by Leyton, Bisi
“I hear your trip was rough this time?” Her green eyes sparkled as she spoke into his ear, so he could hear her over the waves.
“Where is Lluc?” Bach looked around as the rest of the Thayns emerged from the other thresholds next to him. “He went ahead of me?”
“We thought it would be better if we spoke alone,” she said as her short, almost pure white, hair blew in the wind.
“Why?” Bach called, trying to be heard over the waves and wind.
“Felip has spoken to me about the Terran girl.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked as the water from the river blow sprayed them knocking down several Thayns. “Your father has not taught you how to control the waters?”
“My father has not taught me because he has not figured it out himself. Bach, you should not feel guilty about how you feel about the Terran girl,” Alba continued. “You never know, this might be what the Great Walk is about. Trying new things and discovering who you are. Do it now, and get it out of your system, or you will be useless to your brother when he becomes the Sen of your Pillar.”
“Really, Alba, I do not know what you are talking about.” Bach forced a smile.
The Lord of Jarthan was one of the Seven Elders. If Alba’s father heard what she was saying, the Sen of the Third Pillar would find out and there would be hell to pay.
“My Great Walk is over.” Bach backed away from her. “But I appreciate your concern.”
She placed one hand on his forehead and then shook her head as she turned back to face the waters below. “Interesting,” she muttered.
“What?” he inquired after some seconds of silence.
“I am not a mind reader,” she joked. “You just have very soft skin.”
Bach laughed. “Whoa!” He felt a sharp jolt shoot through his head.
She’d pulsed him with her blue light.
“Why?” he groaned.
“To speed up your regeneration. It is faster when someone helps you.” It was years since he needed another to help restore his health and the pulse hurt more than he remembered. No wonder Wisteria screamed when he was teasing her. “Ah…” he moaned, as it felt like his brain was hammering violently against his skull.
“Beloved.” She placed her arms around him. “Clearly, there is a lot more Terran poison inside of you. It will take us awhile to restore you.”
“Alba, wait.” He clutched her wrists. “We should at least go inside.”
“Just work through it.” She gently caressed his back. “You will feel much better if you let it pass.”
“Thank you…” Bach whispered before he passed out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Wisteria didn’t go to school for three days. Instead she spent her days either at home or working in the library. She told her mother she wasn’t ready to face Hailey, but Wisteria felt lost. Her mother simply told Wisteria she’d get over it. Getting over Hailey’s humiliation yes, but getting over Bach? Wisteria didn’t know and that scared her.
Today, she sat on the floor, reading on the third floor of the library. Here, she was alone with her thoughts and Hailey and her friends never showed up in this place.
Suddenly, her book was snatched from her hands. Startled, she looked up to see who took it.
Coles was standing over her with his arms crossed. “So, are you going to tell me why you aren’t in school today?”
“No.” She reached for the book. “Please, may I have my book back?”
“Please? You’re incredibly polite for someone who’s in a lot of trouble.” He handed the book back to her.
“Because I wasn’t in school?”
“No, because I had to listen to Sir Charles go on and on about how no one gets special treatment and how everyone has to earn their keep.”
“My mother said she spoke to you.”
“She did and you had one day off, not three, Wisteria. Now you’ve got to get yourself back to school.” Coles crouched down in front of her. “Let’s go.”
“Do you make every student your personal responsibility? You’re the head of security, aren’t there biters you’re supposed to be curing?”
“I could drag you to school. Your choice.”
“I don’t need you to go with me. I know the way.” Slowly, she rose and headed down the stairs, out of the library. She reached the doors of her classroom after the long walk to get there. There was no noise inside because they were having mathematics and she knew that Mr. Cheung had zero tolerance on everything.
Wisteria closed her eyes for moment and opened the classroom door.
All eyes were on her.
“Nice scarf,” a girl called out and some students snickered.
“You shut up.” Cheung pointed at the girl. “Wisteria, sit down now.”
Wisteria walked in, passing Yvette’s desk.
