by Peter Telep
“We’ll figure that out. Come on, you gotta help us. I mean, you don’t want to see your mom again? Maybe you can ask her about all this…”
I’m getting to her. She looks torn. “So we don’t even have a plan?”
“I was hoping you could help with that.”
“Oh, snap. That’s awesome. That’s spectacular.”
“Julie, we need you. Your mother needs you.”
My tone sets off alarms. “What’re you talking about?”
“You know what I’m saying.”
It dawns on her. “Solomon has her too?”
I nod.
Boom! She goes ballistic. “You dump this on me now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she screams.
“I just found out! We think Solomon’s using your mother to get to my father. He wants to do the same thing with us. That’s why he attacked the Palladium.”
“So this bastard has my mother. That’s why she didn’t pick up her phone.”
I swallow. “Yes.”
“And what else do you know?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Julie wants the truth. And I’m ready to tell her.
Yeah, right.
I’ll never be ready.
I just want her to be the old Julie, the one whose father didn’t kill my mother.
And now she’s asked me a direct question, and I need to be just like our parents. She’ll hate me for it when she finally learns the truth.
I open my mouth, already tasting the lie...
But I’m saved by the grren guarding the cave entrance.
He lifts his head, reacting to something along the ridge just above us. He howls and makes a clicking sound—
And then three more grren leap down from the shadows to join him.
One of them breaks off and starts toward us, its ears a bit droopier than the others, the skin across its back much paler. There’s a little hitch in one of its legs, not quite a limp, but it’s there...
Wait a minute.
Those faded markings on its forehead are familiar. Yeah, that upside down triangle with the ring.
“Don’t move,” Tommy says. “Looks like the head honcho.”
The grren eases up to Julie, eyes rotating and zooming in. Its head tilts sideways, as though staring into a thought, and then it pushes forward—
Into her lap, brushing its cheek along hers.
She grabs both of its ears and starts crying.
“I guess they’re gonna eat us now,” Tommy says.
“No,” Julie says, laughing through her tears. “This is the grren that my father rescued. We called him Brave. I was just a little girl, but he remembers me. Do you mind if I sit with him for a while?” she asks.
“Uh, no,” I lie. “We need more friends, right?”
I drift over to Tommy, gesturing that we take a walk while Julie has her reunion.
We hike over to the base of the nearest tree, its exposed roots towering above us.
“How much do you know?” I ask.
“About Solomon?”
“Yeah.”
“Just what you told her.”
“You know anything about my real mother?”
“Only that she died before you left.”
My throat tightens. “Tommy...”
“What is it, son?”
No, I won’t cry in front of him.
“Son?” he asks again.
“I need to tell you something.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Okay, so Solomon was my father’s partner.”
“I know that.”
“But he’s also Julie’s father.”
He draws back his head. “No kidding. That’s not good.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, after he sold out the company, my father went to the government. They were all going to jail. Solomon went crazy and he...”
“It’s all right, son.”
“No, it’s not. Hollis showed me something... he showed me how Solomon killed my mother. He stabbed her over and over. It was brutal.”
Major Thomas McMillan, United States Marine Corps, is a good ole boy from Promised Land, South Carolina who loves to talk. There are few things in this world (or any other) that leave him speechless.
This is one of them.
“Tommy? Are you okay?”
“I’m just flashing back. I mean this explains a whole lot about your old man. I knew something was tearing him up inside...”
“Yeah. Serious baggage, right?”
“Doc, I’m real sorry. If your mom was anything like you and your dad, then I’m sure she was an amazing woman.”
“She was. But now what? I mean how do I tell Julie? Her father’s a psycho who killed my mother.”
“That’ll be a tough day.”
“Tough day? Are you serious?”
“I don’t mean to make light of it.”
“Yeah, because it’s gonna be way worse than a tough day. So do I tell her now? Do I wait?”
Tommy slings an arm across my shoulders. “Look here. Honesty is the best policy, right?”
“Yeah, I know but—”
“But if you tell her now, she’s gonna flip out. At the very least, she won’t be focused, and that could get us killed. Hell, now I’m concerned about you carrying this around.”
“I’m okay. And as you would say, I’m highly motivated to go after Solomon.”
“Roger that.”
“So I should wait?”
“Well, here’s my thought... if we can’t find that engine, then we ain’t getting back. And if we ain’t getting back, then she don’t need to know. At least not right away.”
“But what if we do find the engine?”
“Then maybe I’d tell her. I’d have to read the situation.”
“Yeah. So now I’m trying to imagine how I’d feel if my father killed her mother.”
“That’s a good exercise. So how would you feel?”
“Horrible. I couldn’t look at her. I’d be too ashamed.”
“Is that how you want her to feel?”
“No. It’s not her fault.”
“But she’ll take all the blame. So you need to tell her in a way that lets her off the hook.”
“I know, but Tommy, this is scary... I have this feeling like she’s a part of it, too, like there’s something inside her that could be really bad.”
