He appeared more dressed-to-impress than to rescue, but as he got closer, she noticed both his shirt and pants had detachable parts, which made them perfect for any type of weather. Smart. She hadn’t thought of that. But, at least she had a sunhat and comfortable sandals for the long hike to Market.
She’d been so focused on watching him, she almost missed the lighter footfalls trailing behind him. Chai, by the cadence. Rena liked the girl, but she wasn’t part of the deal. Though, she’d rather have Nevan with his sister, than no Nevan at all. Between his shoulder width and the slope of the hill, she couldn’t see Chai yet and decided not to say anything in case the two of them were planning a surprise.
Fingers hooked under the backpack straps, she strolled toward him, still not believing he’d shown up. Then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d adamantly protested her going after the Grunge alone, even threatened to turn her in to the Synbots if she didn’t let him come along to watch her back.
Chai stumbled out from behind him, holding her pants pocket open as she studied the contents.
“Hey, Noodle, I thought you were coming alone,” Rena said.
“So did I.”
Chai patted her pocket and looked up. “I’m not staying home and missing out on the adventure of the summer. Besides, you guys need me.”
“You’re psychic too?” Rena joked as she led them through Everwood toward the Quad 2 neighborhoods.
“No.” As Chai glanced from Nevan to her, a grin crossed her face. “Thought you two could use a chaperone.”
“Why would you think…?” Rena stopped mid-sentence and tucked a dark braid under her hat. She couldn’t hide the truth from Chai. She probably already knew the depth of her crush on Nevan. She cleared her throat and stared forward at the stone arch of the park’s entrance.
As they continued walking, Chai trailed behind, her focus on the path near her feet.
Rena tipped her head toward the girl. “What’s she doing?”
“Selecting rocks for her collection.”
“I remember seeing some interesting ones in your basement.”
Nevan peered down. “I tried to make her stay home, but she wouldn’t have it. Kinda stubborn, like someone else I’m getting to know.”
He bumped her with his elbow. Being near him soothed her.
“I’m not stubborn, just determined. I know what I want.”
“Goals are a good thing to have.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m glad they’re back, by the way.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Your freckles. I like them.”
Instant warmth filled her cheeks, no doubt highlighting those freckles. “At Solstice, that was you who wanted to know about them, not Chai.”
“I…”
Approaching footsteps pulled her attention away from whatever he said. It felt like just-got-out-of-bed shuffles, which was odd so far from a house. A redheaded girl teetered into view through the arch. Her shirt was half-tucked, dirt smeared her arms, and her uncombed hair poked up in every direction. The way her head hung from her shoulders while she staggered obscured her face.
Rena raced to the park entrance. Her hat flew back, but the chinstrap caught around her neck. Nevan stayed with her, stride for stride, while Chai fell behind.
“Blaze!” Rena shouted.
The girl paused, fear etched across her face, a face that didn’t belong to Rena’s best friend. She swallowed her disappointment as she glanced down both sides of the sidewalk. A spiked metal fence lined Everwood. Across the street, a privacy wall created a boundary between the park and a row of houses. “Where are the others?”
The girl peeked over her shoulder before she started walking again.
“This way!” she told Nevan and Chai before she ran in the direction the girl came from. Once she reached the corner, she stopped. Her hand covered her mouth. A quiet swarm of girls huddled together as they made their way down the sidewalk. A small tremor reverberated through the ground before Rena could catch it.
“If your friend is here, we’ll find her.” Nevan placed his hand on her back, urging her into action as he and Chai searched the crowd of forlorn faces.
“Blaze!” Rena shouted. She wanted to reach out and stop the girls, but was afraid she might zap one of them. “Where’s Blaze? Do you know her? Have you seen her? Blaze!” Her voice grew hoarse, her patience thin as she stood on her toes watching the last few girls stroll by.
Not caring anymore, Rena reached out, gently turning one of them to face her. Thankfully, the girl didn’t wince upon contact.
“What happened to you? Where were you?” she asked.
The mousy girl pursed her lips together.
“Talk to me. Say something.” As soon as she realized she was shaking the girl, she stopped and let her hands fall to her side. “I’m sorry. I-I need to find my friend.”
The girl blinked slowly, as if processing the words. Her blank eyes reminded Rena of her brothers whenever she asked them a question while they watched TV. ‘Hypnotic influence of television,’ her mother had often joked with her. Were these girls under some kind of hypnosis?
Rena forced herself to calm down. “I need you to wake up, now.” She infused as much authority in her voice as possible. “Where are you going?”
She blinked again, her focus somewhere over Rena’s shoulder. “Go home.”
“I can’t find my friend. Is there anyone left wherever you came from?”
Eyes closed, she massaged her temple. She stood quiet for the longest time, then finally said, “One.”
Rena sucked in a sharp breath, battling not to release the moisture blurring her vision. “Is she okay? Is she… alive?”
The girl nodded.
“Oh, thank God.”
The girl walked away.
“Wait, no. Don’t go.” She watched in disbelief as the girl ran to catch up with the others.
