by Nic Tatano
“So what did he want?” ask Roxanne.
“He wants to talk to me later. Probably needs to know if you’re tossing him aside like a used Kleenex. So what do you want me to tell him? The girl he likes occasionally moonlights as a carnival ride?”
“Hey, I’m going out with him tomorrow, though he doesn’t know it yet. Tell him he’s earned a place in the starting lineup.”
“How do you know he’ll go out with you tomorrow?”
She cocks her head to the side and her look says Seriously?
“Wow, a doubleheader weekend. Aren’t you the wild child.”
“Yeah. Penance could be off the charts.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I don’t normally like being the center of attention, but tonight it’s unavoidable. You’d never know the cell phone store was closed considering the amount of people here. Along with those of us providing brainwaves this evening, we also have my Mom, Fuzzball, Sebastien, a few members of The Council, and a couple of medical experts in the field of neurology.
The DeckTech phone activation station has been moved to a back room so that no one can see us through the store windows. Next to it sit a bunch of machines designed to monitor brainwave activity; one each for myself, Ryan and Roxanne; one for the phone. The three of us have electrodes attached to our heads and the two guys in the white lab coats with clipboards will be glued to the monitors.
I, of course, am hoping I’ll be paying a visit to Carrielle instead of my father in the future. The angel no doubt has insight into what my father is planning and how I can defeat him.
Did I just think that? Defeat my father? The thought makes me sad as I sit in the incredibly comfortable reclining leather chair that is used for activation. (If my father’s evil plan is to turn the entire world into couch potatoes, this is a good start.)
“Are you ready?” asks Sebastien.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say. “Let’s do this.”
Ryan stands by my side while Roxanne moves in front of me and takes my hands.
***
The sun warms my face as I find myself on a boardwalk, staring at the ocean as the waves gently lap the shore. I turn and look at the storefronts and the piers jutting out into the water, and recognize it as Atlantic City.
But the casinos are gone.
They’ve been replaced by orangeade stands, marquees advertising something bizarre. Pegasus, the diving horse! Kids dressed in rolled up jeans are playing skeeball and other old fashioned games. Women are wearing hats and long skirts. Man are decked out in white shirts and fedoras.
And then I realize this is Atlantic City of the past.
“I took a page from your grandmother’s photos.”
I turn and find Carrielle standing behind me, smiling as he hands me a drink.
“Try it,” he says.
I take a sip and savor the explosion of citrus flavor from the chilly orangeade. “Oh my God, that’s fantastic.”
“Before chemicals ruined the pure taste of everything God created.”
“My grandmother used to go on and on about her summer trips here. I always wished I could go back in time and experience it.”
“I know. I sensed you needed to be an average girl again.”
“Thank you. This is very nice.”
“Let’s walk, Jillian.”
We begin to slowly maneuver our way down the wooden boardwalk, passing a few beachgoers in bathing suits that cover just about everything. A little cart propelled by a man in a bicycle carries two women wearing wide brimmed hats with sashes tied under their chins holding them in place. A calliope plays in the distance, mixing with the sound of the waves and buzzers going off as kids win carnival games at the arcade.
“Carrielle, I need your help,” I say. “And I also need to remember what you tell me.”
He nods. “I understand. Normally it is policy that we do not let people remember, since Heaven must remain a matter of faith. But we will make an exception in your case. I can always erase your memories afterwards.”
“You can do that?”
“As you would say, we can pretty much do anything. However, we can only guide people in matters of free will. The ultimate decisions must rest with the individual. You father seems intent on interfering with that.”
“So is that what he’s up to?”
“We do not know his ultimate plan.”
“But Carrielle, I thought you could see several possible futures for me.”
“You are not under the influence of the dark forces which are preventing us from seeing your father’s future.”
“So has he made the proverbial deal with the devil?”
The angel ignores the question and stares straight ahead. “Jillian, you must be strong in the coming days. You have been wise to surround yourself with loyal friends and those who care about you. But at some point you may have to act alone.”
“I understand. What exactly is it you want me to do?”
“We do not know yet until your father’s true intentions become clear. But obviously you must find a way to stop him. I realize starting a relationship with him is distasteful to you, but it is now essential.”
“Yeah, that’s what Sebastien says.”
“You would be wise to take his advice. We believe your father’s only weakness may be his desire for a relationship with his only child. You can exploit that weakness if he believes you want a relationship as well. You must gain his trust.”
We reach the entrance to the Steel Pier. An old fashioned huckster dressed like Uncle Sam in a top hat is drumming up business. “See the amazing diving horse! See Pegasus jump into a tank of water from dizzying heights!” He turns to look at us. “How about it, you two? Want to see something amazing?”
“I already am,” I say.
“Yes,” says Carrielle, who takes my hand and leads me past the huckster.
“Don’t I need to get back?”
“Time has no meaning here,” he says. “Come, enjoy your grandmother’s memories. And then I’ll give you a gift.”
***
I know something’s different the moment I wake up.
However, I have no idea what it is. But it’s a subtle feeling, like I’ve grown up instantly or changed forever.
