Celery gave him a playful punch in the arm. “How could I forget this Skater Boy? I’m back in business.”
“Cel, that’s awesome. But I want you to be one hundred percent before you face that a-hole Palmer again.”
Austin laughed. “I think I’d call him something stronger than that, but not in front of you girls.”
Celery nudged his arm. “You know I’m not a lady, you can go ahead and say what you think of Palmer.”
I held up my hand. “Guys, we can have a name calling session about Palmer some other time.”
Austin snapped his fingers. “Darn, I was just getting started.”
Celery waved her hand in front of me. “I hand over the floor to you. Tell me the next mission.”
Now I’d done it. I’ve built up my visit too much. I really just wanted to see if Celery had returned to her old self. Although she seemed ready to get back to work, I thought she still needed another day off. “Oh geez, you're getting the wrong idea. I'm just here to hang out.” I pulled out the sleeve of my T-shirt. “I don't have any big missions hiding up there.”
Celery laughed. “Oh good, because as great as I feel, I really could use another day off.”
Austin nudged a bit closer to Celery. “Maybe I can take you to the Pavilion?”
Her eyes lit up. “That would be awesome. Just like old times.”
Then he glanced at his watch. "Normally I would party with you girls all night long, but I have an early session with Mrs. Schwartz in the morning, so I better take off. You know how she feels about students being late.”
I gave him a knowing smile. “That I do.”
Celery stood up and walked him to the door. “Thanks for stopping by. It was really nice of you to check up on me.”
He flashed Celery a wide grin. “No problem, anytime. I’ll give you a buzz about when to hook up tomorrow.”
“Terrific. Can't wait to try out the New Frontier ride.” She closed the door behind him and came skipping back to the couch. “I forgot how cool Austin is. I know he’s a Skater Boy and everything, but there’s more to him than that.”
“Crush much?”
Celery kicked off her wedges and leaned back on the couch. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with being into a cute guy. Can’t a girl have a little fun, even in Heaven?”
That sure hadn’t stopped her in the past. Plus I had no right to say anything after hooking up with Ryan. “Of course. You should have some fun after all the crap you've been through." I reached over and gave her one of Gram’s all-encompassing hugs. The whole time I kept thinking, my friend was back, she was really back.
Celery pushed a few strands of my hair off her cheek. A look of concern crossed her face. “T, I didn’t want to say anything when Austin was here. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress, and I’ve added to the list. But have you looked in the mirror lately?”
Not like I had time to primp over myself. “No, why?”
Because you have a small patch of grey hair near your left ear and you’re starting to get crow’s feet.”
“What? No way. I’m eighteen!”
She popped down the hallway and returned with a hand mirror. “Take a look.”
I didn’t recognize my reflection. It was like staring at my non-existent much older sister. “Damn.”
Suds filled my mouth but that was the least of my problems. I’d gone from eighteen to late thirties in just two days.
***
Why did I think I would be immune to the humidity machine’s effects? I was part Katran, after all. I’d put an SOS out to Mr. X. and hoped he could come up with a mask for me too. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to contact me. I clicked on my earpiece and there he was. “Taylor, I’ve come up with a modified mask. You can pick it up at the Temple anytime.”
All I could see in my future were endless gray hairs and wrinkles growing every second, so I called out for Sabrina. In a flash, she met me in front of Celery’s hotel. It always amazed me how quickly the angels flew through the sky. How easily they could drop what they were doing and whisk you away. But these days I wondered if I might be responsible for someone having accident back on Earth now that I knew the guardians couldn’t be everywhere at once.
Sabrina greeted me with a smile. “Off to the Temple again? Seems like that’s your home away from home these days.”
She was right, of course. I stopped by there almost every day. I was beginning to think I’d become more reliant on Mr. X than my father. How far we’d come from the first days that I’d met him at the Temple of Truth. From my facilitator and truth extractor, to the person I relied on most in Heaven. Now I’d actually come to think of him as a friend.
Sabrina flew around a big white fluffy cloud shaped like an elephant. “I’m happy to hear that you feel that way about Mr. X. All along I knew he would be a champion for you just like me.”
“I hope you weren’t a fan of his methods at the Temple.”
She swooped down over the spire of the Ministry of Saints, and tipped her wings to an angel friend who flew by. "Of course not. As I told you before, I didn’t know what he was doing. I had no idea he was using pain to extract the truth. The new facilitator uses much more appropriate methods.”
Wow, this was big news. “Really? Mr. X isn’t the facilitator anymore?”
She gracefully landed in front of the Temple doors. “You and your father keep Mr. X so busy making inventions and helping with the battle with Palmer, he doesn’t have the time.”
Of course that made total sense. Father and I didn’t help by always adding things to his list. I hoped he didn’t miss his time being a facilitator. Sabrina smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. Building his inventions is his passion. It was what he used to do back home on his planet.”
Funny, I never pictured Sabrina and Mr. X chatting it up. Did she really know where he was from?
She nodded. “Yes, I do. But he told me in the strictest of confidence. His life has been a very sad tale. When you have earned his trust, he will tell you. But only then.”
