Benjamin’s eyes bulged. Kennedy wanted to apologize to him?
“Okay,” was all Benjamin could muster.
“Let me explain. I thought we had more time…I’m getting ahead of myself.”
Kennedy reached into his pocket and pulled out an ornately carved wood pipe. He expertly packed it with tobacco and lit it with a match he extracted from another pocket. Benjamin smelled hints of cinnamon and vanilla. After taking a couple puffs, Kennedy continued.
“I know it’s probably a nasty habit to you, but I find it calms me. As I was saying…I want to apologize. I fear that I underestimated both you and Mr. Trevane. I assumed that, because of your age, I shouldn’t give you certain information. Believe me when I say that I was only trying to protect you.”
Kennedy inhaled another long pull from his pipe, pursed his lips and blew it out. The smoke streamed out, swirled and took the shape of a question mark. Kennedy smiled.
Benjamin wondered, not for the first time, why adults were always keeping things from kids. They always said it was ‘for your own good.’ It felt more like lying. Benjamin wasn’t stupid and neither were most kids. They knew.
“The last time we chatted I told you about World War Two and the sudden increase of our kind. It was as if nature, the world, God, something, was telling the universe it needed help. We answered that call. It turns out that the same thing may be happening again. None of us know what the threat is, but the increase in gifted youth give us a very real clue that something will happen soon.
“So, I apologize for not relaying the…severity of the situation. It was unfair of me to do so. You had a right to know.
“Next we come to the topic of Mr. Trevane. Wally told me all about the confrontation you three had at camp. I should have been here when you got home. Alas, I was helping to coordinate a mentoring effort in Zimbabwe.”
“How did he find out about me?” interrupted Benjamin.
“We aren’t sure yet. From what we’ve been able to gather, Mr. Trevane, as you can imagine, has a vast network of contacts all around the world. Some of those contacts most likely have access to highly classified surveillance technology. We’ve begun to think that Trevane is having some of us followed and recorded. As we speak, measures are being implemented to thwart further spying attempts by him or any other organization.”
“But why me? How did he know where to find me?”
“Finding you was simple. As I said, he has almost limitless technology on his side. His entertainment empire is quite impressive and may even reach into certain foreign government intelligence agencies. As to why he chose you…I am just speculating, but he may have targeted you because you could be easily molded. He did attempt to recruit another young man in Texas. That brave boy chased Mr. Trevane off his property with a shotgun.”
“Really?”
Kennedy nodded.
“I hope you’ll get to meet Billy sometime soon. He’s as tall and as tough as a bull rider, but with a heart of gold.”
“How old is he?”
“Ten. Same as you.”
Benjamin couldn’t imagine chasing Jacee Trevane with a shotgun. He wasn’t so sure he’d like to meet Billy.
“Why don’t you get along with Jacee?” asked Benjamin.
Kennedy’s face dropped slightly and his eyes clouded.
“Jacee Trevane was one of mine. He showed a lot of promise in his early days. His skills doubled overnight. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. Add to that his charismatic presence and you’d think this young boy was someone who could bring our kind into a new generation.”
Kennedy shook his head sadly.
“Unfortunately, things changed. He didn’t like being bound by our rules. His rebellious streak even landed in the newspaper. We were able to spin the tale, but Jacee had made his point. He didn’t want to be controlled. Over the years he distanced himself from me. There was always an excuse about why he couldn’t meet with me. At first I thought he was just growing up. That was until we started hearing the whispers.
“At that time Jacee had already become a huge star. He was doing a lot of work in poor countries overseas. Well, on one of my journeys to help after a devastating tsunami in the Pacific, I heard whispers from some of the natives. When they didn’t know I was listening, they wondered why their god had not helped them. At first I thought they were referring to their own god much as Christians do. But then I heard others describe what their god looked like. It was the same image every time. There was no mention of a wise man with white hair or even Buddha. They described a young man with white features. Some called him the pale god. I was too busy to investigate, what with the severity of the damage in the area, but when I called on my friends and happened to mention the stories, two others said they’d heard similar reports. Each time it was in a remote area of the world. We put the pieces together and eventually the trail led back to Jacee Trevane.”
“But, I don’t get it. He said he’s trying to help people. Isn’t that what he’s doing?”
“On the surface, yes. He definitely helps in physical ways. It’s what he wants in return that’s the problem.”
“What does he want?”
“Worship.”
“I don’t understand,” said Benjamin, confusion etched on his face.
“And why would you? You’re an innocent boy. You could never imagine wanting people to bow down to you. Yes, it is natural to feel wanted and to feel popular, but Jacee’s obsession is something else entirely. Did he tell you that he lost his parents at a young age?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I’m sure he didn’t. It’s actually a very important part of the story and quite sad. You see, almost a year after learning about his gift, Jacee had tremendous control. In his mind it was a new toy. He played and experimented. One day while on a camping trip with his parents, Jacee got in an argument with them. I don’t know what it was about, and it doesn’t matter. What happened next does. Young Jacee threw a fit and stormed off. His mother and father let him go, probably thinking he needed time to cool off. You see, even at a young age Jacee had a fiery temper.
