by Jason Letts
Kevin made his readiness clear and Yannick went to unlock the case. Kevin sealed the foot, Yannick opened the case, and soon a part of a nail was in his possession. They locked the prisoner back in the box, and Yannick turned his attention to the toenail clipping.
He rolled it in his fingers and gave himself to a trance-like sensing. He twisted his head and turned, trying to pick up the information. He squinted, cringed, and then his eyes ballooned.
“What? What it is?” Kevin asked.
“This is scary. There are so many parts to this man spread out in so many places. It took me a while to figure out the source, the core. When the parts switch, there’s an instant where there’s nothing there, and so I had to find the one part that never disappears. I figured out where it is, but I’ve got some bad news for you.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s behind enemy lines. We’re talking about ground controlled by the Sunfighters far to the northeast. This guy could be involved with them. He could be in the middle of a military base. That’s the one place I can’t get to, Mr. Ipswich. I’m sorry.”
“Why can’t you get there? What’s the problem?”
“The problem is my power is to find like things. I don’t have a fighting power or a hiding power. Assuming I can even make it all the way around the front lines, if I get caught over there, that’s the end.”
“But you’re better than that, right?” Kevin argued. A pleading desperation crept into his voice. “You’re stealthy, and you’re a better spy than this guy even. Wait. Is this about money? Are you trying to drive up your price?”
“Man, cut that out. I listened to your story, and I feel for you. I want to help, but this is more than I can handle.”
Kevin felt a painful hollowness in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t have anything left to say, and he surrendered with his silence. But the voice of Corey returned, bouncing off the walls and echoing in their heads.
“Yannick, we understand the danger this journey entails, and it’s clear that performing this selfless service will do much to wash away your prior wrongs with the balm of time. Your crime was to steal from a wealthy patron of our state, and those indebted to him vilified you as a result. Our village could be a sanctuary from their wrath, rather than the punishment of the exiled. We ask you to make an attempt to uncover this plot against the Ipswiches. Do not walk where danger lies and always err on the side of caution, even if it means abandoning completely. Will you undertake this, and by so doing make me your ally?”
Kevin looked at Yannick with the last-ditch resolve of a broken man offering his final plea. Yannick couldn’t help but be moved by his fomenting sincerity.
“This is your chance, kid. Can you feel it? If you’ve ever wanted to be someone’s savior, now’s your chance.”
Kevin caught Yannick’s firm and tempered glare and knew he already stared down the challenge before him.
“I’m going to do this. They’re going to find out exactly how much I am, and they aren’t ever gonna know it.”
“Yannick,” Corey’s imposing voice interjected. “Make your preparations and leave as soon as possible. The prisoner will be transported and out of our hands tomorrow. And as for you, Mr. Ipswich, you keep a close eye on your family, and may you find peace with the terrors you’ve known.”
Chapter 10: The Birthday Party
Mira stood in the slushy snow outside of the schoolhouse early Monday morning. She pretended to be examining the rivulets of water streaming along the ground, but her thoughts were actually glued to her latest snare. On each desk, a colorful invitation with an intricate design waited with a cookie for a student to find. Her mind jumped at predictions of how each of them would react, and she pondered how many of them would notify her of their interest as the invitation requested.
Her classmates began to emerge from the path, and Mira cordially greeted each one of them. She restrained herself from peeking inside to see their reactions, but she did listen for any signs of surprise or excitement. Nothing telling came to her, and she continued innocently and demurely greeting those who arrived.
After everyone passed her and Mira had neither made out any signs of approval or mockery, she feared that when she finally went in she would find fourteen invitations and cookies piled on her desk. But when Aoi exited the schoolhouse to meet her on her way in, she felt some relief.
“I’m not coming to your party, but thanks for the cookie,” she said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you change your mind,” Mira replied with an identically measured delivery.
They entered the schoolhouse and Mira sat down at her desk. It didn’t take her long to notice cookie wrappers balled up on desks or dropped onto the floor. She wondered if they had ignored the invitations attached or if they had eaten them too without noticing. The other students didn’t look at her, and she realized she would have to wait for their responses.
Fortst abruptly strode in and quickly called the class to order.
“The time has come, my pupils. You’ll be taking your test today. Get out a sheet of paper and your ink bottles, not your pencils. There won’t be any erasing or changing your answer after you’ve written it. You’ll have one shot at answering my questions before I give you the answer and we move on to the next one. Remember, a test is a learning tool, so let’s learn who hasn’t been doing their studying together. Ready? Let’s get started.”
The students, grumbling and sighing, complied with Fortst’s requests. Anticipating the vague and illogical questions that were sure to come, Mira reached into her desk to get a piece of paper. She felt something strange though with her hand, and she bent over to look. One of her cards had been placed inside, and Mira curiously opened it to see whom she had given it to.
