* * *
The four of us hitch a ride to the cemetery with other family members. The graveside services are short, and soon we are piling back inside the car, heading to a family member’s home for a meal and further mingling.
After eating and talking some more with Anika’s grandparents, Chris and I locate a comfortable porch swing where we spend most of the time cuddling.
Chris says, “Thanks for understanding me, Calli.”
I push my head away from his chest and look into his eyes. “You’re welcome.”
Brand and Beth come outside and stand in front of us. Brand says, “What time did we need to be to the airport?”
“In two hours. We should figure out how we’re going to get there,” I say.
Chris stands. “I’ll call for a taxi.”
Anika joins us on the porch. “I’m really thankful you all came to support me.”
Beth gives her a hug. “No problem at all, Anika. It’s been an enlightening day.”
I give her a hug. “Your dads must have been wonderful. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks, Calli.” We end our hug and she addresses everyone. “I’m going to stay with my family for a little while. Okay?”
“Take as much time as you need.” I squeeze her hand.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later,” she promises.
* * *
After boarding the plane, heading for Denver, Chris pulls out his cell phone and inserts the battery. He checks his voicemail and finds he has three messages. I can hear the messages as if the phone is up to my own ear. The first message is from his mother, wondering how he’s holding up and when he’ll be able to come and visit. Once the message is finished, Chris deletes it when prompted. The voice on the second message sends a nervous chill through my body.
“Hello, Mr. Harding. This is Special Agent David Whitman. I would like to set up a time to ask you a few more questions. Please call as soon as possible. Thank you.”
My eyes meet Chris’s and I hear his thoughts. This doesn’t feel good, he says.
No, it doesn’t.
The automated voice prompts Chris to delete the message. He does so.
The last message is a female. “Hi Chris, it’s Kikee. You told me to call when I got to New York. Well, I’m here. I talked with your mother the other day. She’s so sweet. She told me you recently lost your father. I’m so sorry for you. I feel bad I can’t be with you right now. Please call me as soon as you can. Kisses.”
I feel every muscle in Chris’s body tense. He hits the end button on his phone and then dials a number.
He says to me while he waits to be connected, “Nothing serious happened with Kikee, Calli.”
I try to appear unaffected by the call. “What are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know exactly, but it will be the truth.”
“Yeah, but you can’t tell her about Diamond Bearers. Do you want me to use my power of persuasion to get her to forget about you?” I’m half kidding, half serious.
Chris speaks into the phone. “Agent Whitman, Chris Harding here. I’ll be at my father’s home in Denver tomorrow. You’re welcome to drop by, if that’s convenient. Goodbye.”
Brand pops his head over the back of the seat in front of us. “Hey, is there food at the house?”
“Probably not anything you’d like.”
“We’ll need to get some then. I’m starved. These granola bars aren’t doin’ it for me. I need like a steak or something.”
“We just ate all the food at the funeral dinner,” I say, rather perplexed that he can be hungry already.
Chris says, “There’s a good restaurant close to the house. We’ll go there for dinner. I’d better make reservations, though.” Chris gets up and walks to the front of the plane to speak with Capt. Rutherfield. His mind is blocked for the most part, but I can hear his voice. He says, “What time will we be arriving?”
“6:50 p.m., if the weather holds out,” Rodger replies.
“Would you like to join us for dinner? I’m about to make reservations.”
“Thank you, but no. I have other arrangements.”
Chris enters numbers into his phone again. He connects with the restaurant and sets up dinner for four at 7:30. Then he takes the battery out of his phone and puts it away. I expect he will get up and come back to me. Instead, he asks a few flying-related questions of the captain.
I lay my head back and close my eyes, focusing on my blocking ability. The last thing I want right now is for Chris to know how much Kikee’s call bothers me. I certainly don’t want Maetha to know what I’m thinking. She lost her Blue shard over the whole fiasco with Kikee. I almost lost my life.
