Two paws appeared, one on either side of the snout, as the dog squeezed between the barn wall and the U shaped dirt.
“A damn dog!” The officer feigned disgust, but a sigh of relief escaped his nostrils. He almost laughed.
Splash’s head appeared. His eyes widened at the sight of the officers. “Ruff!” The dog warned. Then he released a loud growl, snarl, and snap. He grabbed his prey and pulled it back into the barn.
“It was just a dog.” The officer moved away from the gap and around the corner where once alone, he leaned relieved shoulders against the worn wood.
Perhaps he wasn’t going to die today after all.
The sedan eased up to the farm’s location, and the monster sneered in the backseat.
They are here, he told himself.
“Splash! That was a warning bark! He saw something threatening! Have they surrounded the property? Are they everywhere?” Rebecca slipped back into the darkness toward the spiral.
Others followed her lead. Was he here, the monster they were to battle? Was it time to end the fairytale?
Neka remained in place watching John as he listened intently to the noises on the other side of the wall. “I have to go!”
“John?” A whisper filtered through the cracked wall. “John? Are you in there? If you are, stay there. I’ll clear this...”
John kept the board raised. Neka placed a hand gently on John’s forearm to stop him from running out.
“Did you hear something over here?” The gruffness in the voice overpowered the whispered words.
“No. No, I was just confirming there’s nothing in this building, either. Tagging it now!”
A whooshing sound, as if a vandal were spraying paint made the teens focus more intently.
“Unh! Let’s move onto the next one. Too many stinking places to hide on this property.”
John silently returned the board to the dirt before his feet. Neka’s tender touch firmed to a grip on John’s arm as she steered him away from the opening. The group huddled in the darkest corner, farthest from the opening, waiting for silence beyond the walls.
No thoughts.
No whispers.
No motions.
A heightened sense of evil filtered through the barn into their bodies causing their neck hairs to rise, forcing them to blend in the darkness.
Was the monster that close to their location?
Could he sense fear?
If so, he would know they were in that barn as he approached.
A dimmed light shined toward the opening.
“They’re here. I feel them. They are still on this property,” The monster growled.
“Sir, not this building, it’s been tagged. I haven’t seen anything. Nobody has. Except for that dog.”
“If I had been there sooner, I would have ripped that dog’s head off! Give me that flashlight!” Twelve hands gripped tighter as the next beam shone near them. “They’ve been here. They’ve been in this building. I sense them.”
“Searching for the spiral, sir?”
“Mhm, perhaps. Looking for the one thing that might help them. I want bulldozers. End of day, today. I want every building on this property flattened to the ground before midnight. They die before the end of this day!”
“But, sir, the neighbors…”
“Well, if anyone shows up here, we’ll take care of them. Won’t we? I’m sure you can think of something clever to tell them.”
“Uhm, yessir.” The assistant nodded.
“Let’s go. Give the order for the dozers. I want this farm brought to the ground.”
“Now sir? Nobody will be awake now. The City isn’t even…”
“Now! I don’t care! Call their homes! Wake them up! I own the Mayor! And before everyone leaves this property, I want that house searched for the last two amulets!”
With little time to waste, the twelve maintained their position until the silence was so deafening they could no longer stand it. They couldn’t be seen, but they couldn’t risk being caught. They now had two problems to solve without returning to the house: Contacting their mothers and keeping the spiral intact.
Why wasn’t the spiral working?
The dim barn interior warmed slightly as the sun rose in the eastern sky. Trying to hold the blend, Jaz lifted his shoulder to wipe his brow, but a droplet escaped to his eye bringing a temporary sting. He blinked, curbed the thought he almost shared, and finally closed his eyes going with the sting. He was finding it difficult to not check in on his new family, though he could feel Cheater’s and Cai’s hands wrapped around his own. As if in response to his concern, Cheater squeezed his hand lightly. Though they knew their powers worked without touching now, they found comfort in the simple act of holding hands.
