Encompassing

by Richard Lord

  “You’re angry. I understand. I can’t explain. It’s easier to take your hits than to try to explain.” Renfield states, unemotionally.

  Christina looks at him. She studies him up and down and then replies, “You’re right. Go talk to Sara.”

  Renfield looks to Brady for approval and Brady looks back at him. “She’s a grown woman, but she’s a woman. Understand that. I respect what the two of you have, but you hurt her and while Christina might not want to know why, she will. Talk to her. In that weird way the two of you talk. Okay?”

  Renfield breathes deep and then walks indoors and up the stairs into the abyss he never imagined he would be responsible for.

  As he opens the door, Sara runs over to him and hugs him. He hugs her back, but he’s shocked. “It’s okay, I understand you’re worried for our daughters. That’s why you came here. You can’t not worry. I love you.”

  Renfield stands still and surprised. Then he looks at Sara. “You’ve been crying.”

  Sara answers, “Of course! You’re torn right now, that makes me sad.”

  “They don’t understand you do they?” Renfield comments.

  Sara smiles at Renfield, “No, not really, but you do, so I am glad you are here.” She pauses then she continues, “You do what you think is right. I trust you. I trust you to take care of our daughter and my sister. I trust you, Renfield. Do you understand?”

  Renfield begins to respond, “Yes, but you do realize that…”

  Sara says, “That complicates things for you. It’s more pressure and you are trying very hard to apply less pressure than usual when it comes to your daughters.”

  Renfield smiles, “Yes Sara, but thank you for saying it out loud. It adds more pressure, yes, but it also relieves me.”

  Sara smiles and says, “Go! Come back when YOU feel they are safe. I know the only thing you can think about right now is them. I know you can’t sit still and you are trying not to take any action, but being here is being out of touch. I know about the cell phone. You don’t want to hear them, but you want to know they are okay. That’s a very tenuous wire to walk. This time I’ll make the decision. Go.”

  In his room, he looks up at Sara. “I made the decision. It’s not as nice as the house, but we’re here close to them, in case. I am fairly certain all will go well, so let’s spend some time together.”

  “Good decision, except you do realize my Mom is going to get mad! I may get grounded!” Sara grins at Renfield.

  Renfield laughs and says, “It’s okay, I’ve got an in with your father. I’ll talk to him and maybe he can sway her to go easy on you.”

  Sara giggles then leaps into the air towards Renfield. He catches her and twists to lean down to kiss her and then he clicks immediately to the new room he got for himself, in New York City.

  CHAPTER 56

  “Emotion is a truck full of explosives without brakes rolling down a big hill.” -- from the book of Solstice

  The knock at the door wakes Renfield immediately and he clicks to it with far better accuracy than the last debacle. Sara sits up looks at Renfield and notices the panicked look on his face. He opens the door ready for anything, but standing there is Illumna and Solstice. They push their way into the room. Illumna looks over, “Hi, Mom!”

  Solstice follows her gaze and says, “Hey sis, maybe get a robe or something?”

  Renfield looks at his daughters. They seem intact. They look back at him and in unison think to him, “We’re fine, Dad. Thank you.”

  Solstice speaks out loud, “Apparently you’re fine too.” She glances back at her sister in the bed. Solstice rolls her eyes at Sara.

  Sara pulls the covers over herself, not sure why she should feel apologetic to Solstice.

  Renfield replies, “Yeah, I was worried and I...” He stops himself. “I don’t need to explain myself to you and you don’t need to tell me a damned thing because I don’t want to know.”

  “Whatev.” Solstice replies while biting into an apple. Renfield bristles, but slows himself. Adam looks at the two of them again, just being sure they are okay. Then he asks, “So, are you girls hungry?”

  Sara responds first, “Yes, and you should be too, by now. You missed dinner last night.” Illumna walks over to hug her mother but Solstice catches the exchange.

  “So you saw Mom last night too?” Solstice asks.

  “Yes and Brady.” He yells over to Illumna, “Your Dad is doing well!” Illumna nods back in response then turns to her mother.

