Child of Lies

by Eric Kent Edstrom

  Jacey cried out, “Help! Please let me out.”

  A man came to her side, limping and grimacing. He opened her door, and her heart sank. It was Simpson, the man she had knocked the breath out of by the plantation.

  “Don’t loosen her bonds,” Dr. Carlhagen called. “She is a fugitive Scion and extraordinarily important.”

  The man stopped and looked at the guard standing over Dr. Carlhagen, clearly not knowing what to do.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you earlier,” Jacey whispered. “But let me go. That boy is insane. He’s been claiming to be Dr. Carlhagen for days.”

  The man backed away. “We’ll wait for Alice.”

  They didn’t have to wait long. The huge woman who had wrestled Jacey to the ground at the plantation stormed out of the medical ward and trotted toward the Jeep. “What’s going on?”

  “I am Dr. Carlhagen. The young man pretending to be me is a fraud. I can prove it.”

  Alice stepped very close to Dr. Carlhagen, toes just inches from his knees.

  He stared straight up at her, still wearing his usual jovial smile. “You must be Alice. Maxine has spoken fondly of you. I assume she arrived with Miss Dayspring in tow.”

  Alice’s eyes narrowed.

  “We’ve got one of our runaways over here,” said Simpson.

  Alice stared at Jacey through the windshield, then grabbed the front of Dr. Carlhagen’s shirt. With an easy motion, she curled him from his knees to his feet, and then to his tiptoes. “Do you know where Summer is?”

  Unperturbed, Dr. Carlhagen said, “I’m afraid I do not. Everything went to hell in a handbasket during the mutiny. I fear when all of this is corrected we will have to have a much larger force here. But please take me to see Maxine. She will vouch for me.”

  “She isn’t well,” Alice said. “And she’s fading fast.”

  She glanced at the sky. “The chopper should have refueled and been back by now. We’re losing daylight.”

  “I’m afraid you’re about out of time, my dear,” Dr. Carlhagen said. He made an effort to pull free from Alice’s grip. “Please unbind my hands and let’s go talk to Maxine. I do think I can save her.”

  Alice clearly didn’t like this development, but Jacey saw she was uncertain enough to give Dr. Carlhagen a chance.

  “Don’t trust him,” Jacey shouted. “He wants to kill the senator.”

  “She’s a noisy one,” Dr. Carlhagen said. “I suggest you gag her.”

  Alice nodded at Simpson. He shoved a band of cloth into Jacey’s mouth and tied it tightly behind her head. He produced a long, gleaming knife from a sheath strapped to his leg and cut her free from the Jeep.

  “I hope you try something again,” he said, twirling the blade in his hand. “I hear Scions heal fast.”

  “Let’s go,” Alice said.

  Jacey was forced to walk behind Dr. Carlhagen. She wanted to tackle him, stomp on his head, but she didn’t think she would get two steps before the guard knocked her to the ground and stabbed her.

  They entered the medical ward, passed between the cots, and walked into the short corridor with the holding rooms. Inside of one lay Senator Bentilius, apparently asleep. A meek-looking woman with dark skin and limp shoulders sat next to her. She jumped up as Alice entered, dragging Dr. Carlhagen behind her. “Oh dear!”

  “Senator Bentilius?” Alice said. “Are you awake?”

  The old woman opened her eyes. “Have you found my Scion yet?”

  “No, but this young man claims to be the real Dr. Carlhagen.”

  Senator Bentilius’s eyes slowly shifted to Dr. Carlhagen. “He looks nothing like my Christof. We’ve known each other since our twenties.”

  “Yes, we have, my dear,” said Dr. Carlhagen. “But I transferred into a different body than I had originally intended. Do you remember Paris, how we walked in Hemingway’s footsteps in the Latin Quarter? The long afternoons admiring the Impressionists at the d’Orsay? Even longer nights in my pied-à-terre, windows open to the shouts of tourists aboard the Batobuses on the Seine, just across Quai de Montebello?”

  He stepped closer. Alice barred his way.

  Irritation flashed across his face, but he mastered it. “Do you remember the gift I gave you as we sat people-watching at the Café de Flore?”