“Everyone’s left…” The whisper was so quiet they almost missed it beneath the whistling breeze that began at sunrise. Tension gripped them as light shown through the opening they created, then dissolved, again. “I know you’re here, John. It’s okay now.”
John broke the blend and rose to his feet. In seconds he greeted the visitor with hugs and pats on the back. He hadn’t seen him since joining the force. “It’s good to see you, man!”
“Same! Thought I’d never see you, again. Good hiding, there, just like the old days.” The other man nodded.
“How’d you know I was here?” John asked.
The man smiled and shook his head. “I always knew where you were, man! You couldn’t hide from me.”
“True dat! Hey, guys, it’s okay. You can show yourselves. I want you to meet my brother, well, adopted brother. He’s here to help.”
Reluctantly, each of them let go of the blend. John trusted this man, but could they?
“Zeke,” John smiled and nodded to them.
“So, is this it? This the one we need to keep the dozer away from?” He patted the barn wall scanning the interior, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Just another old barn.
John glanced back at the others finding uncertainty and doubt. Sensing their fear of betrayal, Zeke sighed, “Whew, there for a minute, I thought he was onto me. Thought I was a dead man, bro! He drew his gun and everything. But worse, I thought I gave you guys up. That guy is freakin’ psycho!” Zeke shook his head.
“Huh, yeah. I’m just glad I didn’t have to grow up around him!” John clapped Zeke’s shoulder, “The best place I could’ve wound up was right there with your family after the circle.”
“I hear ya’.”
Leaving his hand on Zeke’s shoulder, John turned to the others, noting their distrust had diminished. “Yeah, this is it. If the faction can keep them away from this barn until last, that would be great.
“Well, he said demolish everything. That might be difficult,” Nathan joined them. “Sounded like when he said everything, he meant it. We can’t let him do that. That’s my grandparents’ house. I can’t let him destroy this place!” Anger built in Nathan. His fists clenched. He wanted to kill this guy, whoever he was.
“Hold on, hold on. Calm down, Nathan. Nothing’s happening, yet. If you two are on the force, how come you act like you haven’t seen each other in a long time?” Cai eyed each of them in the silence.
“We haven’t,” John’s confident answer confused them all. “He’s a little higher up than I am, aren’t ya’ bro?”
“Uh, yeah, just a little.” Zeke shyly admitted.
“Yeah, like, third in command. I’m just like, getting started. Well, was… I’m definitely not gonna miss that gig! Psycho would be an understatement. I saw too much violence on that fo…” John stopped, realizing what he almost admitted.
Zeke noted the look in his friend’s eyes, “Right. I just want this to be over. So this is the crew,” Zeke changed the subject. “It’s a pleasure to assist you in your mission. If there’s one thing about our childhood that I remember, it’s your mother’s fairytale that you told me a gazillion times! To think it was true,” Smiling, he shook his head in disbelief. Before him, beside hi
m, they stood, the Gifted Ones. “Immediate needs? I gotta scram before he realizes I’m not around, but I can send somebody trustworthy back with necessities. Here, take this,” he handed John a phone. “It’s a burner. The number’s pre programmed. If I text you, you’ll know it’s me. Don’t answer anyone else. Text me a list of needs. Hide out here as long as you possibly can.”
“We shouldn’t need anything, do we?” John glanced around.
“Speak for yourself. I’m already starving!” Thad added. Laughter surrounded John and Zeke.
“I guess some food would be nice. We’ll be here until we figure this out, until the mission is complete,” Cai added.
“Gone without food plenty of times before now. We may not have time for anything but the mission, whatever that is.” Carmen’s firm response set the room a buzz as Zeke left through the opening. “I’ll send Brandy out with some supplies. She’ll leave them at the opening. I’ll go back and hold off the dozers off as long as I can. If anything changes, I’ll text you.”
“Thanks, man!” John shook his friend’s hand.
“Let’s get to work,” Cai clapped her hands together and eagerly nodded.