She saw that she had written this card for Will, and he added a note at the bottom. He wrote, “Your life is in danger! Meet me at,” and then he drew an arrow to the time and place of the party, this Saturday afternoon at Cloud Cottage. He scribbled his name carelessly underneath. Mira carefully stored the card in her desk.
Other than Aoi’s refusal and Will’s acceptance, Mira didn’t hear from anyone for the rest of the day. After the test ended and lunch went by without any mention of the party, the good feeling she had received from Will had faded and layers of disappointment formed on top of it. She mustered some enthusiasm to tell her parents about Will’s response, and they told her everyone else would answer in due time and she needn’t worry.
As parents so often are, they were right. Mira hadn’t even made it all the way to the schoolhouse before her classmates began to approach her. As it so happened, Roselyn and Mary stood talking at the corner where the road from Mira’s home veers toward the outpost. It startled her when they suddenly broke from their conversation and addressed her.
“Mira, come over here!”
She turned to them. They giggled over each other, and for a moment Mira wondered if they were laughing at her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“We just wanted to tell you we want to come to your party.”
“Oh, great,” Mira replied, still not sure if they were joking. “I hope to see you there.”
She watched them for a moment, every movement in tandem, and it struck her how tangible it felt to be on the outside of their friendship. A world existed in their secret whispers, and Mira could only just see it.
That same feeling of inferiority appeared again later on. She could see it in Chucky’s face when he imposed on her for a moment of her time when she went off to find some water during lunch break. She realized he had followed her, and that he had probably been waiting for this opportunity to confront her away from anyone else.
“Hey, how was the test?” he asked with a feigned confidence she knew well.
“You never can tell what answers he wants, but I don’t think it matters much either way.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said, scratching his head with its shaggy hair.
> Mira finished filling her bottle from the well and turned to look at him. She stood for a moment with his large figure before her, waiting for him to speak.
“Is there something I can help you with?” she asked, before the silence became noticeable. The opening before him so obvious, Chucky couldn’t avoid saying what he had to say any longer.
“Thank you for the invitation. I realize you were giving them to everyone and so you had to give one to me too, but I appreciate it even if you didn’t mean it.”
This was so hard for him, and Mira wondered why. She couldn’t figure out the reason why he looked at her like she was twice his size. She heard how much he begged to be disappointed within his words.
“No, Chucky, I didn’t give you an invitation because I had to. I gave you one because I want you to come.”
A little light came into his eyes, but they hid behind so many expressionless body parts and facial parts that shielded and protected his emotions. Mira didn’t know what more she could say, and she thought the only option left was to leave.
“I would like to come to your party,” he stammered.
“Great,” she said. “I look forward to it.”
They returned to the schoolhouse, and the day slowly ticked itself away. She hoped more people would approach her in a similar manner, and her heart fluttered when she noticed someone stray from the group. But time went on, and opportunities for the others to speak privately with her came and went.
The anticipation she felt about hearing from them slowly turned to resentment. It hurt her that so many of them saw ignoring her to be the most favorable course of action. Though it proved difficult, she forced herself to remember that even getting four people to come would be an impressive accomplishment, especially considering she had never brought a single visitor into her home before. There would be a party, and she could either give her attention to the people who wanted to come or mope and pine for those who didn’t.
Still, she couldn’t help casting prolonged looks to her other classmates and wonder why they didn’t approach her. Mira even came to think better of Aoi because she at least made her intention clear. She knew she hadn’t spoken to some of them much, and some she didn’t know much about, but this seemed like the common courtesy she would afford to a perfect stranger.
In her most somber moments, Mira felt a dark blush over Vern’s silence. She remembered the apple experiment and the conversation with him back in the fall. It seemed at the time like she had made a connection with him, but it must have faded over the dark winter. Or maybe it had only been an important memory to her because she had been struggling to find her place at school and it didn’t really matter to him.
Perhaps Jeana and Kevin sensed this turmoil in their daughter and wanted her to look on the bright side, or maybe they themselves were just overly enthusiastic about the prospect of having a party. Either way, their delight and energy overflowed whenever they saw her. They counted down to the party with each passing day, and they began putting the decorations up a full two days in advance. Mira joked that they didn’t really know which day her birthday was.
But after all of the ups and downs, she went to bed on Friday night feeling like it was all behind her. The only thing left to do was enjoy her party with all those who wished to be there.
***
From the serenity of sleep, Mira gently awoke. Her eyes opened languorously to reveal her room in the soft hues of the morning light. She took a deep breath that was effortless and calming and, still in her pajamas, drowsily slumped down the stairs.
When she got there, she rubbed her eyes and gasped at the wondrous sight before her. The walls, usually white and brown, had all been covered over with black paper. Stars hung from the ceiling, and a few positioned lights gave them the appearance of iridescence. Wool and cotton covered the floor, as if she stood on the clouds with the world far below.
“Happy Birthday!” her parents shouted when she walked into the kitchen. So many pots and pans and bowls and plates full of ingredients covered every surface.