“Once he’d gotten a ways off, he found a large pile of boulders. Much as a normal child would grab rocks and throw them in a lake or against a wall, Jacee soon found he could lift the huge rocks. It was in the middle of one of the tosses that his parents found him. When he told me the story, tears pouring down his face, Jacee didn’t remember exactly what had happened. What I could piece together was that he’d been surprised by his parents mid-throw. The surprise rattled him enough to take his concentration off the boulder. His parents were crushed and died instantly.”
Benjamin eyes watered as he imagined the scene. It frightened him. Could he be capable of the same thing? The thought made him shiver.
Kennedy continued.
“Jacee was never the same after that. On the outside he looked like the same care-free boy who loved to be onstage. His career progressed, but inside he pulled back. It was all I could do to have a conversation with him. At first he blamed his gift for the tragedy. Then he blamed me. Then he blamed himself. He seemed to get better around the age of fourteen. I’d kept my distance and waited. By that time he’d cemented his place in history. He was world famous. It was actually Jacee that reached out to me. He apologized and said he wanted to learn more about his gift so he wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
“I was so relieved by what he said that I jumped back into his life. For a year I toured with him, and when he was home I stayed in his guest cottage. I taught him everything. I told him our history. I told him our rules. He was a good student and picked up most things the first time. Until now he was the smartest and most talented I’d met. That is, until I met you.”
“Me?”
“You both have very similar minds. Very bright. Very talented. The only real difference I see is that while he was naturally outgoing, you are more reserved and cautious. You asked me earlier why he picked you. I think that’s why. He’
s done his homework and knows how smart you are. School records are effortless for him to hack. He thinks, and rightly so, that your shyness will pass.”
“But I’m not anything like him!” Benjamin protested. “He’s popular and…I’m…just…”
“You’re more alike than you think, Benjamin, and that is what frightens me. Don’t you see? He wants to combine your power with his own. He’ll train you and mold you. You’ll be his. The only thing that could be worse is if you had all three gifts instead of just the one. But as I told you before, that’s only happened once in the last two thousand years. You haven’t been healing animals while I’m not around have you?” Kennedy gave Benjamin a crooked grin.
“No.” Despite the supposed danger Benjamin felt a tiny twang of regret that he wasn’t that special.
“Good. Now, let’s talk about where we go from here.”
Chapter 36: Decisions
Kennedy left before Mr. and Mrs. Dragon returned home. He told Benjamin to think about what they’d discussed and that he’d stop by the next day to answer any questions. They would come up with a plan together.
Benjamin didn’t know what to think. Part of him just wanted to go back to being ‘normal’ again. But that was impossible. His gift wasn’t something he could give back.
He didn’t say much to his parents at dinner. They were used to it and busied themselves with work, as usual. Benjamin excused himself from the table and went up to his room, barely finding the energy to put one foot in front of the other. The excitement and fear of the day had finally caught up with him. He worried that the distance to his bed might be too far.
Luckily, he made it to his room, shut the door and collapsed on his bed. Despite the screams from his body that told him to sleep, Benjamin lay fully awake. Sights and sounds swirled in his mind. The flight to the island. The feel of the clouds gliding through outstretched fingers. Savages with spears. Images carved into a rock face. Deadly boulders.
Exhaustion finally claimed him and Benjamin drifted to sleep on waves as blue as a robin’s egg. They were followed by dreams of the future, dreams of greater things to come.
+++
To his great surprise, Benjamin woke early feeling as refreshed as any time he could remember. Maybe it was the prospect of his coming journey. It could’ve had something to do with his desire to learn how to fly.
He was the first one into the kitchen and surprised his mother when she walked in minutes later.
“What are you doing up so early again?” she asked.
“Just wanted to get up, I guess.”
“Anything I need to know about?”
“Jeez, Mom. I just wanted to get up early, you know.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry.”
She left him alone to get a bowl of Greek yogurt and a half of grapefruit. Mr. Dragon walked in a second later.
“Hey, sport! You going to work this morning too?” joked Mr. Dragon.
Mrs. Dragon answered for him.
She shot her husband a knowing look as if to say, ‘I think something’s up.’ “He’s just being more grown up, honey.”
Mr. Dragon nodded with a sly grin. He grabbed a banana and took a seat across the table from his son. Benjamin knew what was coming. His dad always had the same look on his face when he was about to play buddy buddy and try to interrogate something out of him.
Before he could lay on the questions, the doorbell rang. Benjamin’s stomach tensed.
“I wonder who that could be,” said Mrs. Dragon, moving toward the front door.
“I’ll get it,” said Benjamin, with a mouth full of cereal. A pale stream of milk ran out the corner of his mouth. He was already halfway out of his chair.
“You sit and finish your cereal,” ordered his mother, who walked purposefully to the front hall. The look on her face made it plain that she was not thrilled about having someone ring her doorbell so early in the morning.
A moment later, Benjamin could hear the front door opening and his mom let out an audible gasp.
“I’m so sorry…of course…please come in.” It was all they could hear from the distance.
The sound of his mom’s heals clicking on the hardwood floor punctuated the thumps in Benjamin’s chest. He tried to look nonchalant as Mr. Dragon waited to see who was coming in.
