by Eaton, Pam
“I’m okay with trying to cut my arm,” Luca butts in quickly.
Gregory pulls out a pocket knife I’ve never seen before. “Have you always carried that?” I ask.
“No, but I do now,” he answers. Probably not a bad idea.
Gregory hands the knife over to Luca. He opens the blade and slowly drags it across his scales. Nothing happens. There’s not even a line from the knife. “All right, now if you can change your arm,” Gregory instructs.
Luca closes his eyes tightly. We all watch as his scales slowly change to skin. He opens his eyes, grips the knife tightly, and takes a deep breath. The blade slides across his skin. His face pulls in a grimace as blood beads on top of his arm. He drops the knife and puts a hand over the cut.
“Guess that won’t work,” I say, grimacing. “But you know if we can get you to learn to completely transform, it won’t take much for you to start doing it fast. Maybe you’ll be able to change in the blink of an eye.”
“I’ll keep working,” Luca says.
“Good. We’re going to get back to Tiberius and head back to the U.S. You need to hurry to Walter and see if you need stitches.”
He lifts his hand and the skin turns back to scales, stopping the blood.
“Amazing,” I say in awe, examining his arm. The cut’s gone. I grab his arm, turning it over, but it’s like it was never there. “Can you turn it back to skin again?” I ask.
The scales disappear, and the only evidence left on his arm is a faint, pink line.
Gregory and Dante lean in. “Magic,” Dante says.
Gregory lets out a low whistle. “That’s pretty impressive,” he says. “Could come in handy someday.”
Luca keeps staring at his arm, and I don’t really blame him. But we don’t have time to delve into this. Gregory and I have to get back before someone notices we’re gone. But I need to warn him first. I lean closer to Luca, still holding his arm, and lower my voice. “I’ve got this fear that the fight might come here. Keep training people, keep working on controlling your power, and be vigilant.”
He clasps his free hand with mine. “I won’t let you down,” he says, and we lock eyes, making a promise without words.
I step back and Gregory comes forward to shake Luca’s hand. I wave to Dante and we leave them to keep working on his training.
Thirty-Three
“There’s one more place we need to stop before we head for Tiberius,” I tell Gregory.
He follows me as we make a couple of turns until we’re walking up the path to another home. As soon as I knock, footsteps run for the door. I wait for the door to be ripped open, but there’s a pause, and then it opens slowly.
“Gregory!” Bronia yells as soon as she sees him.
She goes to throw herself into his arms but stops at the last moment. But Gregory goes the rest of the way and scoops her up in his arms. Thank goodness Dex found that mineral to help his healing accelerate. He squeezes her tight and I can see her wanting to do the same, but she controls herself. He drops her to her feet and holds her at an arm’s length. “You’ve gotten so big, bug,” he says in surprise.
She gives him the brightest smile, seeming so proud of growing up.
“I’ve missed you, kid,” he tells her.
I don’t know if she can hear the strain in his voice, but I can. I can only imagine how much a part of her life Gregory was with Ania being his partner. Considering how young he was when Mr. Smith recruited him, he might have known Bronia her whole life.
“Gregory, my boy,” Walter says as he walks out his front door.
Gregory steps away from Bronia and lets Walter grab him by his face and kiss his forehead. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you alive.” Walter barely rasps the words out.
Gregory grips Walter’s shirt sleeve. “I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault,” Walter tells him. “And I know this lady here must have thanked God when she found you.”
They both look over at me. My cheeks heat from their intense stares. “Why don’t you guys catch up? I’m going to head to my place and get a couple of things,” I say.
Gregory steps away from Walter and grabs my hand. “You sure?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I lean closer. “I think Bronia needs it most.”
He leans in and gives me a chaste kiss on my lips, but it still makes my heart race. I lightly touch his face, and then step back, transporting to my room in my house here.
* * *
I stand in the doorway of my room, examining it more closely than usual. Even though I’ve found peace here in Fordlandia, there’s no life in this house. And maybe because it’s not filled with the people I care about. It’s not filled with warmth. There’re no real memories here except for sleeping and the first time I tested enhancing Tony’s power. It’s just a place. I walk into my closet and grab a bag and throw the small amount of clothes I have into it. I lost almost everything in the fire, except for the picture sitting on my nightstand.
I pick it up and run a finger around the frame. Grandpa, Grandma, and me standing in front of our favorite pizza place, Pepe’s. That was such a good night. I had just been contacted by several universities about playing basketball for them. Two months after this picture was taken, I ruined my knee and ruined my chance at a scholarship. But that night was still awesome. Grandpa was so proud and kept telling random people about all the colleges talking to me.
I stare at the picture one more time, drinking in the love I can see in their eyes. I’ll have to get Lucy to copy it, just in case. I slide it into my backpack and throw the bag over my shoulder. I close my eyes and, in a blink, I’m standing outside of Walter’s front door.
Gregory and Bronia’s voices carry from the back, but I leave them be and knock on the front door. I hear the creak of Walter’s recliner and then his soft footfalls.
“Hey, Walter,” I call out to him, leaning into the screen door.
