And neither one of them had ever been happier.
~
Chapter Two
LAYLA AND MICHAEL
~
Sprawled sideways across her king-sized bed, Layla was lost in a book on another bright Southern California day. She came to the end of a chapter and paused, listening to the faint strains of high-pitched laughter drifting up from outside the window. She stretched and crawled onto her knees to pull the drapes aside and look down at the vast flagstone terrace beneath her window. Impossibly blue water winked at her so brightly that the glare hurt her eyes.
Michael was reclining in a lounge chair by the poolside, his mirrored glasses flashing even brighter than the water. He was flanked by two giggling girls spilling out of tiny bikinis, puffing away on cigarettes and tossing their hair flirtatiously. The three of them held tall frosty drinks, and Layla could see by their colors that they were all relaxed and jovial. It looked like Michael was drunk again.
She frowned, worried about her brother. He’d taken to life with Max and his crew eagerly, and whenever she tried to warn him about the big man’s vicious nature he just laughed it off.
“He’s only using you. He’s going to turn on you sometime,” she warned him, “just like he did Teddy.”
“Teddy was the one who was using us,” Michael reminded her. “All he ever cared about was his stupid experiments. At least Max lets us have a good time.”
There was no use speaking out against the big thug, because Michael had never been happier. Max had laid his groundwork well, playing on her brother’s feelings of inadequacy, flattering him and throwing plenty of girls in his path. The two of them were working with Max now, Michael informed her, whether she liked it or not.
She hated it.
The pair had been moved to a large house in the hills above Los Angeles, a tiled Spanish style mansion surrounded by a lavish gated estate. It was every bit as much a prison for Layla as Professor Reed’s ever was, only Max’s crew had all been warned about her peculiar talents, so no one in the entire place would even look her in the eyes.
Feeling lonely, she got up to go check on her brother. The girls with him looked away nervously when she approached, stiffening in their seats. Obviously, they’d been ordered to keep away from her too. Was everyone afraid of her now? She took a seat at a nearby table.
“Hey Layla, wanna margarita?” Michael called over to her, sitting up and sloshing a little of the drink onto his towel.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Layla asked.
“Oh, lighten up,” he slurred a little.
She came over to scowl down at him, “You’re getting sunburned.”
“I’m getting tanned.” He held up his freckled arm. “You could use a little sun yourself.”
She sighed, “I miss the city. I don’t like it here.”
“What’s not to like?” he laughed, gesturing towards the sparkling pool.
Layla glanced over her shoulder at the locked gate leading out to the circular driveway, “Living with Max for one.”
“Can you ladies give us a minute?” Michael asked the girls. “Hey… Bring me another one… ” he waved his glass at them, watching their butts as they walked away. He turned back to Layla with a silly smile on his face. “I love it here.”
She scowled at him, “I miss our tutors. I want to go to a real school.”
Michael smirked up at her impishly. “Don’t be mad at me… Just because you don’t like to have any fun.”
“I don’t consider robbing people fun,” she was indignant.
“You didn’t seem to mind doing it for Teddy.”
“That was different… Those people… They didn’t seem so… so… pathetic.”
She remembered how Cali had called their work for Teddy stealing, and she was right. Caledonia had seen immediately that what they were doing was wrong, and Layla flushed a deep blue with shame at the thought. From the first moment Cali had come into their lives it was like a veil had been lifted, and Layla began to see everything clearly for the first time.
She sat down on the end of his chaise and gathered herself, pushing back her annoyance. “Michael… Listen to me… I want to leave here–”
“And go where? Back to Teddy?” he asked sarcastically.
“Will you please take off your glasses and talk to me?” she pleaded with him.
“Why? Are you gonna try to work it on me? Convince me that I’m not happier than I’ve ever been? I like it here, and Max appreciates me! He says the professor made me just as special as you– Only my genius is numbers.” He smiled to himself at the thought.
“Can’t you see that what we’re doing is wrong?” She shuddered at the memory of the last person she’d been tasked with breaking, fully aware that it was no longer a victimless crime. Layla’s eyes filled with tears. No one here would even look her in the eye, and now her brother– her only friend– didn’t even trust her.
“Michael… Please… I don’t want to do this anymore.”
“Oh come on,” he sounded condescending. “You have to admit this place is a lot more fun. We can actually have friends now!”
“These people are not your friends. They’re only nice to you because of the money,” she said in a low voice.
“Max says that money makes the world go around,” he replied flippantly. Lately Michael had been hanging on every word Max said. He’d even started dressing like him, wearing gold chains and sporting a ridiculous diamond pinky ring.
“Don’t you ever feel bad about it? Stealing for him?”
“No, and you shouldn’t either. It beats doing it for Teddy.”
She sighed wistfully, “I wonder what he’s doing. We didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye...”
“More like good riddance! He never really cared about us… We were only a science experiment to him.”
“Michael… Please look at me… Please listen.”
“No way,” he said firmly. “I’m not going to let you work your voodoo on me. Max said you would try this.”