  “I remember,” whispered Senator Bentilius, eyes far away. “But do you?”

  “Of course. It was a fountain pen, one I inherited from my grandmother. And you mocked me for it, did you not? You said it was a waste of time to hold onto old things. You were right. In that spirit, I chose not to transfer to my own Scion. I had already lived a life in that body, and much of that time was marked with misery. In truth, my own Scion was the greatest disappointment of my life.”

  “So you stole someone else’s Scion?”

  “No. As it happened, his Progenitor died.”

  “Charles Buchanan,” she said.

  Dr. Carlhagen barked a laugh. “I’m impressed, Maxine. You really have done your research.”

  “As a high-ranking government official, I have access to some exceptional intelligence resources. Alice, this is most certainly Dr. Carlhagen. Please unbind his hands.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Alice said. In moments she had cut Dr. Carlhagen’s wrists free.

  “And who is this prettyish girl behind you?” Senator Bentilius asked.

  “Why, my dearest love, this is the solution to your problem. This Scion belonged to Charles’ wife Jacqueline. She died in the same boating accident as Charles.”

  Jacey drew in a shocked breath as the two truths collapsed in on her at once. First, that her Progenitor had been married to Vaughan’s. And second, that Dr. Carlhagen was offering her to the senator in place of Summer.

  The meaning of Dr. Carlhagen’s earlier statements became suddenly clear. That later she would be willing to give herself to him. And she would, once her mind had been overwritten by Senator Bentilius, who was apparently still in love with Dr. Carlhagen.

  “Bring her forward,” the senator commanded.

  Alice grabbed Jacey by the nape of her neck and pushed her close to the gurney. The enormous bodyguard held on so that Jacey couldn’t throw herself at the senator, bite her, or butt the old woman’s head with her own.

  Jacey grumbled a curse through the gag, but it came out a mere snarl.

  “She has spirit,” the senator said, looking Jacey up and down. “Lovely eyes. I wouldn’t hate that. And she’s quite striking in a Hollywood sort of way. It’d be strange living an entire lifetime with everyone saying, ‘You know who you look like? You look just like that wonderful Jacqueline Buchanan.’”

  “My dear,” Dr. Carlhagen said. “Time is running out. I would offer you another one of the Scions, but you understand how it is.”

  “I do. I do. And quite frankly, I’m ready to be done with this body. It pains me so.”

  “Very well. Let’s get going.”

  Her eyes turned back to Dr. Carlhagen, a smile breaking out on her cracked and trembling lips. “And I might add that I am most impressed with your new packaging, Christof. I quite liked the other version of you, but this is something . . .” The lust-filled look in her eyes finished the sentence.

  Dr. Carlhagen laughed and flashed a glance at Jacey. She returned it, putting as much hatred in her eyes as she could manage. But the effort provoked nothing from him but a laugh.

  Dr. Carlhagen took Senator Bentilius’s hand. “There is another advantage, my dear. This Scion is nearly eighteen, and that will give you more freedom to move about in the rest of the world. You can jump back into politics, perhaps build a name for yourself as the youngest senator in the North American legislature. Soon you’ll be back to lording your power over everyone in the Indy-Minnie corridor.”

  “Yes, Christof. But all I really want right now is to be with you.”

  Dr. Carlhagen leaned over her and kissed her cheek. “We’ll be together soon, my love.”

  “Yes.” Her eyes cut to Jacey. “Very soon.�
�

  Dr. Carlhagen turned to glare at Alice. “Find the impostor and Mr. Justin. I want them secured at once.”

  Alice returned the stare but made no move to obey.

  A muscle quivered beneath Dr. Carlhagen’s left eye, but he retained control. Showing his teeth in a vague grin, he turned to the senator. “Please, Maxine. We can’t let traitors run loose on campus. I intend to restore order, but my own armed force is thirty minutes away by helicopter.”

  “Do as he asks,” Senator Bentilius told Alice.

  Alice stepped into the hall and ordered her men to capture Humphrey and Mr. Justin. They scurried to obey.

  “Now,” Dr. Carlhagen said, “let’s get the senator into the transfer room for the initial scan.”

