by Miranda Kavi
I stared at the phone in my hand, willing for it to provide me with more information. “Damn it!” I slammed it down.
I threw some clothes into a duffel bag, fumbling with my passport and drivers license with shaking hands. I wrote out a quick, jagged note.
A horn honked outside, and I knew it was for me. I threw the duffel bag over my shoulder and took one last look at home, taking in the green furniture and beaded lamps. I didn’t know if I would ever see it again. Tears clouded my vision as I walked outside and climbed into the waiting car.
“It’s okay,” Carmen said, twisting to look at me from the front seat while Konstantin peeled out and took off at an ungodly speed. “We just need to put some miles in. Your mother and sister will be fine. I promise.”
“What’s going on?”
“They can track us more easily if we are in a group and one member is unprotected. Since we showed up, and you are unprotected, they moved in. We need to leave so they don’t find you. They will use any means necessary to get to you, including your family.”
“What? How am I unprotected?” I was crying again, but I didn’t try to stop it.
“It will all be clear very soon. You’ll be safe in Alaska. We have special protections in place there to hide us from them. When you are hidden, your family will be in no danger.”
“Will I see them again? My family?”
Carmen rotated in her seat again, so she was facing me. “Yes, once you are protected, you can move around more freely without attracting attention. Don’t worry. You will see them again.”
“Aren’t you protecting me?”
“It’s complicated. We can talk more when we are safe. Please try and relax. They are drawn to fear and anguish.”
“Right, I just chill out here while dark monsters you won’t talk about chase me.”
“Call your mom.”
I called Erica first.
“Erica, it’s me.”
“Yeah, I know your voice. What number are you calling from?”
“I have to leave town. I’ll be gone for a while. I need you to do something for me.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Where are you going?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Look after Mom, okay? She’s going to freak out in about five minutes. Go pick her up from work, like right now.”
“Look here, I don’t know what bullshit drama you are trying to pull now, but if you think you can just call me up and—”
“Please, listen to me. I’m serious. Take care of Mom, okay? Promise me?”
“Are you okay? What the fuck is going on—”
I broke the connection and made the second, much more difficult call to my mother.
“I have to leave town with Konstantin and Carmen.”
“What? No. Absolutely not. We can talk about this when I get home.”
“I’m already gone. The bad ones are coming and I have to leave so they don’t find you and Erica. Okay? I’m going to be safe, and you are going to be safe. Don’t freak out, and don’t come looking for me. Don’t report me missing. Carry your gun. I love you. I’m so sorry.” I wiped my nose with my sleeve so I wouldn’t sniffle on the phone. “I have to hang up now.”
“Don’t. Let’s talk about this. I can protect you—”
“I’m so sorry.” I hung up the phone.
Carmen took the phone out of my hand. “She can sense the danger as well. She’ll do what you ask.”
“Thanks, but fuck off. You don’t know her.”
The look on her face told me I hurt her. She looked like a sad little bird that just flew into a window. She didn’t say anything back, but she sank deeper into her seat and seemed intent on looking out the window.
I leaned against the door, watching the scenery fly by impossibly fast. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, we were in Colorado. I craned my head to read the green numbers on the console. Only two and a half hours had passed by, but we were already halfway to Denver. I didn’t dare ask how fast Konstantin was driving, because it usually took me about seven hours to drive from Wichita to Denver.
Soon we were checking in at the airport counter for a flight bound to Alaska. I slept most of the unbelievably long flight, though the stewardess woke me up a couple of times and instructed me to walk around to avoid blood clots.
I really woke up when we started to make our descent in Fairbanks. Densely forested mountains surrounded flat clearings with cars, buildings, and parking lots. A river snaked through the middle of the city. From the runway, Fairbanks looked like a miniature toy town compared with the congested Denver airport.
We got into a rugged SUV with giant tires in long term parking at the airport. “This is ours. You need an all terrain vehicle out here.” Konstantin lifted me so I could climb into the backseat.
He drove through the small city. We passed city limits and continued on the bumpy highway. He turned on several side streets until we were on a narrow, unmarked dirt road. The branches of trees and tall plants brushed against the side and bottom of the SUV as we inched along. I grabbed the bottom of the seat so my head wouldn’t slam into the roof of the car.
After several miles of rugged country, a tall iron gate appeared, blocking the road. Scary looking ten feet tall barbed wire fence sat on either side. My eyes traced the path of the fence. It disappeared into a dense tree line.
As soon as we approached, it swung open. “We have great security.” He gestured up to the cameras mounted on the gate. “Mostly for show. We really don’t need all the modern technology. You’ll understand why soon.” After another half mile of bumpy dirt road, it smoothed into a cracked but paved road.
Buildings clustered around the road; several small simple wood cabins, some larger wooden houses, and some industrial looking warehouses.
Carmen chimed in. “Like many small villages in Alaska, we are self sustaining for the most part. We have to travel in to town occasionally to get supplies, but we have almost everything here. This is one of the largest member villages in the world. We have about twelve-hundred people here.”
