"Ollie, no matter how early we get there, the plane isn't leaving any earlier," Ellis yelled over the music. Troy put his hand on the volume control, turning it up. She grinned over at Troy.
As her eyes scanned the rearview mirror, she noticed that the blue sedan behind them had been tailing them for a long while and was now traveling at the obscene speed Ollie was driving. It was very possible that they were going the same place and they were just tailing at that speed because they figured the cops would pull her over first. But it was the sudden sluggish feeling that grabbed her. It came and went, with heavy eyes and the urge to yawn. That wasn't just an ordinary burst of fatigue. Someone was trying to put hooks in her, and that was a no-no. She looked over at Troy, who didn't seem fazed. Then she looked back in the rearview mirror at her twin, who seemed annoyed as he stared out the window. Neither of them was alarmed, which wasn't really a surprise. They didn't share her experiences.
Ollie took the airport exit, pulling into the first gas station that she spotted.
"What …?"
"I need something sweet before we go on the plane, 'cause I paid way too much for candy last time." She parked in a parking spot at the side of the building and looked back at the car that had drawn her suspicion. The blue sedan parked at a gas pump, and one of the men got out to pump gas. Three men remained inside the car, talking casually, from what she could tell. Playing it smooth. Very good.
She went into the convenience store and grabbed some gummy snacks, peppermints, and cinnamon candy. Paying for the candy, she glanced over the cashier's shoulders through the window at the car. As she had thought, they were still there.
Ollie took the change from her purchase and walked out the door, staring at the man pumping gas. He looked dead at her with a knowing look on his face. He knocked on the hood, and the other men in the car turned to face her. Casually she walked over to the men as she prepared to open one of the individually wrapped cinnamon candies. She wanted something spicy.
"Gentlemen, what can I do for you?" She looked at the man pumping gas.
"Our employer would like a word with you," he said, putting the nozzle back in its cradle.
"And who is your employer?" she asked, feeling the sting of cinnamon on her tongue. Damn, that was good.
"Come with us, and he will introduce himself." That narrowed it down: he was male, and she didn't know him already. And clearly he wasn't well informed, or the nitwit would know that she was no pushover.
"Which one of you tried to put a plant in me? Which one is the tracker?" She stooped down to get a good look into the car. It didn't matter which one, because it was clear that whoever it was had already tracked Ellis and Troy. By doing so, they had learned enough. And enough was too much. Too bad. Waste of life.
"Ollie." Ellis was out of the car, standing, with questions in his eyes.
"One moment." She waved for him to get back into the car. She turned back to the men. "I hope your employer informed you to get your affairs in order before you came on this mission." She looked at the man standing next to her. Her mind found the dark depths of his thoughts. Letting her mind go and her guard slip, she grinned as the man's eyes grew wide. She turned around and left him standing, trembling. Before she got back to the car, shouts rang out from the men inside the car. Then gunshots. No one else in the area noticed or heard a thing, and that was how it would be for the next five minutes.
"Ollie?" Troy looked at her, wondering. "Did you know those men?"
Ollie looked in her rearview mirror to see a car full of dead men and a man splayed out on the concrete in his own blood, gunshot wound to the head.
"Nope." She started the engine and headed to the airport.
()()()
Kansas City, Missouri
Mary was in luck. When she had called the chair of the scholastic program, they were very happy to accommodate her. The program chair welcomed any patron willing to visit.
The next morning, she and Marissa stood outside the building, looking up at the two-story structure. It looked more like an small office complex than a learning institute. Leaving Marissa by the car, she walked to the main entrance, where a man was waiting outside for her to show her around. She would endure the tour to get the information she needed. She already planned how she would approach the situation.
As the tour commenced, the man proceeded to bore her with the details of the program and its success. She humored him with questions and laughter at his asinine jokes. When they reached a room of young children, Mary became alert.
"How old are these kids?" she asked.
"Between six and eight."
"Really?"
"Yes, some of the more gifted in their age range. Some of these children are even more gifted than those in the previous classes you saw earlier."
Mary smiled politely. "Though I believe you, can I test them to see for myself?"
The man glowed. He went into the room and talked to the coordinator of the group. Afterward, he got the group's attention and introduced Mary Alexander as an esteemed member of the board that funded the program and the most influential of the three Heads of River. So nice of him.
Mary stepped into the class and looked at the children's faces. The gifted snots didn't even look excited to see her. They looked the way she felt about the damn tour: Let's get this over with. Fine.
"Hello. I was just admiring your group and wanted to see for myself how smart you all are. So may I offer you a puzzle? A riddle of sorts?"
"Ah, that is Miriam's specialty. Miriam, please stand and see if you can answer Ms. Alexander's question." The coordinator smiled at a little brown girl in the corner of the room on a computer. She stood up, pigtails on both sides of her head. Her eyes were large, round, and brown. When she smiled politely, Mary saw that one of her front teeth was missing. Cute kid.
