Sara and Allie held hands with the children as they brought them back inside the mountain hideaway. Once inside, the children walked in front of them, playing. Allie asked, “What is this place called, does it have a name?”
“Caveena. In their language it has several meanings; city, family, community, for us it means nursery school. It is one of several; this one is officially Caveena Six.”
“Can I stay and help?”
“We have to get you back. Your parents will be worried, and before long they will have people searching for you. Eventually they will find this place and attack these people. We can’t take that chance.”
“What if I... what if I told my mother I had a baby-sitting job? That would not even be a lie.”
“I’ll ask Bethany. I’m not sure she likes you.” Sara winked.
“Everybody likes me. I am popular, okay!”
“We will see, girl.”
“She doesn’t think I will hurt the kids, does she?”
“Will you stop it –”
“I wouldn’t hurt a child. I wouldn’t! There is no way that stuff could be talking about me. Kill the queen? I don’t even know who the queen is, I never met her.”
“Relax, girl.”
They returned to the room where they met Lila and Nadia. Lisa was already waiting, and she took the two girls to escort them out. When they were gone, Allie looked around the white room and saw new patterns on the walls. “Whoa! Look at the walls!”
“Are you seeing the colors?”
“Yeah! They are so beautiful, like rainbows, just not arches, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. I will tell you about them later. Look over here in the center of the crest and tell me what you see.”
Allie looked closely at the center of the image. “They have colors in them. I thought they were just black and white, but they have colors. Wow!”
“Is it red or blue?”
“Blue, mostly.”
“Good. By the time I get you home, your new found jumping skills will have faded.”
“No! They can’t fade, not now!”
“Allie. If you had freaky powers that they didn’t have you would stand out. To be one of us you have to blend in at all times. The last thing you want is to be noticed. It leads to death and destruction. Come on, let’s go.”
Sara led her back out the way they came in. They returned their jackets to the closet they had come from, and Sara led Allie out to the surface. They went back to Sara’s house and her mother took Allie to school, where she would wait and take the bus home. Allie sat on the curb where she would not be seen. After the car pulled away, she headed for the side of the school and tried to jump – but her powers were gone. Her head hung as she walked back and plopped on the curb.
It was 2:45 and the buses began pulling up to the school entrance to take students back home. Allie saw her bus and got up and walked over to it. The doors opened and she saw Malcolm sitting behind the steering wheel. Allie boarded and tried to speak to him, but he held up his hand and pointed to the back. She saw the image on his hand and she stayed quiet and went to the back of the bus and sat.
Older students boarded the bus and when they went to the back and saw Allie they became upset. “What do you think you are doing back here in our seat, little girlie?”
Allie moved to the middle of the bus and sat there instead. She was angry and wanted to yell back, but she held her tongue. As the bus trundled along, she watched out of the window. She thought about the power she had lost and dreamed of smashing the boy’s face in if she had it now.
When the bus stopped at her house she got off, ran to the house and opened her front door.
Her mother was there waiting for her. “Hey, Kitten.”
“Mom, could you not call me that?” Allie thundered and huffed up the stairs to her room. She knew she was not really mad at her mother but her frustrations got the better of her. No matter; she would apologize later.
She sauntered into her bedroom, shut the door, and laid on her bed, mentally trying to figure out her future. For hours she stared up at the ceiling. To become a sitter, she would have to edit or flat out lie to her mother, and that would be painful for her. She thought over how best to approach the subject and it hit her: if her mother didn’t ask the right questions, it just might work.
Later that night she went to her mother’s bedroom and knocked on the door. “Mom, can I come in?”
“It’s open.”
Allie saw her mother at her dresser, combing her long brown hair in the mirror. “I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have yelled at you and I am sorry.”
“It’s okay, Kitten – I mean Allison. You are getting older every single day and I guess I am just not ready to let go of my baby. I know I can’t keep you little forever so be patient with me. I promise to snap out of it.” She gave her a hug.
“It’s okay. Every day I get reminded about how young I am, but I am not young. I have seen things and know things and I am ready to start being more responsible. Nobody will give me the chance to prove I can be responsible. I can do good things. All I need is a chance to prove myself.”
“You are responsible. It’s not you, baby, it’s me. I want to keep you safe, but I have to learn to let go.”
“Mom, can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“My friend Sara has a job as a baby-sitter. She says I can help her if I get permission. I got it all worked out. I can get off the bus at her house and sit for a couple hours and come home. I will be able to do any homework there and on weekends I can sit for longer. Will you let me?”
Kay was silent for a while. She had her hairbrush in her hand and played with it while thinking. She had many questions but wanted to be fair. “We will have to know more but I don’t see it as a problem. Do you have all the details?”
“I can answer anything you want to know.”
“All right.” Kay sat on her bed and Allie sat beside her. “Who are you sitting for and where do they live?”
“A woman named Bethany. Sara has been her sitter for a whole year. She has two girls and one of the other sitters quit. I don’t know what the pay will be but I imagine it will be fair. I have met her and the girls and they are good people. I can make my own money and show you how responsible I can be.”
