Atlantis Quest

by Gloria Craw

  When I got back and opened the cabin door, a gush of warm air hit me in the face. It was wonderful.

  Theron was watching something on television, while flipping a quarter into the air and then catching it. He glanced at me and said, “You’re shaking from head to toe.”

  “That’s because my life just flashed before my eyes at least a dozen times while driving back.”

  “City drivers. No sense of adventure.”

  “Well, this city driver deserves a pat on the back,” I said, hanging my jacket. “I found Phoebe and talked to her. We’re meeting at the chairlift tomorrow so she can return my scarf.”

  He flipped the quarter again. “Why does she have your scarf?”

  “She wiped away a bunch of blood with it.”

  “Yuck. Are you sure you want it back?”

  I shrugged as I sat in the empty chair next to him. “She’s having it cleaned, and it’s a good excuse to talk again.”

  “What’s she like?” he asked.

  “Loud and sort of bossy,” I surmised.

  “Did everything else go okay?”

  “Ah…not really. When I’m around a Truss, I have some kind of allergic reaction.”

  He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. “Like hives or something?”

  “No. I get angry and my essence starts to heat up.”

  “That will complicate things.”

  “I’ll think of some way to control it. Or I’ll just run away.”

  “It’s your funeral.” He shrugged.

  “Have a little faith, Debbie Downer.”

  He pulled a face.

  “I’m worried about all the security cameras up there, though. I did some thoughtmaking before I went through the gate. I’m afraid if I keep doing it someone is going to get suspicious or fired.”

  Theron’s quarter flew into the air again. He caught it easily. “I’ve got a solution for that problem, but I won’t have everything set up until tomorrow afternoon.”

  Skeptical, I asked, “What are you going to do? Order a continuous supply of takeout for the security team, so they’ll be stuffing their faces instead of checking their monitors?”

  “Where did you come up with that idea?”

  “I watch a lot of television,” I said, motioning toward his screen. “The History Channel?”

  He pulled the quilt off the back of his chair and threw it at me. It was warm from the heat of the fire and his body. It felt wonderful as I pulled it over my shoulders.

  “You should watch, too,” he said. “It’s like school.”

  I snuggled into an armchair and watched for a minute. It was a documentary on Ben Franklin. I’d seen it before and was bored. There weren’t a lot of exciting options in a cabin in the middle of the woods. The best I could manage was bugging grumpy Theron some more.

  “Speaking of school,” I said. “Are you in it?”

  “After I finished at MIT, I studied art at Columbia for a year.”

  “Hence the easel,” I said, pointing toward it. “I thought everything was ugly to you.”

  “I never said that. I asked you to explain why something was beautiful. Understanding beauty is an important skill for an artist.”

  He seemed to know his stuff. Impressed, I asked, “Did you do those canvases against the wall? Can I look?”

  “Yes, and no. In that order.”

  “You’re such a jerk.”

  “Yep.”

  My stomach growled loudly. “Dinner will be ready in half an hour,” he said. “Can you wait that long?”

  “Can I just have more cereal?”

  “Nope. You only get cold cereal once a day at Hotel Falco. Besides, you’d probably finish the rest of the box, and I like cereal, too. I’m planning to give you a can of chili for dinner. If you’re nice, I might even give you a spoon.”

  “Thanks for your generosity,” I replied.

  He nodded and got up and walked toward the kitchen. “You can change clothes or whatever. I’ll hold the food for you.”

  “Is that your way of saying you don’t like my current outfit?” I teased.

  “It’s my way of saying I don’t like you getting the furniture wet.”

  I wanted to get out of my ski clothes anyway, so I went to my room, took off my insanely expensive snow gear, and pulled on one of the soft sweaters Katherine sent. It was a little tight, but I didn’t care. It was marvelously warm. A pair of jeans and two pairs of socks later, I was pretty comfortable. Theron had said half an hour. I still had time, so I lay on the bed to stretch out.

  Seeing that my phone was flashing with a message, I grabbed it to check. My mom had called and was anxious to talk to me. I dialed her cell phone, but yet again, she didn’t answer. So, I dialed home and got Alex.

  “Hi,” he said with false enthusiasm. “Did you get my snow globe?”

  “I’ve only been here since last night. I haven’t had time. What’s going on at home?”

  “All the usual embarrassing stuff. I went golfing with Dad and had to fake laugh at all his friends’ jokes. Then Mom made me go to one of her classes. I had to sit with my legs crossed like a pretzel while all her granola friends told me how much I look like her.”

  I laughed. “That’s interesting since you’re not genetically related.”

  “Exactly. I’m super mad that you left me alone with them. One of me and two of them doubles the crazy.”

  “Hang in there,” I said. “Is Mom around? She left me a message to call back.”

  “She’s on a run. Whatever she wants can’t be that serious. She’s been humming Christmas songs all day and cooking things. Whatever she’s making smells good, but will probably give me diarrhea.”

  I choked out a laugh.

  “I wish I was joking. I gotta go. Dad’s asleep and I want to snag the remote before he wakes up.”

  “Okay. Tell Mom everything is fine here, and…”

  “Gotta go,” he repeated before hanging up.

