by Giger, S. L.
I slowly exhaled feverishly trying to come up with a better idea. I hated that we’d have to ask Themba and Claire another favor. Unfortunately, spreading the word from the inside of PaNacea made the most sense. It would be least suspicious. I sighed. “I’ll call Claire.”
Claire picked up and I told her about Alex and what we had in mind. She still hadn’t had another chance to meet Themba, as the TV reports showed they were currently in France for an execution. Claire said that in that case, she’d go there and try to connect to Themba and she’d see what she could do about hypnotizing some security guards. Hopefully, they’d then travel from France directly to the US to come to Alex’s execution.
After we disconnected the call I felt churned up. I looked at Melissa gloomily. “What am I supposed to do now? I feel like I should help Claire or at least be her rear cover and at the same time I definitely should be close to Alex.”
Melissa took my right hand into hers and gently squeezed it. “You try singing some more now. I will join Claire and once the wizards are here, you call me and let me know what your plan is.”
I didn’t want her to leave me in this dark house alone. It was selfish, but it was nice to have some company. Otherwise, the silence would be so oppressing that I wouldn’t be able to push away the fear of losing Alex. “Okay,” I heard myself say as if someone else was speaking. Surprising myself, I threw my arms around Melissa’s neck and pressed my face into her thick brown curls. “Promise me you’ll stay safe,” I whispered. Even though I had often given her a difficult time. I couldn’t accept that she was my closest person to a mother here – nobody could replace my mom. But now, my heart convulsed in pain. I needed her. Her kind words and her willingness to guide me and be there for me no matter how mean I had sometimes been to her.
Melissa returned my hug and softly rubbed my back. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll take care. It’s more important that you stay focused and save us all. You can do it.”
She smelled nice. Peachy, like a summer breeze. I wanted to hide in her hair forever and accepted her agreeable backrub a little longer. However, it was time to face reality.
“Thank you,” I said and drew my head back. For the back rub, her words of encouragement, but also for everything else she had done for me and I hope she realized that. “We will let you know about our plan.”
Melissa nodded, squeezed my shoulder one more time and then went to pack a few things to bring to France. I accompanied her to the door and gave her another hug before she left. After I closed the door behind her, I dragged my feet back into the empty living room. As I passed the small mirror on the wall and saw my face, I gave myself a fright. My skin was as white as a blank sheet of paper and my eyes shown a little darker than normal. Great, as one could see, I was handling pressure very well. Once more I thought the Orbiters had put their faith into the wrong one.
Looking for some guidance, I filled up a bucket of water in the stream behind our house and regarded the water surface. “Come on, Orbiters, tell me how to get out of this mess.” I waited for images to appear on the water. Water surfaces were their usual method of communication with us if they did not summon us into the black fog. However, I did not receive a Puddle and the water stayed clear. With a sigh, I dumped the bucket out. I felt the strong urge to run to the shelter and find Alex. However, now that Melissa, Claire, and Themba were endangering themselves again, I had to fulfill my side of the bargain as well. I positioned myself to practice in the living room. Like a robot, I switched between focusing on my energy flow and starting to sing. It was a crumb of comfort that it worked better every time. After about my eighth try, I noticed two quick heartbeats in the area. I had to be vigilant for it could have been the VPC and therefore went to check who it was. Luckily, I found Luke jogging through the woods with the two wizards in tow. I returned to the house and set out two glasses of water and crackers for them. After all, they’d had a long journey.
Luke opened the door and I was instantly glad that the dark house filled with life again.
“Thank you so much for coming.” I nodded at the couple. “You must be hungry or thirsty.”
“Thank you.” Samantha accepted the glass of water and sat on the bar stool. Her height reached up to my nose which made her about 5’6”. She was wearing a long green spring coat and black tights with black boots. I’d have guessed her to be a secretary at a bank. Her short red hair was neatly combed down to the side and she had small but sparkling ear piercings. Gregory grabbed a cracker first. He was wearing black plaid pants and a leather jacket with a long and thin striped scarf. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face from his black hair behind the holder of the thin, round glasses.
