Eden's Escape

by M. Tara Crowl

  “And you already have the lamp.” Sylvana was radiant with excitement. “So what do you say?”

  When Eden looked at Brightly to see his response, she saw that his eyes were downcast, as if he was looking at something just under the table. Curiously, she stood up to see what it was.

  Beneath the table, Brightly’s phone was in his hand. On the screen, a green line was zigzagging up and down.

  He’d been watching it as Sylvana spoke—just like he and Jane had watched the electronic tablets while they interviewed Eden in Brightly Tech.

  Eden couldn’t believe it. He was using the Brightly Veritas!

  “You’re tellin’ me that you know how to take the lamp’s power?” he asked.

  “Exactly.”

  His eyes dropped again. “How do you know all this?”

  Sylvana smirked. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Well, maybe if we make this deal, you can try me.”

  “Absolutely,” Sylvana said with spirit.

  The green line on Brightly’s phone plummeted from the top to the very bottom, then back again.

  “Would we split that power evenly?”

  “Of course! Fifty-fifty. We’ll be partners.”

  Brightly looked up at Sylvana.

  “All right,” he said. “Tonight, after the auction, you can come to my lab and see the lamp.”

  “Oh!” Sylvana clapped her hands together ecstatically. “I can’t wait to see it again!”

  “And then, you can tell me everything you know.” He pushed up his glasses and fixed his eyes on hers. “I’m dyin’ to know the truth about all this.”

  “And I am dying to tell you.” Sylvana’s eyes twinkled with the joy of having ensnared yet another mortal. And all the while, under the table, the monitor on Brightly’s phone continued its jagged dance.

  When they went their separate ways, Eden hopped into the car that came for Brightly. It was clear that Sylvana intended to use him so she could attempt once again to get the lamp’s power for herself. But there was no chance she was actually planning to partner with Brightly. The idea of Sylvana splitting the lamp’s power with a mortal was laughable.

  Although it was easy to see Sylvana’s motives, Eden wanted to learn more about Brightly’s. From the way the green line had shot all over the screen, she was guessing that the Veritas had detected Sylvana’s lies. And yet, Brightly had agreed to partner with her.

  Maybe Sylvana wasn’t the only one being deceitful.

  In the car, Brightly slid the partition closed and dialed a number on his cell phone. After two rings, Jane Johnston’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Where are you?” she demanded. “I’ve been trying to reach you for hours!”

  Eden leaned over to get a closer look. It was just like a message from the masters, but in real time!

  “I’ll explain,” Brightly said. “Any update on the girl?”

  “No. A couple crazies with dead-end leads.” Jane rolled her eyes. “Where have you been? Marguerite said you left the office with two women.”

  “The president and CEO of Electra paid me a visit.”

  “Electra?” Jane said. “What’s that?”

  “An auction house. They’re holdin’ a sale tonight, and I went to the showing with them.”

  “Why?”

  “They know about Eden.”

  Jane looked astonished. “They know what?”

  “That she’s a genie. At least, one of them does.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. She said she wants to partner with me. She claims she can tap into the lamp’s power and get us both unlimited wishes.”

  Jane gasped. “Is that true?”

  “No,” Brightly answered bitterly. “I activated the Veritas, and the meter was goin’ bananas. Her dishonesty was off the charts.”

  Finally, Sylvana had been caught in a lie! Eden was delighted.

  “She’s tryin’ to use me to get what she wants,” Brightly said. “Jane, why are people always tryin’ to use me?”

  “David,” Jane said, “you’re brilliant and wealthy. It’s inevitable that people will try to take advantage of you.”

  “But why do they have to lie to me?” Brightly shrieked. Eden grimaced. She was pretty sure there was another tantrum coming.

  “David,” Jane said, “I want you to take three breaths and focus.”

  Eden watched as Brightly inhaled deeply, then exhaled three times in a row.

  “Better?” Jane asked.

  Brightly nodded.

  “Now. Do you think there’s a chance that this woman—what was her name?”

  “Sylvana.”

