The Great Thirst Boxed Set

by Mary C. Findley

  “I’m the lucky one,” Talia whispered as she disconnected the call.

  Chapter Forty-one – A House of Cards

  “So what’s been happening here?” Keith asked his dad after all the hugging and superficial talking about the trip. “We couldn’t find out anything on the news about the arrests or persecutions.”

  “That’s because there weren’t any,” his father answered. “No one came here; no one called; and those news stories choked off like nothing had ever happened. I had to find out what the status of the Bible as Literature class was, because parents started calling when all this blew up. So I called the number on the brochures Talia brought. Same as the one I called when your grandmother got the phone call.

  “Dr. Williams herself answered my phone call again, but I had to accept her explanation that a lot of the DOE went on spring break too and she was stuck covering phones since this project is her baby. She was very polite and reassuring. Her story was that there had been a minor radioactive contamination and a computer virus scare and people had overreacted. The media seemed to be looking for chum in the water. She said the repository site would be back up in 24-48 hours, and it was. Everything seems to be working perfectly normally.”

  Keith persisted. “So what’s the real status here? Are people still being threatened? Are we continuing with the Restoration Project?”

  “A gentleman who called and said he met you at ProTechCon came to meet me at the school office and gave us some tech and advice on shielding and identity protection. He said they are trying to get this same stuff into the hands of as many people as they can. Apparently we owe the Doctors Ramin deep thanks, because they set up a fund to help with this, and to provide legal aid as well. Their resources seem to be inexhaustible. I’m beginning to wonder how good of a gambler that man is. Anyway, I think we have things under control on that front.”

  Keith learned that students had decided over spring break to re-form the “Junior Safety Squad” and Mr. Safety had been relieved, at least for now, of parking lot duty. He met Talia just before class time on the first day back at school. He saw a thinness, a shadowy weariness about her that scared him. “I kept calling you all weekend, but I got that voicemail not set up message,” he said. “And you didn’t even come to church yesterday. Are you okay? Is there any news about Naddy and Sophie? The Magnum guys wouldn’t tell us anything.”

  “The kidnappers let them go,” Talia answered. “They’re okay now. They’re at the house they have in Monte Carlo, getting some R&R, and they’ll be fine. Yes, I went there to see them and make sure. I was in Monaco all weekend, and my flight got back about two this morning.”

  “What? Just like that? Wow … Prayer works, doesn’t it? I had no faith at all. Do you know who took them?”

  Kids were starting to fill the halls. Talia looked around with a hunted, or maybe haunted, expression. “Keith – I mean, Mr. Bradley – I’m sorry. I wasn’t – I didn’t tell you everything back in Syria. They used Amu’s phone to send me one text message, then I guess they smashed it and threw it in the sea so I couldn’t do a trace.

  “I didn’t want to scare everyone, or involve anyone else. I didn’t know what else to do, so … so I did what they demanded.”

  “You mean they asked for a ransom?”

  “I mean they made certain demands, and I complied with them. I have – We have classes. I have to go.”

  Keith got through the day somehow, until it was time for the Bible as Literature class. Thank you, God, that I don’t have to sub for PE. Talia seemed to be dragging herself as she entered the room a few seconds behind him. He tried to stare strength into her but she wasn’t even lifting her eyes off the floor as she approached the desk and dropped the Doomsday Duffelbag behind it.

  “Let’s all stand for prayer,” Keith announced after the bell rang. The kids, who had been trying not to stare at that wasted thing that used to be his fireball co-teacher, jumped out of their seats and upset several desks in their eagerness. Keith reached out to the nearest student and grabbed his hand. “Everybody get hold of somebody,” he urged. “No breaks in the chain. If a three-fold cord’s not easily broken, we are gonna make a forty-seven fold big honkin’ cable to heaven.”

  Everyone shuffled and snagged a hand, and Jayna moved forward to get hold of Talia’s. She looked startled at first, but held on. Keith reached over and took her other hand. She jumped, but didn’t seem to dare to look up. She didn’t let go, either.