“So, you know why you took this journey upon yourself?” I asked.
“I heard Dr. Palmer is not actually the big brain behind this. Which is a fascinating idea.” Gregory rubbed his hands to wipe off a few crumbs.
“And the two of you will use magic when it comes down to it? Despite the ban?” I wanted to make sure.
“Of course.” Samantha nodded. “The ban is just for the safety of the wizards since magic triggers PaNacea’s alarms. When we use magic against Monica directly, she will notice it anyway. So, the ministry gave me and Professor Turnesol an exception.” She looked at Gregory. “Our powers won’t automatically disappear when we use them. If afterward, everything goes back to normal, everyone will be allowed to use magic again.”
“Good. So, you probably haven’t seen it yet, but we might have a window to attack Monica next Tuesday.”
Luke made big eyes and the others were listening intently. I swallowed. “My boyfriend got himself into trouble and therefore will be executed.” I clenched my jaw.
“Um, what?” Luke asked.
“See for yourself.” I showed them the recording of the news flash.
“Oh, damn, Alex has nerves,” Luke said.
“Why did he do that?” Samantha furrowed her brows and Gregory had an incredulous look on his face.
I shook my head. “I think he wanted to help us. I’m just not sure what exactly he thought would come of it. However, because of that, I must be at the shelter next Tuesday and Dr. Palmer hopefully as well. Melissa, Claire and Themba are working on convincing Dr. Palmer to come here.”
“Oh, they will come. They will react against this act of rebellion.” Samantha said. “So far, they have been brutal with any kind of uprising.” She turned her gaze to the ground. “So many wizards have lost their lives since the VCP gained popularity.”
I realized there was as much at stake for them as it was for me. We all had the same goal; to finish Monica and return to normality.
“However, even if they don’t react, I will go to the shelter before Tuesday. If it comes down to the shooting, I have to help Alex.”
“Of course, we have to help Alex, but it wouldn’t be smart to let you go there if Monica isn’t,” Luke said. “We’d still need you to weaken her with your singing.”
I threw him an evil glance.
“I’ll go in there and get him out if they are not at the execution.” Luke tried to soothe me. “You know that I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”
“Yes, but there are so many humans. You might get distracted. No offense. But I must do everything within my power to help him. I couldn’t forgive myself if he died but it would be even worse if I hadn’t even tried.” I took a deep breath and Luke remained quiet.
“So, if I understand correctly, you will magically interact whether this Monica is here or not. Either, we get her this time, or it will become slightly more difficult again afterward.” Gregory summed up.
I pressed my lips together which was answer enough. Then, I hit my fist on the table so that the others flinched. “They have to come. Monica wouldn’t expect a magical attack.”
“Unfortunately, this is not a wish-granting hat,” Gregory said.
“Can you re-hypnotize Dr. Palmer from outside the shelter or would you have to be
in there as well?” Luke asked.
“To take over, he has to look me in the eyes. Afterward, it doesn’t matter so much.”
“So, you have to be in there no matter what, in case they show up, so you can get to him when Nathalie is singing.”
“Right,” he frowned.
“It’s alright. If you are using magic anyway, we might as well break you out afterward.” Samantha said and then looked at Luke. “You need to go back to The Library and get some teleporters on standby. People who are able to beam themselves with other people in tow,” Samantha explained upon my questioning glance. “This way we can be transported to wherever Monica is after the execution, in case she isn’t there. We can’t worry about potential losses anymore and have to go all in.” I didn’t expect such a straightforward statement out of such a short woman. She was clearly used to giving orders to people. “Try to find Paul Matthews”, she added.
“Okay,” Luke said.