I always thought Mr. X was one giant mystery. Now more than ever I wanted to know his story. I couldn’t earn his trust fast enough. I waved good-bye to Sabrina and headed down a side pathway and into the back of the Temple. By now I could make my way through the labyrinth of hallways blindfolded. I trotted into the lab trying to act like my former youthful self. How could I have known that being thirty-something would cause my body to be filled with little aches and pains? So different from being carefree and eighteen. Gram always told me to appreciate my youth because with every decade I’d lose something I never appreciated. Truer words were never spoken.
Mr. X looked up from his worktable. “I’m almost finished. Just one small adjustment.” He fiddled with a translucent mask about half the size of Father’s. When he finished, he held it out to me. “I hope it will do the job. I used a fifty percent ratio of the formula I developed for the Katrans. Try it out.”
Placing the mask over my mouth and nose, I breathed deep. The mask made the air have a slight sweet taste like it had been sprinkled with sugar. “It seems like it’s working. How long will it take to reverse the aging effect? Being in your late thirties isn't for wimps.”
He let out a high-pitched squeal. I’d figured out it was his way of laughing. “Your father had a similar complaint about being one hundred and fifty.”
“Father looks amazing for being that old.”
“I told him I didn’t know what he was complaining about. One hundred and fifty is just midlife for a Katran.”
Interesting. It got me thinking about how much longer I would live than a normal human. Would I live to be one hundred and fifty? What a concept. Then I realized I would be all alone. Everyone I ever knew and loved would be long gone. What a sad life to watch all your friends die. But then again, I was so accident-prone on Earth, I probably wouldn’t even live to be hundred.
I took another deep breath. “I didn’t know that my fat
her was such a wimp.”
A loud explosion echoed down the hallway. Mr. X flew out of the lab so quickly his body turned into a blur. I tightened my mask and raced after him. The blast came from the secret hallway that led to the humidity machine. The heavy metal door ripped from its hinges lay on its side like a dead carcass. Glass fragments rained down like snow inside the room where the humidity machine sat blown to pieces. “Mr. X, who could’ve done such a thing?”
For the first time, he had no answer. He just stood looking at his crowning achievement blown to bits. His face was grief stricken. He bent down and picked up a piece of the control panel and looked at me. “How could this happen? Only four people knew where I hid the machine, your father, myself, my chief guard, and you.”
“Well, we know none of us did it. Do you think Palmer has been spying on you?”
Mr. X continued to search through the debris on the floor trying to find pieces that were salvageable. “I have been vigilant in foiling Palmer at every turn. It can’t be him.”
But all my instincts told me it was Palmer. Someone from his team must have found a way into the Temple so they could destroy the machine. And whoever it was, they were going to pay. Mr. X dug through a pile of parts strewn in the corner. He held a small silver object up to me. “This is not a component. Is it yours?”
He placed a piece of jewelry in my hand. At first I didn't recognize the silver charm. Then I flashed on the Cloud Nine Contest. When we were in Angel City I’d seen a display case full of cute little silver charms. But I remember seeing one more recently. An image popped into my head of a guy wearing a devil charm around his neck—Austin.
Chapter Eighteen
The Saboteur
I turned the devil charm over in my hand, still not believing that all this time Austin had been a traitor for Palmer. How could I have been fooled so easily? Celery’s gut instinct was not to trust him. But Austin’s charm and cute Skater Boy looks clouded her judgment. What was my excuse?
Mr. X looked down at me. “Taylor, do you know who that belongs to?”
I nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid I do. It’s Austin’s.”
His lips curled. “That is unfortunate news. He must have found a weakness in the chief guard and tortured him for the location of the machine. Hasn’t he had access to some of your information?”
“Actually, I haven’t really told him much of anything. He’s been too busy finishing up his afterlife classes with Mrs. Schwartz. I was going to give him a mission to do with Celery, but thankfully I haven’t set it up yet.”
“Good. I will notify Mrs. Schwartz that she has a traitor in her classroom. We will have him apprehended.”
“Can you hold off on that? I want to capture him myself, and I know exactly where he’s going to be tomorrow after class.”
Mr. X dropped some parts he’d salvaged into a plastic bin. “Where is Austin going to be tomorrow? Do you need backup?”
Good question. Could I convince Celery that Austin was a traitor? Could her growing crush on him taint her view? “No, I’ll be okay. I’m meeting up with Celery, she’ll help me out.”
He picked up the plastic bin full of parts. ”Excellent, once you capture Austin, bring him back to the Temple. We need to extract the truth. Palmer sent him here for a reason. He wanted Austin to do more than just destroy the humidity machine. I’m certain he had another mission, too.”
Mr. X sure knew how to make me feel uneasy. “What could the other mission be?”
“I have no idea, but I’m sure Austin will tell us soon enough.” He looked over at the blown up mess. “But first I need to repair the machine immediately.”
I felt bad I’d added the mothership’s engine to his repair to-do list. With the bin in hand, Mr. X walked quickly out of the room and down the hallway. I followed right behind him. We were about halfway to the lab when a tremor hit. I grabbed onto the wall to keep from falling. The tremor must have been at least a 4.5. I glanced over at Mr. X busy picking parts up off the floor after he dropped the bin. I bent down to help him. “I didn’t expect the tremors so soon after the machine stopped. What are we going to do?”
