by Talis Jones
“I bought everything on the list, man,” KJ defends from the table where he’s filling glasses with juice.
“Arcas, I’m going to need you to crack these, no shells, and whisk until fluffy,” Castor barks, shoving a bowl into his arms forcing him to drop the box of cereal he’d been sneaking.
“Want me to help with the bacon?” I offer.
“No can do,” Castor clips. “I’ve got it down to a science with everyone’s crispiness preferences down to perfection and you’re not yet ready for that level of responsibility.”
I hold back my laugh at how seriously Castor takes KP duty. Frocket is delving out silverware, KJ’s on drinks, Nyx has toast, Arcas is prepping the eggs, and Castor is managing the bacon. Even Yosef is helping out from his perch on the open kitchen window where he wafts a piece of stiff plastic sheeting to help ventilate the smoke from the cramped little cooking closet. For a moment I take in all of the chaos, in love with this ridiculous family of mine.
“Music, Maddy,” Yosef calls out with a grin.
“On it!” I grab my music box from my pocket and flip a little switch on the bottom before syncing it with the in-house speakers. With only a random shuffle as the option for song selection I mentally cross my fingers hoping it won’t choose something somber.
“…took two steps, one for the ledge, one for the fall, but did you hear what they did at the WPA when the money drained away and they heard our desperate call...”
Bopping to the tune I shrug off my coat and hang it on the hook then shake my damp hair out.
“You’re a really early riser,” Frocket pipes up from behind me.
I jump. “And you’re a little creepy.”
“Sorry,” she smiles. “Nyx says I was born with cat feet just like her.”
“Well she isn’t wrong.”
“Why do you always get up so early?” she continues. “Is it because you have nightmares? Maybe if you talk about them, it’ll help them go away,” she worries.
Yosef appears behind the kid and she startles at his voice. “Asking nosy questions again?” he asks calmly.
“I just thought I could help with her nightmares,” she mumbles nervously.
Yosef’s eyes meet mine for a heavy second before I break the tension smiling kindly at Frocket before she pees herself in Yosef’s shadow. “I like to get up early for the quiet. Living in a city and in this house of animals there isn’t much of that,” I joke. Ignoring both of their eyes I hurry into the kitchen and start grabbing plates of food to set at the table.
“You’re having nightmares again?” Yosef asks quietly.
“Did I say they ever stopped?” I retort before biting my lip against the hurt in my tone.
Just then the group wanders in with stacks of extra food and we seat ourselves down. Castor does a little flourish with his hand in my direction. “Maddy, if you would do the honors.”
As is our Sunday morning breakfast bonanza extravaganza tradition, I raise my glass of juice and proclaim, “May our bellies be full, our coffers be stuffed, and let nothing challenge our goals. May our hearts keep on beating, our family be whole, and above all else may God keep our souls.”
“Salud y Amen!” we answer together.
With that we tuck into our meal and for the first few minutes the only sounds are of a crew of hungry fools eating their fill. A brief scuffle breaks out between Arcas and Nyx over the jam jar and Castor points his fork at me while sending me a death glare after I throw a blueberry at his head. I raise my eyebrows in surprised innocence and point the guilt at KJ whom no one would ever believe had done it.
“Maddy, I want you and Nyx to take Frocket out and show her a few things,” Yosef shares.
“Excellent,” Nyx crows.
“What about keeping our heads down, hands to ourselves, and lives out of trouble?” I ask.
Yosef smirks. “I said a few things, such as reading a mark. You need not go rob a bank.”
“Fine,” I moan then give the kid a wink that she returns with a giggle.
We alternate between stuffing our mouths and catching up on how everyone’s been and what they’ve been up to. We come and go as we please, but this is the one meal that’s required though it wouldn’t have to be a rule to convince any of us to be here for it. I love Sunday mornings.