I exhaled. “So, Gregory and I will join the shelter tomorrow. We can pretend to be hungry because we haven’t found food in ages.” I said. I was kind of curious to know how life in the shelter would be.
“That’s the first step,” Samantha said. “Now we should work on potential scenarios to get Alex out and to stop Monica.”
I got some sheets of paper and a few pens. Luke got on his way back to The Library to find a few teleporters and we immersed in different scenarios. The wizards were clearly tired since they had this long journey behind them. Yet, they didn’t show any sign of wanting to sleep and so we forged out plans all night.
Chapter 18
For about one and a half years I had biked that way to school on every school day. Today, Gregory accompanied me. We walked the three miles at human speed. Our story would be more plausible if we arrived looking exhausted. The dark circles below Gregory’s eyes from hardly having slept the past nights would come in handy as well.
Already when we approached the fence, the first security guys from the VCP had discovered us. A squad ran to the entrance gate, dressed in black with heavy rubber boots. I got the feeling they would tackle us to the ground once they reached us but what would have been their reason? We didn’t look suspicious and were walking toward the entrance out of our free will. So, we continued without slowing down.
They opened the gate with a squeak when we got there. Before they said a word one of them pointed a black pistol at us. I took a step back and held my hands in the air. Gregory reacted a second later, doing the same thing.
“Don’t worry, it’s only a fever pistol to check whether your temperature is okay.” The woman with the pistol said. “They are clear,” she told her fellow VPC friends. A guy nodded and stepped in front of her. “Where do you come from and what makes you come here now?”
“We live toward Eastham, but this was closer,” I replied.
“We’ve stayed in our cellar but unfortunately we ran out of food”, Gregory continued, looking somewhat worried. Either, he was a good actor, or he was afraid they would punish us for who knew what.
They scrutinized us with a disapproving glance. “What are your names?” The same guy asked.
“Nathalie Mackay,” I said. We thought it would be best if I used my normal first name in case someone from my High School would talk to me. But otherwise, I couldn’t use my real story. I had drawn a bit of a bad connection to my family on the Cape because some people in High School had accused me of being an Alternative.
“Bobby Mackay,” Gregory added.
We’d hopefully be out of here again by the time they’d find out that these weren’t our real names.
Another question succeeded. “So, you are her father I assume?”
“Yes,” Gregory answered and put an arm around my shoulders.
They exchanged a look which was incomprehensible to me.
“Follow me,” the woman said to me. I looked at Gregory, not wanting to get separated from him.
“You will follow me,” a guy said to Gregory. “It’s for security and a medical check-up.”
I swallowed. Melissa had once briefed me on how I should react if a doctor wanted to take my blood or my pulse. Yet, I had hoped I would never have to go through with this part of acting. It would be so easy for them to find out that something was not normal with me.
The woman led me into a windowless room with only a cupboard, a wastebasket, and a chair. She put on white elastic gloves which she took out of the cupboard. “I’m Theresa and it’s mandatory for us to make sure you are not bringing any arms or germs into the shelter. Please, take off all your clothes except your underwear.”
Since I was expecting something like that, I didn’t show any sign of revolt and took off my jacket, which I folded across the chair. I took my time taking off my shoes, pants, and shirt, thinking of possible escape routes in case she’d find out I was supernatural. I felt the urge to chew my lower lip but to hide that I was nervous, I chewed the inside of my cheek instead. If Theresa realized I wasn’t human, I’m sure she had orders to shoot me right away. If not, they’d capture me and then give me the same poison they gave all the other magical creatures. I would just be one more poor person who had caught the night flu.
Theresa frisked my clothes which were empty except for a letter explaining my allergies and gloves in my jacket pocket.
“Okay, show me your tongue.” She approached me with a flat wooden stick. I gulped and opened my mouth and she pressed down on it to get a good view into my throat. “Looks good. Hydrated as well. Others have arrived here which hadn’t seen enough water in days.” She shook her head. “You do know that we are here for your safety, don’t you?” She searched my eyes and I nodded. “Some people behaved as if it was a punishment to come to the shelter. Why did you stay out there so long?” She scrutinized me anew.
