The Silhouette (Alan Quinn and the Second Lifes)

by Thomas William Shaw

“And caged all of the Silhouettes?” I inquired.

  LeCarre got up out of his chair and walked away from me. I could tell he was terribly conflicted in all of this. He said, “Some animals deserve to be caged.”

  “But you are one of them!” I stood up and followed him, “Why can’t they live peacefully with each other?”

  LeCarre kept his back to me, “There is a new kind of unrest between the two powers. It is something even more powerful and it involves your father and your mother.”

  “Really? What?” I demanded.

  “You.”

  “Well, things must have skipped a generation because so far I can’t do anything. I’m basically worthless.”

  “You do not understand. You were the curse of the Great War, a child of a Second Life hybrid and a shifter. If Darius found out, it would mean your father’s doom. Someone told Darius that Maggie was pregnant. Darius found out and wiped the memories of both of your parents before banishing them to Earth. With the proper teaching, you would be surprised what you are capable of doing. You could move mountains,” he said as he turned to me. “You just have to search deep down inside. With all of that blood swirling around inside, who knows what you can do.”

  We are going to have to move quickly if your father’s memory has returned. He is going to want to take out the traitors that destroyed his life.”

  My voice was shaky, “Did he kill Darius?”

  LeCarre glared harshly into my eyes, “I do not know that. Your father is not the only species currently on this planet that had vendetta against Darius.”

  So, Dad was a mighty sorcerer or whatever and the fate of the universe depends on which of his split personalities comes to life. It was too ridiculous for words, but LeCarre did not appear to be in a laughing mood.

  I said, “If this is true, why have the dream chasers been involved? Why would they want to bring back Adolphus Fletch? Wouldn’t he kill them on the spot?”

  LeCarre furiously paced from right to left, “They hoped it would arouse his hatred for the Silhouettes who had kidnapped the Second Life children.” He rushed to me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders, “I am afraid to say that it was a successful venture.”

  My body began to sweat like the air had been sucked out of the room.

  “It was not just the dream chasers that were trying to make your father remember,” he said. “Andrew Lathon hoped to bring out the pride he once had in the Silhouettes. They had been best friends since they were teenagers. The Great Wars got in the way. I just fear that he has been trying to convince Reese to harm humans.”

  My world was on a never ending flip cycle. I never knew when it was going to stop being turned upside down. I freaked out, “YOU KNEW ALL ALONG? Now, he is somewhere with my parents?”

  Lathon sighed, “The fact is that I have no idea where he is at this time. He could be anywhere.”

  “WHY DIDN’T YOU TRY TO STOP HIM?”

  He said, “I was waiting for my chance to strike. You were in the cross fire.”

  “I—but—you couldn’t have told me?”

  LeCarre sat down in one of his chairs. I could tell it pained him to look at me, “Davison and his men are what we call on Draio—”

  “What? Are they the good guys now?”

  LeCarre smiled, “They were always really clever. It was imperative that he believed they were hearing his stories for the first time. We were good friends, you know? We did everything together on Draio.”

  I had so many questions but the pain was too great to get the words out, “What about Darius? You all said it was my father.”

  A tear came out of LeCarre’s eye. I wondered how he was becoming one with his body. I felt like I knew even less about the Silhouettes than I did before. I said, “What really happened?”

  He said, “I always knew it was him. As soon as you walked into my classroom the other day, it stunk of something Andrew Lathon would have done. I had to feel it out. I agreed to follow you to Ashton.”

  “Even though you knew that could have been total suicide? I saw you waving your hand around his face. What went wrong?”

  “Lathon happened.”

  I said, “LeCarre, why don’t you belong to the side of the Silhouettes?”

  LeCarre looked at the ceiling, but I could tell he was looking beyond to Jessica and Gerry.

  I leapt up from my spot on the floor. An idea scratched its way over my brain like a porcupine quill.

  “What is it?” said LeCarre.

  “Lathon has the stone.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, with Dad’s memories and powers, don’t think that he might try to make them his own?”

  LeCarre eyed me like a failed science experiment, “I am not sure I follow.”

  I jumped up and down with frustration; “It should be obvious by now, shouldn’t it? Lathon wants to become Adolphus Fletch. He wants to lead the Silhouette revolution! We have to go with you to London to keep him from recruiting the others!”

  LeCarre shook his head, “No. Out of the question. I will go, but you will have to stay behind. I brought you here so you would not be alone while your parents were away.”

  The thought never occurred to me. Alone with Jessica while her father was out world saving? He clearly wasn’t human or he would have put his foot down.

  He said, “The school will worry about you being absent from school. I have vacation time.”

  I stamped my foot to call his attention, “If the world collapses in on itself, there will be no school to attend.”

  I watched as LeCarre placed his hand beneath his chin to mull it over. He did not want me to go, but I didn’t want to standby as something terrible happened to my parents. Lathon’s game wasn’t clear to me, but he had to be stopped. “Perhaps,” I thought, “He could be convinced to back down.” None of it seemed like it had a chance to work, but we had to try. I mean, the worst thing would be the world ending without me getting a chance to see London one more time.

  LeCarre said, “You make a fair point. We will take Gerry and Jessica too. You can keep each other company while I hunt them down.”

  “Do they know what you are?” I said.

  “They have always known what I am.”

  That was not an answer I was expecting, “Are they—um—like you?”

  “In little ways,” he said. “If things had worked out a different way, they would be up in Draio learning with the best. For now, it is wartime. Go upstairs. I will run by your home to get your things.”

  Before he could fly out the door, I called after him, “Please make sure Peaches has a full bowl of food and water. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

  LeCarre said, “Would not dream of letting anything do her harm,” and was off into the night.