Destiny's Dark Fantasy Boxed Set (Eight Book Bundle)

by Tamara Rose Blodgett

Mom opened hers and threw in a straw which stood up in the center of the cup in a satisfying way. I liked to slurp and Mom hadn't bothered to get me a straw. She had strawberry and Dad had vanilla.

  Neapolitan family.

  Dad thought that someone suspected me but without proof they had fished around, hoping to find confirmation of my Cadaver-Manipulator status.

  “Caleb,” she said, swallowing a mouthful of fry, then chasing it with some shake. “What about those papers that John gave you?”

  Ah! I had forgotten all about those.

  “Maybe they're in my locker at school?” I said hopefully.

  “Really? Why would you have taken them there?” Mom asked.

  She knew organizing wasn't a strong point of mine.

  Mom's half eaten meal was before her. I slid her tray over to my side and started polishing off was left. Her shake was also made available. To all the germ-naysayers out there, I stand by the “family cootie” mantra of we're all exposed to each other's germs anyway so a little shared shake wasn't going to take away my fun. I slurped and gulped, quietly, as to not get nailed, listening to the parents figure out our next move. Trays were emptied in the separator and we piled back into the car, the seat harnesses locking after Dad pulsed the car ignition.

  It was a silent drive on the way home. Dad glided back into his spot in the garage but turned to us. “You guys stay here and let me look inside.”

  Our days of just roaring in and out of the house were behind us. No longer did I feel safe.

  Mom and I waited in silence. The first thing I was gonna do was pulse Jade, then the Js. A bright spot in the week was picking up black dog on Tuesday. If I survived that long, I thought morbidly.

  Dad gave the thumbs up. Mom and I got out, walking into the house. She paused just inside the door and I almost piled into the back of her. She sighed, then headed for the kitchen. Dad came over to her and gave her a side hug and she leaned into him, her head tucking almost into his armpit. I got out of there. Dad could deal with Mom and the house would survive. Whether we would, now that was another story.

  I rushed to my room flipping my hair out of my eyes as I went and jerking my pulse out of my pocket. I flew into the air and back-landed onto the bed. Home sweet home. I pressed my thumb onto the pad and thought: Jade.

  Green letters appeared: Hey.-JLeC

  What's up with you? CH

  Nothing much, Sophie's here.-JLeC

  Oh. Well, our house was broken into and the cops came.-CH

  What?! gasp Are you guys okay? Why was it broken into? Did Garcia come? JLeC

  Ya know why. No, he didn't; some other cops.-CH

  You think? JLeC

  I do. I think it's all about that.-CH

  Well, Sophie's here (I can't really talk much) so I better go. Are we still meeting at your house tomorrow? JLeC

  Yeah. Say, three o'clock or around there.-CH

  Okay, I'll be there.-JLeC

  Can't wait to see ya.-CH

  smiles, Caleb?-JLeC

  Yeah? CH

  Be careful.-JLeC

  Okay smiles-CH

  Next stop, the Js. I pressed my thumb back on the pad disconnect and thought the command: three-way: Jonesy and John Terran.

  Hey dill weed.-MJ

  Hi.-John Terran

  Hey-CH

  Thinkin' about tomorrow Caleb? MJ

  Yeah, ya know I am. But, something happened today that is freaking me out, big time.-CH

  What happened? John Terran

  Some losers came through the house and tore it up, broke mom's plants, tried to hack my dad's pulse-top. It was bad. Then the cops showed.- CH

  Garcia? MJ

  No.-CH

  You think they're looking for the 'goods'? John Terran

  smiles slyly... good one John. Maybe. That's what Dad and I think.-CH

  laughs it's not funny, but you have the dumbest luck.-John Terran

  They couldn't find anything anyway.-MJ

  Probably not...but.-CH

  The papers I gave you distress! John Terran

  nodding... right.-CH

  Profanity block! That's right, John gave you the corpse papers...MJ

  Yeah sighs.-CH

  Are those at school... maybe? John Terran

  Well, I hope they are but I'm not much for organizing my locker. The only thing I hope is, they looked at my room and figured it'd be too much time to search laughs.-CH

  guffaws you got that goin' on Caleb! MJ

  So, are you guys staying at the house? I mean, is it safe? John Terran

  Yeah, the cops said they'd do random surveillance.-CH

  Okay, we'll talk about this more tomorrow. Let me think about it more. Maybe we can figure out who did it, or why? What about Jade? Can she do anything with her mojo? John Terran

