Shit, the shot was drawing attention from the locals already. That wasn’t good. The last thing she needed was to have to explain herself to a bunch of local yokel cops. It was time to cut her losses. It was more important to get the other children back safely.
“Okay,” She called to the other two. “We’re drawing too much attention. Let’s get back to the van.”
As the three retraced their steps back, Ted turned to Willow. “Bossman isn’t going to be thrilled to hear we lost three of them.”
“No kidding,” Willow murmured. “Not much I can do about it now.” She coughed again, sending a shockwave of pain through her chest. “It would have helped if someone had let us know what we’d be dealing with.”
As they approached the van, she turned to Widget. “You’ll need to drive. I don’t know what that kid did to me, but I don’t need to be behind the wheel right now. Tao, contact our pilot and tell him to meet us at our rendezvous point in forty-five minutes.”
As they climbed into the van, Willow looked in the back at the frightened faces of the five young girls. Ted and Ned had tied their hands behind their backs and gagged each of them with duct tape.
“Listen up young ladies. I don’t know if you have any special gifts of your own, but if I feel so much as a tickle in my throat, I won’t hesitate to reciprocate with my special gift which is inflicting all kinds of pain. Do you understand me?”
They all nodded in unison, their eyes growing even larger from the threat.
“Okay boss,” Tao replied as he took out his cellphone to make the call. “Shouldn’t we stop somewhere and get you some medical attention?”
“No, I’ll be okay,” Willow replied though she wasn’t so sure she would be. Her chest really hurt, and she continued to cough up blood. “I’ll have plenty of time to rest on the way to Dubai.”
Alp sat in the center of the Shunning House crossed-legged with her eyes closed trying to relax. The last few days had been some of the most stressful of her generally stressful life, and she felt her mind might spin out of control like a top spinning off a table’s edge. Being separated from her sisters felt more painful than she could bear.
But I’ve got to get myself together, she thought. The disaster with Damba’s mother had been devastating but still life goes on…well, at least it would for a little longer. Something deep within her beckoned for her to not take her death sentence lying down. It wasn’t like she’d intentionally killed the old woman. She had been trying to help, but something had gone wrong.
As she sat there in the house that had slowly begun to feel like home, she continued to breathe deeply, allowing the survival urge to grow slowly. As it did, she realized she’d made a mistake letting her sisters leave the island without her, thus splitting up the Kindred once again. Even worse, her sisters were now under Mel’s influence. She had to do something to bring them all together. Maybe it would even be possible to include Mel.
The realization forced her eyes open. “What have I done?” She asked the walls around her. As she uncrossed her legs, she heard a sound behind her. She turned to see Damba standing in the doorway watching her.
“Is it time?” She asked. She stretched her legs and rose, preparing her body for a fight.
“Yes,” Damba replied with a slight smile on his face. “But not for what you think. My father has had a change of heart.” He explained what had happened since Alp had left.
“You say, the men who arrived are black?”
“Yes,” Damba replied then went on to describe Chunk.
“I don’t get it? How did they find me here? I mean, this is supposed to be an invisible island, right?”
Damba nodded. “Yes, which is one reason I think my father might have changed his mind. No one else has ever found us here, so it’s possible he believes this is providence stepping in. In any case, I would move quickly if I were you before something happens to change his mind again.”
Alp looked around the hut. She had few possessions, just a few pieces of clothing. She quickly packed everything in an old burlap sack and turned back to Damba.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They walked quietly back to the village. Alp didn’t recognize the two men who waited on the deck of the sleek powerboat. Despite the change in plans, Alp could still feel a void between Damba and her. She didn’t know what to say or do that could help bridge the gap, so neither of them spoke. Perhaps what had happened on that fateful night had changed the course of their future together. Perhaps the bond had been strained to the point of breaking.
As Alp walked slowly to the boat, she paused to look at Damba. “I’m so sorry about how everything turned out. I wish…”
Damba raised his hand to stop her. “My heart still aches from the death of my mother. There’s no need to say anything else now. We Gelukians have seen so much sadness in our lives that we do not dwell long on any one incident. Still, it is a time for silent mourning.”
Alp nodded. She wanted so much to reach out and give him a long hug to help the healing process. But she had been the cause of his pain so felt it best to restrain herself so said instead, “Take good care of yourself, Damba.”
Damba nodded then turned and walked away.
Alp felt the heartstrings of a future that might have been tearing loose as the distance between them grew. She sighed longingly before resuming her walk to the waiting boat. One of the men on the boat held out his hand as she boarded. Stepping down on the deck she turned to thank him and saw Chunk behind the man as he climbed from the cabin below.
The two of them stared at each other for several seconds before Alp finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry to hear about your daughter.”
Chunk nodded, his face an undecipherable mask. “Let’s get the hell out of here. We’ve got work to do.”