  “So did you accidentally miss dinner, or was it ‘fajita’ night?” Solstice asked.

  Renfield grins, “Well, it WAS ‘fajita’ night, but that’s not why I missed dinner.”

  Solstice says, “You know your wide open right now. Just sayin’.”

  Renfield looks at Solstice. “And you’re learning how to close me out. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but these things happen, I guess.”

  “So how old are you, Dad?” Solstice throws the question out of nowhere. “What you did yesterday, you are older than any of us aby a few hours. What did you cover up? Dad, I have an echo memory of Illumna killing someone. However, that person wouldn’t have been alive for something that would happen a few hours later. What’s that about?”

  Illumna chimes in, “It was kind of obvious. We have the echo memory of you being panicked when you bought us the cheap cell phones. Dad, you were even jittery when you bought them with us, but you knew exactly what to get, how much the total would be, etc. So if you don’t think that set off our ‘spidey-sense’, then you miscalculated. But no, we don’t know. So why not tell us?”

  “Umm, wow. That’s complicated math for just waking up. I don’t know. I suppose I’m younger than you think!” Renfield looks at Solstice realizing something about his daughter has changed. He looks over at Illumna, she is laying happily talking with her mother. “Solstice, what’s up with you today?”

  Solstice takes another bite of her apple. “Nothing.” She turns and walks towards Sara and Illumna realizing he isn’t going to answer anyway.

  Then there is a knock at the door. Renfield is standing behind it. Illumna and Solstice click into position, but Renfield points at Sara so they click over to her. He opens the door. A man in suit, large sunglasses, a moustache and a beard awkwardly covering most of his lower face says, “It’s my...” Before the sentence is finished Renfield grabs his arm, and twists the pistol from his hand. Now holding both of the pistols, Renfield states quickly, “Stay with her! Take this!” He throws a pistol to Sara. Before she even catches it he’s gone.

  In nowhere, he explains to the man in the suit, “You and I are going to have a very long talk! It’s MY job!”

  Illumna looks at her mother “What the hell is going on?” Then she gazes over at Solstice and sees her clueless. All is not well in camp. Illumna jumps up and goes over to her sister and holds her. She turns and looks over her shoulder at Sara. “Mom, what’s going on?”

  Sara, still holding the pistol toward the door, as if there was something there to shoot, replies, “I don’t know. Ask your, Dad.” She shifts her stance but keeps the pistol aimed at nothing. Then she comments, “If I were to guess, you’re both pregnant, but for some reason he’s angry about it. We’ll find out when he gets back.”

  Both girls turn and look back at Sara and in unison yell, “What?”

  Illumna thinks to Solstice, “Stay calm, I’ll talk to her.”

  Illumna and Solstice suddenly remember the missing time. It becomes clear to them as if they had lived both times at the same time. Illumna says, “Mom, that is the second person who has tried to shoot us in as many days. I think he may be a little more than angry. What makes you think both Solstice and I are pregnant?”

  “Well you are.” She stands shifts her stance again, still staring at the door and still holding the gun. She looks through the sites to make sure her aim is true to where there is nothing. “But I’ll let your Dad handle that. He’ll be back soon.” Her bre
athing intensifies.

  “Mom, how could you know that and what are the chances we would both…never mind. Mom, put down the gun, please. It’s making us nervous.”

  Sara looks over at Illumna but keeps her hands firmly on the pistol and firmly aimed at the door. Sara announces, “He’s going to torture that guy, you know that right?”

  Solstice speaks up, “Yeah, sis, we know. He needs answers. None of us knows what’s going on or why. We just came here for some time away from the crap and now all of this is happening and we don’t know why.”

  Sara turns to Solstice, “You…”

  Just then Illumna clicks precisely into position and takes the pistol and Solstice leaps towards both of them, grabs Sara and clicks out. Within seconds she is back, grabs Illumna and again clicks to the same destination.

  Christina looks down at her kitchen floor. Brady walking by stops to look. Christina says, “So, I take it prom night didn’t go as planned?”

