by KD Knight
She looked up at me from the corner of her eye. "Here's the million dollar question: why would the destroyer with this power care about one sixteen-year-old girl?"
"I don't know."
"There is only one person who can answer that question, and that's the General himself."
"Jane, I know you are not that stupid…"
"What did you just call me?" She barked.
"I said you were not that stupid."
She sat silently, twirling her fingers around her pendant. "So what do you suggest I do at night when every bang, every creek, makes me think that a Nephilim is right outside?"
"You call me," I said, pulling her hand from her pendant. Her Tamarind skin was soft and cool. He fingers were thin and delicate. She quickly pulled her hand away and I returned to my steering wheel. "I'll stay up with you."
Her cheeks flushed. "I can't ask you to do that."
"Why not?"
We pulled into the school’s busy parking lot. A few noisy students walked by the car door, stealing a curious glance through the window. Their nosey expressions sparked a memory of me looking through an old dirty window at the Eshkar Council headquarters. An idea began to unfold. "There might be something we can do."
"Boothe, I am not calling you at 2:00 in the morning because I hear a twig snap outside my window…"
"Will you hear me out?"
She gestured for me to continue.
"When I was young, my dad took me to this library somewhere out in Port Royal. He said it was some sort of archive. There were all sorts of old books about the Eshkar history. I’m thinking that if it has our history, maybe it has a bit of Nephilim history as well. Maybe there's something in those books connecting you and Aramos.” It wasn't much, but maybe it would be enough to satisfy her.
"Maybe I can find clues of where he's hiding."
"We are looking for the answer to your question, the connection between you and Aramos. That's it. We take what we find and hand it over to the E.I. Let them take Marcus and the General on."
Suddenly, her eyes brightened. "Port Royal? My cousin Kevin mentioned that place."
"It's the Eshkar Council headquarters for the entire Caribbean."
The silver sparks in her eyes flared. "How do I get there?"
"Um, this plan is still in the idea stage. We should consult Coy on this. On the outside the headquarters it looks like an old building. But that's a deliberate attempt to ward off Normals. Don't get it twisted, no one can just stroll into their archives."
"How did you get in?"
"My father was the Council Chairman back when Coy was an E.I. To answer your next question, my father will never help us get in. I'm going to try my best to make sure he knows nothing about it, which is going to be a challenge. Money buys you a lot of spies."
"Coy was an E.I. Maybe he'll help us." She said enthusiastically.
As we stepped out of the air conditioned car and into the morning heat, I remembered something my adopted mother told me. She said that we each have a purpose, the reason we are placed on this earth. For some, that purpose may be as grand as fighting for your country; for others, it may be small, like smiling at a cashier. At the end of the day, each purpose is equally valuable, equally important.
Watching Jane, I realized that my purpose maybe to protect her. But this headstrong girl won’t make that an easy job.
"I'll wait here for you after school." I said as we entered the building.
I didn't want to leave her side. It felt like without me next to her something horrible would happen. Handcuffing her to my wrist won't work. She enjoyed her independence too much. I'll have to settle for watching and keeping her safe from a distance.
She started down the hall but stopped after taking a few steps, turned and walked back to me. "Can I ask you a favour? You can say no. Can you help me speak to Coy?" She asked. "You could tell him what you told me about the archives at Port Royal."
"Sure."
She let a small smile escape. "I think I saw him cross the hallway. Maybe we can catch him before class." She grabbed my wrist and hurried down the hall.
The hallway was full of students gawking and whispering as we made our way through the crowd. Midway down the hall Nadya stepped out in front of me, forcing me to make an abrupt stop. Jane lost her grip on my wrist.
"Boothe Baby," Nadya cooed. Her fruity fragrance smelled sour. "I haven't seen you in over a week."
I looked above the crowd searching for Jane's dark ponytail. She stopped briefly and glanced at me over her shoulder. Then she quickly lowered her silver eyes and pressed forward through the crowd.
"Been busy," I said, keeping Jane in view.
"That's okay. There’s time to make it up to me." She said, batting her mascara-caked lashes. "What you doing this weekend?"
"Busy." My jaws were clenched. Jane stood before Coy now, they exchanged a few words and then he walked with her to a private nook a few doors down.
"You've been too busy for a while now," Nadya said, folding her arms across her chest. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to explain myself.
"I've had a lot to do, Nadya. In fact, you're keeping me from doing something important right now." I stepped away from her, but she grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and tried in vain to pull me back to her.
"Does that 'something' have to do with that foreigna?" She twisted her lips into a pout. When she looked at Jane, venom emanated from her eyes. "You two best friends now?"
"Her name is… forget it! I don’t want her name coming out of your mouth."
"I don't like that girl. Which means you shouldn't either. You know what she did to me at the beach. You're hanging out with my enemy. How do you think that makes me look?"
"Looks like I don't care."
Nadya's eyes opened as wide as they could. She opened her mouth to speak but I had already moved away. I could hear her friends gathering around her and squabbling about how much I'd changed.
I made my way to Jane's side. She was in the process of describing the plan. Her eyes were bright with optimism. Joining the conversation, I added information where I could and he listened intently. When we were finished, he said he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.
