“Not in any meaningful way, and not any more. Was never promoted from Tyro. I should’ve known they were just using me.”
He seems so different from the Donald who was with us on Easter Island. I sense that he’s telling me the truth and I have a ton of questions for him, but all I want at this moment is get away from Barend Schlacter. “You’re right; we can’t leave him in my room. I’ll wait here while you go get a room with his credit card.”
Donald turns to Mr. Papers and says, “Monkey, you’re in charge. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Papers jumps off the desk and stands on the bed facing Schlacter, the tube to his lips and ready for action.
I’m right by the door, with my hand on the doorknob, just in case Schlacter wakes up and freaks out. I’m not really sure what kind of state he’s in—I see his chest going up and down, but he’s out cold. I just don’t know for how long.
I want to run, but if Barend Schlacter dies in my room, it will be the end of me. I have no idea what Papers did to him, but I can’t chance having the San Francisco police connect him to me.
I try to run a scenario in my mind where Donald is playing me. Would he give me a knife? Would he sacrifice his relationship with Barend Schlacter and the Fraternitas to get something from me? To get the books?
Possibly. Absolutely.
“How can we test his loyalty?” I ask Mr. Papers. He puts up his finger as if to say, “Just a moment,” and then closes his eyes to think. When he opens them again, he grabs a piece of origami paper from his carrier and folds two origami books.
“What, pretend we have the books?”
He nods.
“And if he shows interest we’ll know he’s after something?”
Papers nods again.
“Brilliant.”
I can’t help but scream when the door to my room opens. I’d forgotten for a moment that Donald had my key.
“Go to the room to your right, lass,” he says as he hands me a key. “And make sure no one is looking before you open the door.”
I look outside and there’s no one around, so I open the door next to mine, prop it open with the ice bucket, and then go back to help Donald. He’s managed to get Schlacter over his shoulder. I look outside to make sure it’s still clear, then we run next door.
Donald flops Schlacter down on the bed in the new room. I’m kind of freaked out that one needle is still stuck in his head.
“Is he in a coma or something?” I ask.
“Or something,” Donald answers. “Looks like the needle hit him square in the Wind Mansion.”
The fact that Donald has this kind of knowledge freaks me out. “I’ve got to get out of here,” I say, running back to my room.
Donald follows. “Wait, lass—one more thing. I know no apology will do, but I must tell you how sorry I am for what I’ve done.”
He looks so much like Thomas that it’s hard not to instantly trust him again. I have to actively put my guard up.
“Just tell me one thing: did you try to save Uncle Li?”
“Aye,” he says, putting his hand on his heart. “God’s honest truth, I did not think Schlacter would kill him. I snuck food and drink in to Li. He’s the one who turned me, really. Once he explained the big picture, I just couldn’t defend what I was doing.”
“Then why couldn’t you save him?” I ask, voice cracking from the weight of the words.
“Schlacter did it. A young person in the Fraternitas reported that you’d had another one of your chats with the kids, and he was outraged. See, you’ve made him look like a fool to the Fraternitas—he’d told them you were no threat.”
“That’s the only good news I’ve had in days,” I say, opening the carrier so Mr. Papers will get in.
“They all underestimated you. No group understands the power of the cosmic forces at work more than the Fraternitas—the potential for a leap in human evolution is a most terrifying notion to them. How could they control the masses, control the money, control the power if these changes happen?”
“And they think they can just distract us with fear and war and poverty and use places like HAARP to control the atmosphere?”
“It’s worked so far, lass. The only ones who really believe there will be a leap in evolution based on where we are in the galaxy have been indigenous peoples—Native Americans, Aborigines, African tribes—basically those being killed or oppressed by governments, corporations, and banks.”
“And the Fraternitas is behind all of this?” I ask, already knowing the answer. I just want to hear Donald say it.
With a deep and sorrowful nod, he says, “Aye.”
“And now they want me?”
“At first you were just on their radar, but in no way a threat. Barend Schlacter wanted to find you himself because you made him look bad. He was never going to be more than a Praetor, just as I see now I was never going to be more than a Tyro. No one but those who share bloodlines are allowed to move up.”
“How did Schlacter find me here, of all places?”
Donald points to my backpack. “A tracking device was slipped into your rucksack at Palenque.”
“What? How could that be? I was never out of sight of my backpack.”
“Someone slipped it in.”
“Who?” I ask, racking my brain to remember anyone suspicious who was ever near me on that trip.
“None other than the heir to the head of the Fraternitas.”
“What? Who is the heir to the Fraternitas?”
“The Magister’s son. The person who will rule the Fraternitas next when the Magister dies.”
I’m baffled. “How did he get to my backpack? Who is he?”
“A lad by the name of Julius D’Aubigne.”
THIRTY-FIVE
I gasp so loud the noise I make even scares me.
“I can’t be in this room anymore. I have to go,” I say, almost hyperventilating.
When I think back on the kiss with Jules, I want to vomit. He took my backpack from between us. That must have been when he slipped the chip into it. I hate him. I hate myself for falling for it.