The girls came back with Michael’s drink, skirting around Layla to hand it to him. They stood skittishly in an anxious chartreuse mist, unwilling to sit back down while she was there. Layla looked over at the tall locked gate leading out to the circular driveway.
“Michael–” her voice cracked.
“Why don’t you just go chill out and read a book?” he snapped.
A wave of purple misery washed over her as she jumped up, running back to the sanctuary of her room so they couldn’t see her cry. She threw herself on the bed in frustration, trying to think of what she should do next. As much as she hated being there, the thought of striking out on her own was daunting.
Cali would be brave enough to run away by herself, she thought, remembering how she had resisted both Teddy and Max to make a dangerous escape out of a fourth floor window. Layla had no idea what she’d do if she could slip away from the watchful eyes of Max’s security cameras. She’d managed to smuggle a letter out to Teddy, but she never heard back from him, and the thought of returning to that cloistered existence without Michael for company held little appeal.
She was feeling more trapped than ever when there was a knock on the door.
She sat up, wiping her eyes, “Michael?”
The door swung open to reveal Max, wearing mirrored glasses. His massive hulk filled the doorframe, and he seemed even more menacing than ever. Layla scrambled to her feet and backed away a few steps, the blow she’d received from him still fresh in her mind.
“What do you want?” She tried to sound braver than she was feeling.
He strutted into her room, “Michael tells me that you aren’t happy with our little arrangement.”
She took a few more steps back, folding her arms protectively across her chest. “I want to go home.”
He smiled, but his eyes were cold. “This is your home. Don’t you like my beautiful house?” The words he spoke were at odds with the threatening lime green h
e was radiating.
“I’m… I only…” She took another step back.
“Haven’t I been generous with you?”
“Ye-yes,” she stammered.
Max walked over to window and looked out. “Your brother is having the time of his life,” he chuckled. “He’s doing great, isn’t he? It would be a real shame if anything were to happen to him. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for making him unhappy… Would you?”
“No,” she whispered, her mouth suddenly dry.
“He’s a smart kid,” he laughed again without mirth. “I’ve seen accountants with years of experience that couldn’t transfer funds as clean as him… It would break my heart if you hurt him… Do you understand?”
She nodded, “Yes.”
He walked out of her room slowly, stopping at her dresser to adjust his collar in the mirror. He picked up her comb and ran it through his hair as if to point out how easily he could invade her territory. He was making it clear that he controlled her, and there was none of the paternal pride that she was used to from Teddy. All she saw was menace and veiled threats of violence.
Violence that she knew for certain he was capable of.
“I’ll have some of the girls take you out shopping,” he said, licking his sausage fingers and smoothing them across his eyebrows. He chuckled, “You ladies always feel better after you buy yourselves something nice.”
Her knees started shaking, and she watched with big eyes as he strutted out of her bedroom. When the door clicked shut she fumbled for the edge of the bed, sitting down. She picked up her book, reading the same page over and over without comprehension, unable to focus. When her tears started to stain the pages she snapped the book shut.
She wiped her eyes and opened her new computer, clicking open the familiar pages. Max could care less about restricting their internet service, and she’d memorized every last detail about Project Athena. She reached up to touch her mother’s image on the screen, yearning for some sort of comfort.
Someone started up some music at the poolside and Layla rose to see that several more people had joined the party. Someone threw a girl into the pool and they all laughed, clouds of peachy merriment rising into the air above them.
She hugged herself, freezing cold in spite of the warm sunny day outside.
~
Chapter Three
A DAY AT THE RACES
~
Road days were always the toughest.
Cal and Cali drove down out of the mountains and into the central valley, settling into the rhythm as mile after mile of wide open freeway stretched out before them. After endless hours buffeted by wind and weather, dodging lumbering trucks and the occasional road kill, they were both ready for a break.
The sun was high in the sky when farm fields started giving way to buildings and they approached a town. They pulled up at a gas station and climbed off the bike to stretch, feeling dusty and grimy, their legs vibrating and stiff. After Calvin filled up the tank he bought a can of soda from a vending machine, stopping to read a flyer taped up onto its side.
“Hey… There’s a county fair going on right now… Wanna go check it out?”
She paused, but shook her head no. “We should find a place to stay first.”
He grinned at her, “We can ride a Ferris wheel…”
She couldn’t help smiling back, remembering.
“I’ll get you a corn dog… as long as you promise not to dip it into chocolate or something,” he added, cocking an eyebrow at her.
“Mmm… That actually sounds kinda good,” her eyes sparkled at his. “I wonder how mustard would be on cotton candy…”
“Oh, you are so on!” he grabbed her, pulling her close. “I’m holding you to that.”
“I don’t know…” she was wavering.
He nuzzled her ear, his voice pleading, “C’mon… We deserve a break. Besides, we can get a place there. Most of the fairgrounds have campsites attached.”
“Really? Why?”
“Carnies have to stay somewhere.”
“Carnies? Are we Carnies?” she asked.
