Dismissing the display, they continued into the bank to make their deposit. They fully expected to raise a few eyebrows with a cash deposit of the magnitude they were making, but Peter told them not to worry as they were committing no crime. The IRS would be inquiring about the deposit anyway. Peter fully expected to handle any inquires it generated. They asked the bank to forward all paperwork and their checks to Peter’s office, in his care. Due to the size of the deposit, the bank bent over backwards to accommodate them.
Returning to the hotel, Abby and Jose felt an uncontainable sense of exhilaration. Maybe it had something to do with freedom. They now possessed most of the funds they needed to give them a secure base for a long time. And tomorrow, when they leave Norristown, their new lives would begin, overlaid with the complexity of Echo and the changes of their bodies. They felt pretty darn confident they would learn to adjust.
Entering the suite, they found Scotty still doing his auto shopping, Echo and Barney curled up on the antique sofa, Barney’s head resting in Echo’s tiny lap, her legs curled to the side like a lady in love stroking her betrothed’s brow. They filled Scotty in about his coin, agreeing that they were lucky he no longer needed the money.
“I guess that means I won’t have to go back to school?” Scotty looked hopeful.
“Oh, no you don’t. You are not going to grow up a dummy, just because we’re rich. Seriously, I’ve wondered what we would do about Scotty’s schooling. I think we run a risk, registering him in the local schools. They would need his transcripts from back home. This means we’ll have to disclose where we’re located. I don’t think we want to do that. Do we?” Abby asked.
“No … absolutely not.” Jose frowned. “I agree he needs to finish his education. I think we will have to look into having him home schooled. We can look for tutors. If our changes become more of a problem, maybe we can do it ourselves. It’s better than no education at all. It would only last a couple of years anyway. Scotty? What do you think?”
“Well, I don’t think going to school will be an option. I was going to get around to telling you but we have been so busy and things were turned so upside down.”
“Tell us what, exactly,” Abby interrupted. Scotty stood up, removing his shirt. Where his shoulder blades came together he had developed two ugly swollen raised masses. When Abby carefully pressed down, she felt solid mass; nothing soft, no yielding.
“Does that hurt, Scotty?” Jose stood to look.
“Not much, more like an annoyance. It was worse in the beginning. I wonder what it means?” Auras crossed into their minds.
“You will be Elders, my Brothers; and my Sister too. The change takes many years. I am surprised that change has come so soon. The Womb has plans for us. The honor is ours.”
“Echo, what the heck are you talking about? What plans? What changes?” Jose demanded, stomping uselessly around the tasteful room like a lady of the evening trying to convince her john she was a virgin. No matter what he said, Echo, in what was becoming her typical fashion, would say no more.
Giving up, Abby decided it was time to place a call to Peter to check on the house hunting. Abby found the conversation productive, Peter not being one to spend much time on social chitchat. He previewed many home, mostly waterfront. The homes were all exquisite yet lacked the acreage they thought they would need. That gave Jose an idea. Sticking to waterfront gave them an additional escape route in the event it was ever needed, God forbid. It also precluded the problem of another house behind them. They must reduce the possibility of neighborhood eyes accidentally seeing something that would cause alarm. Like funny little golden creatures that hung out with a big fat slobbering dog. Or furry golden tails seemingly attached to the new neighbors.
So they would buy the neighbor’s homes too. Asking Peter to look on one of the keys off the mainland, he responded that he had found a good possibility on Bird Key, a small island in the shadow of The Ringling Bridge that spanned the bay. The homes were exclusive and their numbers were low. Docking access was also provided with the house. They could look into the purchase of a yacht, if needed. (Abby nodded her head, eyes lighting up) The additional homes would provide the quarters Peter would require and plenty of room for other hired help.
Since everyone agreed, Peter suggested Abby catch a plane from Newark and meet him in Sarasota to approve the purchase. Abby glanced quickly at Jose, not wanting to go alone.
