by Martha Carr
Bernie ran his finger along the bottom of the nearly empty nachos plate, licking the remains off his finger. "Let me give the meaning a shot. Jack had a theory that the more the Elemental comes into contact with the compass, the more the compass becomes part of them, like all the other Elementals. Inside of the others is the machine part. They can't be separated until it's time. The compass was the only exception because it contained too much energy. It wasn't a good idea. But it may be inevitable." He looked at Diana. "Before you ask, I don't know what too much would look like. We've only taken the engine apart like this once and so far, we've never had the pleasure of putting it back together. This is all theory."
"I could use maybe one more beer. Hey Ralph..."
Ralph was already walking toward their table and gave Maggie a wink. "I got you covered. I'm telling you, we're connected."
"For tonight, get your rest," said Bernie, after Ralph had gone back to hear the rest of Mike's story. "We're going to need it. Any chance I can have that book back now? No? Okay, I tried."
17
Maggie got up early and went over to her mother's house, using the key from under the fake rock to let herself in with Dexter in tow. Her mother's dog, Oscar came running up to greet them, barking loudly, his tail wagging, sending Dexter behind Maggie's legs, squeaking and barking.
Toni Parker came out of the kitchen, her reading glasses halfway down her hose and a spatula in her hands. "Oh, it's you, cute dog, hey, you're just in time for breakfast, come on back and join me." Her words came out in a rush and a jumble letting Maggie know her mother was not dipping into the wine or anything else, yet. It was still early.
"I wanted to check on you before the day got going." Maggie followed her mother back to the kitchen and watched her flipping an egg in the iron skillet. Dexter kept running around Maggie's legs, trying to avoid Oscar, who was doing his best to smell Dexter's butt.
"Your dog sounds like a chew toy." Toni flipped the egg onto a bowl of refried beans and spooned salsa on top, putting it on the island in front of Maggie. "Eat up, I know you didn't cook anything. Pop-Tarts in a toaster isn't cooking."
"That reminds me, I'm out of Pop-Tarts." She went and opened the back door for Oscar, letting him take off at a run for the squirrels circling a tree. Dexter stood at the open door between Maggie's legs and squeaked and barked along with him. "I think you're getting the hang of this dog thing, Dexter."
Maggie came over and sat down at the island near her mother, using her spoon to break apart the yolk. "I got your last will and testament, Mom. Nice use of a post-it."
Toni broke another egg in the skillet and glanced back at her daughter. "That whole thing with Kathleen getting taken has put me on edge. I wanted to make sure you girls had some guidelines from me." She patted Maggie's hand. "You two don't really need it. You're thick as thieves." She scooped more refried beans into a bowl and spooned salsa on top.
"I noticed you gave all the good stuff to Diana."
Toni let out a sharp laugh. "Diana loves to fill every square inch, you know that. She's a collector of bits and pieces of the people she loves. You like to know who we are. I made sure all the books and diaries went to you. You know I'm right." She flipped the egg into the other bowl and came and sat down next to Maggie. "It's strange, but this ship does seem to know who to choose to be the Elemental. It would never have suited Diana. I don't know if it helped create your DNA or just recognized you when you were coming into being, but it definitely knew. You have always wanted to know how things connect, just like your father." Toni patted her daughter’s hand.
Maggie put down her spoon. "If something happens to me..." She felt the change in the air immediately.
Toni hit the side of the bowl with her spoon, pressing her lips together in a firm line. "Don't," she said quietly. "I won't let you say it. Nothing can happen to you. I can't break off another piece of my family just to save a ship of Peabrains. It's asking too much." It always surprised Maggie how quickly her mother could slip toward a bad day, but she never knew what exactly was the trigger. Something inside of her told her this was going to be a revealing day.
Her skin prickled all over, different from a surge of energy. She knew, something was about to be said that couldn't be taken back and would change everything. Still, it wasn't in her nature to back up, or avoid anything. "What do you mean you mean break off another piece? Has the ship done this before? Dad died in an accident. Who else is there?" Say it's true. Tell me everything I think I know is real and can be trusted.