Kikee didn’t leave a number. Does that mean Chris already has her number, or is she assuming he’ll use the one automatically stored in the phone? I don’t know if he was only nervous, or if it was on purpose, but he didn’t delete her message. He ended the call, which saves the message.
I really need to think about something else.
* * *
We land in Denver and climb into a taxi. Brand and Beth sit in the back seat with me. They talk excitedly with each other, holding hands, and laughing. Chris sits in the front with the driver. He directs the driver to his father’s home so we can drop our luggage and the boxes inside the door, then we continue on to the restaurant.
At the restaurant, Chris takes me by the hand and leads me inside. My instincts are on full alert. The interior reminds me of my birthday dinner and the server, Sven. It’s unlikely anyone will be tampering with our food tonight, but as Crimson said, “Never let your guard down.” I look to my future to see if danger lurks. I see myself tomorrow, sitting at the dining room table, so I stop searching. I’ll live through dinner. Crimson would be proud, I think.
Our time at the restaurant is almost identical to the taxi ride here. Brand and Beth jabber on and on, Chris and I don’t say much to them or to each other. Our food arrives and Brand chows down on his enormous gourmet burger and fries. I’m amazed how Brand can talk so much and also inhale so much food. Beth pokes around at the salad she ordered. Chris and I both chose the clam chowder. He isn’t eating much, though, He’s swirling his spoon in the soup, his mind a million miles away.
I send my thoughts to Chris. Are you all right?
Yeah. I don’t like this town, that’s all. I’ve got to settle my dad’s estate and figure out what to do with the house.
I feel like a dummy for not considering what Chris might be stressing over. Here I thought it was the message from Kikee. I respond, You’ve got a lot on your shoulders. I’ll help any way I can.
Thanks. How about you hurry these two up? I want to get out of here. He smiles at me.
Crimson connects with my mind. I’m at Chris’s father’s home.
“All right guys. Crimson has arrived. Let’s go.”
We pay for the meal and leave.
“Let’s walk to the house. It’s only a couple blocks,” Chris says, once we’re outside.
“Is it safe?” Beth asks no one in particular.
I double-check to make sure I’m not going to die in the next ten minutes. “Yeah, it’s safe.”
Following a non-eventful walk, we arrive at the house and Crimson lets us in.
I look around the room at the shelves full of interesting books and artifacts. One set of shelves by the dining room table is full of assorted rocks and crystals. A rather large selection of obsidian is part of the collection. Uncle Don would love to see this, I think. Some of the obsidian is in chunks as large as my fist and have dusty-white exteriors.
The dining room table is covered with the contents of the boxes, including many files and groups of crystals.
“Crimson,” Chris says, “I’ve decided to follow your advice and open this house up to the Bearers.”
“I’m pleased to hear your decision. And the vehicle too?”
“That too. I don’t need it.”
“I’ll admit I alrea
dy foresaw you choosing this move. I’ve arranged for my financial consultant to come over tomorrow to take care of the details,” she announces, then smiles slyly. “Everyone come sit at the table. I have some things to go over with you.”
We sit down at the table. Crimson has some additional documents from General Harding’s compound and the many quartz crystals used to capture individual powers spread out on the table. She tells us the individually-powered crystals have been inventoried and cross-referenced with the files. The findings indicate that an almost exact number of each power was run through the machine.
Beth stands and says, “I’m going to get some water. Does anyone else want a glass?” No one takes her up on her offer. She shrugs her shoulders and goes to the kitchen. She brings her water back to the table.
“Be careful not to spill on these documents, Beth,” Crimson points to Beth’s glass. Beth repositions the water further to the side.
Crimson continues with her findings. “The vests that were being created, the ones with the green quartz and obsidian, were cataloged and numbered. Two are unaccounted for. We need to find these before they’re used inappropriately.”
Crimson picks up some other papers and says, “I’ve gone over more of the material taken from General Harding’s compound. These documents reveal the power-removing machine was designed in Switzerland by a name-less company, under Freedom’s direction. Calli, do you have the quartz prisms?”
