The Chrysalid Conspiracy

by A. J. Reynolds

  “You’re right. Good thinking,” said Rayn. She looked at her friend for a moment. “Are you going to tell me this location?”

  “I must admit I hadn’t planned on it,” Amelia explained. “I feel the need to protect you from it.”

  “That’s all well and good,” responded Rayn. “But, as I understand it, you’re the only person in the whole world who knows where it is. What if something happens to you?”

  “Hey, hang on a minute,” Amelia argued. “I don’t know where it is. I know how to find it. There’s a difference, you know.”

  “No difference to the outcome if anything does happen to you, is there?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m going to have to tell Claire though; we need her for the next clue. But it means she’ll know as well,” Amelia confessed.

  “What clue? Oh no Amelia, not another riddle, surely?”

  “Not really,” said Amelia, smiling at her friend’s frustration. “It’s just a bit, er, cryptic. That’s all.”

  “Oh no, not again.” Moaned Rayn. “Why did he make it so difficult to find anything out? It’s as if he didn’t want us to know anything.”

  “On the contrary,” Amelia replied. “I think it’s designed to look like gibberish and only someone who knows what to look for will find anything of interest. He’s really very clever.”

  “But just what are we looking for Amelia? I mean he’s pretty well confirmed you and I are being ‘manufactured’ by someone for some specific purpose, but why all the secrecy? Surly they should be telling the world that civilisation is in trouble so we can all work together to fix it.”

  “I think it’s that phrase ‘all working together’ where everything breaks down.” said Amelia. “Look at the number of differences in colour, race, creed and politics there are in the world, multiply that by fear and greed and we don’t have a working framework for any kind of consolidated action. Professor Melkins predicted this and left the story in his book in such a way that only someone who knew what to look for would understand it.”

  “And I suppose you’re that someone,” responded Rayn. “And judging by the effort he made to get it to you he must have known, which makes him part of the conspiracy.”

  “It makes you wonder who else is involved. Surely there must be some real people out there somewhere” said Amelia. “It can’t be just us.”

  “You’re going to have to tell me, you know, sooner or later. I just don’t think we should wait till later, do you?”

  “I can’t argue with your logic, Rayn, as usual,” relented Amelia. “Well, it goes like this. Melkins says, in his own words, ‘The Jaxson Labyrinth is at the sixth point of the Sanddancer’s Pentacle’.”

  “Er, you’d better run that by me again my friend. Isn’t a pentacle a five-pointed star? How can there be a sixth point?” said Rayn. “Unless you go into three dimensions, but that would give you, er, an awful lots of pointless points.”

  Amelia laughed. “Yes, that’s why we need Claire’s mind on this. Now, no more. It’s coffee, shower, breakfast for us and Mum; then school. Give Molly a ring, and tell her we won’t be running this morning. Let’s see what today brings.”

  “It can’t get much worse than a mass extinction, can it?” concluded Rayn.

  “I’m not so sure, my friend, I’m not so sure.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The girl’s school day started well below zero on the enjoyment scale, and then plummeted. Neither of them could concentrate on their lessons and they knew that any efforts to stay out of trouble were, on the whole, futile.

  After dinner break, Amelia found herself struggling up the stairs to the Headmistress’s office with a heavy box containing the discipline books. There was one for each pupil in the school, which the staff filled in daily to record individual misdemeanours.

  As she reached that long corridor, which she had come to know well, she saw Rayn sitting on the pew and looking miserable. Dumping the box on the seat she joined her.

  “Hello, what brings you here?” she asked, in a manner in keeping with the mood.

  “I lost control,” said Rayn.

  “You didn’t hit anybody, did you?” said an alarmed Amelia.

  “No, of course not,” answered Rayn scornfully. “We were doing biology. It was that exciting subject, the reproduction cycle of crustaceans.”

  “Wow, did I miss that?” Amelia’s sarcasm was evident. “I’ll try not to lose too much sleep over it.”

