by K. C. Hughes
“Stop playing around.” He hurried out of the bathroom and kneeled beside the bed. Before he looked underneath it, he sniffed the sheet before gently placing it on the bed. He bounced up and checked behind the dresser. Then he turned on his heels and saw the closet, knowing that she was hiding in there.
"Not funny Karri," he said, opening the door, only to find spare pillows and an iron. His body tensed with fear.
Deakon grabbed the card key reader from the dresser and rushed out the room. He looked up and down the long corridor, yelling her name. He even pounded on the nearest doors, thinking someone came in and snatched her while they played that stupid game. No one answered his knocks.
He ran back in the room. “Stop playing around, Karri. Answer me, please.”
When she didn’t reply, a wave of nausea attacked him. He held his stomach and saw his hands trembling. He paced the room like a cat in a room full of rats. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. He looked like he'd aged ten years. Then he had a thought. He could try to reverse the spell. He moved to the same spot as before. He tried to calm himself as best as he could. He then closed his eyes and cupped the bracelet.
"Come back to me Karri, please come back!" For a moment he was afraid to open his eyes. He had a wild feeling that if he did, someone else would be standing in front of him. But nothing happened and no one showed up. Karri was still missing.
What had he done? Where could she have gone? The nausea hit him again and he dropped to the floor. He crawled to the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time. He vomited everything in his stomach, and then he was left with the dry heaves for a few more minutes.
When he stabilized, he was so weak that he had to grab onto the sink to stand up. He made it back to the bedroom but he fell on the floor. He rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling for a minute. What if he killed her and never saw her alive again? He dry heaved at the thought. Why couldn’t he have kept his word and not used the power?. He wanted to chuck the bracelet out the window, but scrapped that idea. He hoped he could use it to bring her back. He thought of what else he might do with it-what else he could try.
He let out a horrendous wail, feeling like someone reached in his chest and ripped his heart out. His body shook uncontrollably. He knew he was going into convulsions when his eyes began rolling into the back of his head.
Then he heard something. A soft tap on the door. He prayed that it was Karri as he crawled to it. He had to use the handle to pull himself up. When he opened it, Karri stood on the other side.
His body went limp with relief. Her hair and clothes were soaked. She looked like she’d been caught in a rain storm, but he knew it wasn't raining. She stood motionless like an upright corpse. Her shoulders sagged and head drooped. But her eyes worried him. They were glossed over and lifeless.
“I wanna go home,” she cried.
He stepped closer and picked her up. His body was still weak, but he was determined to protect her. He didn’t care if she was wet and he definitely didn’t care if he got wet. All he wanted to do was to hold her, to protect her, and to love her forever.
“Where did you go?” he asked, whispering. She was so vulnerable. He was scared that the slightest thing would cause her to vanish again.
She buried her head in the nook of his neck. Her body shuddered with uncontrollable spasms. He carried her into the bathroom, lowered the lid, and gently sat her on the seat. He started a bath for her. While he waited for the tub to fill up, he spotted a bottle of hotel bubble bath and added it to the running water. He went to the bedroom and grabbed her luggage. Placing it on the floor, he bent down, untied her sneakers and removed them. He held her hand in silence as the tub filled. When the water reached the soak level, he stood her up fearing that if he left her sitting on the toilet seat, she would never get in the water.
“Take off your clothes and get in the tub,” he said sweetly. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.” He walked out, closing the door behind him and sat on the floor next to the bathroom.
“Karri, I’m right here.”
After five minutes he heard water splashing. He pulled his knees up, resting his hands on them, and leaned his head against the wall. He closed his eyes, hoping that she'd be alright. The room was eerily silent which gave him time to think. He was so paranoid about the incident that he hadn't had time to process it. What kind of powers could make someone disappear? How could a piece of gold contradict the laws of the universe? He knew that Newton’s first law was any and all objects will remain at rest unless compelled to move by an external force. But what kind of unseen force was he dealing with? Something in the back of his mind told him to flush the bracelet down the toilet and get on the next plane smoking back to Phoenix.
“Deakon, you there?” Karri asked.
“I’m here. I’m not leaving you, ever.”
“You’re sweet, you know that?”
Relief. Her bubbly personality was coming back. He had worried that she would be forever changed by what happened.
“You wanna' talk about what happened?” he asked.
“It was so weird. One minute I was under the sheet, thrilled about being levitated, and the next minute I was floating in a pool of murky water.”
He opened his eyes, trying to make sense of what she said. Could she somehow have been transported to the Danube river? “Like a lake?” he asked.
“No, not quite. It was thicker than lake water. That’s the best I can explain it.”
“That's beyond weird. You have no idea how scared I was.”
“Oh, and I heard a drum beating. parump parump. Over and over again.”
He heard movement in the bathroom but something distracted him. It had to do with what she said; murky water and a thumping sound. Then Karri opened the bathroom door, drying her hair with a towel. She wore a white robe with Hotel Residenz monogrammed on it.
