotten you out of trouble, haven’t I? Even when I didn’t cause the trouble to happen in the first place.”
Good point, thought Kristi. She didn’t have to free Jaiden. Or free me from the bandits as a matter of fact.
Chelsa stubbornly ignored Jaiden and Kristi and followed the footsteps. The tracks wound deeper and deeper into the forest. The further they went, the bigger and more imposing the trees got. Huge oaks, sycamores and pine trees towered overhead like skyscrapers. It would’ve taken five people linked together to surround the trunk of the ancient trees.
Despite the diversity of plants present, the forest sounded unnaturally silent. No birds chirped from the trees and no chipmunks chattered on the branches. Kristi’s apprehension increased; the foliage blocked sunlight from reaching the forest floor and the trees grew denser and denser together.
“I really think we should head back to Route 56,” she said.
“Five more minutes,” Chelsa insisted. “Give me five more minutes and if we still haven’t found the person we’re tracking, we’ll turn around.”
“Very well.”
Kristi could no longer see any footprints embedded in the dirt, but Chelsa seemed to be following some sort of invisible trail only known to her. Jaiden, in the meantime, had moved up closer to Kristi, sensing her nervousness.
“Don’t worry, Chelsa won’t let anything too bad happen to us.” Jaiden didn’t sound as if he believed his own words.
“I heard that,” said Chelsa. “It would be nice if you guys put a bit more faith in me, you know.”
“Chelsa, Ghost left us,” Kristi said.
This fact increased her anxiety. If Ghost detected trouble, then trouble must be coming up ahead; the feline’s eerie knack for recognizing trouble was something that didn’t escape Kristi’s awareness.
“He’ll come back eventually,” Chelsa replied, sounding distracted.
“Three minutes are up.” Jaiden tapped his watch.
Chelsa stopped. “That’s weird. The person’s trail just disappeared. Let’s backtrack a bit; I think I might’ve missed something.”
“What’s that?” Jaiden asked. He pointed to a low-lying building of some sort nestled in the shadows of a huge sycamore tree.
“Seems like some sort of cabin,” Kristi said.
The cabin looked ramshackle and desperately needed a paint job. No lights shone from inside the cabin and the roof dipped inwards, hinting of the weight of snow it bore during the winter months.
“Shh!” Chelsa whispered tersely. She pulled Jaiden and Kristi behind a large sassafras tree with a trunk at least six feet across.
“Who visited Stevey?” a croaky voice called out from behind the cabin. “Stevey likes visitors.”
Kristi peeked out from behind the tree trunk. A stooped, stout man emerged from behind the cabin; he had crazy, white hair and a long, matted beard. He wore a yellow plaid shirt with the collar unbuttoned. The sleeves carried a grayish stain on them and he looked like he could use a bath. Stevey’s wiry build and his overall appearance made him seem like a genius gone mad.
He looked around the empty area around him. When no one appeared, he called out once more, “Stevey knows he saw people here. Come out! Stevey likes to talk.” He paused in his talking long enough to waggle his eyebrows up and down. “Stevey knows many, many stuff. Stevey is smart. Stevey knows about the Revealers.” He clapped his hand over his mouth and loudly mumbled, “Bad Stevey. Stevey wasn’t supposed to say that.”
“I’m going to talk to him,” Kristi whispered and then tried to approach Stevey, but Chelsa held her down.
“Let me go first. Stay behind the boulder with Jaiden. Wait—where’s Jaiden?”
While they were talking, Jaiden had slipped away. Kristi peered around the sassafras and saw him approaching Stevey. He was too far away to stop now. She bolted after her brother with Chelsa hot on her heels.
Stevey’s eyes lit up when he saw three visitors appear. He straightened up from his stance and attempted to run his fingers through his severely tangled beard. “Stevey hasn’t had visitors for a long time!”
“I wonder why,” Kristi said under her breath.
Jaiden, being ever the gentleman he was, stuck out his hand for Stevey to shake. Stevey vigorously pumped his arm up and down. The little, eccentric man must’ve had more strength than Jaiden expected because he grimaced with pain.
“Nice to meet you, Stevey,” greeted Jaiden. Stevey reluctantly let go and grinned toothily. “So, I heard you know a lot of stuff.”
Stevey bobbed his head up and down. “Yes, Stevey is very smart.” He proceeded to rattle off the periodic table of elements then started to recite the numbers of pi.
“I also heard Stevey knows some information about the Revealers,” Jaiden said.
Stevey paused his recitation and shook his head, “Stevey doesn’t know anything about the spy group. Stevey got in trouble for interacting with them.”
“Stevey, we need your help. If you do know information about the Revealers, we would really appreciate it if you would share it with us,” Kristi said.
Stevey’s gaze fell upon Ghost who had reappeared. “Stevey will give you information if Stevey can have the kitty.”
Ghost snarled at Stevey and spat at his shoes.
“Sorry, the leopard isn’t up for trade,” Chelsa said. She turned as if to leave. “Come on, we should get going.”
Stevey looked up in alarm. “Wait! Don’t go! Stevey will share information if you give Stevey company. Stevey is very lonely.”