  I smiled. It wouldn’t be the first time Alex sneaked the remote off my sleeping father’s stomach so he could change the channel to anything that wasn’t golf.

  When I went back out, Theron was stirring something on the stove.

  “Why don’t you have a bathtub?” I asked, trying to look over his shoulder into the pot. “A hot bath would be heaven here.”

  With his free hand, he pushed me back a step. “I live in a cabin. Bathtubs aren’t a necessity.”

  I leaned against the countertop. “Still, it would be nice, don’t you think?”

  “I’ll put it in my expansion plans,” he remarked drily. Nodding toward a loaf of bread on the countertop, he asked, “Will you put that bread on the table?”

  I did, and the smell made my mouth water. He followed me and set bowls at our places.

  “Sit. Eat,” he ordered.

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. It was sort of like chili, but it was sweet as much as it was hot. And there were lots of vegetables, beans, and meat to make it filling.

  “Like it?” Theron asked as I had another spoonful.

  “Love it.”

  “Try the bread,” he suggested. “Don’t forget the butter.”

  I did and fell in love with that, too. “Did you make this from scratch?”

  “Yep.”

  “Let me guess. This is your secret weapon. The one thing you cook really well. When you have a girl over, you make it for her, and she melts into your arms like this butter. I’m flattered you tried it on me.”

  He gave me his wicked smile. “If this was a secret weapon designed for you, I would have poisoned it. And just so you know, I have lots of secret weapons. Until now this hasn’t been one of them. Thanks for the idea.”

  I chewed more bread, watching him. I still wasn’t sure if I liked him, but I liked that he was quick with a comeback. After a long day at the Ledges, it felt good to release some tension going back and forth with him.

  “Where did you learn to cook like this?” I asked.


  He pointed to a stack of books by the recliner. “I’ve read about a million cookbooks since getting stuck up here. Anything to keep my mind off the claustrophobia of this place. I have to eat anyway, so I figured I’d give it a try.”

  “Computers, painting, and cooking. Those are pretty different interests.”

  “Not really. There are creative aspects to all three.”

  “You’re a badass computer hacking genius. You cook like a pro. How well do you paint?”

  He shrugged and avoided eye contact. “Good enough that I’ve sold a couple of pieces.”

  “Is there anything you don’t do well?”

  His jaw muscles clenched and he scowled at me. “There are some things I can’t do at all.”

  There was a half a second opening to ask what some of those things were, but it was gone before I said anything. He gave a look that warned he was done talking about it.

  “Well, I’m happy you were bored enough to learn to cook,” I said. “Can I have seconds?”

  He nodded and got up to take my bowl.

  “I can do it,” I said.

  He waved me down. “I got it. Did you call home?”

  “Yep, I talked to Alex. He’s my younger brother…well, younger human who I think of as brother. I shouldn’t miss him, but I do.”

  “I have a brother. I could go the rest of my life without seeing him and be just fine.”

  That was odd. I’d learned enough about the dewing to know their family bonds were usually quite strong.

  He brought more soup, sat down, picked up his butter knife, and started twirling it between his fingers like a baton.

  “Are you considering stabbing me with that and then burying me in the backyard?” I asked.

  He snorted. “I’m trying to figure out how to tell you something.”

  “I like the direct approach.”

  “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “I think destiny sent you here for more than Nikki Dawning’s sake.”

  “I’m here to gather information on Yvonne and Robert, too.”

  “Yeah, but it’s more than that as well.”

  “Okay then. What’s it about?”

  His dark eyes bored into mine. “We knew each other before…all of this.”

  “Hah, funny,” I replied.

  “It’s not a joke. You were young and don’t remember, but we met years ago.”

  The spoon I was holding slipped from my fingers and clattered to the table. I felt the blood drain from my face.

  “The last time I saw you,” he continued, “You were about four. I left you at a state hospital in Vegas.”

  I blinked and tried to take his words in.

  He put his hands up and looked apologetic. “It wasn’t my idea. I was just doing what I was told.”

  “Go on,” I managed to whisper.

  “At the airport, I told you your dad was in and out of my life. That’s because he was my dad’s best friend. When the Laurel massacre happened, your mother and father came to him for help. They were desperate to hide you, and the best place they could think to do it was with humans. You probably guessed that much.”

  “Ian said he thought that’s what happened. I wasn’t sure.”

  He nodded. “Now you can be sure. They needed to move fast because Sebastian had people following them. There were a couple places they could have left you, but I heard your mom say she wanted you in Vegas. It was a bigger city with lots of in-and-out travelers, which she hoped would make it harder for anyone to find you. But they couldn’t take you there themselves. Sebastian’s people were too close and they worried they would lead them right to you. My mom was furious when your parents asked my dad to take you, but he agreed to it. He said he had to do it because your mom saved me.”

  I breathed out a long breath. “Were you one of the fourteen children taken from the clans?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “So, my mother rescued both you and Ian.”

  “I was a bit older than him, but yes, she saved us both.”

  I ran my hand over my eyes. My mother had freed fourteen stolen children before Sebastian killed her. Now I’d met two of them. I had to accept that if destiny was real, all of it probably happened for a reason.

