by Jim Johnson
She shook her head. I know. I sensed the matrix within it breaking under the Spinner’s will. There are a few pages left connected to it, but the book itself and the matrix it held, is ruined. She offered a sad smile. Like yourself, I am homeless.
I shook my head. “I am so sorry, Charity.”
She sighed. Not to make things worse, but it’s worse than you think, Rachel. Without the matrix within the journal, without another matrix to house my immortal soul, I’m effectively a lost soul now, unconnected to the mortal world and free to roam the world until I’m ready to enter the Holding.
I stared at her. “Oh, Gods. I didn’t think of that. Is…is there a way we can build you a new matrix?”
She met my eyes but looked away quickly, afraid or unwilling to answer. She dropped my hands and then sat her etheric form down, cross-legged on the etheric floor. I honestly don’t think so, Rachel. The journal was constructed by several very powerful ley practitioners, and they’re all long dead and buried. The ley techniques they used to create that matrix and other things besides were lost with them. If they had written any of their lore down, I don’t know of it.
I sat down next to her. “But…you’ve said there are other groups out there, like the Weavers, that can work the ley. Perhaps one of them can…?”
She shrugged and my heart broke at the hopelessness she exuded. It’s possible, but I don’t know how much time I have. I already feel listless and unfocused. When I had the matrix to recharge within, it gave me renewed sense of self and focus. Now… Charity shook her head. Now I just feel like a tired old woman who has lingered in this world far too long.
I bit my lip to keep from sobbing, but I was unable to stop the flow of tears down my cheeks. The utter heartbreak that I heard so clearly in her voice was impossible to ignore. I took a few moments for an ugly cry, then took a few deep breaths to regain my center. Charity just sat there, across from me, looking more lost than I had seen anyone ever look before.
I reached out again and took her hands in mine. “Charity, I cannot imagine what you must be feeling and what you must be going through, but know I’m here for you, and here to help if I’m able.”
She inclined her head and smiled a tired smile. Thank you, that means a lot to me.
I sighed. “Not sure I can be much help right now, but I’ll do what I can. I’m starting to regain my composure.”
Which was true. Feeling had come back into my arms and legs, like pins and needles after blood flow is cut off for a while. Ley threads were reappearing in my Sight, and the rich smells of cooked bacon and eggs and fresh coffee were assaulting my deprived senses.
The smells were encouraging, but I had to wonder just where the hell I was.
Even though I didn’t vocalize the thought, a voice nearby said, “You’re safe, and in good hands. You can open your eyes any time, Rachel.”
I felt some sort of weight come off my eyes and face. I could see warm light even through my closed eyes, and carefully opened them, reaching up with my hands to shield my eyes from the worst of the light.
It wasn’t so bad, so I dropped my hands and opened my eyes fully. I was in a small but cozy medical room, stretched out on a bed. Several machines were parked next to the bed, connected to the bed or to me with a variety of sensors or other gizmos. There was a flat-screen television mounted to the wall opposite me.
A kindly older woman dressed in light blue scrubs sat in a rolling chair next to my bed, looking at me with a soft smile. She had a white towel in her hands, which I assumed had been used as a compress on my face. Her name tag read “Carol”.
I blinked a few times, getting used to the light and taking in my surroundings. There were no windows in the room, and two doors. One was ajar and clearly led to a bathroom. The other was closed and had a small window set into the center of it. I assumed it led out into a hallway. I couldn’t see out of it because of the angle I was at in the bed,
Carol said, “There, that’s better. I’m going to guess you’re hungry, and thirsty.” She reached over to a tall rolling tray that had a covered glass of water on it along with a domed plate of food.
I nodded my head toward the tray. “That’s gotta be the source of the bacon and eggs I’m smelling.”
Her smile widened and then she helped me get the bed set up straight so that I could sit up in bed. My legs and body were working fine, and I wasn’t strapped down to the bed, but the lethargy that I’d been feeling was still wearing off.
