“I’m aware of the fact that I failed you a long time ago. Forgiveness is something me and your mother need to earn, as well as trust. Please, believe me, working for this group is dangerous.”
“Slamming your allies?” Orlando raised an eyebrow, stunned. Of course, he only knew Alan’s tribe as being the “good guy” in the war, and nothing more.
His father narrowed his gaze. “You’ve noticed how militant they are with their charges, with other teens like you.”
“Alan doesn’t treat us like that. He respects us.”
“So you’ve said. Others don’t.” Sighing, his father leaned in closer. “Someone on his ship is betraying the entire tribe, betraying you. It won’t be long until your identity is revealed to the enemy. Your mission didn’t go successfully. I heard all about it from my comrade while you were gone last night. The last one your group had gone on was almost a disaster. If your friends hadn’t been observant, the Ilotus would have been lost to us. Neither of these events going south are coincidences.”
He actually cares about my safety, about me. The thought touched Orlando. This was the emotion he’d so strongly desired to have. All he’d ever wanted was proof his parents loved him. Without the words “I love you” actually being uttered, Orlando finally had an expression of love given to him that he believed.
How do I respond? “Yeah, I noticed some bizarre stuff going on. I trust Alan, not so sure about anyone else. He needs my help.” I think. “Regardless, this fight got personal. By all means, teach me what you know. I…I do forgive you. As far as trust goes, I want to trust you. I said I would try to be less problematic. Stop asking me to give up what I believe is right. In a week I can move out, you realize that? Maybe I don’t act like it, but drastic measures aren’t my thing.”
“Yes, your mother and I can’t control what you do.” His father stood and put his hands on Orlando’s shoulders. “Here’s what I propose: I’ll teach you what I know. You, in return, need to make sure you don’t fall into the ditch of being a Rosalotuve yes man.”
“Me? A yes man? You don’t know me well at all.” Orlando scoffed at the idea.
“Your friends as well. If something seems wrong, fight it.”
Orlando gave him a small, genuine smile. “Sure, that’s a fair deal.” Surprised, but he’d take it.
“I still don’t like it.”
“I’m being careful.”
“I still don’t have to like it.” His father released his gripe on Orlando. “The only reason I’m not continuing this argument with you is because you will be an adult soon. If you want to insist you’re an adult and can make your own decisions, I’m not going to stop you. Continue to be careful, and tell me what you know.”
Frowning, Orlando finished his sandwich. “Like spy?”
“To put it bluntly. All you’ll be doing is sharing your adventures with me. I hear about them anyway. Consider it a bonding experience since you’re too old for tee-ball. We could even discuss it on the golf course once the weather is nice.”
Orlando rolled his eyes, squashing the wrapping for his meal into a small ball and slamming it into the bag. “Whatever. Can I go take a nap? Slept badly. Then we can family bond or whatever else you wanted to do today.”
“We’ll wake you at lunch.” His father left the room.
That was…an interesting conversation. He picked up his phone, ready to call Dallas. If anyone would know how to make sense of the past few days, it was his best friend. The phone came to life in his hands, and he saw Tait’s name pop up on the screen as her custom ringtone played. He almost ignored the call. Curiosity led him to accept it.
“Hey,” he said. “’Sup?”
“Hi, are you okay?” she asked, her voice quiet.
He laughed. “Yeah, I’m fine. What about you?”
“Um, I’m fine. Why?” She laughed as well, and it was great to hear. Given the last time he saw her she had been restrained to a medical table, he liked confirmation that she was in good spirits and seemingly okay.
Grabbing his bag for school, he made his way upstairs to his room. “You asked me, so I asked you.”
“I have a reason to ask you.”
So do I. “And that reason is?”
“You’re not at school today?”
He paused on the staircase. “Oh…well, I’m fine. Taking a day off to spend some time with my parents. Mental health day. I promise I’m not dying of Ebola.”
“Taking a mental health day…but you’re with your parents. Don’t they make you insane?”
“I promised to try.” He walked into his room and lay down on his bed. “Anyway, what’s up?”
She exhaled into the phone. “Like I said, just wanted to make sure you were okay. Miss your cute self here. School is a lot duller without you. Plus, I wanted to make sure I got to confiscate a day all to myself next weekend to celebrate your big day.”
“Aw, shucks, I’m glad I can make the day better by breathing the same air as you.” He yawned. “We can arrange for some time together, depending on which day you choose.”
“We’ll just have to compare schedules. I’ll have free time coming up.”
Your boss taking you off her tight leash now that you’ve been rehabilitated? Then again, if you’re more available, who am I to complain? This is what I wanted, right? But the idea of starting over again with her didn’t sound as great as it once had. Not when his mind kept going back to Angela—who he still needed to call and check in on.
He took in a deep breath. “Cool, we’ll do that. Anyway, I need to get going. I’ll have my people call your people, or whatever.”
“Okay! Great! Talk to you soon.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He hung up. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand over his face. Angela could wait. She probably needed more sleep, anyway, if JD’s condition upon waking was any indication of how she would be feeling as well. Instead, he dialed Dallas’s number.
