by Giger, S. L.
“There’s no point in staying open, is there?” I said.
“But I need the money.”
“Not if you can’t spend it on anything because everything is closed.” I eyed her intensely. “Is there a bunker near your house?”
“Yes, I live close to the fire station.”
“Promise me that you’ll go there whenever the sirens go off, even if you think it’s a false alarm. Don’t take any chances. Or even better, go and stay in one of the long-term bunkers.”
“And the flu? There have been eighteen deaths in Canada as of three days ago. We shouldn’t sit on top of each other.”
Another thing one of us had to do was find out whether all those flu victims had been magical creatures, I thought to myself. Then, I put my hands on Paula’s shoulders to make her listen to me. “It’s much cleaner there, and the chances that the bacteria will get into the bunker are slim. Alex studies these kinds of things, and he says the bombings are much more fatal than the virus.”
“And if Alex says it, it has to be true.” She rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious – the bombings are way more dangerous than the virus. Just protect yourself, okay? I’ll do the same thing. You, too, Josh.”
“Oh, yes, I’d have liked to just stay in the cellar anyway, next to food and drinks,” Josh said.
Paula pursed her lips but mumbled affirmatively.
The door opened and our eyes all shifted to see whether it was another customer. It was Jimmy.
“I’m glad you’re all okay.” He looked around, narrowing his eyes. “Didn’t you turn on the radio? You’re supposed to do that when the sirens ring.”
“We couldn’t listen to the radio and hide down in the cellar at the same time,” Paula said.
“Hmm, true.” He walked to the basement door and looked down, then turned to us again. “There was a bomb in a car one block from here. I watched on TV how a special team in suits like astronauts disarmed it. The whole area was taped off.” He sighed.
“Has anybody said who did it and what was targeted?” My voice was shaky.
“Not yet. And since it didn’t go off, I doubt anybody will.” Jimmy looked at us gravely. “I can’t be responsible if anything happens to one of you because you were at work. Plus, only a third of the customers are here at the moment, anyway.” He walked to the bar and pressed his hands down on the even surface, then absentmindedly stared at it for a few seconds. He sighed and said, “I will close the pub until further notice.”
“I knew you’d do that,” Paula said bleakly.
Jim shrugged and shook his head because he couldn’t magically improve the situation.
“It’s okay, Boss,” Josh said. “I’m happy to take a vacation. I’m sure it will get better soon.”
“Yes. I’ll go out to the Cape,” I said. “It’s quieter there.”
“I’m sorry, Paula,” Jim said. “I will let you know as soon as we’re open again.”
“Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “I wish I could at least go on a road trip or fly somewhere now, but I’d feel like I was driving through Afghanistan, no matter where I went.”
“I wanted to bring my family to Ireland, but flight tickets cost over $6,000 apiece,” Jimmy said. “The airspace won’t be open much longer.”
“The whole world is going into lockdown,” Josh remarked. “It’s like a video game.”
“Except that it’s real,” I said.
“We should have a last drink together,” Paula said. “If we can start the new era next week, fine with me, but who knows how long this could go on?”
Jimmy and Josh nodded, and we all took a seat at the bar. To pretend I was drinking, I stuck a microfiber tablecloth up my sleeve and spat a sip of beer into it whenever I put the glass to my lips. They didn’t comment on it this time, though, that I hardly touched my drink. Everyone’s head hung low and there wasn’t much talk. Afterward, we cleaned up and put all the chairs on the table. We stacked everything into the freezer that could be saved, and the others packed the food that needed to be eaten into a few bags to take home.
“So weird to leave without knowing when we’ll come back,” Paula said as we stepped outside.
“Yeah, really,” I said. This pub had been a sanctuary for me from the beginning. I hugged Josh and Jimmy and walked to the Subway with Paula. Not many people were on the streets.
“Keep in touch,” I told her.
“Yes, you, too.” We hugged, as well.
“Hey, we’ve survived our first bomb,” she said. “My list of things I never thought I’d do in life is getting longer and longer.”
“Not something I wanted to add to my list,” I said and gave a crooked smile.
Since Alex was driving Rachel to Greenfield – because anything away from the city was safer – I knew he wasn’t home. Therefore, I could start with the evacuation plan for my family right away. Dr. Palmer’s network was growing faster than anything we had done so far. It was high time I took action, but I could only do that when I was sure that my family was safe.
Chapter 24
While I lived with Melissa and Luke, they had discouraged me from keeping up any kind of connection with my family, but I didn’t care anymore. One thing I had learned was that they didn’t know everything, either.
When I started the journey across the ocean once more, I was thankful that I was still able to do it while most humans couldn’t leave the country because of the travel restrictions. Yet, I felt a slight pang of guilt toward Themba. Although I was going to Europe, I wouldn’t stop by to welcome him. He had reached Claire’s house two days ago, with another member of his tribe. Themba’s idea was to somehow become one of Dr. Palmer’s bodyguards. That way, he’d be close to him. It was a good idea in theory, and now they were plotting out how to put the plan into action.