  “Anyway,” continued Rayn. “For some strange reason I couldn’t concentrate, and when Mrs. Robinson asked me a question I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. She started shouting again so I stood up and told her I wasn’t interested in prawnogrophy.”

  Amelia exploded into laughter. “Rayn, that’s a great one. Well done.”

  “Not so great. I’m in some serious…well, let’s just say that this time it’s deep. Oh Amelia, get me out of here.”

  “Well, in light of what we’ve learned in the last few hours, I’ve got an idea.” She picked up the box, which suddenly seemed much lighter. “Follow me.” Rayn did as she was told and followed her into the utility room. Amelia placed the box in the sink, pushed in the plug and turned the tap on.

  “Amelia, what are you doing?” cried Rayn. Without a response Amelia grabbed a tea towel and rammed it into the overflow, then stood back to admire her work. “There, that should do it,” she said, ignoring Rayn’s question. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Er, where are we going?” called Rayn as Amelia headed down the corridor at a run.

  “Home. After a well-earned coffee at Connie’s Sewer,” she called back.

  “Don’t you mean the Connoisseur Restaurant?” Rayn called to the figure ahead of her.

  “You’ve obviously never seen the kitchens, but who cares, they’ll never think of looking for us there.” Answered Amelia.

  Both girls, now wide awake and running on high octane adrenalin, raced down the stairs. Rayn was uttering minor expletives almost non-stop. They tore open Amelia’s locker, which they’d shared since that first day, and grabbed their bags. Amelia looked at the environmental health hazard that remained.

  “Nothing I want there. You?”

  “No way, leave it to rot,” gasped Rayn, thrilled with rebellion.

  They were nearing the end of the corridor that led to the reception area when the caretaker appeared in front of them, blocking their way.

  “Oh no. Watch out,” Amelia warned her friend. Rayn’s reaction was somewhat more dramatic. She grabbed the oily little man by the shirtfront and slammed him against the wall pushing her face at him threateningly.

  “Listen, you slimy creep. You lay one finger on me and I’ll have you charged with assault. On the other hand, I can beat the crap out of you and claim self-defence. Now, are you going to try and stop us or what?”

  “N…n…no,” he stuttered. Rayn’s actions had intimidated him so much that he couldn’t move, even after she had let him go. “There you go,” she said. “Prime example of girl power.” And the two friends ran out onto the steps. It was raining hard.

  “Isn’t this where we came in?” said Rayn, looking up. The girls linked arms and, laughing like crazy, they skipped, danced and splashed through the puddles and out the front gate, wallowing in their own audacity.

  ***

  “Amelia! How could you?” was Lucy’s shocked reaction when they told their mothers what they’d done.

  “Rayn!” thundered Bridie. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at? What brought this stupidity on?”

  “Sorry, we had some bad news,” apologised Rayn.

  “What? You’re not pregnant, are you?” Bridie was horrified.

  “Bridie! Shut up,” shouted Lucy from her wheelchair. “That’s enough.” She calmed down at Lucy’s uncharacteristic outburst.

  “Oh Rayn,” continued Bridie. “When I think of all the trouble I went to just to get you into school after all that nagging you gave me
. It’s not…”

  “But was that really my idea, Mum?” said Rayn, in a strangely gentle voice.

  Amelia saw the look that passed between their two mothers. Lucy had an ‘I told you so’ half smile on her face. Amelia’s next statement wiped it away completely.

  “Mum, I know there was more to my father’s death than you’ve told me,” she said. “I think it’s time we all sat down and had a good talk, don’t you?”

  Lucy stared at her daughter, unable to speak. She was dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events.

  “As for you, mother dear,” Rayn said to her bewildered mother.

  “I know that our name is not Mgee and you’ve been lying to me for years.” Rayn’s voice was getting louder and higher.

  Amelia knew she had to take the sting out of the situation. “Okay!” she said, matching Rayn for volume. Then, toning her voice down, continued, “It’s all right if you don’t want to right now. If you need more time then that’s fine. It’ll be all right, for now, to know that the answers are coming. Is that okay, Rayn?” Rayn stayed silent.

