by C. L. Stone
“Cai!” She could barely get his name out. “Seok!” Taking a deep breath, she screamed, “Cai!” Her voice broke, and she turned her head onto her hands again. As her fear increased, her entire body shook, breath echoing through the room.
She sat, sucking in a breath, but couldn’t get enough air. Lifting her shoulders, she tried again.
Calm down. You’re okay. You’re okay. They’ll find you. You’re okay. But her rational side couldn’t counter her panicked brain. It screamed at her: alone! Forgotten!
Somewhere deep inside her came another voice. This one low and deep, and comforting. The thought of this voice wrapped her in a blanket of protection. It was as clear as if Apollo was standing right in front of her: fill up your belly with air.
She put her hand on her stomach, and took a deep breath, trying to get enough air to push her stomach outward. The first few breaths did nothing to help her, and panic burned in her chest.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to remember how it felt to have Apollo’s hand on her stomach. Imagining it was his hand, not hers, she took another breath.
This time it worked. She took another, and another, and began to calm. Wiping away the wetness on her face, she took one more breath, leaned down to the gap again and called out, “Seok!”
A door slammed closed, and a voice called out, “Hold on, Honora!”
It wasn’t a voice she recognized, but for a moment, she thought it was Seok and Cai coming to get her. The disappointment was almost as acute as her relief knowing someone was coming. The doorknob rattled before the door flew inward, whacking her in the forehead so she fell back on her butt.
“Why the hell aren’t there any lights?” the voice asked. The switch flipped off and on and off and on until the familiar buzz filled the room, and a dim light hummed into existence.
She squinted, trying to make out the person who’d come through the door.
“Are you okay?” he asked, squatting next to her.
The door began to close behind him and she lurched forward, “Don’t let it… “ The door clicked. “Shut.”
“Why not?”
“It locks,” she replied. “I hope you have a phone.” She rubbed at the place on her forehead where she’d caught the edge of the door. There was a tiny egg, but it hadn’t broken the skin. She supposed she was lucky, considering the door was old and metal.
Standing, the man rattled the knob. It didn’t turn. “Huh. I’m sorry—I got stuck in a conference call in Dan’s office. I didn’t realize you were locked in.”
She pushed herself to stand, and he followed suit. “In the dark,” she amended.
“In the dark,” he corrected.
Pulling her sleeve over her hand, she wiped her face again. As the lights flickered and brightened, she could make out details she hadn’t noticed before. He was nothing like she expected a man from a military institute would look. Like Dr. Murray, he was outside of the mold of both professor and soldier. His hair was dark brown, and curled over his forehead and ears in need of a trim. He also wore a full beard, but with none of the fancy mustache waxing or trimming the hipsters used. His was a shaggy beard growing down his neck and up his cheeks. When he stood, he towered over Nora, as tall as Apollo or Cai. But unlike the guys, his height made her feel crowded, like he took up all the space in the room, and she stepped back.
“My name is Jeremy Totten.” He looked around the room as he spoke. Spying the metal chair, he sat in it with a groan. “Sorry. You don’t mind, do you?”
She walked toward the wall, making as if to lean against it, but she noticed the cobwebs and other questionable substances stuck to it and chose to cross her arms instead. It was an awkward position, standing in front of someone who was sitting
“Do you mind handing me the bag over there?” He gestured to a satchel near the door.
Uncrossing her arms, she picked it up. It was heavier than it looked, and she needed two hands to lift it.
“Should I call you Dr. Totten?” she asked as he opened it and took out what looked like a laptop.
“Yes, that’s fine,” he answered distractedly. He put the case on the table and unfolded the top before pulling out something like a blood pressure cuff attached to a wire. Clearly, not a laptop.
The device looked oddly familiar. “Is that a lie detector?”
“You’ve seen one of these before?” Dr. Totten glanced up at her with interest.
“On TV.”
“I prefer to call it a digital analysis of physiological changes which may indicate lying.” He chuckled. “We may use it. I just want it ready.” He looked around the room for an outlet and finding one, plugged in the machine. The screen flashed and he typed for moment before sitting back in the chair. It didn’t wobble for him the way it had for her.
Holding up a finger, he leaned forward, opening the notebook he’d tossed next to the lie detector before sitting back again. “Okay. So.” He paused, waiting.
She waited as well, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Right. Relationships.”
Nope.
Nora gave him the benefit of the doubt. He could ask broad questions, he could even question her more in depth about the answers she’d given Dr. Murray, but she was not getting personal with this guy. His entire aura intruded on hers, like he was going to back her into a corner and force confessions from her.
“After high school, how many long-term relationships have you been in?”
“One.”
“How do you self-identify? Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual?”
“Heterosexual.”
Okay. These questions were easy enough. She wasn’t opening the windows to her soul by answering. She rocked from side to side, waiting for Dr. Totten to continue.
“Were your parents married?”
“Yes.”
“How long were they married?”
She calculated. “Three years.”
“Is your mother remarried?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is your father remarried?”
“I don’t know.”