“Son, what you’re talking about is sinister beauty... and every woman’s got a little bit of that.”
“Really?”
“I’ve been around the block on this one.”
“You sure?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure.”
“Hey, guys,” Julie calls, strolling toward us with Brave at her side. “He has all these memories of my father, and he’s showing them to me. It’s pretty amazing stuff.”
When I look at Tommy, he issues a firm nod, as if to say, “Be strong.”
I return his nod and tell Julie that sounds awesome and leave out the part where I feel like throwing up.
And then I change the subject. “So while we’ve got time, let’s look for Keane. I’m not ready to give up.”
“Me, neither,” she says.
“There has to be somebody in the Hood who knows him,” I tell her.
“Yeah. You think we can do it without getting lost?”
“We’ve been there before.”
“While you guys do that, I’ll go down to the river. See what we got,” Tommy says.
As we start back to the cave entrance, a chorus of roars and groans echoes across the valley.
I squint toward the sound. It’s the grren who attacked the Palladium. They dug their way back through the tunnel or found another route.
Julie connects with Brave. The others are bringing back prey to feed their cubs. It won’t be pretty. She warns Tommy to wait on the river inspection. Some grren are extremely aggressive during feeding time. He should stay with Brave, who will guard
him.
Tommy frowns at the beast. “Okay, old man, you promise not to eat me?”
The grren just looks at him.
“Ready?” I ask Julie.
“Wait. I have an idea.”
“What?”
“Um, it’s better if I show you. Let’s go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I open my eyes.
Sweet. We jumped right into the Hood.
First try.
If you recall, Keane taught us to picture the place we wanted to go, exhale, and then push ourselves there.
But this time I did something different.
I included the rest of my senses: what I felt, heard, tasted, and touched.
Doing that made the jump far more accurate.
Woohoo. I feel like Mr. GPS now.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m not sure how I knew about this. It just felt natural. Maybe that’s the wreath developing on its own and helping me do everything better.
So we’re back at the rooftop party. Julie and I stand in the middle of the dance floor.
But something’s wrong.
The floor’s dark and deserted. The music’s different, too, more a trance beat with eerie, high-pitched voices humming in the background. Seems church-like. Religious.
I turn around.
Kids are jammed into the perimeter tables, some holding hands with their heads bowed, others crying and talking with their neighbors. A few sit alone with vacant looks on their faces. They’re like war veterans in shock.
At one table a boy, maybe thirteen, stands in front of his friends to deliver a speech, a depardis that Keane told us about. The boy wipes tears from his eyes, and then dissolves. His friends glance away in agony.
It’s like everyone here was either at the Palladium or knew someone who was. It’s no longer a party, more like a funeral. Just incredibly sad.
I feel nervous. I want to leave before someone recognizes us and decides to kill us.
But strangely enough, it’s like no one cares. They haven’t even looked up yet.
Then, finally, we get a reaction from those in the back. The four muscleheads who hang with Steffanie and Meeka march toward us like the solar panel tank shirt brigade.
They’re not looking at me. They’re looking at Julie.
And now I see why.
“Daayyuummm.”
She gives me a look like yeah, I know.
Whew.
I’ll calm down so I can describe what she’s done. Just give me another second.
So not only does she have full control of her persona, but she was able to draw from her memories to copy an image from her past. Not just any image, though...
Junior prom.
Her hair pulled back into a French braid.
That red dress with the bare back and the cleavage.
Those black lace-up pumps. The red toenails.
This is true beauty, and whether I like or not, it seems to weaken all those suspicions I have of her being evil.
“Julie,” I gasp.
“I don’t think we’ll have any trouble making connections now, do you?”
I shake my head like a puppy.
She looks around, and her eyes widen in horror. “Oh, no. Am I like totally overdressed?”
“No way,” I reassure her.
“But this place feels so sad now.”
“Don’t worry.”
“But this could totally backfire.”
The muscleheads arrive. Oh, great. They haven’t forgotten their cocky expressions.
The lead guy, who’s a cross between Rocky Balboa and the Cake Boss from New Jersey, offers his hand.
Julie accepts it.
Oh, no. Really? The guy actually goes down on a knee and kisses her hand.
“Hey...” I warn him.
We’re not connected, so to him I’m speaking Klingon. He just sneers at me.
“Whew, good news,” Julie says. “Our two favorite girls are here. There’s a private lounge downstairs. We’re going.”
The musclehead escorts her away, with rest of his posse trailing behind, and I’m left standing there—
To catch her glancing bank and wriggling her brows at me.
I shake my head, as if to say, “Don’t like your plan. Not a fan. Wish we had talked about it first.”
After descending a narrow stairwell, we’re whisked into a dimly lit lounge about the size of the Palladium’s dining hall. It’s crammed with well-padded furniture. A few kids glance wearily at us while others spoon each other on sofas and recliners. Again, the atmosphere is subdued, like everyone’s hung over from all the violence.