In Switzerland, I first stopped at a border and watched the goings-on. Every car was stopped and leading away from the border was a wired fence that would prevent people from crossing the border through a field. I had never seen Switzerland like this. I had spent the whole seventeen years of my human life in a neutral country with open borders to the four countries that surrounded it. I thought perhaps I had happened to come across a strict border, so I checked out the rest of the country. Now, if there wasn’t a mountain or a lake, there were rows of military trucks and improvised fences along the borders. At the checkpoints, long lines of cars had formed on both sides. On Lake Geneva, Lake Lugano, and Lake Constance police boats were patrolling. It was high time that my family received protection.
As I approached my hometown, I had to brace myself to not just ring the bell at our house and throw my arms around my family. I raced around our house several times to see whether they were even still at home or if they had moved somewhere else due to the turmoil. I saw that my sister’s bicycle was parked out front and made a few skips in-between my running. Soon, I would be able to talk to them and touch them. I was so happy that I could have hugged the whole world. But marching in on them would have created too much drama. So I took a moment to calm myself and positioned myself in a small park, from which I could see our driveway. If they were still going to work and school, I could leave them a letter while they were gone and include my number.
While I waited in the park, some other people walked past and probably thought I was a drug addict because they all kept plenty of distance between me and them.
Shortly before 7:00 a.m., I had to press my hands over my mouth not to scream out of joy and blow my cover. My dad walked by the park. He was wearing a dark winter coat and had a determined look on his face, just how I remembered him, as he headed to get wherever he needed to be and to do whatever was asked of him. When he left my field of vision, I sank back into my bench, letting go of a breath. How could I have waited so long to come see them again?
A little later, my mom passed the park with bounding strides. My eyes were glued to her figure, mesmerized by finally seeing the face again who had said goodnight to me ev
ery day of my human life. Only when I wiped across my face once she was gone did I realized that tears had welled in my eyes.
Now I waited for Isa. Was her school still open? At 8:00 a.m. I startled because I almost missed how Isa cycled past the park, without a helmet. I always told her to wear one because I felt that I had to take my mother’s role in that area. Obviously, she hadn’t learned. I ran after her like an invisible shadow and watched how she locked up her bicycle in front of the school and hugged her friends. Even though the borders showed a different image, life still seemed normal in Switzerland.
I returned to the park. Introducing myself in a letter would give them the opportunity to get used to the thought that I was alive. For that, I went into a bookshop in Zurich. The bigger the city, the smaller the chance that someone would know me. They looked at me oddly when I paid with USD for a pen and a notepad.
“I want to get rid of my foreign money,” I said in Swiss German. I sounded a bit weird to myself at first. I hadn’t spoken this language in ages. “Who knows how much longer we’ll be able to use it.”
“Yes, we don’t want it, either.” The cashier pursed her lips.
I shrugged apologetically and walked out of the shop, then sat down on a bench atop a hill. From up here, it looked like the Switzerland I remembered – green grass and small houses spread across the countryside. I began to write in German.
Dear Mom, Dad, and Isa
Yes, you read right, it’s your other daughter. I bet your eyes scrolled down to the name now, and I swear this is not a joke. I know it’s been a while and that you held a funeral for me. I’m sorry you had to go through all this. Believe me, it wasn’t easy for me, either. I’ve missed you very much, and I would have contacted you as soon as possible, but I couldn’t. I want to explain to you why I was hindered and why and how I can suddenly be here. However, you can’t talk to anyone about it. When all of you are home, call or text this number and I will come.
I wish I could write something to prove to you that this is me, but the only thing I could think of would breach Isa’s confidentiality. (Do you still have the book with the magical charms in your closet ;-)?)
I’m waiting for you. Please call soon.
Serena
I exhaled heavily, smiling as I looked at the view. It had felt so natural to write my old name down on the paper. Something you’ve practiced from the age of four is not something you easily forget. I hoped the little hint about the book would convince my sister that it was me. She was a big fan of the TV series Charmed and created her own spell book, which she hid in her closet and would be mortified if anyone except me discovered it. I got up to deliver the letter to my old home, but I never arrived there.
I found myself in a black nothingness once more. I stopped running and inhaled in shock. When I realized what had happened, I stomped my foot in anger. It didn’t produce any sound.
“No, no, no,” I yelled. “What’s going on now?”
“There is one rule we are very serious about,” the voice of the first Orbiter echoed.
“You can’t swipe me off the earth like that!” Tears stung behind my eyes.
“If we hadn’t stopped you, you would have committed a crime,” the second Orbiter sang.
“With Alex it’s okay, as well. Why do you agree there, but not here? I know my family. They could cope with magic.” I stared at the folded letter in my hands.
“Humans are very unpredictable,” the third Orbiter said.
“So? If anybody makes trouble, you could react then.”
“Caution is easier than cleaning up a mess,” the first voice said again.
“Are you really three people? Show yourself so that I finally know who I’m talking to!” I spun in a circle.
