by Imogen Rose
I did and then sat down beside Mom. “Dad, Harry and Kellan were taken by the Sigma-W-Pi and Raj,” I whispered, tears starting to run down my cheeks. “There was nothing I could do!”
Dad went silent, his face turning into a blank mask. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all. It was as if all life had left him, and he’d stopped breathing.
“Dad?”
When he spoke, his voice surprised me. It was low and rough, tainted with desperation. “Tell me everything. Start at the beginning.”
I told him everything, not leaving out a single detail. He watched me silently as I recounted everything that had happened. His eyes reflected the terror I felt when I described my last moments at the Cosmopolitan before I was transported away from Harry and Kellan.
When I finished, we all just looked at each other; it was like the world had stopped. If we didn’t breathe, maybe it wouldn’t turn anymore and nothing bad would ever happen again.
Then Dad turned to Mom. “Hon, I have to go. I hate to leave, but you know that. Your mom will stay here with you until I get back. Morena,” he said, turning to her. “Can you go and get Olivia’s mom? She left to go to her house an hour ago, so she should be there.”
Morena left before he even finished the sentence.
“Dad, what are we going to do?”
“You’re not going to do anything. You will stay with Morena until it’s safe to come back.”
“No way,” I said firmly. “I know all the locations Raj was at, and what some of the Sigma-W-Pi look like. I’m coming with you to get them back.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed. “You will do as I tell you.” His tone made my skin prickle.
I was taken aback when my mouth opened and the words, “No way, Dad!” spewed out. My jaws set in defiance with my eyes meeting his glare head on. I had no idea where that came from.
Morena was back with Grandma in no time. She must also have updated Grandma, because all she said was, “Go, Rupert. I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.”
“Let’s head over to Constance’s house.” Morena looked from me to Dad questioningly. “She’s waiting there with the rest of the Elders.”
Morena drove us to Constance’s house. I had no idea who Constance was or why we were going to her house. I thought it best to go with the flow for the moment, though, and not ask too many questions in case Dad suddenly remembered that he’d told me to go back home with Morena.
An impish-looking woman answered the door. She waved us in and gestured for us to follow her into the living room where there was a crowd of people I didn’t recognize.
Morena must have noticed my confusion because she came over and made the introductions. First, she introduced Constance as the leader of the Wanderers. Then there were Morgana–Morena’s sister, whom I had met before–Javier, and Lars. Then she suddenly stopped and looked down. “And this is Trina.”
I followed her eyes. Waddling toward us in a duck-like fashion was a strange-looking being. It was impossible to guess her age. She had blue-streaked black hair, a button nose covered in large freckles, a small, pouty mouth, and blue eyes as big as toy golf balls. And no eyebrows. She was as wide as she was tall, which was about half my height. The strangest thing about her, however, was her arms, which extended past her knees.
Well, it was the strangest thing apart from her voice. She startled me when she spoke. I had expected a high, girly voice. A deep baritone voice emanated from her throat, forming words in a Texan drawl. I bit down on my lip to keep from snorting. I looked at Dad and everyone else. They didn’t seem the least bit taken aback. I guessed everyone already knew her.
“Arizona, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Trina. Constance asked me to come and help out if I could since she can’t seem to make contact with the Sigma-W. I am a former Sigma-W.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, as politely as I could when I regained my voice. “What’s a former Sigma-W?”
Her chin trembled and she reached into her fanny pack bringing out a pipe. She brought out a pouch of tobacco–at least that’s what it looked like, though it did smell funny–and packed it into the pipe’s bowl. Then she twitched her nose at Javier, who sprung into action, grabbing the lighter she held out for him and lighting the tobacco. She drew in deep drags, making purring sounds. Then she exhaled, blowing perfect little smoke rings into the air and trying to catch them with her finger.
I looked away, scared that I was going to give way to full-blown laughter, and raised my eyebrows at Dad. He looked grim and shook his head slowly, obviously wanting me to be quiet. He didn’t need to convey that twice; I knew I was here only as long as I wasn’t a pain.