On the left side wall lies a series of doors marked with alien symbols that my wreath translates as the numbers 1-10. I wonder what’s behind them...
We continue on toward a bar with the usual counter and stools and colorful drinks bubbling and steaming from bowls shaped like bug-eyed fish with their mouths open. It’s help yourself, and I wonder if these potions contain any alcohol…
I’m also curious if a drink here will satisfy my thirst back in my body. I’ll need to give that a try.
As we reach the bar, Meeka and Steffanie swivel around to face us. Steffanie rises, flicks her red ponytail over her shoulder, and then offers her hand.
At first I don’t get it.
But, oh, yeah, I need to accept her invitation to connect.
Meeka’s doing likewise with Julie, and then she comments on Julie’s new look, likes it, likes the dress but it’s totally inappropriate at a time likes this. And oh, yeah, she hates the hair. Julie bares her fangs.
Steffanie returns to her stool. “Now, before we try to kill each other, let’s have a little chat.”
“We’re looking for Keane,” Julie snaps.
“He told us you’d come,” Meeka says.
“Then he’s here?” Julie asks.
Meeka extends her hands. “Do you see him?”
“But you know where he is?”
She smiles darkly. “Where are you?”
“Right here.”
“I mean in your bodies.”
“Don’t tell her,” I say. “They could use it against us.”
“Why don’t you just go away?” Steffanie asks me. “This is girl talk.”
“No, it’s bitch talk.”
Steffanie grabs my ear and twists.
“Ow! Let me go!” I try to break her grip, but she’s way too strong.
Julie raises her voice. “Look, you can hate us, you can blame us for everything. I don’t care. Just let him go and tell us where Keane is.”
Steffanie smiles, yanks my ear once more, and then shoves me back toward the bar.
“Enough!” Meeka cries. “We’ll tell you where Keane is. You tell us where you are right now. Exactly where you are.”
“Why is that so important?” I ask.
“It just is.”
“Then we’re not telling you anything.” I glance longingly at the drink in her hands.
“Oh, you’re thirsty?” she asks.
“I don’t feel thirsty here, but back in my body I really need a drink. So, do I need money to get one of those?”
“Here.” She shoves her globe into my hand. “It tastes like bluesum, but it’s only good here. When you get back, you’ll still be thirsty. Your wreath can’t feed your body that way.”
“I was wondering. But that’s okay.” I push the drink back at her.
“What? You think it’s poison or something?”
I smile sarcastically. “What would you think from the girl who tried to kill you?”
She makes a face.
“So you guys escaped from the Palladium,” Steffanie says. “And you got help from the grren.”
“Where’d you hear that?” Julie asks.
“From Keane and a few other friends who got out. They couldn’t believe it.”
“We could tell you how we did that,” I say. “Maybe that’s worth something. Maybe we can work out a little trade.”
<
br /> “We don’t care how you tamed the grren,” Meeka says. “Maybe Julie’s a green sage. Whatever.”
“Jealous much?” Julie asks.
Meeka snorts. “Of you?”
“Let’s get this over with,” Julie says. What do you want?”
“You heard me. We want your location.”
“Why?” I ask. “So you can kill us?”
“Are you in the river valley?”
I glance wide-eyed at Julie. “Don’t tell her.”
“You’ll never see Keane again,” Steffanie promises. “You’ll never know why he left. Nothing.”
“Did you take him?” I ask.
“Are you for real? Who’d want him?”
“Then he doesn’t know you’re here. He’d never make a deal like this. Come on, Julie. They’re lying. They don’t even know where he is.”
“Hey.” Steffanie seizes my arm. “You’re lucky we’re even having this conversation. We got exiled because of you.”
“No, you got exiled because you were stupid and tried to kill us,” I say. “I thought you guys were smarter than that.”
“Yeah, and guess what? That saved your life,” Julie says.
“That’s our dumb luck. So now we get to die slowly... or quickly, if the nomads come and kill us first. Sounds like a fabulous life, doesn’t it?”
Meeka turns to Steffanie. “You know what? I say we show them everything.”
“I agree. Talk is cheap.”
I raise my palms. “Whoa, we’re not going anywhere with you. We know how that works. We get lost… and we die.”
“Been there, done that,” Julie says, raising her hand.
“Okay, hear me out,” Meeka begins. “As a sign of our good faith, we’ll give you something.”
“Why should we trust you?” Julie asks.
“If you want to see Keane again, you will.”
“Tell us,” I say.
“All right, our boy Keane knows the Highlands better than any of us because he grew up there, right? He knows all the back roads, all the trails. So after he left you, he rode off and found our caravan just outside the city.”
“Your caravan? Who are you?”
She offers her hand. “Come see.”
I’m the guy who doesn’t trust them, the guy who took her hand the last time and was shown unspeakable horrors.
So why am I doing this again?
Because if Keane knew our whole story, I think he’d help.