He started laughing so hard that they both almost fell over.
~
The fairgrounds were filled with the usual crowds of people milling about, all of their excitement, frustration and anxiety creating a potent mix of overpowering emotions. Caledonia was learning how to adapt, getting better and better at blocking out the emotional uproar that came at her from all directions. This time, Calvin was her security blanket against the onslaught, and she tucked herself under his arm, nestling into his body to be bathed in his rosy happiness.
With him shielding her she could see everything clearly, even when they made their way to the midway where the twirling rides looked as dangerous as ever. They boarded the Ferris wheel, and this time, the view from the top was completely different, with a patchwork of multi-colored fields stretching out in as far as the eye could see. Calvin held her tight, and when the ride stopped he gazed into her eyes, just like their first time at the fair.
This time, he spoke his mind, “I love you Cali.”
“I know,” she replied, kissing him first. Even through her eyelids she could see the glow of his sweet colors deepen and darken as much as they ever had.
The sound of a trumpet blasting caught her attention, and she looked past the carnival rides to see a crowd of people moving towards a grandstand on the far end of the fairgrounds.
“What’s happening over there?” Caledonia asked him.
“Looks like a racetrack,” he replied. When they were let off the Ferris wheel they walked over to check it out. Entering the stadium through an arched tunnel, they emerged in front of rows and rows of packed bleachers, and Caledonia looked up, surprised at the intensity of the emotions in the crowd. They wandered around, finally choosing a spot against the rail to stop and watch a truck pull a line of stalls onto the dirt track before them.
A parade of horses and jockeys came trotting out in pairs, galloping around the track. Caledonia could see the animals were filled with excitement and anticipation, each one vibrating with varying degrees of pent up energy. The jockeys finished a circuit of the large oval track and led their spirited horses to line up inside the starting gate.
Calvin leaned against the rail, draping his arm around Caledonia. “Which one do you pick to win?”
She looked them over carefully, and one horse stood out in particular for its singular focus. Glowing a fiery red, the shining animal was bristling with determined anticipation, every muscle tensed and ready.
“The chestnut.”
“Chestnut?” he laughed, “Which one is that?”
“The one in the blue… number three.”
“I like seven,” he said.
“The buckskin?”
He turned to look down at her with a bemused smile, “What are you talking about?”
“Their colors,” she replied. “Horse’s coats all have different names.”
“Seriously?” He pointed to a brown one, “What color is that one?”
“Bay,” she said, pointing out all the different horses, “And that one’s a Red Roan, there’s a Sorrel, a Dun–”
“Done?” he laughed, “Are you sure you’re not making this up? What’s that black one called?”
She pressed her lips together with amusement, “Black.”
He laughed and pulled her close to kiss her forehead, delighted by his strange and beautiful girl.
“Why do you like seven?” she asked.
“I dunno… Lucky number?”
The starting bell rang, the gates lifted, and they were off, hooves thundering on the turf as they passed by. The crowd got louder and louder, roaring from the grandstands behind them. When the throng of horses thundered past the finish line number three had won.
“How did you know?” he asked her.
“That one really wanted to win,” she explained. “I could see it.”
She could feel Calvin’s sudden surge
of excitement as he took her hand. “Follow me.”
They passed through the mob of spectators and down some stairs to a small circular paddock where a group of people waited, flipping through little pamphlets. After a few minutes grooms started leading out more beautiful horses one by one. The high-strung creatures circled the paddock, tossing their handsome heads.
“Which one do you pick to win the next race?” he asked.
Caledonia looked them over carefully, finally settling on a gleaming bay mare. Her ears were pricked up, her nostrils flared; her mind was steady and determined. She had the bristling energy of raw power barely held in check. Clearly, this was a horse intent on its mission.
“That one,” she said with conviction. “Number six.”
Calvin took her by the hand and led her to a row of windows next to the grandstand. He got in line behind other people, looking at the board that posted the race schedules. She watched him place a bet on the horse she chose, sliding ten dollars across the counter in exchange for a tiny slip of paper.
“What if I’m wrong?” she fretted. “We shouldn’t waste money.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t bet that much.”
They watched the next race, and their horse won by a length. He grinned and kissed her. “Nice job! We just won twenty bucks.” Then his eyes flew open wide.
“What?” she asked, watching his colors flare to a bright excited red.
Calvin grabbed her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes excitedly, “Can you pick one and make it want to win?”
“I don’t know…” She was taken aback at his sudden intensity. “I guess so.”
He smiled wide, “Wait here!”
She watched him run over to the betting window, coming back to take her hand and pull her over to the viewing area. They positioned themselves on the rails just as the first horse was led into the little corral.
“Number eight,” he said under his breath, “Make that one want to run.”
Caledonia focused, and when the dappled gray horse passed by her she surrounded it with a fierce competitive yellow. Its neck immediately raised up, and its eyes brightened. The horse started tossing its head with anticipation, straining at the bit. The trainer started having a hard time holding him back.
Mackenzie Legacy, The Page 2