Now was the time to present the best acting of my life. I sent a quick prayer to God that she’d buy whatever I told her. “I am allergic to everything.” I frowned. “It’s easier to stay home. Even before the virus, I wasn’t allowed to go to public school. But now we ran out of food.” I exhaled theatrically. “I hope I’ll survive in here.”
“That is the point of this place.” Her mouth almost twitched into a smile. I wondered whether it came with her job specification to be as serious as possible. “Do you have an allergy ID?”
“The paper in my coat pocket.” I went to my jacket and rummaged in the pocket. Melissa had filled out an official allergy ID for me, which I handed to her.
“You are allergic against 43 types of food and pretty much every metal there is.” Theresa was slightly surprised after all.
“I know, limits life a little. The metal is not so much of a problem though. I can wear long pants, socks and long sleeves and most times I wear gloves to open door knobs and handle money.”
“How did they find out about all the allergies?”
“You mean since they couldn’t draw blood with the normal needle?” I raised one eyebrow. “Well, after I almost died the first few times a doctor touched me with any kind of instrument, they used a strong and thin bamboo needle. That worked.” I said drily as if I had years of experience of torture.
She threw another look at the paper. “All right then, let’s measure your pulse by hand.” She touched my wrist with a versed movement.
“Good luck,” I said to overplay my fear that it would all be over now and watched her trying to find my pulse. “It’s normal. I have a very weak pulse since I sit around at home so much.”
She sighed. “I see.” She moved her fingers to my throat and pressed harder, the longer she waited. If she had Monica’s knowledge and believed that there were non-human creatures, she’d grow mistrustful by now the latest.
“That’s a first.” Theresa’s eyes widened.
“Don’t worry. I’m a difficult patient. But as you can see, I’m alive.”
She snorted. “I’ll check again another time when you have done some exercise. But you are clear to go in. Just better don�
�t get an allergic reaction or they might think we have a lack of cleanliness here.”
“I’ll do my best.” I smiled, relieved that my Siren secret still was a secret.
“You can get dressed again.” She said, and I did as she told.
“Do you have your medicine?” Theresa asked.
“I have some drops which are with my dad.”
“Then, let’s get you back to him.” She strode out of the room and I followed, a shiver going through my body, now that the tension from the fear was lifting.
Theresa had a very curt manner, but I could imagine that under different circumstances she’d be alright. She’d probably even be a nice person. She led me into the firehouse, where Gregory was waiting already with his guy.
“I will show you where you can sleep.” He began walking and we realized we should follow.
We passed some other people who were standing around in the building, talking to each other. Most of them seemed familiar to me from days spent in Orleans with my school friends. We descended a flight of stairs and the guy led us into a big concrete room filled with rows of bunk beds. A few people were lying on a bed with their phones. Some eyed us - above all me - curiously as they were other students from my high school. Luckily, they didn’t jump at me because they were so glad to see me. This would have destroyed our story. However, I kind of counted on it that they’d be distant since they had already characterized me as a weirdo at school. Apart from my friends or Marty none of them had ever talked to me much. The only danger would be Sam. I’d try to connect with him once the VCP didn’t have all their eyes on our backs anymore. After having passed a few rows of beds, we walked around a corner to find more bunk beds. Our guide came to a halt pointing to bed number 217 and 218 at the bottom. „This is where you can sleep.” There were two neatly folded army blankets at the foot of the bed and a pillow on each bed.
“There are small lockers for personal belongings but since you didn’t bring anything big, you can keep it on yourself.” He wrinkled his nose. “I assume you didn’t bring any other clothes either. There is a room upstairs where we have some spares. Go and check them out later and then mark everything with your names. The clothes will be washed by last names and you’ll find them again on a shelf with your letter.”
