Radium Halos: Part 2

by May, W. J.

  Kieran glanced at me but did not move. “I left me wallet. We’ll be outta here in a sec.”

  I panicked. Should I have waited outside? My eyes darted from him over to his dad and then they automatically flew to the front door.

  “Who’z this?” His dad’s tone changed instantly to a freaky-friendly one, and he dropped his raised hand. “You bringing a cute lass to the ’ouse?” He set the drink down and stumbled toward me. “Welcome … Wha’z yer name, sweetie?”

  “Her name’s Zoe,” Kieran snapped. “And we’re in a rush. I’ll introduce you to her another time… when you’re… feeling better.” He reached for my hand and pulled me into the hall. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the kitchen. Where the living room had been a mess, the kitchen appeared neat and tidy. Almost spotless. Only an empty bottle of whiskey sat on the counter.

  I followed Kieran down to the end of the hall. He paused by a closed door. I pointed, unable to stop myself from blurting, “There’s a lock!”

  A large silver lock hung on the doorframe with a latch screwed into the door. Kieran stood quiet, his heart switching to an erratic rhythm. “My father sometimes thinks its fer me own good.”

  Horrified, I wondered what kind of life he’d lived and how he kept it hidden so no one could tell. I’d have never guessed. Poor guy.

  “Don’t look at me like that.” He pushed the door open. “The ol’ man doesn’t know I have a lock on the inside to keep him out, and a window ‘bout three feet above the ground. Not quite that hard to git out. I’m usually on me own.” He grinned. “An’ don’t worry, he won’t come in my room.”

  Tentative, I glanced down the hall and heard steady breathing. Focussing a little harder, I could tell Kieran’s dad was breathing through his mouth. A small amount of phlegm gave the sound a gurgle kind of snore as he inhaled. Eww! How did someone go from threatening to beat your son, to sleeping like a baby that quickly? I didn’t feel the need to ask. Instead, I quickly stepped into the room.

  Neat, tidy, and organized – like the kitchen. His room had a double bed, the sheets made military style, a bookcase with half the shelves empty, and a tall dresser with each drawer closed perfectly.

  My eyes locked onto the single item on top of the dresser. An amazing crystal flower. A Scottish thistle. Wow. Totally stunning. The sunlight sparkle through the window caught each cut of crystal and cast a million rainbows across the walls. “That’s beautiful.” I walked toward it, passing Kieran who had his back to me while he rummaged through his closet.

  “Just need a sweatshirt. It feels like it’s gonna git cold tonight and I need an extra top if I’m on me bike.” The last half of his words were muffled as he stuck his head further into the closet. My hearing easily picked everything up.

  Standing in front of the thistle, I shifted slightly left and right, fascinated by the rainbow of colors. I couldn’t tell if the purple on the thistle was amethyst or lighter, it seemed a million different shades of one colour.

  I wonder if the crystal’s cool to the touch… it seems like it might be warm…

  “Don’t touch—” Kieran fumbled as he turned away from the closet, knocking things off their hangers in the process. I jumped, startled, my hand midair. My hip knocked against the corner of the dresser and Kieran tore the few steps to get beside me. He reached and steadied the wobbling flower.

  “It’s Waterford. One of a kind. Extremely expensive.”

  “I’m sorry.” I wanted to disappear, my hand flying to my mouth. My face burned. “I didn’t mean—”

  “I know.” He swallowed, putting his hands on my shoulders and moving me back a step. “It was my mother’s. It’s the only thing I have of hers.”

  Now I felt even worse.

  “Don’t worry. It’s fine.” He pointed at the flower. “See? Nothing wrong, she’s safe. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He checked his watch. “We should go. We aren’t going to have much time before we ‘ave to meet everyone at Brent’s.” Taking my hand in his, and grabbing a green sweatshirt off the floor as we passed the fallen pile, he led me down the hall. He stopped by the front door and reached around the back and pulled out a leather coat.

  The living room now sat empty. Where’d his dad go?

  “I’m going to take my bike. So you don’t have to drop me off later.”

  My heart dropped into my stomach. “I-It’s not a big deal. I don’t mind bringing you back.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, but I’m gonna need a long ride later tonight.” He played with the fringe on his jacket sleeve. “It’s going to cool down, so if you don’t mind taking me jacket in yer Bug?”

