She’d scream.
CHIDI
Chidi zipped her backpack shut and slung its straps round her shoulders. She looked out the bus window as Ellie drove them into the Indianapolis Zoo parking lot. Chidi grinned at the sight of busses lined up outside the gates. Students and chaperones poured out of them. She tightened the straps on her backpack. Is today the day?
Her crewmates readied themselves in their own ways, never guessing her intentions.
Paulo hung near the back, teaching Racer various pressure points to coerce an aggressive runner into submission. Henry and Oscar played a betting game of wanfro. The way Henry held his cards and cast the shells suggested he would let Oscar win.
As for Lenny, he toed the line near the driver’s seat, his gaze sifting through the crowd as best Chidi could tell.
His earrings flashed. Cheeds, whattaya think we should do with the kid?
She glanced down at Allambee, polishing off the last of the doughnuts they picked up in a rinky-dink town called Lavere. He smiled, and she saw colored sprinkles in his teeth.
He’s just a Dryback, she said. Couldn’t hurt any of us. Zymon is the one I’d be worried about, but he’s still locked in the hold. Unless you think he’ll make noise and attract attention.
Lenny gave the slightest shake of his head. The Crayfish soundproofed the hold. Zymon can bang around down there and shout all he wants. Nobody’s gonna hear nothin’. Lenny turned, studied Allambee a moment. His earrings flashed. Give him a choice. He either goes in with Zymon, or we lock him in the bunkroom. There’s no windows back there but it’s betta than the cold floor down below.
Chidi pulled Allambee aside. “We’re going to leave soon…you can’t come with us. It could be dangerous.”
“I am not afraid.”
And I hope you can stay that way. She wished she could tell him that. “I know you’re not. Lenny still won’t allow it. He says you can either stay in the bunkroom until we get back, or he’ll make Paulo put you in the under again."
“Can you not stay with me?”
Henry turned his head away from the game. His icy stare fell on Allambee, then flickered to Chidi. His earrings flashed. Give the word, my love. And I weel reed you of zis problem.
“No,” she said quickly. “No, I can’t stay with you, Allambee. Get in the back. Now.”
Chidi felt like she just kicked a puppy.
Allambee stepped away from her and went back to the bunkroom. He turned around once inside, watched her close the door, giving him to the darkness.
I’m sorry.
Chidi clicked the lock closed.
“All right, crew,” said Lenny. “Time to hunt.”
Paulo and Racer crowed all the way off the bus. Even Oscar seemed happier than usual. Thankfully, he pulled Henry away. Chidi knew her owner wouldn’t have left her behind any other way.
Chidi walked up the aisle behind them. She stopped at the driver’s seat. “Bad luck, you drawing the watch.”
“Yeah,” said Ellie. “Push comes to shove, Lenny would rather have Paulo watching his back than me. I told him so.” Ellie leaned on the steering wheel. “Lotta good that did me.”
“You’re saying—”
“I’m saying don’t screw up. I already had one knock against me because I’m a girl. Me falling for Marisa’s bait and switch yesterday…that’s strike two.”
“But that was my fault too,” said Chidi.
“The Crayfish hired you special,” said Ellie. “I’m just another grunt.”
Chidi pursed her lips. “I’m sure Lenny will forget it soon enough.”
“Any catcher can tell you Dolans don’t run. What you don’t hear about is they never forget anything either. You lose their respect…” Ellie shook her head. “It’s gone.”
Cheeds, Lenny’s voice filled her head. Let’s go already.
Chidi hurried down the steps and joined the crew. They remained down a ways from the hundreds of students milling about the zoo’s entrance. Far enough to not be overheard, but not so far to seem suspicious. At least we won’t have any trouble blending in with the crowds.
“Hey, Henry,” said Racer. “You could be our chaperone today.”
Oscar and Paulo chuckled. Henry did not.
“Shuddup, pup,” said Lenny. He unfolded a zoo map, and studied its layout. “All right, here’s the assign—”
“Uh, excuse me, Lenny,” Oscar said. “Before you overstep your bounds, know that today I insist Henry remains at my side. I’ll not have another cockup like yesterday.”
