For Blood & Glory

by Cassandra Hendricks

  “What’s in the bag?” Sefira asked.

  “Stuff. Yours?” asked Blythe.

  “Nothing much—I brought a change of clothes. Shoes, lotion, deodorant. All that good stuff.”

  “You don’t think I have all that stuff at my house?” she teased. “I know, my styles’ a little different than yours, but you might benefit from some black t-shirts and decimated jeans.”

  Sefira smirked.

  “Alright, let’s go.” Blythe rubbed her hands together and placed a hand on Sefira’s shoulder. They both vanished.

  A Visitor

  “So, if you take a look at the periodic table, iron—wait, excuse me for a moment. I think we have a visitor.” Mrs. Lane abruptly stopped her chemistry lesson as a tall stranger stepped into the classroom. From Kaetano’s vantage point, he was unusually pale, especially juxtaposed to his long, straight silver hair. Something about his ethereal look gave him pause.

  “Hello, sorry to interrupt. You are Mrs. Lane, correct?”

  “Yes,” she said with a quizzical look.

  “My name is Agent Lloyd. I’m a Federal Investigator.” He flashed a badge. “I’m looking for a girl by the name of Sefira Carrington. Is she in this class?”

  Mrs. Lane’s voice was hushed. “Any information of that sort you would have to clear with the front office.”

  “I’ve received clearance to come to your class.”

  “Oh.” Mrs. Lane hesitated. “Is she in some sort of trouble?”

  “I’m afraid that’s classified information, but it is imperative that we speak with her urgently. Is she here?” The stranger asked.

  Mrs. Lane’s face screwed. “They should have been able to tell you that in the office.”

  The man looked at her, and Mrs. Lane seemed to soften. She smiled. “I’m sorry, she isn’t here. If you’d like to leave your information, I can pass it along.”

  He ignored her and addressed the class. “If any of you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Ms. Carrington, I want you to give me a call.” He took Ms. Lane’s Expo pen off of her desk and wrote his name and number on the board. He glanced at Mrs. Lane, who was still smiling, and walked out.

  As soon as he left Mrs. Lane clutched her head. “I’m sorry, where were we?” She looked at her board. “Well that was rude,” she muttered under her breath, erasing his number. “Let’s get back to business, shall we?” Someone raised a hand from the back of the room.

  “Yes, Giselle?”

  “Can I go to the restroom, please?”

  “Sure, grab a hall pass.”

  Giselle snatched the pass and made a rather hasty exit. Class continued, but Kaetano focused on what was going on outside of the classroom. From his position, near a small window embedded in the classroom door, he watched Giselle talk to the Investigator. The conversation ended, and she proceeded to the restroom with a smirk. Time to do some damage control. Kaetano discreetly took out a can of soda from his backpack, shook it then opened it up, allowing it to erupt all over his shirt. “Aah, that sucks.” He stood making a scene. Laughs were heard throughout the classroom.

  “Take it off!” A girl yelled from somewhere in the class. More laughter was heard.

  “I’m sorry Mrs. Lane. Would you mind if I grab a spare shirt from my locker?”

  “That is exactly why food and drinks are not allowed in my lab, Kaetano. Hurry up.”

  “Thanks. Sorry.” He seized a hall pass and practically ran down the hallway in search of the pale man. He spotted him heading for the quad and jogged to catch up.

  “Hi. I was um, in chem class when you made the announcement. I have some information for you.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got her address.”

  “Thanks, but I have that. Someone just volunteered that information.” The man turned to leave.

  “She recently moved, but if you already have that info, I won’t bother.” Kaetano started to walk away.

  “Wait. She moved? When was this?”

  “Yesterday. That’s why she’s not here. Seemed like they were in a hurry. I have a forwarding address though.”

  “I see, well do me a favor and write that down for me.” He pulled a pen and notepad out of his jacket.

  Kaetano scribbled an address on the paper and handed it back.

  “Arizona? Where is that?”