  Afterwards he tried to remember what he had said in the prayer, and thought he might have had a praying in tongues experience or something. But he concluded that whatever else it was, this was what groanings which cannot be uttered must mean. He knew for certain, at least, that he had communicated to the kids that Naddy and Sophie were all right, and that somehow Ms. Ramin was not. Fluttering sighs and pent-up blasts followed the amen. The kids sat down like one person and waited.

  “Okay, so, we had the most unbelievable field trip ever, right?” Keith asked. The students shuffled a little bit before responding with yeahs and other affirmations. “So, what’s the Bradley Central tradition after a field trip?”

  Several groans burst forth. “Write a report,” someone said.

  “Exactly.” Keith pasted on a grin. “I want to assign you to these groups.” He grabbed the seating chart and a highlighter to make sure he didn’t miss anyone and rattled off lists of names. “Choose somebody to be scribe and use the computers. You’ve got the templates for field trip reports so you know the drill. Keep the noise down. Oral presentations will start next Monday. Don’t quarrel along the way. Get on it.”

  Keith stepped over to the intercom by the door. “This is Mr. Bradley. Ms Ramin and I need a monitor for our class, room 205, please,” he said, and released the button. “Ms. Ramin, please join me in the hallway while we wait for relief.”

  Talia hefted her duffel bag and followed him out without a word.

  “So, if Naddy and Sophie are okay, or at least going to be okay, what’s wrong?” Keith demanded, grabbing Talia’s bag from her and almost dropping it. “Whoa. This is heavy even for you. What’s going on?”

  “I’m leaving,” she whispered. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Can’t do what? Talia – Ms. Ramin – Do you feel bad about paying the ransom? Why? I mean, yeah, it sucks, that you had to do it, to give in to those bastards, but Naddy’ll make it back up in a couple of days at the tables, right? He’s like, the James Bond of Poker, right?”

  “He plays Baccarat.” Talia pushed away the smile that tugged at her lips. “I can’t keep lying to you. I can’t keep any more secrets from you.”

  Mrs. Wallace appeared around the corner and Keith nodded to her and put a hand under Talia’s elbow to point her towards the teachers’ lounge.

  “I understand why you didn’t tell me about the ransom thing,” Keith said, seating her on the couch and grabbing cups of coffee. The overloaded duffel bag he set as gently as he could on the table where they had first gone over Talia’s class plans together. He sat down beside Talia and took her hands.

  “Kidnappers – They always tell you not to tell anybody, right? Look, not telling’s not the same as lying. Joana taught me that. And you don’t owe me explanations when you have to do things in a hurry to try to protect or save people you love. This is no different from that thing when Naddy got stabbed. Forget about thinking you are lying and keeping secrets. This is stuff you have to do when it’s dangerous and you’re scared.”

  “But it wasn’t a ransom, Keith.” Talia’s eyes filled as she stared up into his. “The kidnappers wanted us to get out of the country immediately. They refused to even say what else they wanted until I confirmed I was back in the states. I had to anonymously call the Syrian police and set in motion all that horrible stuff that led to us getting kicked out of the country. I did that to you, Keith. It was my fault those police officers grabbed you out of your hotel room and interrogated you all day.”

  Keith only p
aused a second to consider that. “No, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m okay. I’m fine. They only scared me. They didn’t hurt me. And that was almost funny, how bad that woman thought she could speak English, right? It’s fine.”

  “They still wouldn’t answer me.” Talia seemed hardly able to breathe. “They never responded again until I contacted them from my apartment and they could verify that I was back in the States.”

  “It’s okay. It’s done. It’s over.” Keith rubbed her arms with slow, gentle strokes. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “There was one more demand. They said I had to tell them where we made the dive off Ugarit. They only released Amu and Zanamu when I gave them the co-ordinates. I betrayed the location where we found those tablets. And I lied to them, and told them we didn’t find anything.”