The girl stuck her foot out, making it impossible for Wisteria to pass. “Where’s your flesh eater boyfriend?” Yvette sneered. “You couldn’t get a real boyfriend, so you picked a biter.”
“Just let me pass.” Wisteria tried to ignore the other children laughing.
“What are you going to do….bite her?” Karen taunted as more students laughed.
“Get out of my way.” Wisteria pushed Yvette’s leg back.
“Ah,” Yvette called out. “Mr. Cheung, Wisteria’s trying to break my leg off.”
“What?” She turned back to her teacher. “That isn’t true.”
Mr. Cheung stood still while watching her as though he was thinking about something. He appeared to be in a trance. “Okay, that’s enough.” He seemed to snap out of his daze. “Wisteria, sit down now. The next time someone says a word, everyone’s going to do a shift in pest control. And I am certain Garfield will tell you just how wonderful it is.” He scanned the room, as if daring someone to speak.
Yvette removed her leg from Wisteria’s path. As Wisteria moved, the class erupted into laughter.
“Wisteria.” Garfield pointed behind her.
She turned and saw Hailey with a huge smile on her face while holding Wisteria’s green scarf.
“Hailey, you bloody cow!” Garfield called out.
“Not a word,” Mr. Cheung reminded them. “Hailey, put the scarf down.”
Hailey smirked, crumpled up the scarf, and tossed it across the room.
“Get out of my class, Miss Davenport. Congratulations everyone, you get to spend four hours this week in pest control.”
Everyone groaned, but Hailey gave Wisteria a dirty look.
Wisteria nodded, walked up to Hailey, and punched her in the face, sending the girl flying back across her desk.
Yvette and Karen jumped up to Hailey’s defense.
Wisteria hit Karen across the face with a textbook, also sending the girl falling to the ground.
Yvette looked afraid and stepped aside while Amanda handed Wisteria her scarf.
Wisteria walked past Steven, who turned bright red. She then calmly took her seat next to Garfield.
“What the hell was that?” he asked her.
“I don’t know.” But her hands were shaking.
“Mackenzie said you had a dark rage,” Garfield reminded her.
“That is it!” Mr. Cheung shouted. “Wisteria, Hailey, Karen, Garfield, and just to remind you I can, Steven! Get the hell out of my class now.”
“Mr. Cheung, she attacked us,” Hailey screamed, while getting to her feet.
“Well done, Hailey.” Mr. Cheung’s face was bright red now. “You have earned everyone else, and I mean everyone, eight hours tonight at pest control treatment.”
Wisteria left the classroom while re-tying her scarf.
Garfield followed right after her. “Wisteria, what did they do to your hair?” He was grimacing in horror.
“What do you think they did? I don’t want to talk about it.”
He nodded then put his arm around her shoulder as if trying to comfort her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you these last few days. I’v
e been trying to keep a low profile since the boys left.”
She tried to laugh. “I hope I didn’t ruin your chances with Amanda?”
“No, Amanda and I are on a break. We needed our space.”
“In your dreams,” she muttered.
While the two friends walked home from school, they saw the battered quarantine van drive past.
She caught herself hoping that Bach was inside, but that was foolishness. Only Nero could bring back the dead and Bach was immune to it. And if by some miracle he was alive, he would’ve easily come to see her by now.
The van parked at the end of the road and a tall man got out. It was Corporal Blair.
“Check it out, your best friend.” Garfield nudged her. “You should say hi.”
Blair stopped and grimaced at Wisteria before three people stepped out of the car.
“Ooh, some fresh meat,” Garfield joked.
“They look familiar,” Wisteria remarked as they neared the house.
“Why aren’t you in school?” Blair yelled at them as they approached. “Missing school will cut down your monthly rations.”
He was right. Her family already lost some of this month’s rations because Wisteria missed three days of school. It hadn’t been too bad. Coles shared some of his with her mother, but she needed to start attending regularly before town hall decided on something more drastic.