He’s scared. Chidi fought off the grin. Good. A little fear will do him some good.
A blue bus stopped near the group entrance. Plastered across its side in white lettering read: ST. BLANDINA ACADEMY FOR GIRLS.
Racer and Paulo shared a look.
“We’re not here to hunt Dryback girls,” Lenny reminded them. “Focus.”
“Come on, Len!” said Racer. “We can look for Marisa while trailing girls too.”
“Oh yeah? Whattaya gonna say to one of ’em if she’s interested? Come back and join me in the caverns? Maybe we can hold flippas?”
Chidi laughed.
Henry shot her a look that cut it short. His earrings flashed. You do not smile, laugh, you do not even speak unless I allow. Can you be so stupeed that you have forgotten your last lesson?
I remember. She used her elbow to nudge the contents hiding in her backpack. The mere touch comforted her.
Lenny folded his map. “Paulie, hang near the front gates where ya can keep an eye on security and the aquarium entrance. Racer, take the walrus and polar bear exhibit. Cheeds, I want ya at the center, near the café.”
“Why does she get to stay near the food?” Racer complained.
“Ya speak any languages I dunno about?” Lenny asked. “No? That’s why.”
Both Racer and Paulo grumbled about the need to rotate posts more often, but they entered the zoo with little else to say.
Chidi turned to go.
Henry stopped her by digging his thumb between her shoulder blades. “She stays with me.”
“Oscar wants ya with him at all times, rememba?” Lenny said. “It don’t make no sense to have three of us bunched togetha when we got the whole zoo to cover.”
“And what about us?” Oscar asked. “Where do you intend to place us? In the thick of action, I hope.”
Lenny nodded. “I want ya both scoutin’ inside the aquarium. This place is landlocked so Bourgeois can’t escape by usin’ water again. She’ll be there if she’s here and got business to take care of.”
“I see,” said Oscar, his tone suspicious. “And where will you be?”
“In the aquariums.”
Chidi cocked her head to the side. Why would he…
Oscar’s eyes narrowed. “But you said it made no sense to have three catchers—”
“Bunched up,” said Lenny. “We won’t be. Oscar, Henry, the two of ya take the northwest entrance by the dolphin pavilion, I’ll take the southeast. We bang around and double back the way we came when we meet in the middle.”
Chidi hid her smile. Will you fall for it, Oscar? She watched him unfold a zoo map and study it.
Satisfied, Oscar shoved the map into Henry’s chest. “Excellent. But should I discover this is another of your tricks, I’ll have you and this team keel-raked upon our return. Think on that.”
“I won’t think on it very long ‘cause I know it’s a real post,” Lenny said. “The most important one, so we should get movin’.”
Oscar ambled away.
His bodyguard did not join him.
Lenny stepped closer to Henry. “I know ya get off on scarin’ little girls, but it don’t work on me. So either do something and let’s have it out, or follow Oscar inside and take ya post. Either way…quit starin’ at me.”
Henry’s thin lips parted in a cruel smile. Then he turned on his heel and followed Oscar inside.
Hey, Cheeds, Lenny thought to her. What’d that smile of h
is mean?
I…I’d rather not talk about it. If Henry ever found out I told—
Geesh, girlie, I knew he had a tight leash on ya, but come on. All right, keep it to ya’self then. By the way, we get in there, circle around and keep an eye on Paulie and Racer. They hook up and talk to any girls, I want ya to play an angry girlfriend and scare ’em off.
Aye, aye.
Chidi followed him inside.
Lenny immediately broke away and headed north for the aquarium entrance.
Chidi headed west, following a path between the Commons and Forests exhibits. A group of employees had been commissioned to set up a large pavilion tent in the grassy lawn area, no doubt for children to picnic under later in the day.
She reached the outside café area in no time. Chidi removed the backpack from her shoulder and placed it on the table. Taking a seat, she turned her gaze northeast to watch visitors of the dolphin pavilion. Chidi glanced around to see if Henry had again abandoned Lenny’s orders. The last thing I need is for him to see these.