Mr. X looked up at me. “That is my problem to solve. Yours is to capture Austin.”
***
I knew it was a bit risky for me to take on capturing Austin myself, but the element of surprise was worth it. Plus I had every faith I could convince Celery to help me. Even if it meant ruining her big date with him. The Pavilion still sat floating on the biggest cloud I’d ever seen, except it wasn’t a pristine white but more of a dove grey. With the humidity machine broken, Heaven quickly started to decay again. The main building looked like an enormous silver armadillo rolled into a tight ball, but the metallic sheen didn't have the same luster as the first time I saw it. I wove my way past four other buildings shaped like giant snails that stood on enormous stilts that stretched out to reach the height of the main building.
It felt strange to be back at the Pavilion. The last time I’d been here, I‘d ditched detention at Mrs. Schwartz’s house with Austin, Blaine, and Celery. I was a clueless newbie who’d never been to the amusement park before. I didn’t know back then that the Skater Boys would turn out to be traitors.
I made my way down a wide, stainless steel path that wound through the park. The attractions twinkled under the massive lights that flooded the amusement park. I figured Celery would take Austin to her favorite part of the park, Tomorrow World. The place held every fantasy I’d ever had about space travel. Nebulas and elaborate constellations hung down from the sky like giant Christmas decorations. At the back of Tomorrow World stood a massive steel structure shaped like a giant eye—Celery’s favorite ride.
I scanned the crowd of kids dressed up in uniforms from every space TV show you could think of. Others became their favorite aliens. It was like going to Comic Con only even better because you had the rides thrown in. I waved when I spotted Austin and Celery standing in line for the Cyclops. “Hey, guys, fancy meeting you here.”
Celery glared at me. I was crashing her big date. “T, it better be something really important for you to come here.”
I flashed a smile. “Actually, it is kind of important.” I tapped Austin shoulder. “You don’t mind if I steal her for a sec, do you?”
He mustered up a smile. “I kind of owe you one for getting me out of classes with Mrs. Schwartz.” He gave Celery a wink. “Be back quick. Can’t wait until we go on the coaster together.”
Geez. He sure was pouring on the charm. I bet he thought he was going to get into her pants tonight. And by the way she looked at him I wouldn’t be surprised if he did score. Good thing I came along. I looped my arm around Celery’s. “No problem Austin, I promise we’ll be back in a flash.”
I yanked on Celery’s arm and led her over to a Taj Mahal-shaped kiosk. Once I had her safely hidden from Austin, I’d fill her in.
She glared at me. "T what the heck are you doing? You know Austin and I are really hitting it off. Then you have to go on break up our mojo. This better be super important.”
“I’m sorry, Cel, I really am. But I’ve got to tell you something and you’re not going to like it.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’m already not liking you right now, what more can you say that will make it even worse?”
I sucked in a breath. “Did you feel that tremor last night? And the one this morning?”
“Yeah, what about them? I figured the humidity machine had a hiccup or something.”
“It was more than a hiccup. Someone destroyed the machine last night.”
Her eyes grew wide. “No way! How did Palmer’s men get into the Temple? I thought Mr. X would have that place on lockdown.”
“He did. But someone we trusted had access.”
She formed a fist. “Who had the balls to double cross us? Just let me at them.”
I swallowed hard. “It’s your date.”
All the color drained from her face. “What? No way, T, Austin would neve
r do that. Not to us—to me.”
I reached over and put the devil charm in her hand. “Mr. X found this at the scene. You recognize it?”
“So? These charms were all over Angel City. Anyone could have one.”
“True. But we both know a certain Skater Boy wears one around his neck.”
Her hand shook. “Oh God. Was it really Austin?”
I took the charm out of her hand. “Yep, I’m afraid so.”
“How could I be so stupid?”
“Because you’re desperate for a boyfriend.”
She punched me in the arm. “Thanks a lot.”
“Cel, I’m to blame too. I was so excited to see Austin again, to finally know he was safe, I never thought about why he suddenly showed up now. In fact, when I rescued Austin you were the one who became suspicious. Your gut was right.”
She gave me a weak smile. “Can I blame my stupidity on the brainwashing that Palmer did?”
I squeezed her hand. “Well, that really didn’t help your judgment. Look, we need to head back. Austin is going to get suspicious. We’ve been away too long.”
Celery nodded. “So what’s the plan? How we going to capture him with so many people around? We have to find a way to lure him somewhere.”
She was right. And I’d thought of the perfect plan. “Don't worry I have it totally figured out. You'll go back and ride the coaster with Austin. Act all lovey-dovey like normal and then when you come off the coaster, take him behind the bathroom for a make out session. I’ll sneak up behind you and zap him. ”
Celery bit her lower lip. “Do I really have to? I don’t know if I can if make him believe that I’m still into him.”
I laughed. “Oh, come on, Cel, we both know what a good actress you are.”
“Okay. You got me. I better be a good actress because right now all I want to do to Austin is kill him.”
“If only you could kill him twice.” I looped my arm around hers again. “It’s show time.”
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