A Hidden Element

by Donna Galanti

  He couldn't give it to his sons.

  He couldn't give it to Rachel.

  He could open it tonight and give it to Leah.

  And only when he rocked deep inside her, did he unleash his full heart on her. She took it wholly for one night. And when their bodies fit together as one he released his long pent up seed within her.

  And he saw his father in his mind's eye smiling with satisfaction.

  And he hated him even more.

  Ben woke up. Dawn threatened. The gray sky inched lighter into his room. Laura and Charlie. He had to get to get to them. Work it out. Something.

  He grabbed his bag and quietly headed to the motel door when a pounding rang through it. He yanked it open.

  There stood Laura, her face crinkled as if in terrible pain.

  "Laura, are you—"

  "Charlie." She grabbed Ben. "He's been taken."

  He pulled her close. Her heart beat fast against his.

  He had been right all along.

  Someone was stalking them again.

  After fifteen years the nightmare had begun—again.

  CHAPTER 22

  Charlie's eyes felt so heavy as if marbles rolled around in them. His throat, dry and parched. He swallowed hard and opened his eyes. This wasn't his room. He tried to sit up, but dizziness forced him back down. A low light glowed yellow on the ceiling. The narrow room held a bed, dresser, desk, and chair. A hand stitched picture on the wall blared out its message at him in bold letters. The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are demoted to shame.

  He stood and the room tilted. His clothes felt strange and cumbersome. He wore a gray hooded robe. Where was he? He last remembered falling asleep in his bed. The door. Must get to the door. He lunged toward the door handle, stumbled, and fell. His body moved in slow motion. Mom, Dad, where are you? He pulled himself up. Light blazed and a shadow crossed over him.

  "Sweet Charlie, get back in bed. You need more time to recover."

  His vision blurred. Roses wafted across him. A girl. Her soft hand led him back to the bed. He flopped down on it and his vision cleared.

  "Who are you? Where am I? Where are my clothes? Where's my mom?" He tried to sit up again but she gently pushed him back and placed a cool cloth on his forehead. She had shiny, blonde hair and pretty eyes. He had never been this close to a girl. And a cute girl. She placed something on his tongue. It melted into tart liquid soothing his throat.

  "Shh, now. Adrian will be in soon once you're fully awake. He will explain everything. I'm Leah. I'm here to make sure you're all right."

  "Adrian. He's here? Is my mom here, too?"

  She leaned down to kiss his cheek then floated away.

  "Wait. Don't go. I need to get home. My mom. She needs me. My dad…"

  He tried to sit up but the room raced around him.

  Her shadow crossed the door again. "Dulcet dreams, Charlie." Then she was gone.

  He tried to cry out but his lips stuck together. His vision blurred again.

  His new world disappeared.

  Charlie smelled herbs. Like his mom's kitchen when she cooked his favorite meal. Turkey with homemade stuffing. He opened his eyes. Adrian stood over him, smiling. He was real. A thrill spilled through him. Ghost Man was gone.

  Charlie staggered up and Adrian placed his hands on his shoulders, looking down at him. His spicy smell covered him in home. Sweet warmth oozed through his brain like hot fudge. He felt so peaceful and a sense of belonging.

  "Charlie-boy. Welcome."

  Adrian's yellow eyes pierced his with intensity as if drawing something from him. His facial features became amplified in person. A mouth like a black hole, a nose like a giant pancake. His ugliness was powerful to Charlie. And his hidden power radiated from every pore, filling Charlie with awe. He had never seen anyone with yellow eyes except in the movies, or pale skin and white hair like his own.

  Adrian let go of his shoulders then took Charlie's hand. Their nail-less hands blended as one. They were the same. Somehow. He was like Adrian more than his own dad. What did it all mean?

  "How did I get here?"

  Adrian took a step back and folded his arms across his robe. His smile disappeared and his large features sank into his face. "I apologize, Charlie-boy, for having to drug you to get you here. I wanted to surprise you and your mom…and dad."