Toni dropped her spoon in the bowl and put her head in her hands, sucking in air between her teeth. "I knew that was a mistake not to tell you both from the beginning. I knew it would come to this and I'd be the one left to tell you. Poppy insisted and I was so scared, I didn't know what was the right thing to do." She shook her head. "This is too much for me. No, no, I can do this. I mean, if I don't, who will warn you?" She was distracted for a moment, arguing with herself.
There was a flash of an image of her mother sitting on the back porch in the Adirondack chair at night with a glass of wine in her hand. Was this the argument she came to every night for all these years?
Maggie held very still, her eyes shining and she quietly let go of the spoon, placing her hands flat on the island. Toni finally lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear. She looked at Maggie, brushing her hair out of her face. "I hoped that maybe you would never think to ask. That maybe this entire business would pass you by, like it did with Poppy!" Her voice was pleading. "No one ever knew who he was, or cared." Her voice grew louder. "He had a normal life. A normal life!"
"Mom... what happened to Dad?" Maggie's voice came out softly and she continued to sit still. Her mind was busy racing back through every memory of those last days. She had been so little and everything was a jumble. A collection of snapshots really, more than a continuous reel of memories. Maggie's forehead wrinkled. "There was some kind of accident and he was injured..."
"Battle. There was a battle." She spit out the words. "He was suspected of knowing an Elemental, of protecting someone. There were rumors among their kind. The truth was, he was trying to protect his entire family."
"Their kind? Who?"
"It was the Kashgars."
Maggie pushed back hard from the island, scooting her chair roughly across the floor, the breath leaving her chest and she felt her face warm. "They killed my father?" Her stomach was churning, trying not to think about Jake.
Toni got up from her chair and went to the back door, watching Oscar run around on the lawn. "No, they didn't kill him, not exactly. There was a faction that had broken off from the main group. They were forming a new alliance with some of the awakened Peabrains. A group that could remember they were magical, and they wanted to put the machine back together. There were even children in their group. The gifted ones they called them. They wanted to get out of here, go somewhere. Your father tried to reason with them, make the Peabrains see that too much time had passed and whatever was back there could be long gone. You know, whatever lay in front of us may not be to our liking, and we should stay right here. But no one would listen." Toni went and gently hugged her daughter, pulling her close.
Maggie let her, knowing her mother needed this, but every muscle in her body was tense, waiting for the rest of the story.
"Tell me the rest, Mom."
Toni squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth momentarily. She went back to her position by the door. Maggie understood her mother and waited. The harder she pushed, the more Toni Parker would retreat into talking about meaningless things. Tchotchkes, news of a neighbor, the latest drum circle. She could leave Maggie standing alone even while still in the room.
Toni bit her bottom lip and opened her eyes, gazing out over the backyard. "It was in McKinney State Park. That seemed to have some importance but I never figured out why. The faction was meeting there and your father went to talk to them. He took you with him, to show you what your future would be like and to let t
hem know he was coming in peace."
Maggie's eyes darted back and forth, her forehead wrinkling as she tried to remember even a flash of a memory. "I don't remember any of this. How is that possible?"
Her mother was already lost in the memories and didn't answer. "Your presence was meaningless to them. The leader of the Peabrains who wanted to return to our original world had his son there with him too. At first it was peaceful, but it didn't stay that way. Accusations were exchanged, and the rumor was a Kashgar set off a rain of pin needles, scattering everyone. A fight broke out between the Kashgar faction and the Peabrains and your father got caught in the middle." Her voice caught on the last words and she choked off a sob.
"The death certificate said accident. I looked it up myself when I became a cop. It happened here, at the house." Her voice was coming out even and sounded calm, but she was having to swallow hard, pressing her toes to the floor, inside of her shoes.