They pulled up to one of the larger cabins. “This is our home. You can stay with us. We have extra bedrooms,” Carmen said.
I got out of the SUV, taking in the beautiful mountains, crisp air, and the forest around me. It was a pleasant sixty or so degrees. “September will be here before you know it, so enjoy the heat while it lasts,” she said, intruding on my thoughts in more ways than one.
I followed them into the cabin. It had one large central room, filled with plush couches and a flat screen television. A large fireplace dominated the center of the room. The second floor was open, with pretty exposed wood beams marking the high ceiling. “The guest room is up there,” she said, gesturing up the stairs.
It was beautiful, with pale lavender walls and deep black bedspread, and a small, attached bathroom. The window framed the pretty deep evergreen forest just outside. I sank into the small rocking chair in front of the window.
Carmen interrupted my pity party. She placed a cool hand on my face, turning me so I had nowhere else to look but at her. “I’m sorry you are hurting.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds. “It worked. They lost the trail. Your family is safe. Why don’t you call your mother? There’s a phone on the nightstand.” She left the room and I practically lunged for the phone.
“Mom?”
“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m fine. I’m in Alaska, somewhere near Fairbanks.”
“Did they take you? Because you can hang up this phone and call 911 before they even know you’ve made another call.”
“I came on my own accord. I believe them. I trust them. For now, at least,” I said. “You haven’t called the police or anything, have you?”
“No.”
“Good, don’t. I’ve got it.”
“Tell me where you are. I can be there in a day.”
It took me the better par
t of an hour to talk her out of coming after me. She finally agreed not to do anything rash.
It was early evening, though the bright sun outside gave no indication of the day ending. I joined Carmen in the kitchen.
“Do you like lasagna?”
“Sure,” I said. “Can I help you with anything?”
“No, sit down and keep me company. I’m sure you have some questions.”
“Where’s Konstantin?” I asked.
“He’s in one of the buildings you saw on the strip.”
“And pray tell, what is the strip? I’m guessing we are not talking Vegas?”
“The strip is what we call the paved road in the middle of town.”
“Where are the other settlements like this one?” I asked.
“Everywhere. In North America, they are here, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Washington State, New Mexico, Washington D.C., and Tennessee. The largest is in New Mexico, up in the mountains. Most people with abilities choose to live on their own, mixing in with normal society. They know about us and how to contact us. They travel to see us occasionally.” She pulled some ingredients out of the cabinet. “We’re in almost any country you can think of. Some groups are smaller than others.”
“Why do you live here?”
“We both work for the organization. Most of the people who live here do.”
The smell of the meat she was browning reached my nose, and I was suddenly very hungry.
“How did your conversation with your mom go?” she asked.
“Good. She seems a lot calmer than I thought she would be.”
“I’m not too surprised to hear that,” Carmen remarked as she put the large lasagna in the oven. “She seems to have a tinge of ability, a sensitive like me. She probably understands on some level all this had to happen.” She closed the oven. “You are much calmer, I can tell. Konstantin will be home soon and we can all talk over dinner. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
Konstantin returned shortly. He kissed Carmen on the check and then invited me to sit down for dinner. We settled into the picnic style table next to the kitchen. Carmen served me the warm, delicious lasagna. Konstantin produced a bottle of wine of which I eagerly drank two glasses. My brain was still struggling to comprehend the events of the past few days.
After I had finally satisfied my voracious appetite, I sat silently in my seat, appraising Konstantin and Carmen across the table. I had just placed my entire life in their hands. I still wasn’t sure if it was the right decision.
Konstantin cleared his throat and set his glass down. “The organization has three major goals. First and foremost is protection. We offer protection from them, media exposure, and outside knowledge. Keeping our secret is paramount to our survival, on many different levels. Second, we seek to identify and educate those who have ability. Third, to figure out why we exist. We do a lot of research, including genetic, to figure out where our ability comes from.”
“Is there a brochure or something that covers all this?” I poured a third glass of wine against my better judgment, but I needed to be drunk to continue to have this eerily calm conversation. “And? What has your research provided? What’s the answer?”
Konstantin smiled. “The prevailing thought has been we are the natural next step in human evolution. But if we are evolving, we should be increasing in number, and we are not. Also, since the ability is not always tied to a specific bloodline, we believe it’s not so simple.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We must have a purpose, more than simple genetics or micro-evolution. Some things are beyond the scope of simple nucleotide base pairs.”
“Like?”
Carmen and Konstantin exchanged a look. Carmen spoke first. “It’s a lot to know on your first night here. Perhaps we can—”
“No. I have a right to know.” I used my hand to cover a burp. “And I’m moderately drunk so I can totally handle it.”