  Charlie thought about what he said. Peace and belonging still surged through him, conflicting with the thought that he should be angry for being taken in the middle of the night. He didn't remember being drugged. "My mom and dad are coming. Here? But where are we?"

  "Yes. They come soon. I made myself known to your mother. In a day or so they arrive. We are not far from your home, Charlie. Deep in the woods by the mountains. We're a few miles off any road."

  "You showed yourself to my mom?" Charlie felt relief knowing his long held secret was now out and he didn't have to tell her. Would she be angry with him?

  "Yes. She has been expecting something like this for years."

  "Are you going to drug my parents to get them here, too?" It didn't sound right, but what did he know of these people and their ways? "Won't they worry about where I went? I'm supposed to be protecting my mom. My dad…well, there's something wrong with him."

  "No, no. They won't be drugged. Your mom understands why you had to come here. She wants me to spend time with you. She came to understand once we spoke. She knows I am her uncle and your great uncle. We're family. We're both twins and have lost our other half. And we can help your dad. We have ways to stop his episodes. Your mom is safe, believe me."

  "But why take me?"

  "You belong here. You are an Elyon and of Madroc blood—my blood." Adrian's yellow eyes burned into his. You will never want to leave, my son. And Charlie knew it was the truth. Adrian's words and power filled him like liquid pleasure in a dream. Charlie didn't understand but accepted. That acceptance replaced any questions he had. It pulled at him and enticed him.

  Adrian touched his shoulder. "You will never feel powerless again Charlie. You are meant to lead. I will show you how. But first we have preparations and work to do."

  "What kind of work? You mean like cleaning?" He looked around.

  Adrian burst out laughing. "No. We need to work on your powers. And the women we work on too, in a way." Adrian motioned him toward the door. "You'll soon discover it's pleasurable."

  "Is this something I have to do before my parents get here?"

  "We'll see. Either way your parents will be thrilled. They'll love the surprise."

  Adrian hadn't steered him wrong all these years. He was family. And he understood how to make Charlie feel better, teach him new tricks, and advise him. He'd run to him in the field whenever he needed him. He'd been there for him, made him feel good. Sometimes when he'd been with him it had felt as if he were being guided to a wonderful place.

  And his mom did like surprises. His dad, not so much. Charlie was relieved they would finally know about Ghost Man. Feelings for his parents were all mixed up in his brain, but he didn't want to think those thoughts. He wanted to think about the girl, Leah.

  "Will I see Leah again?"

  Adrian steered him into a brightly lit hallway. People bustled about with papers, laundry baskets, and food. They stopped to smile and nod to him. He found himself nodding back. Some had white hair and yellow eyes. Some had dark hair and bright green eyes. Some looked massive, their heads scraping the ceiling, and some looked short, mostly the women.

  "Oh, yes, Charlie-boy. You and Leah are going to get to know each other very well."

  Caleb watched as his father strode with his new prodigal son into the courtyard. The boy's eyes darted everywhere with his mouth open in wonder at the festival in full swing. He looked like his father but with smaller facial features. His face was handsome next to his father's harsh, wide lines and furrowed brow.

  His father bent down to say something to the boy and their heads touched. A twinge of envy shot through him, reme
mbering the rare times as a child his father had touched his giant head to his. A time when there'd been kindness in his heart. A time long before he had given in to his Destroyer side.

  But now his father had a new son. Together they were pale twins with a bond that Caleb would never have with his father, nor did he want. Anger and sadness mixed in him. The yearning to have the same bond with his own sons burned in his gut.

  His father lifted his head and laughed, flinging his arm out at his flock gathered in the courtyard as if showing the boy they were at his beckoning. The flock smiled at the boy then turned to whisper amongst themselves before returning to their rejoicing. Color and music flowed as the community reveled in their much anticipated day of celebration. Caleb did not rejoice. His mind was a tangled knot of how to use this boy to his advantage to escape the compound alive with his sons.