"Half truth. Some Huldus got there too late and fought off the Kashgars, saving some of the Peabrains despite their stupidity. Not before their leader was killed, though, and in front of his little boy. They brought him and your father to the house. The little boy was in shock. He stood there in silence, not even crying. Marcus was still alive when they laid him down in our room. He made them all get out so he could tell me about the telescope." She pressed her hands to her forehead again, even as Oscar ran into the house and buzzed past Dexter who set off after him, barking and squeaking.
"No one was to find out he was the Elemental, not even the Huldus. He begged for my forgiveness, like that was even necessary." Toni turned around, tears staining her face. "Diana was at sleep away camp..." She stopped abruptly, her mouth dropping open, staring past Maggie.
Maggie jumped out of her chair, turning around to find Diana quietly standing in the hallway, her face flushed and her hands out to the sides like she was trying to prevent a fall. Dexter was squeaking by her side, rubbing up against her leg.
Maggie got to her just as Diana fell to her knees and held her sister tight. Toni ran to them, shaking her hands over their heads before dropping to her knees and hugging them both. Dexter and Oscar circled them, sniffing at their feet. Diana lifted her head, wrapping her hand around the back of Maggie's head. "We have to all start working together," she said, fiercely. "We are Parker women and no one can defeat us when we are a team." She shook her head hard, tears in her eyes, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "We are going to win this one and go on to lead very boring lives uncomfortably close to each other."
Maggie sat back on her heels, one hand resting on her mother and the other on Diana. "What we need is a plan and to get that damn compass back."
18
Toni's phone buzzed on the counter and she went to it, flipping it over, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Maggie, something's happening at your house. It's the Neighborhood app sending out a text. Gabe Bleeden next door to you saw someone breaking in and has called the police." She looked up at Maggie, her eyes wide. "It has to be the Kashgars."
Maggie got up, brushing off her hands as Dexter and Oscar jumped up on her. "Not necessarily, not even probably. It's got to be Simon Wesley, the same one who was behind Kathleen's kidnapping." She looked at Diana. "He has the compass and Carl Hopkins."
Diana hustled for the front door. "Then let's go get him!" She was already through the front door, the dogs running alongside her, excited and barking and squeaking. Maggie ran to catch up with her, even as Toni grabbed an old iron fireplace poker and was right behind them.
"You two aren't equipped to take on Simon Wesley." Maggie was running ahead of them, turning around, trying to slow them down.
"Neither are you," said Diana, curling her hands into fists as she picked up speed, her red hair falling out of the clip that was trying to hold it back. "Your magic is hit and miss!"
"I'm a detective, in case that slipped your mind. I'm actually legit trained for this specific kind of problem. And I've gotten some of this magic thing right."
"We're going as a team," yelled Toni, clutching the poker as they got closer to Maggie's house, the dogs announcing their arrival.
Maggie got their first in time to see someone standing in the front window, looking straight at her as she ran up the front walk. "I know a set up when I see one," she muttered, too low for the others to hear her. The man turned and ran as she got closer and the chorus of noise from the chickens told her where he was headed. She veered off the sidewalk and ran for the side gate, flipping the latch with one hand as she barreled through. Gertie was flapping her wings along the chicken coop wire as a middle aged man in brown slacks and a windbreaker ran for the alley. He glanced back at the last second at Maggie and smiled, making her run faster. She wanted to know what it would feel like to press her knee into the small of his back, and even more, she wanted answers.
She wanted the compass back.
She got to the alley in time to see him duck into a waiting van. Simon Wesley was sitting in the passenger seat and stared into Maggie's eyes as he held up the compass. Maggie got to the back of the van and pounded on the door as it peeled away, spitting out gravel from the tires. "Is Carl in there? Let him go," yelled Maggie.
Diana and Toni were right behind her and Toni got off one good swing, denting the back of the van before it got completely away. "Release Carl Hopkins!"
Simon leaned out of the passenger side window, surprised and stared at Toni as the van reached the end of the alley and plowed out onto the street to loud honking.
