by Rose, Imogen
I smiled and shouted, “Boggsy woggsy, Cleo!”
Cleopatra—Alfred’s dog—lay down on the ground in front of me and rolled over for a belly rub. As I was petting her, Finna, Alfred’s housekeeper, caught up with us.
“What on earth are you doing here?” She gaped at me. “Does your father know you’re here?”
“No, I was actually looking for him. Do you know where he is?”
“No, and it’s not safe for you to be here. You must go.”
“I don’t have a way to get home. Maybe Alfred could help me?”
“No one is here, Arizona. Just me. You have to go.”
“Who is that, then?” I pointed to a window on the first floor. There was clearly someone peeking behind the curtain at us.
Finna followed my finger. “Oh, that’s just Morten. He’s moved upstairs, but he’s still locked in his room and only comes out to get his food. He doesn’t talk to anyone.”
“And who’s that?” I pointed to another window with clearly more than one person watching us.
“Look, Arizona, I am not at liberty to say. You have to go. Do you understand that?”
“You’ve got no idea where dad is or how I can get to him? I really can’t go home. I don’t even have any money or a passport.”
She shook her head, clearly frustrated. “Then, how did you get here?”
“I am not at liberty to say,” I mimicked.
She laughed. “All right, come inside, so I can make a few calls and try to figure out how to get you home. Come along.”
I followed her into the kitchen where she pointed me to the bench by an enormous oak table. The rest of the kitchen was kitted out in the latest high tech stainless steel equipment. Most of it looked brand new, like no one did much cooking around here. I scanned the room for something to munch on, but there was nothing, not even fruit. I got up and opened the fridge. It was pretty bare, just rows and rows of cranberry juice, or at least that’s what it looked like. I grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water.
Cleo made herself comfortable on my feet as I sat and waited for Finna to come back.
“Are you hungry?” Finna asked, coming back into the kitchen.
“No, just thirsty. Do you have diet Coke or something?”
“Yes, hang on.” She stepped outside again and returned with a red can of Coke. “I can’t get hold of anyone to take you back home tonight, so I’ll make up a room for you. Is that okay?”
“Yes, thank you. Who did you talk to?”
“Alfred. He is very agitated that you’re here. Is your mother aware of this?”
I shook my head.
“Does anyone know?”
“Just the person who dropped me off here.”
“And will that person let your mother know?”
“No, we didn’t really think this through enough. I just assumed either dad would be here or that Alfred would point me in the right direction.”
“Come with me.” She led me out of the house, and we walked around to the other side of the mansion. It had just begun to rain. It was hailing, in fact. Cleo followed us as we picked up our pace and tried to find cover under the gutters. There were lights on in practically every room in this side of the house, and curtain after curtain twitched as we walked past. Alfred had a full house of guests.
We finally walked back into the house through another doorway. “Why didn’t we just walk through the house?” I asked as I stood soaking wet in the hallway.
“Look, Your Highness, it is dangerous here, for you, in particular. I can’t stress that enough. You will stay in my room with me until your father, or Alfred, tells me otherwise. Do. Not. Leave. The. Room. Cleo will stay with you when I have to pop outside for my duties.”
I followed her up a winding wooden staircase, sure that I heard sniffing sounds from the bottom.
“Hurry,” she whispered, almost running up the stairs. She heaved a big sigh once we were behind a thick metal door.
I looked around. Inside, it was just another bedroom. The only sign that it belonged to Finna was the open closet containing her neatly hung uniforms. Other than that, it was impersonal. Not a picture in sight, not even any books. It looked like one of those cheap hotel rooms in Vegas, not a Bellagio suite, by any means. Thankfully, there were two beds. Much as I liked Finna, there was something strange about her.
“What was that sniffing noise when we were coming up the stairs? Other dogs?” Or maybe Alfred kept exotic animals that Finna was scared to death of.