  Dancers whirled around him, gleeful in their abandon, but he remained still. Watching and wondering. Gray robes floated and twirled about like doves in the sky, dipping away from each other and back again. Flute and mandolin players, populating a stage built for the event, swayed to their instrumental ministrations. They spilled out wandering notes, filling the air with carefree abandon. Red and gold streamers fluttered and bent in the cool breeze mixing with the final autumn leaves waving goodbye in the wind.

  His father had given the flock a day to frolic in fellowship and a night to choose a partner of their own. One night of heathen love allowed. It had renewed their approval and worship of him. It would take more than a festival and free love for Caleb to follow his father with blind faith. It would take compassion and the destruction of the community's way of life. Two things his father was not capable of.

  His father walked up onto the stage. The boy hesitated then followed. The musicians stopped playing and moved back. The dancers stood still. Gray robes hung lifeless. The sun covered the silent watchers in flashing light as it passed between clouds. Somber quiet hung heavy after the loud revelry of moments before. Hundreds of eyes looked at the boy wondering how he fit into their fate.

  "My Elyons, officially welcome Charlie." His father's voice broke the silence. He motioned the boy closer to him, who peered at the crowd before him with wide eyes. Side by side, they looked like father and son. Caleb scanned the gatherers, who murmured approval as if they, too, knew it to be right and good.

  Caleb inched along the overhang, closer to the stage. His father nodded at him. He didn't have the decency to introduce the boy to Caleb first before their world.

  His father grasped Charlie's hand and raised it with his. "Charlie will help us assimilate into the human world as our churches grow. He was raised in it and now is here to be one of us. He is my great nephew. I have been teaching him in secrecy for many years and it's time for him to help lead alongside me."

  The crowd's murmurings grew louder. Charlie puffed out his chest.

  "Have faith." His father's voice became more commanding. The murmuring stopped. "And what is faith? It's the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen." His voice rose louder. "It is the certainty of knowing what we hope for is waiting for us, although we cannot see it far down the road. And so shall we create our new world, unseen by the human one outside of it. And we shall prosper. Won't we?"

  "Yes. Yes." The cries of hundreds rang out. Their feet stomped the stone courtyard, stained by the blood of dozens. No blood filled it now, only glory.

  "Come everyone, greet Charlie. Make him welcome. He is our new hope."

  The flock moved toward the stage. His father put an arm around Charlie and smiled at him then steered him down the steps to meet his people. The boy's scared look became a grin as Leah came forward and kissed his cheek. His father looked over at Caleb and smiled. A knowing smile.

  Caleb's stomach tightened, realizing his father's plans now. He saw Leah in his mind moving beneath him with wanton desire. Soon she would be moving beneath the boy. It sickened and angered him. He never should have given himself to her. Now the boy's innocence would be taken and with the first woman Caleb had given himself to in years.

  He thrust the feelings away. They had no purpose for him. Leah whispered in Charlie's ear and his laughter rang out. Then his father moved him along through the waiting crowd. The Elyons touched the boy's shoulder and offered him their blessings, but it was Leah he kept turning back to see. She bowed to the boy and then turned and caught Caleb's eye. They stared at each other across the crowd. Then with a resigned smile, she hung her head and walked out of the courtyard.

  Caleb watched the flock surge around the boy.

  Change was coming.

  CHAPTER 23

  "We're going to Benevolence," Ben said. "We'll find their hiding place."

  "The community compound is supposed to be a day's walk or more into the woods from the town, I hear. There are no roads to it," Laura said. "And no one has ever been inside. The church bought up all the land bordering the protected wilderness and they live, totally isolated, off the land."

  "I remember news reports that claimed the police questioned them for suspicious behavior, but the accusations have all been unfounded, so they say. We now know why. They've most likely masterminded their success by preying on other people with mind control."

  "And all these years they've been here and we never knew they were connected to me—to us. I should have known. I should have sensed it. I shouldn't have tried to forget my powers."

