Doubt

by Anne-Rae Vasquez

  “No, duh. We had an earthquake,” Joanna replied, rolling her eyes. “Right, Harry?”

  Joanna turned to him with her hands on her hips.

  “Tell us. Was that an earthquake?”

  Harry gave her a dirty look.

  “This is not the time or the place,” he said quietly.

  Out of the corner of Cristal’s eye she saw a tall guy standing beside her. She looked up and was surprised to see Kerim. How did he get through the traffic jam?

  “Alleys, side streets and sidewalks,” Kerim said.

  It wasn’t the answer that made her queasy. It was the fact that Kerim knew exactly what she had been thinking.

  The sound of a horn blast coming from the building filled the air, indicating that it was safe to enter the building. Kerim and Harry were standing toe to toe.

  “Yeah, Harry, tell us if that was an earthquake,” Kerim said.

  “This is not the time nor the place,” Harry repeated, narrowing his eyes.

  He motioned to Cristal to go with him towards the building.

  “See you at six tonight, Kerim,” he said.

  Cristal would’ve followed Harry. Technically he was her manager at GN although, her working there was only a cover to hack into the GN networks. But then again, Harry was the leader of the Truth Seekers and normally she never questioned his commands when it came to fulfilling their mission. Debating with herself, she found herself with a dilemma. Do I go back to work with Harry and spend the next few hours acting as if nothing happened?

  Then she did something out of character.

  She tucked her arm in Kerim’s and pulled herself closer to him, causing Harry’s eyebrows to shoot up.

  She could feel Kerim’s stare but he played along, placing his hand on hers. If anyone else were watching, they did look like a couple.

  “See you tonight,” she said to Harry. “Kerim, let’s go.”

  She smirked imagining the steam spewing from Harry’s nostrils.

  Joanna must have been enjoying the show because her smile was stretching wider and wider and Cristal could see a glint of glee in her eyes.

  Cristal thought, I’m not as predictable as you think, Mr. Doubt.

  “Your ride awaits you, my lady,” Kerim said, giving Harry a friendly wink. He was definitely enjoying Cristal’s tactical maneuver.

  Cristal smiled to herself, letting him guide her away. She glanced back to confirm that Harry was watching them very carefully. She wondered what thoughts were running through his mind right now.

  She pulled Kerim’s arm, urging him to pick up the pace.

  “What’s the hurry?” he asked.

  “No hurry,” she said. “I want to get away from this crowd.”

  He squeezed her hand reassuringly. They walked hand in hand until they reached the intersection. She turned back to see GN staff walking into the building.

  So what next, she asked herself, realizing that she hadn’t thought it through.

  Cristal had just pulled a fast one on Harry and she was still enjoying the moment. Harry was probably having a fit seeing her walking hand in hand with Kerim.

  “My bike is over there in front of the coffee shop,” Kerim said, interrupting her thoughts. “You want me to take you home? We’ve got a few hours to kill before the meeting tonight.”

  She realized that her hand felt good in his. Why not play this out a bit?

  “Nah, I don’t want you to have to drive through the chaos out there. I can take a cab after the meeting, assuming the streets will be clear by then. Let’s go to the coffee shop instead. It should be open,” she said.

  “A good espresso might help my caffeine headache.”

  She glanced up at him and remarked, “You still have a headache?”

  “Well I didn’t get a chance to get my dose of caffeine at Gabriel’s. And spilling it on my jeans doesn’t count.”

  She giggled, remembering the event that happened earlier.

  They crossed the street in silence and stopped in front of the shop.

  “I guess Harry can’t see us anymore,” he said quietly.

  He gently let go of her hand.

  “Yes, sorry for that,” she said. “Thanks for helping me back there. I really didn’t want to hang out with Harry right now.”

  He stared at her for a moment. His steely gazes made her catch her breath. She remembered her thoughts from earlier about ice cream and bad boys. Chocolate ice cream is very bad for your hips, she reminded herself. She noticed Kerim glance down her body. Was he checking her out or was she only hoping he was?