  “Is that okay, Rayn?” Amelia repeated more firmly.

  “Yeah, okay,” Rayn managed reluctantly. “That’s fine, for now.” There was an embarrassing silence, and Amelia could feel the four of them drifting apart as she turned to Bridie. “Can I ask a favour of you?” she asked.

  “Yes,” said a very distant Bridie. “What is it?”

  “Could you help Mum out this evening, please? Rayn and I stayed up all night talking and we really need some sleep.”

  “Yes, that’s fine,” answered Bridie. “Is that okay with you, Lucy?”

  Lucy, stunned and confused, gave a nod and willingly retreated to the sanctuary of her workshop.

  “And could you let Nigel and Molly know we won’t be in the gym tonight, please Bridie?” added Amelia.

  Bridie went over to the girls and gave them both a hug. “Don’t give up on us. You’re not ready for this yet, and neither are we. You’re too early,” she whispered to them. Then, in her normal voice, she continued. “Off you go now. See you later.”

  “Sorry Mum,” said Rayn. “Were you seeing Antonio tonight?”

  “No,” said Bridie. “He’s working. He started his new job today.”

  “What’s he doing?” asked Amelia.

  “He started as head chef up at Tetherington Hall. Isn’t that great?” she explained, proud for him.

  Amelia and Rayn crawled up the stairs, utterly deflated. Neither could think of a single thing to say to the other.

  ***

  The barbecue that Sunday was a great success. Everybody had an opinion on the girl’s behaviour. Molly, backed up by Nigel, was quite adamant, and vocal, on how they had ruined their chances of a good education and future prospects. That wasn’t surprising, considering their own upbringing, living in care, on the edge of the law.

  Lorraine and Sambo gave them ‘high fives’ and lots of encouragement. George didn’t make any remarks either way. He just chuckled, and their mothers refused to discuss the subject with anyone.

  Rayn contrived to get Claire into the woods as soon as she could and, when they were alone, she told her about the pentacle problem. She also told her not to write anything down or discuss it with anybody, even her sister. Claire’s confidence had been boosted by her success with the riddle.

  “Don’t make it easy, will you? Why can’t I tell Caz?”

  “Because there’s a certain amount of danger and we need to be very careful,” Rayn told her, not going into detail. Claire’s eyes widened at the prospect of real intrigue and agreed to the conditions.

  “Okay, I’ll see what I can come up with.” She said.

  It was later in the week that they were made aware of what they had instigated. Having thrown themselves into hard physical exercise to help quell the secret sense of elation that had developed, Amelia came back from a run one morning and found her mother at the dining room table with a pile of open letters strewn in front of her. “What’s this, Mum?” Amelia asked.

  “Consequences of your impudence,” her mother told her. “The rich pageant of life rolls out before you. There are a few letters here, which give the general consensus that you should be flogged and/or excommunicated. Those are the more polite ones. Several local religious groups want an interview. We’ve had lots of phone calls, some almost repeatable. Even our own local vicar has sent a note saying if you want to talk he is available at any time. He urges you to ‘reveal all for your own benefit’.” Lucy looked at her and gave her that open-palmed shrug.

  “That one from the vicar sounds like a threat to me, Mum. Isn’t this a bit of an over-reaction? We didn’t exactly bring down the Government, or discover the meaning of life. What’s going on?” complained Amelia.

  “I’m not worried about some idiots trying to justify their own existence,” replied Lucy. “It’s these that worry me,” and she indicated some letters she’d put to one side.

  “What are they?” asked Amelia. “Cheap day tickets to hell?” she laughed.

  “Almost,” said her mother seriously. “This one is from a solicitor representing the school. Talking about compensation for criminal damage to school property. There’s one from the school itself. Mentions theft and prosecution. Please return item within seven days, or else. What’s that all about? One from the school board exonerating the school and setting up a board of inquiry, with reference to the juvenile courts. Oh Amelia, what a mess.”

  “Wow. Talk about five minutes of fame. What can we do?”