The man asked an endless amount of questions about her parent’s marriage. An hour passed, and then another, with her pacing, or rocking, or stretching her hands over her head. The questions were safe, and when she didn’t know the answer, Dr. Totten seemed satisfied with her answering, “I don’t know.” She began to think she misjudged him.
Pressing her hands into her lower back, she arched backward and then side to side. She couldn’t keep standing much longer, and she needed to pee. There had to be a place on the wall that was less disgusting. She finally decided the door was a safe bet, and began in that direction.
“Okay,” Dr. Totten called out, surprising her. He looked down at his watch. “Wow. We’ve been at this a long time. I’d offer to let you use the bathroom, but since we’re stuck here…” He trailed off.
“What about Dr. Murray?” she interrupted. “Did you text him?”
“Yeah,” he answered, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “He still hasn’t replied. He probably assumes we’re good.”
It was creeping closer and closer to five o’clock. “I need to leave by five. He knows that, so he should be back soon.”
“Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll try this puppy out?” he stood, gesturing to the chair.
Realizing he meant the polygraph, she hesitated. “I didn’t realize polygraph tests would be part of this study.”
“They haven’t been.” He flashed a white-toothed smile at Nora. “That’s why I’m here. He’s thinking of adding them to the interview process.”
“Won’t that affect the subject variables. Those who have been interviewed with the polygraph and those without?”
Surprised, he answered, “It does. But we’re making adjustments.” He held up a band. “I need to start connecting you to the machine.”
Dr. Totten pressed a number of sticky electrodes onto her skin, wrapped a band around her chest, and the
n fixed a blood pressure cuff on her arm. Spinning the machine to face him, he leaned his elbow onto the table, making it creak.
“I’m going to ask you a number of questions. Please answer honestly.”
Nodding, she decided to answer, “I’m not telling you,” if he asked something she didn’t like. Glancing at her wrist, she realized Seok’s watch had flipped upside down. With a twist, she flicked her wrist to see the face.
“Keep your arms on the chair please, so you don’t displace the electrodes.”
“What time is it?” she asked.
Frowning, Dr. Totten checked his watch. “Five.”
“Unhook me please, I need to go.”
His phone chimed. “It’s just a few questions, Nora. And I’m sure that’s Dan. You’ll be done by the time he opens the door.”
“Will you check, please. Make sure?”
“I’m sure it’s him. Let’s move on.”
“No.”
He scowled at her. “What?”
“No. I’m not answering any questions until you reassure me Dr. Murray is on his way. If not, I want you to call my friends, who are waiting for me on the first floor, and ask them to let us out.” She made a move to tear off the electrodes. “It’s my birthday and I’m done.” And I need to pee.
“You’re in a polyamorous relationship.” He flung the question at her, and she sucked in a breath.
“Do you believe this relationship will negatively impact your career?”
She stared at him, shocked. His mouth continued to move as he spat out questions, her brain processing each one.
“Do you believe this relationship will negatively impact your partners’ career?”
“Do you believe your partners are happy in this relationship?”
“Are you sexually active with each partner?”
“Have you coerced your partners into this relationship?”
The last question forced her into action. With shaking fingers, she removed the electrodes from her skin, and placed them on the table.
“I’m not done. Tyler has given us a lot of fascinating background on your current relationship. You’re so interesting, Nora. A polyamorous relationship? One girl and five guys? Sister to a mass murderer? I have so many questions.”
He stood, reaching for the electrodes as if to place them back on her, but she unwrapped the cuff on her arm.
“I’m not answering any of those questions.”
“You’re going to have to, Nora.”
She shook her head and held out her hand. “May I please borrow your phone?”
He crossed his arms. “How does it work?”
Nora stood, going over to the door and hammering on it. Seok and Cai would come searching for her now. It was only a matter of minutes before they did.
He moved behind her, crowding her again. “I mean. Are you all, together together? Are they bisexual? Tyler said one of them is applying for law school. I know this is Vermont, but what if he wants to practice somewhere else? That’s some pretty kinky shit. Wouldn’t fly in Virginia, that’s for sure.”
She could feel his heat against her back. “And one is a social worker? With at-risk kids? Is it a front for something? You trying to get him to bring young kids into your fold?”
When she spun around, he was inches from her face. “That’s sick!”
He smiled, pleased with her reaction for some reason. “Not a child molester then.” He leaned forward. “Just a whore.”
The blood left her head, leaving her lightheaded, dizzy. She reached for something to hold her up, shocked he’d dared to say it to her face, but somehow… not. Others would say the same thing, wouldn’t they? She should get used to the word.
The door pushed against her back, and she tripped forward. Dr. Totten gripped her arms, fingers tight. “You’re cute,” he whispered quickly. “But I can’t say you’re worth sharing.”
Stepping away, he left her unbalanced, and she stumbled forward.
“Five-ten!” Dr. Murray’s voice called out. “Not bad, huh?”
Turning, she caught Dr. Totten’s gaze. He stared at her while answering Dr. Murray. “Not bad at all.”
“Nora.”
She tore her eyes from the man. Dr. Murray held out a white box in his hand. “Your new cell phone. And…” He handed her an envelope. “Your birthday present. Thanks again, Nora.”
She nodded, clearing her throat.