  “When I left you at the hospital, I was young and my vibration barely registered,” he continued. “That made me perfect to take you into the city. My dad gave me some tools for protection, put us on a bus at the edge of town, told me where to go and then what to do when I got there. I was old enough to do what I was told but not old enough to understand why I was doing it.”

  From the expression on his face, I could tell he was haunted by what he’d done. He might not have understood it then, but he’d had plenty of time to figure it out since. Whatever his faults, he’d been too young for the kind of responsibility he’d been given that day.

  An understanding dawned. Maybe he was uncomfortable having me around because I reminded him of what he’d had to do.

  I reached out to touch his hand. “I don’t blame you,” I said.

  His chest rose and fell, like he’d been holding his breath for a long time and could finally let it go.

  “I’ve replayed that day over and over in my mind,” he said quietly. “You were scared and held on to me when I tried to leave. I gave you a candy bar to get you to stop crying. It was already half eaten, but it was all I had. Feeling like the worst person ever, I hid and watched until a nurse finally figured out you were alone and took you away.”

  The picture his words painted was vivid and painful. It was a struggle to hold it together, but I needed to know more.

  “What was it like for my parents?” I asked. “How did they react when they left me?”

  He seemed surprised that I’d asked. “They were devastated. They loved you.”

  I’d hoped that was the case, but doubt plagued me sometimes. I’d worried that they may have left me because I was slowing them down or that I hadn’t been a big deal to them.

  My eyes clouded over and a few silent tears rolled down my cheeks. I’d finally gotten the answer to one of the biggest questions I’d ever had.

  Theron brought me a kitchen towel to dry my face. I found it funny and started to laugh-cry.

  He seemed incredibly confused. “Do you need to lie down or something?” he asked.

  That made me laugh even harder.

  Probably thinking I was losing my mind, he said, “I should wait until tomorrow to tell you the rest.”

  I wanted to learn as much as I could, so I got control of myself, sniffed, and wiped my tears away. “I’m okay,” I said. “You can tell me now.”

  “You said something about the Laurel genealogy book last night,” he began. “I’d had it with me for years. Your parents left it and some other stuff at my house. My mom was hell-bent on destroying everything that could tie you to us, but I stole the book when she wasn’t looking. I kept it hidden for years.”

  “Why?” I asked. “It’s a Laurel volume, not a Falco record.”

  “This is going to sound nuts, but a voice told me to take it. Every time I was tempted to get rid of it, the same voice would say not to. It was like some invisible woman was standing right next to me and telling me to do stuff.”

  I considered for a moment. “It might have been my dead mother. She talks to me, too.”

  He huffed. “You’re a whole lot crazier than me.”

  I wasn’t, though. I’d tell him more about communicating with the dead at a different time, but at that point, I had more questions.

  “How did you get the book to me?” I asked. “How did you even know where to find me?”

  “I always knew where you were. I tracked you through the social services database, then through school records, and more recently your tax returns.”

  “But the guy who left the book for me was human.”

  Theron nodded. “He was an old roommate from college.”

  I nodded finally understanding the mystery.

&n
bsp; “This has been freaking me out for years,” he said. “So many times I wanted to forget about you and let things be, but that woman’s voice would start in on me again. Find Alison, check on Alison, she would say.” He looked haggard as he spoke. “At times, she got frantic. Once, she started screaming at me. She kept saying something was wrong. That you were in danger. The only thing I could think to do was search the records of your foster family. I found some buried reports citing abuse. I fixed it so you got transferred out of that house right away, and she left me alone for a while after that.”

  “It was the Franklin family, wasn’t it?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That place was scary.”

  “I had you placed with the McKyes next,” he said. “At least that seems to have worked out well.”

  Theron had gone through a lot on my behalf, and though he probably wouldn’t admit it, hearing my mother’s voice had terrified him. No wonder he’d been such a jerk to me. Not only did he feel guilty every time he looked at me, he associated me with something that had scared and freaked him out growing up.

  “Thank you, Theron,” I said.

  “For what?”

  “For a lot of things, but most of all for getting me to the McKyes.”

  He smiled with a gentleness I’d never seen in him before. “Considering I gave you a half-eaten candy bar before abandoning you, it was the least I could do.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I went to my room, closed the door, and then leaned against it. I’d done my best to ease the guilt Theron felt for leaving me at the hospital. Dealing with my own emotions was going to be more difficult. Gratitude, grief, joy, and remorse spun like a hurricane through my mind. Trying to decide which to surrender to first was exhausting.

  A few tears escaped before I could stop them, but I wiped them away and straightened my shoulders. I was already angry whenever a Truss was around. Dwelling on the fact that they’d caused my parents to leave me, as well as murdered my clan, would make it even more difficult to control myself.

  I would save my pity party until I got home. Having made my mind up about it, I got ready for bed, crawled under the covers, and FaceTimed Ian.

  When he came on, he was smiling the way only he could. He was wearing a light green pullover that clung to the muscles in his upper arms and made his eyes look lighter. The small worry line near his right eyebrow deepened and then relaxed as he watched me on his screen. “How did it go at the Ledges?” he asked.