  “No worries. I know how it is,” he said, snapping her back to reality.

  She gave him a small smile realizing that her cheeks were probably the color of persimmon.

  Cristal wished she could enjoy this moment with Kerim a little longer but they reached the coffee shop’s entrance. The sign on the door said “Open” so despite the earthquake, it looked like the shop was running business as usual.

  “After you,” Kerim said, pulling open the door.

  She entered the store noticing that they were the only customers and the owner of the shop was sweeping the floor behind the counter. He looked up when he noticed them standing in the entrance.

  “Sorry, we’re closed.”

  She started to turn around, but Kerim’s hand gently squeezed her arm.

  “We were hoping we could stay here for a bit. We really have nowhere to go right now,” he said.

  The man behind the counter stopped sweeping and stared intently at them as Kerim continued with his story.

  “She’s not feeling well. Something fell on her head during the earthquake. We just need a few moments.”

  She touched her head, wincing slightly and hoped that it looked convincing.

  The shop owner leaned the broom against the back wall and walked towards them, wiping his hands on his apron.

  “It’s been a hell of a day,” he said. “Please come and sit at this table.”

  He pulled back a chair and waited for Cristal to sit down.

  “Do you want anything? Tea, coffee? An ice pack?”

  As she sat down, she smiled and said, “I’m fine. Thanks for asking. I just need to rest a moment.”

  “I’ll have an espresso,” Kerim added, winking at her as he sat down across the small table. “And how about an iced café for the lady?”

  “Of course, no problem,” the owner said, and then walked back to the counter.

  Cristal leaned towards Kerim and whispered, “You like starting trouble, don’t you?”

  “I was just trying to be a gentleman. Besides, I need my caffeine fix.”

  She was relieved to be able to sit down and have a real conversation with him. Who knew that this would be the sweet "aftershock" following the stunt she pulled on Harry earlier.

  “I guess I could do with an iced café after all we’ve been through.”

  He leaned forward, and admitted in a semi-sultry voice, “Now I’ve revealed my weakness to you.”

  “You’re hilarious,” she said, putting her hands on the table. “My dad always said, ‘Never reveal your weaknesses.’”

  “You have a very wise father,” he said.

  His steel grey eyes probed hers, looking for what… she wasn’t sure. The sadness that she buried deep down inside suddenly welled up in her throat.

  “Yes, he is…” she half-whispered, “or was.”

  She looked down at the table.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Kerim reached for her hand.

  She looked up at him and tried to blink away the tears. Tears that betrayed the cold loneliness she felt every day. Loneliness that had become part of her, since the day her father disappeared.

  “No, it’s okay. He went missing when I was a kid.”

  Cristal focused her eyes on Kerim, telling herself to calm down. She had never shared personal information about her father with anyone other than Harry.

  “But I know he’ll be back.”
/>   “I understand. My older brother went MIA when I was in the Army,” he said.

  Cristal noticed his other hand clenched into a fist.

  “Missing in action?”

  “Yes,” he said in a quiet voice, and then he turned his head to look out the window.

  She put her other hand on top of his. She knew how it felt to have a loved one go missing.

  He cleared his throat, and said, “Okay, let’s talk about what happened today.”

  He gently pulled his hand away from hers.

  “Yes, let’s do that.”

  She leaned back and folded her hands in her lap.

  “I don’t think that there was an earthquake,” he said quietly. “I know you feel the same way.”

  She let out a loud sigh, just as the shop owner walked towards them with their drinks.

  “Thank you very much,” she said, relieved to have a moment to think of an answer.

  “Do you mind turning on the television?” Kerim asked him.

  “Sure, I didn’t even bother checking if the cable was working.”

  He went to the counter and grabbed the remote. He pointed it towards the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall, and pressed the button to turn it on. The local news station came up on the screen. The anchorwoman was speaking, but there was no sound. He pressed the button to turn up the volume.