  “Sure.” As I opened the front door, a chilly gust of wind blew in. I shivered and glanced back at him, eyebrows raised. I laughed. “You do that?”

  Chapter 4

  Brent

  Typical for Friday night, Pool Hall Parlour’s live music did not disappoint. The in-house band consisted of a piano player, who sang, and a guy with an acoustic guitar. They actually weren’t half bad. If I had my bass, I’d have asked to do a few songs with them. It’d be interesting to see how the fingers played with my skills now.

  “Dude. Can you listen for ten minutes?” Seth peered from behind an open newspaper held high in his hands. He made the paper snap, then folded it and tossed it onto the table. “Nothing. Absolutely-friggin’-nothing.”

  I waved as Zoe, Rylee, and Heidi came in through the front door. All three with damp hair. Probably showered after messing around with our abilities by the train tracks. Tapping my fingers against the table, I let the mental picture of the three of them showering together—

  “Are you ignoring me again?” Seth pounded my fingers.

  “Hey, watch it.” I rubbed my hands protectively. I waggled my fingers. “I need these babies. They’re my instruments of power now.” I laughed at his confused expression. “Okay, so what’s up?”

  “I’ve gone through four papers from the surrounding areas. There’s nothing worth chasing. No serials killers, rapists, bank robbers… nothing. We can’t solve any crimes or stop any bad asses worth risking our lives for.”

  “Or worth getting our little secret caught over?” Zoe teased as she slid in the booth beside me. She grinned and shrugged. “Sorry, I heard you from over there.”

  Thank goodness you can’t read my thoughts as well.

  Seth sighed. “How’re we gonna save the day, if there’s nothing going on?”

  Rylee dropped beside him. “Don’t say that. Now, you-know-what’s going to hit the fan, and a whole bunch of crap’s going to start happening.”

  Heidi laughed as she squeezed in beside Zoe who, in turn, moved closer to me. She smelled of soap.

  “Ryls, when’d you become superstitious?” Heidi asked.

  I glanced back at the entrance. “Didn’t Kieran come with you guys?” I avoided looking at Zoe.

  “We dropped him off a bit ago. He wanted to get his bike,” Heidi said. She grabbed a menu. “I’m starving. Have you ordered?”

  “We waited for you.” Seeing the disappointed look on her face, I added, “But we did order the leaning-tower-of-rings.”

  Kieran needed his bike? He’d left with them in Zoe’s Bug. Maybe he wasn’t interested in her, just needed a lift home. I scoffed. Fat chance of that.

  “You okay?” Zoe stared at me, a little wrinkle forming between her eyebrows.

  “What?” I drummed my fingers against the table again. This time I got visions of the floor and our feet, and then Zoe’s face. In my nervousness, I kept switching my skill off and on. Clasping my hands into tight fists, I slipped them under the table.

  “You snorted,” she said, “like you were pissed off, or something.”

  She knew me too well. “Nothing. Band’s just playing a good song. I should’ve brought my guitar.”

  Seth gave a look, as if to say “Idiot.” Then his gaze drifted past me to someone behind us.

  I didn’t need to have eyes in the back of my head to know Ki
eran had just arrived.

  Zoe heard him come in. She straightened, tucked a curly lock of hair behind her ear, and grabbed lip gloss out of her bag. I wish I could put my fingers against her scalp and see inside her brain. Duh, maybe I don’t want to know.

  “Oye! Sorry I’m l-late.” Kieran held his bike helmet under one arm. His chest heaved in and out, like he’d been running, even his leather jacket appeared rumpled. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. It took him three tries to hang the helmet on hooks attached to the side of the booth. He settled beside Rylee. “’Ave you ordered?”

  Abi came by with two leaning stacks of onion rings. “On the house.”

  “These smell awesome.” Seth leaned over, past the onion rings and sniffed. He gave Abi his best flirty smile. I kicked him under the table. “Ow!”

  Abi took our orders and headed off to the kitchen. Seth watched her, then glared at me. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Dude, she’s like twenty-one and was almost gang-raped.”

  “Too soon?”

  “Wayyyyy too soon.”