“Yes.” I get up and retrieve them from my bag. I set the small bundle on the table and undo the wrapping. Crimson picks up a crystal and examines it against the light.
Beth reaches toward the pile. “May I hold one?” she asks Crimson.
Crimson doesn’t answer for a couple of seconds, as if lost in thought. Finally, she agrees.
Beth picks one up, then puts it down. “Uh, guys,” she says, hesitating, “I think I just repeated.”
Brand grabs a prism. He rotates it between his fingers, while chewing on his bottom lip. “What makes you think you repeated?” I can tell he’s genuinely curious.
“I knocked over my glass of water right after I picked up the crystal.”
I’ve witnessed Brand using the repeating power many times, and I’ve repeated with him. Beth has as well. If she suspects she repeated, she probably did.
Brand picks up a crystal, then pulls the repeating quartz from his pocket and places it on the table. He tightens his grip on the prism in his hand. “It has ten seconds of repeating power. They all do.” He sets the prism back in the pile and picks up his repeating quartz. “I couldn’t detect the power while I had this on my body,” he says as he returns the quartz to his pocket.
I ask, “If these hold the repeating power, why didn’t I sense it while I carried all the prisms?”
“Dunno.” Brand leans back in his chair. “You must not have had a moment you wished you could change. That’s how the power is accessed at first. I mean, that’s how I figured out I had the power. I walked into the dark and started being ripped apart by the Demons. My first instinct was to think I shouldn’t have gone outside. Next thing I know, I’m back inside the house, not a scratch on my body.”
Beth says, “Like me, just now. I spilled my water, and immediately wished I could undo my mistake. The room spun around and, ta-da, I hadn’t spilled my water yet.” Beth takes her glass of water back into the kitchen.
I think back to when I removed the crystals from my pocket, from my body. It was that night in the hotel room at Lake Patoka. Too bad they were on the bathroom floor while I was saying the wrong things to Chris.
Brand says to me, “I assume, while you carried the prisms, you never accidentally accessed the powers because you weren’t in threatening or precarious situations. The question is: What else can these prisms do?” He picks up a prism again.
Crimson’s thoughts sound in my head. They can be used to unite the clans.
Before I can ask Crimson what she means, Chris asks, “Did you try to repeat with someone, Brand?”
Brand pauses, then says, “They don’t work that way.”
“Did you just—?” Chris asks. His eyes wide with delight. Chris grabs a prism in one swift movement and turns in his seat to face me. I don’t need to read his mind to know he’s about to kiss me. Yet, he doesn’t. He only smiles.
“Wait,” I sputter. “Did you kiss me and then repeat?”
Chris’s thoughts answer my question, along with a projected memory of our kiss that I don’t remember.
Crimson speaks to the group. “The power to repeat is not natural and can take away basic rights and choices. We will need to exercise caution with who receives these crystals. Brand, you and Beth go test the prisms for other powers.”
They each pick up a crystal and leave the room.
Jonas and Mary bi-locate to the room. Crimson says, “Thank you, Mary, for bringing Jonas.” Mary bows her head, accepting the thanks. Crimson continues. “Jonas I wanted you present to hear the current topics. As you three are my newest Bearers, I want you to work as a team as much as possible.” Crimson gives a quick rundown on what we know already concerning the twelve prisms and the repeating power. “These prisms are powerful bar-gaining chips. They will be used to gain alliances and to restore Calli and Chris’s credibility with the clans. The clans, whose leaders were killed after their amulets were taken, will be satisfied to receive a replacement crystal containing all the powers plus Repeating. They’ll be especially pleased to have a crystal that isn’t deadly to the touch, unlike the floating diamond shard.”