Carol rolled the cart over to the side of my bed and extended the tray so that it hung over my lap within easy reach.
I nodded my thanks and then pulled off the metal dome and set it aside. Sure enough, there were scrambled eggs, several cuts of fatty bacon, a bowl of steamed veggies, and a glass of water on the tray, along with the expected napkins and utensils. There was also an empty mug and a small kettle that had to contain the coffee I was smelling.
She indicated the kettle. “Want some coffee? Can’t say it’s the best I ever tasted, but it’s better than nothing.”
I waved a hand as I grabbed a slice of bacon and pretty much just inhaled it. “I’d love a cup. Milk and sugar if we’ve got it.” A glance at the tray showed that both were included, so Carol poured me a cuppa and I added my preferred dose of milk and sugar and then stirred it.
I wanted the food and such first, because I needed my strength up to cast out for some ley threads to shore up my internal batteries. I did just that, finding the threads around here a bit sluggish. Or maybe I was still sluggish, it was hard to tell.
I downed a second slice of bacon and a mouthful of eggs, then washed it down with some water. I glanced at her as she sat on her chair, watching me eat, an unreadable look on her face.
Feeling my internal batteries starting to charge up, I reached out with a thin thread to pick up any surface thoughts or feelings from her, but my thread was gently rebuffed by a strong set of shields that briefly sparked with a bright azure color before the light faded out.
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her. She shook her head slightly but kept the smile on her face. “Don’t worry, my dear. You’re not among mundanes right now. Everyone in this building is Awakened and shielded. Agency orders.”
That raised my other eyebrow. “What agency?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, you haven’t had a chance to be debriefed yet. Suffice to say that we’re not here to hurt you, and that you’re safe within these walls for as long as you’re a guest here.”
I lowered my eyebrows and continued to eat, though my brain was going about a hundred miles an hour as I processed question after question and discarded them one after another.
Finally, I picked one and went with it. “Where am I, anyway?” I gestured around the room with my fork. “No windows.”
She nodded. “We’re in an interior room. You’re in a government hospital within the limits of Washington, D.C. I should also tell you it’s just after eight in the morning, and it’s been two days since the…incident at your group house.”
I stared at her. Not a lot of people used the term ‘group house’, so I guessed she understood that I lived there with several other house mates.
“That’s still a pretty broad area of land. Are we in Northwest, Southwest, what?”
She shrugged. “If it matters, we’re in a facility in Southeast D.C. But, rest assured, you are safe here.”
I frowned. “That’s the second time you’ve said that. Is there something I should be worried about that I’d feel better that I’m safe here?”
Her gentle expression hardened slightly, and I caught just the momentary glance of a flinty look in her eyes. “You’re Awakened, Rachel. You tell me. Are there threats out there to Awakened beings?”
Well, duh. I didn’t vocalize it, but I guess it was clear on my face.
“That’s right. There are countless threats out there in the ley grid and within the etheric clouds. Even in the Holding if you’re not aware.”
My eyes widened and I think I did a crappy job of hiding it. I’d never been real good about hiding my expressions—my poker face was worth diddly-squat.
“Surprised?”
I nodded. “I just…I don’t have that many people in my life I can talk openly about, you know…the ley threads, the etherics, even the Holding. Just, you know…a couple people.”
That last sentence came out super-lame, but I didn’t take it back. It dawned on me that I shouldn’t be so eager to name everyone I knew who happened to be either Awakened or aware of what I was capable of using the threads and my abilities.
“Well, as I stated, everyone in this building is Awakened, and most will be happy to talk to you at length, if you’re so inclined.” She stood up from her chair, and a clear veneer of ‘all business’ seemed to descend upon her.
“Now that you’re awake, please finish your breakfast and freshen up as needed.” She indicated the bathroom door. “Restroom is there. You’ll find your clothes and things in the small dresser to your left. Your friend Abbie provided us with some clean clothes and took away your dirty ones.”
