Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy)

by Jacinda Buchmann

  For a moment, he wondered if Liliana noticed his aura. He knew that it must reveal his true feelings, and suddenly he didn’t care. With his ankle still propped on her thigh, the distance he could lean was limited, but she quickly caught on and moved to meet in the middle.

  He braced himself for the impending kiss, but they were stopped short by the reverberation of a car door. The slam echoed through the trees. Brought back to the present, they both pulled away, but not before Tyler caught the look of disappointment in her eyes. He wondered if she could see the same disappointment written in his.

  Liliana turned toward the sound. “Do you think they’re already here?”

  “I guess we’d better go see.”

  “Let’s get your boot back on and see if you can walk.”

  She removed her hands from his ankle, and Tyler gasped in awe at the result. It was as though he had never been injured. The swelling and bruising were completely gone.

  “That’s amazing! I don’t know how you did it, but…wow! Thank you!”

  Liliana grinned. “You’re very welcome. Does it hurt at all?”

  He flexed and rotated his ankle and was amazed to find that he no longer had the slightest twinge of pain. “All better!” he proclaimed.

  “All right then. I guess we’d better get back up to the house.”

  Tyler thought he detected a hint of disappointment in her voice. He was certainly disappointed. What would have happened if they had kissed? Perhaps it was better this way; after all, he reminded himself, they had a mission to complete and they didn’t need distractions.

  “You’re right. We should get back to the house.” He laced up his boot and popped his snowshoe back on. He wondered again, as they retraced their steps, if she could read his aura and see how he truly felt about her.

  CHAPTER 14: SEDONA

  At the slam of a car door, Eddie glanced up from his homework and peered out the kitchen window, in time to see two girls wave to a car as it retreated down the driveway. His heart skipped a beat when they turned. Though her face was half concealed by auburn hair that had been tossed by the wind, it was undoubtedly Sarah who strode toward the house. He tore his gaze away for a moment, to notice the slightly taller blond by her side. This must be Grace.

  He was greeted by a cold rush of wind when he opened the massive oak front door. He had wondered if he would ever see Sarah again, and suddenly, there she stood on his front porch.

  His heart raced, his palms grew sweaty, and he fruitlessly tried to push his feelings of attraction for her aside. He reminded himself that not only was she married, she was also pregnant. His efforts to disregard his feelings were momentarily hampered when she dropped her duffel bag on the porch and threw herself at him with a giant bear hug. He circled his arms around her, wrapped her in tight, and held her close for a few moments before he reluctantly released her.

  “So,” he said with a smile, “you found me.”

  She shook her head. “I should have listened to you. You were only gone for a couple of hours and they came for me. I’m positive it was them. I was so scared. I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “Well, you’re here now.” He held eye contact as he looked into her brilliant aqua green eyes. They were even more beautiful than he remembered. She’s married, he reminded himself again.

  He finally forced himself to break his gaze and with a smile, tried to appear equally happy to see the blonde who stood behind her. “You must be Grace.” She was beautiful in her own right; a few inches taller than Sarah, she had long, blond hair and sparkling, crystal blue eyes.

  “Hi,” she stepped forward and extended a hand in greeting, “you must be Eddie.”

  “I am. Please, come inside, out of the cold.”

  The girls stepped into the entryway, and Eddie closed the door against the frigid elements. “Why don’t you follow me into the kitchen? Can I get you both something warm to drink? Hot chocolate? Apple cider?”

  “Hot chocolate sounds great, thank you,” Sarah replied.

  “That does sound good,” Grace said. “I’ll have one, too, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem,” Eddie replied. They followed him to the kitchen and sat at the table while he turned to the cupboards for mugs and hot cocoa.

  The back door opened and closed, and in a moment, Tyler and Liliana rounded the corner.

  Tyler beamed at the sight of the newcomers. “Sarah, you made it!”

