by K. C. Hughes
It was closing time for most retailers and Deakon had nowhere to go. He walked on the bank of the Danube river until his feet hurt. He sat down on the cold sand, shivering, and held his head down. He was all alone-like a leaf that had fallen from the mother branch and fluttered in the wind, being carried farther and farther from its home. Just like Deakon-all alone. Tears flowed from his eyes and landed on the sand at the edge of the river.
Having nowhere to sleep or eat, he had no choice but to return to Phoenix. Wiping his eyes with shaking hands, he pulled his phone out. At that instant it rang and Karri was on the other end.
“Karri?” he asked, heart racing and eyed bulging.
“I got your text messages,” she said, flatly.
“I’m so glad you called. I don’t have anywhere to sleep. The hotels won’t take me. And I’m hungry,” he said, babbling.
“Slow down, Deakon. What’s going on? Where are you?”
He forgot that he hadn’t told her about his journey to find his biological mother. Or that he had been adopted. He never told her anything about the bracelet that caused him to have powers. Deakon told her everything. He cried for his stupidity in thinking he could come to a foreign country to find someone who didn’t want him in the first place. He cried for all the suffering he'd been through with bullies. He cried for lying to his mother. And he cried because he missed Karri.
“I'm so sorry I didn't call you earlier, but after I saw what you did to those guys, well, I was scared of you," she said
"I would never hurt you. I don't even know what I did or how I did it."
"I never should've doubted you," she paused. "I wish I could be there with you right now.”
“Do you mean it?” he asked. He got up from the sand and looked at the sky.
“Yes, Deakon, I mean it, but I don’t have the money to get there.”
“Do you have a passport?”
“Of course I do. Who doesn’t?” she asked.
Deakon wasn’t going to mentioned that he’d just gotten his the other day.
“Start packing.”
He left the river's edge with a bounce in his step and a huge grin on his face. The cold didn't bother him as much. Karri was coming to help him search for his bio-mother. He walked away from the river to search for a warm spot to sleep. But he left a part of him behind that awakened an ancient spirit.
CHAPTER 14
All Deakon had to do was get through the cold night, because Karri would be there the next day. He used his Smartphone to make a reservation for her flight. When the First Class option popped up, he selected it. He figured since she was willing to travel fourteen hours to help him, he could at least get her in the front of the plane.
He knew she was at least eighteen and could rent a room. Or should he pay for two rooms? They could eat in any restaurant in Germany. His setback was turning into an advantage. At first he was hesitant about telling her all the details, fearing that she’d never want to see him again. But when he began talking, the dam broke and the words spilled out.
He told her about the bullying he had experienced since kindergarten, the bodyguard his dad had hired and the day he got the bracelet while in the psych ward at Mercy General. She listened sympathetically instead of thinking he was crazy. When she agreed to come to Germany to help him find his mother, he wanted to jump in the Danube river in sheer delight. But, instead, he wandered around the town until he found a secluded spot between two buildings to sleep. He was cold and scared, but he'd never been happier.
The next morning he took the train back to the Munich airport so he could be there when she arrived. It was only a ninety minute train ride and he didn't want her exiting the plane in a foreign country and stumbling around the airport alone. Besides, he wanted to spend every second he could with her.
When he reached Munich, he had five hours until her plane arrived. He decided to take in the touristy places. He made mental plans to visit the BMW museum and the Neues museum where the Nefertiti bust had been on display. But when he read a brochure about the exhibits at the Center for New Technologies at the Deustches Museum, he headed there first. There was one exhibit on the list, physics, that made him excited. He nearly knocked over a kid, rushing to hail a cab. The traffic in Munich was hectic: cars moved too fast and there were way too many of them.
When he arrived, he checked out entire section on aeronautics first. He walked a mile to get to the physics exhibition. When he the saw the old instruments from the 18th and 19th century, he was disappointed because he'd already seen them online. It was still intriguing to read the information about the displays. But he lost track of time. When he glanced at his watch, he had mere minutes to make it to the airport in time for Karri’s arrival. He rushed out of the museum and was grateful for the speedy taxi cab driver.
Deakon arrived at the passenger meeting point right outside customs. He stood on the balls of his feet, looking over the heads of arriving passengers, thinking he’d already missed her. He kept glancing from his watch to the line of people. When he finally spotted her, he waved excitedly and smiled so wide that other people waiting alongside him stared with closed-lip smiles.
Karri exited customs looking so cute. She had on a dark blazer over a frilly white shirt that looked like a dress, a very short dress. Instead of jeans, she wore black leggings that clung to her shapely legs. Her hair flowed as she walked confidently towards him. She definitely didn't look like someone who just spent fourteen hours on a cramped plane. The closer she got, the faster his heart raced. He tried deep breathing, but it didn't slow it down.
He broke in front of the others and ran to her with open arms. They hugged and neither let go. She felt wonderful in his arms.
"You have no idea how glad I am to see you, girl," Deakon said, pulling away to look into her eyes. "Thanks for coming."
"I missed you, Deak," she said, looking at him.