“Thank you, thank you so much,” she said, a little overwhelmed but entirely grateful. “This must have taken so long!” she added, giving her parents a hug.
“Sometimes it’s a wonder what goes on while you’re sleeping,” Jeana said.
Mira washed her hands and prepared to start helping when her parents steered her into a chair in front of a big breakfast. She said it wasn’t fair she should be eating while they were working, and so she convinced them to take a break and join her. Over breakfast, they discussed the guest list, events at school, and how ancient Mira had become.
Kevin got up to check on the stove, but then he left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a big box in his arms that blocked his entire chest from view. He set the brightly wrapped present down on a chair next to Mira. He told her to open it, and the command thrilled her. She tore at the paper and ripped open the box. Peering inside, she chuckled when she found another wrapped box inside. She pulled it out and opened it, finding another, smaller box inside.
Kevin and Jeana watched with pleasure as she rummaged around through the confetti and paper inside. Grabbing something, she pulled it out to see what it was. She brought a small snow globe up to the light. But instead of snow, a small cloud danced and twisted into beautiful spirals and shapes over and around a tiny home that looked an awful lot like Cloud Cottage. Mira gave him an impressed, astonished look. A similar expression found its way onto Jeana’s face too.
“As long as I’m alive to love you, it will never stop,” Kevin said to Mira.
“Thank you, Daddy. I love you, too,” she said, holding the globe in her hands.
Jeana cleared her throat and rose from her seat. She pretended to stir something in the kitchen but quickly disappeared up the stairs. Some noise came through the ceiling in the form of several loud thuds. Then came a long silence. Kevin and Mira exchanged inquisitive looks and then Jeana reentered the room with a shopping bag in hand. She graciously bestowed the shopping bag upon her daughter.
Mira, reaching into the bag, felt something soft and furry with her hand. She pulled it out and saw the white, fluffy fabric in her hand.
“This is from your carpet, isn’t it!” she said, equally thrilled and astonished.
“As long as I’m alive to love you, it will never stop being furry,” Jeana delivered.
While Mira examined the rectangular piece, Jeana took a moment to whisper to her husband.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t let you one-up me like that.”
Thanking her mother and father profusely, she gave them hugs again, and started to clear the table, hoping to ease their workload.
Mira spent some time cooking with her parents and then passed the rest of the morning down in the basement, where she put her mother’s gift to use. After lunch she hung the planets and the sun from the ceiling. Time ticked away and soon there was nothing to do but wait for the guests to arrive. As the time she indicated on her invitations approached, Mira started to doubt her classmates would really come. Maybe they would get lost and give up, or had just said they would come to be nice.
But, right at four o’clock, a knock came at the front door. Jumping out of her seat, Mira raced to answer it. Opening the door, she spotted Chucky standing there, looking a little like he’d been caught.
“Hi. Are you still having the party?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she answered. “You’re the first one here. Come on in.”
“Wow, you have an interesting house,” he said while taking off his shoes.
“No, it doesn’t always look like this. These are party decorations.”
Mira barely had time to bring him into the living room and introduce him to her parents when another knock came at the door. Looking at her like she meant to abandon him, Chucky watched Mira run back to the front door.
“Hey, Mira, happy birthday!” Mary and Roselyn sang in unison when she opened the door. Mira thanked them for coming and ushe
red them inside the house. Chucky had heard their exchange at the door and he kicked himself for forgetting something so important.
“I forgot to wish you a happy birthday. I’m sorry about that.”
“Well, it’s not too late,” she said, anticipating that he would do so next.
“Thanks,” he said, and then went back to looking at the decorations.
“Hi, I’m Roselyn. It’s nice to meet you,” the bubbly girl said, introducing herself to Mira’s parents with a kind of graceful self-confidence. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you,” Kevin replied. “We’ve heard about you.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard about me, but that’s ok. I’m Mary.”
They shook hands and exchanged greetings.
“Is anyone else coming?” Roselyn asked.
“Yes, Will is. Oh, that must be him now,” Mira said, hearing the door again. The other two girls followed her to the door to greet him. All smiles, they opened the door, but those smiles disappeared when they found him looking worn and disheveled with red spots all over his face.
“Are you alright?” Mary asked.
“Why do you ask? I’m perfectly fine. Happy birthday,” he said to Mira, smiling.
“Wow, this is pretty cool,” he added when they entered the living room.
“Thanks, this is our solar system. This big orange ball is the sun, and this is the Earth, and here are the two planets in between. Then there are a few other planets farther out. People used to think the planets traveled around the sun in a circle, but now we know their orbit is actually an ellipse.”
Mira and her guests sat at the table with the model of the solar system overhead. They were unsure of what to talk about or what to do, and so they glanced at each other awkwardly and tapped their fingers on the table. Kevin came over and took the last seat.
“So it’s been quite a while since I was a senior level student like you are. Has it changed much down there?” he asked, managing to arouse their interest.