“She’s right. It’s our number one priority for her, to protect her. She should know what it entails,” he said. He took another long drink of his wine, finishing it, before he continued. “Every person with ability has a handler. This handler is sometimes an ordinary person, but sometimes another person with abilities. Once you have a handler, you will be protected.”
“A handler? Are you freaking kidding me?” The word sounded strange to my ears. I gulped the rest of my drink too. “Okay, so I need a handler. Can’t you just set it up?”
“It’s not that simple. We can’t choose one for you. It just kind of happens. When you meet the handler, you bond with them and they become your protector. Once they bond with you as your handler, they will change,” Konstantin said.
I put both my hands flat on the table, palms down. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t know what that means.”
Konstantin answered. “It’s an intangible bond. You can’t will to have it with someone. I can’t go find it for you. It moves into place when handler is ready. Your handler shares your life span, no matter how long it is. They will age at your exact pace. They will be able to sense danger and prevent exposure. Their presence makes it hard for people to see your ability. Most importantly, when you have a handler, they can’t track you.”
“How do you know my mom is not my handler?”
Carmen answered. “I can see the handler bond. It’s not there. I’m sorry. I wish it was. Plus, when you bond on that level, you just...know.”
“Okay, let’s review. There is a person out there who will be my handler. I have no control over this, and neither do they. When the time is right, we will bond or whatever, and then I will be protected?”
“Yes,” Konstantin answered.
“But I want to go home. I have a family.”
“We must wait until the handler finds you. Your handler won’t know it either until the bond is created. Most likely, you haven’t met them yet. Whoever it is, they’re not in your life right now. I’m sorry,” Konstantin said.
I stared at the surface of the table, examining the irregular, circular lines in the natural wood. I was too close to losing it to look anywhere else. I was stuck here. I was alone. I didn’t know any of these people. I was living in a poorly scripted science fiction B movie.
“How do you know I’m safe here? If I don’t have a handler, can’t they find me anyways?” I asked.
“We have several gifted people here, including blockers. They block outside interest in us from the locals, for one thing. Most importantly for you, they can block them from tracking us. They make this place a fortress.”
That was it. I hit the point of information overload. “I’m done. I need to be alone.” I got up from the table and returned to the guest room.
I jumped into the unfamiliar bed, jeans and all. Finally, much later than normal, it got dark outside and I fell asleep.
Chapter 13
I woke up early the next morning to the bright Alaska sun. I noticed for the first time thick black curtains could be drawn over the window to block the near constant offending summer daylight. It was only 4:30 a.m. Would have been nice if I’d noticed the darn curtains the night before.
I took my time getting ready for the day, carefully choosing a pair of jeans and nice shirt to wear. I spent extra time to blow dry my hair and apply what little makeup I had packed in the rush to leave Kansas.
I didn’t care about my appearance today more than any other day. I was putting off the inevitable, facing the world downstairs and outside the cabin doors. Reality had become too strange for my liking.
Carmen was curled up on the couch downstairs, sipping of cup of coffee. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, not at all. The very bright light woke me. What are you doing up?”
“My sensitivities make it hard for me to sleep when there is so much pain nearby.”
“Wow. I’m not that pathetic, am I?”
She smiled at me. “Most certainly not. You’ve been through so much these past few days. There’s
some coffee in the kitchen. We have a variety of foods. Help yourself. This is your home for now. You may come and go as you please. Please be careful if you decide to go hiking. It’s very easy to get lost and it’s grizzly bear mating season. They’re not so friendly to hikers.”
I poured a large cup of coffee and then sat down on a poufy loveseat in the living room. “Thanks. You’ve been very kind. I’m sorry I haven’t said it before. I’m just still in shock, I guess.”
“It’s a lot to take in. Hopefully when you meet the others, it will help you feel more at home. Konstantin wants to show you around, maybe meet some locals. I’ll pick up a cell phone for you today so you can keep in touch with your family.” She smiled into her cup. “You could call that young man you always think about.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Why?” she asked. “Is there something I can do to help?”
“No.” I took a sip of my coffee while I gathered my thoughts. “He saw me save the little girl. I hadn’t discussed my ability with him before. I’m certain he never wants to see me again, after all the trouble I caused him.”
“Well,” she said, uncrossing her legs, “I never met the guy, but he must have cared for you. He instinctively protected you by releasing the statement. We didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Konstantin appeared, holding up a spatula, a wide grin on his face. “Who wants bacon and eggs, ladies?”
Carmen refocused briefly on me before turning to her husband. “Good morning to you, too. I’ll take some.”
“Aurora, how about some eggs?”
“Sure. Sounds great,” I said.
After breakfast, Konstantin asked if I would be interested in a tour of the village. I threw on a light jacket and followed him out the door. I took a deep breath as soon we stepped outside. The air was cool and clean, with a freshness only pine trees and rain can bring.
The village was built on a small clearing at the base of a mountain. A paved road twisted through it. He led me about half a mile down the green hill toward the road. Houses and cabins dotted the foot of the mountain, some partially hidden by trees.