  Mojo, John? Laughs, I don't know but let me ask her, alright? CH

  Get over yourself, Caleb, we won't frisk the girlfriend.-MJ

  Yeah, you chumps just follow my lead.-CH

  Pushy bastard! MJ

  Just for you laughs.-CH

  You guys come over about three o'clock.-CH

  Okay, what are you telling your parents? MJ

  That we're gonna hang out.-CH

  That's so not going to work if you have another corpse day.-John Terran

  Well... actually...CH

  You... what, did it again? MJ

  Yeah. Today Dad thought it would be a good idea to visit the cemetery and experiment with my 'growing abilities'.-CH

  Well, profanity block! How'd that go? John Terran

  Not real well. But I got granny back in the ground.-CH

  WTF?! MJ

  You raised your dead grandmother? John Terran

  Yeah, I meant to, but she sorta got out of control, and then Tiff Weller and I...CH

  WHAT?! John Terran

  You don't even know Tiff Weller. Wait a sec...what was she even doing in the cemetery? MJ

  Hang on to your shorts guys, I will tell you the whole thing tomorrow. I don't want this on our pulses, you feel me? CH

  silence

  Okay- John Terran

  Yeah, I got ya, but you're killin' me dude. MJ

  Three o'clock, right? John Terran

  Okay, see ya.-CH

  I powered down my pulse to sleep mode and was immediately lost in my thoughts. The Js were gonna have to know about the lovely graveyard mess, then the house break in. Was it getting dangerous for my friends to know some of this stuff? For Jade? I just didn't have any answers anymore. Like I had all the answers anyway, duh. Things felt like they were spinning out of control.

  It was all in motion now, too late to turn back.

  CHAPTER 16

  I didn't sleep well. Every noise, every scrape of a branch against a windowpane was cause for wakefulness. At one point, I sorta gave up and sat up on my knees, turning to the window and looking out, confident that I could not be seen.

  The street stood quietly, a breeze lifting a tree branch now and then. The moon cast shadows under the streetlights, pools of light bordered by inky blackness.

  As I watched, a police cruiser slowly pulled up. Idling for a few seconds, an officer got out, then a second from the other side, Garcia and McGraw! What were they doing here? I sure didn't feel safer with them guarding the house. No siree. My hands gripped the windowsill, leaning forward, I pressed my nose pressed to the glass, careful not to fog up the window with my breath.

  Garcia turned suddenly as if McGraw had said something, bending to hear him. Surreptitious whispering ensued, their heads pressed together, one blond, the other so dark it blended with the night.

  They looked up at my room at that precise moment. It took a whole lot for me not to jump down underneath the window.

  But I wasn't noticed.

  A sigh of relief escaped me into the hushed silence of my room.

  Just as they were finishing their covert conversation, another cruiser pulled up. Officers Gale and Ward got out.

  Now this was
interesting.

  I was certain we didn't need four cops. I rested my butt cheeks against my heels, perching for the duration.

  Even in the gloom it was easy to tell which cop was Gale. She was clearly the smallest, a whole head and then-some shorter than Garcia, he being the tallest and Ward a little shorter. As obsessed with growing as I was, I noticed people's heights. Bobbi Gale was around Jade's height, but built bigger, solid, like she worked out.

  There was some arm flailing going on with Gale gesturing to our house and then throwing her hands up in the air. Ward had his arms crossed across his chest, not pleased. McGraw was mirroring Ward's stance and Garcia was nose to nose with Gale. Their height difference didn't really allow for that but she was right in his face, her's craning up to make eye contact.

  Finally, McGraw touched Garcia's shoulder and he stepped back... away from Gale. I could see his shoulders hike up in an exaggerated shrug, with a wave of his hand he dismissed our house and walked over to his cruiser. McGraw followed, turning once to give a considering look at Gale. Even from my vantage point I could see her glower at him.