Nevan approached her, with Chai close behind. “I couldn’t get any information from them. How about you?”
Rena pressed her lips together and shook her head.
“Something was wrong with those girls,” Chai said.
“I know. It’s like they were in a daze of some sort?” Rena drew a steadying breath.
“It’s more than that,” Chai said. “They were all thinking the same thing: Go home. Forget.”
Nevan crossed his arms. “There are drugs that make people feel dazed, but it wouldn’t put the same thought in all of their minds.”
“You think they could’ve been hypnotized?” Rena curled down the edge of her hat. “I remember seeing a show one time where this guy used a pocket watch to hypnotize someone in the audience.”
“Hey, isn’t that man from the Market always working on some kind of watch?” he asked.
“Sure is.” It only added to Grunge’s guilt in her mind.
“Let’s keep going.” Nevan reshaped his hat to shade against the setting sun. “Least we know we’re heading in the right direction and that your friend is okay.”
“That’s right.” She spun toward the Market. “You’re right,” she repeated with conviction.
Nevan strolled next to her, while Chai continued searching for rocks. The rest of the way, Rena kept thinking about how nice it was not to go through this alone. Having him here made the situation more bearable. She hadn’t expected this level of support. After years of immersion in all things Nevan, she felt like she knew him. But technically, he’d only met her a few days ago.
“I know I said I could do this by myself, but I’m glad you’re here. Both of you.”
Nevan puffed out his chest and tipped back the wide brim of his hat. “Lil’ Mama, you didn’t have a choice. We Jelani men don’t let our women step in harm’s way solo.”
Our women? She stopped in her tracks, but he started talking again before she had a chance to comment. She jogged to catch up.
“I meant any woman, we don’t let any woman step in harm’s way alone.”
&nbs
p; “No, he didn’t,” Chai interjected from a few paces away.
He rolled his neck and threw a glare back at his little sister before returning his attention to Rena. “Did you come up with a more specific plan last night?”
She decided to let his slip slide and continued walking toward the Market entrance. “I figure we use a direct approach. When we get inside, you and Chai hang back. I don’t want them connecting us. It might put you in unnecessary danger. I’ll ask Grunge what he wants in exchange for Blaze.”
“Not bad, not bad. But what if he denies it or tries to grab you, too?”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said as she stashed her hat and moved down the path into the Market. “My dad taught me three different ways to kill a man with my bare hands.”
“Whoa! Hard core. Remind me never to cross you.”
“Oh, I will.” She stopped and leaned against the cave wall beneath a ‘Hollowcrest Market Sponsored by Overlord Andrick’ banner. A sour taste coated her mouth at the sight of Grunge. She rolled her shoulders, attempting to alleviate the growing tension. “There he is. You two give me some space.”
“How will we know if you get into trouble?” Nevan whispered.
She looked at Chai and said, “Listen for me.” I’ll send you a silent message.
Chai nodded as she tucked her polka dot hat into her back pocket.
Rena pushed away from the wall, but Nevan touched her shoulder and held her back. “There’s no way I’ll be able to hear you from that distance.”
“You won’t.” Rena winked at Chai. “But she will.”
He bent down to his sister’s eye level. “You okay with that?”
Chai put her hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner. “I can handle it.”
Rena moved closer. “If it’s a problem we can—”
“It’s not a problem.” Chai locked eyes with her. “I’ve never had the chance to use my gift for something this important.”
Reassured, she pushed through the crowd to Grunge’s booth. Out of habit, she checked the Buyers booth for Topaz. He wasn’t there, again, but the light-haired woman was. As always, Grunge sat in his chair hunched over some kind of trinket, except this time he had a rag wrapped around his left hand. She walked up to him, bumping the table with her leg to get his attention.
“What the…. Oh, you,” he growled as he removed his black magnifying eyepiece and tossed it to the table.
Before he could say anything else, Rena said, “Where is she?”
He gripped his hands while his gaze darted around. “Who? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not interested in whatever else you’re selling.”
“You know good and well who I’m talking about. I’m not leaving until you tell me where my friend is?”
“This some kind of joke? Did they put you up to this? I want you to leave. Now.”
“Not until you tell me where the girl who sold you the broken video album is.”
“Video album? You have no idea what you found, do you?” He searched her face. Then said, “Look, I can’t help you. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me alone before…” His gaze flicked toward the Buyers’ booth.
“Before what?” She leaned into the table.
He lowered his voice. “You girls are in a lot of trouble. God knows why I tried to protect you hooligans.”
“You’re the one who’s going to be in trouble if you don’t give Blaze back.”
“I’m not the one what took her. He did.” He tilted his head toward the Buyer’s booth. “The young one that you and the redhead are always gawking at.” The level of disgust in his voice put her on the defensive.
“We don’t—”
“Little girl, I’ve seen you do it a thousand times. Tried to warn you. He took that book you sold me. Took something else from me, too.” Without turning his head, he threw a glare at the Buyers’ booth and unwrapped the black cloth from his hand. “My finger.”