After a couple of rings, his friend picked up. “How’d everything go last night?”
“Confusing,” he mumbled. “Look, I’m home from school today. Was thinking of stopping over, if that was cool with you? I want to see you, and I…”
“Have a lot on your mind?” Dallas asked.
He nodded, regardless of if it could be seen or not. “Something along those lines. You always gave good advice.”
“I’m sure I still do!” Dallas chuckled. “Come on by, we’ll game, hang out, and then you can let me know about what all has happened on the outside world. Starting to feel closed off again.”
“A couple more weeks,” he said. “Then we’ll get you all set up.” If it weren’t for the Apartment, I’d go with him. I need to stay here so I can keep an eye on that space. Can’t have my parents going in there and meddling around.
Yawning again, Orlando got comfortable in his bed. “I’ll be by in a few hours. I need to nap and do something with Dad beforehand. Then I’m all yours, Pookie.”
A soft snort came through the other line. “Go to bed.”
Orlando hung up the phone and put it on his nightstand. Spying for his father, being interested in two girls at the same time, and the confusing Alturan drama. “Ugh, what a mess.” I’m glad I’ve put in my time for the week. I need a vacation.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alan teleported to Cadence’s apartment first. He always liked to pick her up before the others so they could talk one on one about any last-minute strategy points. Plus, he selfishly liked having time alone with her too. Something he’d never admit to, of course.
As predicted, she was waiting in her room. Her mother was out working, like every other Saturday night he’d come by to visit. Cadence might never admit to it, but he could sense her loneliness whenever he came over.
Cadence glanced up at him from a book. “You’re earlier than I thought.”
“Is this a bad thing? Are you not ready?” he asked.
“I’m ready, just surprised,” she said.
With a great deal of care
, she placed a bookmark to save her place before closing her book. It was long with a lot of pages and a title displaying a language he was unfamiliar with, though the small text displayed on the back was written in English. She always had a new book whenever he caught her reading. Supposedly, it was out of character of her to want to read and study. To him, it appeared natural and like a desire she’d had for a long time. From what he understood, she’d been discouraged from exploring the depth of her intelligence. He knew all too well what happened when no one believed in him. She deserved better treatment.
Leaning against a nearby wall, he shrugged. “It gives us more time to talk, and I was restless with waiting.”
“Talking is good,” she said, grabbing her mask from out of a nightstand drawer. She stuck it into her jeans pocket. “I’ve been hoping you would stop by earlier than now so I could tell you everything that’s happened over the week. We really need a way to get ahold of you while you’re on your ship.”
“Is something wrong?” He watched her, probably more than he should have. Every move she made was fascinating. Her words suggested things were wrong, but she kept a calm demeanor as she gathered up a hooded sweatshirt and a good pair of shoes.
She put the sweatshirt on; it was black with a zipper in front, perfect for hiding. “Yes. I think just you and I should go on this mission. All we’re doing is observing and taking notes, anyway. We don’t need JD or Angela.”
“What’s wrong?” he pressed, going for a more direct route.
“The night you and Orlando had your mission, Angela was captured by the Doctor’s thugs.”
His jaw dropped and it took him a moment to find his voice. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
Cadence shot him a piercing gaze. “Again, this is why we need to have a way to contact you while you’re on your ship. You’ve been gone for three days working up there. Let me finish, okay?”
“Yes, sorry,” he mumbled.
“As I was saying, Angela was captured by some peers of hers. They knew she was at the party, I’m guessing. If Orlando has a list of everyone who attended, then we have to assume the enemy does as well. JD got a text from her asking for help. He left. I had to stay behind because he was babysitting and we couldn’t abandon his siblings to fend for themselves so late. Maybe I should have gone instead…but I’m so useless in a fight.” Cadence sighed heavily, her eyes glossing over with tears.
Alan hated seeing her cry. He moved closer, putting a hand on her shoulder. Any of the others he wouldn’t have tried touching. The bond he had with her was so much stronger. “Don’t express regret. Your decision was a logical one.”
“Logic isn’t always right.”
“I agree, but I don’t think your going would have changed much.”
“I guess,” she whispered. In a louder voice, she said, “I don’t know what happened. Neither do JD or Angela. Orlando said the Doctor messed with their memories. He helped get Angela home, I guess. Picked her up in the middle of town and brought her back. She apparently mentioned something had been done to her brain to make her forget the previous six hours. I’m guessing they did it to JD too because the last thing he remembers from that day is eating dinner and then calling me to come by.”
It took a moment for Alan to process all of the information given to him. “Are they unwell from…whatever was done to them?”
“They seemed fine at school when they were there this week,” she said. “What worries me the most is that when JD came back to his house, he said he did something bad. Then he passed out before we could get any more information from him.”
“He didn’t come back with Orlando and Angela?”
“No, they got separated. He returned somewhere between five and ten minutes after Angela.”
Alan gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Do you think he’s compromised our mission?”
“It’s a possibility…I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at him.”