They held onto each others gaze as people bustled by them. As far as he was concerned, they were the only two people on the planet. He wanted to kiss her so bad. He bent lower to touch her lips. He held his breath, but when he saw her lips part to meet his, he knew it was the right time. Less than a millisecond before their lips met, someone bumped into the back of her, causing her head hit his chin.
"Ow," he said, rubbing his chin.
"I'm sorry but..."
"I'm kidding, but you got a hard head."
They shared a hearty laugh.
"How was your flight?" he asked, grinning.
“How were you able to get me a first class seat?” she asked in amazement.
“It’s called maaaagic,” he said,
“Seriously," she said, cutting her eyes at him playfully. "How can you afford it?” She bent down to pick up her carryon.
He grabbed it from her. “Not only am I good looking, but I’m rich too.”
She smacked his arm. “I don't know about being rich, but you get better looking every time I see you.”
"Thank you. That really means a lot to me." Deakon felt giddy and wasn’t ashamed to show it. It was so good having her with him, like she somehow completed him. “Thanks for coming across the pond to help me.”
“That was a mighty big pond.”
“I know, huh?”
Deakon held her hand and lead her through the waves of people to the train station. He felt like her personal tour guide and he loved it.
“You hungry?” Deakon asked, as they waited on the platform for the train to Passau.
“Are you kidding me? They fed me so much in first class, I swear I gained ten pounds.”
When they arrived at Hotel Residenz, the same front desk clerk that had turned Deakon away the previous day stood behind the counter. Deakon walked straighter as they approached. When she gave him the look, he wasn't worried because he had Karri with him.
The check-in went smooth. In fact she upgraded them to a suite. The room was just as nice and cozy as the lobby. It was spacious with a king bed and a plush couch. There was a plasma TV. Deak
on spun when he thought about the bed-the one bed. He had forgotten to ask for two queens. What should I do?
“Since you need me, I’ll take the bed and you can sleep on the couch,” Karri said, playfully as if reading his mind.
“Cool.”
Problem solved.
Karri took a shower and Deakon ordered bratwurst, currywurst and frites from room service. He even ordered beer for her because he knew she liked it. He sat on the couch and flipped through the channels on TV trying to find an English speaking program. Bingo! The Oprah Winfrey Show aired in English with German subtitles.
There was a knock on the door at the same time Karri came out of the bathroom. Her hair, wet from the shower, swept across her face in streams of glistening dark brown. Deakon melted at her beauty and couldn't move. Another knock from the door got him up.
After grabbing food from the room service cart, Karri sat on the bed and nibbled while Deakon ate on the couch.
“So, Deakon, what do you know so far?”
“My mom said they picked me up from an adoption agency in Passau.” He pulled his laptop from his backpack and the bracelet fell out.
They both turned and looked at it, neither saying a word.
“Did you find the agency yet?” Karri said, turning away from the bracelet.
“See, that’s the thing,” he said, cradling the computer on his lap. “I couldn’t find any mention of an adoption agency online, so that’s why I needed to come here.”
“Makes sense. Now what?”
“I thought about going to the hospitals around town to ask about the adoption process.”
“Hmm. I wonder if you can do that? Did you know that in the United States, hospitals and adoption agencies can’t release records to the adopted child unless the child is eighteen?”
“Didn’t know that.” He tilted his head in thought. He was impressed that she knew that important piece of information.
“So as the first step, I think you should check online to see if Germany has any laws like that.”
Deakon’s fingers flew across the keys. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of it. But that just confirmed to him that having her with him was very cool.
“Ah ha! Found it. Une childe une Germany must be sixteen to seek his or her biological parents,” he said, adding his version of a thick German accent.
Karri held her fist out for an atta-boy knuckle bump. But, instead of Deakon tapping his fist to hers, he wrapped his fingers around bawled up hand and shook it. She laughed so hard, almost choking on the frites. After she showed him a real fist bump, they laughed until their bellies hurt.
She placed her leftover food on the nightstand, sat up on the bed, and pulled her knees to her chin. “Okay, so that’s good. Next, look up hospitals in the area.”
He did as instructed.
Karri stole glances at him while he focused on the search. When he looked up at her, she quickly averted her eyes. She could’ve stared at him for hours. Even though she had mad-crazy feelings for him, he scared her at the frat party. After witnessing his supernatural powers, she had been too frightened to be with him. But her heart felt different. During the three days that she hadn’t seen or talked to him, she’d lost her appetite and daydreamed about him constantly. She’d missed the captivating way he looked at her, making her feel like she was the prettiest girl in the world. But the fear of what happened kept her from returning his calls and texts. When he kept leaving messages, she couldn’t fight it any longer.
“Interesting,” Deakon said, staring at the screen.
“What’s that?”
“There are six hospitals in Passau.”
“Why’s that interesting?”
“Yesterday, I saw the whole town, on foot.”
“I don’t get it,” she cocked her head to the side.
“Passau isn’t that big for six hospitals. Unless they are the small, one-story kind.”
“Oh, I see your point now. Wonder how many people live here?”