Constance coughed to get everyone’s attention. “Rupert, I don’t have much news. I was unable to contact the Sigma-W; it’s like they’ve gone underground after the incident with Rowena. And we only know about that from what Arizona told you and Morena.”
“What about Raj or Potomal? Do you have any news of them?” Dad asked quietly.
“None, but then we’ve just begun to look into this. We didn’t even know that Harry and Kellan were missing until Arizona told us. Where is Larry? He needs to know about Kellan.”
“I don’t know,” Dad replied. “He came by a few days ago, but now that I think about it, that’s strange because he was practically by Olivia’s side night and day….”
Constance shot Lars a look. “When he left, where was he going?”
“I don’t know.” Dad looked even more concerned. “Let me try his cell.”
“I’ve already tried it; no one’s picking up.” Constance put her hand on Lars’s shoulder. “Lars, can you drive by his house and then by Ames and see if he’s at either place?”
As Lars left, Trina stopped smoking her pipe and let out a deep purr.
“Trina?”
“I must go!” she growled.
“Trina, please,” Rupert begged, his eyes beseeching her to help, or stay, or whatever it was he thought she could do for us.
“Huh.” She yawned. “I am retired, and I don’t appreciate being disturbed. This is very inconvenient; it’s my nap time,” she muttered, looking down at her watch and tapping at the glass.
“I know, I’m sorry. You’re the only Sigma-W we could get a hold of.”
“But I’m not a Sigma-W anymore, you silly boy! I was banished!” She flared her nostrils. “And look what the lack of wandering has done to me… I am fat!”
“Trina, I know you’re angry. But I need your help….”
Her eyes softened slightly, and the corners of her lips curved into a smile. She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I have always liked you, Rupe. And in a way, you’re kind of banished yourself, aren’t you? For different reasons, of course, but still… banished is banished. So, what exactly do you need me to do? And what’s in it for me?”
“I need a list of all of my parents’ residences. So we can begin trying to find them. I also need to know if they have any places they would use in case of emergencies, like a hideaway. What’s the protocol exactly?”
Trina’s lips formed into a sneer. “You don’t know much for a prince, do you? Even for an exiled one.”
“He’s not exi–” Morgana protested.
“Quiet!” Trina hissed.
Prince? What was that about? I bit my lip to keep from saying anything. Trina didn’t look like she could deal with any further interruptions. Drama queen much? I sighed. I wondered what Trina’s story was. And Dad’s story.
Dad shot Morgana an apologetic look.
“So what’s in it for me?” Trina repeated, impatiently pacing the room.
“What do you want?”
She stopped pacing, turned around, and stared at him. Her face suddenly broke into a giant grin. “Now, that’s more like it. Let me see.” She tapped her chin with her finger while looking up at the ceiling and narrowing her eyes into tiny slits. “Hah!” She looked back at Dad. “Methinks I want my old job back. This extended vacation has been pleasant enough
, don’t get me wrong. But, like I said, the inactivity has filled me out. I don’t particularly love looking like a muffin. And don’t suggest diets and gyms; those are not for me. I need a purpose–a Sigma-W purpose. Yep, there it is. My old job back. That’s what I want.” She pursed her lips and regarded Dad intently.
“Trina, you know that I’m in no position to make such promises. Like you said, I’m practically exiled myself. I have no power.”
“Tish tosh, you are Spencer Darley’s only son! Make the promise. Spencer will honor it; I’m sure of that,” she said defiantly.
“Do it, Rupert,” Constance commanded, her face rigid.
He nodded. “Okay, you have my word that I will ask my father to give you your job back. The rest is in his hands.”
“Your word? Given in front of all these people… I guess that will have to do. All righty then, I need something to write on so I can start making the list.”
Constance pointed toward the hallway “Let’s go into my study. I have everything you need there. Plus it’s quiet, so you’ll be able to concentrate better. I’ll be right back.” She threw us a look and led Trina out of the room.