  Ben took her hand. He had nothing to say.

  "I'll work on my powers. Bring them back," Laura said. "Nothing will stop me from saving Charlie."

  "We should call the police," Ben said. "Let someone know about this. What if we disappear and no one knows where we are?"

  "No." Laura shook her head. "They won't believe us and they can't do anything."

  Ben squinted at her. "But Laura, you're eight months pregnant going off on a trek into the woods to God knows what kind of situation. Let me go alone."

  "No!" Laura gripped his arm. "I'll know what to do when I get there. He's leading me there for a reason. It's fate. And I have to help realign it."

  "Who's 'he'?"

  "My uncle. I know what he is now. He's waiting for me to come to him. He's been watching and waiting all these years. Now he has our son. And he wants our baby. But what he doesn't know is that he won't survive me."

  Ben squeezed her hand. She was strong in mind but also hugely pregnant. He hoped she wouldn't take matters into her own hands as she had the night her brother attacked them. They had survived that night. Would they survive this? He would have died for her then—as he would now for Charlie and their unborn child.

  "We can't warn them we're coming," Laura said. "And if they discover we are then what happens to Charlie?"

  Again, Ben had no words of comfort. "Let's go."

  They stopped at a grocery for nonperishable food items then returned home to grab backpacks and sleeping bags—and Ben's gun. Laura would only let him keep it in the garage. She didn't say a word when he tucked it in his jeans. She forced herself to go into Charlie's room and take the Swiss Army knife he kept in his drawer. She lifted it out, trembling, and sat down on his bed. The sheets were tousled as if he just woke up and was in the shower getting ready for school, ready to yell any minute for her to please get breakfast ready for him. She touched his sheets, bent down and breathed his smell. Her heart shattered into a million pieces and she ran from the room.

  They left and the day hung overcast, suffocating them in its woes. They drove in silence until they reached the trail entrance and turned off the engine. Benevolence Mountain towered menacing over them.

  "This is the trail leading toward their community," Ben said. "I checked the map, it ends at the protected land border and then I don't know where we go. No one does. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

  "We've got to get our son back and I'm going. I'll know how to find them," Laura said.

  She pulled the flogging whip out of her pocket. They stared at
it then she shoved it away and started tugging their backpacks out of the car. Ben helped her put hers on.

  "Cell phone reception on the mountain is spotty," Ben said, checking his phone. "If we need to call for help I don't know if we can."

  "If we need to call for help, it won't matter."

  She was right. Laura headed up the trail, but Ben held her back. He placed his hands on her belly. "Promise me, no matter what happens to me, you'll take care of yourself and little Ben inside."

  "We haven't given him a name yet," Laura said with a forced smile. "Not sure he's a Ben."

  "I don't blame you. Who needs another Ben running around the world? Terrible hygiene, bad manners, dumb as a bag of hammers."

  "Hammers aren't all bad. Builders of things. High impact. Reliable. Top performers."

  He hugged her.

  "My Ben is all of those," she whispered in his chest.

  "I'm counting on it." He bent his head and kissed her for a long moment. A passionate kiss that spoke of another time when they had once moved into one another, lost in their own world. It was a fierce kiss. Their tongues intertwined like hands grasped together in fervent prayer.

  Time to go. He took her hand. They headed up the trail to get Charlie back.

  Ben didn't know if all of them would return.

  Charlie was alone in his room. His robe itched and he took it off and sat on the bed in his underwear. How he wished for his jeans and T-shirt and sneakers. The shoes he'd been given were nice. Warm and lined with some sort of fur on the inside. But why the robes? Everybody looked alike. Would his parents be expected to wear them, too? But his dad was an outsider.

  Adrian had said Charlie could help him lead the community. His dad could be proud of him then and see he was normal amongst these Elyons. His dad would now be the abnormal one. A delicious feeling swam through Charlie. His dad would finally feel like he had his whole life. A freak.