“I’ll let you know in a sec.” He typed fast.
Deakon looked up, rubbing his chin. “That’s strange, there are only fifty thousand people living here.”
“Hmm, that is weird, having so many hospitals in a small city.”
He grabbed a handful of food from the cart. As soon as he bit into it, he spat it out. “Yuck, that’s nasty.”
“What was it?”
“Some kind of currywurst. I read that it's a German comfort food like a cheeseburger is to Americans. But it’s nowhere close.”
“Thanks for being my taste tester,” she giggled. Karri rolled on her stomach. She hung her head over the edge of the bed playing with the strings in the carpet.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did,” Deakon joked. He leaned back, resting his arm on the cushion and admired her. Her round rump curved in all the right places. He wanted to reach over and spank it to make it wiggle. Her skin was so smooth and creamy that it reminded him of a milkshake. He found it hard to look away.
“Don’t be a smart aleck. Oh wait, you are a smart aleck!”
They laughed.
“Sorry, just having fun,” he said.
Then the look on Karri’s face changed. He hadn’t seen it before and thought he said something wrong.
“Don’t get mad at me, but can you do it to me?” she asked.
He gulped. Was she talking about it as in doing it? He squirmed on the couch and his face began to burn. He’d never done it before and didn’t have a clue how to do it. “I don’t know. You think we should?”
“What could it hurt? You did it to those guys at the party.”
His shoulders slumped with relief and he was able to breath again. He smiled and was glad that he hadn’t blurted out that he’d never done it before.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said wryly.
“Can you do it to me?”
He remembered the promise that he’d made not to use the power of the bracelet until he learned more about it. He had been lying and sneaking and needed to hold on to something that reminded him that he was a decent person. All he had was his word. And he wanted to keep it.
“Maybe. But let me ask you a question,” he said, trying to change the subject. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad you're here, but how were you able to leave Phoenix on such short notice? What did you tell your parents?”
She sat up in the bed and held her chin in her palms. “My parents probably won’t even miss me.”
“That can’t be true.”
“You’d be surprised.” She turned to the TV and stared at it blankly. “They are so obsessed with my brothers that they rarely have time for me.”
“How old are they?”
“Four.”
“What about the other one?”
“All of them are four years old.”
He squinted trying to focus on what she said. “How can you have brothers the same age?” After the question left his mouth, he jumped off the couch. “They’re twins. I’m such an idiot!”
“Actually, you’re a wrong idiot,” she teased.
That stung. Deakon had never been called an idiot or wrong in his life. But Karri could’ve called him retarded, for all he cared. Just as long as they were together.
“How’s that?”
“I have three brothers the same age. They’re triplets.”
“Ah, cool.”
“Yeah, not cool. I was their built-in babysitter, diaper changer, burper, and clothes washer. The only thing I didn’t do was breast feed them.”
Deakon blushed when she said breast. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Now that the triplets are more manageable, all my parents do is work, eat, and sleep. And the house stays a mess. I get so tired of cleaning it.”
She pushed off the bed and grabbed a beer from the champagne cooler thingamajig. As she took long swigs, he noticed a curtain of sadness that covered her face. His heart felt her
pain. He wanted to see her smile and hear her laugh again, so he reached for the bracelet.
“Okay, let’s do it,” he said proudly
She set the beer down and turned to him, “You mean it?” she said wearing a goofy grin.
He nodded and smiled at the way she beamed.
She walked to the center of the room and spread her arms out to the side. “Okay, do it.”
When Deakon placed the bracelet around his wrist, he thought he heard whispering, but she interrupted the sounds with a loud wail.
“Wait!” she screamed, and jumped on the bed. After she got situated, laying on her back, she nodded to him.
Again, before he made contact with the gold bracelet, she stopped him.
“Hold it! Let’s try it with a sheet over me like a ghost.” She yanked the bed covering off, pulled out the flat sheet, and placed it over her body. She stood between the bed and couch. Her excitement was contagious. She was so precious that he wanted to be with her forever. He wanted her to be a part of him, he wanted to consume her.
He waited a few seconds to make sure she didn’t change her mind.
“Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
Deakon planted his feet firmly on the carpeted floor and cupped the bracelet. “Rise up.”
Slowly the sheet began to move. Then the hem rose off the floor. As Karri ascended farther, he heard the whispering again. It started soft but quickly got louder and multiplied, sounding like hundreds of people talking in his ear. He strained to make out the words but nothing was familiar. Suddenly the whispers double and got so loud that he covered his ears, releasing his grip from the bracelet. Instantly, the sheet dropped to the floor.
Karri wasn’t under it!
CHAPTER 15
Deakon panicked. He looked under the flattened sheet. She wasn’t under it. He knew she couldn’t be, but it was the logical thing to do. He fanned it out, trying to see if maybe she was stuck in the threading. But that was absurd too.
He turned his head back and forth in panic. “Karri, where are you?” He rushed to the bathroom, still holding the sheet and looked behind the door. He yanked the shower curtain back, peering at the empty tub. He even lifted the toilet seat lid.