Nausea churned in her stomach. She covered her mouth and shook her head as she stared wide-eyed at the red stub where his pinky finger should’ve been. The Buyers took Blaze. When she started to turn toward their booth, Grunge thumped the table and she stopped.
“Listen here,” he said. She had to lean forward to hear him as he continued. “I’m not sure where you got that stuff you brought me, but they are very interested in it. Very. Interested. They say there’s more out there. And from what I’ve seen, they’re not looking to trade or buy. If you know what’s good for you and your friend, you’ll keep your nose out of this and let her give them what they want.” He snatched the stained cloth off the table, spun around, and stomped into the room behind his booth.
Bad. This was very, very bad. Keeping her head down, she walked as fast as she could out of the cave, glancing at Nevan and Chai on the way. Meet at the ELF. Southside.
Chapter Sixteen
Saturday, June 24
Late Morning
Rena’s cargo pants shielded her against the spiny weeds as she dashed down the hill. The white exterior of the ELF gleamed in the sunlight. She squinted, and the image of Grunge’s bloody cloth and the scabby stump assaulted her mind. Bile burned her throat. Her limbs weakened as she trudged around the ELF in time to lose her breakfast without witnesses. She kicked gravel over it, then stumbled a few feet farther around before she collapsed against the structure. Peeling paint of the base snagged her shirt as she slid to the ground.
She never imagined her decision to bring things from Westrock would cause this kind of chaos. They were valuable, but were they worth kidnapping? Worth disfigurement? If they were willing to maim Grunge, what would they do to Blaze?
This couldn’t be happening. Her chest muscles tightened and strangled the breath from her lungs and forced tears to well in her eyes. She wanted to curl into a ball, but stuck her head between her knees and fought for self-control. The need to expel her sour emotions into the ground churned through her and compressed the tension between her shoulders. She needed to divert her focus elsewhere before she shattered earth. Bad things happened when she lost control.
She detected Nevan’s footsteps, but couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. He knelt in front of her. Warmth radiated off him and she wanted him closer, but didn’t move. Without speaking, he unzipped her toppled backpack, pulled out her sunhat, and handed it over.
“It’ll be okay,” he said in a soothing voice. A caress drifted across her shoulders, easing the tautness, as if by magic. “We’ll get Blaze back. She’s okay.”
Empty words, the kind people utter when they don’t know what to say to ease someone’s suffering. Only, it didn’t make her feel better. Rena wrung the hat.
“They didn’t hurt Blaze,” Chai said, sitting next to her. “At least, not yet.”
She rested a cheek against her bent knees and peered into the young girl’s eyes. “How could you know that?”
“You told me the Buyers took Blaze.”
“I did?”
Chai tapped her temple. “I scanned the lady in their booth for information. Didn’t understand everything though.” Her small shoulders shrugged.
Lightheaded, Rena edged her hand forward until her knuckles brushed against Nevan’s. He hooked his index finger around hers. His tenderness annihilated her lingering sour emotions. She fought the urge to look at his face and instead trained her focus on his sister.
“It might make sense to me. Talk to me,” Rena said.
Chai shifted, sitting yoga style, and leaned against the ELF. “Something about a book.”
“The video album?”
“No. Memory scrapbook. From 2057?”
“Dang Lil’ Mama, how’d you get your hands on something two centuries years old?”
She peered at him then. The awe in his eyes pleased her. “Long story,” she answered, now understanding Grunge’s strong reaction to the antique. “What else did you get?”
Chai closed her eyes, as if trying to picture what she heard. “The Buyer had th
e scrapbook. When Blaze saw it, she claimed it, but told them to let the other girls go or she wouldn’t talk.”
“That’s my girl.” Rena put on her hat. “What else?”
“They want her to show them where she got it.”
“And if she can’t?”
Eyes opened, Chai pursed her lips.
“This isn’t good.” She released Nevan’s finger and raked her hand over her braids before she stood. Gravel crunched under her feet as she paced. “Blaze couldn’t show them where it came from if her life depended…” A shudder shot through her. She couldn’t stop it before it sank underground. Hopefully it wouldn’t hit anything. “Do you know where they are now?”
“That’s the confusing part. On the way to Westrock, forbidden land.”
“She doesn’t know how to find it. I have to help her.”
Nevan stood. “See, there you go with that ‘I’ stuff again. We’re a team. Let’s go do this.”
Before Rena protested any further involvement on their part, Chai’s eyes closed and she slid sideways against the ELF. Nevan caught her before her head hit the gravel. He flattened his sunhat, as well as his sister’s, then tucked them beneath her head.
“They’ll protect her head during the seizure,” he explained without looking at Rena.
Rena yanked off her hat. “Take mine, too.”
He glanced at her long enough to take the offering and add it to the pile. Rena didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she grew lightheaded. She drew steady, measured breaths, but there was no quick fix to calm her racing heart.
Spasms racked the young girl’s body. Every thrash of her arms, legs, and hips against the ground rattled through Rena. Her toes curled.
Nevan brushed away gravel where Chai’s hands thumped the ground. “It’s almost over,” he said. She wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or Chai.
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