by Jus Accardo
Kale didn’t waste any time. He grabbed my wrist and we took off over the fence.
Free.
§
When we were sure they weren’t following anymore, I stopped to mimic back. It took longer than it had with Rick and was ten times more painful, but it felt good to be me again. It felt even better to be in my own clothing. That suit had been restricting, hideous, and itchy as hell.
“I can’t believe the risk you took,” Kale said as we made our way through the woods. “You could have been hurt.”
“Probably not.” I remembered what Mercy said right before she got in the car and tried to ignore it.
“Your father knows why you’re really here. He knows about you and 98.”
“I’m guessing Dad wanted a shot at using me like he had Kat Hans—the first one they sent in to dig up information on the Sixes. I don’t think he would have hurt me. At least not so early in the game.”
Kale stopped short and wrenched me along with him. I cringed at the sharp movement, doing my best not to cry out. “Do not think like that. Never underestimate them. The things they do… The things they could have done—” He swallowed. The slight protrusion of his Adam’s apple bobbed just a bit. “If it should happen in the future, you leave me there. Do not do that again.”
“It’s fine though. We’re out and everyone’s—” A lump formed in my throat and my blood went icy. “Alex. I left Alex in there.”
“Alex? What’s he doing at Denazen?”
“I convinced him to help me get you and my mom out,” I groaned. “I got you out and forgot about him. How could I have left him there! Now God knows what’s going to happen to him.”
“We’ll get him out. And Sue.”
Sue. Mom. “Did you see her? While you were there, did you see her?”
He shook his head, and we began walking again. “They kept me in lockup the entire time. Other than the men who came in daily to draw my blood, I saw no one other than you and Cross the other day.” The disappointment must have been all over my face because he said, “She’s fine though, don’t worry. Sue knows how to handle herself. She knows how it works.”
We were in the bushes beyond the house. Dad specifically said he’d be out of contact until after five. It wouldn’t be long though before Denazen sent someone to the house to search for us. We had to get in and get out. Hopefully, Mercy was okay.
Mercy had used the keys I told her about under the front porch to get into the house, so Kale and I had to go in through my window. Not easy considering my limbs felt like stretched out rubber bands. When we swung inside, the room was empty.
“Mercy?” I stepped into the room, grabbing a stapler on the way to the door. Not the best weapon, but the only one I had on hand. Slowly, I turned the knob and peeked around the corner. Empty. Creeping across the landing, I bent over the railing. Nothing.
“She must have left for some reason,” I said, coming back into the room. “Maybe someone from Denazen showed up.”
“Get what you need and let’s go. We shouldn’t stay here long.”
Kale was right, of course. Staying here was a bad idea. I scooped up an old backpack. Stuffing anything I could get my hands on inside, I moved through the room. When I got to the corner, I noticed my address book sitting sideway across the top of my desk. I didn’t remember pulling it from my nightstand drawer.
It wasn’t until I came to the side of the bed that I froze. On my pillow a small folded note lay underneath a red flash drive.
Dez - The mimic wore off and I didn’t want to take any chances, so I left. I won’t be going back to Denazen. They’ll figure out eventually I assisted you. I hope all is well, and you and 98 Kale made it out okay. On this drive, you’ll find two things. First is the list of names you were searching for. While still working at Denazen, there was no way I could pull those files without arousing suspicion. Since I won’t be going back, it doesn’t matter anymore. Also on this drive is a bit of information that might help you get a step closer to your mother. It’s not much, but it might help. Good luck.
– Mercy
“Jackpot!” I squealed, waving the flash drive up and down.
Kale eyed the small red piece of plastic between my fingers and squinted. “How will that do anything?”
“It’s a flash drive.” When his only answer was a blank stare, I continued. “It holds information from a computer.”
He took the drive from me, giving it a hard shake. When nothing came out, he proceeded to tap it against the edge of the windowsill. “How do we get the information out?”
I rescued the drive before he could smash it to bits. “We have to plug it into a computer.” My own machine sat in the corner but that was a bad idea. The damn thing would take forever to boot and there was no telling how much time we had. Everyone I knew had a computer. It was only a matter of finding someone at home. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
The fact that it was later in the evening worked against us. Most of my friends had hit the strip already. But I refused to give up. We could have gone straight to Ginger and handed over the drive, but I wanted to know what was on it. Never play your cards without at least checking out the hand.
After about two hours of searching, we ended up at the Rinaldis’ place. They’d been vacationing on the Jersey shore every summer for the past four years. Last year, they’d paid Brandt to watch their dog and house-sit. As far as I knew, they hadn’t asked anyone else for this year since the dog had died.
I led Kale up the walkway to the back of the house and under the porch. There, taped to the bottom of the top step, was the key to the basement door.
When we entered the house, we went room to room in search of a computer. We finally found one in the last room we searched. I felt like I’d walked into another dimension. A shrine. The shelves were lined with collectibles and the walls covered with posters.
“What kind of place is this?” Kale whispered, eyes wide, as he followed me through the door.