“So Maddy,” Arcas says between bites of toast. He doesn’t need to eat, but he enjoys the experience despite the natural consequences (we all suffer some consequences whenever Castor is out and KJ takes his place as chef). “Who was that fella you were ice skating with the other day?” He waggles his eyebrows at me and I scowl.
He was there?? “Bakery dude saw me and wanted to make sure I was okay, which I am,” I huff.
“Mhmm well he sure went through an awful lot for that. He was spinning pretty little princess circles around you on those pricey hover skates,” he teases.
Keeping my smile on my face I kick him hard in the shin beneath the table. “Shut up, creeper.”
“Is this guy going to be a problem?” Yosef asks casually while buttering another slice of bread.
“No,” I promise. “Just some upper with nothing better to do.” I’m not sure why I don’t just tell them it’s the Charles we’ve gone underground to avoid and then I answer my own question in that one thought. They’d be pissed if they new I was associating with him and they’ll be pissed if they find out I hid it from them. Hello there, Rock, meet Hard Place. Besides…hanging out with Charlie is an unexpected breath of fresh air.
“I dunno, Yosef,” Arcas drags it out, pulling his legs up against his chest out of kicking range. “You should’ve seen this guy. If the other ladies’ reactions around him are anything to go by then he was very pretty to look at. I mean, I don’t really know for sure since I didn’t get a good look at him but Maddy what did you think? Should I look for him on the street cams and pull up his mug so we can all drool over the view?”
I launch my knife at him so fast it digs into his shoulder before he can deflect it.
“Hey!” he shouts. “I like this sweater!”
Nyx high-fives me. “Excellent form,” she praises. “Snitches get stiches, bitch.”
Arcas scowls at the pair of us and yanks out the knife. “I have a very complex array of wiring and you could’ve done some serious damage.”
“Nah, Nyx taught me better than that,” I dismiss.
“Children,” KJ mutters.
“Um excuse me,” Arcas protests, “but the only children here are Maddy and Frocket.”
“I’m eighteen!” I protest.
“Not yet, you’re not,” he corrects in a sing-song voice.
“Oh right because a few days makes that much of a difference,” I roll my eyes.
“WHO ATE MY BEAR CLAW??” Castor bellows from the kitchen.
I don’t know who ate his sticky, sweet dessert, but we all scatter.
Night shadows the city causing the bright, colorful lights to burn into my retinas leaving mini ads every time I blink. Nyx and I each hold one of Frocket’s hands as we wander down the walk occasionally lifting her so she can swing between us. I prefer the early mornings here, but Nyx revels in the nightlife.
“Now you’ve got to be careful here,” Nyx repeats again in her lecture about petty theft and opportunity. “There are cameras everywhere. Stores, streets, lobbies, parks, pretty much anywhere but the bathroom you’ll find a camera. We can teach you some more techniques when the city isn’t on high alert with a foreign entourage in residence, but for now we’ll start with this.” She pulls out what appears to be a handheld phone.
“Hey, Yosef said just observational stuff,” I warn.
“Relax, Maddy,” she sighs. “Do you always do what he tells you?”
“Only when it makes sense,” I mutter under my breath.
Leaving us with a wink I rest an arm across Frocket’s shoulders and nudge her to pay attention. Nyx and her beautiful, classy attire looks like an upper and the last person anyone would suspect of d
ishonesty. Flicking her hair over her shoulder she flirts with a guy in line for some hot new restaurant and when she grabs his arm in that cutesy way girls sometimes do when expressing their interest, she oh so slyly slides the “phone” over his chip. The conversation ends with him giving her his number and her promise to “maybe” ping him later.
“And that’s how it’s done,” Nyx smirks when she walks back over to us. The little device’s screen shows a transfer of funds from a Waltz Fielding.
“Wow,” Frocket gasps amazed.
“You have to choose your target and prep the transfer amount before you go in so it’s important to read people and be able to guess how much they’re worth. Even if you happen upon a billionaire you should never try and take too much or they’ll be more likely to notice it and report it,” I teach. “Much better to take a pinch from many than the bag from one.”
