Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series

by Miranda Hardy

  “So where do we start?” Marcus asks.

  Astid continues with her mind. When I traveled with Kren, we did have a place where we stayed. It is very far from here. We might find something there, but I doubt Kren and the others are still there.

  We’re all silent for a long time, trying to figure out our next move. Even Marcus is lost in thought.

  I finally break the silence. “It’s a starting point. Maybe we should go to the BEK hideout. It’s a start, anyway. Before we leave, I want to go to Ronald’s hotel room. Hopefully they didn’t clear his stuff out.”

  Jennings shoots out of the recliner. “Who is Ronald in all this? I thought he was a family friend.”

  45

  MAVERICK

  WE LAY LOW for a few days, quarantined to Lisa’s house. Jennings has been bringing the occasional fast food fix for us, which is a great treat compared to the cans of ravioli we’ve been surviving on. Astid eats up all the vegetables, and has learned that the cooked version is ten times better than the frozen stuff.

  Marcus goes back and forth between depression and his normal, goofy self. At this point, I know he’s hurting...and afraid. He’s had a rough childhood, and even though he wasn’t particularly close to his mother and brother, he longs to go to them. His joking is most definitely a way to cope with his tragedy. Marcus has had his entire life hijacked, but he’s been handling it pretty good. Better than me if I were him, that’s for sure.

  After three days, Jennings has agreed to help us gather Ronald’s things, if his stuff is still at his hotel room. Lisa decides to stay at her house. Things with her have been weird, but I decide to let her have all the space she wants.

  At the hotel, all Jennings had to do was flash his badge and we got immediate access to Ronald’s hotel room. Luckily, he had paid for his room by the week, and he had another couple days left. Marcus and Astid wait in the car.

  As we’re walking towards Ronald’s room, I can’t help but think of Lisa. She’s been keeping her distance from all of us, actually, mostly staying in her room and blasting music in her ears to drown out her thoughts. But her emotions still ring loud and clear. She is scared and confused about everything. I don’t blame her.

  Earth to Maverick! Head in the game, Bruh. Head in the game! Marcus chimes into my head.

  This mind reading thing is getting on my nerves.

  Once we gain access to Ronald’s room, Jennings sweeps through it and helps me gather all of his stuff, mainly consisting of one duffel bag and one computer case. At least the guy traveled light. We leave quickly because the clerk at the front was becoming a bit uneasy, wondering if he should call his supervisor.

  We then stop near my house where I check out Ronald’s black Lexus. Amazingly, he’d left the keys inside the ignition. I get inside and start it up. Poor Ronald. Without his sacrifice, we’d all be dead.

  Astid and Marcus ride with me since they know that Jennings still feels uneasy being in their presence alone.

  Sitting behind the wheel of Ronald’s car, images of his last moments hit me like a bolt of lightning. Watching his life drain before my eyes is something I will never forget.

  We follow Jennings to the pharmacy. He signals for me to wait. It’s yet another opportunity to sit quietly in Ronald’s car and replay everything in my mind again. Marcus, incredibly, doesn’t say a word, and Astid is only thinking about finding her brother.

  After several minutes, Jennings leaves the pharmacy, and we drive over to Lisa’s house again.

  We pull up to Lisa’s house and follow Jennings to the door. He rings the doorbell, and once again, I’m starting to freak out. I think just the idea of going up to a door is always going to trigger that fear in me for the rest of my life.

  Lisa lets us in, and we go straight to the dining room and turn on Ronald’s laptop. It’s pretty clean, with several folders consisting of spreadsheets. Luckily, one spreadsheet is nothing but passwords for his accounts, including his email.

  “Look at this.” I point toward the spreadsheet that lists all of the supposed sightings of BEKs. “He kept information on BEK killings in cities all across the country.”

  “Ronald was a very detailed man,” Jennings says.

  I close the spreadsheet. “Ronald is part of a large organization, one with resources and more importantly, information. Maybe if I can connect with his people without scaring them off, they can help us.”