His smile greets me and I step back so he can open it. “They’re in the back,” he tells me.
“I know, but I’d rather come and talk with you.”
He smiles. “Then come on in.”
I follow him into the living room and sit in the matching recliner. We both start rocking; I swear it’s a subconscious thing. You can’t sit in something that rocks and stay still. He doesn’t start pestering me with questions, and for that I’m grateful. But Walter has this thing about him where you just vomit words whether you want to or not.
“Tony was the reason I was captured,” I tell him, surprised that that’s what comes out of my mouth. But it’s probably what I need the most guidance with.
Walter’s chair stops rocking, but I keep my eyes trained ahead and keep going. “They told him they had his mom. And honestly, I know he’s not in the right head space. Because he didn’t even think to come to me and ask for help.”
I keep rocking, letting the chair help churn my thoughts. “They didn’t have his mom. Apparently, Mr. Smith had her under surveillance when they thought Tony was a traitor, and then kept her under watch after they learned he was kidnapped and didn’t know who did it.”
I keep rocking, eyes focused on watching what’s going on outside. “Becca?” Walter says.
“Yeah,” I say, still looking out the window.
“Serduszko, look at me,” he requests in a soft voice.
I turn and take in his down-turned mouth and worried eyes. “How are you doing?”
I lean my head back. How am I doing? That’s a good question. “I don’t know. I haven’t really had a chance to think about it, ya know? I found out that he set me up at the same time we found Gregory. And since finding Gregory, everything has been focused on him and that’s been at the forefront of my mind.”
“And now?” he prods.
I let my mind drift to Tony. There’s anger there, and so much sadness. “My heart hurts,” I tell him. “It hurts from the anger I can’t seem to let go of. It hurts because my friend is so lost. It hurts because I’m afra
id of what the guilt will do to him.”
“That’s to be expected,” he tells me.
“I know, and I get that. But my mind is constantly on edge, afraid he’s going to do something dumb. I know he’s changed. I’ve changed. But nothing brings any light to his eyes. And I don’t know how to help change that.”
“You can’t.”
Two words. It’s all he says, but they fall like a sledgehammer. I stop rocking and finally look over at him. “What?” I ask, sitting up.
“You can’t change him,” he says, leaning forward. “You can be there, offer support, be a friend, but ultimately, it’s him that needs to reach that place. For him to get to being happy again is completely dependent on himself. It’s probably going to be a long road, and he’ll need you cheering him on. But don’t try and take on the responsibility of someone else’s happiness. You’ll fail every time.”
I slump in the recliner. “Well, that sucks.”
His rough laughter tumbles past his lips. “Wait till you have kids.”
“I’ve got a long time before I need to worry about that, old man.”
He looks me square in the eye. “Yes, you do, and don’t you forget.”
I smirk at the sternness in his voice.
We both continue rocking in our recliners until the back door swings open. “Have a good visit?” Walter calls out.
Gregory comes into view. He walks to my side and puts a hand on my shoulder. His thumb lightly rubs the back of my neck and I close my eyes. That feels good. “Yeah,” he tells Walter. “She just ran off with some of the other kids.”
Walter nods once. “Good.”
“How’s she been doing?” Gregory asks.
Walter rubs at the scruff on his chin. “A lot better since we got here. It helps having other kids around with powers. After Ania died I had to pull her out of school. It was just too dangerous. And then with everything else going on…”
Gregory and I nod, totally getting it. “I bet they were super happy when a doctor showed up here in Fordlandia,” Gregory says.
“That they were,” Walter says.
Gregory looks down at me. “Ready to go?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I get out of the recliner and walk over to Walter. “Probably be seeing you real soon.”
He stands from his chair and wraps his arms around me. “Anytime you want, you’re welcome here. Plus, I know Bronia loves when you visit.”
I quickly hug him tighter and then step back. He and Gregory shake hands, and then we’re off.
* * *
“So, how was your talk with Bronia?” I ask Gregory once we’re clear from Walter’s yard.
He runs a hand through his hair that the setting sun has turned golden. “Hard,” he says. “She misses her mom, and so do I.”
“I miss her too,” I tell him, voice quiet. Even though I didn’t know her as long as he did, she became like the big sister I always wanted.
“I wish she was here,” I say.
“Me too. Her power was a lot for her to handle, and it’s even more so for a ten-year-old to handle. But Bronia seems to be coming along really well.” Gregory scans the houses. “Do you like living here?”
“Now I do. When I first came here after my grandparents were killed, it was hard. Everyone here has been pretty welcoming. They knew what had happened and kept trying to bring me food. But I didn’t want condolences, I just wanted to get out there and track down the people responsible.”
“What changed?” he asks.
I study the village, picturing all the people we’ve saved. “The first place we raided was in Germany. We rescued six people. Six. They were so scared. A couple didn’t speak English. But luckily one of the guys spoke German and English. We brought them here and offered them a home. None of these people have ever had a home. Or they’ve been homeless for so long that they forgot what it was like to have a place of their own.
