by I. T. Lucas
Arwel nodded. “I’ll do that right after lunch.”
“The other thing we need to solve is the phone situation.” Yamanu turned to Mey. “You can’t take a bugged phone with you, but I know that you don’t want to part with it because your sister might call or message you.”
Eyes widening, Mey pushed away from the table. “I forgot to check for messages today.” She walked over to the safe and put in the code.
“Take it out to the corridor,” Yamanu cautioned.
“I didn’t forget.” Mey pulled out the phone and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
“I can watch Mey’s phone,” Alena offered. “If there is anything from Jin, I can let you know or forward the message.”
“I have a better idea. I’ll ask the expert’s advice.” Yamanu started getting up.
Alena put a hand on his arm. “Can’t it wait for after lunch?”
“It will only take a minute, and anyway, I want to wait for Mey, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.” She smiled. “That's so chivalrous of you.”
It had been a sly move even though what he’d said was true. Yamanu had known that Alena would forgive his lack of decorum if he cloaked it in romantic intentions.
Pulling out his phone, he selected William’s number and sat on the couch. It was a Sunday, so there was a small chance the guy was sleeping in, but knowing William, he was in the lab working on the weekends as well.
“Yamanu,” he answered on the fourth ring. “I heard the good news from Kian. Congratulations.”
Rumors certainly traveled fast through the village. Yamanu hadn’t expected it from Kian, though.
“Thank you, but it’s premature, and I need your advice. We know that Mey’s phone is bugged, and we need to leave it behind. But she's expecting calls and texts from her sister. Is there any way to reroute them to a secure number without the watchers tracing it to us?”
William snorted. “It’s child’s play. Give me her number, and I’ll have everything rerouted through several servers to a new phone. I can send a clan-issue device with Kri and Michael, so Mey will have it tomorrow. Leave her phone in the hotel’s lost and found, but it needs to be hooked up to a charger.”
“You are the best. Thank you.”
“Any time, my friend.”
Mey came in a moment later, looking pale, but everyone waited patiently with their questions until she put the phone back in the safe and locked it.
“There was a message?” Yamanu pulled out a chair for her.
Mey nodded. “Now I’m a hundred percent sure that it is not Jin who is sending the messages.” Her chin quivered a little, but then she took in a shuddering breath and regained control. “This one was longer than usual. The one pretending to be Jin complained about my lack of updates. Supposedly, my texts and phone messages used to be the highlight of her day when she got to the spot with reception. She misses me and wants to know what’s going on with me. Do I have any exciting news to share? Like a new boyfriend or a new job?”
Alena put her hand over Mey’s. “Those seem like legitimate sisterly questions.”
“Yeah, but not from Jin. She knows that I’m happy working for Dalia, so she wouldn't have asked about a new job. But whoever eavesdropped on my conversation with Derek got the impression that I’ve gotten a great new job offer.”
“We can use that,” Yamanu said. “Tomorrow, send Jin a message that you indeed have a new boyfriend who has connections in Europe, and who is helping you get a lucrative contract with one of the most famous fashion houses in France. Don’t specify which house, of course, or when the interview is taking place.”
“That’s good,” Arwel said. “It seems like a trail, but it leads nowhere.”
3
Kian
After the first call from Yamanu, Kian had returned to bed, trying to salvage what had been left of his relaxed mood on a Sunday morning. But after the second call, going back to bed was no longer possible.
He needed to get busy and call Turner, but doing it in his pajamas seemed unprofessional, especially since he was going to bother the guy on a day that was supposed to be dedicated to family.
“What’s going on?” Syssi looked up from her tablet. “You look worried.”
He sat on the bed. “Yamanu called again.”
He’d given Syssi an update after Yamanu’s first call, but things had escalated quickly, and a couple of hours later everything had taken on a more urgent tone.
Mey was no longer just a possible Dormant with an interesting talent, she had turned into a possible threat to the clan as well as an asset. And the news about her sister’s ability was a game changer. Kian couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of having both talents at his disposal.
“Bad news?” Syssi asked.
“It’s a mixed bag. Apparently, Mey’s sister has a very interesting paranormal talent as well. If she touches a person even once, she can create a sort of connection to him or her, and she can then hear and see what they are doing.”
“That’s one hell of a spying tool.” Syssi put the tablet down and pushed up on the pillows.
“My thoughts exactly. Mey believes that her sister’s new and mysterious job is connected to her talent, but according to Mey they had kept it a secret, swearing to never reveal their abilities to anyone. So, the big question is how Jin's employer found out about it. She thinks that the government has her sister and that if they hired Jin for her talent, they are never going to let her out.”
“She’s not wrong about that.” Syssi shifted, pulling the comforter to her chest. “Imagine what they could do with her. She could be planted as a waitress in an event hosting foreign dignitaries, touch whomever the government wants to spy on, and boom, all his or her secrets from now until whenever are exposed.”
“Mey’s talent is also useful, but not as much as her sister’s. It seems that hers is still a secret, though, but not for long unless we help her get out, which we are doing. She’s being followed around so they can catch her doing something unusual.”