I try to pull myself together so I can get out of this room.
“Can I help at all, lass?” Donald asks.
Unable to trust anyone now, I still can’t tell if he’s playing me. I decide to tempt him with the books to see if he bites.
“Mr. Papers and I are going mail the books to a friend to keep them safe. Do you want to come?”
“Oh, berries! You’re not carrying those books, are you? You’ve got to get them off your person as soon as possible.”
“Do you want to see them?”
He puts his hands up as if to push me away. “Nae. For the better part of the last few decades those books have fueled in me an awful evil. They’re yours now—as it should be.”
“Did you ever show them to the Fraternitas?”
Donald shakes his head. “I don’t think they ever believed I really had the books. Tried to learn Sanskrit myself so I could decipher them, but never quite got it. I could read just enough to know they were important. I knew if I showed the books to the Fraternitas, they’d take them; I wanted to have the upper hand.”
I decide not to tell him that the books he had were decoys. “Why them? Why would you betray your whole family and The Council for the Fraternitas?”
“It started as youthful hubris. I found it hard to believe my own father would give me up, have me living with the staff, just to protect these books. Imagine you found out that your parents chose some books and a fanciful tale over you?”
“But there was so much more at stake.”
“I see that now. But then, as a lad, I couldn’t see it. I left with the books, made inquiries, and eventually fell in with the Fraternitas. It’s extremely difficult to get in even at the Tyro level; it’s a very tightly controlled group. Only ’cause I said I was a Mac Fireland did I even get an ear.”
“So they knew about you, about the castle.”
“It was because of
me that Hamish was killed—the men who came to the castle went because I told them where it was. I’ll have that blood on me ’til my death.”
My eyes well up. “That wasn’t Hamish. That was my friend Alex’s father.”
Donald just looks up at the ceiling and shakes his head. “I don’t know what to say, really. I have no way of making amends for what I’ve done.”
From inside the carrier, Mr. Papers holds up an origami version of the Transamerica Pyramid.
“I know one way you can make amends,” I say, taking the building and handing it to Donald. “Get us in here.”
“Aye,” he says.
Donald helps me find the tiny RFI chip that Jules put in my backpack to track me. It was in the left pocket.
“Stupid!” I say under my breath as I remember back to the kiss and how Jules touched my backpack twice. What a fool I was to think that he was interested in me. What a bigger fool I was to even consider him over Alex.
We leave the sketchy hotel and I flag down a taxi. With the RFI chip in my palm, I lean over the open passenger window. As I ask how much for a ride to the city, I secretly drop the thin chip into the window well. The cabbie says he can’t go north; he can only take a fare south because he’s heading back down the peninsula. Perfect, I think as I watch him drive away with the tracking device.
We head to the BART Station for a train to the city. I still have several hours until I meet my parents—enough time to work out a plan.
We decide to go to Pier 39 because it’s a huge tourist place and we can easily blend in. It’s a perfect day in the city—crisp but completely clear. No longer seeing this place every day, I’d forgotten how beautiful it is.
Picking up a dozen of my favorite homemade donuts, we head to the end of the pier, back where there’s a great view of Alcatraz Island. I admit to Donald that I don’t have the books, and he doesn’t even ask where they are. Instead, he tells me everything he knows about the Fraternitas, and we discuss what we could do at the Transamerica Pyramid. By the time the light starts fading and the nerves about seeing my parents kick in, we have a plan.
Now I just have to trust it will work.
We say goodbye and part ways, each of us in a different taxi, both of us with daunting tasks ahead.
I ask the cab driver to take a side street so there’s no possibility of driving by the charred ground where my house used to be. I didn’t even take proximity to the house into account when I told my parents to meet me at K.D. (our name for the otherwise nameless Korean deli a few blocks from our house). It’s like I can’t believe it’s really gone unless I see it with my own eyes, but I also can’t handle seeing it with my own eyes.
Though I’ve probably sat at the grimy plastic tables in the back of this convenience store and deli a thousand times, it feels completely different right now. After all that has happened, I feel like a stranger in my own neighborhood. The Korean deli people would freak if they saw a monkey, so I keep Mr. Papers’ carrier zipped up.
I have time to spare, so I open up my laptop and check the secret drafts folder, hoping there’s something from Justine. She hasn’t let me down.
Caity – I hope you’re with your parents as you read this, safe and secure. I’m with Gramps now. Made it here with no problems at all. I was able to meet with T and give him the two “items” that I was carrying. He is working on it as fast as he can, literally day and nite. By the way, he says the whole coherence thing is blowing their minds at the lab. Apparently whatever you and Alex cooked up with this daily tone thing is making all the random number generators in the world start to not be so random anymore. He was trying to be positive about the whole thing but I could tell he was scared. I think he’s worried that someone in the Fraternitas will get their hands on this data and figure out what’s going on. I have to say, I’m a little scared too. Don’t worry tho, I‘m not going to do anything crazy. For the first time, I’m really enjoying being with my grandpa.
I’m still thinking about your talk. I’m not really sure how you know all that stuff, but it’s pretty amazing. Love you, Justine
I immediately write a new email to leave in the draft folder.
