Myrikal

by Holli Anderson

  “You too,” the guards answered.

  Myri re-oriented herself to this newly revamped place. She wanted to see if the tree where she’d first seen Branch was still standing.

  It was. She didn’t know why, but knowing it was still there gave her a great feeling of comfort. It had been tall the day Branch had been tied to a limb high up the tree, but it had grown even taller in the intervening years. The memory of their first meeting came flooding back, and, on a whim, Myrikal climbed up, smiling like a maniac the entire time.

  Resting in the fork of two large branches atop the tree, she felt a sense of peace for the first time since entering the compound. She would stay for a while. Give it a try. The people there seemed to be happy. Much happier than those she’d met on the outside. Less frightened. Myri could leave anytime she wanted if things didn’t work out.

  From her comfortable perch high in the air, Myri gazed out upon the city beyond the walls of the compound. The chill air didn’t bother her, but she noted numerous fires out in the streets, where people without shelter tried to stay warm. Cascus was right about one thing—it was time to move on in this world. Time to build anew instead of living in the ruins of the past. She smiled. That was good advice about her life as well. She wasn’t sure if she trusted the Boss or not—more not at this point—but she trusted Branch. And this was as good a place as any to begin rebuilding.

  She settled her goggles over her eyes as the dull orange glow of the rising sun tried to break through the thick clouds in the east. Even though it irritated her eyes, she thought she’d love to one day see the full effects of the sun, bright and yellow, without the constant cover of gray clouds. She wondered if other areas of the world were free of them, at least part of the time. She smiled again, knowing she could find out someday. An expedition sounded like a grand idea.

  Someday.

  The meeting took place in the Central Building where she’d met Cascus the day before. Her outing had settled her nerves and she actually looked forward to finding out about the secret project Cascus wanted her to join in on. Alyssa seemed a little put out that she wasn’t invited to be part of this group. She had a slight pout on her lips as she waved goodbye to Myri and Branch.

  When Cascus entered the large room to stand at the head of the long table, Myri stiffened. The calm from her earlier walk dissipated as his skin seemed to undulate before her, fading in and out of clarity. This time, she heard it in his voice, too. There was the voice she thought he wanted her to hear—the one she was sure everyone else heard—and a deeper, alien voice superimposed on top of it every once in a while. She hadn’t noticed that the day before.

  Branch touched her arm and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Calm down. You’re going to break the table.”

  Myri looked down, only then realizing she gripped the edge of the table so hard her fingers left indentations in the wood. She pulled her hands down into her lap, hidden beneath the table, and tried to concentrate on what Cascus was saying.

  “I’m glad you all could make it to our first meeting of the Defense Coalition.” Myri kept her eyes downcast but had a feeling he was looking right at her. “I know you’re all bursting with curiosity to know the responsibilities of this new group. First off, I will expect you all to keep most of our activities a secret.”

  This didn’t seem to surprise Branch, but the others at the table reacted with varying degrees of surprise, from raised eyebrows to a choked gasp.

  “I know,” Cascus lowered his hands in front of him in a placating manner, “we try to be a very open compound when it comes to letting everyone know what’s going on. However, this group will be doing some things inside of the compound as well as outside that, though not nefarious in any way, might be a bit concerning to those who aren’t in the know.”

  He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. “If this is something that is going to be difficult for you, or that you strongly disagree with, you are free to decline my offer to take part. You will have to decide now, however, because once we get started, it’s imperative that you stay involved.”

  Myri glanced around at the eight other individuals seated at the table. Even though she sat as far away from him as she could, Cascus’s scent burned her nostrils. She pressed her hand against her stomach to try to squelch the unease there. No one so much as stirred at his offer to decline.

  Cascus nodded, a dim smile on his blurry face. “Ahh. I thought I chose correctly for this team.” He pulled his chair out and sat before continuing. “As you’ve probably garnered from the name of this team—The Defense Coalition—your duties will center around defending our compound. I expect for these duties to expand, hopefully quickly, to outside our walls. Remember that our end goal is to make the whole world a better place, starting here.”

  A man in his early twenties sitting next to Branch, raised his hand. Cascus nodded at him and he spoke, “We already have people guarding the entrances on a rotating basis. What will be different about this group?”

  “Good question, Connor. The difference is that you will not be merely guarding against intruders. You will be actively seeking out trouble-makers. We’ve been lucky so far that few in our little community have revealed themselves to be prone to making trouble. But the possibility is there. You all will watch and listen and stop problems before they arise. And soon, you will take your special skills to the streets of Manhattan. It is my goal to be rid of any and all miscreants here and in the city,” he paused and blew out a rancid breath, “and eventually, the world.”

  Myri winced as the fetid odor wafted toward her. She glanced around at the others. None of them seemed to notice. Did they really not smell it? Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Who gets to decide who is being a miscreant? Or what is considered ‘making trouble’?”

  The alien voice that only she could hear, apparently, growled low and menacingly just beneath the normal voice. “Good question, Myrikal.”

  She almost didn’t hear his response as she squinted, trying to decipher his facial expression. The human face—which she was rapidly coming to think of as the façade—showed a benevolent smile. But the creature inside turned from flowing green to bubbling red. The image beneath waxed and waned, the human face winning out in the fight to stay out front most of the time.