Mrs. Dragon appeared first, followed by a familiar figure.
“Benjamin, you didn’t tell us you know Mr. Trevane.”
+++
Before Benjamin could utter a single syllable, Mr. Dragon was out of his chair, extending his hand to Jacee. Benjamin’s parents oogled and gushed for a minute. It was so unlike them that, if were it anyone else, Benjamin probably would have laughed. As it was, he was having a hard time swallowing his last bite of cereal. He willed it down and stood on wobbly legs.
“I’m so sorry to barge in like this,” said Jacee. “I just happened to be in the neighborhood and wanted to see if Benjamin might like to show me around town today.”
His smile melted the normally unflappable Mrs. Dragon. The comment made Mr. Dragon’s chest puff with pride for his son.
“Buddy, why didn’t you tell us you met Jacee at camp?” asked Mr. Dragon.
Jacee was quick to answer for him. “You know how he is Mr. Dragon…”
“Please, call me Tim.”
“…Benjamin isn’t a show off. It’s one of the reasons we got along so well at camp. I thought he might be able to show me a thing or two about being modest. Besides, we hit it off so well before I thought he might be able to give me some feedback for our new anti-bullying campaign.”
Mrs. Dragon almost giggled, but was able to clamp her mouth shut just in time. Mr. Dragon looked at his son and nodded.
“You’re right. He may not look like much, but my boy is gonna be something special,” bragged Mr. Dragon.
Benjamin just stood with his hands in his pockets, wishing he had the gift of invisibility.
Mr. and Mrs. Dragon happily gave their permission for Benjamin to show Jacee the town.
“As long as he’s home by dinner time,” requested Mrs. Dragon.
“Not a problem. In fact, how about I treat you all to dinner?” offered Jacee.
Benjamin expected his parents to decline, citing work or some other well-used excuse. Instead, they both blurted, “Sure!”
+++
It was overcast as they slipped out the front door. Jacee was all smiles and jokes as they said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Dragon. That all changed when the house was no longer in site.
Trevane walked without talking. His face had changed. He looked like a person that wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to say it. Kind of like having a word or idea on the tip of your tongue and not being able to verbalize it.
Dread crept up the back of Benjamin’s head. He didn’t want to anger the famous singer, so he just kept his mouth shut.
Without warning, Jacee whirled to face him, wrath flashing in his eyes. His lips parted like he was going to speak. His eyes focused on something over Benjamin’s shoulder and his stormy eyes narrowed more. Instead of speaking, he snapped his fingers, grinned and, like a shot, they were both speeding up toward the gray clouds.
+++
Benjamin couldn’t see a thing in the smoky cloud cover. The thought of flying into a bird or, even worse, an airplane, made him shut his eyes. The flight didn’t feel even remotely like the ones the day before. Everything felt wrong. How did Jacee know where they were going if neither of them could see a foot in front of them?
Just as the thought came to Benjamin, he felt the descent. They were going down. Benjamin braced for landing.
+++
Shortly after they touched down. Benjamin opened his eyes and looked around. The landscape looked almost like a barren wasteland. There were a ton of rocks and some scraggly looking trees dotting the area. The next thing Benjamin noted was the heat. They’d only been on the ground for a second and he was already sweating.
“Where are we?” asked Benjam
in.
Jacee held up a finger, motioning for his young friend to wait.
Seconds later, a third figure landed twenty feet away. It was Kennedy. He was wearing a caramel colored trench coat that flapped languidly in the slight breeze.
“I don’t remember inviting you, old man,” Jacee sneered.
“I don’t recall needing your permission, son.”
“Don’t call me son. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Very well. This is the last time we’re going to do this. I suggest you go back and never contact Benjamin again.”
“And what makes you think he wants me to leave?”
“You’re right. How about we ask the boy?” suggested Kennedy, whose posture suddenly looked more imposing. Was it the coat or something else? His expression looked cold and determined.
“Okay, but before we do that I need to send a quick text,” smiled Jacee as if he’d finally remembered something. He slid his sleek phone out of his pocket typed something on the screen.
“What is this nonsense?” interrupted Kennedy.
Jacee didn’t look up from his task. “You’ll know soon enough, old man.” After pressing SEND, Jacee replaced the mobile in his pocket and crossed his arms. “I thought maybe you’d had your chance to convince him yesterday. Well, you know me. I wanted to make sure I had my bets covered.”
Jacee pointed up. Benjamin followed the celebrity’s gaze and picked out three objects falling from the sky. Four seconds later, they’d settled a ways away.
Benjamin looked around Jacee to see what they were. It was three people. The boy in front looked to be in his early teens. He was attired like Jacee in stylishly faded jeans and a designer t-shirt that probably cost two hundred dollars. Even his features looked like Jacee’s. The boy smiled at Trevane.
Squinting to look past him, Benjamin’s gaze fell on the other two forms. His eyes widened his shock.
It was Nathan and Emily.
Chapter 37: Ultimatum
Benjamin Dragon - Awakening (The Chronicles of Benjamin Dragon) Page 13