“Your friends are waiting upstairs.” She intercepted a loaded look between him and Dr. Totten as he held the door open, waiting for her to pass by.
Clearing her throat again, she got his attention. “Get the lock fixed on the door. And clean this place before my next interview. It’s disgusting.” She hurried past him, not waiting for a response. Safety was upstairs. Caring, comfort, protection, love was waiting for her.
She emerged from the stairwell into the harsh first floor light. It was still a beautiful day. The sun forced its way through the narrow windows, flooding the hallway. All five guys waited for her. Matisse looked elegant in a black jacket and slacks, his dark hair slicked back from his face. Seok punked out, hair gelled to perfection with clothes that clashed perfectly. Cai managed to look both cool and casual in a simple fleece coat and jeans, and Ryan finally appeared relaxed and happy, laughing at something Apollo said. They turned to her when they heard the door close, calling to her, talking over one another, and reminding her of golden retriever puppies, eager and enthusiastic. She ran toward them, the horrible day wiped from her mind like it never existed.
They were here. They wanted her to be happy. They were happy.
Fuck Dr. Totten. He didn’t know anything. She would protect these boys from whatever ugliness was waiting for them. She would make sure they knew, every minute of every day, that she loved them. She knew her heart, and what it told her.
And she trusted them with hers.
About the Author
Ripley Proserpina spends her days huddled near a fire in the frozen northern wilds of Vermont. She lives with her family, two magnificent cats, and one dog who aspires to cat-hood. She is the author of Finding Honor of The Searchers series and the novella Missing Linc in the Halloween anthology Bloody Kisses.
@RipleyProserpin
Ripley Proserpina
www.RipleyProserpina.com
The Four Clever Brothers
Amy Sumida
Acknowledgments
Just a quick word of thanks to my editor, Michelle Hoffman, who donated her time towards this charitable project.
1
My name is Princess Adelysia. My kingdom has long been forgotten, and my story has been altered so many times over the years that it's no longer mine. It has become a fairy tale, a story told to children to distract them into sleep. And it isn't even a popular tale. You've probably never heard it. Which I suppose is even better. You won't be biased. The original fairy tale, told by the Brothers Grimm, was about another set of brothers. Four brothers to be exact. I was barely mentioned in it, except as a goal for them to achieve. But it was my story, and now I will rectify matters. Though to recount the events accurately, I must first tell you about them. The brothers. Clever, was what the Grimms called them. But they were so much more than that.
They were magic.
The fairy tale did get a lot of things right, but ironically, it left out the most wondrous parts of my story. The most evil, the most gruesome, and the most romantic. You'd think those would be the truths which survived. But no, it was just the bones of my life that made it into the pages of the Grimm book. It was a time when magic still ran rampant over the world, and I suppose there were a lot of stories like mine. A lot of tales collected by the story tellers. Yet I cannot forgive the injustice, the sheer heartbreak of not accurately sharing the truth.
So I will start with the brothers. No, wait. I will start even further back than that, with their father. His name was Bayard and he was a fisherman by trade.
One day, Bayard was out in his little boat, fis
hing contentedly, when he saw a great splashing in the water. He steered his boat closer, and saw it was a woman being attacked by strange sea creatures. He lifted his fishing spear and cast it at the nearest creature, mortally wounding it. The others shrieked and swam away.
The woman was not in fact, a woman. She was a mermaid, and she felt indebted to the young fisherman. The mermaid offered him a gift, anything he desired. She swore she had the magic to fulfill his wish, whatever it may be. But Bayard was a simple man, and he wanted little for himself. The only thing he could think to ask for was a happy family. He was newly married and, like every man of his time, desired sons. He asked the mermaid for strong sons that would live long, happy lives.
The mermaid thought his request so sweet, so humble, that she improved upon it. She granted his wish for sturdy sons, promising him four of them. Then she added that not only would they live long, they would live forever. The man was shocked by this, and tried to refuse. Living forever didn't sound, in his opinion, like a gift. But the mermaid continued. What is forever without love? Without companionship? So the mermaid wove another thread into her spell. Whomever Bayard's sons fell in love with would share in the immortality. This eased Bayard's mind a little, but still, he was uncertain, and the mermaid saw this. So, in her generosity, she added even more. Upon adulthood, Bayard's sons would each be presented with a magical tutor, who would teach them talents they could use to improve their long lives. His sons would never know lack.
Satisfied that his sons would not only live long and happily, but would also thrive, the fisherman thanked the mermaid sincerely. She disappeared beneath the sea, and Bayard went back to his fishing. As I said, he was a simple man, and saving a mermaid was hardly a reason for heading home without his haul of fish.
At first, Bayard's wife, Orella, didn't believe his tall tale of a wish-granting mermaid. But eventually, she bore four healthy sons. After the last birth, she finally accepted that her husband was telling the truth. Unfortunately, I never got to meet Orella. She died when her eldest boy was sixteen. Life was much shorter back then, despite all the wild magic in the world. Bayard was heartbroken, and his work suffered for a few years. By the time his sons were of age, Bayard knew he could no longer care for them. He told them they would have to go out into the world and find work for themselves.