  She smiled in return and rose to give him a hug. “Yeah, I made it, all right. It’s nice to finally meet you. I met up with a friend along the way. I didn’t think you’d mind if I brought her along. Figured it would save you the trouble of finding her yourself.”

  Tyler turned to Grace. “I’m so glad you’re here. How did you two ever find each other? We went to your house, Grace, and your mom said that you’d gone on some band trip to Florida.”

  After Sarah and Grace had explained their chance encounter, Eddie turned to Sarah. “How did you get here, from the airport? Who dropped you off?”

  “It’s a long story. It was this couple I met back at the diner in Washington. They happened to be heading to the airport and offered to give me a ride.”

  Eddie raised his eyebrows. “They just happened to be headed to Flagstaff? Isn’t that a strange coincidence?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too, but I didn’t see any reason to be suspicious. They were just a nice, kind of kooky older couple.”

  Tyler took a thoughtful sip of hot cocoa, cupped the mug in his hands, and then pursed his lips in doubt. “And neither of you sensed anything strange about them?”

  “No,” Grace replied. “I mean, their auras seemed a bit shady, but I sensed that it was because they were constantly bickering with each other. I thought it seemed like an odd coincidence that they were coming here, but they didn’t give us any reason to doubt them. They dropped us off and went on their merry way.”

  Eddie hoped that she was right. After their laborious attempts to evade the enemy, the last thing they needed was to announce their location. It didn’t sound like they posed a threat, but it seemed a safe bet not to trust anyone right now.

  “Well,” Eddie said, “I guess now we need to figure out where to go from here.”

  “Oh,” Tyler replied, “in all the excitement, I forgot to tell you that Toby contacted me while we were out in the woods.” He went on to inform them of his most recent conversation with his brother.

  Eddie glanced at the clock. “If we leave now, it will be late and dark by the time we get to Sedona. I know we’re all exhausted. I say we get a good night’s rest and head out in the morning. Anyone up for ordering a couple of pizzas?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Tyler agreed. “That’ll give us time to figure out where this author lives and come up with a game plan.”

  They settled in front of the TV and joined Eddie’s father, who was engrossed in a 1980s detective movie. Eddie noticed that Tyler and Liliana sat together on the love seat. “Hey, I forgot to ask. How was your snowshoeing adventure?”

  The two outdoor explorers shared a moment of quiet eye contact, and Eddie sensed that a silent conversation passed between them.

  Liliana grinned, and then Tyler said, “Snowshoeing…right. It was uh…definitely…interesting.”

  *****

  Eddie stopped at the first gas station he came to, in Sedona, to find out if someone might know where Patricia McCormack lived. Eager to assist, the gas station clerk and three customers who had overheard his inquiry promptly offered directions. No one seemed to know actual street names, but down around a few right-hand turns, past a church, two businesses that advertised psychic readings, another that advertised a map to locate local vortexes, up a steep hill, and they quickly arrived at what they hoped was the author’s home.

  The pueblo-style ranch house had a circular drive and was nestled up to one of the hundreds of majestic red rock formations that made Sedona a popular tourist location.

  “Stay here w
ith the car running…just in case,” Eddie said, as he stepped out. “No sense in all of us walking into a trap.”

  The finely crushed white rock crunched beneath his boots as he strode toward the front door. Overhead, a hawk silently circled. He rang the doorbell and waited while the chimes reverberated throughout the house. He prayed that the author was home. If she wasn’t, they would once again be at a stalemate, with nowhere to go.

  He removed his sunglasses and tapped them impatiently as he waited for a sign of inhabitation. He turned to the car, where his new friends watched with intent, and shrugged, as if to say he didn’t know if she was home or not. Just as he was about to ring the bell for a second time, the lock clicked and the door swung open to reveal a woman, who appeared to be in her early fifties. Slightly stocky, she had shoulder-length, frizzy, reddish blond hair. Dressed in an ankle length tie dyed dress, she was adorned in multiple pieces of necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

  Her smile was pleasant, but Eddie sensed an air of suspicion, as she eyed him quizzically. He realized that he should say something, but he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

  “Can I help you?” She looked first at him and then over his shoulder, to the car parked in the driveway.