"Well, okay. Here is the scenario. A man whose son was lost went to a fortune-teller to find out what he should do. Even if only to get a clue. The fortune-teller listened to the man's story and looked to the stars. This is what the fortune-teller told the man: Do not look into the eyes. Look within. Take hold of what is yours before it is taken away. With resolution, take it to heart. After he received the message, he was sent away, and the man continued his journey. The words made no sense to the man. He had no idea how to find his son. So he comes to you for an answer. What do you tell him about what the fortune-teller said?"
The young girl just stood there. She didn't answer for a long time, then she asked, "How long has it been since he has seen his son?" The question threw Mary off.
"Good question. I would say years and years. So long he almost forgot his son's face."
"And why did he lose his son?" The child was starting to get annoying.
"His son went to join a war and never returned," she answered calmly.
"Then the message could mean one of two things. The first one: do not look for the son, because he is dead. Stop looking for something that is lost when he has a life right in front of him that can disappear if he's not careful."
"And the second?"
"He will die looking for his son and instead should save his soul. Enjoy the rights and privileges he has before they are taken away. But he if insists on seeking out his son, he should look toward a central figure, or the heart of the conflict, or House of Heart."
House of Heart. Mary smiled. "The second one is very interesting, but the first one was correct," Mary lied. "They are extremely intelligent indeed," Mary said to the coordinator. Though she had gotten clarity on what the prophet had said, the warning made her realize how dangerous the situation was.
"But next time you pose the question--" The girl's voice turned Mary in her direction. "You might want to state that a prophet said it instead of a fortune-teller. Prophets are far more cryptic, and your question would sound more believable." The girl sat down.
Mary eyed the girl but decided to let it go. Smartass brat. "You may be right."
"No, she is right," a chil
d toward the front of the group commented.
Another kid said, "Prophets have cryptic visions, but fortune-tellers are false, therefore misleading. A fortune-teller would never be as straightforward as a prophet, no matter how hard they are to understand."
"Yes, clearly that was a prophet," another suggested.
They were analyzing her? How rude. It was time to go before she got angry.
"Okay, well, it was nice meeting you all." Mary turned to her tour guide, who was red with embarrassment. Mary now saw why she hadn't visited the program before. The kids were amazing.
Little shits.
()()()
Silver Spring, Maryland
After a delayed flight, Ollie was dying to get some real food. She went into her condo and told Troy to pick a room. She walked to the end of the hall, opened the door, and dropped her bags in her room before clicking on the computer on her desk. The whole building was hers. Of all the eight floors, only four of them were apartments. The top four floors were wired with security to protect her family. The fifth and sixth level belonged to any of the family that needed a place to live; right now, two of those condos belonged to Sunny and Bones's mothers, who had come to live with them. The seventh floor belonged to Mama. And the boys stayed with her to keep her company. Ollie and Ellis lived on the top floor in separate condos. Ellis's condo was filled with nothing but boring books. It looked like a damn library. Ollie's condo was wired with a sound system, wall-to-wall music, a large kitchen, several guest rooms, her bedroom, and a training room at the end of the hallway.
Troy stuck his head in her room. "I'm goin' downstairs to see if they have any food. Comin'?"
"Hell, yeah," Food was the best idea right now. As they passed by her kitchen, she yelled at the cracked door on the other side, where her condo connected to Ellis's. "Ellis, we're going downstairs."
"Be right there," he yelled back, probably taking inventory of his books to make sure Sunny and Bones had put back anything they'd borrowed. How he could tell anything was missing was beyond her.
Down in Mama's condo, the whole place was lit up. Ric was talking to Mama in the living room. The noise coming from upstairs confirmed that someone was playing video games.
"Mama," Troy called to her.
The woman spun her head around in excitement. She held out her arms, inviting Troy for a hug.
"You look horrible, but I'm so glad to see you." She said then laughed with joy, embracing him. "We are going to feed you while you are here." And she wouldn't let go.
"Well, now that we're clear on how I am, how're you?" he said, head on her shoulder, getting comfortable, since there seemed to be no end to the hug.
"Wonderful, and even better since I get to see you." She was glowing. Mama would enjoy his visit.
Ollie zeroed in on the kitchen. Pizza boxes. It would have to do.
She went in to take an inventory of what was left. She put it all on a pan and placed it in the oven. Food, glorious food. If she liked microwaved pizza, she would have nuked it, especially since her stomach was begging for her attention. "Ric, can you watch this while I tell the guys Troy is here?" she asked him before walking past the foyer, just as Ellis walked in.
She walked up the steps to O-no's room and looked in. O-no was at his computer, working on who knew what. Bones was reading on the couch as Sunny played video games.
"Hey." O-no looked up at her, smiling.
Everyone turned to see her. "Don't you all look cozy?" She waved at Bones, who grinned. The tingle on the back of her neck let her know someone was coming up beside her and by the approach …Geo.
Before she faced him, his hand landed on her arm, and he was pulling her across the hall to Bones's room.