Seeing no one, she unzipped the bag. Chidi's fingers trembled as she reached inside and took out one of Marisa’s journals. Everyone was so wrapped up in preparing they didn’t see me take you, did they?
She glossed over the purple notebook’s pages. Chidi had been honest in translating the text for Lenny, but kept far more from him. Bourgeois had done more than just recount stories of those she evaded over the years; she had sketches of individual catchers, different species movement and staging patterns, strengths and weaknesses.
Marisa even claimed to have evaded the Silkstealer—a rumored boogieman known for capturing Silkies while murdering the males. None had ever seen him in the Salt, yet Marisa described seeing him on the Hard and had drawn a portrait of what she claimed was him.
Chidi shuddered at his picture, an older man wearing a black cowboy hat ringed with the seal teeth of his victims. She turned the page and discovered Marisa’s list of contacts. Were you all slaves before too?
Names littered the back half of the notebook. Chidi assumed them aliases. She didn’t recognize any, not that it concerned her. Slaves lied all the time. She had done the same when necessary. One of the columns listed what Chidi assumed to be professions, but cracking Marisa’s code would take a while.
She had learned much in the few short hours Lenny had given her to translate the pages. More than enough time to recognize a treasure trove of knowledge for any slave with a desire to run. One needed only two keys to unlock its secrets: time and a vast knowledge of languages.
Chidi had the one. Now she hoped to find the time.
She tore a piece of clean paper from one of the other notebooks and searched for the profession she needed most.
A forger…I need someone to forge my fakes.
GARRETT
Why does she always have to smell so good? Garrett collapsed the bus window. Ugh. This is torture.
“You hot?” Sydney asked as he sat back down.
Hot for you. Garrett shrugged. “Just like the window down.”
“Weaves, come on, man,” said Johnny, seated behind them. “You wanna freeze me out?”
“We’re almost there, Hickey. You’ll be fine.”
Garrett looked out the window. A day at the zoo sounded fantastic when he had lain in bed last night. But hearing Bryce Tardiff’s threat at school made him nervous. He dodged bullies at school all the time. Bathrooms, unlocked doorways, bleachers—Garrett knew all the best hiding spots after years of avoiding P.J.s. He held no such advantages at the zoo.
They won’t do anything with Syd around. Garrett thunked his head against the window. Felt the cool glass against his forehead. How sad is this? My only hope is a girl will be around to keep them away. No wonder I can’t score a date with her.
“Can someone please tell me why we are going to the zoo again?” Laura Morris, the class valedictorian to-be, asked loud enough for any chaperones to overhear.
“Who cares?” others answered her.
“Yeah, it’s better than being at school.”
“But what can we learn?” Laura asked. “Oh, that’s a tiger. This is an elephant…a toddler could tell you the difference!”
Garrett listened to his peers groan as the bus came to a stop.
Sydney patted the leather seat in front of them like drums. “We’re here! Come on, Weaver.”
Garrett scooted out after her. Johnny cut him off to follow Sydney up the row. He kept his head down the entire way to stare at her butt.
Garrett slapped him upside the head.
“Ow, dude! What was that for?”
“Like you don’t know.”
“Whatever,” Johnny whispered. “Don’t pretend you wouldn’t do the same.”
Garrett had no response for that.
Mr. Lansky waited at the bottom of the steps to hand each student a trivia sheet. “Have it filled out by the end of the day,” the teacher said.
Garrett didn’t bother looking over the form. He saw Sydney already scrawling answers down. He popped his elbow in her direction like an English gentleman might offer his escort. “Excuse me, my dear,” he said. “Would you care to join me in a quiet stroll through yonder zoo?”
“You are such a nerd.” Sydney said. She threaded her arm through the crook of his as they walked to the ticket counter with Johnny in tow.
“Preposterous,” said Garrett. He sniffed the air. “Why…what is that wondrous aroma, darling?”
“Roses?” Sydney suggested.
“Nah,” Johnny said in between chomps. “Probably just a rhino taking a dump.”
Sydney’s nose wrinkled. “Nice, Hickey.”