  “Talia, we got all the tablets out. I know we did. They’ll be searching empty spaces, maybe for months. It’ll keep ’em busy, right? They’ll get off your back, and Naddy and Sophie’s backs. We gotta get done with the school year here, but after that and we can move on and see what else we can do to help the Guardians.”

  “You can’t forgive me for all this.” Talia bolted up onto her feet. “I built up this whole house of cards of lying to you. I feel like half the things I’ve said to you were lies. How do you know whether I’m ever telling you the truth? How do you know, if I say I love you, Keith Bradley, that I mean it, or if it’s just another lie?”

  Keith took his time standing up. “Oh, I know, girl,” he said as his lips spread wide and he held onto her shoulders. “I know when it’s about being Warrior Angel, and when it’s about being the woman I mean to marry. Oh, yeah.” He pulled her close and kissed her just as his father walked in the door. “Oh! Oh, hey, dad! Yeah, sorry. No PDAs.” They pulled apart.

  Principal Bradley didn’t miss a beat. “This is as non-public as it gets at Bradley Central,” he responded. “I wanted to see what the emergency was that made you need a monitor for the class. I assume the emergency is already resolved. I did hear several comments that people wondered if the two of you were still jet-lagged. This must merely be a much-needed endorphin boost to power you and Ms. Ramin through to the end of the day. Glad to see it worked. Now get out of here and get back to your class.”

  Keith saw Talia off in the Tesla with nothing spoken and much implied, and turned back to join his father in the principal’s office. Joshua Bradley looked up over a pile of paperwork. “Wow. What is all that?”

  “The government has decided, since they can’t scare us out of studying the Bible or throw us all in jail, to bury us under new compliance regulations,” his father muttered. He pushed them to one side. “They’ll keep. I know we kept our communications during your trip very pleasant and non-informative in case anyone was listening in, but Magnum has swept the school for bugs repeatedly over the break and I think we can safely talk here. Tell me what happened, and why Talia was so upset today.”

  Keith did, as concisely as he could. His father got very sober during the recital of what Talia had gone through with the kidnapping, but he ended up smiling when Keith told him about her agony over whether Keith could or would trust her. He shifted gears and grew serious again.

  “What about the Guardians, and the artifacts you found? Do you know if they’re safe?”

  “Don’t know, but sure hope no news is good news. Talia said Jiggly was able to help her locate Naddy and Sophie, so I think that means they are safe and going on with the work.”

  “We have to prepare for achievement tests and end-of-year exams, so the Restoration Project has to take a back seat for now. I hope Ms. Ramin is reassured of your trust, and your other feelings as well, and we can all concentrate on putting our noses to the grindstone to get this year behind us.”

  “Yes, sir.” Keith saluted. “I pretty much told her the same thing. We are all business ‘til the end of the school year.”

  Chapter Forty-two – Family Ties

  Magnum Security determined that the threat of danger to Keith’s family was now relatively low. They reported that they had consulted with Naddy and he had agreed they could back off to being available if needed. Grandma Bradley moved back into her own apartment and life returned to semi-normalcy. Schoolwork kept Joshua, Keith, and Talia busy for the next two months and the school year ended without further incident.

  Keith got a call at his summer job at the YMCA athletic center in the city. A caregiver had called his father to report Joana was having difficulty breathing. His dad had immediately called for an ambulance. Joana’s longtime specialist met them at the hospital, explained that the diagnosis was pneumonia, and told them that he had never seen an illness take hold so quickly. He advised sending for Dan.

  Talia informed Naddy and Sophie and they promised to come as soon as they could get a flight. She joined the hospital rotation with Keith and Joshua and happened to be the one at Joana’s bedside when Dan walked in, haggard and hard-eyed.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked over the whoosh of the ventilator. Talia started up and offered the armchair.

  “I’m just – I’m here because–”

  “Because Keith couldn’t be bothered? He says you ain’t his girlfriend, but you’re already covering for him? I know dad had to take Grandma to her doctor appointment, but I don’t know why Keith isn’t here.”

