“Can I help you with something?” asked the woman.
“I’m looking for Marcy Jackson,” replied Lauren curtly.
The woman glowered in response. “That would be me, but my name is Wilson now.” She paused for a brief moment, surveying the woman that stood in front of her. “Who are you?”
Lauren looked over her shoulder to where she knew Cliff was standing. “I’m a friend of a friend.” She turned and met Marcy’s panicked eyes. “We need to talk.”
Marcy replied nervously as she fidgeted with her blouse. “Well, I was just heading out the door.”
“It will only take a minute or two,” replied Lauren, her stance becoming more firm as she folded her arms across her chest. She motioned to Marcy’s office. “Please, it’s important.”
Marcy walked hesitantly back into her office, followed closely by Lauren.
Lauren closed the door behind her and, without a word, lowered the blinds on the office window.
Taking the seat behind her desk, Marcy eyed the strange young woman with an increasing level of fear. “Will you answer my question please? Who are you?” she asked.
“My name is Lauren and, like I said, we have a mutual friend.”
“And who would that be?” asked Marcy, her tone becoming more stern and impatient.
Without a word, Lauren raised her hands, palms up, in front of her and began to release pulses of energy. In the harsh fluorescent light of the room, the red pulses flashed faintly beneath her skin. With a bit of twisted pleasure, Lauren intently watched Marcy’s face, hoping for a strong reaction.
“Test!” Marcy exclaimed. “Where is he? Is he here?”
Feeling the tug of Cliff’s presence to her left, Lauren looked in his direction.
“Well, old man,” she spouted, “we don’t have all day.”
Marcy’s head recoiled in confusion as Lauren seemingly spoke into the wall. She stared at the wall and gasped as Cliff’s form came into view. Instantly bursting into tears, she jumped from her chair and hugged the old man who now stood in solid form.
“Oh my God, Cliff!” she exclaimed through heavy sobs. She held him tightly and felt his grip in return.
“Hey there, pretty girl. It’s so good to see you again,” replied Cliff.
Marcy pulled away sharply and placed her hand on his stubbly cheek. “But how—how can you?” she stammered.
Cliff grinned. “That’s a long story, sweetheart, and I’m afraid we don’t have time.”
Though Cliff’s grin remained, Marcy could feel the tension in his voice. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Cliff motioned to her chair. “Why don’t we all sit down and I’ll fill you in.”
Marcy’s head was spinning, and it took her a moment to even comprehend his words. She made the short distance back to her chair and was winded from all that was happening, as though she’d just run a two mile sprint.
Cliff looked to Lauren and pointed to one of two chairs sitting opposite Marcy’s desk. “Take a seat if you’d like.”
Lauren simply nodded and then sat down, quickly followed by Cliff.
Without hesitation, Cliff began the conversation. “Well, like I said, we don’t have a lot of time. I’ll start with the obvious; there are more folks like Test than you or I could’ve ever known. Lauren here is one of them. They call themselves Shadows. Now, just like with normal folks,” he glanced to Lauren briefly, “no offense intended of course.” He watched pleasantly as the comment seemed to make Lauren relax slightly. “Anyway, just like normal folks, there are some nice ones and then there’s some that ain’t so nice. The not so nice ones call themselves Reapers.” He watched Marcy’s face wince at the name. “Yes, that’s right. I’d bet as smart as you are, that you can understand why they have that name.”
“I can only imagine,” replied Marcy softly.
Cliff let out a grunt. “Whatever you can imagine, the reality is probably worse. Anyway, Test and Lauren here, they’re in some trouble. For reasons that don’t need to be gone into, the Reapers are after them.”
Marcy nodded her head as if she understood, but the wrinkled expression on her face told the old man otherwise.
“Okay,” she said as she swallowed hard. “What does this have to do with me? Why….”
Cliff held out a hand to stop her. “I’m gettin’ to that. Now, the problem is that the Reapers haven’t been able to find Test yet,” he turned to Lauren once again, “thanks largely in part to our friend Lauren here.” Lauren shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing special. Turning back to Marcy, Cliff continued. “The problem is that now they are getting desperate.”