“We’ll get her on a plane tomorrow, Peter. We’ll call you back as soon as we have the flight details. Thanks, buddy.” Jose ignored her protesting frown and hung up.
“Jose,” she said tentatively, “I’ve never been on a plane before. I won’t know what to do.”
“I’ll go.” Scotty piped up, sounding pumped about the prospect.
“We can’t send you. You aren’t old enough to sign a contract. It must be either me or Abby. And since she is the oldest and a woman, her input on a house would be much more relevant.” Abby’s shoulders sagged. Breathing slowly and deeply she tried to calm her jitters. She was stuck. It was going to have to be her.
They went to bed, having firmed up the flight arrangements and a hotel for Abby to stay in while she waited for Jose and Scotty to arrive. They thought it prudent to not put Abby in the same hotel as Peter; just a precaution. Jose was not the jealous type. He just wanted to keep Abby’s exposure limited until he arrived to protect her.
They gathered their things the next morning, repacking their equipment and called for their limo driver. Unable to avoid it, Jose went to the busy ceremonious lobby to pay the bill. Most people paid by credit card and found it unnecessary to pay in the lobby but Jose could only pay in cash.
Abby and Scotty rode the elegant elevator to the quiet parking garage, depositing Barney and Echo (in her doggie carrier) in the limo. There, they waited for Jose to join them. Saying a relieved goodbye to Norristown, they started for the airport.
Chapter 20
Leaving Abby at the airport made Jose purely heartsick. She wasn’t confident about the flight, yet Jose felt powerless to make the situation better for her. His apprehension diminished watching her get searched by the soldiers at the parking lot security point. The soldiers knew what they needed to do. They could spot a terrorist or nut job a mile away. Since they took over airport security, the hijackings and terror of a decade ago stopped. Air travel is truly a commitment of time, as it took two hours alone to get thru the off-sight parking checkpoint. No longer could you drive up to the curb to drop off passengers. It only took a bomb laden SUV at United Airlines curbside checkin at noon of Christmas Eve day to kill 975 people that had been checking in for three flights and lining up for their security check to get to the gates. And that was only at Newark’s Liberty International Airport. Six other airports were hit that day, all with similar losses. There has been no loss of life or property since. It was what gave the public the confidence and nerve to get on the planes. Jose thought it was a miracle any airline survived the chaos back then. So many lives lost, so many lawsuits filed.
Jose stood at the curb, waiting for the airport bus, killing time while he said goodbye to Abby. He wasn’t comfortable leaving Scotty and Echo alone with the limo driver. Not that the driver was untrustworthy, just that anything could happen in a motor vehicle and he would not be there to handle the situation. He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted the airport bus coming to pick up the next load of passengers. He kissed Abby goodbye and slid into the back seat of the limo, giving Scotty a thumbs up, Barney a pat on the head and scooping Echo off the seat to sit on his lap. As the limo made its way to the Turnpike, he confronted the mysterious Echo.
“Come on, you rascal, we need to talk.” The golden aura fluttered in his mind.
“I am happy when you talk to me, Brother. Have you an inquiry?”
“Yes. I would like you to explain to me exactly what your mission is.” Jose tried to be careful with his questioning. Sometimes Echo shut down or spoke so literally that she was impossible to und
erstand.
“The mission is not mine, Brother.”
“Echo, you told me before that you had a mission to fulfill.”
“Yes, Brother, but the mission was not mine, it belonged to my species Brother.”
“You have another Brother here? Can we see him? Is he from your planet? What do you mean you emerged? And what was his mission?” Jose stopped his rapid-fire questions. No point in overwhelming Echo. He was quite surprised to learn there was another of Echo’s kind. Why had he not thought to ask Echo if she was alone? Maybe there were more of them back at the cavern.
“Echo, how big is the cavern where we met?”
