Malika immediately dropped it on the ground.
Eddie’s eyes went wide. “Whoa! What are you—” Before he could finish, Malika smashed his phone with the heel of her pink Velcro shoe. “Are you kidding me?” Eddie groaned. “I didn’t even post it. Why the hell did you do that?”
“Everyone needs to destroy their phones,” Malika said. “They can track you with them, if they have not already.”
“She’s right,” Naomi agreed. “That’s why I never use them.”
“Mine’s just a burner, anyway,” Antony said. He dropped his phone on the ground and heel-stomped it to pieces.
Charlie was a little more hesitant than Antony but did the same, anyway.
“This sucks,” Eddie whined. “How am I gonna take pics or update my status now?”
“You aren’t,” Naomi said.
“I know,” Eddie said. “That’s what’s killing me.”
“How’s this?” Antony said. “Anytime you have a funny status, you can just tell me.”
“Do you promise you’ll like it?” Eddie said. “You know, give it a thumbs up.”
“Yeah, sure,” Antony said as he rolled his eyes.
“You gotta be more enthusiastic than that.”
“Yeah!” Antony flashed two thumbs and every tooth in his mouth.
“That’s more like it. Still not the same, though.”
All eyes turned to JP, who flipped his phone in his hand.
“What?” JP snapped in response to their stares. “I’m not doing it. I just paid two hundred bucks for this phone. I’ll turn it off, but I’m not breaking it.”
“That is not good enough,” Malika said. “I would have had all of you destroy your phones earlier, but I knew that it would receive this kind of reaction. We did not have the time to argue then, and we barely have it now.”
“I don’t care,” JP said. “And you know what? I’m really tired of being bossed around by a little girl. I don’t care if you are an angel.”
“Little girl?” Malika said. “I was a little girl many thousands of years ago. I only picked this form because I assumed it would be less intimidating. But if you would rather see me in my true angelic form, I can change.”
“Honestly, I don’t know that I wanna see you in any form.”
“The choice is yours. While I am here for your protection, I cannot force you to accept it. Nor can I force you to join us. All I can do is insist that if you choose to come with us, you follow a few rules so that the others are not put in jeopardy.”
“Well, then, maybe I won’t come with you.”
“Like I said, the choice is yours.”
Naomi could tell that JP was actually considering making good on his threat. She grabbed him by the arm. “You can’t seriously be thinking about leaving so you can keep your phone. You can’t go home. Where would you go?”
“Come on,” Charlie implored. “You won’t stand a chance on your own. None of us do. You just need to trust her.”
JP chewed on the corner of his lip like it was a piece of gum as he eyeballed Malika, still trying to decide where he stood: Should he stay or should he go?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
JP continued to flip his phone in his hand and chew on his lip while the others waited with bated breath for him to make up his mind.
Malika was over waiting. She knew that the orphans were anything but safe and needed to keep moving. “Whatever your decision is,” Malika said, “you must decide right now.”
JP said nothing. Whether he was serious or just seeing how far he could push Malika, none of the other orphans could tell.
Malika didn’t care. Her main focus was protecting Charlie and those who welcomed her protection. “I will take that as a no,” she said, and then turned to the others. “It is—”
“Fine!” JP blurted, cutting her off. “I’ll stay, but only for everyone else, not you. And for the record, I’m still not happy about this.”
“I did not ask you to be,” Malika said.
“Clearly,” JP said. He laid his phone on the pavement, rested his heel on the device, and pushed down with a crunch.
As soon as JP lifted his foot off of the cracked device, Malika gave it an extra stomp for good measure.
“Thanks,” JP said sarcastically. He picked up the inoperable phone. “I’m gonna keep it just in case this is covered under the warranty. Although I’d probably have better odds playing the water-damage card.”
“New status,” Eddie announced. “Off the grid for barely a minute. Hashtag sucks already.”
“Wow, I feel bad for everyone on social media that missed out on that gem,” Naomi said sarcastically.
Eddie turned to Antony. “How do you feel?”
“Like,” Antony said. He gave two thumbs up for effect.
“Newer status,” Malika said. “It is time to find our van.”
The orphans and Malika split up and hastily scoured the aisles of the scrapyard. Most of the cars were in varying stages of disrepair, but there were a few serviceable vehicles scattered about. It wasn’t long before Charlie found a decently maintained Volkswagen van, which closely resembled the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, and called to the others to join him.
When Naomi opened the van’s sliding side door, she was immediately hit by the dense smell that had been trapped in there for who knows how long. “Oh my God,” she said as she fanned her face. “It smells like it was the tour bus for some hippie jam band.”
“Probably was,” Eddie said. He held up a tie-dyed shirt and drumstick he’d retrieved from the van. “It’s also pretty obvious why they call these places junkyards.”
“As long as it starts,” Malika said, “it will be sufficient.”
JP climbed into the front seat. He searched the steering column for the keys. “I don’t know that we’re gonna find out,” he said. “Unless someone here knows how to hotwire a car?”
“I don’t,” Eddie said. “But I’m sure one of us has to.” He turned to Antony.