And, I can remember my talk with the angel. Most of it, anyway, until the diving horse hit the water. After that, nothing.
The good thing is that there are several smiling faces looking at me.
Mom runs her hand over my head. “You feeling okay, sweetie?”
I nod. “Yeah, Mom.” I turn to Sebastien. “Did it work?”
“The phone is activated.”
“So, our three brainwaves combined?”
He nods. “Yes, what the phone received was not yours alone. We detected both Ryan’s and Roxanne’s brainwaves.”
“Hey, you know what they say,” says Roxanne. “Great minds think alike.”
Ryan extends his hand. “You okay to stand up?”
I feel fine as I take it and get out of the chair, somehow energized. “Yeah, I feel great.”
“Do you feel your father’s presence in your head?” asks Sebastien.
“No. I feel normal.” I look at Roxanne. “Though I have this strange urge to cook Italian food and talk with my hands.”
Roxanne rolls her eyes. “It’s her all right.”
I notice the two medical people studying the monitors. “Can I see?”
One of the men in the white coats steps to the side. “Certainly.” He points to one of four monitors which sits atop the other three. “This is what the phone received. And each monitor below shows the brainwaves of you and your two friends.”
“Cool.”
Another machine starts spitting out a ribbon of paper; the lab rat grabs the printout and studies it, then suddenly furrows his brow. “Oh my.” He shows it to the other white coat.
My pulse quickens. “What? Something wrong?”
“It seems the phone does not include
three different brainwaves.”
Uh-oh. Several choice expletives are poised to strike. “I thought you said—”
“It has four.”
The upbeat mood instantly vanishes.
“But only three of us were hooked up,” says Roxanne. “Where did the fourth one come from?”
Sebastien begins to rub his forehead. “Oh, no.”
I look back at the lab guy. “What? Oh, no what?”
“Obviously,” says Fuzzball, who has been quiet up till this point, “the fourth brainwave pattern was already embedded in the phone.”
***
I didn’t have the chance to spend any alone time this weekend with Roxanne so I’m dying to know how her dates went. She had some family reunion out in Pennsylvania so the first time I saw her was last night when we activated the phone.
Speaking of which, the gold device from hell has been strangely quiet. Not even the usual, “Welcome to sporadic and lousy service from your new carrier. We hope you enjoy sounding like you’re in a barrel.” I’d assumed my father would know the nanosecond the thing came online and would send me a message, but so far, nothing.
As for outgoing stuff, I tried sending Ryan a text with my mind and it came out in gibberish. Thankfully the phone’s manual texting feature works fine for those who want to use it the old fashioned way, and I’ll have to do that to give my father have the impression that I’m using my mind. Meanwhile, I’m on pins and needles waiting for the thing to strike and find out what affect it has on me.
Roxanne slides her tray onto the table and sits down opposite me. “Anything yet?”
“All is quiet.”
“Hey, no news is good news.”
“Yeah, but it’s only a matter of time. I’d just as soon get it over with to find out what it will do to me.”
She sips a huge glass of milk and begins to poke at the entree of the day, free range pasta, named because the school system obviously got it for free after it presumably ran wild on one of those closeout store shelves until it passed its expiration date. The Body passes our table, making my heart skip while stealing my breath. (Hey, cut me some slack here. I’m Ryan’s girlfriend but I’m not blind.) The tower of muscle smiles at Roxanne, and she nods back.
I take in the enjoyable view until he’s out of range and turn to Roxanne. “So, details.”
“Friday or Saturday?”
“Let’s take them in order. What was Tyler like?”
She shakes her head. “TSTL to the second power.”
“You knew that going in.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t realize how dumb the guy was. Get this, he says he hates the time change coming up because he can barely stay up till two a-m to set the clocks forward.”
“Ohhhh… kaaaaaay. So, after the sparkling dinner conversation…”
“Went to a movie, which saved me the trouble of talking to him for two hours. After that we ended up back at his house and I got him out of my system. Honestly, the chiseled body and six-pack can only take a girl so far.”
“And how far is that?”
“To the brink of confession.”
“So, does this mean you’re no longer attracted to guys for superficial reasons?”
“Hell, no. A girl needs to ride in a Rolls Royce once in awhile, even if it doesn’t have any functioning gauges.”
“I see. And Saturday?”
I get a smile this time. “Jake was over-the-top in the behavior department. Showed up with a red rose, opened the car door, stood up when I went to the ladies room, pulled out my chair at the restaurant. He’s so terrified of losing me to Tyler he’ll do anything my little heart desires.”
“And what did it desire this weekend?”
“Again, brink of confession. Unless bending your date over your knee and spanking him is a sin.”
“Geez, Rox.”
“I’m kidding. Though while we were walking out of the movie I did slide my hand into his back pocket. I tell ya, you could bounce quarters off his ass.”
I notice Ryan leaving the serving line and heading our way. “Okay, wrap up the R-rated conversation—”
A sharp twinge in my head interrupts me and makes my face tighten. At the same time Roxanne drops her fork, which clangs loudly off her plate.