  I open his email and see several messages from one guy by the name of Beck. I open the most recent one.

  Ronald,

  No word from you in a while, need status update. High activity reported in the southern region. Send update soon. Will be in touch.

  Beck

  “IT’S A START,” I say. “If we need to expose Level 6, we will need to know everything about them. Ronald’s group seems to be the experts on BEKs, but I don’t think they are aware of how deep the government’s involved, or at least Ronald wasn’t.”

  “So, you’re planning to search for the other BEKs?” Jennings asks.

  “I’m not going!” Lisa is standing in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen. “I can’t do it, Maverick. My parents will be home in a few days, and they need me.”

  I leave my chair and go over to her. I touch her cheek and look into her eyes. “I know. But I have to go.”

  “But why? Why can’t you stay here with me?” Lisa fights back tears, and her surge of emotions takes my breath away.

  I pause before telling her, “So much has happened, and I just can’t pretend it all away. I mean, look at me. I can freaking read minds now. What is that all about? I have too many questions that need answers. And Level 6 has taken away a huge part of my life ,and I just can’t let that go.”

  She breaks away from me and scurries back toward the kitchen so I won’t see her crying.

  Astid walks over to me and gives me a weak smile. Lisa needs more time to heal. She will be fine.

  “I’ll just have to make sure to call her as often as I can while I’m gone,” I say.

  “That reminds me,” Jennings says to me. “Give me your cell phone, Maverick.”

  I give it to him, and he throws it on the ground and crushes it. The glass shatters.

  Marcus drops to his knees, picking up the remnants of it, holding them up in the air. “NNNOOOO! Why? Why would you do this?”

  We all stare at him, and I start to laugh. He knows how to ease the tension in the room like no one else I’ve ever met.

  Jennings rolls his eyes and hands me a new phone with an envelope full of phone cards.

  “This pay-as-you-go-phone is untraceable,” he says. “It has my new number programed into it.” He holds up an identical one. “Also untraceable. We still need to be careful when we communicate with each other with the government tracking or listening in on our calls.”

  Marcus snatches it out of my hand, caressing it as if it’s a tiny little baby kitten, and then kisses it. “I will love it, and kiss it, and take care of it. Seriously, bro, this is awesome! We will be like super-secret spies or something.” Then his smile fades, and his kidding around dissipates. “But if your plan involves us tracking down black-eyed kids and stuff, I’m not liking that idea.”

  “Well, that’s why I have you, partner.” I slap him on the shoulder. “You will be my bodyguard.”

  Marcus puffs his chest up. “I like it, but I want a black suit with a tie and everything, just like the Men in Black. Oh, and a new code name.”

  I’m relieved that Marcus has kept a good portion of his personality when he crossed over from human to monster. The guy is hurting big time, but he’s still trying to put on a happy face. Poor guy.

  “That’s it! We can call it Operation Monster Mash!” Marcus raises both arms into the air. “Alright, amigo. I got your back.”

  Jennings keeps a straight face. “Is this guy for real?”

  “Afraid so,” I say.

  “Oh, and here.” Jennings hands me a wad of cash.

  �
�Cops make some big-time bank!” I have no idea how much money I’m holding, but it looks like a lot. “I can’t…”

  Jennings lets out a sharp laugh. “Please! It’s what was rolled up in one of Ronald’s socks from the hotel room. You’re going to need it.” Jennings points a waving finger at me. “Just please don’t spend it all in one place.”

  I glance toward the kitchen. “Keep an eye on Lisa for me, okay?”

  “I will,” Jennings says. “And I’ll do what I can from my end. I don’t think I’m ever going to stop looking over my shoulder from now on. I’m just going to assume Level 6 is spying on me all the time.” He gives my hand a firm shake. “I’ll watch over Lisa for you.”

  Just for kicks, I push my mind outwards. Maybe if government agents are watching us, I can sense them. I’m not sure if I’m capable of that kind of power, but I try anyway. I sense nothing, but that doesn’t mean a thing.