“Brother, the cavern is as big as the Womb thinks it needs it to be. The Womb knows you question. I also questioned, for over a century, until you came into the woods and brought me My Barney. I have a great affection for my human Brothers and Sisters; for the few good ones. You deserve the privilege of helping me create the future. The Womb also agrees. I feel the Womb soften. My Brother, sadly, does not walk on this world. He was killed by violent evil humans. His death necessitated the Womb to take more time to assess human viability. We have waited a long, long time. Many chances have been given, always a disappointment. Humans, as a species, are detrimental to all life on this planet. This is not the first time the Womb made a mistake with a species. This has happened before. It began to disturb the Womb after humans achieved the ability to greatly change their environment. The Womb is proud and protective of all life on this planet. I am the offspring of my Brother, so the duty falls to me. If I fail, another minion will be sent to take my place. But I will not fail. The Womb will see to it. As much as the Womb softens with direct observation, it affirmed the mission after Brother’s vicious death. Your future is assured. You will be Elders. For a human, there is no greater honor.”
“I’m confused Echo, some men killed your brother? When did this happen? Who exactly is the Womb? Do you answer to him, I mean to the Womb?”
Jose was deeply disturbed by Echo’s words. They only invited more questions. Assess human viability? He needed to talk to Abby. This sounded serious. He knew if he probed further, Echo would only shut down. Looking over at Scotty, he could tell from his fearful look that he had gotten the golden aura in his mind the same time he had. With a nod to Scotty, he signaled silence.
“Echo, I hope you realize how much we love you and would protect you at all cost.”
“Of course, my Brother; and I, you. We are family. I am happier than I have ever been.” Hopping off Jose’s lap, Echo climbed up next to Barney to bury her head in his fur. Clearly the interview was over.
Jose thought about Echo’s revelations. What the heck is she talking about? Echo hailed from another world, but she and the Womb (even saying the Womb sounded like a joke) seemed to think they were in charge here. Why? Looking at the funny looking little creature made him laugh at the thought. He wondered how to explain the changes they were all going through; his tail, and the fact that Scotty healed Abby. Wait a minute. How do they know that Abby was healed? Sure she felt great and missed several treatments without any negative effect. Jose made a note to suggest to Abby that she see a doctor. Maybe there would be a way they could do it without her doctors in New Jersey discovering her location. They didn’t want to make any slips with anyone, not even her doctors. That connection could be easily traced.
Jose studied Echo. Why the obsession over a dog? Echo was obviously a highly evolved, (appearances aside) creature. Yet there was much in Echo’s manner that suggested she was childlike and naive. He supposed that being a different kind of species would present some interpretive communication problem. Perhaps he simply misconstrued some of what she said. But what about the gold and the diamonds? The acquisition of these raw materials seems to have been done innocently, although mysteriously. Echo clearly attached no significance to the commercial value of the gold and diamonds. Discovering that they were overjoyed to be rich didn’t seem to effect Echo that much either. If they were happy, then Echo was happy. He had to admit that this was all a bit overwhelming.
And then there was his tail. He spent the last few years wondering what effect it would have on his life. His periodic visits to the woods to see Echo, never elicited any pertinent information from her. His inability to curb his awestruck feelings forced him to spend most of the time answering Echo’s questions. So he reluctantly managed the problem on his own. Just like always.
He matured quickly as a boy, intimate with adversity. Emotional trauma introduced itself to him when just a defenseless child. How does a child fill the void left by a beloved family, savaged by mysterious brutal strangers? He doesn’t. He is forever damaged. He is forever different. His changes just made him even more different; nothing new to him. But his tail, not even on his radar now, a part of him just like his arm or his leg, no longer needed to be hidden from his loved ones; a huge improvement to his mental health. Or maybe Abby brought the improvement on. He no longer felt depressed. The hole in his psyche still left him damaged, but now he felt joy and hopefulness. He recognized that he might be part of something that portended to be an adventure of a lifetime. Slicking back an unruly shock of his curly hair, his strong capable hand slid down to absentmindedly scratch his three-day-old stubble. Sliding down in the comfortable leather seat, he shut his eyes. Tiring of the puzzle that was Echo, he cleared his mind for some snoozing. Unbidden, Abby’s face appeared in his mind. As the limo sped quickly down the busy highway taking its strange occupants to their new life, a very special young man inside, simply dreamed of his sweetheart.