  “… decide on a code of conduct together. We’ll start today.” Cascus turned his full attention on Branch. “I need to go lie down now, I’m feeling a little under the weather. Morgan, would you please take over this meeting and let the team know the things we discussed last night?” He threw one last double-edged look at Myrikal before turning to glide off to the stairs.

  “Okay!” Branch leaned forward excitedly. “Let’s get started with the Code of Conduct.”

  Myrikal pushed back her chair and stood. “I don’t feel… worthy, I guess… to decide what conduct is acceptable and what isn’t, having recently come from my strange family situation. You guys carry on. Bran… Morgan can fill me in later.”

  Branch frowned. “Come on, Myri. Your input is important. And there’s another assignment Cascus wanted me to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?” Myri glanced to where Cascus had disappeared down the stairs, distracted and only half listening.

  “We need you to teach us self-defense. Like your dad taught you.”

  “Yeah, okay. I can do that. Just let me know when and where.” She rubbed her stomach, the sick feeling dissipating now that Cascus had left. She turned and walked briskly from the room, careful not to touch the walls of the building as she pushed through the front door. Whatever material they were made out of gave her the same queasy feeling that plagued her when Cascus was nearby. And she needed to figure out why.

  The strong wind moved the branches of the tree around her. The one she sat on swayed with each gust. The clouds to the west darkened worse than the ones overhead and lightning periodically flashed within them. Myrikal went straight to the tree after leaving the meeting. She had
a lot to think about. First and foremost, should she tell Branch about what she saw and smelled when his apparent surrogate father came near?

  She curled into a ball, resting her head and arms on her bent knees, her butt nestled in the fork of the two big branches. All she wanted was a new life, away from her killer father, and with her childhood friend. Things had turned complicated much quicker than she’d ever dreamed. Was it too much to believe that leaving her dad would simplify her life? Make her happier? Give her the freedom she’d been craving? Had she just crawled out of the jaws of a lion to be swallowed up in the mouth of a volcano?

  Could she just leave? Change her mind and set out on her own? Of course she could. But she knew she wouldn’t leave Branch. At least not until she figured out what was up with Cascus. The weirdness with him was so far beyond anything she’d ever experienced. She had no idea where to even begin. She didn’t know if she should even bring it up to Branch. He seemed so enthralled by the “man” who’d taken the young, lost boy under his wing. She’d have to be careful with Branch. Subtle. Maybe she would have better luck with Alyssa. Myri’s interactions with her so far had shown the older girl to be blunt and open to questions. Myri nodded to herself. Yeah. She’d start by finding out what Alyssa knew.

  She jumped from the top of the tree, landing with slightly bent knees on the grass-covered ground below, wondering if Branch was still meeting with the “team.” She turned her face to the clouds as they opened up and huge droplets of cold rain splashed into her. She headed for Alyssa’s, determined to get some answers from her without her realizing she’d even been questioned.

  Alyssa answered the door and gestured for Myri to enter and have a seat on the ragged chair in her small living area. “You’re soaking wet.” She threw Myri a towel. “How was the top secret meeting?”

  Myri shrugged, wiping rain from her face and hair. “Okay, I guess. I left before it was over.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Alyssa asked, “Why?”

  “I was feeling a little restless. I’m not used to being around a lot of people. Branch is going to fill me in later.”

  “Were there a lot of people there?”

  Wait. I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking questions. “Not really, I guess. But more than one other person is ‘a lot’ to me.” Without giving it too much thought, Myri decided to dive right in. “Cascus is a unique individual, don’t you think?”

  “Well, yeah,” Alyssa answered. “I mean, he’s really the first person—at least in our area—who’s stepped up to make some real changes for the better. So if that makes him unique, I guess he is.” She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Why? What do you think of him?”

  Tread carefully here, Myrikal. “He seems very benevolent. Almost like he’s, I don’t know, otherworldly or something.”

  Alyssa frowned and narrowed her eyes even further, until they were just two slits in her face. “What do you mean by ‘otherworldly’?”

  Back-pedaling, Myrikal said, “Nothing. Like I said, I’m not used to being around people so it must just be me.”

  “Does he give you a weird vibe or something?”

  “Um… no… maybe a little. Does he give you a weird vibe?”

  A bit too defensively, Alyssa snapped, “No! He saved me from the streets.”

  Did Myrikal detect a little waver in her resolve to defend Cascus? She nodded slowly to give herself time to form her next question carefully. “Okay. I’m not saying he isn’t a good person, he’s obviously doing some great things here. I was just wondering if you ever… I don’t know…. questioned his motives. You know, at first.”

  Alyssa sighed, leaned toward Myri and spoke in a low voice. “Maybe a little, at first, I may have gotten a creepy vibe from him. But I chalk that up to me just being paranoid. I didn’t believe he could pull it off when he first told me about his grand plans.” She spread her arms out in a gesture that took in their surroundings. “I was wrong.”