Marcy sat forward in her chair and clasped her hands on her desk. “I’m still not understanding.”
Cliff leaned forward in his chair as well and took a moment to prepare the words. “They’re trying to use bait.”
Marcy’s eyes widened at the thought. “I’m almost scared to ask, but what would these people use for bait?”
Cliff exhaled deeply. “Well, they were going to use Nicole for….”
“Nicole!” shouted Marcy. “Oh my God! Is she okay?”
Cliff held up his hands once more to calm her. “Yes, yes, she’s fine; in a manner of speakin’ of course.”
Marcy flopped back in her chair, the emotion ready to burst from within her. “How do you know?”
Silent until now, Lauren spoke sarcastically. “Because she’s in a heroin induced coma in the back seat of the car out in the parking lot.”
Angered by Lauren’s interruption, Cliff snapped. “That’s enough of that talk! Talk like that don’t do no one any good.”
Marcy put a hand over her mouth. “Nicole? Heroin? I don’t believe it.”
Cliff let out a sigh. “I’m afraid it’s true, sweetheart. She’s had a rough go of it since graduation day.”
“Can I see her?” asked Marcy.
Cliff nodded. “Yes, but we need to finish our conversation first. Truth is that I’m afraid they may come after you or Mark as well.”
Marcy leaned back in her chair. “Why would they come after me? I haven’t seen Test since that day either.”
Cliff stood and scratched his chin. “That’s just it. I don’t know how they even knew about Nicole. That’s one of the many things that’s worryin’ me right now.”
The room fell silent. The three of them sat in thought, waiting for some great moment of clarity to ring out. Suddenly, Marcy broke the silence.
“Your notebook,” she said almost in a whisper. “I published it.”
Cliff regained his seat and stared at her intently. “My notebook? You mean the one I gave you to get to Elijah?”
Marcy nodded her head slowly. “Yes. I didn’t know where or how to find him, so I self-published it in the hopes that he, or one of your other relatives, might see it.” She watched the old man, fearful of his reaction, but Cliff just sat in silence staring at the floor. “I’m so sorry, Cliff. I thought it was the best way.”
Cliff looked up and could see giant tears welling up in the corners of Marcy’s eyes. His posture softened and he flashed a grin to her. “No, no, no; don’t you cry, sweetheart. I’m thankful that you’d do that for me.” He stood from his chair and motioned for her to stand as well. He took her into his arms, and held her as she cried quietly on his shoulder. Rubbing her back in a circular motion, he tried his best to comfort her.
After a few moments of embrace, the two parted, Marcy returning to her chair and Cliff sitting on the corner of the desk.
“Well,” said Cliff, “now we know the how. What we need to decide is what to do next.”
Lauren sat up slowly in her seat, the pulses of light running down her arms increasing in intensity and speed. “What do you mean?” she asked pointedly. “We go home. Right?”
Cliff looked to Marcy, and with his back partially to Lauren, he rolled his eyes and winked. He stood from the desk and turned to Lauren. “Yes, Lauren, we are going home.” He turned back to Marcy. “But we
might have another passenger or two with us.”
Lauren burst up from her chair. “You have got to be kidding me?” she shouted.
Cliff stood as well, turning quickly, and placed his index finger to his lips. “Keep it down,” he said with a grimace. “Look, it’s either Marcy and her husband come with us, or we don’t go anywhere. If Marcy’s theory is correct, and they are using my notebook for information, they just aren’t….”
“But I can’t just leave,” Marcy interrupted. “I have….”
Cliff cut her off. “Can’t nothin’. I don’t think you have a choice, young lady. I’d say this definitely falls under the emergency category.”
Marcy sat in stunned silence. She began to think about the days after Test disappeared from Lincoln, the times that stemmed Mark’s alcohol abuse. She leaned forward in her chair, folded her arms on the table, and rested her head atop them.