“Reporting stuff is a hassle so most people will moan and groan over being picked, but will leave it at that if the amount is small enough and for some people that amount could buy plenty of shiny things,” Nyx sighs happily.
“We save the big game for crew jobs. On your own you have to be more careful. Vary your targets, your locations, your methods, everything,” I warn. “Patterns weave nooses.”
“Even type of job has to be varied,” Nyx nods. “A little bit of this now, a little bit of that later…”
“Variety,” Frocket confirms. “Got it. Important to remain unpredictable and insignificant.”
“Yep.” I muss her hair then gesture to the shops beyond. “Now I think it’s time for a little people reading practice and some coffee.”
“Oooo there’s a new all-night latte bar I’ve been wanting to try!” Nyx takes the lead to this coffee haven and I smile at the memory of her teaching me these tricks not so long ago. Dishonest? Maybe, but I’d do anything to keep my family here and if it bruises these sheep, these good but woefully frozen souls who do nothing for the rabid starvation just beyond their borders, then I can sleep with that.
I shouldn’t blame them really; they’re simply the comfortably confused. My real anger is saved for those in power, those who deserve it, those who let their neighbors starve just because they ended up on the wrong side of the wall, those who turn a blind eye to their neighbors willingly ripping children from their homes and experimenting on them till they die and all for nothing more than greed. They can call it “national security” or whatever they want, but they did it for greed plain and simple.
Nine
“How are you feeling, Castor?” I ask worriedly.
“Like a troll is knocking on my skull like it’s a fucking door,” he groans. He pries one eye open to look at me. “Why? You worried I’ll die on you?”
“Yes,” I breathe vehemently. Both of Castor’s eyes pop open in surprise at my tone. “KJ would take over KP and then we’ll all be dead!”
A laugh huffs out of him before he winces and snatches the damp cloth I brought and holds it against his head. “It’s just a cold or something, Maddy, but I’m not sure I’ll be better by morning and I don’t trust anyone in my kitchen. Would you mind grabbing everyone some scones for breakfast tomorrow just in case?”
I glance out the window where snow falls in earnest. “Yeah, sure.”
Leaving Castor to try and sleep I slip on extra layers, even socks, then grab my coat and head downstairs. I could get up early and swing by the bakery but with snow coming down this heavy we might be stuck until lunch. Our streets aren’t the first ones cleared in the city.
“How’s he doing?” Yosef asks, appearing at my side in the vestibule.
I shrug. “He says it’s just a cold but that means I have the honors of fetching our breakfast and I figure I’d better go now than have to slog through the piles of snow that will be burying our doorstep by morning.”
He nods then looks me over with a frown. “You can buy new clothes if you want. You’re still wearing the same coat I got you when you first arrived here,” he observes. Stepping closer he lowers his voice to avoid any who might overhear. “You don’t have to cling onto every credit you earn. I won’t let you starve or rot in jail if you get too low to bail yourself out, Maddy.”
I know he means every word. “I don’t need new clothes. These still fit okay.” Reluctantly I sigh and add, “I don’t think I could spend all the money you pour into my account even if you put a gun against my head. I saw what happened when people try to survive without it, living day to day, and I won’t risk it, Yosef. I won’t.”
“You can’t,” he clarifies.
“I shouldn’t, I couldn’t, I can’t, I won’t,” I smile trying to ease the tension from the moment.
Yosef offers one of his tiny smiles then takes in the fluffy flakes filling the grey sky. “I’ll go with you.” Before I can form a response he’s wrapped a scarf around my neck, shrugged on his coat, and holds the door open for me.
Side by side we wander the winter street, the air crisp, the sound impossibly soft, and the icy flakes incredibly freezing no matter how nice they are to look at. Yosef isn’t one for idle chatter, but the silence between us is comfortable. I’m not afraid of him like some of the others and we’re too familiar to itch at unspoken words.
When at last we reach the bakery and the door slides open at our approach I take a deep inhale and sigh blissfully.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” Yosef agrees.