  The man’s eyes were such an odd color. He’d almost venture to say clear. “Oh, just a couple hours away.”

  “When exactly did they leave?”

  “Last night. I helped them pack. They should be there by now.”

  “I see. Thank you for your assistance.”

  “Sure.” Kaetano turned to walk off, when the stranger stopped him.

  “Wait—you look…familiar.”

  “Yeah? I get that a lot.”

  “Yes—”

  “Look—I gotta head back to class. Hope everything turns out okay,” Kaetano said.

  “I’m sure it will turn out just fine.” The stranger nodded goodbye and strolled off.

  Get It Done

  Fall had begun to stake its claim on the Carolinian forests. It had painted the morning sky a sallow grey and kissed the Maples, Oaks, and Willows, turning some of the abundant greens to autumnal shades of red and brown. Only the Pines were spared. The tall, thin, coniferous trees were everywhere, sprouting like fingers from the ground. Their grey-green needles largely fresh and fragrant, adding a fervent pine scent to the odiferous musk of moist earth clinging to the girls’ noses.

  “Where are we?” asked Sefira as they sifted wearily through cool patches of light fog that had yet to burn off a throng of grass, brush and trees. They couldn’t have been walking for more than five minutes, and Sefira had already pulled seven thorns that found their way inside her boots from her socks.

  “I don’t know. I’m usually pretty good at these things, but today my sense of direction may have been a little off.”

  “You think?”

  They heard a crunching sound and froze.

  “What was that?” asked Sefira, eyes searching.

  “Look,” Blythe whispered, nodding to her left. There were two spotted brown deer in the distance grazing on tall grass and wildflowers. “They’re beautiful.” One of them glanced in their direction, locking eyes with Blythe. Seconds later they were gone. “Now that’s something you don’t see in L.A.” Leaves crunched underfoot as she resumed walking. Sefira didn’t.

  “Where are we going?” Sefira asked, a hand gripping the shoulder strap of her backpack.

  “I don’t know, but it’s easier to walk downhill than up.”

  “It doesn’t make sense to walk around aimlessly. Let’s just stop for a minute and figure this out.”

  Blythe halted, eyes peering down a mild but long precipice. “The trees are so dense here that it’s hard to see what’s down below.” Sighing, she placed a hand on her hip, talking more to herself than anything else. “I could move us around, I just don’t want to risk being spotted.”

  “You know what? I think I can handle this,” Sefira replied.

  “Unless you’ve got x-ray vision, I don’t see how.”

  “I’ve got the next best thing—just, sit tight.” Sefira concentrated, shutting out the morning call of birds, the scurrying of squirrels and rabbits as they hopped over branches, rocks and up trees. She even managed to tune out the sun as its rays sliced between branches, landing lightly on her right eye. All of this in hopes of recreating the experience at the mall. As of late she’d been practicing and with effort, it worked. The prickly feeling along the nape of her neck returned and she was able to pan left, right, forward, backward and to her surprise—up. And so that’s where she went, soaring like an eagle against the wind and above the trees reveling in the incredible sense of freedom. That’s when she spotted it clear as day. A large white rectangular complex half the size of a football field nestled in a clearing. Blythe was right after all.

  The whole set up was st
range. It wasn’t as if she’d expected to find their destination in the middle of a strip mall, but the building was like an island onto itself. Beyond the trees, there was nothing else for miles save a lonely road that led South and dead-ended at the buildings’ entrance and a large parking lot that pooled around it, giving the complex and the adjoining lot the appearance of a bullseye. Notable, were the armored vehicles parked directly out front.

  Although the lot was full, the number of people loitering outside the building was sparse. The ones she did see were either wearing lab coats, smocks or fatigues. Very few wore casual attire. One clear entrance was perceptible on the East side of the building and armed guards flanked both sides of it. She panned forward further and spied people placing their belongings on a conveyor belt—a metal detector.

  “Sefira. Are you okay?”

  Sefira’s concentration was broken. “Yeah. Why’d you ask me that?”