“We had them all come with us, because the powers that were forced on them can be out of control, and they can’t be in normal society. One of the people we found was a little girl who controls lightning. We knew that she couldn’t be in the real world, not until she was older and had a handle on things.”
“Wow,” he says, sounding genuinely surprised.
“Getting to know these people, helping them…it’s changed how I see it here. I’ve needed this place as much as they do.”
He grabs my hand. “I’m happy then.”
We walk up Tiberius’s front walk and head inside. We walk through the house, following the sound of voices coming from the living room. Lucy and Tiberius are sitting on the couch, bodies turned towards each other, heads close. “Hey guys,” I say, probably interrupting a personal moment.
Both of them look up and Lucy offers us a warm smile. “What do you think of Fordlandia?” she asks Gregory.
He looks towards the open window. “It’s amazing that this place is here. Becca told me about your safeguards, and the history of this place, but it’s still surreal walking down the street.”
“It’s what a lot of us have needed,” she tells him. “It’s definitely been a place where a lot of us have been able to heal.”
“How do you guys sustain yourself here?” he asks.
“Some, who can, work in town. Others work with me for my cyber security firm,” Lucy tells him. “We have a few boats that make it easy to get into town and grab things. Plus, we have a huge communal garden.”
“That’s amazing,” he says, looking awed.
I look at the clock on the mantel. “We need to get back. You ready to go?” I ask Tiberius.
Lucy jumps up from the couch. “Oh, before you go, I want to give you something,” she says and rushes out of the room.
I raise a brow at Tiberius and he just shrugs. Lucy comes rushing back in the room, a small phone in her hand. “Here, take this. It is literally untraceable. I’ve programmed it so no one can trace where this phone is or who it’s calling. Pretty proud of myself, actually. And the only numbers on there are me, Tiberius, and Luca.”
I grab it and look it over. I’ve never seen anything like it before. “It’s an old-school flip phone,” she tells me and opens it to show me.
“This is awesome. Thanks,” I say and put it in my pocket.
We all stand to leave. Tiberius walks to Lucy and cups her face. Gregory and I turn away, trying to give them a little privacy. He gives me a bright smile and I grab his hand.
“Let’s head on back,” Tiberius calls from over my shoulder.
Lucy grabs me and gives me a quick hug. “Be safe, and don’t do anything stupid,” she warns.
I laugh and grab the guys’ hands. “No promises,” I tell her, and in a blink, we’re back in Tiberius’s room at Project Lightning.
Tiberius lets out a huge yawn. “I need to get to bed. I’ll see you two in the morning for breakfast.”
He gives me a hug and shakes Gregory’s hand. “See you in the morning,” I say, grabbing Gregory’s hand, and before he can say anything, I transport us to my room, right near my door.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, giving his hand a squeeze. “Your ribs have to be killing you.”
“Dex gave me something that’s basically a miracle,” he says, leaning against the door.
We stare at one another. We really haven’t been alone much, at least away from prying eyes. There’s still so much we’ve got to figure out, but it can wait.
“You haven’t said anything about me kissing you in the cafeteria.” I pull on his hand, leading him to sit down on my bed.
“Haven’t really had the chance,” he says. He lies down and gathers me close. I nestle into the spot underneath his arm. “I feel like we’re always going somewhere or something big is happening. This is the first time we’ve had together without people lurking or waiting for us.”
He presses his lips into the top of my head. I wrap an arm around him, snuggling in close. “Stay with me tonight?” I ask.
His thumb strokes
my arm. “Anytime,” he promises.
I close my eyes and let the steady beat of his heart lull me to sleep.
Thirty-Four
Tall pine trees surround us on all sides, standing guard…or trapping us in. The air feels crisp, but I love it because it’s fresh, untainted. The moss under my feet feels like a cushion, and the trail ahead is something I’d love to explore. I have no clue where we are in the dream world this time, but that’s okay, because it’s amazing. I close my eyes, filling my lungs.
“This place is beautiful,” I tell my mom.
“I lived near here, years ago,” she tells me, and that little bit of revelation makes the euphoric feeling fade a bit.
“Yeah? When was that?” I ask, finally looking at her.
She looks around, her face looking younger somehow; this place must hold a lot of good memories that I know nothing about. “When your dad and I were first married, we lived here for a short time.” Her voice is heavy, filled with longing. “This is where I learned that I was pregnant with you,” she says, her voice breaking. “I always planned to move back here someday, but that never happened. But being here right now is a gift I’ll treasure.”
“How did you die, Mom?” I finally ask her the question that’s constantly lurking in the back of my mind. “When we got the call, they said you overdosed, but Ania told me that you were clean when you died. You told me you were hunted down. I think it’s time.”
She stares up into the green canopy, lost in thought, maybe memories. But maybe being in a place she loves will make it easier.
She takes a deep breath. “I know Ania told you that she and I kept in touch after I left Project Lightning. There were years when we didn’t, and that’s on me. When I was using, there were many times I was living on the streets. I did things, saw things, that I wish I could forget, but I can’t. Drugs took everything from me, and I let them. About two years ago I did overdose, but they were able to rescue me in time. It was a badly needed wake-up call.