“The Rinaldis’ son is twelve. I guess he’s a Pokémon fan.” I said over my shoulder as I made a beeline for the computer. While the machine booted, I sank into the chair. When the monitor came alive, an annoying little yellow dude—Peekaboo or something—hopped across the screen, babbling incoherent chatter in a squeaky voice. I bit back a joke and slipped the drive into the USB slot.
After a moment, the file popped open and a list of names scrolled down the screen. I skimmed through—there had to be at least a hundred. The title at the top of the document read, Residents. A list of all the Sixes Denazen had on site.
Score!
Skimming the document, I was shocked to know so many of the names. Some were people in the community that had gone missing over the last few years, others were classmates and neighbors.
I scanned the room, finally finding the printer wedged underneath the desk. Flipping the power switch and clicking print, I waited for the pages. Kale was quiet beside me. “Are you okay?”
“Okay?”
“Did they hurt you?”
Kale fingered the yellowing bruise on the side of his face and shook his head. “They can’t hurt me,” he said. “But when Mercy told me they had you…”
“It wasn’t Mercy, it was me.”
“I didn’t know that at the time. I believed. All I could think about was what they’d do to you.”
I swiveled the chair around and took his hands in mine. “I’m fine. You’re fine.”
“We’re both fine,” he said, planting a quick kiss on my cheek.
I nodded. “We are. And once I get Alex and my mom out of there, we can put this whole mess behind us. Maybe after we get settled, I can take you to see a real movie. None of that dancing stuff. A movie at an IMAX theater. One with lots of explosives. Guys love seeing things blow up, right?”
> The printer stopped. I leaned back, Kale’s hand still in mine, and picked up the sheets. Skimming them, I smiled. Perfect. One last thing to do.
Opening the browser, I pulled up Craigslist. Searching the ads, I was relieved to find there weren’t many new weird ones. In fact, there were only two. One for lessons on how to raise cattle and the other claiming to teach llama training.
“Are these people supposed to be home soon?”
I folded the list and stuffed it in my back pocket. Grabbing a pen from the other end of the desk, I wrote both numbers on the back of my hand. “Nope, why?”
“’Cause someone’s here.”
I went to the window and cursed. The Rinaldis had obviously replaced Brandt. I grabbed Kale’s hand. “Hurry, we need to leave.”
§
We hit the pay phone in front of the Blueberry Bean, leaning in close as people skirted around us on the busy sidewalk. The first ad—the one about cattle raising—remarkably turned out to be legit. As I dialed the second, I said a silent prayer.
“I’m calling about your Craigslist ad. The one about llama training?”
“How many llamas do you own?”
“Um, two?” I replied. I had no clue what the magic number was.
A long pause on the other end. Not good. “I’m sorry. That’s too many.”
“This is Dez Cross,” I said quietly into the receiver. Pleaseplease please let this be the right ad. Then, for good measure I added, “I have the information Ginger wanted.”
The man on the other end hesitated for a moment. It seemed to take forever, but finally he gave me an address and hung up.
“We’re in,” I said, turning to Kale. “Let’s see what we have here and then we’ll head over and see Ginger.”
Hanging out in front of the Bean was a bad idea. Too public. So I tugged Kale’s shirt and nodded to the side of the building. Once we were in the shadows, I pulled the pages from my pocket. There were only three sheets of names, the rest of the bulk was something else. An email. From my dad to someone named Vincent.
The party is the perfect setup. Crowded and loud, we should have no problems. My sources have confirmed that both targets will be present. I also expect to handle a small problem that has recently come to light. I’ve discovered the instigator of our recent rash of disobedience. I will deal with it.
Party?
Underneath it was Vincent’s reply, dated two days ago.
This is very good news—and on top of your other surprise, too. I must congratulate you. I’ve been told Supremacy is now fully operational. You have my go-ahead on the party, Cross. I think this will work. Who will you send?
Next page. Another email.
Thank you. I am very pleased about Supremacy. I was beginning to lose hope. As for the party, I have the perfect group. I’m thinking about sending Alex Mojourn along with Sueshanna Odell. I understand it would be Alex’s first assignment, but he knows this crowd and I feel it could work to the advantage of our goal to send someone familiar. I have someone hunting down the party’s location as we speak.
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
“What’s wrong?” Kale jumped to his feet, head swiveling from side to side.
“The file.” I waved the papers. “It has information on where Mom’s going to be. Alex too!”
“Where?” Kale sounded hopeful.
I flipped to the next page—the last one.
Then it’s settled. The day after this Sumrun, we should have two new Sixes in our stable and the problems with insubordination should be quelled.
25
The bouncer outside the party winked as we went inside. The same guy I’d promised to wait for the first time we’d come here. Good to know he wasn’t holding any grudges.
Without Alex, I didn’t know where to find Ginger. After about twenty minutes of searching, though, I spotted Dax in the corner talking to a tall, thin blonde. We moved along the outside edge of the room—it was less crowded and made Kale feel better—on our way to Dax.
