Dad looked at me, nonplussed. “Humph!” he grunted. “I'll make a supreme effort.” Picking up his fork, he stabbed a chunk of fish, throwing it into his mouth, chewing aggressively. Mom chuckled, enjoying his discomfort, she had an evil streak.
“We received your results in pulse-mail,” Mom informed me.
I put my fork down, waiting.
Dad looked at me, smug. Okay, so I was high but maybe, just maybe, it had worked. Of course it had! I mean, the choppers weren't showing up with guys-in-black, dangling from ropes in kidnap mode.
“Two points,” Dad said, triumphant.
“Really? Hot damn!” I jumped up and aimed my hand towards Dad's. A resounding high five sounded.
Mom didn't, miraculously, correct my language, she thought it was great too.
Mom nodded. “The drug worked.”
“It did. But,” Dad waggled a finger at me, “we're not out of the woods yet.”
I looked a question at him.
“The threat is still there, but isn't immediate,” Mom expounded.
Right. I got that.
I explained how we'd all gotten separated from the other kids; paranormals in Delta Building and mundanes in the other buildings.
“Sounds standard, Caleb,” Dad said.
“Yeah... I guess. But there were these creepers that I named 'formula-people'.”
“Creepers?” Dad inquired.
“People that lurk about and generally give a sinister vibe,” Mom explained.
“Ah-huh, okay. Go on.”
“Well, they all wore the same clothes and stood by all the doorways.”
“Like uniforms?” Mom asked.
“Not exactly, more like, the same but different. And! They wore sunglasses... inside. How weird is that?”
The parents looked at each other in an uneasy silence.
The food stilled in my throat, a lump petrified. I swallowed through the hardness of it.
Dad put his fork on his plate with a clatter.
“That's not standard.”
“What are your thoughts, Kyle?” Mom asked.
“My thoughts are... that this thing is its own machine. That there are forces working that we don't know or understand.”
“Like I've been saying,” I said.
They looked at me as if, explain that.
“Dad, come on, remember McGraw and Garcia at the cemetery when I raised Gran?”
He nodded, somber.
“Well, then there's Parker. All the signs are pointing to something bigger,” I said.
I recounted what Jade had felt from the people who had dug through my locker. That Carson was a Pyrokenetic, that John was a Null. That Jonesy wasn't anything. Well, he was a math whiz, I guess that was something. But he couldn't bludgeon with equations!
Mom looked shocked. “I guess there are some blessings.”
I raised my eyebrows.
Dad pretended to wipe sweat off his brow. “Jonesy doesn’t have a power.”
I laughed. “There is that.”
“Yes, Jonesy with an ability would be...” Mom searched for the word.
“Explosive...” I supplied.
“I don't know if that covers it, Caleb,” Dad said, getting a visual of the Potential that was Jonesy.
We all loved Jonesy, but he was an immoveable object. Regardless of what was going on, he was him, sometimes that worked, other times, not.
Usually not.
“The officers came by today to let us know they're discontinuing surveillance,” Mom said.
Good, I thought. I liked Gale and Ward but Gale had gotten too close for comfort. I sure-as-hell didn't want McGraw and Garcia sniffing around either.
“When?” I asked.
“When you were running around with your posse,” Mom said.
“Huh, they still don't have a clue, right?”
“No, so far, they haven't been able to ascertain a motive for the break-in. Nothing was stolen, some things broken and touched. Of course, there's the matter of my pulse-top compromise. However, we did a full diagnostic at the lab and everything is in order.” Dad shrugged.
“I think it was the formula-people,” I said flatly.
“So suspicious,” Mom clucked.
“Somebody's got to be,” I replied.
The parents frowned.
“Well? It's pretty obvious someone knows more about me than we want them to. Why all the interest? As you'd say, Dad, things aren't 'adding up'.”
“Caleb's got a point, but, that doesn't mean we live in fear.”
“You're concerned, Dad, or you wouldn't have dosed me.”