Knowing they could communicate with their mothers was much easier than the act of communicating with them. After several failed attempts, they determined one or more of them must perform the transfer. Something was holding them back, keeping the transformation from happening.
Or, could it be their mothers were holding them back?
But why?
Returning to the spiral, they watched as the lights glowed above them, each light circling, a spiral within the spiral, each teen rotated in sync with their light, searching for… anything.
Nothing but millions of tiny spiraling lights.
Simon, hands on his hips moved out of the spiral and stood alone. In deep contemplation, he paced staring at the dirt beneath his feet, his head shaking from side to side. Something was wrong. He could feel it deep inside.
Finally his head snapped up, he returned to the spiral, to the team, and sighed, “I would give just about anything to see my mother again, talk to her, hear her voice through the whisper of wind chimes as she told me the story. I would give anything!” He peered at Jamie. “Me, too,” Jamie nodded. “Ditto,” Jaz added. Nathan agreed, as did Thad and John.
“I haven’t seen my mother in so long that her face is fading from my memories,” Lena prompted. “Missing her will never go away.” A tear trickled down her cheek as her eyes searched the walls and ceiling, embarrassed to cry in front of her new friends.
“Don’t worry, Lena. Sometimes I think I’ll forget, too.” Cai comforted. “And I,” Cheater added. “Put me on that list, too,” Rebecca nodded. Neka swallowed hard to quench the tears that might conquer her tough resolve before she choked out, “I will always miss my mother. Always,” her words trailed into the stillness of the barn.
Downward cast eyes turned to Carmen after moments of silence. She was the only one who hadn’t spoken, not that it seemed to help the situation.
“Why you staring at me? Stop it!” Carmen turned away, stepping from her place in the spiral.
“Carmen?” Simon reached for her shoulder, but she spun away before his touch landed. “Leave me alone!”
“Carmen, what’s wrong?” Cheater moved to her side.
“Why can’t you all just leave me alone?” She moved farther away, toward the opening as if to run.
“Carmen don’t! If they catch you, we’re finished. Our mission, or whatever, is over. The world will stay this way, or worse. Come back, tell us what’s bothering you!” Cai pleaded.
“I know what’s bothering her!” Jaz offered.
“No you don’t!” Carmen whipped around, targeting Jaz with a chilling stare.
“Yeah, I do. You’re angry. You’re angry at your mother. It doesn’t take a mind reader to realize that. But why? You need to fess up. Don’t you see? You might be the one holding us back from talking to our mothers, getting answers. You’re the one who painted this rosy picture for everyone else to see. You. So, out the truth, girl.”
“You don’t know anything!” Hot tears flooded Carmen’s cheeks as she stomped to the darkest corner of the barn.
Simon gripped her elbow before the knuckles of her right hand kissed the old wood of the interior wall. “If you do that, this thing might fall down around us.” His breath brushed the top of her head and her neck rolled from side to side in anguish. “She didn’t have to leave,” Carmen sobbed. “She didn’t have to leave me,” chin to chest, her shoulders shook violently as her anger expelled in hot tears.
Eyes glistening with unshed tears, the others huddled behind her, around her. Simon pulled her to him, a brotherly embrace and comforting shoulder. Soon the others embraced them both, holding back tears of empathy.
When Carmen’s sobs quieted, through ragged breaths, she explained that her mother had stormed away after a heated argument with her father, never to return, even after her father’s fatal accident a month later. Her mother was presumed dead, too. But worse than that, she could see her mother, in her mind, now. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t cast her mother from her mind.
“It’s okay Carmen. We all have memories of our mother, see their faces. Once you let go, her image may start to fade, like ours have, but you’ll always remember her.” Cai wiped a tear from her own cheek.
“No, that’s not what I mean. I know where she is. I can see where she is right now. I can find anybody if I focus on them. I know exactly what she’s doing this very minute.”
“Wait, you mean you’re like, psychically connected or something?”