He saw us approaching and parted ways with the blonde, greeting us with a friendly smile and wave. “Nice to see you two again. And in one piece.”
“Same,” I said, smiling. “How’s Mona doing?”
He sighed. “She’s stopped screaming at night, and sometimes we think we can see a small spark of recognition in her eyes.” He shook his head. “But she’s not much better than when you last saw her. She doesn’t speak except to call out for her sister.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We still have hope, though. In time, she might come out of it.”
I nodded, but didn’t say anything. Why dash his hope with my negativity?
“Any idea where Alex has been? I haven’t seen him for days,” Dax asked.
“Alex is at Denazen.”
Dax dropped his drink to the floor. The plastic cup bounced, sending droplets of blue liquid everywhere. “What?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the flash drive. “Do you know where I can find Ginger? This has the information she wanted. If what’s on here is accurate, we can save my mom and Alex.”
Dax wasted no time. He started for the stairs and motioned for us to follow. It looked like the building had been a department store in its day—we found Ginger at the other end of the building in what had once been the receiving room, surrounded by seven shirtless men holding trays full of fruit punch.
“Must be nice to be the queen,” I whispered.
Kale leaned closer. “Why are they all shirtless?”
Ginger apparently had ears like a dog, because she heard us. Turning to Kale, she winked, taking a sip from her punch. “It’s a benefit of being the queen.” She waved the men off and beckoned us closer. “I hear you’ve found my information?”
We’d only spoken to Dax, who’d never left our side. How she knew why we were here was beyond me. “And then some.” I stepped closer and handed her the drive.
Greedy, wrinkled fingers shook just a bit as they snatched the red plastic from my hands. She examined the drive before handing it to one of the men standing behind her chair. After she whispered something in his ear, he left.
“And?” I said when Ginger made no move to speak. “What about our information? The Reaper?”
“Do you think you still need him? You have the information needed to save your mother and Alex.”
I wanted to ask her how she knew what information I had. She hadn’t looked at the drive, but I was too pissed. I opened my mouth and closed it again. She was right—sort of. I knew Mom was going to be at Sumrun from the email on the flash, but a lot could still go wrong. I wanted a backup, just in case. Plus, I’d busted my ass to get what she’d asked for. I took a huge risk and gave up the secret I’d been hoarding for years. Even if I didn’t need him anymore, fair was fair. Plus, I was way curious.
I stood straighter and folded my arms. Expression fierce and chin out, I said, “A deal’s a deal.”
Ginger considered this for a moment before pointing to Kale.
I glanced at him, then back to her. “What about him?”
“You wanted to know who the Reaper was.” She flicked her wrist at him. “Here he is.”
Kale looked over his shoulder. There was no one there. “What is she talking about?”
Red. All I saw was red. “You manipulative, wrinkled old bitch! You played me! There is no Reaper, is there?”
Knuckles white as they clutched her cane, Ginger stood. The men flanking her all took two steps back. “I did nothing of the sort, child, and I suggest you watch that tongue of yours. Show some respect.” She hobbled around the room, plastic cup still in hand. “Do you know what my gift is?”
“No,” I snapped. “And I can’t say I really give a damn right now.”
“I’
m a visionary. I can see a person’s path when I look in their eyes.”
“You only met me a few days ago, yet you’re insinuating I’m the Reaper? Sue told me about him when I was twelve. How can that be?” Kale asked.
“I met you years before you showed up at my party.”
“That’s crap,” I spat.
Kale turned to me and frowned. He was frustrated. “This is very confusing.”
I took his hand and squeezed. Turning to Ginger, I said, “Some people get off on messing with others.”
Ginger narrowed her eyes at us. “I was there when Kale was born.”
“Don’t listen to her Kale, this is all b.s.”
“I looked into those blue eyes and saw the one person who would one day have a shot at saving us from Cross. I started the rumor of the Reaper years ago to give our kind hope.”
She had his attention. The Reaper forgotten, he focused on Ginger. “You know me? If you were present when I came into this world, tell me. Tell me who I am. Tell me who my mother is.”
Ginger’s expression softened. “Felecia. Your mother’s name was Felecia.”
Kale’s face fell. “Was?”
Silently, Ginger nodded and looked away.
“I thought you said no one had ever escaped Denazen before? How did you know Kale’s mother if he was going to be the first to escape?”
“Stupid child,” Ginger hissed. “He was not born in Denazen. He came into this life at a hospital in the city.”
“How did I end up at Denazen? What happened to my mother?”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “If Kale was born in a hospital and you were there and saw him, didn’t you know what would happen?” Rage filled my head and made my blood pump faster. “You knew he’d end up at Denazen and you did nothing?”
Ginger’s brows furrowed in anger, then settled in what I supposed was regret. “There was nothing to be done. These things can’t be changed. Things happened as they were meant to happen so he would one day become the Reaper. Every event in people’s lives shape their future. You cannot change these things.”
