Average Joe and the Extraordinaires

by Belart Wright

  They were all quiet for a few moments.

  Claude: “It is the work of this wondrous structure. I saw the invader that you spoke of. He had some skill in the arcane arts, but not enough to resist the power contained in this building. The crafte that had bound his subordinates to him had looked to be failing. That loss of control seemed to shake the man and hasten his retreat. He ordered all his men outside and tried to finish you himself, but even then his witchcraft seemed to fail him. With no other weapons left to him, he left you, confident that you would bleed to death. Yet it seems you have something far more important in store for you, so this great edifice has kept you alive.”

  Liandra: “You and I have much to talk about, Claude, but for now I’ll just thank you for helping to save her life. It looks like we have a busy night ahead of us.”

  Joe: “Yeah, it’s time to get Melissa! Wait! Dahlila, where are you going?”

  The young blonde was already on her feet and walking towards the stairs.

  Liandra: “Don’t be a fool. You can’t find her by searching alone. Come back here.”

  The young blonde looked back at Liandra with a nasty scowl.

  Liandra: “Neither you or Borland scare me with those nasty faces you make. Every moment you stand there is a moment we could be using to find Melissa. Now get over here so we can make a plan.”

  Dahlila reluctantly did as she was told. Liandra pulled a cell phone from her pocket.

  Joe: “That looks like the phone Borland took from me.”

  Liandra: “That’s because it is. He wanted me to give it back to you. I’m giving it to her instead so we can all keep in contact. I want you both to trade numbers as well. You can work alone if you like, Dahlila. I won’t even tell Borland that you’re helping us. The only thing I ask is that you keep in touch. Your energy should be fully restored in an hour’s time.”

  Dahlila nodded and took that as her cue to leave. Joe called her so she could save his number, and she did the same.

  Joe: “I don’t have Borland’s number in this phone. You’ll have to call him.”

  Liandra: “We’ll call him once we’re on the move. We have no more time to waste if we want to catch up to Melissa.”

  Joe: “Dahlila told me that one of them drove a green Taurus. It’s small, but it’s a start.”

  Liandra: “It’s better than nothing.”

  Joe looked down at the floor and saw bloody footprints everywhere. Only a few were whole. Joe and Liandra had managed to avoid the blood, and so apparently had Claude. Only one pair of bloody footprints had made it to where Dahlila had sat, and they were small. He thought they belonged to Melissa, until he saw that they were in the shape of a men’s dress shoe. It was all a mess, and Joe felt personally responsible for bringing this trouble to Claude’s doorstep. After all, he had brought the girls here assuming they would be safe.

  Joe: “Sorry about your place, Claude. I’ll help you clean it up as soon as I get back, and I’ll stop trespassing here too.”

  Claude smiled fully and shook his head.

  Claude: “Not necessary. Maintaining this place is my duty, and having you and your friends here makes this place much more lively. Continue to come to find solace here, and good luck with your friend.”

  Joe: “Thanks”

  Villain View 3

  Marching Orders

  “We have the subject.”

  The mannerable man’s voice traveled faintly through the telephone.

  “Good, good. Did you eliminate the other one?”

  The other man’s voice was also low, yet commanding and curt.

  “Yes, of course. You issued the order and I followed.”

  “Job well done. I only wish you had put more effort into ending the tale of the town’s new hero.”

  The mannerable man expected his old friend to say that.

  “I did the best I could. I saw the opportunity to take out two birds with one stone and I took it. The blame rests with that lackluster cat’s paw you hired.”

  “The shooter or the one that hired him?"

  The commanding man laughed loudly and continued talking.

  "You do make a good point, but it’s all for the best. I realized that shortly after the whole ordeal. I can get what I want even with Mr. Five Point Plan in my way. His plans may yet coincide with mine. His reconstruction efforts around the state are brilliant masks for my construction projects.”

  “That’s good. So we are not at a loss.”

  “Well, not completely. I still want you to fulfill your role. I don’t want that boy poking his head around my operations anymore. He’s too high profile, and he’s seen too much. He’s also made some powerful friends and I don’t like it. If they all collaborate, they could make our lives a lot more difficult. I need that girl.”

  The mannerable man went silent, lost in his thoughts. This whole ordeal was becoming a pain. He was frankly sick of shouldering this task.

  “I have done what you asked. I captured the girl, but this other task is beyond me. I am not a mercenary, I am a scholar.”

  The commanding man’s voice rose to a bellow.

  “Don’t ever tell me what you are not! You will be what I need you to be. Or have you forgotten all that I have done for you?”

  The mannerable man was sullen. His thoughts went back to Cynthia and he nearly cried.

  “No. How could I ever forget?”

  “Good. We have gone through a lot together, old friend. I trust you with my life and my fate. That is why it must be you who fulfills this task. You are perfectly suited for it. We need your … finesse. Anything else would be called into question, and we don’t need that right now.”

  “What of my future? If I am caught doing this, it’s over for me. Why can’t Blon—why can’t the idiot or one of his cat’s paws do this?”