  “Do you think you could get more information from her? If she knew about the genie, she must know more about the lamp and its power. Don’t you think?”

  “That’s why I’m gonna bring her to the lab tonight. I told her she can come see the lamp, and we’ll talk business.”

  That piqued Jane’s interest. “Are we going to—”

  “Yep. Just like we did for Eden.”

  Jane rubbed her hands together eagerly. “What time is she coming?”

  “About nine, I’d guess. After the auction at Electra. Which I’ll be attendin’.”

  “David, are you sure? Wouldn’t it look bad for you to be there? Remember, you’re supposed to be searching for your missing daughter.”

  “I don’t think my being there will weaken the story. An appearance will keep it in the public eye. That way, people will keep lookin’—and it’ll be more likely that someone will spot her.” Brightly sniffed. “Once I get that genie back, there’s gonna be a Veritas in every phone on the planet. No one will ever get away with lyin’ to me again.”

  “If things go well tonight,” Jane said, “you might not need to make that wish. You might learn how to make as many wishes as you want.”

  Brightly smiled that toothy grin. “You’ve got a good point there.” The car pulled to a stop, and he looked out the window. “I’m at the office,” he said.

  “Good. Come up and meet me in the lab,” said Jane.

  “Okay. See you in a sec.”

  He climbed out of the car, and Eden slipped out behind him. Her heart was racing. Already she had so much to tell the Loyals—and now, she was going to learn how to get to the lab!

  But right as she stepped up to the revolving door, wiry arms encircled her waist.

  “Hey!” She looked up and saw Delta’s face, set in determination. Her hair was waving wildly in the breeze. “What are you doing?” Eden demanded.

  Delta didn’t answer—just dragged her to the brown Renault parked around the corner. She opened the back door and shoved Eden inside.

  “What were you thinking?” Bola roared. The old car’s transmission struggled with the steep inclines on the way into Montmartre; it strained and rumbled as they went. Bola raised her voice over it. “We’ve been sitting there waiting for hours! Why on Earth would you leave Brightly Tech?”

  “I had to!” Eden said. “Sylvana and Heloise were there with Brightly. I went to Electra with them!”

  It wouldn’t be safe for her to be visible until they were back in the house, so Delta was still the only one who could see or hear her. In the backseat beside her, she raised her eyebrows. “I hope you got something we can use.”

  “I did!” Eden insisted.

  “What is she saying?” Bola yelled.

  “She said she did,” Delta said.

  “Well, what? Does she know how to get to the lab?”

  Eden bit her lip. Although she’d learned that the lab was on the ninth floor, she still didn’t know how to access it. “Well, not exactly, but—”

  “No,” Delta said to Bola.

  “But I was about to! Right before you dragged me away!”

  Bola started in on a fiery new rant. Meanwhile, in the front passenger seat, Pepper stayed silent. Eden watched her guardian’s face in the rearview mirror. Usually Pepper’s face broadcasted every
thought that crossed her mind. But for the first time, Eden couldn’t read her at all.

  Back at the house, once Delta had made Eden visible, the Loyals sat around the table while she recounted everything she’d seen and heard. Trevor sat curled in Delta’s lap, and the zebra finches perched on her shoulders alongside a green parakeet and a cockatiel.

  “Are you absolutely sure he’s going to attend the auction tonight?” Bola asked.

  “Yes,” Eden said. “And then he’s going to bring Sylvana back to Brightly Tech and question her with the Veritas.”

  Bola breathed in deeply through her nostrils. “Then it’s essential that we retrieve the lamp while they’re at Electra.”

  “Exactly.” Eden nodded enthusiastically. “I can be invisible again.”

  Bola blinked. “Well obviously you’re not going to go.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Bola’s laugh was short and harsh. “Do you really think we’d let you come after what happened today? Eden, you didn’t follow instructions.”

  Eden’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “That was the only way I could have learned what I did!” she protested. “If I hadn’t gone, we wouldn’t know that Sylvana’s trying to use Brightly to get the lamp. And we wouldn’t know that he’ll be at the auction tonight!”