Mel and his two half-sisters waited for about a half hour after the van drove away with the rest of the Kindred to be sure they weren’t coming back. They watched as a police patrol car pulled up. Two officers climbed out and started to talk to the small crowd of locals that had gathered. As the police stepped onto Zunga’s ship to talk with the crew, Mel decided it was time to get out of town. He escorted Tabitha and Kirstin to the SUV. They both now wore rolled up blue jeans and sweat shirts they’d found on the boat that matched his outfit. They’d have to stop somewhere along the way and buy some better fitting clothes but at least these were warm and dry.
“Buckle up. We’re going on a road trip.”
He drove out of the parking lot and headed north out of town picking up I-95 for a short distance and then I-77.
“Where are we headed anyway?” Tabitha asked from the passenger seat. “I do hope you have a better plan than just playing it by ear.”
“I sure do,” Mel replied. “Like I said before, we’ll get out of town first just to be on the safe side. Then we’ll stop somewhere to get something to eat, some new clothes and a few supplies. Then it’ll be a long drive north.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Kirstin spoke up from the back seat. “Heading north where?”
“Home,” Mel replied. “We’re going home.”
“What?” Tabitha and Kirstin shouted at the same time.
“You’re not taking us back to that damn lab…” Tabitha started.
“Of course not, silly,” Mel replied with a sly smile. “We’re going to my home in West Virginia.”
For the third morning in a row, Alp awoke to find herself in the Robinson’s guest bedroom. Chunk and his brothers had arrived home to find that Chunk’s youngest daughter, Misha, had had some kind of episode and had been admitted to the hospital for further tests and observation.
So, while Chunk took care of the family emergency, she’d been invited to stay in their guest room which someone had prepared for her. What other guest room would have a door that locked from the outside and a window that had been nailed shut? It might look like an inviting guest room with its light blue wallpaper and plush double bed, but someone had obvious
ly converted it into a secure cell.
For most of the long drive home, Alp had tried to convince Chunk that he was making a mistake thinking that she could help his daughter.
“I know you love your daughter, and I wish I could help,” Alp said time and again, “But whatever powers of healing I may have had, have disappeared.” She went on to explain the miserable failure with the old woman on the island.
Chunk listened politely, but each time replied, “I understand. But you are my daughter’s last hope, so you’re just going to have to figure out what went wrong and correct it. My Misha’s life depends on it.”
So, for the past two days Alp had racked her brain trying to figure out why she’d been able to help her father but had failed with Damba’s mother. She wasn’t even positive at this point that she’d been any help to Flip. Maybe it had all been a fluke. Maybe she just happened to have been there when it was time for him to awaken from the coma.
But as she went over it time and again in her mind, she remembered details about the healing. Something had happened. She had been able to enter into his body and mind to find and then repair the damage. Hadn’t she? That hadn’t just been her vivid imagination, or had it?
A light tapping on the door followed by a click as it was unlocked drew her attention back to the room.
“Alp, breakfast will be in a few minutes. Will you join us?”
It was Lucinda who, despite all the stress of having her daughter in the hospital, had been gracious and welcoming to Alp.
“Yes, Mrs. Robinson,” Alp replied, throwing off her covers and kicking her legs off to the side of the bed. “I’ll be right down.”
“Please, Lucinda. Remember we agreed to use first names.”
“Yes, Mrs…yes, Lucinda. Be down in a minute. I want to wash up and change.”
Alp walked into the small adjoining bathroom to relieve herself and brush her teeth. It felt strange to be treated like a guest in the Robinson’s home while also being locked in the guest room. Stranger still that this was the same man that had hunted her and her brother over three states, then shot Mel and apprehended her. Strange to now see him with his family trying to make the most of a very bad situation.
She walked back into the bedroom and started dressing. A moment later there was another soft tapping at the door. “It’s me again,” Lucinda said. “The door’s unlocked now, and I wanted you to know there’s a surprise waiting for you in the kitchen.”
What could that be about? Alp wondered as she hurried to finish dressing. She couldn’t imagine what kind of surprise could be waiting for her, but she feared it would be something bad, even though Lucinda had made it sound like it would be something she liked. Over the past several days, her disposition had grown darker. She had begun to question everything about herself, not just her healing abilities.
She had also messed up royally with her sisters. Just the thought of them pulled at her heartstrings, causing an ache in her chest. So, whatever the surprise was, it probably wouldn’t be good.
She opened the door and walked down the stairs to the rear of the house. As she approached the kitchen, she could smell fresh coffee and bacon. Her mouth started to water, realizing how hungry she’d grown during the night. When she walked into the kitchen she noticed the Robinson’s older daughter already sitting at the table, but it was the person sitting next to her that stopped Alp in her tracks.
As their eyes met, Damba stood up and smiled bashfully. “Good morning, Alp.”
Forgiveness
Alp stood in the doorway to the kitchen staring at the young black man standing in front of her. Could this be real or was she still upstairs asleep and dreaming all of this? Over the past few days she’d felt resigned to the fact that what Kim had shared with her about Damba and her destinies being interwoven was the simple silliness of a sister who did not yet know how to interpret her power. The only interwoven destiny she could discern would be that she would always be known by Damba as the girl who’d killed his mother. But now here he stood in the Robinson’s kitchen with that devilishly handsome smile of his.