I could feel the air get lighter, and everyone looked at each other and breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Dad, who was that? And what’s the prince stuff all about?”
“I’ll explain later,” he said curtly. Dad seemed different. He was suddenly very alert, and very on edge. I could almost feel the energy emanating from him. He was in control and ready for action.
“As soon as Constance comes back, we need to mobilize all the resources we have. And by resources, I primarily mean all the Wanderers we can get hold of. Do we know if any of the Sigma-Ws are still watching Olivia?”
“I don’t know, Rupert,” Constance replied, joining us again. “We have no way of contacting anyone to find out.”
“In that case, can we send Grayson over to watch her for now?”
“That sounds like a good idea. Morena, could you get your brother on that, then come back here?”
She nodded and left silently.
“Who else can we get to help us out?”
“I’ll have Inez and David come back.”
“What about Ella? Who’ll look after her?” Dad’s face softened just for a second.
“She’ll be fine with Kevin,” Constance assured him.
“What about Sophie and Dan?”
“Kevin transported Sophie and Dan through the portal, so that dimension is now secure from them.”
“Unless the Sigma-W-Pi transport them back,” Dad added. “I don’t want to leave Ella over there without proper protection, and I don’t feel Kevin will be up to it. So, please ask Inez to bring her back. It’s not ideal to have her with us, but at least we can keep her safe.”
“Okay.” I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but she seemed resigned to following Dad’s requests–or orders. “Let’s take a breather, just for a second, to make sure that we’re all on the same page.”
Dad’s jaws moved in dissatisfaction. He must have, like me, wanted to get on with things, but Constance was right, we had to have a plan. He nodded, sighing as he sat down. “You’re right. We should probably wait until everyone gets here before we plan a strategy.”
“Yes. I’ve messaged Inez to come back. She and David should arrive any moment.”
I looked at her and blinked in bewilderment. “What? How? They’re in the other dimension. How did you message them? You didn’t even leave the room.”
“I’m able to deliver messages to Inez directly,” Constance said flatly, as if it made total sense.
It didn’t, of course. “Like telepathically?” I tried not to sound too skeptical, not that I really knew what telepathically even meant.
“Yes, by thought transference.”
“So you can have a whole conversation that way?”
“No. It’s very vague, especially across dimensions. However, I’m able to convey to her that I need them all to come back.”
“Poppet.”
“Dad! Arizona!” Ella spluttered and leaped from David’s arms into Dad’s.
David, Inez, and Ella had arrived behind me so quietly that I didn’t even notice. It was unsettling, but I was happy to see them. David put his arms around me and drew me in for a hug.
“How’s your dad, David?”
“He’s okay. Shaken mostly. He was badly bruised during his run in with Dan and Sophie. The worst is around his mouth where they used duct tape to keep him from talking. He’s in a lot of pain; the painkillers aren’t helping much,” he whispered in a hushed voice so Ella couldn’t hear.
“Was he okay being left on his own?”
“I’m not so sure.” David shuffled uneasily. “He said he was, but you know…. Anyway, we’ve got stuff to do.” He looked over at Dad gravely.
“We do,” Dad agreed. “Ella, hon, we need some private time, so do you think you’ll be okay watching some television for a while, or reading a book?”
“Look, Ella. You can borrow this book; it’s called Candy Wars. My niece left it here the last time she visited. She said it was really good.”
Beaming at Constance, Ella took the book. The blue cover with the fairy and luminous green monster certainly looked fun. She couldn’t wait to look inside it, flipping through the pages as she followed Morgana out toward the family room.
Once Morgana was back, we looked at Dad, waiting for him to begin. He sounded grave. “We’re still missing Larry and Lars. Could you try contacting Lars, Constance?”
She picked up her cell phone–no thought transference this time, I guessed–and called him. I could tell that the news wasn’t good by the look of disappointment on her face.