  Eddie found his composure and said, “Um...hi…yes. Are you Patricia McCormack?”

  “I am. And who might you be?” She continued to eye him with suspicion, and Eddie knew that he needed to quickly assuage any doubts that she might have, about him.

  “My name’s Eddie. I’ve driven over here from Flagstaff with some friends. We were hoping that you might be able to answer a few questions for us about Indigo Children. I heard that you’re the person to talk to on the subject.”

  Her composure relaxed slightly, but obvious hesitation was still written on her face. She nodded and said, “You heard correctly. I have done extensive research on Indigo Children. Did someone in particular send you?” Doubt lingered in her voice, and Eddie wondered how many times people had come to her door, in search of advice and answers. More importantly, he wondered how many times someone from the IIA had come to question her, and he wondered if she suspected he might belong to the agency as well.

  He looked around to ensure that no one else had arrived. “Is it safe to talk?”

  “Safe? Yes, I believe it is. Though of course we never know for sure now, do we?”

  “No, I guess we don’t,” Eddie said, with a smile. He didn’t quite know how to begin, and so he decided the best place to start was with the truth. “I was sent here by a boy named Toby. He said you might be able to help. He was kidnapped by a group called the Indigo Intelligence Agency.”

  Her eyebrows rose in surprise. Whatever she had thought he might say, mention of the IIA was obviously not what she had expected.

  She glanced again over his shoulder and then said, “Invite your friends inside. It sounds like we have a lot to discuss.”

  *****

  The author guided them into a comfortable sun room. The circular room was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and lined with potted green plants and trees. There was a large rock waterfall on one side, and mingled amongst the plants, were a half dozen bird cages, that housed a variety of colorful, tropical birds. As they entered the room, the birds bellowed out a mixed melody of songs and squawks in greeting.

  “Please, have a seat and make yourselves comfortable,” the author said. “If you’ll excuse me, for just a moment, I’ll have my housekeeper prepare a tray of snacks.”

  Eddie took a seat by himself on one of the four pillow-lined wicker love seats that were positioned around a glass coffee table. Sarah and Grace sat across from him, and Tyler and Liliana claimed the love seat to his left.

  They sat in silence, each left to their own thoughts. Eddie became acutely aware of Sarah’s presence, directly across from him. He tried not to stare for any length of time. Instead, he pretended to be entranced in watching a small, green parrot; however, he couldn’t help but look at her from time to time. His growing infatuation was absurd; nevertheless, he felt drawn to her.

  Tyler must have decided that the growing silence had gone on long enough, and he took it upon himself to lighten the mood. “Hey, you know, when I was a kid, my grandma had a parrot that could talk. I wonder if any of these birds can say something.” He stood and wandered over to the cage that housed a green parrot.

  “Wait a minute! I’ve been here before,” Grace exclaimed.

  Tyler turned to her with raised eyebrows. “You’ve been here? When?”

  “Well…I wasn’t exactly here—not physically, anyway. It was in a dream, and now that I remember it, all of you were in the dream, too.”

  “Cool. I guess that’s a sign we’re supposed to be here,” Tyler said. Then he turned back to the parrot and spoke in a high-pitched, parrot-imitating voice, “Polly want a cracker?” The bird looked at him, blinked, and then let out a high pitched squawk. “Hellloooo,” Tyler squawked, in his parrot voice. The bird looked at him and blinked once more.

  Grace laughed. “You did that in my dream, too.”

  He grinned. “Oh yeah? And in your dream, did this bird talk to me?”

  Liliana laughed. “I don’t think your new friend there wants to talk to you.”

  Tyler turned to her. “Don’t be silly. Animals love me. He just needs to warm up a bit. Just you wait and see.”