“What are you doing here?” As she asked the question, she realized it sounded much harsher than she’d intended. “I mean, how did you get here and why?” A little better but not much.
“Would you join me for breakfast?” Damba asked, waving to the chair across from him. “Mrs. Robinson has been most gracious to invite me to share the meal with her family.”
Alp continued to stand in the doorway uncertain whether to accept his invitation or not.
“Promise, I’ll answer all your questions,” Damba continued.
Slowly, Alp walked over to her place as Mrs. Robinson poured her a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. It had become Alp’s favorite early morning beverage. She smiled a thank you to her hostess, and then returned her attention to the boy across the table.
“Well?”
“I knew I needed some time away from you to sort out everything that had happened. I also knew once I did that, I would want to be able to find you again, so before Mr. Robinson left the island I persuaded him to give me his address.”
“And you’ve now ‘sorted things out?’” Alp asked as she reached for the glass of orange juice.
“Yes, yes I have,” Damba replied. “I realized that my mother was very old and had grown extremely weak from her illness. It was her time, and despite all your efforts and abilities, you couldn’t save her. As much as you wanted to help, it was simply too late.”
Alp sipped on the orange juice as she considered what Damba said. Could it be true? Could it have been a matter of too little too late? Perhaps if she’d gotten to his mother sooner, she’d have been able to heal her after all. But even if that were true, how did that change anything? Her sisters and she had been expelled from the safety of the island and in the process separated from each other. She’d even lost psychic contact with them. She looked up from the glass of OJ and over to Damba.
“Okay, maybe that’s true, but I’m not sure how that changes anything.”
“Well, for starters, I’m here to both offer forgiveness and to ask for it from you,” Damba said. He reached across the table and grasped Alp’s hand. “I know our destinies are still interwoven. I care about you a great deal, Alp, and I want to be with you. Will you forgive me for taking so long to get to this place?”
Alp gazed into Damba’s eyes. She felt the care and compassion radiating from his hand, up her arm and into her heart. And that’s when it hit her. That’s what had been different with her other healings and his mother’s failed attempt; love. She’d clearly loved Mel at the time when he’d needed his bleeding wound to be healed. She also loved her father, even though she had only met him a short time before he’d summoned her to his bedside.
But she hadn’t known Malmu. She had not had that strong emotional connection with the old woman. Maybe Damba was also right that it was too late for anyone to save his mother, but it certainly wasn’t too late for Chunk’s youngest daughter. If she had any hope of saving the young girl, they would need to forge a strong bond of love.
She squeezed Damba’s hand and smiled at him. “While I don’t know that there’s anything for me to forgive, I do so anyway. You have also helped me to understand my power more fully. I thank you for that.”
She turned to Mrs. Robinson, who was bringing a platter of freshly cooked bacon and eggs to the table.
“Lucinda, when will your daughter be home from the hospital?”
“Well, Chunk is at the hospital now arranging her release. They should be home later this morning if all goes well. Why?”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Alp replied, feeling the first spark of hope rekindle within her. “In the meantime, please tell me about your daughter, starting with why you love her so much.”
It had taken Mel and his two sisters most of the day and into the evening to reach Mel’s old homestead. They spent most of that time in the SUV driving along I-77 until they reached
I-64 in West Virginia. They eventually turned onto a winding mountain road in the middle of the West Virginia mountains a short distance from some of the best skiing on the East Coast according to Mel. Their last turn brought them to a pot filled dirt road with several No Trespassing signs, and one lone one at the end that read, Madame Sarrah - Spiritual Guide.
The three of them climbed out of the car and stretched. It had been a full day of driving with only a few stops along the way, and they were all a little sore. As they stood in front of the old log cabin on the homestead where Mel and Alp had been born, Tabitha glanced over at Mel, who stood with a bag of groceries in his arms.
“This is where you were born?” Tabitha asked, a look of disgust on her face.
“Yep, right in there in front of the fireplace,” Mel replied. He pointed to a dilapidated barn next to the cabin. “Alp was born in there; least that’s the story our mother told us. She’d been milking the only cow she owned when she went into labor. Then, after delivering Alp, she managed to walk back to the cabin where she had me.”
“So Alp is older,” Kirstin said.
“Yea, just by a few minutes, but she always liked to lord it over me,” Mel replied. He felt a pang of nostalgia. Was it the return to their homestead or did he actually miss his sister? “Come on. We’ll stay here tonight. It’s too late, and I’m too tired to find another place tonight.”
“And in the morning?” Tabitha asked as she followed Mel up the steps with Kirstin close behind her.
“We’ve got work to do,” Mel replied. He turned and pointed across the way. “Over there across that mountain is Snowshoe Ski Resort. They’re in the midst of their spring skiing. The mountain will be filled with marks with heavy wallets just waiting to be lightened. With the three of us, we should be able to make a haul.”
“You meaning stealing?” Kirstin asked.
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