“Why the hell did you look at me after you said that?” Antony said. “It better not be ‘cause I’m black.”
“No, man,” Eddie replied, shaken. “It was because you’re standing next to me. I was actually trying to look at Charlie.”
“Good.”
They both looked to Charlie.
“Well?” Eddie said. “You know how to boost cars?”
“Sorry,” Charlie said. “I don’t know cars, just computers.”
Everyone turned to Naomi, the only one yet to respond.
“I don’t know cars or computers,” Naomi said.
“Can’t you do something?” Charlie asked Malika.
“There are only a few things I am able to do on Earth,” Malika said. “Unfortunately, starting cars is not one of them.”
“I guess we need to find another ride,” JP said as he climbed out of the van. “If there even is one. I know I didn’t see anything.”
“All right! Fine,” Antony said as he threw his hands up in defeat. “I might know how to hotwire the car.”
“Seriously?” Eddie said. “Why’d you get so mad at me?”
“Because you just assumed I knew how to do it. And I’m not some stereotype. Besides, I’ve never actually done it myself. I’ve just seen my cousin do it a bunch of times. It’s how he starts his car.”
“Are you sure it’s actually ‘his’ car?”
“If you ever meet him, you can ask him. He’s about your weight, but all muscle.”
“You know what? I’m gonna pass and just assume it is.”
Antony hopped in the driver’s seat and got to work removing the steering column and detangling wires. The others swiftly cleared all of the garbage out of the vehicle, keeping their noses plugged the whole time. The cleaners finished first and then waited for Antony.
/>
“One more second,” Antony said as he put the final touches on his hotwiring job. “That’s all she wrote. Time for the moment of truth.”
The others crossed their fingers and held their breath as Antony tapped the wires together. Sparks flew, and the engine sputtered for a couple seconds before turning over. They all congratulated Antony with high-fives and slaps on the back.
“All right, where to?” Antony said.
“I will drive,” Malika said.
“I don’t know what the driving age is for angels,” Eddie said, “but it’s sixteen for humans. And you don’t exactly look sixteen. We’ll get pulled over in seconds.”
“I had no intention of driving like this.” Malika brought her hands together at her chest as if she were praying. In a sudden burst of white light, Malika transformed, gaining twenty years in age and beauty. While her wings stayed hidden, Malika’s halo returned, along with a bright golden aura that pulsed around the outside of her body.
JP and Charlie’s jaws dropped, but neither fell as far as Eddie’s, which practically hit the soiled floor of the old van.
“What’s, uh … how did you … wow,” Eddie babbled.
“I think what he’s trying to say is that that’s gotta be the true angelic self you mentioned, right?” Antony said.
“It is,” Malika said as her aura and halo faded away.
“I take back what I said about not wanting to see you in any form,” JP said.
The guys weren’t the only ones affected by Malika’s beauty; so was Naomi, whose eyes focused on Malika’s figure and all of its curves. Naomi instantly became self-conscious, pulling her flannel shirt tight to cover her own body. She elbowed JP and Eddie to rouse them from their stupor. “You guys are like a pack of dogs.”
“Woof,” Eddie said, still staring at Malika. “I can’t wait to go to sleep. I’m gonna have some good dreams tonight.”
“That is a fantastic idea,” Malika said. “All of you could use some rest. It has been a very hectic day.”
“No! No! No! I said tonight, not now.”
“Now is always the best time for anything. Resting will help your body and mind.”
“But I’m not even close to tired.”
“Me either,” JP agreed.
“Do not worry,” Malika said, “I can take care of that.” She brought her hands together at her chest and mumbled a couple words to herself.
Eddie reached out to stop her, “Wait—”
But before he could finish, his arm fell to his side, and he slunk in his seat. The same happened to the rest of the orphans, whose bodies went slack like participants in a hypnotist’s show.
Malika smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she had cast a sleep prayer, one of the few powers that she was able to exercise on Earth. She made sure everyone was buckled into their seats, and then threw the car in gear and hit the gas.
The van’s tires spat rocks as the vehicle picked up steam on the gravel road before barreling through the locked front gates and disappearing off into the distance.
◆ ◆ ◆
No more than five minutes later, Terry’s Bentley passed through the wrecked junkyard entrance, followed by the blacked-out suv that had been stationed near Charlie’s.
The cars parked, and Terry and his men got out. Cain, Max, and the three other Beasts immediately set off combing the lot, while Terry stayed next to the car, his eyes doing all of the work.
Terry noted the twisted metal that was the front gates as well as the tire marks on the road, and put two and two together. “We missed them,” he called to his men. Terry scanned the rest of the junkyard. He spotted the busted cell phones about thirty feet away, walked over, and picked them up. He checked each phone. None of them worked.
“Is it possible they’re getting help?” Terry asked Cain as he and the other Beasts rejoined him.
“It’s possible, but not likely,” Cain said.