  Brady runs over and picks up Sara as Solstice stands up off of her and Illumna. “What happened?”

  All three start talking at once and Brady shakes his head, “Solstice, what happened?”

  “Not too much. Typical day. According to Sara, Illumna and I are pregnant, some guy came to the door and tried to shoot us, second guy to do so, different places. Dad took him to who knows where and your daughter freaked so we brought her here.” She casually walks over to the counter and picks up an apple and begins biting into it.

  Brady begins to huff at Solstice’s sarcasm, but instead he says, “So basically a normal day and everyone is fine?”

  Illumna looks up, “Pretty much, Grandfather.”

  Brady, trying to bring order to the chaos calmly looks at his daughter and asks, “Sara, what makes you think these girls are pregnant?”

  Sara replies, “I don’t think that.” Brady sighs in relief, but Sara goes on, “I know it! Their Dad should have been the one to tell them.” Brady’s face contorts with frustration.

  Illumna steps to her grandfather to hug him. He gives a dismissive hug and looks back at Sara. “Sara, how can you know?”

  Illumna answers, “Brady, Renfield_1 and Renfield_2 altered you genetically, or something like that. It is what makes Sara possible.” She isn’t like Solstice and she isn’t like me, but she feels the truth. Don’t you realize it’s why she can’t help but be so deeply in love. She knows he won’t lie. My father won’t tell her everything, but he won’t lie.”

  Brady snorts, “I know for a fact he lies! So don’t give me that holier than though crap!”

  Solstice turns and retorts, “Not to her.” Solstice points a thumb at Sara as she walks to the coffee pot. She pours herself a cup. She goes through the process of adding cream and sugar and stirring it well as it cools. She takes a sip and then pours the rest of it down the sink.

  Brady stops and breathes in what Solstice says and realizes it to be true.

  Christina looks at Brady. Brady feels her eyes on him and looks back and shakes his head.

  Christina announces, “Come on girls”, she addresses Solstice and Illumna, “Let’s give them some fatherdaughter time, we’ll go out on the deck and play some cards and find out which of us is the smartest! Solstice, grab yourself another apple.”

  Solstice already in the act of grabbing another apple glances at Christina as she walks through the kitchen door and thinks to herself, “Damn, Mom!”

  On the deck Christina pulls out the cards and begins to shuffle and she looks at her daughter and granddaughter. Odd she thinks. She’s so young to be a grandmother, but time is an odd thing. Then she picks up the cigar she knows Renfield would never smoke and lights it. The girls look at her and begin scanning her mind. She looks at them and laughs. “So you already know my questions?”

  Illumna responds first and says, “Yes, Grandmother.”

  Christina responds, “Then give me answers. Sara’s issue is that she wants to keep you two safe, but she is also worried about the guy your father took to ‘who the hell knows’. That’s you’re mother Illumna and you’re sister, Solstice. She’s my daughter and I’ve grown to know her. She’ll accept that it is necessary once Renfield is done, but for now she feels bad for the person. She is aware that is contrary to her desire to protect you from whomever that was. It’s a quandary in her mind and she will deal with it, but be patient with her. Understood?”

  Both Illumna and Solstice sit back and think. At the same time they lean forward and respond. “Understood.”

  “Now…” Christina begins dealing cards although she has yet to name the game they are to play. “Let’s figure out why someone is trying to kill one of you or all three of you?”

  Solstice replies, “Isn’t that what Dad’s figuring out right now?”

  Christina replies, “I’m his wife. We work as a team. He is looking outwards for answers, I’m looking inwards for answers.” With the cigar dangling from her petite mouth, she looks across the table at the two younger women and asks, “Okay?”

  At that both Illumna and Solstice sit slightly straighter and simultaneously look at the cards in front of them. At the same time they both look to Christina and say, “Okay”.

  Christina looks down at the cards she has dealt herself and says, “This is a game of poker. If I look at my cards I lose because the two of you will focus on my reaction. There’s about an 87.5% chance you’ll get it right no matter what I try to do to throw you off. But it’s a draw game, so you can look at your own cards and draw for a better hand if you choose. However, then you will start reading each other and there is about a 97.8% chance you’ll know exactly what each other is holding.”