“What are you doing down there, silly?” she asked, looking at him sitting on the floor.
“I’m never leaving you.” He got up and followed her to the bed. They sat facing each other. He stared at her. He wondered if she'd been abducted by aliens. He looked for signs of things UFO wackos talked about, but didn't see any red marks on the back of her neck...no zombie-like mannerisms.
“How do you feel?”
She looked at the ceiling, “I feel better. I guess the bath helped.” She gently grabbed his hand. “Thank you for being with me,” she said and Deakon blushed.
Thank you for being with me! But what came out, “We can leave in the morning.”
After what happened Deakon no longer cared about finding who gave him the bracelet. He never wanted anything like that to happen again. Especially to Karri. He was going to toss it in the Danube river on their way to Munich.
He tucked her in bed and held her as she dozed off. He never left her side that night, watching as her chest rose and fell with every breath. And she accepted his embrace.
Deakon had just entered REM sleep when the sun, filtering through the window, woke him. He reached for her, but she wasn’t there. He shot up in the upright position and scanned the room. His mind scrambled, thinking that she disappeared again. But when he saw her staring out the window, drinking coffee, he relaxed.
“Good morning, sleepy head.” She turned from the window and faced him. Karri gazed into his eyes and felt secure with him. She didn’t care that he was three years younger than her. He showed a maturity last night, especially the way he took care of her.
“There you are. You scared me,” he said.
“You want coffee?” she asked. "I ordered room service."
“Naw, I haven’t acquired a taste for it yet.”
“Hmm, understood.”
“How you feeling?” he asked, looking her up and down.
She looked away from him. Something had been bothering her that morning. First, she thought the incident was a delusion brought on by the beer. But she’d had drank plenty of German beer in the past. Her
mind started playing tricks on her making her think it was just in her head. But, she remembered the look on Deakon’s face when he opened the door and that's when she knew it was real. Although she wanted to go home, she needed to know what happened last night.
“I’m not sure. Physically I feel fine, but the whole thing was scary.” She placed the coffee cup on the room service cart and sat on the bed.
Deakon leaned his back against the headboard and listened. He jumped slightly when she laid her head on his chest. That had never happened to him before. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to pressure her, so he remained quiet.
“I wish I could describe where I went, but there are no words for it.”
“I'm so very sorry, and I will never do that to you, or anyone, ever again.” He played with her hair which felt like a natural act. “In fact, on our way to the airport, I’m going to dump the bracelet in the river.”
She lifted her head. “I wanted to talk to you about that. I know I told you last night that I wanted to go home, but we have to find out what happened and what that thing is.”
“No, absolutely not!” he said, sternly. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to sound mean, but I thought you were dead and that I would never see you again.”
“I’m still here. You can’t get rid of me that easy.” She rested her head back on his chest. “What if it gets in the wrong hands?”
“I will throw it farther into the river, then.”
“Seriously, Deakon, I mean that was scary stuff. One minute I’m in room 213 and the next I’m in pea soup or something, listening to a loud thumping sound.”
She paused, then lifted her head with a puzzled look on her face. After a few moments, she placed her head back on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
“Oh my God!” she said, raising up. Her eyes widened to the size of walnuts, covering her mouth with her hand.
“What? Tell me,” he said, sitting up.
“That thumping sound I heard. I think it was your heartbeat.”
“That’s ludicrous,” he said, leaning back on the headboard and waving her off with his hand.
“Hear me out.” She stood on her knees. “Remember I said the water was murky? That was your stomach!” she said, getting off the bed. She paced the room. “It makes sense now.”
“That is the furthest thing from making sense than I’ve ever heard in my life.”
She came back to the bed. ”Deakon, I need you to concentrate,” she said, staring him square in the eyes. “What were you thinking right before you said rise up?”
He bit the corner of his bottom lip trying to remember. “Holy World of Warcraft!” he gasped. “I remember thinking how I wanted you to be a part of me, and that I wanted to consume you.”
“Oh my God!" She grabbed her head with both hands. "You see, don't you? I was in your stomach!”
“That's disgusting."
“Seems to me that whatever’s in your mind, manifests itself.”
He remembered something. “Not objects. Just people. Before I left for Germany I tried to move objects in my room. I even tried to levitate my cat.”
“Hmm, did it work?”
“Only with the cat.”
“So you can manipulate humans and animals.” She sat up. “What’s going on Deak?”
“Now you see why I came?” he asked.
“We have to find out what that thing is. We should start with the six hospitals."
“Good idea. I’m sure my biological mother sent it to me.” Then he added, “Maybe she’s Superwoman.”
“Or something,” she said.
“Let’s start by finding out about her, then.”
"Okay, let’s get going,” Karri said.
CHAPTER 16
During breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, Deakon and Karri mapped out the six hospitals. He converted the distance from kilometers and suggested they walk. The farthest one was only five miles away. They paid the server and left.