Ryan staggers a couple of feet from our table and drops his tray. It crashes to the floor and he hits his knees, doubled over in pain as he grabs his head.
“Ryan!” I get up and run to him, though a few boys get there first, one of whom is Jake. Ryan leans back and sits on the floor now, white as a ghost. “You okay?”
He cringes, eyes closed. “Migraine,” he says as he begins to rub his temples. “I’ll be okay.”
But Ryan doesn’t get migraines.
His friends help him to his feet while a cafeteria worker heads in our direction with a mop and bucket to clean up the mess. They walk him over to our table where we both sit down.
“What the hell happened?” I ask.
“Sharp pain in my head, all of a sudden,” he says. “It’s fading.”
“I got it too,” says Roxanne. “Though obviously not as bad.”
I open my purse, looking around to make sure no faculty are present. “I felt a twinge.” I tilt the phone up and see the screen is lit with a message.
Glad to see you’re hooked up, Jillian. See you soon. Dad.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You gotta text back. Now!” says Roxanne.
I turn toward Ryan. “You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah. Go.”
I see the school nurse heading toward Ryan, get up, and quickly head to the girl’s bathroom so no one can see me with a cell phone. Fortunately no one’s in there as I arrive, so I pull it out of my purse and manually text back.
Sure. FYI can’t text during school. Breaking rules doing this.
I slide the phone back into my purse and start to head back to the cafeteria when I get another twinge. I wince as I look at the phone.
Sorry. Talk later. Luv u.
I get another twinge, but it has nothing to do with the technology of the phone.
Meanwhile, I turn the phone off and rush back to my table. Did my father’s second text affect Ryan badly? And what about Roxanne?
I get my answer as I see them both smiling at me. The nurse packs up her first aid kit. “Is he okay?”
“He’ll live,” she says.
I wait for her to leave, then sit down. “I got a second text from him. Did you guys feel anything?”
Ryan shakes his head. “Not me.”
“Me neither,” says Roxanne, whose hand is being held by Jake. She cocks her head at him. “We need to bring him into the loop.”
She’s right. With Ryan affected so badly being near the phone or my father, it makes sense to have another guy on the team, and someone who will not be affected by the phone. I put my purse on the ground. “Obviously the thing has a range.” The implications of that hit me as I look at Ryan. “What did it feel like?”
“A knife in my head,” he says. “Like the rest of my body wouldn’t work and my legs became rubber. I never want to feel that again.”
“God, Ryan, I am soooo sorry.”
“Not your fault, Sparks.”
“You know what this means,” says Roxanne.
I nod as it hits me. “We can’t be together when the phone is turned on.”
***
So here’s the deal on why the phone affects different people in different ways. The geek squad at The Summit theorizes that it has something to do with our powers being different. Ryan was affected badly the first time I met my father, so it was natural that the phone would have a devastating effect as well. Roxanne ended up with a brief headache and a little dizziness while I simply got the twinge, which was sorta like a shock you get in the winter when you walk across the carpet. Only in your head.
I can at least take comfort in the fact that my father will not be able to affect me very much. But I’m terrified what a third enc
ounter would do to Ryan, which means I want to start “the relationship” with my father as soon as possible. I need to end this, whatever it is, as soon as possible. I can’t risk Ryan’s safety.
Like the angel said, at some point I may have to do this alone.
It’s all on the back burner as I begin a reading for a regular client, a just-turned-forty housewife who is dateless and desperate. The clouds in the crystal ball begin to clear.
And then I feel it.
The twinge.
But my phone is at home.
Dark images begin to flash in the crystal ball.
Then I get a quick flash of my father’s face. Smiling at me, looking at me as though he’s actually there.
And I know the twinge, or whatever I felt, has manifested itself.
He’s done something to my brain.
***
Mom is terrified.
But I have to do this. I have to start sometime. I know she’s being a protective parent, but it’s time.
I haven’t told Ryan or Roxanne as I don’t want any collateral damage. I’m going rogue. And if I’m to gain my father’s trust, I have to appear unafraid of him. I can’t meet him with backup like I did at the mail drop.
I thought about sending my alter ego, but I’m saving that trump card for later, since I’m pretty sure I’ll need it. Besides, we’re meeting for dinner, and I actually have to eat and drink.
My father wanted to pick me up in his limo, but I nixed that idea. I knew Mom wouldn’t want him anywhere near our house. I also want to be able to make a quick getaway if needed. So I’ll simply take a cab both ways.
We’re going to meet at one of the city’s swankiest and most expensive restaurants since he’s beyond rich. (I figure if I have to do this, I might as well get a two hundred dollar lobster out of it.)
“You’re growing up too fast,” says Mom, standing behind me as I put the finishing touches on my makeup. My hair is already up and my conservative turquoise suit has a knee length skirt. I’ve added a high necked eggshell silk blouse as I’m trying to look as mature as possible. I could probably pass for twenty-one. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I put my war paint tools on the vanity, stand up and give her a hug. “But I only want to look confident.”