“Honey, you are fifteen.”
“You can baby-sit at eleven. Don’t you trust me?”
“It is not a matter of trusting you. Things are happening around here that are hard to explain and your father will have questions. He will probably want to meet this woman first. Let me think about it.”
“Mom, I need to start now before someone else takes the job.”
“Your father will be back in a minute; ask him.”
Allie went downstairs and sat on the couch, waiting for her father. She reviewed her strategy and tried to anticipate every question he would ask her. It was not long before he walked through the door with his rifle in his hand. He saw her and smiled. “Alley Cat, what are you doing up at this hour?”
“Waiting for you. Mom said I needed your approval and I couldn’t sleep until I knew for sure.”
“All right.” He put away his gun and sat on the couch. “Let’s have it.”
“I want to start baby-sitting with my friend Sara. She offered me the job because someone else quit and I have to let her know in the morning.”
George looked at his young daughter. “What did your mother say?”
“She said it is okay with her if you say it is okay. Please let me do this. I won’t get behind at school and I will be able to make my own money and show you how responsible I can be.”
“Allie, something … something strange is going on around town. You can’t be out alone at night – not until we know more.”
“I’ll be protected, Daddy; I will be surrounded by people. You know Sara’s father from work and her mother is nice; Mom met her and likes her. Please say yes.”
“Honey, you are only fifteen, you don’
t need to work.”
“Dad, there are girls around the world that get married at thirteen and start having babies. I was at a school where an eleven-year-old girl got pregnant and had a baby!” she said, starting to shout.
Her father’s cheeks flared crimson. “I know! I pulled you out of that school because you don’t need to be around stuff like that.”
“Stuff like that! Stuff like that!” she yelled back. “Don’t you mean people like that?”
The implication shocked him. “How dare you? If you want to fight then you fight fair!” He was calm and slow as he spoke, but his voice held authority.
Allie took several deep breaths but she was not about to give up. She knew her father and they had argued many times over many things and there was a way to win if she saw it. She finally said as calmly as she could, “I am sorry I said that. This is important to me. I want this more than anything I have ever wanted in my life. How can I prove to you I am ready?”
He had trained her well and was more impressed with her new strategy. “Let me think about it. Your safety is more important than a job.” And before she had a chance to argue any further, he turned and went upstairs.
Allie exhaled and thought about what she could have done differently. She walked up the stairs to her room. It was the only thing on her mind before lying down and going to sleep.
In the morning, Allie got up with a mission. She stayed in her room because she didn’t want any more questions from her parents. She watched the clock on her dresser and took the time to clean her room and her bathroom. She knew her bus schedule and made it downstairs just as her bus was coming around the corner. She politely said good morning to her parents and turned down breakfast. Then she was out the door, standing at the bus stop as it pulled up. She got on board, smiled at Malcolm, and sat in the middle of the bus for the ride to school.
At lunch, she sat at her table and waited for Sara to come in. As usual, the back table was populated with the Double E Club members. Allie cast it several glances, then started on lunch; having missed breakfast, she was starving.
“Hey, girl,” said Sara as she sat down with her tray.
Allie perked up. “Hey. I need your help, big time.”
“What’s up?”
“I told my folks you were baby-sitting and the girl who was helping you quit and you need someone right away and you thought of me. They keep saying it is not safe and this and that. I need you to put in a good word for me.”
“With your folks?”
“Yeah, they won’t believe me, but I bet they will believe you. Just come over and make it sound good, that is all I need.”
“Let me check with my mom.”
“Sara, I need you. They won’t let me do this without you.”
“Do you really want to do this? It’s not too late, you know; you can change your mind.”
“Why do you keep asking me that? Of course, I’m sure. Help me!”
“Okay, girl, calm down. Dang, you sure are hyper in the mornings, aren’t you?”
Allie apologized and laughed. “Thanks.”
“Go home and wait. I think I have a solution that will work for you.”
“You are the best friend ever,” said Allie.
Sara looked at her friend and revisited her last words. Sara’s stomach churned, but her face only showed happiness.
That night, Sara called Allie at home. “I got the perfect person to help you. Be ready in half an hour.”
“What?” Allie asked. “Who? You’re not coming?” She felt her heart racing.
“No, but you will be surprised.” Sara hung up the phone.
Allie waited on the couch; her father was wearing camouflage fatigues and was getting ready to leave. Earlier in the day she saw him cleaning his gun and then later he was going through his doctor’s bag. There was a knock at the door; George got up off the couch, and Allie raced to the door to get it. “I got it!”
When she opened the door, she was completely surprised. It was Bethany standing in her doorway. She had with her a baby, and Lisa. She looked lower and saw Nadia holding Lisa’s hand. “I invite you into my home,” she said – although she wasn’t sure how she actually got the words out of her mouth or if they were appropriate. She opened the door wide and they entered.