“Caleb, would you stop saying that, please?” Mom asked.
“Dose, dose, dose, double-dose...” I chanted.
“Caleb...” Dad warned.
“Oh... okay. Geez, you guys!”
“Anyway, Gale is suspicious. She had your results as a two-pointer.” I raised my eyebrows. “She could have sworn you were much more. The last time she got a reaction like the one you gave her, it was from Parker.”
Swell.
“But, we had the proof.” Mom's relief palpable.
“Thank God for small favors,” Dad said.
We sat quietly for a second. Then I asked the important question, “What about the dog?”
Mom smiled “We'll get him after school tomorrow. Now the Aptitude Test is finished and that stress is behind us, we'll move forward.”
“Are you going to come, Dad?”
“No, I don't think I need to. I can let you and Mom get him.” he smiled.
Finally, I was going to get the dog. What to name him? He was black like night, really dark. I wondered...
“What about a name?” I asked.
“I've been thinking about that,” Mom said.
Of course, Mom the Word Queen!
I waited.
“Onyx!”
Mom had it... much better than “Inky.” Or, the dreaded, “Blackie.”
“Nice, Ali,” Dad said.
“I thought so,” she said, twirling away to refill my milk glass.
I slurped down the rest of my milk and cleared away my dishes. Mom would pick me up from school tomorrow and I would have a new dog, Onyx.
Things were looking up.
CHAPTER 23
The school was abuzz over the paranormals who were “outed” by the AP Testing. I got a lot of, “corpse-lover,” and my personal favorite, “Doin' any corpses lately?” All of them, so clever. Dunces.
John was acting incognito (ultra-cool vocab word: to conceal a real identity) by not telling anyone he was a Null but having a great time running around, getting close to some of the paranormals. They'd try to put their groove on and... nothing.
Evil for John. I liked it.
Jade was planning to come over to the house to help us pick up Onyx and formally meet him. I couldn't wait, it was the silver lining in today's cloud.
The classes droned by as usual. I was itching to get home and get Onyx. I knew there were other things to think about, like class, but that didn't matter today. Summer break was coming and my head was engaged with ideas of playing basketball, fishing, and especially, extra time with Jade.
Finally, the pulse clock chimed and sixth period ended. I raced to Building D, feeling a fleeting sense of déjà vu.
Mr. Cole was perched on the windowsill like a cat in the sun. I mentally crossed my fingers and took a deep breath.
“Hey Mr. Cole...” I rushed on, throwing out all my words at once so my chances would be better.
“My mom and I are going to get a new dog today and I was hoping I could make up band this Friday?”
I was out of breath but recovering.
Cole took off the glasses, bending his head as he polished them on his T-shirt, layered under an adult, button up shirt. I think that was required for adults. I figured Dad had about three hundred.
Geez. Then he put them up directly in the sunlight, checking for dirt. His glasses didn't look dirty to me
.
He slowly looked over at me. Please say yes, please.
He smiled back. “I guess that would be okay. But you'll have to make it up Friday for sure, Caleb.” He gave me a mock stern look. But Cole, besides my shop teacher, Morginstern, was cool. They were the best teachers.
I breathed a sigh of relief and seeing my expression he laughed.
“Cool! Thanks, Mr. C!” I sprang up, taking off for the door as John came in.
“Whoa! Where ya going?” he asked.
“I get the dog today, Onyx, remember?”
In a low voice John said, “Cole let ya go?”
“Yeah, but I gotta make it up Friday.”
John pantomimed choking himself with his hands. “Ooh, the torture! Extra band practice.”
I punched him in the arm. “Shut up, Terran. You're gonna stay too.”
John rubbed his arm and glared at me. “I don't know... Friday... may have plans.” he grinned.
“Stuff it, ya putz. You know you've got plans, with Jonesy and me. That's your plans.”
John grinned wider. “Yeah, now that I'm cool like you.”