"What the …?" She couldn't even finish speaking. The door slammed shut. His hand came at her throat with such force that she was pummeled into the door, jamming it closed as the protests of her younger brothers resounded outside. The back of Ollie's head tinged with pain, and her throat wheezed for air.
"And ya wonda why I'm brain-damaged." Her words were strangled as she tried to focus on him.
"Do you think this is a game?" His words thundered in her ears.
"Wha--?"
Before getting out the words, he pulled her back from the door and slammed her again.
"Damn," she shouted as her head began to ring. Her eyes watered. She tried to clear herself enough to fight back.
The protests turned into knocking and yelling on the other side of the door.
"You told me we weren't playing games." His words spat on her.
"Yeah." Ollie reached for his hand around her throat. But he slammed her again, and she lost what little focus she had gained. Her head throbbed, and her throat cried for relief. Oxygen was barely getting to her brain, and she began to see spots. She had to do something, because she couldn't let his ass win.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He growled.
"Huh?" Her mind was too occupied with surviving to focus on what he was saying. He wouldn't kill her, but his tirade sure hurt like hell.
"Mama."
She rolled her eyes around, regaining her focus. "Oh, that." Okay, it was time to nail his ass.
He pulled her back again. She shifted herself, driving her already aching head into his. The force knocked them both back. Bad idea. Her head was about split open as she fell on the floor. She tried to open her eyes, but tears came, impairing her vision. His slight groan touched her ears, as he struggled as well, trying to shake it off. She wiped her eyes to see him double over in pain, holding his head, while stumbling and trying not to fall over Bones's obstacle course of books.
The doorknob jiggled. She slid back and pressed her weight against the door to keep it closed. No need to get the whole neighborhood involved. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to stop swirling.
"You got it out yet, or you want to go some more?" She opened one eye to look up at him.
He crashed in the chair behind him, holding his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"If you were here more, I wouldn't need to tell you. That is the reason I made you stay, so you could see for yourself. See everything you've been missing."
"Damn, I need an aspirin," he chuckled.
"That ain't all, but it's a start."
With Geo, physical action was his way of arguing, and no one liked arguing with him. He was a brute, but an effective brute.
"I called Cee. They will be here tomorrow."
"You know this is the least of our problems?" She closed her eyes, leaning back her head against the pounding door. An aspirin chased with some morphine would be a very good idea right now.
"You got a plan?"
"Tote around my shotgun for the next couple of months."
"Get serious."
She was serious. "We haven't been compromised here. But maybe get the kids out of here."
"No, they are safest here. And it is best not to draw attention to them. Plus, you have the security perfect. So this is fine for now."
"They are looking for me," she informed him.
"I figured they would. But once they realize they can't have you, they will find someone else."
"They have some pretty handy trackers out. I don't think they're going anywhere without a fight." She didn't want to mention her encounter at the gas station. He'd pitch a tantrum.
He looked at her. "Damn. They have already contacted you." He shook his head in disapproval.
"And what about Mama?" Change of subject was good.
"I've got my eyes and ears open and ready." He exhaled a long, tired breath. This could only mean that Geo's army of spies was out and on the alert for any information.
"Just so you know, we visited Granger, and he is no threat."
"Yeah, I know," he said. Ollie had forgotten that he and Granger did business on occasion. "Joc may be able to help. I suggest calling him."
"Oh, no!" she shouted.
"Then I'll call him. He owes you one."
He owed he
r more than one, that two-time loser.
"What about Flame?" She had to get off the subject of Joc. Plus Flame wasn't going to sit back and just watch. They had been busy over the last couple of years, watching and waiting.
"They will be a problem, and their allies. I'll call Caitlyn. But those scrambling for her position and trying to take her down will see this as an opportunity."
"And Angel?" Angel was their sister and a real potential target for those who wanted power, because of her high level and status in Sun.
"She can't be touched. I made sure of that."
Good.
Ollie stood slowly and opened the door. Ric, Ellis, and Troy poured into the room, looking frantic. The younger boys stood outside, petrified.
"We were just talking," she informed them before pushing past them.
"Where's the aspirin?" Geo called after her.
"The same direction I'm headed," she yelled back.
After her pizza and her aspirin, Ollie turned in early for bed. She shouldn't have used her powers, and now she was exhausted. She felt the drain to her toes as she collapsed on the bed. Troy was already asleep, so he hadn't had time to tell Geo about the incident in Atlanta. And Ellis wouldn't tell; her brother knew more of her secrets than anyone, and he was as good as she was at keeping them. She could feel her headache worsening if Geo found out. She groaned, knowing he'd find out eventually, and then she'd have to hear his ass go on and on.
()()()
5
Atlanta, Georgia
Arthur arose from a deep slumber as the phones in his house alarmed. Even his cell phone for his emergency line was lit up like downtown Atlanta. Two in the morning. It had to be good for this kind of interruption. His wife stirred.
"Arthur?" she groaned.
"Sorry." He answered the phone. "Yes?" He slipped out of bed and headed for the door.
Children of Sun (Oracle's Legacy) Page 7