“He went by Larry’s house. There’s no one home, apart from their housekeeper, Anna, who hasn’t seen him in days. So, Lars drove over to Ames. Larry wasn’t in his office or anywhere else Lars was able to look. His car is, however, parked outside. So, my guess is that he’s down in the October Project wing. Lars doesn’t have clearance to get down there,” she said, looking helpless. “Any ideas?”
Dad shook his head. “As far as I know, only Olivia and Larry have access to that part of Ames. And Kevin at the other end. So, we’ve no way of getting in there now. Do we have a reason to worry?”
“Well, yes.” Inez shuffled her feet. “If Kevin transported Sophie and Dan…” She threw her hands in the air.
“They could have bumped into Larry,” Dad completed her sentence, his face turning hard again.
“I can get into the hangar,” Morgana suddenly interjected. “I didn’t want to say anything before, but Larry set the iris scanner to allow the doors to open for me in case of an emergency. And it looks like this may be one.” She got up. “How will I get in? To the main building, I mean. I don’t have an ID.”
Dad got up. “I’ll come with you; the staff knows me.”
“Dad? I want to come, too. Please? We could pretend that we need to pick up some of Mom’s stuff from her office. I go over there all the time; they won’t think anything of it.” The last thing I wanted to do was hang around here and wait.
“Can I come as well?” David asked.
“No. That’ll just look too suspicious. The two of us visit Olivia’s office all the time, but it’s going to be hard enough getting Morgana in.”
David’s eyes clouded over in disappointment. I was tempted to stay with him, but I needed to do something.
We arrived at the main Ames entrance twenty minutes later. I had practically grown up in this building; I had spent hours doing my homework in Mom’s office while she finished work. I knew every nook and cranny like the back of my hand. Ella and I loved playing hide and seek in the hallways and, although some of the more grouchy security guards frowned on it, most of them had grown used to us over the years and even joined in from time to time. We dropped Morgana off at the delivery entrance thinking it would be easier to let her into the building there. Then we made our
way to the main entrance.
Jackson, the security guard, flashed us a smile as he opened the door. Then his expression turned somber. “Mr. Darley, I was so sorry to hear about Dr. Darley’s accident. How is she doing?”
“She’s still in a coma, but her swelling is subsiding.”
“How long do you think she’ll be in the coma? When will she be back?”
“We’re not sure yet. It may be a while, which is why we need to get up to her office to get a few things.”
“Sure. Do you need me to let you in?”
“I’ve got Olivia’s keys, but could you give us some passes in case we need them?”
“You won’t, but here you go.” He handed Dad and me one each. “How are you holding up, Arizona?”
I nodded somberly. “All right.”
“What about Ella?”
“She’s fine, worried about Mom, of course.”
“Of course. I’ll let you be on your way then, just call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Jackson,” we said in unison, and then made our way toward the elevator banks. We walked in silence, not stopping at the elevator, but walking past it toward the stairwell. Then we went down a flight and walked to the delivery entrance. Dad swiped Mom’s pass through the keypad and the door clicked, allowing us to open it and slip Morgana through. Thankfully, being a Sunday, the corridors were empty. We hurried along to the back elevators, which took us to the October Project section of the building. Morgana put her eye to the iris reader by the OP elevator, and then again to the reader beside a set of doors.
I had never been to this part of Ames before. I gasped as I entered the ginormous hangar space. “Dad, what is this?”
“This is where the portal is,” Dad explained. “It’s a–”
He stopped when Morgana let out a high-pitched wail.
We both gawked at her, then turned to look at what she was flailing her arm at. I couldn’t see a thing at first, but when I squinted, I could make out what looked like an arm lying on the floor in the distance. Dad and Morgana were already running toward it, so I followed on their heels, almost crashing into Morgana as she came to an abrupt stop right in front of me. She knelt on the floor, and began sobbing. I bent over her to see. The arm belonged to Kellan’s dad; the rest of his body was hidden behind a metal desk. I followed Dad around the desk until we could get to Dr. Fox. He looked dead.