Crimson motions toward the containers of quartz that contain individual powers harvested from people who were run through General Harding’s machine. “These will be returned to the appropriate clans. Each piece signifies a human being who either died, or no longer possesses a power. The living will be pleased to get their power back. The deceased clan members should be memorialized and the quartz used at the discretion of the leaders. These files give us names and photographs to help identify the deceased.”
Brand and Beth enter the room.
“Hey, Jonas,” Brand says. “How’s it going?”
Crimson asks, “What did you two find out?”
Beth says, “The running power is equivalent to a slower Runner’s speed. Brand wasn’t able to keep up with me. The hunting abilities are pretty strong, but maybe that’s how they are normally. The Seer and Mind-Reader powers seem to be on track with the regular abilities. I can sense Brand’s body using the healing power, but I’m not familiar with it enough to determine its strength.”
“Well then, we better remedy that,” Brand teases.
Beth playfully punches his arm. “I didn’t mean your body, I meant I’m not familiar with the healing power.”
Crimson says, “Good. I’m assigning Beth and Brand to investigate the employees and guards from the compound to determine their level of threat to the clans. Hopefully Anika will be able to join them soon.”
Brand interrupts. “Crimson, someone named Agent Whitman is coming to the door in two minutes.”
“That’s not good,” Beth mutters.
Chris looks at me in panic. “I told him to come tomorrow.”
Brand points in Crimson’s direction. “You and Calli should leave, don’t you think?”
Mary and Jonas vanish right away.
Crimson reassures Brand. “Not to worry. He won’t see a thing. He doesn’t know you and Beth. Tell him you are here to help Chris clean out his father’s home.”
Brand’s voice squeaks as he says, “How is he not going to see all those crystals? What about the files and papers?”
“Close your eyes, Brand,” Crimson commands gently. His lids close over his eyes. Crimson tells me to use my invisibility power. “Now, open,” she says to Brand.
His eyes open wide. “Whoa! Just like that” —he snaps his fingers— “they’re gone in a blink.”
“We’re still here,” I say to Brand, knowing how strange it is to hear a voice coming from what
looks like empty space.
Beth chuckles and says, “My whole perception changed instantly. I was looking at crystals, then they became stacks of plates, bowls, and cups.”
Crimson says, “When Agent Whitman arrives, let him in and act as normally as possible. Don’t worry about him wandering around the room. I won’t let him near the crystals. Calli, you need to hide in a bedroom.”
“What should I do?” Beth asks.
Brand cuts in, “You need to hide, too. You make him nervous.”
Beth throws him a nasty glare.
“Hey, I’m only telling you what I’ve just seen. Go!”
Brand turns to Chris. “All right, let’s see if we can get it right this time.”
Beth leaves the room without hesitation. I follow close behind her.
The doorbell rings as if on cue. Chris lets out a huff of frustration. I can only assume he didn’t like the negative tone Brand just used. Chris opens the front door.
Chapter 5 – The Mission
Inside the room, I see a vent at the top of the wall that might allow me to see the front room. I stand on the nearby chair and peek through the grate. Bingo.
“Agent Whitman. This is a surprise.” Chris says, opening the door.
“I know. I apologize for dropping in like this, but I have to head out of town tomorrow and I was passing by when I noticed the lights were on, so I took a chance you’d see me.”
“Come in.” Chris opens the door wide.
Brand walks straight to Agent Whitman. “Hi, I’m Chris’s friend, Brand.”
They shake hands. “Nice to meet you, Brand.”
“Have a seat,” Chris says, motioning toward the couch. Agent Whitman takes his overcoat off and lays it on the arm of the couch and pulls out a small notepad and pencil from a pocket, then sits across from Chris.
Brand sits adjacent to them.
“Chris, I would like to talk to you about a couple things.” Agent Whitman flips through the pages of his notebook and says, “When I interviewed Max Corvus, he said you were alone when the hard drive, files, and the, um, magic crystals disappeared. Is this true?”
Chris replies, “The stuff disappeared when Max and I performed the perimeter search for the missing prisoners.”
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