“Both of you get lost,” Blair commanded. “Or the next time you go down, Wisteria, you will stay down.” He glared at both children from head to toe with a look she could only describe as disgust. “This way,” he said to the new arrivals.
One of the newcomers, a teenage boy with curly blond hair, stopped and smiled at Wisteria. “Hi,”
“Welcome to the happiest place on earth,” Garfield said dryly.
“Let’s go, Vic. It’s dangerous to be outside.” A woman, another new arrival, took him by the arm.
“I’m just talking, Mum, and they’re not flesh eaters,” Vic defended.
“I… I still don’t think it’s safe,” she insisted.
“Bloody hell, Mum, they’ve got fifty foot walls all around here and a million soldiers,” Vic gasped.
“Just get inside,” she called back as she went into the house.
“Your Mum, huh?” Garfield asked.
Sensing a twinge of sadness in Garfield’s voice, she remembered he had no family. She was so self-absorbed with her pain that it didn’t occur to her that Garfield was worse off. At least she had her mother and brother. Once she got home, she decided to talk to her mother about letting him stay with them.
“Tell me about this town?” Vic asked as his mother left. “Nice place?”
“We don’t have cannibals,” Wisteria pointed out.
“Huh?” Vic replied, as he looked baffled.
“Long story.” Garfield snorted. “So, your whole family made it?”
“Yeah, we were lucky. My mum, Brenda and my dad, Rupert, and brother, Neil,” Vic replied. “We all got out.”
“It’s unusual for a whole family to get here,” Wisteria mentioned. “Although, mine did, but that was a while ago.”
“Then we’re both lucky,” Vic admitted.
“Thank you for taking us in.” Vic’s mother hugged Blair as she sobbed. “I didn’t know if we’d survive there another day.”
As Vic’s mother wept, one of the men approached the three children. He was bald-headed with one sleepy eye. He looked familiar. “Vic, I think we should go inside.” The man had to be Rupert, Vic’s father. “You all know what it’s like out there. It’ll take some time for us to feel safe enough to leave the house.”
Wisteria looked up at Rupert. It was then she realized that he was one of the men who broke into the Hunter Tower, one of the Red Phoenix people.
“We don’t have time for this, Mr. Fletcher. I’ve another appointment. Can we go inside now?” Then Blair turned to Wisteria and Garfield. “You better be gone when I get out.”
“Must you be so hard on the children?” Brenda called out. “They’re just happy to have a new friend.”
Blair shook his head, equally disgusted at Brenda. He left the two kids standing there and herded the family into the house.
* * * * *
“Wisteria Oluwamodupe, I don’t want to hear this.” Wisteria’s mother waved her hands in exasperation. “We’ve been talking about this for an hour now and I am done. Rupert Fletcher, or whoever, isn’t a secret agent, hired killer, or whatever you say he is. He’s a refugee from Nottingham who is lucky to have made it to the Isle of Smythe.”
Wisteria told her mother about Rupert that evening while the family was having dinner.
“This group, Pink Sparrow, sounds like a rock band,” David mocked as he swallowed a spoonful of a thick gray substance that was supposed to be stew.
“Red Phoenix.” Wisteria scowled at her brother. “That’s what Felip and Bach called them.”
“Those boys who lied about not being sick and would’ve probably killed us all? Why would you trust anything he said?” her mother asked. “I’m sure he said that to get into your panties. How did they even come up with the name Red Phoenix?”
David laughed.
“It doesn’t matter what they’re called. I saw him, Rupert, break into the penthouse and shoot at us,” Wisteria elaborated passionately. “The fact they’re here, Mum, isn’t a good sign.”
“Or?” Her brother smirked. “You should talk to the awesome Major Coles. It would be interesting to hear what the old man thinks.”
“Wisteria, I’m serious. Just stop. You see what you have started?” Her mother pointed to David.
“At least talk to Major Coles,” Wisteria implored.