  “It was incredibly irresponsible for you to leave Brightly Tech.” Bola’s English accent made her words sharp as daggers. “Your sole objective was to learn how to access the lab, and you failed.”

  “If you hadn’t followed them,” Delta said, “you would have had a perfect opportunity to explore the facility without Brightly there.”

  “Exactly,” Bola spat. “Did you think about that?”

  “Now when we go in tonight, we’re going to have to figure it out as we go,” Delta said irritably.

  “I’m sorry,” Eden said. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  “Well you weren’t,” Bola snapped. “You were being selfish, as usual. Chasing after whatever you pleased instead of thinking of the people who are trying to help you. And as a result, you’ve heightened the risk for us all.”

  Eden smacked her palm on the table. “That’s so unfair!”

  “Unfair?” Bola hissed. “Eden, you proved what I suspected: that you can’t handle this type of thing.”

  Eden blinked back indignant tears. She turned to Pepper, who was sitting silently beside her.

  “Pepper, tell her I can do it!”

  Pepper was staring at the table. She looked up and gazed sadly at Eden. “You know I love you, kid. But Bola’s right. You should sit this one out.”

  Eden felt a sob rise up in her chest. She shoved her chair back, ran up the red-carpeted stairs and into the bedroom, and threw herself on the saggy bed.

  She must have cried herself to sleep, because she woke up a while later with puffy eyes and a dry mouth. Looking at her phone, she saw that several hours had passed.

  Eden rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She’d been lucky to happen upon Brightly with the Electric. How could Bola and the others possibly blame her for following them after hearing what she’d found out? She would have been crazy to let them slip away!

  She pouted and crossed her arms. She felt wronged by everyone, but most of all Pepper. She knew the Loyals were narrow-minded and stuck in their ways, so in a way, their reaction was no surprise. But now Pepper was acting just like them!

  In New York, Pepper and Eden had roamed the city without a care in the world. But now Pepper was being just as stuffy, mean, and boring as the rest of them.

  “Eden?” Pepper’s voice came from the other side of the bedroom door.

  “What?” Eden asked flatly.

  Pepper was silent for a moment. Then: “We’ve got things for sandwiches downstairs. Do you want to come make one?”

  “I’m not hungry.” It was a lie, of course; she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and it was now late afternoon. But she didn’t feel like seeing any of them.

  “Do you want me to bring one up here for you?”

  “I said I’m not hungry.”

  Pepper cleared her throat. “All right. Can I come in?”

  Eden didn’t answer. Pepper opened the door and poked her head inside. She’d tied a colorful scarf around her mop of curls.

  “What’s on your head?”

  “Do you like it? I found it in a little store on the way to the market.” A smile started to spread across Pepper’s face.

  But Eden wasn’t ready to make friends again.

  “It’s different,” she said coldly.

  Pepper crept forward and sat on the edge of the bed. “You know, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Eden’s eyes flicked up to meet hers, then back down again. In that moment, she could see that Pepper truly meant it. Still, that didn’t make what had happened okay.

  Eden narrowed her eyes at her. “If you didn’t want to hurt my feelings, you should have stood up for me earlier.”

  “But to some extent, what Bola said was true,” Pepper said. The gentle tone of her voice made Eden even angrier. “You have to realize that. You didn’t follow the plan we’d agreed upon.”

  Eden rolled her eyes. “But I was fine.” She couldn’t understand what the big deal was.

  Pepper sighed and pulled off the colorful head scarf. She kept her eyes on her hands as she folded and unfolded it. “You know, Xavier and Goldie asked me to look after you. That means that you need to listen to me, even if what I say isn’t what you want to do. I’m your guardian. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

  Eden eyed her bitterly. “And here I thought you were my friend.”

  Pepper winced, but Eden didn’t care. Pepper’s words had hurt her, too.

  “Pepper,” Bola said, stopping in the doorway, “let’s eat so we can get going. We need to be out of there long before he’s back from the auction.”