  “Like I said, we need finesse. Besides, he’s already proven that he’s not reliable. I don’t see him in our operation for too much longer. Now, I want you to call that fool to let him know that you’re on your way. He’s assured me that his facilities are open and ready for you. As I said before, I need that girl.”

  Click.

  The mannerable man whispered to himself.

  “How nice of him. I’ll call the idiot.”

  He dialed the numbers and waited for the man he called “the idiot” to pick up. He picked up after three long rings. His voice came through loudly.

  “Ah, it’s you!”

  The mannerable man was instantly annoyed.

  “I have your subject and need a place to put her.”

  “Why thanks! I hope you didn’t overexert yourself.”

  The mannerable man’s anger was starting to build. Heat rose to his face.

  “I wouldn’t have to overexert myself at all if I wasn’t stuck doing your work.”

  The rough-talking man on the other line chuckled.

  “Oh? So it’s my fault? Maybe you should remember that I wasn’t the one who’s been failing to take a little boy out of the picture.”

  “You certainly didn’t take him out the other day, now did you?”

  “Funny. But you should also remember that I wasn’t the one that ordered you to do my work. That was your bestie.”

  The mannerable man could hear the smile in the other man’s voice. He wanted nothing more than to wipe it away.

  “You didn’t order me to do anything, true, but the gross incompetence of you and your underlings nearly undermined the whole operation, and did in fact contribute to my excess workload.”

  The rough-talking man’s voice had lost a small bit of its bravado.

  “Well, what’s done is done. We both have our orders.”

  “Lend me one of your cat’s paws.”

  The rough talking man laughed, as the other man had expected.

  “That’s beyond my pay grade, Billy Boy. Why don’t you just use some hocus pocus?”

  “I’ve tried. It doesn’t work on him.”

  “Listen, I’d love to
stand here and listen to you complain about every little thing, but I have money to make. I know you don’t want to upset your friend, so figure something out. Oh, and, Billy Boy, no more calls like this.”

  Click.

  “The nerve of that rude…”

  The man was right about one thing: he needed to think of something and quickly.

  Villain View 4

  The Daily Grind

  Buzz, buzz, buzz, went the sound of the alarm clock. It rang out for three seconds before a quick tap dispelled its buzzing. It didn’t pay to be a slob, especially with all he had to do today.

  He was up and out of bed in no time. He opened the curtains first, then the windows to let in some sunlight and fresh air. His shower was brief and cold, which felt surprisingly good on this warm morning. He dressed quickly and in colors befitting today’s dark mood. He made a quick breakfast of toast, egg whites, and orange juice supplemented by a little quiet time with his favorite newspaper, The Sunshine State Chronicle. His mood soured when he saw the front page.

  He read the caption: Local Hero Readmitted Into School. His anger started to build. Every day there was a new article, when he turned on the T.V. he saw the boy’s face, at work that was the only subject his coworkers had on their dull brains. Ever since the stadium explosion the whole town had been obsessed with this fraudulent boy and his lucky shaves with death. It was all the normally mannerable man could stomach. He ended his breakfast preemptively by hurling his plate across the room. His only satisfaction came when he heard it shatter against the wall. He rubbed the rings on his fingers, and now in a calm state of mind, could only think of cleaning up the mess he had made.

  “That was an expensive plate. I’d hate to lose it.”

  He closed his eyes whispered a foreign chant under his breath.

  By the time he walked over to the wall, the plate was in one piece again. He picked it up, scraped the food into the trash and put it into the dishwasher. He double-checked the wall and was delighted to find it picture perfect with no food or stains in sight. It was all needless. His abilities had never failed him … until recently.

  “That boy is really rattling my confidence.”

  He grabbed a dark pair of shoes to match his somber outfit and mood and slipped into them. He grabbed his briefcase and was out the door.

  As he drove to work there was only one thought on his mind. Today is the day, it has to be. As always, traffic was a mess in the parking lot, even this early in the morning. Luckily, he had his own space, which always saved him precious time, time that he used to think and plan.

  The halls were mostly clear, as was typical this early in the morning. He knew that the bulk of the students would be in the auditorium, library, or lunchroom this early in the morning. The mannerable man tried not to look like he was searching for someone. He found himself in luck when he turned the corner towards the front entrance and saw the boy walking with his books tucked neatly under his arm. He smiled with glee when he saw him, but quickly hid his expression. The boy had been showing up early as of late, surprising the mannerable man with his showing of initiative. The mannerable man decided to approach him. The boy looked a bit startled at first approach, but it didn’t take long for that to change to annoyance.

  Joe: “P—Principal … what do you want?”

  Patrias: “Good morning, Joseph!”

  The mannerable man laughed, mainly at the boy’s ignorance and insipidness.

  Patrias: “Don’t look at me so accusingly, Joseph. I don’t make your life tough because I want to. But forget about all that. Today I’ve come to talk to you about the progress you’ve been making.”

  The boy was clearly confused.