“I’m surprised that they haven’t snatched her yet.”
“Yeah, me too. Perhaps they are being more careful with her because of what she does for a living. A model disappearing might get some media attention.”
“Is Mey famous?”
Kian shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s a question better addressed to Amanda.” He pushed his hair back. “Is it wrong of me to also want Jin for her spying ability?”
“Of course, you want her, but you wouldn’t keep her prisoner if she wants to leave. Right?”
He grimaced. “If Jin is a Dormant, I will have no choice. At least until she transitions. But let’s worry about that when we actually have her. Right now, Mey has only one iffy clue about Jin’s whereabouts. She remembered seeing a West Virginia travel guide in her sister’s room, and it had a page about a National Radio Quiet Zone earmarked. She has a hunch that’s where Jin’s new place of employment is located. I want to call Turner and ask him what he knows about it, and whether the government has research facilities there. Have you ever heard about the place? Because this is the first time that I did.”
Syssi shook her head. “I didn’t know it existed. I can do a quick internet search and find out the basics. You know, the stuff they put out for the public’s consumption.” She chuckled. “Do you think they have a secret facility for paranormals over there?”
“Who knows.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “The problem is that if Jin was recruited by the government, it’s going to be very difficult to get her out. I don't want to attract their attention. Our survival depends on us staying under their radar.”
“Roni’s situation was similar, and yet you approved his extraction.”
“It was, and it wasn't. As far as his handlers knew, Roni was a smart guy and a talented hacker, and that’s how he managed to arrange his escape. He didn’t have any paranormal abilities, and neither did they. Jin could be in a facility full of people with va
rious extrasensory talents. All it will take for us to get exposed is one person realizing who is helping Jin and then report it.”
Syssi shivered. “It’s not worth the risk. Not even if that facility is full of potential Dormants.”
“That’s why I need to talk to Turner. The impossible is what he specializes in.”
“Roni can probably find out more about that quiet zone. Does he still have a backdoor into government databases?”
“I think so. But there are things even he can’t get into. Besides, he needs to know where to look first. The other problem is that right now, he and William are dedicating all their resources to locating Kalugal. There is endless security footage for their facial recognition program to process.”
Syssi nodded. “Priorities, priorities. Both Kalugal and Mey have something we want, but while we don’t know where he is, Yamanu is bringing Mey in on Tuesday. Is he taking her to the keep? I would like to meet her.”
“There was a change of plans. We decided that it would be better to get her out of New York as soon as possible. He is bringing her here tomorrow.”
Syssi sat up. “Here? You mean to the village? How come?”
“If I put her in the keep, I’ll have to assign Guardians to her, which I can’t spare at the moment because of the raid. We need everyone available. Besides, I’m quite certain that she is a Dormant, so I’m willing to take the risk.”
Tilting her head, Syssi regarded him for a long moment. “That’s so unlike you. You are always so skeptical and so cautious.”
“I’m becoming less skeptical, but not less careful. Mey has a strong paranormal ability, and she and Yamanu hit it off from the first moment. Both are excellent indicators of her being a Dormant. And if she isn’t, Yamanu can thrall her memories of the village away the same as the keep’s. He tested her, and she is not resistant to thralling. I’m not concerned.”
With a big smile spreading over her face, Syssi wrapped her arms around Kian’s neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss. “I need to get up.” She let go of him and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I have a lot of work to do.”
“What work?”
“I’m going to call Amanda about throwing a surprise welcoming party for Mey and Yamanu. But first, I need to call Arwel and ask his permission to get into their house. I’m sure that it’s dusty, that the fridge is empty, and that the place looks just as inviting as the other bachelor pads. I’ll get Okidu to clean up, while Amanda and I go for a quick supply run. A few pillows and a throw blanket can do a lot to soften the look.” She glanced at him from under lowered lashes. “I’m going to buy new bedding as well. Something luxuriously soft that spells honeymoon.”
“Perhaps you shouldn't. I’m not sure what the deal with Yamanu is. We were all convinced that he was celibate, and then he calls about Mey and says that she is his one. How does that work?”
Syssi waved a hand in dismissal. “Maybe you were all wrong about him? He might have been very private about his intimate life, and he might have been choosy. Did he ever admit to being celibate?”
“No, but when you know a guy for so long, you don’t have to be told. No one has seen him with a woman or heard him talking about one in centuries.”
“So, he wasn’t always like that?”
Kian shook his head. “I remember when he was just as active as the rest of the men and quite cocky about his effect on the ladies.”
Syssi shrugged. “Perhaps he matured and learned to keep his conquests to himself. Personally, I think that speaks in his favor and not the other way around.”
4
Ella
Julian wrapped his arm around Ella’s waist and pulled her closer to him. “Did Ruth say what’s the occasion?”
“Ruth wasn’t the one who called. Sylvia did. She only said that her mom is inviting us to dinner.”