“Your lack of respect for age and wisdom is quite astounding.”
“I show respect if I think someone earned it. But what have you done for the world? So far, I’ve heard about a lot of suffering because of you. And now you are keeping me away from my family like a prisoner.” I spat. “But still you expect me to work for you? Hah.” My laugh echoed a few times and I stood a little more erect.
“Yes, you need to complete your mission.”
“This is a give-and-take. Let me see my family,” I tried to bargain. “I have to ensure that they stay safe.” My shoulders sank again, remembering how close I was to seeing them.
“There is no immediate danger to them. You are needed more elsewhere.”
“But they need me, too,” I said quietly, and stared at my feet. “I have the power to keep them safe. So, let me.”
Silence stretched. I looked around again, hoping that I would be back on my way to my home in Switzerland.
“If the world is safe, your family will be, as well,” one of the voices finally answered.
“You’re not letting me go back?” I pressed my lips together. “But you need me. I’ll refuse to do anything for you if you keep me away from them.”
“You are important, but not that important. However, we are open to a bargain.”
“Which is?”
“You continue helping us, and we won’t stand in the way of a family reunion in the end.”
I narrowed my eyes. “But what if I fail? I’ll never see them again.”
“If you don’t succeed many others won’t see anyone anymore either. But we have faith in you, and you need to return now,” one of them whispered, and then the black space around me swirled with gray. Everything was spinning around me.
“Hey, we weren’t done talking!” I yelled, wishing that I could grab onto something. “How is Roisin, do you know anything about her?”
My surroundings kept spinning.
“Hey!” I screamed again, but my voice was suddenly way too loud because I was standing in the tiny lab amidst Alex, Cathy, Luke, and Melissa. For a moment, they all shot me irritated looks, and Cathy was the first to find her voice again.
“Look who's back. As if she had a sixth sense for trouble,” Cathy said in the accustomed gruff manner. Only then did I notice the threatening constellation of how they were positioned in the room — a polite distance between everybody, but everyone ready to launch at each other. The atmosphere felt like the top of an erupting volcano – the slightest irritation could create an explosion.
Chapter 25
Alex was holding a knife. I searched his eyes, which had a feverish glimmer in them. Since he didn’t say anything, I looked at Luke and Melissa who had turned their irritated faces from me to Cathy again.
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
Cathy ignored me. “It's the only way.”
“No, Cathy. This isn’t an option,” Melissa insisted, her feet hip-width apart, hands raised defensively in the air.
“In fact, it’s the only option,” Cathy said, and suddenly she launched not toward Melissa, but to Alex, and he stood with the knife pressed against his throat. Or, more accurately, she was holding his hand with the knife in it and had that pressed against his throat.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked.
Alex panted heavily and eyed the blade.
“This knife belongs to me,” Cathy snarled. “I don’t want to threaten you,” she said to Alex, “because usually you are smart, and I like you. But right now, you are preventing this project from moving forward.”
“But we don’t even know if it will work. Cathy, this death could be for nothing,” Luke said as calmly as possible.
“Why do you want to kill him?” I didn’t want to make a false move, but I was close to tears.
“I don’t want to kill him,” Cathy said. “I need to kill myself, but in order for my death not to be wasted, one of you has to extract the liquid energy out of my body in the second it starts dissolving. It’s a very short timeframe in which all the energy that made me a Siren will melt before it dies completely. If you miss it, we will never know if that’s the glue which the cells need.”
I stared at her in horror, still not understanding.
“But they won’t let me because it’s not ethical,” Cathy said with the voice of an annoyed child.
“It isn’t!” Melissa exclaimed. “Oh, my God, where is Roisin?” she said to herself and put her hand to her temple.
I swallowed, beginning to understand. “Cathy, you are crazy!” My voice was almost a whisper. “What good would this do to you if it’s not the right solution after all?”
“It will be,” she said firmly. “And really, this is not your decision. I thought we could do it differently, and I would have loved to see the outcome, but what then?” She shook her head. “Like this, everything will fall into place. Plus, I’ve lived through enough. I’ve seen one-and-a-half centuries. I’m a creature who always wants what she can’t have anymore. We are victims of our endless hunger, and I’ve been done for a long time.” Cathy took a deep breath. “I’ve tried to justify my existence by becoming the best heart surgeon in the world.”
“And we need great heart surgeons!” Melissa interrupted.
“I know,” Cathy replied. “But now it’s not about saving a few individual lives – it’s about saving the planet and ending this war. It’s about creating better possibilities for future Sirens, and for me, those are good enough reasons to finally give me a way out. My soul died a long time ago.” She looked at us with such sorrow in her eyes that one after the other let his shoulders sink or stared at the ground.
“Alex, calm down, for God’s sake, or I might kill you after all.” Luke glared at him because Alex’s heart was pounding furiously as if it wanted to push Cathy away.
“It’s kind of hard to be calm on command when somebody presses a knife against your neck and it sounds like no matter what you do, somebody will get killed.”