  She was pissed. It was in the set of her shoulders, the way tension sang along them. I would've loved to heard what they said.

  The two cops got into their car, pulling away into the night. Gale and Ward looked after them, then they got in their cruiser, backing up into the space that McGraw and Garcia had vacated.

  That was odd as hell, what were they arguing about? I knew it wasn't a shift change thing because Gale and Ward said random. Could it be that McGraw and Garcia were not supposed to be here and showed up? Showed up for what, my mind asked the obvious. I just didn't know.

  I stared for a couple more minutes, barely making them out in the gloom. Gale in the driver's seat and Ward beside her, gesturing and talking, a badge twinkling in the dim light cast by the streetlight. I laid back down, crossing my arms behind my head and thinking. I tossed and turned, but sleep evaded. Finally, I fell into a fitful sleep, unconsciousness pulling me under like a pebble in a river.

  CHAPTER 17

  I was swimming, the sun shining through the water, me at the bottom looking through layers of grayish-green, a great pale orb shining dimly above me. It was important that I reach it.

  Moving a hand in front of my face, it floated there like a dead, pale fish. I moved my body, feeling the resistance and rose determinedly toward the surface, my hands knifing through the water. As I gained speed, the heat grew, the light intensifying. The coolness of the water retreating as I surfaced. Breaking through I opened my eyes.

  I was in my room.

  I became aware of things in stages, as if still dreaming and unable to wake up. I pinched myself, yup, that hurt, definitely awake. A red crescent appeared where I'd self-damaged.

  The Js and Jade would be here in three hours. Sitting up,I moved my neck in a loose circle, definitely stiff from the shitty night's sleep.

  Last night! I sat up on my knees, pulling the curtain aside. The cops were gone and any evidence of their presence wiped away. I looked at the sky, noticing storm clouds brewing, a brisk breeze hammering them through. Perfect cemetery weather. I was trying for optimistic. The ass-twins would get good and distracted, I'd get some space before the AP Test tomorrow and we'd pick up black dog.

  Leaning across the bed I cracked the window. The May heat would buzz up here, making it eighty degrees by nighttime. Getting off the bed, I kicked a pile of junk out of the way of the door and headed downstairs.

  Dad was downstairs in his fave chair working with his pulse-top. Reading the news, the most boring use of time. Mom wore her apron finishing pancakes. Music swam around the room on low volume, while she put the fixings on the table, butter, the cow, the milk, and syrup. Dad was gonna succumb. He tried to limit pancakes because he was O.L.D and didn't want to get F.A.T.

  I plopped down in my seat and Mom gave me the eye.

  “Kinda late getting up this morning, pal.”

  “Did you hear the cops?” I asked.

  Mom rolled her eyes and Dad looked up from his pulse-top, closing it.

  “I thought you said that was shut down Dad?”

  “It is, I was just putting it through some security paces.”

  I looked at him.

  “Security protocol,” he said in way of explanation. “Rudimentary procedure before I have one of our tech people go through it.”

  “Oh. I thought maybe you got it fixed and were reading the boring news or something,” I said.

  Dad smiled. “That 'boring news', keeps me up-to-date on world events, Caleb.”

  Ah-huh.

  “I didn't hear a thing,” Mom said.

  “I was awake when they came around midnight,” Dad said.

  “Oh. I didn't hear that time, just the four a.m. run when Garcia and McGraw came.”

  “That makes me all warm and fuzzy,” Mom said.

  Yeah.

  Dad had chipmunk cheeks, but after a few chews he stated, “I flat-out don't like Garcia and McGraw showing up.”

  I nodded. Mom was quiet, a rare thing.

  “They looked like they were arguing out there.”

  “Who?” Dad asked.

  “Ward and Gale were there too.”

  “What? That's bizarre. They don't need that much show of force to deter a criminal revisit,” he said.

  “I guess it's too much to ask what they were arguing over,” Mom said.

  “Yeah, but the girl...”

  “Officer Gale?” Mom asked.

  “Yeah, she looked pretty pissed.” Mom made a face. “She was using a lot of hand gestures, right up in Garcia's face.”