“No, I’m not going to bother Elliot with this or any other such nonsense,” her mother mumbled while eating her stew. “Just finish your food.”
Wisteria sat down, picked up her spoon, and stirred her gray stew. “Then I’ll tell Coles,” she stated frankly. “I’m sure he’d want to know about possible killers in Smythe.”
“Everyone on the Isle of Smythe has killed someone,” her brother added.
Her mother rolled her eyes as she twirled her fork in her right hand.
“I mean the biters,” he said.
“Okay, go ahead and try to tell Coles what you want.” Her mother acquiesced.
Wisteria was surprised and glad her mother gave in.
“But he’ll still ask me,” her mother noted.
“Oh, we are aware the Major talks to you,” he commented coldly. “Everyone on the island is aware that he talks to you.”
Their mother slammed her palm hard on the table. She slowly turned to face David, who stared back at her, speechless. “This ends now. Wisteria, David? There’ll be no more conversations about Rupert or killers in Smythe. And I don’t want to hear anything about Major Coles from you, David, or you will be sleeping outside. And by outside, David, I don’t mean at Amanda’s hovel. You’ll be on the street!” her mother decreed. “Wisteria, this is just about you missing your friend and maybe about also trying to prove you’re strong, because of what David’s friends did to you.”
“I’m not,” Wisteria responded defensively. “It’s the truth.”
“Wisteria let me talk now!” she shrieked.
Being cut off by her mother stung.
“You’re strong, Wisteria.” Her mother’s tone became gentler. “You’ve nothing to prove to me or anybody. This investigation won’t help you get over Bach. You’ll do that by mourning him.” Her mother’s words made a lot of sense, but they weren’t sinking in.
“Okay,” Wisteria agreed, to end the conversation.
“But I’ll discuss this with Coles, as long as you’re one hundred percent sure Rupert is the man you saw,” her mother said firmly.
But Wisteria wasn’t completely sure. Rupert looked a lot like the man, but in all honesty what Wisteria remembered was the man was bald and had a drooping eye. She guessed it could be possible that Rupert w
asn’t the same person.
“Are you entirely certain?” her mother probed.
Wisteria wasn’t that sure, so she shook her head. She needed to remove all doubt. After dinner was cleared away, she retreated to her room where she considered her options about how to be sure.
* * * * *
“Er, let me think? Um…no,” Garfield stated bluntly the next day as he walked to school with Wisteria.
She told him who she suspected Rupert was and recounted the events of dinner yesterday. Then she tried to convince Garfield to break into their house, or at least follow them.
Her friend was sympathetic, but not keen to take any part. “The people on this island can do worse to me than make me catch rats if the soldiers suspect I’m stalking this family,” he continued. “I’m begging you, just let this go. If your mother thinks it’s nothing, then it’s nothing.”
“Please, you’re my only friend in this place. There’s no one else I can ask to do this with me.”
“Sorry. Let’s go to school. Once Mr. Cheung screams and threatens our dead loved ones a little, you’ll feel better and forget about Bach…” Garfield trailed off.
“This isn’t about him.” She wanted Garfield to be right, but Cheung wasn’t going to help her come to terms with her life. “Listen, if I’m right, you’ll be a hero. It might even improve your chances with Amanda.” She attempted to play on his weakness. “You’ll stand out. Think about how much more popular Steven is now, after sounding the alarm and saving everyone from the biters?”
“That’s low Wisteria, and I know you were the one who sounded the alarm. Steven just took the credit.”
“And if I find anything, you’ll get all the credit. If I’m wrong, I’ll take all the blame.”
“Wait, are you comparing me to Steven?” He looked insulted.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Bach awoke to find himself in a soft bed, covered in a silky blanket. The room smelled fresh, like the wild roses that grew in his garden at home. For a moment, he thought he was back there. As his vision cleared, he found himself lying on a large bed covered in black silk. Sitting up, he examined the silver and black room, about the same size as the entire Hunter Tower penthouse. Then he remembered he’d arrived in Jarthan days ago.