“Something like that,” she mumbled. “But don’t worry. You will be safe here as long as you don’t do anything stupid.”
“That would be easier if you’d just tell me what’s going on. Then I can at least try to avoid being stupid. Why is it so dangerous here? You’ve got a houseful of guests...”
“Precisely. The guests. Avoid them.”
“For real? You have a bunch of dangerous people staying here? Dangerous in what way? Killers, psychos, druggies, what? And why would Alfred have them in his mansion?”
“I am not at liberty to say. Just do me a favor and stay put, and we’ll do the best we can to get you home.”
“I want to see my dad before I’m wandered back.”
“I have passed along your request. It’s not up to me. Now, I must go and tend our guests. Stay here with Cleo, and do not open the door to anyone. I have a key. I will be back as soon as possible. That’s your bed.” She pointed to the one closest to the window. “Help yourself to a set of my pajamas, and go to sleep. Hopefully, we’ll get you out of here in the morning.”
I lay down on top of the covers and stared out the window. The hail clattered against the window, and a freezing breeze escaped through the old panes, making me shiver. Cleo jumped in beside me and nuzzled her snout against my elbow.
“Want pats?” I laughed and stroked the top of her head, stopping dead when she sprang up, her ears drawn back. She bared her teeth and let out that special Cleo death growl. I got up and put my ear to the metal door and could hear heavy, deep, heaving breaths. I looked around for a phone but didn’t see one. At the sound of scratching noises running up and down the door, I jumped further into the room and searched for something I could use as a weapon. I grabbed the pretty chandelier lamp off the bedside table. It was better than nothing.
The look of sheer terror on Ella’s face as she sobbed in the middle of the kitchen sent waves of desperation rocking through Olivia. She could hardly keep herself from shaking as she tried to calm Ella enough so that she could tell them what was going on. Everyone else stood still, not making a sound. It was obvious that something had happened to Arizona. Olivia had already rushed up to check in her bedroom, but there was no sign of anyone up the stairs. As she faced her younger daughter, she feared the worst—that Arizona had once again been taken by the Wanderers.
“Ella, try to calm down. Take deep breaths.” She tightened her arms around her young daughter. Ella tried to speak, but the words drowned in wretched sobs. Olivia waited while Ella stopped heaving, and then tried again. “Honey, I am going to ask you some questions. Just nod or shake your head, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy,” she whispered.
“Good girl. Is this about Arizona?”
A nod.
“Do you know where she is?”
Ella shook her head.
“Did you see her in her room?”
“Just for a second, Mom! There was a boy in there, and then they just disappeared,” Ella mumbled so fast that it was hard to understand.
“What boy?” Olivia asked.
“I’ve never seen him before. He had silver hair. I only saw the back of him, and just for like a sec.”
“Do you think you can tell me exactly what happened, step by step?”
“I’ll try,” Ella said, her voice still shaky, though the sobs had stopped. “Just as I got to Arizona’s door, I saw the boy with silver hair.”
“Boy and not a man?” Olivia asked.
“He was
taller than Arizona, and she was on the other side of him, so I couldn’t see her at all. I think he was a boy, a teenager. He wore teenage clothes, you know, like Harry and Kellan.”
“Okay, then what happened?” Olivia searched her memory banks for boys with silver hair.
“Then he started to become invisible, and I could see Arizona right through him. She didn’t see me. She kinda jumped on him, and then they both became invisible and disappeared.”
“Arizona jumped on him?”
She nodded.
“He didn’t grab her in any way?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Olivia hugged Ella. “Thanks, hon.”
“Any idea who the boy with silver hair is?” David asked.
“The only one who comes to mind is the boy who came to see Rupert—Jagger. Maybe Rupert sent him to fetch Arizona?”
Bruno shook his head. “I don’t think he’d have done that without letting us know.”
Olivia suddenly realized that Ali and Maria were still in the room. The last thing she wanted to do was get them involved. “Ali, Maria, you should head to school.”