  “Based on how they looked, what do you speculate they were talking about?” Dad asked.

  Judging on how different Garcia had been at the cemetery I had a feeling that I had his full attention, and not the good kind. Gale knew I was AFTD like her. She suspected I was something unique, but wasn't ready to out me to anyone. I got a sense of protectiveness from her that I wasn't getting from Garcia. I told the parents that, I also told them I thought she had argued about why they felt they needed to show up. As far as we knew, Garcia and McGraw weren't on this case.

  After a moment, Dad said, “I think that Garcia has our house, you...all of us,” his finger having encompassed us, flagged in some way. If anything happens here of any importance, he's alerted.”

  “I don't like it,” Mom said.

  Dad shrugged. “I am concerned about Garcia's watchfulness. It's not a matter of if, but when he finds out Caleb is a C-M.”

  They were solemn. I kept wolfing down my pancakes. Talk of my discovery as a corpse-raiser does not interfere with The Appetite. The parents would allow possible government exploit, espionage, capture and imprisonment to effect theirs. Huh.

  “What can we do legally, Kyle, to stop this interference? He's just a kid, a minor for goodness sake.” As she lowered her chin, her hair fell forward.

  Dad tucked a strand behind her ear, where it curled around the lobe.“I've been looking into that. We'll go to the press if it comes to that. If he gets noticed, and they try to pull a 'Parker', we'll see how uncomfortable we can make them. They managed to stuff a lot of the press about the Parker boy, but there is heightened awareness now. Awareness of Paranormals and awareness of the AFTDs.”

  I didn't like the sound of that. I'd be famous, like Dad, but not because I was a brainiac. Because I was a freak. Nobody wants to be famous for weirdness. Infamous.

  “Why does everyone think AFTDs are weirdos?”

  Mom said, “You're not a weirdo Caleb.” Her gaze steady on my face.

  “I know that I'm not. But the kids at school think other paranormal abilities are cool. Everyone is grossed out about AFTD and they don't even know. Well, not all of them.” I thought of Bry and Tiff Weller, Mia and the A-hole pair. Some kids knew. The Js and Jade didn't count.

  “I know you're not keen on people on a larger scale, knowing of your unique ability. But the alternative is
not acceptable. Do you think anyone thought that this would be the outcome? That mapping the genome and its subsequent use to unveil these abilities in the human race was going to be without uncertainty, challenges, danger?” Dad asked.

  He was right. The other scientists, who took up where he and his team left off, didn't consider the consequence of their actions. Now we had people my age through mid-twenties that could do some pretty extraordinary things. And there wasn't always a counter to that, except for psychic Nulls and those weren't common. Some paranormals were committing crimes, and our police were chasing their asses trying to keep up with that.

  He shrugged. “Hearing the officers concede that they were switching to paired mundanes/paranormals was a good thing. They need it.”

  “Why do they break the law?” I asked.

  Mom muttered, “Because they can.”

  Dad looked at her. “There will always be people making the wrong choice, it's human nature.”

  “The world spins,” Mom said.

  I admired her sense of justice but I just couldn't, as she would say, embrace it.

  I glanced at the clock, straight up one o'clock. “The Js are coming over with Jade at three.”

  “You know, Jade is a 'J' too,” Mom said.

  “Yeah, I guess, but she's not. Ya know, she's her own thing.”

  “Autonomous,” Dad said. “Independent from the Js.”

  “Oh! Well that's true.” I blushed, Jade was so not like the Js.

  My parents pretended not to notice how awkward the whole Jade conversation was.

  “So, what's the plan at three?” Mom asked, neatly changing the subject. My parents were mainly cool.

  “We're gonna go hang out.”

  “Where?” Dad asked, trying to find butter on his plate with the last bite of pancake.

  “We're just gonna walk around.” The parents would have cattle if they knew I was gonna go to Scenic Hill Cemetery. It occurred to me that I might have wanted to get Tiff up there for back up. Huh. Kinda late for that.

  “Okay,” Dad said, giving me some space.

  I gave a mental sigh of relief, they'd bought it.

  I needed to get the twins off my back and the J-Man had the plan... I hoped.