Maggie saw his eyes flash into darkness and back again and felt a shudder go down her spine.
"He has the compass with him!" yelled Maggie, running back through the yard to the El Camino. "Tell Bernie and Wilmark where I'm going."
"Where are you going?" yelled her mother, but Maggie was already halfway to the car. She jumped into the driver's seat, even as Diana reached the car and got in next to her.
"No, don't even waste time arguing," said Diana. "Think of me as the field doctor, if you need to. I'm coming with you. Where to?"
Maggie pulled her purse out from under the seat and lifted out the puzzle box where it was still sitting. She held it in her hands and let it unfold as she focused on the compass. "It was something Poppy said in these old VHS tapes. Use the puzzle box to call it to me." She watched the box come back together, the carvings changing and taking shape.
Toni got to the open passenger side and leaned in, looking at the box. "I had no idea it could do that," she said in wonder.
"That is really cool," said Diana, leaning over to get a better look. "Look at those numbers. That's a longitude and latitude. I knew that pilot training would come in handy. Hang on." She pulled out her phone, putting in the numbers. "It's an office park in Garfield. I can show you on a Google map. Start the car!"
Maggie kissed her sister's forehead. "That's not too far from that strange warehouse fire where they had Kathleen. Should have known their lair would be nearby." She looked up at her mother. "Take care of the dogs and tell Bernie and Wilmark we're headed to Garfield at this address. Diana will show you!"
"Be careful," said Toni, "and bring Carl home safely. Enough of this!"
Diana held up her phone showing a red teardrop marking the spot with the address. "They have a lair," she whispered. She turned and looked at Maggie. "You really are Wonder Woman!" She sat back in her seat and buckled her seat belt. "I'll get her home safely, Mom. Take a step back." She pulled the car door shut and pounded the air with her fist. "Let's ride!" she shouted, rolling down her window to yell. "Woooohooooo!"
Toni stood on the curb, still holding the poker, the two dogs by her side as she watched them drive off. Grackles lifted out of the trees, calling out to each other as they flapped their wings, heading off in different directions.
“Watch over them, Marcus. Please don't let anything happen to them. And may they kick butt and get that damn compass back!" She leaned down and petted Dexter's head, reaching over to scratch Oscar behind the e
ars. "That's right, boys. They'll be okay. They have to be."
19
Maggie balanced the puzzle box on her leg as she drove, watching to see if it changed at all, doing her best to keep only one intention in mind. Take me to Simon Wesley. She knew it was a risk using the box and she might be wasting the gift from the trees, but it was time. Carl's life was also in danger and she needed to reclaim what was rightfully hers.
"Bernie will understand," she muttered, but Diana overheard her.
"I doubt it, but he'll have to get on board because we're already on the way. Take a left here."
Maggie swung the El Camino around a tight corner and hit the gas, running down a country road between two open green fields that quickly gave way to dense woods of old oak and pecan trees. Maggie looked up at the trees through the driver's side window and noticed one by one, the trees were stirring, clearly sending a message down the line. We're not alone, thank goodness.
"We're getting close," said Diana, holding up the phone for Maggie to take a look. "These trees should give way to something pretty soon." Diana sat forward on her seat, peering out the windshield.
Maggie looked over at her and wondered if she should have forced her out of the car and taken off alone. Diana looked over at her and scowled. "I know what you're thinking and I would have karate kicked you and been in the car anyway. Let that thought go."
"That's not really a thing and the last time we wrestled, I won."
"That was about ten years ago and I've got some nice upper body muscle going these days from resetting all those bones. I think I could take you." Diana let out a nervous laugh. She held up her pinky. "Swear to me you'll save Carl and the compass and not be worrying about me. Swear. I can take care of myself."
"I can't do that without lying to you."
Diana dropped her hand, letting out a deep breath of air. She breathed in again and held up her pinky again. "Okay, then let's swear to get that compass and Carl and get home with most of our pieces. Minimum is we're still mostly functional."