J – You’re going to make me cry if you keep being this nice! I’m glad you are safe with your g-pa, and that you got the “items” to Tenzo. I’m dying to see what they say. I had a run-in w/BS, but Papers took care of him. New developments on the side of evil: Donald has flipped and is now helping me. I’m waiting now for parents and Alex to show up, and I’m so scared about what they will say and do. I love being home again. I guess I should put “home” in quotes. Still haven’t been able to drive by the charred remains, but knowing it’s so close by is really helping me build up the confidence to do what I have to do. If we are lucky, tomorrow the world will be a much different place.
I love you, J. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for.
Saving the email, I close down my laptop and look at the clock on the shiny mint-green wall. They could walk through the door at any time.
I fiddle with the Korean condiments. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous to see my parents—I have no idea how they’re going to react to me. I’ve never disobeyed them or gotten in trouble or even gotten below a B in school. To go from an incredibly well-behaved child to the scheming girl that I’ve become is pretty severe.
I’m not sure I would forgive me if I were them, but I have to at least make them understand what’s at stake.
THIRTY-SIX
Because I’m sitting in the back of the store, I see my parents before they see me. Dad walks in first, with purpose. Mom is behind him with tired eyes—but as she gets closer, I see it’s not lack of sleep, it’s because she’s been crying. Surely, over worry about me. Alex, glancing around nervously, is trailing after both of them.
When I stand up, they finally see me.
They both run over. They still love me.
I’m caught in a huge squeeze. Being compressed has never felt so good.
Dad pulls back, puts his hands on my shoulders, and says, “Oh, are you in a world of trouble.”
“I know,” I say, looking from him to Mom and back again. “Probably more trouble than you even know.”
I finally make eye contact with Alex, who’s standing behind my parents with his hands deep in his pockets. He’s looking sheepish—I wonder if my parents were hard on him. He gives me a tiny smile and then looks back down at his shoes.
“You know Alex had nothing to do with this, right?”
“We understand he was not the instigator,” Mom says.
“But he was aiding and abetting,” Dad adds.
“I take all responsibility,” I say. “I forced him to do everything he did.”
“You can take responsibility,” Mom says, “but at least give credit where credit is due; that daily tone phone app Alex made is incredible.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Brilliant,” Dad says, ruffling Alex’s hair.
“Where’s Justine?” Mom asks, looking around.
“She went to her Grandpa’s house where she’ll be safe. I didn’t want her here, with all that’s at stake.”
“And where does the school think you are?”
My grimace says all.
“You didn’t tell them?” Dad says. “You just went AWOL?”
“Yeah, but our Pedagogue won’t even notice until … ” I look at the clock on the wall. “Well, soon. Okay, I know I’m in huge trouble, I know doing all this without telling you was wrong, but can we just focus on what we need to do within the next few hours and then deal with punishment?”
“Let’s sit and figure it out,” Dad says, raising four fingers to the deli guy. They only serve one thing here: a freakishly good Korean barbeque sandwich. The deli guy, who’s seen us here a million times, never acknowledges that he knows us. Either he has that weird kind of short-term amnesia or he’s just not a people person.
We get drinks while the deli guy puts the sandwiches together,
and then sit to eat.
“So,” Dad says, “will you please tell us exactly why we are here?”
I purposely take a large bite of sandwich so I can buy myself a little time.
“How much do you know?” I ask, still not sure I can tell them about Uncle Li.
“Alex has filled us in as much as he could,” Mom says. “And we’ve read the information you put up on your hidden website—after Alex divulged the real URL. Smart to give directions to it in Mosquito Tone!”
“He also translated the audio file of your speech at Palenque back into a hertz range we could hear.”
“Did you listen to it?” I ask, thinking back on all I talked about and wondering if I said anything incriminating.
“It was incredible, honey,” Mom says. “The entire time I was listening I was wondering who you were—and how you knew all of the things you were talking about.” Instead of pride in her voice, there is a tinge of sadness. Maybe she feels like she doesn’t know who I really am.
“I’m the same person,” I say. “It’s just—”
“You don’t have to do that,” Dad says, interrupting me. “We need to expand; it’s not that you have to shrink. There’s greatness in there,” he says, tapping my forehead.
Mom smiles and nods, but I can still sense a bit of disappointment. I suspect it will be a long time before she can get over all the betrayal.
“So we understand the basic concept. What we don’t understand is the inherent danger. Alex said you were in danger, yet we still don’t really know who the enemy is. Who or what is this ‘Shadow Government’?”
“The big problem is that the enemy is everywhere,” I say. “At the highest levels of world government, military, business, banking—the people making the rules and making the money.”
“And these people are after you?”
“Yes,” I answer. “And probably you guys, too.”
“How do you know?” Dad asks. “Have they threatened you?”
“Worse,” I say, setting my sandwich down. I’ve completely lost my appetite despite not eating all day. It’s time for the truth. It comes out as a whisper. “They’ve hurt Uncle Li.”
The Serpent's Coil Page 18