  “Well, we can fight them in the courts. But there’s one here that I just can’t handle. I don’t know what to do.” It was the first time Amelia had ever seen her mother look defeated, and the guilt almost choked her as she said, “Mum, they’re just trying to frighten us,” trying to pacify her mother. “Are they trying to send us to jail?”

  “Sort of. Here, read this one.” Amelia took the letter, opened it and read in silence. Her face drained of colour and she gasped. “But Mum, they can’t do that, can they?”

  “Oh yes they can. It remains to be seen if they have sufficient grounds in this instance.”

  “Mum, I can’t let this happen. They can’t have you declared an unfit mother. It’s not true. Nobody would believe them. It’s not right. Oh Mum, I’m so sorry,” and she broke down in tears. Lucy, heart-broken at her daughter’s anguish held her close.

  “Hey, hey there. Stop now,” she said gently. “That won’t help. Let’s have a cup of tea and think about it.”

  As she went to the kitchen, Amelia’s mind was racing so fast she was in a daze. Random meaningless thoughts collided with these new problems, creating a vortex of confusion. As she watched the kettle, she was wondering if Einstein was right. Did time move slower if you remain motionless? She felt as if she were in her dream, falling helplessly through timeless space. But time didn’t stop; the kettle clicked off just as she landed. Her mind was clear. She knew what was wrong and what she had to do.

  She desperately wanted to discuss this with Rayn, but she was on her own in this one. Two words dominated her thoughts. Take control.

  She quickly made the tea and placed the cups on the table. “Mother, let me see those letters.” She scooped them all up and flipped through them at her top reading speed.

  “I thought so,” she said. “The school board, not the education authorities. No specific charges on theft and criminal damage. Possible unfit parent charges. This is a set-up, mother.”

  “How can you be sure?” asked Lucy.

  “The clincher is that lot.” She pointed to the pile of personal letters. “Not one of those mentions Rayn. If they were real, they would refer to both of us. But no, they are all aimed at just me.”

  “I’m sorry, my love. I don’t want to discuss this any…”

  “Well, you are going to have to, Mum,” demanded Amelia.

  “Now, don’t let your tea go cold. I’ll get your cigarettes.”

  “Amelia, wh
at are you up to?” asked Lucy.

  “Clarity, mother. Clarity, deduction and positive thinking,” she answered as she put an ashtray in front of her mother. “And this is what we’re going to do.”

  Lucy lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. “Go on,” she said, not quite sure about this shift in the balance of authority.

  “There’s only one relevant piece of information here. The rest of the letters are just a wind-up,” said Amelia.

  “And what’s that?”

  “The letter from Miss Dempsey. The accusation of theft. I didn’t steal anything. It was a personal gift, and they want it back so badly they would kill for it. In fact, I think they already have.”

  “Amelia!” cried a shocked Lucy. “This is outrageous. How could you think such a thing? And who are ‘they’?”

  Amelia left a deliberate pause, concentrating on her mother’s face. She hated to do this but knew there was no choice. All her senses were focused as she stared, calmly and evenly, into her mother’s eyes and spoke one word, softly.

  “Galileo.”

  Lucy’s expression didn’t change. Absolutely no reaction, but Amelia knew. A thorough lack of knowledge would have produced a response of some kind, but she could see and ‘hear’ here mother’s practised ability to disarm her inquisitors. But most of all she could almost taste the lie.

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re…” Lucy started to say, but Amelia talked straight over her. “Mother! I love you more than life itself. But if you continue to insult Rayn’s intelligence or mine any longer you’re looking at real trouble. Now, shut up, and listen.” This is it, she thought as her mother backed down. The game is on.

  “I would hazard a guess that the decision is not yours as to who tells us what or when, so I won’t ask. Just listen,” said Amelia, wondering how far was too far. “Galileo want what I have. They know I have it but they’ve been waiting. Now I know what they’re waiting for and when they have it they’ll destroy me, you, and the whole of Chimera, and the Sanddancers as well.”