  Rylee giggled. “Find someone your own age.” She looked meaningfully at Kieran.

  “Where’d you go after we finished?” I asked Kieran. Part of me wanted Rylee to shut up, the other part wanted her to score with the guy-- just so Zoe’d lose interest.

  Kieran stared at me in silence, before finally answering, “Home… and a bike ride.”

  “It’s freezing out.” Rylee squeezed closer to him. “Why in the world would you want to do that?”

  Kieran didn’t say another word for a long moment, only let his eyes shift over us. “Me dad’s gone.”

  “What?” Zoe shot forward on her seat, grabbing Kieran’s wrist.

  “Ouch!” Kieran pulled his arm away. He coughed and covered his mouth. His sleeve slipped down, revealing a huge welt with four long, jagged cuts. I could see swelling and even the start of some serious bruising.

  “Oh, my goodness. What happened?” Zoe had gone pale and her eyes were huge.

  “N-Nothing. Must’ve done it at the tracks.” Kieran pulled his sleeve down, looking a little too intently at the menu. “Me dad’s gone to Scotland. Said he needed to see some mates and take care of some business back ‘ome.”

  “How long’s he gone?” Seth butt in, ignorant of everything that had just passed, except the parent-free house. “Party at your place.”

  “Uh… okay.” Kieran shrugged. “But I live in a shite-hole. We’re better off hanging out in Brent’s gym.” He turned to me, his eyes almost begging me to say yes. “What say you, Sight-man?”

  I wanted to hate the guy, but Zoe told me about his place, and his dad. My dad was lame, but given the nasty mark on his arm, his won hands-down. Plus, partying in the gym would piss my dad off. “Why not?”

  “Then crash at Kieran’s after,” Rylee said, resting her head on his shoulder.

  Heidi laughed. “All of us? Or just you?”

  Rylee’s mouth dropped open in surprise but she didn’t blush.

  I stared at Heidi in surprise but also didn’t miss someone else snort. Heidi never dissed Rylee. She never dissed anyone. That was more a Seth comment. I glanced at Zoe from the corner of my eye. She sat picking her fingernails, pretending to be oblivious to the conversation but I knew she was listening to every word, sound and then some more stuff none of us could hear. She could probably hear someone’s heartbeat changing or their temperature rising.

  “There’s a bunch of rooms at the back of the gym,” I said, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction before claws started coming out. “We could bring sleeping bags and camp out in there.” I ran a finger over the pattern on a napkin. “Shoot, there’s a hyperbaric chamber, as well.”

  “A what?” Zoe’s eyebrows went up then dropped as if it took too much effort.

  Poor thing, she looked so tired.

  “Hyperbaric chamber,” Heidi explained. “It’s a specially equipped pressure vessel used to administer oxygen at elevated pressures.”

  “Ohhh…” Zoe nodded, but her face showed she didn’t understand.

  “Yeah that, and it looks pretty cool. Like a submarine.” I grinned. “Dad bought one of the double chambers. He said he wanted the extra space. I’ve been in it a couple of times. Half an hour in there, and your head clears all the fog out.” A thought struck me. I nudged Zoe’s shoulder. “You need to try it. It’s pressurized, so it mutes most outside noises.” I tried unsuccessfully to not look down. Her already hot body was turning rock-hard – but the smudged purple under her eyes wouldn’t disappear.

  “Sounds awesome. I’m at a point where I’ll sleep under a rock if it’d help.” She squeezed my knee and mouthed, “Thanks.”

  “Instead of a party, how ‘bout we just hang out? With the six of us.” Heidi tapped her spoon against the table. Five taps later, Zoe gently rested her hand on top of hers and the tinging noise stopped. “Sorry.” Heidi smiled at her apologetically. “Too many people and I start tasting everyone. I know it sounds weird but I don’t know how else to explain it. Someone’s going to start stinking and I swear I can taste it. Or some idiots are going to start smoking pot.” She made an ick face.

  “I’m actually with you on that,” Seth leaned forward. “Not the pot smoking, but everything smells too sweet, too salty, and too awful. I can handle the six of us.” He smiled, and patted Rylee’s back. “You guys don’t stink.”