The evening was windy, making the air feel cooler than it actually was. The summer dress that Ella had put on didn’t offer much protection, and she hadn’t thought to bring a jacket for the short walk to Ruth and Nick’s house. Leaning against Julian's side, she was glad of the warmth his body was emitting.
“Did she invite anyone else?” Julian asked.
“It’s only us, Roni and Sylvia, Ruth and Nick. I just hope it’s not someone’s birthday or anniversary. I would feel bad showing up without a present.”
“I have a solution for that.” Julian pulled out the two concert tickets his ex-roommate had sent them. “We can offer these.”
Ella cast him an amused glance. “I know that you don’t want to go hear him play, but you can’t give these as a present because you got them for free.”
“So what? No one would know.”
“First of all, it’s easy to guess who you got those from, and secondly, it doesn't matter. A gift is about spending the time to select something special, and not about giving away something that you don’t want.”
“What if you don’t know what the person likes? If I had to buy a gift for Roni, I would have no clue what to get him. Would you?”
“Of course. I would get him something that has to do with grilling. You know how obsessed he is with producing the best steaks. It could be something as silly as a custom-printed apron that says Master Steak Chef. The cost doesn’t matter, it’s the thought put into selecting the gift that makes it special.”
Leaning, Julian kissed the top of her head. “That’s the difference between you and me. You are creative, and I’m not. Give me a project, and I will do my best to make it happen, but it’s not going to be anything wowing. Just functional. Like the halfway house. I made it work, but it wouldn’t have been half the success it is without your help.”
Ella chuckled. “It sounds funny. Half of the half. But thank you. It makes me happy to think that the small tweaks I suggested are making a difference.”
“The reading corner with the floor pillows is a success, and so is the self-serve ice cream bar. I don’t think the common room would have been used as much without them.”
As they climbed the steps to Ruth’s house, Ella sniffed the air. “There will be no steak tonight, but something smells delicious.”
Julian knocked on the door. “I wasn’t hungry until we got here. But now I am.”
Sylvia opened up. “You are just in time. Thank you for being punctual.” She leaned to whisper. “My mom likes to serve her creations right when they’re ready. She says that reheating destroys the flavor.”
“She’s absolutely right.” Ella gave her a quick hug.
Inside, Roni and Nick were playing a virtual reality game, looking really weird. With the headsets on, they were moving in the virtual world in a way that made sense to them, but to onlookers their hand movements and head tilts seemed disjointed.
“That looks like fun,” Julian said.
“You can take a turn after dinner,” Ruth said from the kitchen. “Can you tell them that the food is ready?”
Julian nodded. “Hi, Ruth, and thanks for inviting us.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“Can I help bring things out?” Ella asked.
“Sure.”
As usual, everything Ruth had made was simple and yet delicious. But more than the meal, Ella enjoyed the company. Sylvia and Roni were fun, and Nick was a real hoot. Ruth was quiet, not taking part in the conversation unless someone asked her something. But she seemed happy, content to be surrounded by family and friends, which Ella wouldn’t have known before her transition.
She was still learning to interpret the more subtle scents people emitted, but the simple ones were quite obvious. After acquiring a whole new spectrum of sensory input, Ella wondered how she’d managed without it before.
“How is the search for Kalugal going?” Julian asked when dessert was served.
Roni stretched his back and rubbed his stomach. “It’s going and going and going. Our servers are running at full capacity, and I have nothing to do. William can at least tinker with his mechanical inventions wh
ile we wait, but I can only read or play on my Switch.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “As if that’s such a hardship. Want to swap places with me? I now have two bosses over my head, telling me what to do. Eva and Sharon. I’m glad that she picked up speed and is keeping the agency from folding, but let’s just say that I can’t wait for Eva to come back, and in the meantime, I would love to sit in your throne-like chair and play games all day long.”
Roni shrugged. “And I would gladly switch places with you and get to work aboveground for a change. But unlike you, I suck at the technical side of things. I’m a code man. Not hardware.”
“That's too bad that your servers are maxed out,” Ella said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you to do a quick database search for my aunt. But I guess it will have to wait for later.”
“Is she missing?” Ruth asked.
“I don’t know. She was always a recluse, and we were never close. I would like to know what’s going on with her, but I can’t just pick up the phone and call because I’m supposed to be dead.” Ella folded her napkin and put it over her plate. “I’ve been thinking a lot about her lately and wondering whether she could be a Dormant.”
Sylvia frowned. “I thought that your mom didn’t have any siblings.”
“Eleanor is my father’s sister. But since Parker and my paranormal abilities are so much stronger than my mother's, I started thinking that maybe my father was a Dormant too. Given Amanda’s affinity theory, it makes sense for Dormants to be attracted to one another. So, if two Dormants happen to go to the same school and are about the same age, chances are that they will find each other.”
“What’s her last name?” Roni asked.
“As far as I know, it’s still Takala. If she got married, she didn’t tell my mom about it. All I know is that she is about thirty-nine years old, and last I heard she worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep. She might have changed careers. But if she has Parker’s compulsion ability, that’s unlikely. She could make a killing in sales.”