“The best smell on earth.” After another lungful of the warm aroma, I begin to scour the racks still filled with eats. Yosef holds a tray steady while I load it up with an assortment of scones, muffins, and a cinnamon twist just for him. While Yosef pays, I notice the baker eyeing him nervously before disappearing only to reappear a moment later with a small wrapped box in his hands.
“A free gift for our best customer,” he says with a wink in my direction. He carefully tucks it inside a larger box before stacking the scones around it himself.
“Thank you!” I grin.
I carry the goods home while Yosef walks in a relaxed manner only a fool would believe. His eyes miss nothing whether shadowed or light.
“Best customer, huh? I see there’s at least one thing you don’t mind spending your credits on,” Yosef teases.
“Food is a necessary expense.”
He nods. “Especially sweets from one of the best bakeries in the city.”
I punch his arm. “Shut up,” I laugh.
The moment we arrive back at home I rush to the kitchen, both to avoid the ever-hungry vultures from eating their breakfast for dinner and to peek inside this special gift the baker gave me. I hurry to remove the little box from its nest of scones and slip my fingers underneath its lid to pry it open.
It’s funny because of everything I’d guess could be inside none are the answer. Nothing I could have ever guessed lies in wait for me and the moment I glimpse it there is suddenly nothing at all.
I feel nothing, hear nothing, see nothing, think nothing, am nothing.
And then it all comes rushing back and my jaw lets loose an agonized scream before that goes away too.
KJ
Cold fury fills my veins though my exterior remains stoic as I slip through the dark and enter the bakery that just marked itself for my wrath. The front was locked up for the night but nothing so insignificant could keep me out. Panicked breaths and scurrying sounds waft from the kitchen in the back and I stop walking with a silent gait instead letting each boot step echo through the empty space while a cheery tune whistles past my lips. The sounds in the back pause for a moment at my sudden presence then double in speed.
“Dawson Maretti,” I say in a voice as dead as my expression.
“Who are you?” the man sweats, a little flicking off his upper flip. “We’re closed!”
Ignoring the stench of his fear I utter my accusation, “You tried to murder my family, Dawson.”
“What? I don’t even know who–”
Ignoring that refuse as well I share my purpose showing
only his future in my eyes. “You failed, but I won’t.”
Like most he tries to flee but he’s slow and I helped build a small empire with my talents. Catching him as he tries to round the large central counter space his eyes only have time to widen before my hands twist and he collapses dead at my feet. Almost leisurely I find bags of flour, cleaners, and everything I might need to send this place and his corpse to Hell. Bakeries are excellent armories if one knows a bit of chemistry.
As I go about preparing the bakery for its end my mind stubbornly refuses to remain focused on this simple task and instead forces flashes of Maddy’s broken body, of Yosef’s panic and anguish when we thought her dead, of my own two feet leaving our home of their own accord already knowing the revenge due that could not wait.
Maddy’s silly nickname for me, Kill Joy, teases in my ear and I can picture her saying it – sometimes in jest, sometimes in anger, but always with love. Maddy is just that type of person. Even when angry, you can feel her love for you. A small shudder runs down my spine at the thought that if she ever decided to take that love away you’d surely be left shivering, reaching out and slowly freezing to death without it.
Yosef and I had a good operation going until she showed up and gave us hearts; something I sometimes worry means we can’t ever go back to how we were for better or worse. She made us a family; something Yosef and I had both abandoned and never wanted back. Something we’d die now to protect. She anchors us together and this fucker tried to take her from us.
With a fresh surge of anger fueling my veins I light a match, toss it over my shoulder, and disappear into the bleak winter night while behind me the city awakes to an explosion that doesn’t feel nearly satisfying enough.
MADDY
A very annoying beeping sound pricks my ears and pries me reluctantly back to consciousness. For a moment I’m confused, my body starts to panic and I don’t know why but a warm hand weighs heavy on my arm and I still.