“Stay or leave?” Jaiden asked.
“Stay.” Kristi faced Stevey and said, “We’ll stay for as long as you can provide us useful information, okay?”
“Okay. Let’s go to Stevey’s house.” Stevey led them into the pathetic excuse of a cabin and lit a fire in the fireplace; Kristi was mildly surprised he didn’t burn down his cabin in the process of lighting the fire. It seemed like something he would do.
Then Stevey patted on the worn-out couch for them to sit on. Ghost, still looking sorely insulted by Stevey calling him a “kitty”, had once again disappeared.
“What do you want to know?” Stevey asked.
“Who are you and why are you living in the woods by yourself?” Jaiden said.
“Stevey was a brilliant scientist. Stevey was the head scientist and worked for the government. But, Stevey couldn’t stand the pressure of Stevey’s work anymore and went coo-coo,” Stevey said, simultaneously twirling his index finger and wiping a string of drool with his sleeve.
“I can tell Stevey went coo-coo,” Chelsa muttered into Kristi’s ear.
Kristi hushed her and listened to Stevey continue to talk. “Stevey got fired and the government said Stevey had to disappear or else they would make Stevey disappear. So Stevey left Stevey’s old home and lives here now.”
Jaiden asked some more irrelevant questions, getting Stevey to grow comfortable with his presence.
Chelsa leaned over to Kristi, who was seated between
Jaiden and Chelsa, and said, “Tell Jaiden to cut to the chase and ask Stevey where the Revealers are. We don’t have time to waste.”
“It was your idea to come here in the first place,” said Kristi. She kept her voice low as not to distract Jaiden from his questioning.
“I didn’t expect finding this whacko in the woods.”
“Fine.”
Kristi passed on Chelsa’s request to Jaiden, who in turn asked Stevey, “Stevey, why don’t you tell us more about the Revealers?”
“Stevey can’t do that. Stevey will get in trouble if Stevey gives away top-secret information.”
Chelsa started to speak up, wanting to get Stevey to give her the answers she sought, but Jaiden broke in before she could. “Why don’t you share some information that’s not undisclosed?”
“Stevey knows lots! 1.77245385091 is square root of pi. Some numbers are square and others are triangular. The circle has the largest area out of a group of shapes with the same perimeter. A jellyfish is over 95% water. The average government official spends 137 points a day. A lot of Revealer members visit Charleston because that is where their headquarters is. Droid-pets were invented twenty-nine years ago. Is that enough information?”
Chelsa, Kristi and Jaiden exchanged looks. At last, one vital piece of information in aiding them to hunt down the Revealers.
“So, one of the Revealer’s headquarter is in Charleston in the West Region, right?” Kristi asked Stevey.
“Stevey said too much.”
She took that for a “yes.”
Stevey offhandedly stood up and opened the rickety door of his cabin. “Out!” he commanded. “Stevey wants you out!” He wagged a finger at them and said, “You guys are sneaky. You made Stevey careless and say too much.”
They got the message and left.
chapter thirteen
[ Troop ]
Troop sucked in a deep breath then opened the door to his apartment.
A man stood in the kitchen with his back to Troop. His father. At the sound of the door clicking shut, his father spun on his heels to face him. Troop hid his discomfort as the man scanned him from head to toe. In return, Troop observed his father.
He had changed a bit. Granted, the last time Troop saw him was ten years ago, but he had changed more than Troop expected. His father had acquired a gaunt and haunted look. Dark circles encircled his eyes, which flickered around in an unnerving fashion.
“Troop.” His father stuck out a hand.
Troop reached out his right hand and briefly shook his father’s. Everything felt wrong; everything felt too formal and alien.
“What time does your mother come back from work?” his father asked.
“Not for a while.” Troop couldn’t bring himself to call this man dad. “How did you get in here?”
“Your mother picked me up from the air-train station and dropped me off here before going back to work.” His father lifted up a duffle bag and said, “Where should I put my belongings?”
I used to belong to you, Troop thought. I used to be your son, and where did you put me? Nowhere, that’s where. You ditched me. He took a second to get his emotions under control, and then said, “This way.”
He showed his father to the guest room and left him in there to unpack.
Troop wanted to leave the apartment. He wanted to get away from this relative stranger, but for some reason, Troop didn’t trust leaving his father alone in the apartment.
His father sat on the couch across from Troop in the living room. So far, he had looked at everything but Troop. As a matter of fact, he seemed unsure of what to do.
Good. The more uncomfortable he is, the better. Troop still hadn’t taken his eyes off him yet, as if he was afraid the man would stab him in the back the first chance he got.
The door swung open. Two pairs of eyes trailed to the door. Troop’s mom stepped into the apartment. “Has Troop gotten you settled in yet?” she asked.
Troop’s father stood up to give her a hug. “Yes, Troop has already shown me my room. Thank you so much for taking me in.”
“Not a problem.” She gently pushed away his attempted embrace. “Troop, don’t you have a tutor session in fifteen minutes?”
