Autumn in the City of Lights

by Kirby Howell

  “People who weren’t there to see his true colors,” I said, taking a chair. “You remember how charismatic he can be.” I thought about his special ability. He’d once told me and Grey he was “everywhere." It was possible he’d groomed a selection of these delegates to take power, only to eventually hand it all over to him.

  “We’re going to lose,” I said, realizing it for the first time. “Karl’s going to win this election, and who knows what he’ll do from there.”

  “Don’t say that,” Shad said, trying to console me. “Maybe we can—”

  I cut him off. “What? Ask for a miracle? I might give him a run for his money, but I don’t have enough support.”

  “Maybe we can ask for an extension on the vote,” Daniel said.

  “They’re not going to do that,” I said. “People want action. They want to get direction from this summit and go back to their communities with results. It’s happening now.”

  “We need Margery,” Grey said suddenly. “What you did tonight with Franklin needs to be done again. You need Margery to publicly back you. It could give us the votes we need.”

  “Would she do that, though?” Daniel asked. “You barely know her.”

  “Autumn’s very persuasive,” Grey said. “She can do it.” He held my hand firmly. “Tomorrow morning, before the vote, go to her in private and appeal to her. The rest of us can keep working on the other delegates at breakfast.”

  “Okay,” I said skeptically. “But we need a backup plan.”

  “I have one,” Grey said, standing upright and staring directly into my eyes.

  I stared back, not understanding what he was trying to tell me.

  “Care to share with the rest of the class?” Shad asked.

  “We expose Karl,” Grey said, still staring at me.

  “We’ve tried that,” Daniel interjected. “Everyone knows our stories from the West Coast. Some don’t believe us, others don’t care.”

  “Not that,” Grey said.

  And then I realized what he meant. “Grey, no,” I whispered.

  “Wait, what are you talking about?” asked Shad. “Expose what then?”

  Then Grey looked at our friends as if seeing them for the first time since we entered the room. “Karl is not what he seems.”

  “Grey. Stop. We don’t need to do this.” I stood and took his hand. He put a hand on my arm, stilling me, but I stepped in front of him. “Please don’t,” I whispered.

  “Autumn, let him talk,” Daniel said, also standing.

  Grey looked down at me and pressed his lips together, giving an imperceptible shrug only I could see. I stared back, astonished.

  “Seriously guys, what do you know that we don’t?” Shad asked, sitting forward in his chair.

  Grey took a deep breath and stared calmly at Daniel and Shad. “Karl is responsible for the Crimson Fever. Every loved one you had who died, Karl is responsible for.” He paused for a moment. “The death of everyone on this planet was his doing... and I can prove it.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “What... what do you mean, Karl’s responsible?” Daniel stuttered. “There’s no way on Earth he could have orchestrated The Plague.”

  “You’re right. There is no way on Earth he could have done such a thing,” Grey said, keeping his tone even and steady. He glanced back and forth from Daniel to Shad. “But Karl is not from Earth... he is alien to this planet.”

  A moment passed, then several more, and Daniel’s eyes went from confused to exasperated to disappointed. “Grey, this isn’t the time—” he started, but Grey cut him off.

  “It’s not a joke. Karl is not from here. He brought The Plague, knowing it would kill nearly everyone. He wants to rule, and he wanted to start fresh with a clean slate.”

  Shad whispered, “I knew it... ”

  Three heads swiveled toward him. I had no idea whose eyes were bigger: Daniel’s, mine, or Grey’s. What caused Shad to believe Grey so quickly, when even I hadn’t believed him at first?

  Daniel shook his head, beginning to grow irritated. “Grey, I don’t want to hear this. I can’t hear this right now. We have a real problem to solve.”

  “I said I had proof—”

  “I don’t think there’s any proof that will make me believe something like that,” Daniel retorted.

  “Please let him talk, Daniel,” I said quietly.

  Daniel stared at me, his carrot-red eyebrows raising, wrinkling his freckled forehead. “Have you guys been drinking?”

  “I know he’s a foreign element to this planet,” Grey said. “Because I am, too.”