“I don’t think we can, Cliff,” she replied, her words muffled as her face remained buried in her arms.
Cliff walked to her side and placed a hand gently on her back. “Look, Marcy. I’m sorry that this is difficult. I’m sorry that we couldn’t have warned you in a different way. The fact remains that you and Mark just aren’t safe here.”
Marcy lifted her head, her face red from where it had been resting on her forearms. “I don’t think I can talk Mark into coming, Cliff. Last time nearly destroyed him….” She paused, “Nearly destroyed us.”
The old man suddenly realized that he’d forgotten, or never understood, the extent to which Mark’s life had been affected by the events in Lincoln. The image of Nicole’s defeated face flashed into his mind. He tried to remember what Mark looked like; he’d only met him on two occasions, both of them brief. He found that he could no longer remember the face of the young man, his mind replacing it automatically with a beleaguered, broken spirited and expressionless silhouette.
“I’m sorry,” replied Cliff. “I truly am. I reckon you kids probably have had a rough time of it, haven’t you?”
Marcy sniffed involuntarily as she nodded. “Well,” she paused, “yeah, it’s been hard. Mark developed a drinking problem after Test left. We were the ones that had to deal with the aftermath of Test’s discovery.”
Cliff felt the painful truth in Marcy’s words. He looked to Lauren and saw that the strain on her face had softened. Her eyes were filled with pity, and displayed a depth of thought and compassion that he’d not known her capable of.
“I’m sorry for all that you’ve been through,” said Lauren. “I can’t imagine. We can always disappear or fly away, but you’re right, those we love get left behind to deal with our wake.”
Marcy looked up to her with tears once again welling in her eyes.
“You are welcome to come with us—to my house,” said Lauren thoughtfully.
With her bottom lip quivering, Marcy replied. “Thank you, but I just don’t think it’s the right decision for us.”
Lauren wiped a tear from beneath her right eye. “I respect that, but the old man is right, it’s not safe for you here.” Lauren glanced to Cliff, suddenly seeing him for the great man that he was. “If I’d have had friends like yours…,” she stopped as her voice began to break. She turned to Marcy and cracked a smile. “Well, I think you’re a very lucky woman.”
Marcy smiled as she bit her bottom lip and then reached a hand out to Cliff. “I know, and I am truly grateful for them.”
Cliff took Marcy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, winking playfully and bowing his head.
“Is there somewhere you can go?” asked Lauren. “Just for a while until we get all of this taken care of?”
Marcy glanced back and forth between Lauren and Cliff. “I don’t know—I think so. I don’t know what vacation Mark has. Hell, I’m not sure what I’ve got.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Cliff in a fatherly manner. “You can’t stay here. If you can’t go with us, promise me that you’ll leave town for at least a couple of weeks.” He stared at her blank face for a moment, and when she didn’t reply, he leaned down to her and spoke forcefully. “Promise me, Marcy.”
“Okay,” she replied, her body now trembling slightly. “I promise.”
The room fell silent once more. With the topic of the conversation seemingly at a resolution, Lauren hesitantly spoke.
“Cliff, I’m sorry, but we’d probably better get going. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us.”
Cliff turned his head. “I know.” He stepped back from Marcy’s desk and shoved his hands in his front pockets. “We need to get going.”
Marcy stood from her chair slowly and opened her mouth as if she were about to speak, but the words disappeared before they could escape.
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” asked Cliff.
“So Nicole is down there?” asked Marcy.
Cliff exchanged a painful glance with Lauren and then nodded. “Yes, she is, but….”
“I’d like to see her,” said Marcy.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. She’s not in…,” began Cliff.
“I don’t care. She’s my friend, and I need to see her,” she replied, cutting the old man off once again.
“I understand that,” said Cliff, “but honestly, I don’t even know if she’s awake or not.”
Marcy folded her arms across her chest and, with pouted lips, shot him a sad stare.
Cliff glanced to Lauren who shrugged her shoulders.
“What’s it going to hurt?” asked Lauren.