  “Thanks.” I release Jennings’ hand.

  The detective is sincere, that much I do know. In fact, there’s no way anyone will be able to lie to me again. I hope I get used to this telepathy thing.

  “Tell me about it,” Marcus says. This trip is going to be one crazy ride.

  “We can head back to your house one last time,” Jennings suggests. “You should pack your stuff, but you got to be quick.” The detective pauses and drops his head. “And Maverick, your mother’s funeral is this afternoon.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “What do you want to do?”

  When Jennings told me about my Dad coming into town three days ago, and how he took charge of Mom’s arrangements, I wanted to go to him right then, but I decided to stay away. Dad has to deal with her death and my disappearance. That can’t be easy for him, but I can’t get him involved. Being connected to me has proven to be dangerous.

  I want to attend Mom’s funeral, but Level 6 might be there, and things could get ugly. If they wanted to haul me in, they could pretty easily do it at any moment. For all they know, the BEKs did me in, just like all their other victims. If that’s true, I can’t take the chance that they learn that I’m actually alive.

  “I want to go, but maybe not make an actual appearance,” I say. “Does that make sense?”

  Jennings nods. “We’ll go but keep our distance.”

  We gather Ronald’s things, and Lisa comes rushing out of the kitchen and crashes into me, holding me tightly before letting me go and running back down the hall to her room.

  I hear her thoughts in my head. Maverick, I love you. Come back to me.

  Astid must be reading my mind. She flashes me a quick look of understanding. She’s been fairly quiet these last few days, but I do get fleeting images and thoughts from her. Her brain doesn’t work the same way ours does. She sympathizes with our emotions and feels for us, but she’s also able to block a lot. Just when I’m on the edge of breaking into her deep thoughts, an internal wall kicks me out.

  You have to teach me how to do that, I mentally tell her.

  She smiles and nods. I know Lisa means a lot to you. I will do all in my power to make sure you return to her. That’s my promise.

  Marcus, Astid, Jennings, and I walk out into the front yard, and I look back at the front window and see Lisa staring at me.

  I love you too, Lisa. I’ve loved you since elementary school when I pushed you down on the playground. I’m so sorry it took this long to find you, only to lose you forever. Stay safe.

  I wave to her, knowing I’m not able to send my thoughts to non-telepaths, and I feel like a coward for not actually telling her how I feel. It’s one thing to hear her emotions so clearly, but Lisa can’t hear my thoughts.

  Marcus sniffles and pretends as if he’s wiping a tear away. “I love you too, bro.”

  I give him a soft punch to his arm and look up at Lisa’s window. She’s still watching me, and she waves goodbye. This may very well be the last time I see her face.

  “So much for senior year,” I say half-jokingly.

  Marcus is dead serious when he says, “So much for the rest of our lives.”

  MY HOUSE’S front door is unlocked, and the living room is a mess. The ripped furniture leans on its side, and paperwork scatters the floor. Level 6 has been in here for sure. I’m even more pissed off now. It’s not enough they had to kill Mom, but they had to come back and ransack our house.

  Astid remains inside our car, which idles in the driveway, but Marcus follows me into my house and lets out a heavy sigh.

  “Bro, they totally went through your stuff.”

  I zip open my backpack and go to my room. My drawers are still pulled open and my clothes are now on my floor. Papers, books, pictures…everything has been dumped on my bed. I punch the wall before picking up some of my things and stuffing them into my bag.

  I grab a bunch of socks and underwear, along with some shirts and another couple pairs of jeans. Before I leave, I take one final glance at my room and shut the door.

  Marcus moves to the kitchen, and I can hear him opening the fridge. Can’t blame him, actually. My stomach growls. Not sure if I’m hungry or if I’m just so upset about leaving everything behind.