“There’s at least one phone missing. We’ll have to keep our trace open in case it draws a signal.” Terry chucked the broken phone that was in his hand. It bounced across the dirt until it hit against the concrete wall of a small office building and shattered to pieces. He started for the car, but stopped when a thought flashed through his head.
Terry turned back to the office building. His gaze traveled up the side until it reached the corner roof. Underneath was a tiny security camera, which was pointed in the direction of the busted gate. “Looks like they’re right about God,” Terry quipped. “When he shuts one door, he really does open another. Now, speaking of opening doors.” He gestured to the door to the main office.
Cain and Max wasted no time executing Terry’s orders. They kicked down the door, splintering it at the hinges, and then entered the building.
Terry strolled in just behind his men. He went straight for the closet in the corner that was marked “Security.” Cain lifted his leg, preparing to kick it in, but Terry stopped him. “Let’s try the handle first.” Terry jiggled the door handle. “What do you know?” With a twist, he opened the door.
Inside the closet-sized room was an equally small setup: a couple recording devices and a thirteen-inch black-and-white tv resting on a flimsy metal cart.
Terry rewound the security footage until he reached the part where the van rammed through the front gate. He rewound a couple seconds more and paused the video. Through the shotgun window, Malika was clearly visible. “Did anyone see this girl enter the house?” Terry said as he pointed to her on the tv screen.
Two of the three new additions shook their heads.
The last Beast spoke up, “There was a girl that had similar features, but she was much younger. At least twenty years.”
Terry looked to Cain, a gesture for his opinion.
“I was wrong,” Cain said. “They might be getting help.”
“It appears so,” Terry said. He pressed play on the recorder and let the video play until the back of the van was in full view. He grabbed a Post-it note from a nearby desk, took down the license plate, and handed the Post-it note to Cain.
“Do you want me to work with our people in the police department and put out an apb?” Cain asked.
“No,” Terry said. “I don’t think that’s best. I would rather this be handled discreetly, through back channels. Sift through all of the government surveillance feeds that we have access to, and find where they are going yourself.”
“Of course. We’ll get on it right away.”
Terry stared at the van on the tiny tv screen. “One more thing first. Destroy any evidence that we were ever here.”
Cain nodded. Then, with one sweeping hammer-fist, he turned the tv and recording devices into a smoking heap of electronic rubble.
“Good,” Terry said with a smirk. “Now find them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Malika sat in the driver’s seat of the parked van, watching through the windshield as the sun started to rise from behind the pine-covered mountains just ahead. The sun’s rays crept across her body and landed on her face. She squinted her eyes and smiled.
After soaking up the sun for a couple more seconds, Malika bowed her head and said a couple words to herself. Tiny sparks of gold began to explode from her skin like air bubbles bursting from a freshly poured glass of champagne as she transformed back to her younger self. Once the process was complete, she snapped her fingers. “We’re here,” she said to the sleeping orphans in the back of the van.
Charlie and the others slowly came to.
Eddie looked to the driver’s seat where the now-young Malika was smiling at them. “I had the weirdest dream last night,” he said as he let out a full body yawn. “I dreamt that you were way older and smoking hot.”
“That wasn’t a dream,” Antony said. “That really happened.”
Eddie shot up in his seat, suddenly
alert. “Seriously? Why did you change back?”
“Probably because of the way you all acted,” Naomi said. “And the way you’re acting now.”
“Naomi is correct,” Malika said. “You are too easily distracted. In time, you might be able to see me in my true form, but that time is not now.”
“That’s not true,” Eddie said. “I can totally handle it. I think we should vote on it, right?” He looked to the others for support.
“Of course,” JP agreed as he nodded a little too excitedly. “That would obviously be the democratic thing to do. Last time I checked, this is America.”
“What do you think, Charlie?”
Before Charlie could pick a side, Naomi emphatically cleared her throat to get his attention. Charlie swallowed hard as he took in her steely eyes, which he found to be both intimidating and, at the same time, unbelievably captivating.
Naomi shook her head as if to say, “Don’t even think about saying yes.”
Eddie took exception to Naomi’s attempt to influence the vote. “Don’t look at her,” he said to Charlie. “Look at us. Bros before—”
Naomi turned her glare toward Eddie. “Before what?”
“Beautiful, intelligent women, of course.”
“Uh … ” Charlie stuttered, still undecided if he should listen to his head or his heart.
“Enough,” Malika said. “There will be no vote. Everybody out.” She hopped out of the van.
“Nice one,” JP said sarcastically to Charlie as they and the rest of the orphans rolled out of the van’s sliding door.
Charlie didn’t respond. He was too embarrassed. He just glanced at Naomi, who was taking in their new surroundings.
“So where are we?” Naomi said.
“About fifteen miles north of Lake Tahoe,” Malika said.
“It looks like The Little House on the Prairie,” Eddie said.
“You know what a prairie is, right?” Naomi asked.
Save for the small clearing about the size of a soccer field where they were standing, there was nothing around them that even remotely resembled a prairie. It was a mountainous sea of evergreens that extended in every direction as far as the eye could see.
The Orphans (Orphans Trilogy Book 1) Page 13