“Something like that. Once I touch someone, their energy transfers to me. I can use that energy to locate them, like GPS, and I can see them. And that’s not all… my intuition is guided by colors. I see the color of the soul or something. There’s so much blackness surrounding my mother, us…”
“Wow!” Rang several voices in unison.
“Why did we not know this? Where is your mother, Carmen?” Simon cocked his head to peer down at her.
“In a cage somewhere, like a jail cell, chained to a chair, shackled to the floor. She’s hurt. She’s trying to be strong, but she cries when nobody’s around. I just feel so…”
“Your mother’s alive?” Cheater moved closer.
“That’s why we can’t bring them all here! But still, we should be able to bring the other eleven, shouldn’t we?”
“Can you see a location that might help us find your mother?” Nathan puffed out his chest, ready to rescue the only mother they had left between them.
The barrage of questions was too much for Carmen. She pushed her way through them, the tears returning, “You don’t get it! I don’t care about her. I don’t want to help her!” Hands fisted, she turned away from them and fell to her knees in anguish, “I hate her!” A weak statement punctuated by sobs of broken words.
Simon lowered himself to the barn floor in front of Carmen and crossed his legs. “Are you sure about that? Because the way I see it, you wouldn’t be so upset about her situation if you hated her.”
“She left us!” Carmen screeched, burying her face in her hands.
Simon brought his palms up, placed them on the sides of her head, and hoped.
Cai approached behind Carmen, but Simon shook his head, brushing her off. Time was running out; Cai spun away in anger. They didn’t have time for this self-pity, self-help session. As much as Cai empathized with Carmen, they had a mission. It was going down tonight! Some problems took precedence over others. They needed Carmen, and they needed her now, not later, not after her mother was saved, not after… they needed her now!
John placed a quiet hand on Cai’s shoulder causing her to jump. He held out the burner cell so she could read the message.
Does he have a woman held hostage chained in a cage?
Three dots waved for what seemed a lifetime to Cai.
Yes. She’s a criminal.
Can you tell me where she is?
John’s eyes reflected the waving dots. What was taking so long? Should he tell Zeke the woman was Carmen’s mother? John glanced at Cai, peered over his shoulder at Carmen, returned his attention to the screen.
The three dots were gone.
Something happened.
Zeke had to cut off the text stream.
“Besides being one of our mothers, I wonder if she’s done something to warrant being chained up like an animal. That’s a little excessive!” Cai whispered. John shrugged.
As if Zeke stood in front of them, his response lit the screen, “She tried to murder him.”
Even the dim lighting couldn’t hide their shocked expressions. John’s doubt told Cai that scenario was improbable; her even getting close enough to him to attempt a murder couldn’t happen. The only way that could happen is if he let her get close, and he would if she was so beautiful that the most basic human parts of him could not resist her. Was she a part of the faction?
John thought about Carmen, again. Maybe that was it. Maybe the boss had been attracted to Carmen’s mother.
Can you get a message to her? John typed.
Are you kidding? I’ll see what I can do.
Okay, let me know. Thanks!
“Carmen,” John moved toward the group huddled around the young girl.
“Do we have to do this now?” Simon protested. “I mean, she’s just a kid. She’s hurting, John.”
In protest, Carmen pushed Simon’s hands from her head and refused his comfort. She wiped her face with the backs of her hands, and protested, “I’m not a kid! Yes, I’m hurting, but so are you, and you, and you, and all of us! Leave me alone!” Standing, she turned away from them all and kicked a pile of old hay. Crossing her arms over her chest, she set her jaw in contemplation.
Simon sighed. It hadn’t worked. Would it ever work again? With a touch, with a thought, he used to be able to raise a person’s vibrations. Bring them joy through their own memories. “Carmen, we need you, the grown up you. We need you now. You’re the one who has to enter the darkness. We need you to work with Cheater... uhm... Sara and help us. You have to let go of the anger. Trust the help we have on the inside to take care of your mother.”
The Lost Prince Page 11