  “Ta… I think.” Kieran pretended to sniff the air. “I’m in for the hanging out night. When are we going ta do it?”

  Everyone turned to me. “Saturday?” I offered. My folks would have some function they had to go to. Plus no school.

  Seth clapped his hands. “I’ll bring a crap-load of newspapers to go through. Maybe we can head out before and find something to do. Practice saving someone or something else totally cool.”

  “I think looking for something is going ta be like waiting fer a pot ta boil.” Kieran scratched the back of his neck. “Leave ‘er be and something’ll come.”

  Seth groaned. “Wait? We’ve been waiting for like a month. We need to find or make our own action. Otherwise it’s never gonna happen.” He turned to me. “I’ll bring papers, and maybe some walkie-talkies. I’ll steal my little brother’s. He’s got like three pairs of those superhero comic ones.”

  “Aye. I’ll be your Alfred.” Kieran laughed.

  Bastard. Even his laughter had an accent. “Our what?”

  “Batman’s behind the scenes guy. I’ll be your driver, the video guy, or whatever else.”

  Seth leaned over Rylee and high-fived Kieran. “That’s awesome. ‘Cept you ride a bike. We need other wheels, and the Bug ain’t gonna fit all of us.”

  “I can get my mom’s station wagon,” Heidi offered.

  We all laughed. “Not quite the superhero vehicle I pictured.” Seth chuckled. “But it’ll have to do.”

  Saturday, after clearing the large meeting room, stacking tables and chairs against a wall, I dropped into a large leather computer chair and surveyed our handiwork. With Kieran, Rylee, and Heidi’s help, we’d carried some of the gym mats into the room so we could sleep on them. Dad had a large flat screen mounted on the wall for computer presentations so I’d taken my laptop, cords, and one of my speakers so we had some good surround sound. There was a mini fridge and microwave behind the door and Mom insisted on having sandwiches made and about a hundred mini bags of chips with other snacks set out on the table. There was enough food to feed an army.

  The only sour touch to the afternoon was Dad mumbling about having a teen-orgy on his property. Thank goodness Mom hadn’t been around to hear my response.

  Seth marched into the room, carrying a stack of newspapers. He dropped them onto the table right by where Rylee and Heidi had set their feet on. “What’s with using Christmas lights to mark a path in the hallway?”

  “My idea.” Rylee tapped her chest. “I figured it looked more like a cinema.”

&n
bsp; Kieran pushed himself into a sitting position from where he lay on the floor. “This place is big enough to have its own theatre.”

  “Where’s Zoe?” Seth glanced around and poked his head out the hall.

  “Not here yet,” I answered.

  “Doesn’t matter.” Seth waved a hand. He walked back to the pile of papers. “I’ve found something we can do. A crime.” He stood, looking all pleased with himself.

  Heidi grabbed the top paper and began scanning the cover.

  “It’s not in any of these. I heard it on the radio on my way over.” Seth rested his back against the table, crossing his arms. “Who knew those A-M channels would be useful one day?”

  “What is it?” Kieran leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “A-M. They’re radio stations that have sports or talk shows and stuff.”

  “No, I meant what’s the ‘crime’?” Kieran said.

  Seth paused, looking at each of us before answering, “A mysterious dead body. Right. Here. In Elliot Lake.”

  I straightened, shocked. “Murder?”

  Heidi and Rylee gasped. Even Kieran looked uncomfortable.

  “Not sure exactly. Radio just said a body’d been found in the ditches near the mine. We need to investigate and solve it ourselves.” Seth began pacing. “If it’s some serial killer, we could stop it. And find out if anyone else is in danger.”

  Rylee stood and grabbed her coat. “Let’s get going.”

  Heidi walked to the fridge. “We’re not going straight to the crime scene. It’ll all be taped off. We’ll have to wait in the car or sneak around the area and see if we can find clues or hear something.” She began throwing wrapped sandwiches in her bag. “Might be a bit of a wait. No sense in getting hungry while we’re there.”

  “You mean, you guys really want to go?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. But hell yeah! It’d be cool trying to figure out what the cops were saying, use our little talents and… the challenge of not getting caught. It was too hard to resist. I bent down to tie my runners. “Let’s go catch us some criminals.”