  “Because you look like you just OD’d. Your eyes literally rolled back.”

  “Really? I thought I had more like bionic eyes or something.”

  “No, it looks a little more complicated than that. It’s like you’re here, but you’re not here—if that makes any sense. Any luck?”

  “Yeah, I think I found it. We’re close. To the right, there’s a clearing just beyond those trees. See?” She pointed. “Right there.”

  Blythe craned, squinting. “No, I can’t see anything. Grab your stuff. I’ll get us closer.”

  Moments later they were much closer but still far enough away to remain discreet.

  “That’s better.” Blythe dipped her shoulder allowing her backpack to slide off. After rummaging, she retrieved a black device. Sefira didn’t realize what it was until she placed it on her eyes.

  Sefira chuckled. “Binoculars? Who carries binoculars?”

  “As of this morning, I do.” Blythe smirked as her fingers worked the apparatus.

  “I’m not even going to ask….”

  “That’s probably for the better. I’m guessing you’re not used to the 5-finger discount,” she replied, gazing through her newfound eyes. “Yeah, I see it. There’s a lot going on down there. Plenty of security.”

  “Yep. I say we park it and observe. We should be certain of what we’re getting into before we make a move.”

  “I’m with you on that,” Blythe agreed.

  For the next hour they sat side by side, a couple feet away from one another, watching people go to and fro. Not only were there armed guards at the entrance, they also patrolled the parking lot.

  “There’s no way we’re getting in there without sticking out like sore thumbs,” said Sefira, trying to get comfortable on the large rock she’d claimed.

  Blythe sat on a bed of leaves with her knees bent and her back against a tree. “You’re right. We’ve got to blend in. That’s why I brought a lab coat.”

  “Clever.”

  “Undercover ops, baby,” said Blythe, absentmindedly juggling a small rock. “We’ll have to take somebody out for another outfit, though.”

  Sefira leaned forward, catching herself before she slid off the rock. Did she seriously just say that? “What do you mean by ‘take somebody out’?”

  Blythe measured her response. It seemed as if she were measuring her too as she very plainly replied, “We’re going to have to do what’s necessary to get the job done. The sooner you get used to that idea the better.”

  Sefira shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

  “Newsflash, they want to hurt you. I’m telling you, it’s either us or them in the hurt department and if they have our mother, then it’s gonna have to be them.” She turned away, placing the binoculars on her eyes.

  Sefira changed the subject. “What else is in that bag of yours?”

  “Food. Thanks for reminding me.” Blythe retrieved a couple bags of chips and soda, tossing them to her sister. “We can’t go all Matrix on an empty stomach.”

  “What do you intend to do with that?” Sefira pointed to something in Blythe’s hand.

  “With what? The duct tape? I don’t know but in the infamous words of Fredo, you can never have too much duct tape.” She tossed it on top of her bag.

  “Wait a minute, I have a question,” said Sefira, opening her chips. “If Mom is like us, why would she stay there? I mean why doesn’t she just bust out?”

  Blythe balanced her elbows on her knees speaking between bites. “I don’t know. Something’s keeping her there. It doesn’t matter though, we’ll get her out. Here’s what I think we should do.” She slid her hand in her backpack and pulled the lab coat out. She glanced thoughtfully then tossed it on top of Sefira’s bag. “You put the coat on. You look nerdier than I do.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking,” Blythe began.

  “What?”

  “Maybe we’re some type of scientific experiment gone wrong?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, all of us were in that hospital—together. And the doctors clearly had plans for us, right?”

  “Yeah—guess so.”

  “So maybe they did something. Messed with our DNA. And that thing that came after us—maybe it was part of the same project.”

  “Until we talk to Delilah, we’re grasping at straws.”

  “Yeah, I know. Just trying to figure some things out.” After taking a deep breath, she stood up. “You ready?” she asked, brushing leaves and dirt off her bottom.

  “As ready as I’m going to be,” answered Sefira. She dusted the crumbs from her hands, grabbed the coat, and put it on. “Nice coat,” she muttered, sliding her hands in the pockets.