It was a gorgeous Sunday morning with blue skies that looked like the clear ones in Phoenix. The only thing missing was the palm trees and heat, where ninety degrees was considered warm and a hundred and ten was hot. It was very cold. They walked close to each other, and when Karri pulled her coat tighter around her chest, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
She looked up at him. "You are too sweet."
"Aww, you're just saying that because you want to marry me and have my kids," he said, winking.
"Don't get big-headed just because you're a hottie now," she replied, pulling away from him.
He pouted and she put her arm between his. They eyed each other and laughed.
Strolling through the small town reminded him of the blogs he read about college students trekking through Europe on their breaks. But instead of enjoying the scenery, which was post-card pretty, they had a purpose. He needed to find out about the bracelet.
When they reached Klinikum Hospital, Deakon looked up at the six story building. He turned to Karri who had an expression of curiosity on her face.
"What's the matter," he asked.
They stood outside the admissions entry. "Remember last night when you read that there are six hospitals here?" she asked, looking up.
"Uh huh."
"And that only fifty thousand people live here?"
He did a quick calculation. "Assuming their are fifty rooms per floor, two beds per room, that would make thirty-six-"
"Never mind that," she interrupted his computing. "I was thinking more in lines of why."
"Oh yeah, I knew that," he said, clearing his throat.
"No you didn't," she said, lightly hitting him on the arm.
"What is it with you and hitting?"
"They're called love taps, dummy."
He put his hands in his coat pockets and looked down. Did she just say she loved me? He wanted to kiss her so bad, that he wet his lips, daydreaming about tasting her cherry lip gloss.
They entered and looked up at the towering atrium. The glass dome reached the top level, letting in tons of sunlight. It was totally unlike the hospital he'd imagined for Germany. The check-in area was large and updated with modern furnishings and artwork. When they spotted the a booth, they headed to it and spoke to an elderly lady who sat behind the counter. She looked up at them and smiled.
“Excuse me, we are trying to get information on adoption,” he said in German
“The administration offices handles that” she replied in her mother tongue.
Deakon continued talking. “We’re trying to find my biological mother. You see I was adopted from here.”
The attendant stiffened and looked nervous. “Oh no, I can’t help you." She got up from her station. "You come back tomorrow when they open.” And walked away.
Karri turned to him. “That was rude.”
“I know, like she saw a ghost.”
They separated and walked around, asking anyone about finding biological parents. They were met with the same reaction. Defeated, they left and headed to the next one on the list.
They were sure that the mood at the first hospital was a one-off. But, unfortunately, they were met with the same abruptness at the remaining five. They gave up on the hospitals and regrouped.
It was lunch time and they were hungry from all the walking. Instead of going back to the hotel, they stopped at Hacklbergers beergarden on the main road. Deakon hadn't spoken much during the walk to the restaurant. He sat quietly and stared out window, eyes zoned out. They were at a dead end and didn't have any more leads.
“What do we do now?” Karri asked, twirling the ice in her drink with a straw.
“I don’t know,” he said wearily. He wanted to kick himself for reacting too fast, traveling to Germany without a well thought-out plan. He wished he hadn’t asked Karri to come join him in the wasted trip.
They sat in silence with worried looks on their faces. People in the restaurant were talking, laughing, and eating. When the waitress r
eached their table with her order pad, she just stood there and didn't speak. Deakon was beginning to hate Passau. Then they heard it.
It was a loud organ blaring awful music. The waitress backed away from their table and disappeared. The restaurant grew silent. It was creepy as everyone stopped talking at the same time. Even the clinking of the silverware stopped.
“Eerie, huh,” he said.
“Yeah.”
As soon as the words left their mouths, patrons scaled their necks and looked at them in repulsion.
“What?” he asked, raising his hands emphasizing his disdain. No one offered him an answer and the organ continued playing. The music, if anyone dared call it that, should've motivated the townspeople to talk over it instead of remaining quiet.
As soon as it stopped, people began talking and eating again.
“That was hideous,” Karri said.
“No argument here.”
The waitress came back with her order pad. She didn’t ask if they decided nor did she tell them about any specials. Deakon didn’t look up or say anything but something was bothering him.
“Wait a minute,” he blared. Karri jumped and people turned to him. “Can you give us the check?” he asked the waitress.
“What’s going on Deakon?” Karri asked.
“We have to leave, I’ll tell you on the way.”
The waitress ripped check off her pad, walked away, and mumbled something in German that Deakon couldn't make out. He reached for his wallet, pulled out a couple of Euro’s, and threw them on the table. He grabbed Karri’s hand and led her out of the restaurant.
They hailed a Mercedes cab. “Take us to the church,” he told the driver. He smelled the same fragrance as the one in the first German cab he rode in.
“Please tell me what’s going on? You're scaring me.”
“My mom told me about the house they picked me up from,” he said, leaning closer and whispering. “She said it sat across the street from a big church.”
“How do you know which church?” she asked.