“You think you're cool like me. Listen, I don't have time for clever repartee, I gotta split and get the pooch.”
“Fancy words don't intimidate me!” John mocked swordplay in my gut.
“I thought you needed to get going Caleb?” Cole asked.
“Yeah, I do! See ya!” I gave John a salute, taking off.
I checked my watch, damn, forgot to wind it.
I ripped my pulse out of my pocket; three-ten. Okay, Jade was meeting me at three-thirty, better book. I began a slow jog, working up a good sweat by the time I threw open the front door, instantly smelling Mom's banana bread.
Decisions, decisions... shower or food. Sighing, I slogged off to the bathroom. “Mom, be out in a sec. Jade's coming over to pick up the dog with us!” Yelling over the kitchen noise.
“Thanks for the head's up!”
I ran the shower super hot like I liked. Finishing up, I got out, toweled off, and resigned myself to having to floss. This hygiene thing was a pain-in-my-ass, but I smelled better. Jade was a motivator!
I opened the bathroom door, having had just enough thought process to grab a clean T-shirt and Jade was here. I listened to Mom doing the hostess-goddess routine. They were getting along, good.
I rounded the corner, Jade looked up and our eyes connected in that I-dig-you-but-a-parent-is-around-so-play-it-cool. It sucked but was as automatic as breathing.
“You ready?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, just had to de-scuzz.”
“De-scuzz?” Jade asked.
“Yeah, got to smell fresh.” I flipped my long bangs out of the way, still damp from the shower.
Jade laughed, comic relief.
We walked to the garage, our shoulders touching.
Mom got into the driver's seat and Jade and I were in the rear where I figured Mom would be too distracted with that driving thing to notice us holding hands.
Jade leaned her head onto my shoulder. Her hair smelled like a big piece of fruit, nice. I wanted to touch it but knew that was pushing it.
We pulled up front and I listened with that part of me that hears the dead. In the case of Onyx, we had already done that psychic dance, he recognized me. I felt him in my head. We walked through the big glass doors, Jade and Mom in front, me bringing up the rear.
****
The Dog knew when the Boy entered the place-where-he-lived and howled joyously. He sniffed at the metal tubes which made seeing more difficult. He held the liquid that smelled interesting inside his body because the People-who-fed-him took him to a good smelling place to let the liquid go. The Dog held it but not without effort.
The Dog heard the voices of the People coming with the Boy, who was special, the Dog knew because the Boy called him in a special way, soundlessly. The Dog liked the Boy. The Boy would throw the soft, round thing. The Boy was... was... using those people sounds in his head.
I'm here Onyx, you'll come home with me.
The people-sounds were very exciting and the Dog could feel a little liquid come out.
Bad Dog, Bad Dog... he must hold the liquid.
The Dog saw the Boy and his People come to the bars and look down at him. He was a Bad Dog because of the liquid Accident but the Boy did not notice. The Dog was relieved and moved his tail, hoping the Boy would be pleased.
“Good dog, Onyx,” The Boy said.
The Dog wagged his tail harder, the end hitting the metal tubes. The Boy had said a word that was important that he did not know. He recognized some words.
He pressed his nose to the metal tubes, they were cold against his nose but he needed to smell the Boy and his People. The small female smelled like not-right-garbage and was excited to see him; so he wagged his tail harder. The older female smelled like the Boy. They were pack to each other. Would this be a pack like his other Boy? There was a sharp pang of sadness when the Dog remembered his other Boy, but he shoved it away because the New Boy was making the sounds from his mouth and he must listen.
“That's a good dog, Onyx.” The Boy said.
The Dog jumped up on the metal tubes and the Boy stuck his hand through and the Dog gave him one lick. The Dog understood some people did not like a lot of the wet thing in his mouth that was so good for all kinds of things.
One of the people-who-fed-him approached and he was a Good Dog and sat down. He continued wagging his tail because the small female put her delicious hand on top of his head and moved it in a most pleasant way.