“I’m not mad, per se,” he said. “But I can’t say I’m untroubled. Whatever JD did, I’m sure it was either unintentional or for a good reason. Or reasons he thought were good, I should say. Generally, his instincts are good. But it does impact how much we can use him in the future.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes, nodding. “Of course, at least for a little while until we figure out what the Doctor did to him. He’s going to hate me for telling you, especially if he doesn’t go on this mission, but it didn’t feel right keeping it a secret. JD thinks it’s not a big deal, but it’s a huge one.”
“If I tell him he can’t come, will he know you told me?”
“Probably.”
For the time being, Alan had little desire to cause more conflict between the group. When Cadence and JD had broken up, there was more than enough tension going around. Everyone was starting to work well together again; he couldn’t ruin that.
A small smile formed on his lips. “I have an idea. Send him a message. Tell him my superiors have decided to take a new approach on this mission, and that I will not be going over to collect him and Angela. It wouldn’t be a lie, seeing as how my boss did tell me things would be run a bit differently. Hopefully, he’ll get the implication that you will not be going as well.”
“I can try,” she said. She picked up her phone and sent what the teens referred to as a text message. A simple form of communication, but Alan found it incredibly handy and so much more convenient than a phone call.
“As soon as you’re ready, we’ll go.”
“How are things going to be different?” she asked. “Are we not just watching?”
“We are,” he said, moving closer to her. He’d have to touch her to teleport with her. For whatever reason, he eagerly looked forward to doing so. “But we’re looking for different information. We’re going to try and find the leak. Others will be in place to watch the transaction between the Doctor and his investors.”
Cadence swallowed. “So we’re going to be doing something a little more dangerous?”
“In theory, but it’s still a simple observation task. If you’d rather not come, I can go alone.” Though that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted her input and guidance. Cadence had a way of seeing things he didn’t.
Shaking her head, she gazed up at him. “I’m going. We’re figuring this out, and I’m going to try to learn what the Doctor did to JD and Angela, too.”
“Then we’re on the same page,” he said. “I know you might be nervous about having a lack of aggressive power, but your fighting training is impressive and…and you know I’ll protect you.”
“I know, I’m not worried. Besides, I was getting a little jealous everyone else got to see all this intense action and I’ve been stuck in a lab.” She winked. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Has JD replied?” he asked.
“He’s disappointed, but he’ll deal. There’s nothing left to talk about.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her shoulder. “Seriously, let’s go. I’d rather be there early and in position than late.”
Alan tightened his grip on her, closed his eyes to focus, and teleported her to the designated location he’d been ordered to view the action from. According to the information taken from Bean’s memories, it should have placed him right behind where the Doctor was. Instead, he found himself a handful of feet away from Alona, who was hiding behind some foliage.
With a frown, Alan pushed Cadence lower to the ground. He waved for her to follow him further away, creating more distance between them and his ex-love. Did I get my coordinates wrong? He and Cadence found a large trash bin to hide behind.
Once again, the rival tribes were meeting at a local park. They seemed to like those despite the wide open space. Then again, more space meant more ways to escape should things go badly. Where he and Cadence were placed, they would be in a direct path out of the park, which didn’t bode well for them in the case of an emergency.
Two cars pulled up behind them. They only had a few seconds to move further out of sight, p
inning them between the bin and the wall. Out of a black sedan stepped a middle-aged man along with two other younger men who were much larger in size. Alan was positive the man was a high-ranked official of some kind and the others were his bodyguards.
The second car opened and the Doctor came out with a teenage boy Alan recognized as Sensor. Both of them wore masks.
“Jonathan, is the secrecy necessary? It’s just me,” the man said.
The Doctor, or rather Jonathan, folded his arms in front of him. “When we meet in private is one thing. This is another entirely. And please, address me by my alias.”
“Paranoid. I don’t see why it’s an issue. It’s just us.”
Sensor leaned over to whisper in the Doctor’s ear; both laughed. The Doctor walked toward an open, grassy space, passing right by Alan and Cadence’s hiding place. “But it’s not. My assistant is lurking out here somewhere along with her charges. Alona, dear, care to join us?”
Silence. The rustling of the wind and Cadence’s soft breathing were all Alan heard.
Jonathan laughed more. “Darling, if you think your military friends are coming to arrest us, you’re mistaken. Come out. I know you’re hiding and hoping for some kind of a show. Hate to disappoint you, but nothing will be all too exciting without you.”
Quiet grumbling could be heard as Alona stepped out into the open area. The moon reflected off of her curly blonde hair. Even in the dim lighting, Alan could see the piercing gaze she gave the Doctor. “You’ll find yourself disappointed since I’m here alone.”
“I figured you wouldn’t bring anyone once I heard all about your plans to sabotage me,” Jonathan said.
Alona faced Sensor. “I should have realized the charge you stole from me would tell all about our plans.”
“Sensor didn’t tell me a thing,” the Doctor said. “Not at first. He only confirmed the information after I was given it. I may have taken him from you, but he holds some loyalty to you still. It’s…sweet. He and I have discussed future expectations.”
Opheliac Page 23