Chapter Thirty-eight
Long Ago
4:35 P.M...
Nile Sector, Commorance Vicinage...
Ms. Odin's Safe House...
In the kitchen...
Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Deep in thought, Melissa continued to drum the counter with the spoon.
Kimberly's view...
The Mark has to stop doing that. The water boils in the pot as I force myself to remove my gaze from a block of kitchen knives that sit on the counter, and I walk to the stove. The Mark hasn't stopped that insane tapping! I remove the pot and set it on a different burner. She has to stop it before I make her stop.
Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink.
I walk over to the Mark and say, "Here let me take your coffee." I pick up the mug and yank the spoon out of her grasp. The Mark's so deep in thought she doesn't notice the forceful abstraction.
I set a steaming cup of liquid in front of the Mark then turn to Johnson and Daniels. Andrews earlier had taken position in the living room. I set my cup down. I could easily take the bodyguards out and kill the Mark before that woman returns, but that will mean I'd have to kill her. I place a tea bag in my cup and pour honey in it. That woman will hunt me down if I don't eliminate her first. I sit on a barstool and glance at my watch. Good thing the appointed time hasn't arrived for the Closing, so for now, I don't have to make the hard decision.
I ask, "Melissa, would you like honey in your tea?"
"No, sugar please," the Mark replies, and she looks miserable.
With the tapping gone, I focus on the Mark, and I can't describe how I feel standing this close to someone I'm going to kill. I'm talking with her, and I made tea for her. It's weird, eerily weird, and it goes against my personal rules. I could develop a conscience doing this.
I bet that woman had me make tea for the Mark, hoping that somehow it would make me think twice about closing her when the time came. Well, it won't work. Nothing can sway me from a closing.
"I'm going to check on Andrews," Daniels says and heads out of the kitchen.
"I'll check the back door." Johnson walks into the laundry room.
Looking around, I realize I'm all alone with the Mark. I could easily... I let the notion drop and notice how the Mark looks. I would be the same way if I was the one waiting on death and was powerless to do anything to stop it.
I sprinkle sugar in Melissa's cup with a spoon as Johnson then Daniels returns. I lift my tea and ask, "Do you gentlemen want any?"
"No thank you," they reply.
Sitting next to the Mark, I sip on the weak black tea as silence fills the room and is only broken by the occasional body shifting or cup clinking on the counter. I still can't believe I'm this close, and it's too much. I have to get out of here for a little while, so I stand and state, "I'm going to check on Katharine."
End Kimberly's view...
Up stairs in the little girl's room...
Bonnie looked to Kat and said, "Now, you tell me a story."
"Me?" Kat pointed to herself. "I don't think I know any stories."
"You can make one up." Bonnie's large brown eyes widened as she pleaded, "Please. Please tell me a story."
Kat turned to Chad, and he leaned to her and whispered, "Make one up about yourself. You know, tell her one about Pandora."
Katharine's view...
"I don't know," I say and hesitate. No child would want to hear about my messed-up life.
End Katharine's view...
"Please," Bonnie pleaded this time with her little hands. "It can be a short one."
"Okay."
In the hall, Kim paused at the little girl's door and listened to Kat as she talked to Bonnie.
Kat began, "There was a..."
"You're supposed to start the story with once upon a time or long ago," Bonnie interrupted.
"Okay." Kat sat back in the chair and stared at the white fluffy clouds on the little girl's walls. "Long ago, there lived this woman named Pandora. One day she awoke and didn't know who she was or where she came from, and beside her was a small silver chest..."
"If she didn't know who she was–" Bonnie interrupted. "–how did she know her name was Pandora?"
"How did she know?" Kat put a finger to her chin. "Umm... There was a note. The note was addressed to Pandora and since she had it, she guessed her name was Pandora."
"Oh," Bonnie said and pulled up the covers. "What was in the silver chest?"
"A melody," Kat replied. "The small silver chest was a music box. Pandora opened the lid, and it played a magical tune. The music made her feel happy, but then evil Un-Men... I mean evil trolls appeared wanting to hurt her. They shot at her with, umm... arrows, and Pandora ran and ran. The evil trolls hunted her and nearly caught her."
Bonnie asked, "Didn't a knight come and save her?"
"No. No knight. Pandora had to fight on her own. There was no one to help her fight the evil trolls."
"That's so sad," Bonnie said. "What happened next?"
"For a long grueling year, Pandora ran from the evil trolls and she found a... a sword along the way and fought them, but no matter how many trolls she defeated, more came. One day Pandora came across this magical fire bird, and together they fought the evil trolls."