At first I didn't think he was serious. I stood staring at him, waiting for him to say he was joking.
"I don't understand," Jane said finally. "You can't or won't help?"
"In addition to the secrets of Eshkar history and culture, the archives also have information on every Council agent, chairman, and board official. If any of that information got out, it would be detrimental to the Council. What on earth makes you think they would allow you to go in there?" Coy asked furiously.
"I've been there with my father," I added.
"I see." Coy pulled his lips together. "Boothe, as the Chairman's son you had a very rare exception. Jane, if there is any information about the General in the archives, they already know about it."
Jane folded her arms across her chest. "I'd rather look for myself. They can give me a chaperone to make sure I don't walk out with their secret information…"
"The archives are not open to public viewing," Coy barked. "You can't get in."
"We could if we had second level clearance." I looked over at Jane's dejected expression. "Talk to some of your old friends who work at the Council, see if they can pull…"
"No!" Coy shouted. He took a deep breath, and then calmly looked at Jane. "Please, I am urging you, leave this manhunt in the hands of the E.I. You are not equipped to deal with the problems you are getting yourself into."
My arms began to throb as blood pulsed through my muscles. The sleeves of my shirt grew tight around my biceps. Dr. Coy continued to drone on about the Council changing its rules and tightening security around Port Royal and the overwhelming odds against us actually finding anything useful there. He said the Council had grown increasingly sensitive about its relationship with the Nephilim and had adopted a role of mutual acceptance, provided the Counci
l's rules were not broken. The more he talked, the worse I felt. I took a few deep breaths and attempted to calm my body down.
"It’s not like it was in the past when Nephilim were fair game for any Eshkar," he explained. "The Council has created an order; rules on how Nephilim are to be treated, both the innocent and the guilty. They will never allow you to disrupt that."
"They afraid of retaliation?" Jane was frustrated.
"We all are. Those were very dark days. Any hesitation I feel is because of the delicate nature of this situation."
"Which is code for keep my nose out of it? The council care more about appeasing some warmongering half angel, than its own people. How many people need to be run out of their homes, hunted and killed before they decide to take a stand?"
Coy took a deep breath and gripped Jane's shoulders. "You have been through a lot," he spoke to her tenderly. "You are not the first to suffer and unfortunately you are not likely to be the last. I am asking you, on behalf of all those who care about your safety, please leave this to the Council to deal with. My sources informed me that what has happened to you and the Normals on that bus has shaken up the Council leaders. The Chairman himself is directing the inquiry."
He squeezed her shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes as a concerned father would. She looked down, her eyes filled with silver fire. "Second period class starts in a few minutes. I understand if you need a few moments to yourself." He released his grip on her shoulder. "Boothe, take care of her."
Coy picked up his briefcase and walked into the classroom. Jane and I lingered in the empty hallway, walking slowly up and down the corridor. I wanted to say something to comfort her, something to let her know that everything is going to be okay. But I couldn't bring myself to lie to her. It wasn’t going to be okay.
Instead of heading to class, we stepped outside. I leaned against the wall and watched as she ran her hand along the column. A gentle breeze picked up a stray strand of her hair and whipped it around her chin.
"Thanks for having my back with Coy," she said, leaning against one of the pillars. Her eyes were soft brown now. She must have gotten over this disappointment a lot better than I have.
"I don't believe this," she spoke to the wind. "I thought for sure he was going to help us."
"Me too."
"When I first mentioned Port Royal, he had a look in his eye. You should have seen it. He's definitely hiding something." She turned to face me. Her brown eyes narrowed. "I think the Coy and the Council is hiding something and I’m going to Port Royal to find out what it is.”
~Jane~
Chapter Thirteen: I Went Shopping for Callaloo and All I Got Was this Lousy Migraine
Unlike the farmer's markets back home, the vendors at this local market sold more than just fruits and veggies. They sold everything from local produce to clothing, shoes, and kids toys. It was a one-stop shop. There were rows and rows of tables piled high with products.
The vendors that got the most customers were the ones that created a "store" using an old trailer, like the ones you hitch to a truck. They painted the walls of the trailer white, and somehow strung up lighting. It was genius. I guess this is what they meant when they say necessity is the mother of all inventions.
I watched as Aunt Dar picked through a pile of tubers labelled "yellow yam." She'd pick one up, frowned, and then threw it back in the pile. Each yam looked the same as the last to me. She picked up a large L-shaped piece and pulled out a small paring knife she kept on her key chain. She cut the end of the yam, revealing its moist yellow flesh.
"I'll take this one." Aunt Dar said to the vendor, who didn't look happy that Aunt Dar had cut her produce. "Give me that hand of banana and that pumpkin…no, not the fluxy looking one, the good one right there."
"So Christopher said no?" Aunt Dar asked as she handed the money to the vendor. "I’m sure he had his reasons. Do you want some plums?" she pointed to a small bag of bright red balls that reminded me of cherry tomatoes.