  Shad whooped and clapped his hands together, staring in earnest at Grey.

  Daniel sighed and dragged a hand over his eyes in exasperation. “Great,” he muttered. “The world’s going to hell, and you’ve lost your mind. What great timing.”

  “I didn’t believe it at first either, Daniel, but you have to listen,” I said.

  “Holy cow, Autumn, you knew about this?!” Shad laughed and stood, his excitement boiling over.

  “This is insane—” Daniel started.

  “No, think about it, Daniel!” Shad jumped in eagerly. “Grey is smart. Too smart! We’ve all thought it. He looks younger than me, but he knows way too much. He’s, like, Superman!” He turned excitedly to Grey. “Are you really strong? Can you shoot laser beams outta your eyeballs? Are there more of you? Are you like the Avengers?”

  “STOP!”

  We all jumped at Daniel’s shout. He was still sitting, slumped in his chair, but his hands were balled into fists and pressed on his knees.

  “This is bullshit,” he muttered, staring hard at all of us. “Shad, Autumn, you shouldn’t encourage him. He’s obviously sick.” Daniel gestured at Grey as he spoke, and suddenly, Grey was gone.

  Daniel stared at the spot Grey had been. It was now empty, as if Grey had never been standing there at all. Daniel’s face relaxed, all of the anger and frustration draining out of it as if a plug had been pulled. “What the... ”

  A throat was cleared quietly behind us, and we all turned to find Grey standing near a dark window in the corner. He raised his hand and waved curtly to us, then disappeared and reappeared in the exact spot he’d previously been standing in.

  Daniel leapt from his chair and away from Grey, then after looking him up and down with wide eyes, strode forward and poked him hard in the shoulder.

  “It’s okay, Daniel. It’s really me,” Grey said quietly.

  Shad let out a whooping cheer. “Wahoo! We got one on our side, too! Can you fly? Please, tell me you can fly. Can I come with you? I’m not that heavy. Though, we’ll have to figure out a good way for you to carry me, because I’m not being cradled like Lois Lane. Maybe a harness or a rope swing—”

  “I can’t fly,” Grey said flatly.

  “Oh,” Shad said, disappointed. “Well... what else can you do?”

  Grey looked at Daniel, his brow raised. “Before we get to that, I need to know you both believe me, so we can finish our discussion on what we need to do about Karl.”

  “Oh hell yeah!” Shad exclaimed, slapping Grey on the back.

  Grey smiled and nodded at Shad, then looked at Daniel, who looked like he’d just tried to swallow a mouthful of sand. “Daniel?” he prompted.

  “Uh, yeah... yeah. We can move on and discuss Karl, I guess,” Daniel stammered.

  “Take a minute if you need. Sit down. Then we can talk.” Grey pulled up Daniel’s chair again.

  When we were all comfortably seated again, Grey began to speak.

  “This is what we do... ”

  * * *

  “Are you awake?” Grey whispered, running his hand along my back.

  It wasn’t quite morning, and the room was still dark.

  “Yes,” I replied, dragging a hand across my eyes. I remembered we weren’t in Versailles anymore. After we told Shad and Daniel about Karl’s abilities, we’d all agreed to let Grey project us somewhere else for the night, for our own
safety. He’d chosen a cabin deep in the Appalachian Mountains.

  “Are you ready to go back?” Grey breathed next to my ear.

  “Is it time already?” I shifted to make room for him on the bed beside me. The boys had graciously let me sleep in the one bedroom, while they’d camped in the den. Closing my eyes again, I waited until Grey settled next to me, and I laid my head on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat made me sleepy again. I wished we could just stay here. I smiled, thinking Daniel would agree — he was skittish as a frightened cat about projecting, while Shad had practically jumped onto Grey’s back with excitement.

  “It’s almost dawn in Paris,” Grey said. “If you want to speak with Margery before breakfast, we should leave soon.”