“No! We’ll help you find Arizona,” they said in unison.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” she said firmly, ushering them out the door.
“Ella, I’m going to keep you home from school today. Alexa, stay in this room with her. Turn on the TV or something.” Olivia ushered Bruno and David to the corner, panic flowing afresh. “Bruno, you don’t think it was Jagger, or anyone associated with Rupert?”
He shook his head.
“Then who?” Her voice shook.
David put his arm around her. “We’ll find her. We always do.”
That did nothing to alleviate her fears. Had Arizona been taken as a pawn again in whatever was going on in Rupert’s world? Arizona was most likely in grave danger. Olivia’s only solace was that Arizona seemed to have left of her own free will, if what Ella described was accurate.
“I need to contact Rupert. How do I do that, Bruno?” She shot him her special death glare, the one she usually reserved for those closest to her or for the most special of occasions.
Bruno grimaced. “I honestly don’t know how to get hold of him. Believe me. I am not trying to be difficult. However, I am to report to Spencer Darley in an emergency, and I believe this qualifies. Maybe he will know.”
“Good, I’ll come with you. I am ready now.”
Bruno gaped at her, looking utterly flabbergasted. “You’re not suggesting I wander you to Spencer. Are you?”
“I most certainly am,” she said steadfastly.
“My orders do not allow for that. I either go on my own or not at all,” he countered obstinately.
Olivia felt like she was about to explode. She took a deep breath and looked over at Ella. Perhaps she ought to stay here and let Bruno go on his own. She couldn’t very well leave Ella behind. And what about Harry? She had to warn him that something was up. She glowered at Bruno. “Go. Bring Rupert back here immediately. Nothing should be more important to him than this. Go.”
Bruno nodded and faded away.
“Wait!” Olivia attempted to stop him, but it was too late. He was gone before she could ask him how long it would be or to at least call and let her know what was happening.
“How long do you think he’ll take?” She turned to David, who remained quiet.
“Don’t know, but I’m obviously not going to just stand around and—”
“What’s going on?” Kellan came running into the room, his face drained of blood.
Olivia brought him up to date.
“David’s right, of course. We have to do something now. David, can you still feel her?”
“I’ll need my mother to help me to relax into that state.”
“And you’ll need the Elders’ permission to wander to her, so let’s head over to your mom’s place right away.”
Kellan pointed at Ella and Alexa. “It will probably be safer if Alexa wanders Ella over to David’s house. She’s a Sigma-W, right? The rest of us will ride over together.”
“Good thinking,” Olivia said, impressed to see Kellan taking charge.
~
As soon as they reached Inez’s house, it was clear that the Elders were already there. Several cars were parked outside. Inez opened the door and ushered them into her family room.
“Are Ella and Alexa here?” Olivia asked, looking around.
“Yes. They are in my art studio, busy making a project. I had the Elders join us after Alexa told us it was an emergency. That’s all she told us. Please sit. Constance is ready to speak.”
Constance stood by her chair. “Please sit, everyone. I know you want immediate action, but we need to determine what that should be. All we know is that something’s happened to Arizona. We gathered that from the message David sent Inez. First of all, tell us what’s going on.”
Olivia updated the Elders.
“So, what are we going to do?” Kellan asked, clearly growing more worried by the second.
“Have a seat, Kellan. Your father is on his way,” Constance informed him.
He nodded but continued to stand.
“I know Bruno has gone to find the sovereign, and we should wait for him to arrive,” Constance mused. “However, we have no idea when that might be, so I feel it will be better to not waste any more time, but to see if David can track Arizona and then send him to get her.”
Kellan’s eyes narrowed. “And I will go with him,” he said firmly.
“That would mean sending another Wanderer with you. David will only be able to rescue one, and we are short at the moment. I am afraid that he’ll have to go on his own.” Her tone was both stern and uncompromising.