  Pepper turned and nodded to her. Bola’s eyes skimmed over Eden, but she didn’t say anything more—just turned and went down the stairs.

  “I love you, kid,” Pepper said.

  Eden crossed her arms and faced the window. She couldn’t believe they were leaving her behind.

  After about thirty seconds, she heard Pepper sigh. Then the saggy bed squeaked as her guardian stood up and left.

  When Violet arrived at Electra headquarters, the air was buzzing with anticipation. The auction was set to start in half an hour.

  Mortal employees wearing black from head to toe drifted through the halls, speaking quietly and eying everyone. Arriving attendees flitted around greeting one another with air kisses, trying to impress one another with little bits of news about their fabulous lives.

  Naturally, all attendees were dressed to the nines, including Violet. She was wearing a strapless navy gown, and her dark hair was pulled into a chignon. The final touches were a necklace with a ruby the size of a grape hanging from it, and a ruby ring to match.

  But she was miserable. What Sylvana had said in the hotel lobby had ruined her day. Hearing Heloise named CEO last night had been bad, but what had happened today was far worse. Sylvana had insulted Violet right in front of her! Called her an old dog!

  The salesroom where the auction would be held was on Electra’s second story. The room was grand and spacious, with high walnut banquettes running along its perimeter. When Violet entered, a mortal Electra employee showed her to a seat in the front row.

  Most people in the room would have been honored to sit here, but for Violet, it was yet another insult. She gazed up to the banquette, where she should be. The three empty seats closest to the stage were reserved for the most important people in the room. Tonight, there was no question who that was.

  As the auction’s final attendees arrived, Sylvana and Heloise made their entrance. Each of them held one of David Brightly’s elbows, although for some reason he was walking with a cane. Violet had noticed that earlier at the hotel, too.

  As they stopped along the way for obligatory air kisses,
the women looked like movie stars at a film premiere. Sandwiched between them, Brightly beamed shamelessly.

  Whispers rippled through the salesroom. Everyone would know about the disappearance of Brightly’s daughter—and yet, here he was, looking like the happiest man in Paris.

  Violet watched Electra’s new CEO take the seat nearest to the stage.

  That should be me, she thought bitterly.

  A stately middle-aged gentleman in a suit took the stage, standing behind a tall wooden podium. Gold letters on the front spelled ELECTRA. The room fell quiet as he began.

  “This is sale 2857, Paris Jewels,” he said in French. “Lots 1 through 117. We’ll begin the bidding with Lot 1.” Above the stage, the wall rotated to showcase a pair of yellow diamond earrings. A screen above the auctioneer showed a close-up view of the piece. “Diamond Cartier earrings from 1932, shown on the screen behind me, and also pictured and described in your catalogues. We’ll start the bidding at forty thousand euros. Forty thousand?” A short-haired woman raised a red card to place a bid. “Forty-one thousand.” And the show was under way.

  Violet hadn’t been to an auction in years, but she’d always enjoyed their fast pace and elite nature. But this time, she couldn’t concentrate on anything except the banquette.

  Heloise was as pouty and listless as usual. Brightly smiled widely, showing his big white teeth. And Sylvana sat coolly, regal as a queen.

  “Lot 19. The diamond bracelet once owned by Maria Theresa of Spain, the first wife of Louis XIV.” The image of the intricately designed bracelet appeared on the screen. Several bidders sat up straighter. There had been a lot of buzz about this item; it was one of the most highly valued items in the auction.

  “We’ll start the bidding at one hundred thousand euros. One hundred thousand?”

  A man raised his paddle but was quickly outbid by a woman on a phone. Some of the “regulars” who were known to make large purchases were placed in private skyboxes that looked down on the salesroom from a floor above. While enjoying food and drinks served by Electra catering staff, they communicated by phone to agents on the floor who placed bids for them.

  As bidders battled over the bracelet, Violet noticed something unusual in the banquette. Mr. Brightly was whispering agitatedly to Sylvana, who seemed perturbed by whatever he was saying. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed with concern.