Troop detested the idea of leaving his mom with his father. His mother saw the concern in his eyes and shooed him out the door with her hands, “Get out of here. I need to talk with your father and if you don’t leave in ten seconds I will personally skin your hide.”
He took off without another word.
chapter fourteen
[ Kristi ]
“That’s a bummer. We could’ve gotten a lot more information from Stevey if we had only posed our questions correctly,” said Jaiden, kicking rocks down the road.
With less than one day’s supply, they desperately needed to refill their necessities, as the next closest civilization was at least three days’ walk. Chelsa had grudgingly agreed to stop by the city of Alma for one night.
“We still received a fair amount of info,” said Kristi. “Let’s go find an inn.”
Chelsa looked at a map on her electro-slate, deciding where and when they should call it quits for the day. Jaiden pulled out his electro-slate and typed something. Chelsa, absorbed with her map, didn’t notice Jaiden using his slate.
Since when did he retrieve his slate? Kristi thought.
“Jaiden, you never told me that you had your electro-slate the whole time. How’d you get it from jail? When did you—” Kristi stopped talking when Chelsa’s head jerked up.
“You brought your electro-slate?” Chelsa said.
“Yeah.” Jaiden brandished his slate in front of Chelsa, but snatched it back to his chest when she attempted to nick it out of his hands. “Is there a reason I can’t bring my electro-slate, when you can bring yours?”
“Duh, there’s a reason why you shouldn’t have brought yours. I thought you knew electro-slates have trackers in them—the government could be tracking us this minute. I thought Perfects had their brains meddled with so they can be smarter, not dumber!”
Kristi, taken aback by Chelsa’s volatile moods, didn’t know whether she should jump into the argument or not.
“Then why do you have yours?” said Jaiden.
“Because I removed my tracker.”
Jaiden attempted to form a response and Chelsa took this as a chance to seize the electro-slate out of Jaiden’s hands, throw it onto the ground and stomp on it.
“Hey! Why’d you do that?” Jaiden demanded, eyes flitting from the broken device and Chelsa.
“Were you not listening to my explanation?” Chelsa grounded the heels of her boots into the shattered remains of the slate, causing the shards to catch the rays of the setting sun.
They stood nose-to-nose, glaring at each other; Kristi could almost see smoke coming out of their ears. The way Jaiden and Chelsa were giving each other death-stares should’ve warned Kristi to keep out of this dispute, but the attention they were beginning to receive from passerbys convinced her otherwise.
“Guys, cool down a bit, alright? We should find some place to stay for the night.” She stepped between the staring contest, feeling Jaiden and Chelsa’s burning glares pass right through her.
Chelsa and Jaiden scowled at each other, neither willing to back off from the stare-down. Kristi exhaled slowly through her pursed lips and decided to blame the hot tempers she was witnessing on the stress created from the past few days.
She grabbed Jaiden’s wrist in her right hand and Chelsa’s wrist with her left hand, then pulled them apart.
“Stop fighting,” Kristi ordered. “Unless you haven’t noticed, you’re attracting attention from the residents.” She awkwardly dragged them down Rhine Lane, hoping to find a cheap inn to spend the night.
Jaiden tried to pry her fingers off his wrist. After a moment’s hesitation, Kristi released her grip, knowing Jaiden could easily remove her hand by force if he wanted to. Then she uncertainly loosened her clutch on Chelsa as well, not sure if Che
lsa was going to punch Jaiden in the face or not. Chelsa clenched her fists, but didn’t lash out.
“Do you know where you are going?” Jaiden asked her. His voice was calm and steady, as if nothing had happened between him and Chelsa.
“No.”
Dazzling red lights flashed down upon them. A United Regions Homeland Security Helicopter hovered above them, its blades whirling at a demonic speed. The searchlight landed on them and an amplified voice rang out, “Stop where you are! Put your hands behind your head and lay down. We will shoot if necessary.”
“Look what your stupid slate did,” Chelsa hissed to Jaiden. “We’re lucky they hadn’t dispatched a helicopter earlier.”
“No time for arguing.” Kristi craned back her neck, eyeing the chrome belly of the chopper.
“Split up and return to the intersection of Rhine Lane and Route 56 once you’re sure you’ve lost the law enforcement,” said Chelsa. She turned on her heels and swirled away in the cityscape.
“Want to come with me?” Jaiden asked.
“It’s better if we split up,” Kristi said, waving away Jaiden. “Go now. I’ll be fine.”
Jaiden cast a doubtful look at her but heeded the advice when she gave him a slight push. The searchlight brightened, tightening its focus on Kristi. She scrunched her eyes against the beacon.
“I repeat. Put your hands behind your head and lay down. We will shoot if necessary,” the speakers attached beneath the chopper blared.
Well, Kristi decided, she wasn’t about to be caught so easily. She raced out of the beam and dodged between two apartment buildings. The few civilians that were wandering the streets so close to curfew scuttled into the nearest building and locked the doors.
“Stop running!” the speakers crackled once more. “You will face fewer consequences if you come with us peacefully.”
In your dreams. She tore through the narrow streets, staying in the shadows of buildings as often as possible. A gunshot was fired into the air as a warning.