Oh my God, Abbie! “Where is Abbie? Is she all right? Where is she staying?” The questions leaped out of me hard and fast.
Carol raised a hand. “Easy, Rachel. I’ll send in Special Agent Bello. He’ll have all the answers to your questions.” She headed for the main door, and paused before opening it. “Well, most of them anyway.”
I frowned at her as she opened the door and left without looking back at me. The door closed behind her, and I didn’t hear a lock or anything, though if it had an electronic lock or some other means of securing, I didn’t know.
I stared at the door for a few moments, then decided I needed to be as ready as I could for trouble. I wolfed down the last of my breakfast, gathering up ley threads and filling my etheric batteries just as I was filling up my stomach.
Then, I did my business in the bathroom and then dressed quickly. Abbie had left some of my favorite clothes, and my precious crystal pendant had been set on top of the stack of clothes.
Once dressed, I sat on the edge of the bed and tied on my sneakers, and prepped a shielding spell that could double as an etheric wave if needed. Either Bello was going to come into this room and start answering some questions, or I was gonna knock down that door and go find some myself. I was done screwing around.
Chapter Twenty-Three
FORTUNATELY FOR THE DOOR, BELLO SHOWED up shortly after Carol left. He knocked on the door and then opened it after I called out.
He offered me a slight smile and then stepped in and closed the door behind him. “If you’re more comfortable sitting at the desk, feel free. No need to stay on that bed.”
He indicated the small desk set against one of the room’s walls, along with the small chair tucked underneath it. He grabbed the rolling chair Carol had used, and sat down.
Wary, I pushed myself off the bed and moved over to the desk and pulled out the small chair. I perched on the edge of it, feeling better from having eaten something, but especially bette for having access to the ley threads again.
I stared at him expectantly, waiting for the inevitable barrage of questions.
He took a deep breath, let it out, and then asked, “How are you feeling?”
I frowned. “I guess I didn’t expect you to lead off with that one?”
He inclined his head to the side, and crossed his arms. “What did you think I’d start off with?”
I shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. Maybe ‘what the hell were you doing, Rachel’, or maybe ‘do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in, Rachel?’ Either of those, I guess.”
He nodded, a serious look on his face. I didn’t even need to reach out through the etherics to know he had shields up and running. The man’s presence within the ley was practically shining through his brown skin and expertly tailored navy blue suit.
“To answer both of those, I have a fair idea what you were doing, and no, you’re not in any trouble, at least not from me and the agency I work for. I’d gather there’s someone out there giving you trouble, though.”
I nodded, but didn’t let down my guard. “Something like that.”
He raised one thin eyebrow. “I’d say something exactly like that, given what I saw at your house a couple days ago.”
I rested my chin in my hands and sighed. “Christ, has it been two days? What the hell happened to me?”
He uncrossed his arms and rested them on the armrests of the chair. “Well, that’s a question that deserves an honest answer. You were exhausted by the time we got to your house, and you passed out just as we made it up the stairs. Fortunately we have trained medical personnel on staff, so we were able to get you out of the house and into our medical facility before your adversary decided to strike out again.”
I took that all in, and then asked, “But why was I out for two days?”
“Well, I have to admit that we did sedate you slightly in order to make it easier to get you here under cover of our shielding and other protective barriers. Under normal circumstances we would never do so without consent, but at the time it seemed the safest route. This entity you have gunning for you isn’t fooling around, but I’m sure you knew that.”
I nodded, the numbness from the last few events coming back to settle into my mind. “God, don’t I know it. Tonia, and Cooper…” I stared at him. “What about Jackie and Penny?”
Bello sighed. “We haven’t been able to track down Jackie at all. No trace of her. We have a specially trained forensics team going over the house closely. Penny was picked up yesterday and is currently in a safe house. She’s been told what happened and identified Cooper’s body in the morgue.”