  “…reports from Manila, Rome, Gaza, Haifa, and Vancouver confirm that earthquakes occurred at the precise time as the one that hit Manhattan at 1:25 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today.”

  Chapter 11

  Want Some Answers

  IT WAS SEVEN HOURS AFTER the earthquake. Dr. Saeed, dressed in his white lab coat, over black casual slacks and a Ford dress shirt, and wearing his Boss glasses on top of his head, stood at the front of the classroom alongside Harry. His hair was combed back and his face was clean-shaven.

  His real name was Dr. Saeed Nariman but students had such a hard time pronouncing his last name, so he asked everyone to call him Dr. Saeed instead. Out of all the professors, Cristal always thought Dr. Saeed was the most stylish prof at the university. Three video chat windows were opened on the projection screen. Cristal was sitting on a stool in the first row of lab tables. Gabriel sat beside her with Kerim on the other side. Joanna sat front and center of the tables, positioned in clear view of Harry, purposely blocking Cristal’s view.

  Cristal entertained the thought of reaching over and smacking the back of her head. Kerim’s knee hit hers.

  She turned to him and mouthed the words “What?”

  He tossed her a half grin.

  Is he reading my mind? She shivered at the thought, and then focused her attention on the screen.

  Serena was speaking. Her dirty blonde hair was swept up with a clip. From what Cristal could tell, Serena was in what looked like her bedroom.

  “I was at the location as requested for my mission. The news reports have confirmed that it was the precise epicenter of the earthquake. I also confirmed that there were no early warnings as reported on the HEWS Seismic webpage. For those of you who are not familiar, HEWS is the Humanitarian Early Warning System.”

  Serena glanced down at her notes.

  “I have further confirmation from seismologists around the world that no one expected these earthquakes.”

  In the other video chat window, the Martinelli twins, Rinaldo and Angelica, codenames Red Fox and Venus, were agreeing.

  Cristal was eager to hear what Rinaldo had to say. It was hard to resist liking him. His wavy brown hair, hazel brown eyes and Hollywood smile, not to mention his quaint Italian accent, made the other Truth Seekers, mainly those of the female persuasion, rush to his assistance when he needed help in the game. In real life, at only five-foot-nine, he had no trouble attracting high-fashion models who towered over him.

  “Yeah, it was pretty crazy here in Roma,” he said, “Angelica and me were freakin’ out over here when the earth-a-quake hit us. You can imagine that. I’m-a-sure that the Pope fell off his throne and I’m not-a talkin’ about the one in the Vatican.”

  He flashed his contagiously charming smile. Angelica gave him a dirty look in return. Cristal had to hold back a giggle.

  “Yes, I have to agree,” Angelica said, turning to the camera. “It was a freaky experience. I cannot wait to-a-hear what Zero has to say about this. Please explain why and how you knew where we were supposed to be when it happened.”

  Angelica flipped her long wavy brown hair away from her dark mocha eyes. Cristal envied how Angelica could look both upset and sexy at the same time. Her naturally thick pouty lips were what women would pay thousands for in Botox treatments. Cristal looked over at Kerim, trying to read his body language as he listened.

  Kerim’s face was expressionless. He was listening but not reacting the way men usually do when they see Angelica for the first time. Gabriel, who was sitting on the other side of Cristal, was gazing at the screen. She could have sworn he was drooling as he smiled, drinking in Angelica’s every word.

  Cristal looked back at the screen and caught Harry’s gaze. He was watching her closely. She took a deep breath and focused on what Angelica was saying.

  “The room we were in was shaking so much. The floor beneath us, I swear, became like a jelly. Rinaldo and me were so frightened. He was holding onto me and crying like a bambina.”

  Everyone in the room laughed. Rinaldo raised his hand and smacked her on the shoulder.

  “Ayyyy…what’s a matter with you?” Angelica cried out, turning to him. “It’s the truth. You were crying like a little baby girl.”

  She playfully hit him on the back of his head.

  “Let’s-a-be serious,” Rinaldo said, turning back towards them. “Zero, we want to know what the hell is going on.”