  “Good enough I think. Here’s the plan—”

  “Who says you get to make all the plans?”

  “I’m older remember?”

  This girl’s a trip, thought Sefira, chuckling to herself.

  Blythe continued, “I’ll get my hands on a maintenance uniform. Then we’ll sniff around till we find her.”

  “Is Mom in there as Delilah Rebeaux?” asked Sefira as she buttoned her coat.

  “No, her social matches Linda Anderson now. She’s assigned to room C7.”

  “Your friend is incredible,” said Sefira as she traded her boots for flats.

  “I told you. All we need to do is locate her. Then I’ll put the whammy on her and boom—,” she made a dramatic gesture, “we’re out. Back at my place two seconds flat.”

  Sefira placed her hands on her hips. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Yeah, well don’t worry, it won’t be.”

  “Um—” Sefira scratched her nose. “I’ve got another question.”

  “Shoot,” said Blythe, walking over until they were eye to eye.

  “Have you thought about life after all this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, how are we going to take care of her? We don’t even have jobs.”

  Blythe sighed. “You know, I really wish you would’ve thought about all this before we came out here. What are you saying? You want to turn back?”

  “Of course not. We can’t leave her here. I’m just trying to figure out what our options are. I like to have plans, you know? That’s what I do. I plan.”

  “Plans change. Once we get her out, we’ll see what we’re working with and I guess—we’ll go from there.” Blythe dusted the chips off her hands and strapped the backpack on. “Look,” she patted Sefira’s arm, “it’s time to move. I’ll be right back.”

  Sefira didn’t even get a chance to get a word in before Blythe slowly made her way down the slope, popping in and out of different vantage points. Ten minutes later, Blythe was back in a full maintenance uniform. “Like taking candy from a baby. Brought back a little something for you too.” She fastened an ID badge to Sefira’s chest.

  “Julie Barnes?” Sefira read. “She okay?”

  “She’s fine. By the time she wakes up it’ll all be over.”

  What the heck? thought
Sefira.

  “You sure you’re ready to do this?” Blythe asked.

  “Ready as ever,” Sefira answered, lying as she touched Blythe’s shoulder. Within seconds, they were whisked inside an inconspicuous section of the building. “This is totally different than I expected,” Sefira whispered.

  “You’ve got that right,” Blythe whispered back. “It’s like Resident Evil meets a country club.”

  The place was indeed strange. From the outside, the concrete building appeared clinical and cold but that simply wasn’t the case. The scent of freshly brewed coffee tantalized the senses as people with and without lab coats interacted in a huge, rectangular L-shaped room. Tinted casement windows ran the entire perimeter of the expansive seating area boasting views of the woods. On the floor, there were tall potted plants tucked in corners, sitting atop Oriental rugs with ornate patterns. People lounged, thumbing through magazines fanned across hand-carved mahogany tables and sipping coffee from plush, white leather couches meticulously aligned to give the space a more intimate feel. The girls walked carefully so as not to slip on the polished marble floor.

  “What is this? A lobby?” Blythe whispered.

  “I don’t know, but we need to get the whole mind-talking thing down so we don’t look so suspicious,” Sefira whispered back. “Look at the signs. It doesn’t look like there are any rooms on this floor. Let’s take the elevator. I’ll go first.”

  Sefira led the way, following posted signs that led to the nearest elevator. Blythe trailed close behind.

  The sound of a man clearing his throat caught Sefira’s attention. Glancing back, she saw a short, round man in a brown suit approach Blythe. Sefira felt a pang in her chest and her palms grew sweaty until she heard his request.

  “Excuse me, I need your help. Despite his “excuse me,” Sefira could tell he wasn’t asking, he was telling. As much as she wanted to wait for her sister, that was out of the question now. Proceeding to the elevator, she pushed the call button and waited for the thick glass elevator doors to arrive, all the while listening to their conversation which was still within earshot.