  Solstice looks at Illumna and thinks to her, “Where is she getting this math from?” They both grin and look back at Christina.

  Illumna says, “I’ve seen this movie. ‘Wargames’. The best option is not to play the game.”

  Solstice looks at Illumna, “There goes Miss Encyclopedia!”

  “No the other option is to answer my questions. So we play this game or you answer what you’ve heard me ask.” Christina states.

  Solstice stands up and says, “No mother, there is a third option.” At that she grabs Illumna by the wrist and they both disappear.

  “Where are we?” Illumna asks Solstice.

  “I honestly have no idea. I heard him for a moment and focused on that, but this is…”

  Illumna screams. Solstice looks over and sees her father and the man who tried to kill them. At least what was left of him. He had a tube in his arm. Clearly he was filling the man with his own blood to keep him alive long enough to give answers and long enough to feel and regret. Illumna turned away immediately. Solstice walks over to her father. “So what have you got so far?”

  “Umm, ‘It’s my job’. Other than that, small details. Nothing actionable yet.” Renfield looks at his daughter and thinks. Then he adds, “Okay, go on. I’ll sit and remain his life source. You do your thing.”

  Solstice smiles and looks at the flesh that was once a man in front of her. “So I see you met my Dad.” She grins. “Still looking for a good time?”

  The man spits blood as he says, “It’s my job.” The man repeats. Renfield punches him hard.

  Solstice smiles at him. “I’m sure it is. Do you know what my job is?” She listens and hears his heartbeat increase and looks down at her father as he is drained faster than before. She knows she has to end this soon. “Desperate times”, she thinks and she straddles what is left of the man and whispers in his ear. “See here’s the thing I can offer that he can’t.” She pauses and listens to his thoughts. “Besides that. I can make you a whole being again. Think about that. You must know it’s true or else you wouldn’t have this job, now would you?”

  Renfield looks up at his daughter and thinks to her, “Have you gone mad? You’re seriously bargaining with him?”

  “Dad, he can hear you.” Then Solstice looks back down at her prey and asks, “Can’t you?”

  The m
an starts to speak but she slashes his lips with her fingernails. “Don’t talk to me! Think to me, I know you can, I heard you!”

  Renfield begins to put the pieces together. He starts to wane but he realizes they are being hunted by the successes from the work he shared. Adam thinks to himself, “Well that’s something, at least.” Then he slips into unconsciousness.

  Illumna hears his thoughts go blank and runs to him. She props him up to keep his heart elevated and looks up at Solstice. “You’re interesting.” She says.

  Solstice ignores her and continues to push into the man’s mind. “Let’s start with your name. I already know you’re going to take my deal, but I’ll go slow for you.”

  He responds weakly, “It’s my…” Solstice gashes at an eye.

  “Say that again and I’ll take the other one and you won’t get to see me at all. I know you want to at least go to your fate seeing what is happening to you.” Solstice presses her knees into his ribs as she clinches her thighs to add as much pressure as possible.

  The man nods, “Joseph.” He responds in a very pleasing way. Illumna looks up and steps forward to see his face. The sunglasses are now gone. Looking into his eyes she realizes it’s her Joseph! She looks pleadingly to Solstice to stop and thinks as hard as she can at her.

  Solstice thinks back to Illumna, “That means the last one was my Robert, so shut up! Let’s find out what this is about!” She looks down at Joseph. “I’m right aren’t I? I heard your emotions tick at the thought of what happened to your brother. Why were you so dumb that you thought you would fare better?”

  Joseph shakes his head and thinks to her, “I don’t know. Body. Please.”

  Solstice looks down at Illumna tending to their father. “H ewouldn’t know. Dad’s time trick. The last time he saw his brother he was still alive.” Solstice ponders that then looks at Illumna again and points down at Renfield, “Keep him alive. Meet me…”

  “I got it.” Illumna responds. Then she thinks to her sister, “So now he’s one of your experiments?”