Certain that Lauren would have backed him up, Cliff let out a dejected sigh and then replied. “Fine, but we have to be quick, ya hear?”
A smile graced Marcy’s face. “Thank you.”
Lauren turned toward the door, letting the energy fade as she gripped the door knob. She turned back to the others and, as the old man faded quickly from view, saw the initial look of shock on Marcy’s face.
“I suppose this is all a bit overwhelming for you, huh?” asked Lauren.
Marcy looked Lauren in the eyes. “Not as much as you’d think. Unfortunately I’ve had experience with strangeness.”
Lauren grinned at Marcy and felt an overwhelming sense of compassion for the girl. She’d found herself feeling less hardened more and more as of late, and it was something that she found to her liking. With a nod, she replied. “I suppose so. You ready?”
Marcy bit her bottom lip and replied nervously. “I think so.”
The two women walked quickly out of the office and to the elevator. The ride down to the first floor was swift and silent, neither of them knowing quite what to say to the other.
The dark of early evening had taken hold of the parking lot, and the bright lights situated throughout splayed ominous streams of light that created random shadows on the ground. Lauren walked confidently to Thad’s car and Marcy stayed close behind, her emotions running high. She was excited to see her dear friend, but frightened to see what she’d become.
As they came up to the rear of the car, the only person visible was Thad sitting behind the steering wheel. It wasn’t until they stepped to the side, that Nicole’s frail body was visible as she lay in the back seat.
Covering her mouth with her hand, Marcy gasped as she saw Nicole’s pale white skin covered with red blotches. She could see the bones in her arms and noticed how the skin seemed to be stretched tightly over them.
“Oh, Nicole,” she whispered breathily.
She reached for the door handle and tried to open it quietly. The hinges creaked as she opened the door, but there was no reaction from Nicole’s lifeless body.
“Has she been out this whole time?” asked Lauren of Thad as she stood at the opened driver’s window.
“Yeah, pretty much,” replied Thad. “She’s mumbled some stuff a couple of times, but I can’t understand what she’s saying.”
Marcy knelt down, placing a knee on the blacktop, and brushed the hair from Nicole’s face.
“Nicole?” she called quietly,
as if calling to someone from a distance. “Nicole? It’s Marcy.” A single tear fell down her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could have been there for you.” Her voice began to crack with emotion. “I wish you would’ve called me—I could’ve helped you.”
With no response from Nicole, Marcy continued to stroke her hair with her palm, and after several moments of silence, gently kissed her forehead. She stood, her palm remaining on Nicole’s head until she backed away to close the door.
Lauren stood breathless. It was agonizing for her to watch Marcy’s pain. For so long her life had revolved around the sorrow of others. Now everything was different. She could nearly feel Marcy’s pain as she closed the door. As Marcy turned, Lauren held out her arms and took Marcy into a gentle embrace. Tears began to fill her eyes as Marcy broke down in her arms, and she did as best she could to comfort her.
After several moments had passed, Lauren pulled away and held Marcy by her shoulders. “You promise you’re going to go away for a while, right?” she asked.
Wiping away the tears, Marcy replied through fits of exaggerated breath. “I promise.”
Lauren turned to the driver’s window and pointed to Thad. “This is Thad, Cliff’s grandson. I want you to call him just as soon as you know where you are going. Can you do that?”
Marcy nodded her head in agreement.
“Good,” replied Lauren, pulling Marcy back into her embrace. “We’ll take care of Nicole, okay. You don’t worry. You just take care of you and your husband.”
The two released each other once again.
“Do you have your phone with you?” asked Lauren.
“Yeah,” replied Marcy as she pulled her phone from her back pocket.
Lauren took it from her and handed it to Thad. “Put your number in her phone and then hers in yours.”
Thad glanced up to her with a blank stare.
“Please?” asked Lauren with a soft, yet demanding tone.
Thad quickly did as he was asked and then handed the phone back to Lauren.
Placing the phone in Marcy’s hand, Lauren took a step around her toward the rear of the car, turning Marcy with her as she passed.
The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series Page 11