Garrett shot Johnny a look when Sydney stepped away from them.
Johnny grinned back like breaking them up had been his plan all along. He popped a fresh piece of gum in his mouth, then chased after her. “Hey, Syd! Wait up!”
“Nope. I promised my mom I’d get tickets to see her in action at the dolphin show. You two are slowing me down.”
“The dolphin show is for kids,” Garrett said. “Hate to burst your bubble, Syd, but they’re kinda boring.”
“Uh, not when your mom is a dolphin trainer.”
“Okay, fine. But they’re not as cool as sharks or cheetahs or bears. That’s what I want to see.”
“I dunno, Weaves,” said Johnny as he unfolded a zoo map. “I’m kind of excited about the show. It says here one of the dolphins can even jump through hoops.”
Sydney stopped. “Look, you two fight out which exhibit we go to first. I’m getting us tickets though.”
Garrett wheeled on Johnny the second she reached the counter, twenty yards away. “You’re such a suck up, man!”
“Dude, it’s called taking an interest in what the girl you’re dating likes.”
“Hickey! You’re not dating, Sydney!”
“Neither are you!”
“Besides,” said Garrett. “Girls want guys who will be honest with them—”
“Oh, you’re one to talk with the whole chronakitis drone—”
“And not just fake your interests. At least that’s what girls like Sydney want.”
Johnny frowned. “And you know what she wants.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you just say Sydney drives me home after tennis practice every day and not you?”
“Schyeah,” Johnny scoffed. “And now you’re in the friend category, pal. Which means you’re going noooowhere. That just makes you a sounding board for her to talk about the studs she really wants. Likes yours—Heeeey, Syd! You get the tickets?”
Garrett turned and saw Sydney standing behind him. Great. No way she didn’t overhear at least part of that.
Sydney cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, they only had tickets for the afternoon show left so I’m thinking we do aquarium stuff last. Most visitors check it out first because it’s right inside the entrance.”
She pointed to a path on their right where a long line had already stretched around the outside portion o
f the Sea Lion tank.
“Sounds good to me,” Garrett said. “Hickey?”
“I’m good with whatever Syd wants to do. I-I just want to make sure we hit up the dolphins before we leave. Honestly, I’d be fine if we just stayed over there all day…”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “We’ll see them. Up close even. Mom said I could bring you guys down after the show if you want. All right,” Sydney glanced down at her trivia sheet. “African Plains it is!”
Johnny bumped into Garrett as both followed her lead to the left pathway. “I happen to like dolphins, dude,” he whispered.
“No, you don’t.”
“Uh, yeah, I do. They’re like the coolest fish in the ocean!”
Garrett fought an urge to slap him again. “They’re not fish, you dork. Dolphins are mammals. They have to come up for air. Don’t you watch the Discovery Channel?”
“And they give birth to live young, just like humans do.” Sydney chimed in from ten yards ahead.
Johnny scratched his head. “Oh. Well, then they’re the coolest mammals in the ocean!”
So lame. Garrett sped up his pace to catch Sydney. “Actually, Hickey. Whales are the coolest mammals in the ocean.”
“Whoa…wait a minute,” said Johnny. “Whales are mammals too?”
“Yep.”
“Man, I don’t know what Laura was talking about. I’m learning all kinds of new stuff today!”
They wasted the rest of the morning drifting from paddock to paddock. At one stop, they watched the giraffes and antelopes graze. The next, they saw a cheetah that refused to run no matter how much Garrett begged from behind the safety of a glass barrier.
Johnny insisted on seeing the other big cats after lunch. All seemed content in their laziness. Garrett found a pride of lionesses huddled together on a large boulder. The pile of yellow fur made it hard to tell where one began and the others ended.
“Dude,” Johnny said. “Twenty bucks says a tiger could take a lion in a fight.”
Garrett laughed. “You’re about to lose twenty dollars. No way a tiger could take the lion down.”
“What about a liger?” Sydney asked.
“A wha-?”
“A liger—it’s a hybrid; both lion and tiger. They’re supposed to have the strengths of both its parents. Think about that!”
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