  I reluctantly pushed away from him and into a sitting position. I shook out my tousled bed hair and glared toward the window, imagining it pointed east, toward Paris. Today was the day, and I was nowhere near close to being mentally ready. But the only way through it was to put one foot in front of the other. “Okay,” I said.

  I woke Shad from a deep sleep on the floor by the fireplace, and he groaned, rubbing his eyes and blinking at me. “Oh man, I thought for a second it was all a dream. But we’re really here. Man, it’s so cool knowing real life superheroes.”

  I smiled at him. “Get up and get ready. We have to go back now.”

  “I’ve never been to this part of the country,” Daniel said from across the room. He was studying an oil painting of a mill surrounded by dense forest. “I always wanted to come for Christmas or something. Stay in a cabin, go to a pancake house for breakfast... the usual stuff.” He turned and put a hand on a side table made from an old log. “This whole area is out of an old movie or something. And, I guess, after The Plague, I never thought I’d see it, or anywhere else other than the Southwest. Yet, in the last twelve hours, I’ve been in Paris and now Tennessee.” He turned around and stared at me. “This can’t be real,” he said, palming a small black bear figurine from a nearby shelf.

  I walked up and placed my hand on his, gently taking the bear figurine from his hand. “But it is.”

  “I always thought the universe was too big to just be ours, but I never thought I’d live to know the truth, that we’re not alone... and live through the consequences of that. There’s a lot that’s happened over the past couple of years that I still have trouble believing.”

  I placed the figurine back in his hand and held it for a moment. I didn’t know Daniel’s story. Who he was before The Plague, who and what he lost because of it. Connie had hinted once that his story was more tragic than any of ours. But he’d never opened up to the rest of us about his past.

  Daniel pulled me into a hug, surprising me. I didn’t pull away. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged back.

  “I’m not going to pretend I’m even the slightest bit okay with what we might have to do today. But I do think it’s our only option — knowing what I do now about Karl.” Daniel paused for a moment and then reluctantly released me. “We’re going to beat him,” he whispered. “We have to.”

  Minutes later, we were in my room back at Versailles.

  “I will never get used to travelling like that,” Daniel murmured. Shad just stood by him, beaming.

  “Superman’s got nothing on you, doc,” Shad said, slapping Grey on the shoulder. “Though, it’d be awesome if you could take me places without us having to snuggle.” He flipped something into the air, and Grey caught it. “Your transportation fare, sir.”

  Grey looked at it for a moment. It was a Euro coin. He tossed it back to Shad, smiling. “It’s okay, first one’s free. Then I start charging.”

  Instead of returning it to his pocket, Shad handed it to me, winked, and said, “Here. Maybe you can buy someone’s vote.”

  I smiled grimly and slipped it into my jeans pocket. “Maybe. ”

  “Okay, you guys, get Autumn more votes over breakfast,” Grey said. “And if the outcome of the election is not in our favor... well, we all know what we have to do.”

  I swallowed and looked at Shad and Daniel in turn, then at Grey. Daniel wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the plan. I don’t think any of us did. Even Grey, who’d thought it up.

  “I should go find Margery,” I said.

  I’d seen Margery coming and going, so I knew her room was in the same hallway as mine, at the far end. I looked at Karl’s closed door as I passed, wondering if he was inside or already at breakfast, swinging as many votes as he could. I knocked on her door and heard rustling on the other side and what I thought was another voice before the door cracked open.

  Margery peeked her face out from behind the door. “Autumn, bonjour. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “May I come in a moment to speak with you?”

  She considered for a second and then smiled. “Please forgive me. I’m not quite dressed,” she said, ushering me in. “Please, have a seat while I change.”

  “Am I interrupting you and someone?” I asked glancing around for the other voice I thought I’d heard.

  “No, not at all. I was rehearsing my speech for later,” she said with a welcoming smile. Her hair and makeup were done, but she wore a silk robe. She pulled a dress from where it was laid across the bed and disappeared behind a folding screen. “It is perhaps fortuitous that you came this morning,” she called from behind it. “I wasn’t sure how I would be able to zip the back of my dress.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Of course,” I agreed, as my gaze traveled around her room. The gold molding was similar to my own room, but this room was almost twice the size, and the bed was larger. A dresser with a gold-encrusted mirror over it sat in the corner. I got up and walked to it, wondering if Madame de Pompadour or some royalty had gazed into it years before.