Despite the frankness of his tone and my love-hate relationship with Penny, and to a lesser extent Cooper, tears sprang to my eyes, though I held myself together so that I didn’t turn into a sobbing wreck. “And Abbie, and Malcolm? Where are they?”
“Abbie’s also in a safe house. She’s at work now, actually. We have agents keeping an eye on her, discreetly of course, just in case your enemy decides to lash out at your friends and family again.”
“That’s why you’re watching Branchwood too?”
He nodded. “Exactly. Not just because he previously targeted your grandpa and Malcolm’s grandmother, but also because he once used Branchwood as a nexus of power. Sometimes Awakened people grow in ability but keep returning to areas they know best.”
I was still feeling numb, but reached over for my mug of cold coffee and sipped it. “Can I ask a favor?” I hated asking, but it seemed fair.
“Sure. I don’t know if I’ll be able to grand it, though.”
I waved off his concern. “That’s fine, just a request. My friend Bonita, I work part-time at her store in Del Rey. She’s…she’s aware of what Malcolm and I are and might be a target for the Spinner.”
He frowned. “The Spinner?”
I nodded. “That’s how my enemy, adversary, whatever, calls himself. It’s how we’ve referred to him all this time.”
“We?”
I nodded. “Malcolm and I.”
He stared at me, his bright brown eyes large. “Anyone else?”
I met his eyes and did all I could to manage a straight, stern face. I wasn’t about to tell him about Charity or Miss Chin. “And Bonita, I guess. Oh, and Abbie.” I sighed. “I couldn’t keep all this from her. It was tearing me apart not telling my girlfriend the truth about what was happening to me.”
He had raised a hand to stroke his clean-shaven chin while I spoke. After I finished, he dropped his hand back to the armrest. “I see. Did your…your house mates also know?”
I shook my head. “No, none of them had a clue. I was pretty careful to keep any of it from them.” Except for that one night where I suspected Miss Chin had come calling and had wiped all our memories, but I wasn’t about to mention that, either.
He nodded, more to himself, I thought, than at anything I was saying.
“Understood.”
I sighed. “So, Bello…hey.” I changed my train of thought mid-track. “Look, do you have a first name?”
He offered a sidelong grin. “Of course I do. I told you a while back, but I guess I’m not surprised you don’t remember. You never did get around to calling me. It’s Anson, but most people just use my initials, A.J..”
I nodded. “All right, A.J. Calling you ‘Bello’ or ‘Agent’ just seems lame, all things considered.” I sighed. “So what happens now, A.J.?”
He leaned forward in his chair toward me, seeming to grow another foot in height. I wasn’t going to let myself be cowed, but I have to admit I was feeling pretty tiny at that moment.
“That’s up to you, Rachel. Unfortunately, your house is unlivable. It’s the scene of two murders, a partial fire, and a possible kidnapping. You won’t be able to go back there any time soon. However, if you need anything from there, like clothes or something, make a list and I’ll send someone to get it.”
I pondered that and then nodded. “All right. It sucks to lose the house, but I guess I was just renting anyway. Was the owner notified?”
He nodded. “We got the information from Penny and are working out the details. They have insurance and my agency will help with some of the financials. Abbie and Penny are in safe houses, and you and Malcolm are our guests for as long as you want to be.”
“We’re free to go?”
“You’re not under arrest.”
I snorted. “Not exactly an answer to my question.”
He spread his hands out. “Well, you’ve got me there. But here’s some more truth: you’re in the safest place you can possibly be from this Spinner character.”
I nibbled on my lower lip, then said, “I’d like to believe that, I really would. But don’t think too poorly of me if I say I’m not so sure.”
He raised an eyebrow again. “Why would you say that?”
I sighed. “Because there sure hasn’t been a safe place yet. Branchwood, the Holding, my house…the streets of D.C. It seems like no matter where I am or have been, the Spinner is able to get to me.”