  The look she gave Myrikal told her she thought Myri was wrong, too. What she really wanted to ask her is what he looked like to her. She wanted to know if anyone else saw the strange images she did when she looked at him. Smelled the odor. Felt the queasiness.

  Alyssa laughed, a nervous kind of chuckle. Still speaking in a near-whisper, she said, “The funny thing is, when he asked me if I wanted to start a new life—told me he’d give me beneficial work to do, make my life mean something—I thought he was a pimp.” She laughed nervously again and looked down at her hands. “I thought he was asking me if I wanted to be a hooker. Like anyone would pay to hook up with this.” She flipped her hands from her head down to her sides before leaning back on the couch.

  “I guess that explains why you got a creepy vibe from him.” Myri smiled. Alyssa was a dead end. Either she didn’t see Cascus’s altered form beneath his outer façade, or she did and was too loyal or too scared to divulge that information. “And you’re adorable. I’m sure there are loads of guys who would want to hook up with you.” Myri felt a rush of heat color her skin. “I mean, normal guys, not… not guys wanting hookers. Not that they wouldn’t pay to… I’m just going to shut up now.”

  Alyssa laughed for real this time. “You aren’t very good at giving compliments, are you?” She patted Myri on the knee. “It’s okay. I got what you meant. Thanks.”

  “I’m not very good at conversations in general.”

  Alyssa stood. “You hungry? It’s almost lunchtime. I was just going to eat and then head off to finish today’s assigned job.”

  Myri most definitely did not feel hungry, her stomach still unsettled from earlier. “What’s your job today?”

  “Helping a new couple build their house.”

  “How long does it usually take to build one of these houses?”

  “One week. Cascus has it down to a science. The exact amount of material, people, hours and days. We work together like an ant colony.”

  Myri quirked her mouth into a wry smile. “Like mindless drones?”

  Rolling her eyes, Alyssa punched Myri’s arm. “Do I look like a mindless drone to you?”

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Good answer.” She grabbed a chunk of bread and a handful of berries and ate them as she walked toward the door. “You coming with me? Or have you already been assigned a job of your own?”

  Had she been assigned a job? She wasn’t exactly sure. “I need to go see if Branch—Morgan,” she corrected herself, “is back from the meeting yet. I guess I should have him fill me in.”

  “Okay.” Alyssa opened the door and stood to the side to let Myrikal step out into the rain first. “I’ll see you later, then?”

  “Yeah. For sure.”

  “And, Myrikal,” she said, closing the door behind her. “Try not to call down any lightning while you’re inside the compound. I don’t think the rest of us would fare as well as you do with electrocution.”

  Heat rushed to Myri’s face again. “Yeah… I really wish people wouldn’t have seen that.”

  Branch wasn’t at his house yet. Myri waited on the porch, watching the rain drip off the eave in soggy sheets. She perked up at the sound of his footsteps trudging through the mud and went out into the rain to meet him before he reached his house. “How did the rest of the meeting go? Sorry I didn’t stick around.”

  “Yeah, what’s the deal with that? You were sure in a hurry to get out of there.” A slight scowl remained on his brow.

  She knew she wasn’t a good liar, so she’d have to tell the truth without telling the whole truth. At least, not yet. “I was feeling out of sorts. You know it was just a couple of nights ago that I was planning to kill someone I’d never even met. I really don’t feel like I’m worthy to make rules for others to follow.”

  The harsh lines in his forehead softened and he reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that. I’m just so excited you’re here with me, I keep forgetting how little time you’ve had away from Assassin Dad.”

&nbs
p; She squeezed his hand, glad he’d bought her half-true excuse. “Should we go inside and get out of this rain and you can tell me what you guys decided?”

  He nodded and, still holding her hand, walked the short distance to his little house. Once inside, he grabbed two towels and threw one to Myrikal before drying himself off with the other. “We came up with a list of serious offenses, those that we felt should get someone expelled from the compound. One of the other team members is a Bible freak, so he insisted that we style it like the Ten Commandments.”

  Myri raised an eyebrow. She’d heard of the Bible, of course, there were often crazies that stood in the streets yelling about the end of times until they had no voice left. As far as she was concerned, the end of times had already happened—ten years or so before she’d been born. “The Ten Commandments?”

  “Yeah, like No Killing, No Stealing, No Adultery. Stuff like that.”

  “Shouldn’t you tell me all of them, since I’ll be helping to enforce them?”

  Branch shrugged. “Cascus actually has a different role for you to play, still as part of the team, just more attuned to your special abilities.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. “Like what?”

  “Well, besides teaching the rest of us how to defend ourselves, in this first phase of the Defense Coalition he wants you to just show your presence. And maybe show off your powers once in a while.” He rushed to finish before she could interrupt. “Because it’s very important to Cascus—and the rest of us—that the team have very little work to do. At least within the compound. He figures that an added incentive for people to behave, like knowing you can zap them into smithereens if they don’t, can’t be a bad thing. Does that make sense?”

  Myrikal’s foot bounced up and down on the wood floor as familiar feelings tore up her insides. This felt a lot like what her dad had wanted to use her for. I want you to stand out. I want people to see you and start shaking with fear, knowing they might be next to die. She shook her head. “Branch, I won’t…”