“I am going, even if that means that I have to find my own way back,” he said, his tone matching hers.
Constance looked like she wanted to take him to task but decided to ignore him instead, leaving him scowling while she turned her attention to Inez. “Inez, could you take David outside into the garden and help him meditate?”
Once Inez and David left, Constance turned back to the Elders. “Lars, can you cover Olivia until Bruno comes back?”
“My pleasure.”
“Is Harry still at Dartmouth, Olivia?”
“Yes, but let me call him to make sure. Shall I have him join us?”
“No, I’ll have Javier pick him up and bring him over here. I want you and Ella to stay here as Inez’s guests until we hear from Rupert. You, too, Kellan.”
Kellan remained stoically silent, keeping his arms folded in front of him. His eyes watched the door to the backyard. He moved only when it opened and David walked back in with his mother. He strode over to them. “So?” he asked, stepping in to stand between Inez and David.
Olivia stepped closer as well, not wanting to miss any of the conversation.
“I’m pretty sure Arizona is in London,” David said.
“How do you know?” Olivia asked.
“Just vague images. Clouded pictures of London. That doesn’t necessarily mean she is there. She could just be thinking about London. However, she seems far away, so I think heading over to London will be a start. I expect that once I get there, the connection will be stronger.”
Olivia nodded. “Is she with Rupert?”
“I can’t tell, but I think I can find her. I should take a flight to England immediately.”
“I’ll ask Larry to arrange for a private plane.”
“I already did that while you were talking,” Kellan said, putting his cell away. “Let’s head to the airport, David. It’ll be ready and waiting for us.”
“Us? I thought Constance made it clear that I have to go on my own.”
“I am not a Wanderer, so I am not under Constance’s orders. And it’s my dad’s plane, so let’s go.”
Scary movies have never frightened me. I could sit through a marathon session of Friday the Thirteenth sequels without flinching. It was all just a bunch of a
ctors in Halloween costumes. Some of it was even funny.
So I tried to imagine myself being in one of those slasher movies, because that’s how I felt: like one of those idiot characters who has walked into an obviously dangerous place where she is bound to get hacked to death. But the she in the movies was a character played by some hot teen actress. She got to go home after a day of filming. Would I?
The metal door afforded me a tiny sense of safety, but it was all relative and totally dependent on what was making the abominable noises on the other side.
I glared at Cleo who, after an initial burst of acting like the demon dog from The Omen, had jumped back into bed, laid her head between her paws, and fallen asleep. I stayed frozen in one spot, hoping the crystals dangling from the chandelier lamp in my hand wouldn’t clink against each other and make a noise. Hopefully, whatever was on the other side of the door would eventually decide no one was inside.
The scratches, sniffs, and taps on the door continued for ages. The lamp felt heavier and heavier in my quickly-numbing fingers. I closed my eyes and concentrated on trying to hold onto it, imagining it instead crashing to the floor. I took a deep breath. I had to put it down. I started to kneel down, aiming to gently lay it down on the shaggy rug in front of the bed. The noise abruptly stopped, the tense atmosphere suddenly replaced by deathly quiet. Once again, I was too afraid to move, so I sat on the floor with my back to the bed and waited, hoping that Finna would be back soon.
~
The smell was foul, but not as disgusting as the feel of the wet, rough material wiping across my face, leaving it all gluey and gross. “Stop!” I yelled, sitting up and pushing whatever it was away. I opened my eyes and stared right at Cleo’s tongue. “Yuck, yuck, yuck! Stop that!”
She whimpered and jumped back into bed. I looked around. It was still dark, and I was still in Finna’s room, and I was still on the floor, sore from having fallen asleep sitting up.
A grunting sound suddenly broke the silence, freaking me out again. The door was still shut, and the sound was coming from the other bed. I got up, nearly falling as my feet caught under the rug, and looked over at Finna fast asleep in the bed. Sheesh, she should have woken me up and gotten me into bed.