"No thanks. I know that there's a lot more going on than Dr. Coy's telling me." I kept my voice low. "Tomorrow will be three weeks since the bus accident happened. I have tried to call Millicent and Glenroy. Neither of them has returned my call. Everything is at a standstill. I don't know what to do."
Aunt Dar bought the small bag of plums and threw one of the small red balls into her mouth. "Exactly what was your plan?" she asked as we strolled through the busy market.
There were people coming and going in all directions. I dodged, bobbed, and weaved my way through the traffic. It was a struggle to keep up with Aunt Dar's pace.
"Boothe mentioned that there is an archive at Port Royal. I was hoping that I could get in, see if there’s anything in the Council records that can help me understand why the General is after me."
Aunt Dar came to an abrupt stop. She took in a laboured breath before turning to face me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked somberly into my eyes.
"Your life and your safety is more important to me than my own. If you go searching for this connection, I'm not sure you'll like what you find." I could see her eyes beginning to moisten.
"Sounds like you have something to tell me," I said, holding her gaze.
She lowered her eyes and forced a smile. "If you get one scratch while going somewhere you are not supposed to go, your mother will fly down to Jamaica and wring my neck." She then picked up her bag and resumed her course through the market.
"I don't think you and mom understand. This was supposed to be my chance at a normal teenage life."
I didn't think it was possible, but the crowd grew thicker as we moved closer to the centre of the market.
"You can still have that if you leave this issue to the Council."
Aunt Dar continued to warn me about the dangers of taking on this 'issue' as she called it. Leave it to the Council. She must have said those five words at least seven times. That seems to be what everyone is saying. Leaving something this big to that nonchalant Council doesn't work for me.
"Do you mind if I stop by Lisa's after this?" I cut Aunt Dar off mid-sentence.
"You two have weekend plans?" She asked, turning to the table of produce in front of her. She picked up a few potatoes and placed them on a scale.
"Yeah, we’re going to do some homework." I leaned against the table and the vendor shot me an angry look. I looked down and realized that I was leaning against his handmade sign that announced a deal on cabbage and carrots. I quickly straightened it and raised my hands in apology.
My eyes met Aunt Dar's. "You're lying."
"How did you…" I began, then stopped myself when I realized that I was fidgeting. I immediately dropped my hands to my sides.
"Sorry. I don't want to lie. But I know if I tell you what I'm really going to do you're going to say no. Aunt Dar, I'm sorry, I can’t leave my life to someone else."
"Jane…" she pleaded.
"The last fourteen years of my life have been left to my mother and they were a mess," I blurted.
Aunt Dar looked shaken. Seeing her sullen expression made me want to take the words back.
"Your mother …"
"Did the best she could. I know."
Aunt Dar gave a shaken sigh then cleared her throat. "I'll drop you at Lisa's after I get a few more things."
We stopped at a few more stalls where she bought seasoning and herbs and a bunch of other things I couldn't identify. The sun was high and hot. A full-hipped woman walked by carrying an umbrella to shade herself from the sun. It was a brilliant idea. Maybe the next time I head out here I'd do the same. As she passed, I thought I saw a flicker of something red in my peripheral vision. I spun around so quickly I cricked my neck. As I rubbed the sore spot on my neck, I turned in circles, looking for any sign of a Nephilim. Fear ran down my spine as my thoughts immediately turned to Marcus. Did he return to finish what he started?
"We are down to the last two items," Aunt Dar announced.
While she focused on her shopp
ing list, I examined the faces of everyone around me, the young, the old, the shop vendors, even the children. Am I seeing things? After a few moments, and realizing that no one around me was paying me any particular attention, I began to breathe, again.
"You're down to two items. Good, I'm starting to melt."
"You have any Callaloo?" Aunt Dar asked a vendor.
"No. But we have garden egg and …" he continued to speak as he disappeared under the table to search for more produce he could offer.
I must have looked crazy spinning around like that. This situation is causing me to unravel. I have to get a hold of myself, take back my sanity.
"I think I saw a sign advertising Callaloo at one of the stalls near the entrance. I can go get it." I said eagerly.
She gave me a long, worried glance before putting money in my palm.
"Look at the leaves, they should be green, full and fresh, no brown spots or dried corners. The stalk should be firm to the touch, but not too thick, that could mean that it's old," she explained.
"Got it," I forced a smile.
Pushing any lingering thoughts about a Nephilim presence in the market out of my mind, I attempted to focus my attention on the job at hand—buying a fresh bunch of Callaloo. There was only one big problem, I had no idea what Callaloo looked like.
This could either be a proud or an embarrassing moment depending on what I returned with. Frankly, if I brought back Callaloo, instead of some other greenery, I'd do a victory dance.
"I'll come over as soon as I’m done here. Jane, make sure they give you back the right change," she reminded before turning back to the vendor.
Every inch of this market was packed. I stepped around a few people and jumped out of a moving cart's way to get to the table where I had seen the sign. The Callaloo sat in a tall white bucket as if it was freshly cut flowers. The long stalks of the vegetable were layered with broad leaves the colour of fresh grass. I looked carefully at each leaf as the vendor picked through her stalks. Finally, she emerged with a lovely bouquet of healthy greens.