  33

  Girls to Dance and Boys to Fight

  Mother Tyeesha’s small kitchen overflowed with silence. The heavy kind that Belle found it hard to breathe in. The kind that followed an intense and thorough argument.

  The old woman’s revelations about Mr. Justin and the men coming on a boat to steal the Scions had heated an already tense reunion.

  They all sat around the small kitchen table, faces grim, eyes tight.

  Summer dragged a fingernail along a dark strip of wood grain on the tabletop. It produced a faint scritch that drew Belle’s eyes.

  “Go wash up, Summer,” Belle ordered.

  Summer, a disheveled and filthy mess, mumbled, “You’re not my Nine leader.” She stopped scritching and wrapped her arms tightly across her chest. Legs crossed, she waved a foot back and forth in agitation. “So what do we do? How can we protect the children here and help Jacey at the same time?”

  “We can’t do either of those things,” Belle said. “We might be able to hide the small ones in the rainforest. For a while. But it will just delay the inevitable. Trying to help Jacey is even more futile.”

  A muscle in Sensei’s jaw throbbed, but he looked away from her. “I think Belle’s right about hiding the children in the forest. That’s our only hope. As for Jacey . . . The school is over thirty kilometers from here. I don’t know if I have the strength, but I will not abandon Jacey to Dr. Carlhagen’s whims.”

  “You sure didn’t do much to help Dante and Ping or Sarah and Vin,” Belle snapped.

  “I told you, I didn’t know what was happening. I thought they were meeting their parents.”

  “We can’t send two-year-olds into the woods,” Summer said. “And what about the babies?”

  Mother Tyeesha spoke for the first time since relating Jacey’s news about the approaching boat. “There are twelve children six through eight. They can each take charge of one child from the one-, two-, and three-year-olds. That leaves eight between ages four and five. They can follow after the older children and help. The four staff can each carry one infant. That’s all thirty-six. They’ll run into the woods, disperse, and hide.”

  Belle snorted. “Your staff? You mean the ones who helped Dr. Carlhagen escape?”

  Mother Tyeesha’s face turned dark. “That was Robin. I spoke to her while you three were getting settled. She had no idea what Dr. Carlhagen was up to. She feels terrible about it. I’ve already given instructions to the staff. The children are already gone.”

  Belle forced herself to keep her admiration concealed. The old woman was made of tough guts, that was for sure.

  Mother Tyeesha allowed herself a thin, humorless smile. “Whoever these kidnappers are, they’ll have to work to find my children. And that should buy you some time. Maybe once you get to the Scion School, you can figure out a way to stop them.”

  Without lifting his head, Sensei looked up at her, eyes dark and set deep beneath his brows. “What about you, Mother? Where are you going to hide?”

  “I’m not. I’m too old to scramble through the forest like a mongoose. They won’t harm me, most likely. Besides, I want to see the looks on their faces when they find the place abandoned.”

  Belle was not so optimistic. If Mr. Justin planned to steal all the Scions, he would have no use for Mother Tyeesha. In fact, he’d have good reason to have her killed.

  Mother Tyeesha gave her shoulders a little shake as if overcome by a sudden chill. Her face smoothed, and she changed the subject. “So how will you three save Jacey from Dr. Carlhagen?”

  Sensei sighed and tapped his fingers, which made the muscles of his forearms flex and bulge. They looked like bundles of steel cable sheathed in skin. Belle wanted to edge her chair away from the tightly coiled man. He seemed like he might blow apart at any second. “Even if I ran, thirty kilometers is a long way. I’d be exhausted when I arrived, and then there’ll be the guards to deal with.”

  “There’s no reason to run,” Summer said. “We can circle the island in the skiff and get to the campus from Isaac’s Beach.”

  Sensei nodded appreciatively. “Excellent. But they’ll still be armed.” He squeezed his eyes shut and swore. “I should have taken the sidearm off that man I took down.”

  Belle’s eyes snapped up as she remembered the man she and Jacey had seen face-down on the beach. “So it was you who did that. I knew Summer couldn’t have knocked him out.”

  “I’d been recovering in that area for a few days. I have to say that the hurricane took more out of me than the initial dive from the helicopter.”