  He grinned, again, turned back to the bird, and stared in silence, for a few moments. Then the quietude was broken when the bird squawked, “Hello! Hello!”

  The girls giggled at the parrot’s response.

  “What’s your name?” Tyler asked.

  “What’s your name?” the bird responded.

  “I’m Tyler.”

  “Tyler! Tyler!” the parrot screeched.

  “Right, I’m Tyler. What’s your name?”

  “Freddie.”

  “Freddie? Nice to meet you, Freddie. What’s a handsome bird like you doing, all alone, in this cage? There’s a lot of pretty girl parrots on the other side of the room. It looks to me like they have their eyes on you.”

  In response, the other parrots let out a variety of raucous calls and squawks. “See there, Freddie? I think they like you.”

  “Pretty girls!” the parrot replied.

  “That is amazing!” Patricia said, from the doorway. The author reentered the room, strode around the loveseats, and stopped beside Tyler. “How did you do that?” She gazed at him in wonder.

  “Do what? Talk to the bird?”

  “I have had Freddie for ten years, and I’ve never been able to get him to talk. You’ve been here for five minutes, and he’s carrying on a conversation.” She broke her gaze from Freddie to stare at Tyler. “Who are you?” She turned to the rest of the group. “Who are all of you, for that matter?”

  “It’s a really long story,” Tyler replied. “Do you have time?”

  “Eddie mentioned the IIA and said that a friend of yours was kidnapped. For that, I will make time. Please, have a seat.”

  Tyler resumed his seat beside Liliana, and Patricia sat in the empty love seat to Eddie’s right.

  “You have a friend who was kidnapped?” Patricia began.

  “It’s my brother, actually,” Tyler replied. “My twin brother.”

  “I see. And you know for a fact that it was the IIA who took him?”

  “I do. Toby has been able to contact me telepathically. He doesn’t know where he is, but he does know for sure that it’s the IIA who took him. They want to use him for his gifts.”

  Patricia nodded. “Yes, I know. That is what the IIA does. They use teenagers and young adults with special powers, for their own benefit. How much do you know about them?”

  “Not much at all. That’s why we came to see you. Toby said that you know a tracker who deserted the agency. He said that you might know where he is. We need to find the tracker and talk to him. He’s the only one who might be able to give us directions to find my brother.”

  “You
aren’t the first people to come around, asking about him. There’s been a slew of agents through here. Some have had official-looking badges. Others have appeared to be college-age kids who claim to be his friend. I’m going to tell you the same thing that I told all of them—I don’t know where he is. If he deserted, then it must be because he doesn’t want to be found.”

  “You don’t know where he is? Or you don’t want to tell us where he is?”

  Patricia smiled and looked at him in silence. A sound from the doorway broke the tension. “Ah, thank you, Maria,” she said, to the housekeeper. “You may set the tray on the table.”

  As directed, the housekeeper set a crystal tray on the coffee table. It was filled with a pitcher of water and an assortment of sausage, cheese, crackers, and fruit.

  “Please, help yourselves,” Patricia said.

  It had been a while since breakfast, and they were all happy to sample the refreshments.

  “This is delicious,” Sarah said. “Thank you.”

  The rest of the group murmured similar responses of appreciation.

  “What can you tell us about the IIA?” Eddie asked the author.

  “You don’t know much about them?”

  Eddie shook his head. “No. We know that they took Toby because he’s what they consider an Indigo Child, but we don’t really know what that term means either.”

  She looked at the members of the group one by one. “How did all of you get involved?”

  “Toby said that they have a list of people they are interested in recruiting, if you want to call it that, and we are all on the list. I guess they’re determined to find us one way or the other.”

  Patricia nodded in understanding. “Yes, that makes sense. There are always trackers who are in search of people like you. The more powerful your gifts, the more useful you are, and therefore, the more determined they would be to find you. I am curious how you came to find each other, but let me start from the beginning and answer some of your questions. I guess the first place to start would be to explain what an Indigo Child is.”