Lisa wore a white jacket with the crest. She had long hair, a two-toned brown and blond mixture, that was tied in the back with a red string. She wore a blue open blouse with a silver cross on a gold-chained necklace that shimmered as she moved. She also had on a black skirt and smiled as she walked in first with Nadia. Nadia’s hair was similarly styled and she wore the same blue blouse and black skirt. She too grinned as she entered the house. Bethany was the last to enter. She dressed like the others, and she too had on a white jacket with the crest, her long red hair tied with a white ribbon flowing behind her, Bethany entered the house carrying a baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
Allie closed the door and was immediately in high spirits. “Mom? Dad? This is the lady I told you about, this is Bethany.”
Kay came forward. “How do you do, Miss...?”
“It is Mrs., Mrs. Bethaniel Alwudaio Loambardielleeao Caveena Rueman.” She smiled. “Don’t try to pronounce it, just call me Bethany.”
“Oh, I see. Bethany it is. I am Mrs. Kay Carter and this is my husband, George.”
They greeted each other.
Kay directed them to the couch. “Please have a seat. Is there anything I can get anyone?”
“No, we are fine. May I call you Kay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Well, Kay, this is my cousin, Lisa, and this is my daughter, Nadia.” Both said hello and exchanged pleasantries. “I am in need of help because Lisa will be leaving in the morning and Sara will lose her help. I was hoping that Allie would be able to take her place and I was under the impression that you and your husband had reservations?”
Kay spoke up. “I had some. Allie is young and we didn’t know who she would be working for. We know Sara but needed more information before making a decision.”
A truck’s horn started playing the song Dixie outside. George rose, looked out the window, then waved at them. “I’m afraid I have to get going. I wish I had more time to talk with you, but we have to get a move on before it gets too late.” He looked at Allie. “Whatever Mom says is fine with me. If a problem develops I will step in.” With that, he grabbed his rifle and left the house.
“I’m afraid we are having some sort of problem with livestock that has got everyone literally up in arms,” Kay said awkwardly after her husband had departed.
“I believe it will work itself out,” said Bethany. “What can I say to ease your mind? I will admit I am being selfish and trying to force you into a quick decision.”
Kay smiled nervously. How could she decline now that she had met the woman?
“Would you like to hold my baby?” Bethany asked. “Her name is Marianna.”
“Yes, may I?”
Allie’s heart sank for a moment. This was her mother – what if something happened? What if the baby attacked her? But she held it inside as best she could; Bethany was here to help, and she knew what was best. Still, she would not draw an easy breath until they left.
“Of course.” Bethany stood and placed the baby in Kay’s arms. She uncovered her and Kay saw a beautiful little face looking back at her. Bethany touched Marianna’s shoulder, pressing down before releasing. The baby made a cooing sound.
Kay smiled and made noises at the baby. “Oh, she is so beautiful, I think she is perfect.” She lifted the baby onto her shoulder; Lisa whipped around behind her, staring into the child’s eyes, jacket and crest visible to Marianna. Lisa lifted her finger and when the baby saw it, Lisa slowly put her finger next to the cross and held it there. Marianna’s eyes followed, settling on the jewel glistening in the cross.
“Kay, I work from home with Sara’s mother. One of us will always be available to bring Allie home and if her grades start slipping th
en we will have to let her go. Our top priority is for our children to do well in school. If they fail, their hopes and dreams would meet a swift end.”
Kay lightly patted the baby on the back and rocked her. “What job do you do from home if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I don’t mind. I run a day care and nursery school. There are newborns as well as girls Nadia’s age. These days so much paperwork is involved that I have to hire extra help so I can take care of that. I don’t know why, but they paperwork you to death.”
“My husband’s a doctor so I know that complaint very well.” Kay brought the baby back down and turned around to sit back on the couch. For a moment she was startled to find Lisa behind her. She sat and both women moved quickly to either side of Kay and sat beside her.
Allie grabbed Nadia’s hand and sat down beside her. In her chest, her heart beat faster. Nadia’s head jerked toward her; the girl’s eyes changed color. Thinking she was hearing her heartbeat, Allie quickly touched Nadia’s shoulder then held her. “Put your head in my lap, close your eyes tight, and pretend you are sleeping,” she whispered; Nadia did as she was told.
“Mrs. Carter, we have to be going, I have to put both of the children to bed. I stopped by to personally assure you that Allie is in good hands and as you can see, children love her.”
Mrs. Carter looked at her daughter and the sleeping girl on her lap. Pride welled in her chest. “All right.” She handed Marianna back to Bethany. Then Bethany climbed back to her feet, and Lisa collected Nadia from Allie. “I will let Allie work for you but her grades are her first priority.”
“I understand completely. Goodnight, Kay.”
“Goodnight, Bethany.”
Allie walked them to the door with a spring in her step. She mouthed thank you and closed the door behind them. She went back in and hugged her mother: she was bursting with joy.
Chapter 11
Cavers: A Vampire Tale Page 13