Chapter 21
He sure was having a hard time unloading the hunk of gold he caged from the fucker’s garage. Christ, he gets a spot of good luck and someone still wants to make it tough for him. The sign says, Gold for Cash, for Christ’s sake. He should come back at night and burn the fucking place down. That would show them who they were fucking with. Shaking his head in anger, he realized he might have to drive to the city and find a dealer capable of handling his golden goodie. He should know these country hicks wouldn’t help him; probably just jealous of his good fortune. Yeah, that was it, he shook his head knowingly. He should have realized that from the royal eyeball they gave him. Flicking his cigarette butt out the window, he wiped his nose on his ragged sleeve. He hoped he would get his hands on the cash today and score some fine blow. It’s been a mighty long time since he’s been able to afford goodies like that.
Thinking of burning down the gold shop reminded him of his plans. He was on his way home to pack now. First thing tomorrow morning he’s going to pay a little visit to the fag lawyer in Newtown. He spent some time watching the deserted office this morning. They sure weren’t doing any business; must be a lousy lawyer. The only person he saw was the stuck up bitch, his secretary, what’s her name? Oh, yeah, Tiffany. Baby Tiff. Well, if he couldn’t get his hands on the fag lawyer, then Baby Tiff would do just fine. His face took on a greasy sheen as he thought about the time he might allow for a little fun before he got down to his real business. Unzipping his filthy pants, he drove down the street grinning and giving himself a happy ending as he imagined the look on Ms. Baby Tiff’s face when she got a gander at this.
Pulling up to his house, he ran inside to collect some of the necessary tools for his fun time tomorrow. He let himself into Kelly’s bedroom to pick through her knife collection. He nostalgically ran his hand over her babies. Selecting one that looked like it would do the job, he thought about Kelly. He had yet to deal with the effect her fucked up death was bound to have on him. She had been his sister and his best friend. The only one who knew of the pain and torment that had been their companion as far back as he could remember.
Their mother ran off when Kelly was born, never looking back, never heard from again. Kelly had been a toddler when their father, Abe, started locking them together, in a wooden box he kept in the cellar. The box, so small they could only lay at the bottom, consisted of rough planed wood that stabbed splinters into
their tender skin. They would lie holding each other in the dark until Abe finished with the latest bar whore or neighborhood housewife on the prowl. He used to call them his juicy little piggies; didn’t want the piggies seeing his inconvenient brats.
All they knew was their father and the wooden box. When Armoni turned eight, Abe occasionally sat him in the corner of the room while he and his drunken conquest did their business, amid much slobbering and animal sounds. Sometimes, Abe knocked them around a bit before they got the message. Armoni knew well his father’s philosophy about forking out good money to pay a piggy’s booze tab without a payback. Didn’t matter if they agreed or not. They eventually came around. Armoni thought that the little piggies were the most fun to watch. Just a simple, unknowingly frightening, observance from the funny looking unnoticed little boy in the corner, huddled and wild eyed, missing nothing. He felt a tug of sympathy for the young boy he had been, remembering being overwhelmed by the spiral of emotions confronting him as a boy and then later, as a teenager.
As Kelly grew older, Abe started to notice her. Armoni also noticed. When she turned thirteen, she displayed a shadow of the attractive young woman she would grow into. Armoni was seventeen. And stone cold ugly. As of late, when they were locked up, things changed in the wooden box. Armoni started to look forward to it. He loved the way Kelly clung to him, softly weeping. He would stroke her budding breasts until she calmed down, kissing her hair, humming to her. His hands loved to explore, Kelly not understanding even when it was too late. She became his obsession. Until finally, he found himself sneaking into her bed at night to fondle her until she woke, then together they would finish the night with physical comfort of the most primal kind.
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