Bonnie asked, "Pandora found a friend?"
Katharine's view...
A friend? Is Kimberly my friend? No, she barely tolerates me, so what does that make us?
For the sake of the story, I answer the little girl, "Yes, Pandora found a friend who would fight by her side, and a friend who would always have her back."
Outside in the hall...
Kimberly's view...
That woman thinks I'm her friend, and I snicker to myself. She has to be kidding. I would never be her friend, and she's an idiot to think I'll ever be one to her.
End Kimberly's view...
In the bedroom...
Bonnie yawned. "That's good. I wouldn't like the story if Pandora was alone."
"Yes." Kat's eyes saddened. "It's not good to be alone."
"What happened next?" Bonnie's eyes drooped.
"They went to this castle, hoping to find out who Pandora was. Dragons protected the castle. The angry fire bird..."
"Why was the fire bird angry?" Bonnie asked.
"Why?" Kat said and thought about it.
Outside in the hall...
Kim leaned close to hear the answer.
Kat answered, "I believe the fire bird is angry because she is sad. She is sad that her mom is dead. I think she's afraid to show her sadness around others, so she turns it into anger."
Outside in the hall...
Kimberly's view...
It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! That woman doesn't know how I feel; no one knows how I feel.
I turn, head back to the stairs, and the floor creaks. I'm afraid of nothing, and when the time comes, I'll kill the Mark and that woman if she gets in my way.
End Kimberly's view...
Inside the little girl's room, Chad turned at the noise, looked into the hall, and whispered, "Someone's out there."
"Yes, I know." Kat didn't turn and kept her eyes on the now sleeping Bonnie. "Kimberly was out there for a while." She reached up and turned off the lamp, and several moon nightlights cast a pale yellow glow on the room. "Okay, Chad. Off to bed." She stood. "I'll be down stairs if you need me."
She passed Daniels who came up to guard the children's room, and he positioned himself right outside their door. Kat took the stairs down to the kitchen and there, Melissa and Kim sat, drinking tea. Johnson stood at the counter near the refrigerator with his arms folded.
"We must prepare." Kat sat next to Kim and stared at the rosewood granite. "The Closers should be arriving soon. We must be prepared for anything."
"Yes," Johnson agreed. "Andrews has the living room, Daniels the upstairs, and I'll take the kitchen and back area, so that leaves you t
wo to float between the areas."
"What's in the back area?" Kim asked.
"Melissa's office is off to the left of the living room as you come in the front door, and after that room is where Melissa has set up her lab. There are no outside doors on that end of the house, so all we have to worry about is the front and back doors," Kat stated.
Johnson nodded.
"I'm going to check out those two rooms off of the living room," Kim said as she stood and walked out of the kitchen.
Melissa turned to Kat. "Your friend talks less than you do, and she does mutter a lot." Melissa sipped her tea. "And I don't know if it's my nerves or not, but she acts strangely around me. Almost like she's trying not to make eye contact."
"Kimberly's very shy." Kat slid down from the bar stool. "I did throw her in this situation out of the blue, and I don't think she interacts with people much." She started out the door into the living room. "I'll go talk with her, and see if I can get her to relax a bit." Kat walked out.
After about a minute...
Johnson moved from the counter and stood beside Melissa "Where is Kat from?"
Melissa thought about it. "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"
Johnson rubbed his neck. "The way she talks, some of the phrases... I've never heard of them." He pushed the kitchen door open, looked into the living room, Andrews nodded to him, and Johnson let the door close. "Maybe she's from the Light Side of the planet."
"Why do you think Kat's from there?"
"Some of the things she says," Johnson replied. "For example, what did she mean by out of the blue?"
Melissa shrugged. "I can safely say that's the least of our worries. I trust Kat. I trust her to protect the children."
"The children? What about yourself?"
She stood, grabbed her cup, and placed it in the sink. "I can't ask for everything, and anyway, I've had this feeling all day."
"What kind of feeling?"
"I have a feeling, I won't see Tuesday. I feel as though I'm living in my final days."
"Don't say that!" he snapped. "Don't give up. You can survive this."
"You're right. I shouldn't say such things out loud. I should keep my fears to myself." Melissa grabbed a kitchen rag. "What if the children heard?" She ran water on it, rung the cloth out, moved to the eating area, and wiped the counter down. "I only have to trust you men, Kat, and her friend." She mumbled, "I only have to put all my faith in complete strangers."
Johnson watched her clean. She might trust Kat, but he didn't trust her friend. There was something off with her.
#2 Shades of Gray: From Moscow, With Love Page 47