The alpha female of the Boy's pack made new sounds out of her mouth and the Dog understood she had a tonal quality similar to the Boy...
“Arlene, is there any more paperwork to fill out before we take Onyx home?”
“No, Mrs. Hart, just sign this form attesting to pick-up.” She showed Mom where and Mom bent over the 'X', marking out a quick signature.
“Thank you. By the way, we're sure glad that he's going to a good family.”
The Dog saw the person-who-fed-him make dominant eye contact and he shifted his eyes away politely then looked back.
“We'll miss him around here.” she smiled.
The Dog heard the sounds, good dog, which was his signal to begin to wag his tail again. Which he did; thunk, thunk, thunk. He also heard that strange sound, Onyx, which meant something important. He would try to remember, for the Boy.
“Okay Onyx, let's go!”
The strange sound again, thunk, thunk, thunk.
“Caleb, he probably needs to go out to the potty area and do his business,” Arlene said.
“Oh right, K. Jade, let's go,” I said.
The Dog heard the sounds, potty area, and the liquid wanted to rush out, but he held it in. The Dog bounded around, hoping the Boy and his people would notice that he was a Good Dog and needed to let the liquid go.
The Boy and the small female went toward the doors where holes appeared to the place-that-smells-very-interesting.
He burst through when the holes appeared and lifted his nose in utter bliss. So many different liquid smells here! Where to start?
The person-who-fed-him came and said the sounds, “go hurry up.” He wished to impress the Boy with how quickly he could let the liquid go.
He trotted over to an especially good smelling corner and let the liquid rush out and was very happy when it covered the other liquid smell.
“Good Onyx, good hurry up,” the Boy said.
He wagged his tail, the Boy was using the happy tone with him because he was a Good Dog.
He followed the Boy, who took him to the fresh place where there were no holes to think about and he could run and run and run. The Dog hesitated. He wished to run but the Boy had no soft, round thing that he could grab, and the pack had a calm, unhurried posture.
He waited.
The pack made noises with the person-who-fed him, then opened a metal box with holes on top and with foul smelling round shapes on the botto
m.
The Boy gestured that he wanted the Dog to get in. But the Dog felt a disquiet with the box. He remembered that it was a Bad Thing. The pack got into the big metal box that smelled like the Boy's pack. He sniffed it suspiciously and looked at the Boy for direction.
The Boy reached for him and scooped up the Dog. He gave a lick with the wet thing in his mouth in appreciation. The Boy tasted like a Good Boy, not the good of-not-quite-right-trash smell of the small female, but still good. He liked his new pack and wagged his tail.
****
Onyx explored every, tiny corner of our house, spending an especially long time in my room, stumbling over all the crap on the floor, deciding it was good and rolling around on top of it. Perfect, now that's a good dog!
Jade had gone home a few minutes after Onyx arrived. I was feeling righteous: the testing was over, the government hadn't come yet to kidnap me, Jade and I were together and Onyx was finally here!
Mom had done some crock pot thing... chili, so we could just scoop and pork. I liked that.
The front door opened and Dad came through, looking a little frazzled. Onyx gave a small growl.
It's okay, Onyx, it's just Dad. I let that thought float out through whatever allowed me to talk to the dead. And that was the frequency the dog was on.
Onyx sat up straighter and cautiously approached Dad.
Dad sat down on his haunches, putting his hand out. Onyx sniffed his hand, doing an exaggerated lean with his neck, slowly wagging his tail.
The male was Alpha, he smelled very much like the boy but not at all like the Alpha female. The Boy smelled like both of them. The Dog made his tail move to show he liked this new pack member...thunk, thunk, thunk.
A part of the male's body was out, the Dog leaned forward cautiously... smells like older male, like the Boy... he shows respect by making himself smaller. The Dog likes the Alpha Male. The Dog shows respect by lying down.
The Death Series, Books 1-3: Death Whispers, Death Speaks and Death Inception (The Death Series, Volume 1) Page 24