  I noticed a few framed photos atop the dresser. They were black and white, and by the style of dress, looked to be from the 1940s. A woman with a striking resemblance to Margery was featured in all of them. I picked up one of the pictures. The woman stood in front of a vintage motorcycle, arm in arm with a man who could only be described as “debonair.” The photo was sepia-toned from age, and the woman wore an old-fashioned motorcycle helmet, a leather jacket, and a long skirt.

  “Do you like that?” Margery asked from over my shoulder. I nearly dropped the photo in fright. “My apologies,” she said, resting a hand on the frame and looking at it longingly. “That is my grandmother with her Magnat Dubon motorcycle. Isn’t it fantastic?”

  “You know motorcycles?” I asked.

  “Oh, heavens no. But I know this one. We still have it in the family... ” She stopped for a moment. “Well, I suppose we do. It was garaged in my parents’ summer home in Avignon. I don’t know if it’s still there,” she said, a sadness creeping into her voice. “When I was young, it was still running, and I would sometimes ride it around the ramparts down by the Rhône River. But that was quite some time ago.”

  I sat the photo down and considered all the loss everyone left had endured. It was almost unfathomable. Every person left alive had their own personal tragedy.

  “I hope it’s still there,” I said.

  “Me too.” She kissed her fingertip and pressed it onto the photo, then turned to me. “Now, would you mind?” She turned around, and I saw the zipper halfway up her back.

  “Of course.” I zipped up the stylish red dress. It was knee-length with a boat neck, like something a politician’s wife in the sixties might wear.

  “Now, Mademoiselle, how can I help you this morning?” Margery asked. “It must be important for you to come here instead of breakfast.”

  “It is.” I took a deep breath and came straight out with it. “I need you to endorse me before the elections.”

  Margery looked truly surprised for a moment, then smiled. “I’d heard rumors you might be running. But surely someone so young... ”

  “I know I’m young, but I’m the only one with a prayer of beating Karl. And I can’t do it unless you
sway what support you have left to me. I’m sorry if that sounds indelicate.”

  Margery considered a moment and then took the chair in front of her vanity. “Autumn, do you know what it will mean for you to take on this position? You will be, for all intents and purposes, our leader. It is a heavy burden. I’m not sure you’re fully prepared for this. And you are so very young.”

  “Karl can’t be allowed to win,” I pressed. “You must have heard the stories by now. They’re true. He’s cruel and manipulative.”

  “I have heard a lot of stories. Some would say the same of you.”

  My brow furrowed, and I suddenly wondered what lies Karl had been spreading about me.

  “I guess I’m asking you to take a leap of faith then. Karl is evil. I’ve experienced it firsthand. We cannot allow him to lead us. Please, help me defeat him.”

  “I’m not unmoved by your impassioned plea, Autumn. But have you given thought to the idea that I may want the position for myself?”

  “I have,” I said. “But after yesterday, I worry you won’t have enough backing to win.” She frowned. “I’m in the same boat, myself. That’s why I’m asking that we pool our resources.”

  “The difference between you and me is that I actually want this job,” Margery said, standing and walking to the magnificent window overlooking the gardens.

  “But—”

  Margery held up a hand to stop me. “Perhaps my wanting it is the reason I shouldn’t have it. Just like Karl. My grandmother used to say, ‘Only those who don’t want power should be given it.’”

  “Will you consider my request?” I asked.

  She looked thoughtfully out at the gardens in the dawn light. “I will indeed. But I make no promises.”

  After breakfast, all of the delegates and their parties gathered in the Hall of Mirrors. The reflection in the mirrors made it feel like I was standing in a sea of thousands, not hundreds. Margery took the podium and spoke about the new office of president pro-tem, and then asked for official nominations. Franklin, the leader of Vegas, was the first to raise his hand.