  Mom’s bedroom door swings wide open and I step inside. Level 6 was in here, too. I step over her undergarments on the floor and go to the bed. Underneath a pile of papers, I find a picture of the three of us. I was probably six years old, and I laugh at how tiny I looked. I kinda looked like a Muppet. But Mom is so pretty, and her smiling is how I want to remember her. Dad’s arm is draped around her, and they look genuinely happy. I wonder what happened to that love they once shared.

  I pick up the picture, remove the photograph from the frame, and slide it into my backpack. I close my eyes and silently vow to make Level 6 pay for what they did to her. What they did to all of us.

  Marcus greets me in the living room with a plastic bag full of food. He’s munching on some chips and waiting for me by the front door. “Ready?”

  I pull my backpack closer against my back. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  WE PARK JUST outside the cemetery. Jennings pulls up right behind us and remains inside his car.

  “Just wait here for me,” I say to the others before stepping out.

  I walk through the open entrance while scanning my surroundings for any sign of Level 6 agents, but it looks clear. Astid had reached out with her mind and assured me that the government spooks weren’t in the immediate area, but it never hurts to be careful. I walk past all the headstones and mentally prepare myself to see Mom’s funeral.

  After walking down a narrow sidewalk, I spot a gathering in the distance. I carefully make my way towards them, but I don’t recognize any of the people at the funeral.

  I make a left turn and walk up a steep hill. Towards the very rear of the cemetery is another group of mourners. They’re pretty far away, so I decide to cut through the gravestones to reach a small cluster of trees near the funeral.

  As soon as I’m about fifty yards away, I quickly recognize Dad. He’s wearing a navy blue suit and sunglasses. Tarick’s parents stand next to him. Then I spot Marcus’ mom. Many of the people are Mom’s coworkers. Mom’s gray and silver casket hovers above the ground on some kind of metal platform. Her favorite flowers, lilies, sit on both sides of the casket, placed on stands.

  After I wipe my wet face with my hands, I see Dad turn towards the sky. Looks like he’s saying a prayer. I want to run to him, let him know I’m okay, and that I’m not part of some religious cult. But I can’t do that. I can’t have him end up like Mom.

  My hand grips the tree trunk and tightens until I feel the rough bark pierce my skin. I almost reach out to Dad with my mind to read his thoughts, but I decide not to. What good would it do? I already know what’s on his mind just by watching him.

  Despite the divorce, he and Mom still got along okay. She had gone through a bout of depression when he remarried, but they never yelled or fought. Not in front of me anyway.

  Maybe I should leave a note for him back at the house. But
what if Level 6 goes back there again? Maybe the town thinking that I’ve been kidnapped or joined up with a cult is for the best. The truth is too dangerous. Who knows how far Level 6 will go to keep their secrets.

  The minister continues speaking when I decide to give Mom’s casket one final glance.

  I love you, Mom.

  I pull my t-shirt up to my face to wipe away my final tears. That’s it. No more crying. Anger is my ally now. My fury is so fierce, that it’s almost calming. I’ve already taken a life, which was declaring war on Level 6. I’m way past the point of no return.

  I turn away from Mom’s funeral, go back up the hill, and leave what’s left of my family and my old life behind.

  46

  MAVERICK

  “YOU OKAY?” JENNINGS asks me as I exit the cemetery.

  I nod. “My dad’s there.”

  Marcus and Astid get out of the Lexus and walk toward me. They’re both uneasy, not sure of what to say.

  “Your mom was there, too,” I say to Marcus.

  He takes a deep breath. “Wish I could say goodbye to her and my brother one last time.” Marcus’ black eyes threaten to water. “But there’s no way. Not like this.”

  “I know.” My lips tighten, trying to hold back any more tears from falling. “I wanted to go to my dad, but the more distance we put between us and them, the better. We can’t drag them into all of this, too.”

  “I have at least fifty messages from your father,” Jennings says to me. “It won’t be fun having to give him the runaround, telling him that we are investigating the whole religious cult-thing, but you’re right. It’s for the best. While you’re gone, I’ll keep you updated with what’s going on around here.”

  “You think we’ll ever be able to come back home?” Marcus asks nobody in particular.