  He pointed his finger towards the camera.

  Harry smiled and said, “Let’s let our rep from Haifa report first. Adel, please tell us what happened at the two locations I asked you and your team to meet.”

  In the third window on the screen, a man that Cristal did not recognize began to speak. He had dark black hair, cut short on the sides, longer and wavy at the top. His eyebrows were thick over large eyes that sank deep into his head. He had a wide bridge over a broad nose and his skin was a cinnamon color.

  “Hi, everyone. Nice to meet you. At the Gaza location, our team member, Sami, experienced the ground shaking. He was outside and he saw in the sky, the light streaks, which he first reported as lightning. Then the sky turned blood red. He saw an image forming in the sky like an oil painting. He sent us this picture.”

  A photo appeared on the screen. Harry moved the mouse and maximized the image. In the picture, the sky was as Adel had described. The sky appeared to be a burgundy red.

  Cristal squinted and could see an image where the lightning streaks were crossing each other.

  Gabriel was shifting his weight on the stool beside her.

  He whispered, “It looks like a man.”

  Cristal focused her eyes at the image again. It did look like a man. As Harry zoomed into the area, the shape was becoming clearer. It seemed as if the man was pointing in a direction to the east of him. As the picture sharpened, Cristal could see the man’s facial features.

  She gasped.

  “Cristal, are you okay?” Kerim whispered in her ear.

  She could feel herself fading out. The room seemed to be spinning around her. This is how Dorothy must have felt when her house was being swept away by the tornado, she thought to herself.

  She felt Kerim’s arms around her as she slipped off her stool.

  “Someone get her a glass of water! Cristal, are you okay?”

  She felt herself being lowered to the floor. She closed her eyes, as the thoughts in her head bounced back and forth like a shuffleboard disc she had seen her stepfather play years ago on the deck of a Disney cruise ship. He had proposed to her mother that same night, much to her disgust.

  “Cristal, this is Dr. Saeed.”

&
nbsp; She felt something cold pressed onto her forehead.

  “We are just going to move you over to the couch, okay?”

  She felt her body being lifted. So this is what floating feels like. Her body was lowered onto the couch, her head gently placed onto something soft.

  “Cristal, is it something you saw?” Harry asked.

  “Leave her alone,” she could hear Kerim snap. “Can’t you see she needs to rest?”

  “Is she okay?” Gabriel asked.

  “She’s just faking it,” Joanna said.

  If she could have lifted herself up, Cristal would have gone over and slapped the witch in the face. But her arms felt like concrete blocks; her legs were stiff and she was unable to move them.

  “Can you try to take a sip of water?” Dr. Saeed asked softly in her ear.

  She felt someone lift her upright. Her body leaned back against someone as she took a deep breath. Kerim? His cologne enveloped her nostrils. She started gasping and her eyelids snapped open.

  “She’s awake!” Gabriel cried out.

  She looked up and saw Kerim on his knees. He was holding a small vial under her nose. The fumes overwhelmed her senses.

  She raised her arm and pushed it away from her face.

  “What is that?” she managed to say.

  “Mr. Biker over here thought he could wake you up with his emergency backup bottle of cologne,” Joanna answered.

  Gabriel knelt down beside Kerim. He looked up towards Joanna who was standing behind them.

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Gabriel said.

  He turned to Cristal.

  “Kerim said that back in Istanbul, they always use cologne to revive people who faint.”

  She took a deep breath. Her head was becoming clear again. She struggled to sit up by herself. She noticed that it was Harry whom she had been leaning against. He was staring at her, and his gaze was filled with deep concern.

  “Are you okay now?” he asked.

  “I’m better,” she replied, “but the room is still slightly spinning.”

  She put her arm out and grabbed Kerim’s shoulder to steady herself. He reached out and held her.

  She stood up, feeling lightheaded. Then she swooned, feeling her legs get weak. Harry, Kerim, and Gabriel jumped up. Each one of them held onto her to keep her from falling forward. Harry eased her back onto the couch.