  Joe: “Oooh-kay…”

  Patrias: “Not here. We’ll have this discussion after school. Meet me in my office.”

  Joe: “Alright…”

  Patrias: “Cheer up, Joseph! I’ll have you know that today will be a good day.”

  Joe: “Whatever you say, Mr. Patrias. Can I go?”

  Patrias: “Yes, back to your studies with you.”

  Only when Joe had turned and walked down the hall did the man allow himself to smile.

  “Oh, today will be a good day indeed.”

  Chapter 34

  The Glamour Conference

  Joe couldn’t help but yawn. He had been up half the night with Liandra and Borland looking for Melissa, a search which went cold. They also had no word from Dahlila, so they had no idea where she even was. Liandra had refused police aide, saying that she didn’t trust the police, but Borland had the APB put out anyway. Joe had gotten an earful about trust and honesty from the old codger.

  It didn’t take long for Borland to crack him into admitting that they were still working with Dahlila. He was furious though when Joe refused to give up her contact information. Liandra gave up the contact info, reasoning it wouldn’t hurt at this stage anyhow. The old guy admitted that he had a hunch the girls were staying in the tower, but stayed away because they might have had a good reason for hiding. Joe explained why they were in hiding from even Borland, to which Borland simply said, “I figured it was something like that.”

  Both Borland and Liandra objected to Joe pulling an all-nighter and forced him to go home early to get some rest. They promised to double their efforts in his absence. It was just as well, he needed to finish his homework before class that morning. He couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt however.

  He toughed it out through his school day. He was glad that he managed to stay awake through all his classes, even though he only barely managed it. Sleeping in his car during lunch hour had helped him greatly.

  The last bell of the day rang out and Joe was ready to leave. He wanted to continue to look for Melissa and hopefully break some ground. For some reason, however, Patrias was adamant about talking to him today of all days. He seemed to always pick the wrong times to interfere with Joe’s life.

  Joe walked into the main office and found it empty. There weren’t even any secretaries on the phones. He chalked it up to them being busy in some other part of the building. Joe thought Patrias must’ve heard him walk in, because the man was standing in front of his office door.

  Patrias: “Come on in, Joseph. Let’s get this little conference done with.”

  Joe couldn’t see anything at all wrong with that. He walked over to the principal’s office and was halted by Patrias in front of his office door.

  Patrias: “Are your friends waiting for you?

  Joe: “No. I didn’t even tell them about this meeting. Why? You want them too?”

  The principal smiled and patted Joe on his shoulder. Joe noticed a weird scar on the principal's hand.

  Patrias: “No, not at all. I just didn’t want to hold you up from any of your social obligations. With so much going on in your life, I’m sure you just want to relax. Come on now. This won’t take long.”

  Joe: “That’s strange. I didn’t even notice that scar on your hand until now.”

  The more Joe looked at it, the more it looked like teeth marks, child-sized teeth marks.

  Patrias: “What scar? There is no scar on my hand.”

  Something had changed in Patrias’ voice. Joe thought what he said was weird as well.

  Joe: “The scar on … I—I—I mean no, I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

  Joe’s whole train of thought came undone when he looked Patrias in the eye. It wasn’t the eye itself, but rather the swollen, bloody, and bruised dark purple ring that surrounded his left eye. There was no way Joe could’ve missed that before, no matter how tired he was. It set his mind to racing, and only now did the realization of just how empty the office was and what that possibly meant occur to him.

  He doubled back to the front office doors as Patrias watched, confused.

  Patrias: “Where are you going? We haven’t had our meeting.”

  Joe: “Sorry! Gotta go! Family emergency!”

  Joe bolted out the door before the principal could object.
He heard the clicking of Patrias’ shoes as if the man was running after him. He also heard the principal calling his name as he ran down the hall, but after a while the only thing Joe could hear was his own haggard breaths and his own shoes tap-tap-tapping against the tile, the grass, finally the pavement. He didn’t stop until he was at his car.

  Once in his car, he gathered all his wits. Everything made sense now, but he still couldn’t believe it. The small bloody footprints on the floor of the clock tower were undoubtedly Patrias’. The teeth marks and the black eye provided the definitive proof that he was behind the kidnapping of Melissa, and responsible for harming Dahlila. The fact that he hid those scars so well under the veil of some sort of magic bolstered Dahlila’s account of the night. Heck, Patrias had even been at the governor’s attempted assassination and may have played a role in it. All this time, under his nose the principal of his own school was plotting all sorts of nasty, deadly maliciousness which probably included Joe’s own death.

  Joe started his car and pulled off with no particular destination planned, until a crazy thought crossed his mind.

  Villain View 5

  The Spotted Tail

  Another failed attempt. The mannerable man was assailed by every interruption imaginable. The boy had been right at his fingertips. He nearly had him, until the boy had somehow seen through his glamour and the scars hidden underneath, scars left by the two girls that the boy had recently allied with. Patrias had wanted to chase the boy down when he fled the office and end it all right there, but he couldn’t with so many eyes, young and old, around the halls.