  Belle became instantly suspicious. “Why didn’t they shoot you before they threw you out?”

  Sensei shrugged and met her gaze without blinking. “I didn’t give them a chance. I jumped out as soon as we were over water.” He unconsciously rubbed his wrists where a band of fresh scars crossed, clearly where he had been bound.

  Belle broke contact with that stare. Sensei had always been able to see inside of her, something Jacey was always trying to do. Belle hated how everyone tried to invade her mind all the time.

  “If the guards are armed,” Summer said, “we’ll need to distract them.”

  Silence swarmed into the small room again. Belle kept her eyes on the table, studying the patterns in the wood. She caught herself starting to run a fingernail along the grain and snatched her hand away.

  “Belle?” Mother Tyeesha stared at her, one eyebrow slightly lifted, a faint smile on her lips. It took a moment for Belle to realize that the old woman was asking a question. Asking without speaking, the way she had done when they were children.

  Realizing what the question was, Belle leaned back in her chair and let out a huge sigh. “What do you want me to do to distract them? I’m not going to go and get trapped there again. My Progenitor is coming in one year, and I have no intention of being overwritten.”

  “You believe there’s an alternative?” the old woman asked.

  “I’m getting off this island.”

  Sensei shook his head and lifted his teacup to his lips. But before he took a sip, he set it down. “Say you found a way off the island, which I’m telling you right now you will not do. Where would you go? How would you survive? You know nothing of the outside world. You have zero resources. If you walked into that world dressed in this uniform and knowing as little as you do, the world would eat you alive. You’d end up wishing you’d been overwritten.”

  “I would figure out something,” Belle said. “I’m not an idiot.”

  “You have no one to contact. You are utterly alone.”

  Tears of frustration threatened to return. Belle clenched her jaw and stiffened. “I have always been utterly alone.” Her words snapped back from the kitchen walls like a thunderclap.

  Sensei didn’t back down. “Yes, you’ve seen to that, haven’t you?”

  Summer sat there hugging her elbows, her foot waving even faster. “You’re alone because you choose to be. All I know is that if the situation were reversed, Jacey would try to save you. Not that you’d deserve it.”

  Belle sneered. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Jacey has always hated me. She wouldn’t lift a finger for me.”

  “No, child.” Mother Tyeesha spoke quietly as she smoo
thed a folded tea towel on her lap. “It’s you who has always hated Jacey. You hate her because you are vain and jealous and fearful. But that doesn’t mean that Jacey hates you in return. Believe me, I grew up with sisters.”

  She raised her bony hands, cutting off Belle’s angry retort. “Let me finish. I was often angry with my sisters, often frustrated because I couldn’t understand them and couldn’t seem to get through to them. My youngest sister told me nearly every day that she hated me. And yet I still loved her. I loved them all.”

  Mother Tyeesha scooted her chair closer to Belle and placed a dry, hot hand on top of Belle’s. “You have always pushed people away, including me. Despite that, I love you.”

  Belle stared into middle distance between Summer and Sensei. Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her cheek, but her jaw was clenched tight. She could not understand how she could feel pain, anger, sadness, and frustration all at the same time. She wiped a palm across her eyes, and when her vision cleared, she saw that Summer was doing the same and sniffing.

  At first Belle thought the girl was mocking her, but then she saw Summer’s lip tremble. Those huge eyes of hers seemed to suck Belle in.

  “I love Humphrey,” Summer said. “But he loves Jacey. I wanted to hate her for that. But how can I when she’s risked everything to save me? If I don’t try to help her, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Belle said, nose running, trembling lips slurring her words.

  Sensei leaned toward her, stabbing the table with a finger. “Go back to the school and create a diversion for me. Go right in, do anything necessary to lead them away from the east path. That’s where I’ll be coming from. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “You’ll just get yourself captured and killed,” Belle said. “Even if you got past the guards, how would you break into the medical ward? The doors are locked. Do you think Chax will let you in now that you’re supposed to be dead? And even if you got in, how would you get Jacey out alive? There’s got to be more guards inside. The only way would be to kill everyone who stood against you.”