  “He hasn’t slept since Joana was admitted,” Talia answered. “I told him to go home and try to rest.”

  “You’re not family. You don’t belong here. And you sure as –” Dan choked off the word, then spat it out anyway “– You encourage them in this religion crap. They been worse than ever since they met you. Get the – out of here. I want to be alone with my sister.”

  Talia fled, and ran straight into Keith coming off the elevator with a can of Amp. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I thought you were going home.” Talia remained stiff and shifted out of his arms.

  “Naw, I know I couldn’t sleep. I hit the machines for some caffeine. Talia, what’s wrong? You’re shaking.”

  “Dan’s here.”

  “Oh, yeah? Great!”

  Talia nodded, tight-lipped. “I guess I’ll go home, then. You guys got this covered.”

  “You look pretty beat. Sure. Go on. You been wearing yourself out just like us. It means a lot to Dad and Grandma and me.”

  Talia tried to stop the words that forced their way out of her mouth, but she was too tired, too angry and hurt. “Tell your brother that. Good night, Keith.”

  She disappeared into the elevator and banged the close button repeatedly, as if that would make it work faster.

  Keith stood staring at the door after it closed until he made himself turn around and head for Joana’s room.

  “Hey, Dan. Glad you got here.”

  Dan hissed out his words. “Hope you got your beauty sleep, cuz I don’t want to see that bitch sitting in this room again, ever. Grandma, you, me, and dad, we’re Joana’s family. That’s it.”

  “What are you talking about? Wait, did you just call Talia a bitch? How can you – What is wrong with you? Did you call her that to her face?”

  “I should have. She has no right to be here. No right. Just giving you an excuse not to be here for Joana, like when you took off for college and let mom kill herself trying to do your job and hers too.”

  Joana’s fingers fluttered on the bed. Keith saw the movement and saw her eyes open. He tried to gesture to Dan to stop the hemorrhage of rage but Dan kept on until Keith grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around toward the bed. Tears spilled down from Joana’s eyes. She couldn’t even lift her hands.

  They moved to opposite sides of the bed and each took one of her skeletal hands. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them until they drifted closed.

  “Oh, my God …” Dan whispered. “Is she dead?”

  The monitor whined steadily. A nurse rushed in. “Are you both family?”

  “Yeah,” Keith managed to s
ay.

  “We have a Do Not Resuscitate order,” the nurse said. “Is that in accordance with your wishes?”

  Keith nodded. “Yeah. Yes, that was what she wanted.”

  The nurse checked Joana’s vitals. “There’s still a very faint heartbeat. The monitor slipped a little. But if there are any other family members to call, you should do it now.”

  “Dad …” Keith breathed.

  “I rented a car. I’ll go get him and Grandma from the doctor’s.” Dan rushed out before Keith could say anything.

  “Good-bye, Jo-jo,” he finally whispered.

  Late that night, Joshua and Keith sat in the darkened living room together. While Joana was being moved to the funeral home, Dan had disappeared. Grandmother Bradley had come home with them, and had finally gone to sleep in the master bedroom.

  “Should I go look for him?” Keith asked.

  “Pretty sure I know where he is,” his father replied.

  “Yeah, pretty sure I do too.” Keith stood up as the doorbell rang. He opened the door to find Naddy and Sophie standing on the porch.

  “We are too late,” Naddy said, reading Keith’s face. “God comfort you, my friends. Is Talia not here? She is not answering her phone.”

  “Talia! I never called her!” Keith punched his speed dial and got voicemail.

  “Hey, Talia, I am so sorry I didn’t think to call you. Joana – she passed away shortly after you left the hospital. Please call me, and I am so sorry, too, about Dan. When he gets home I will make him sorry, too.”

  Keith tried to clean out the heart-gunk with a deep breath but it still felt full of sludge. “Oh, man, I hope she fell asleep. Dan … Dan got mad when he got to the hospital and found her there with Joana. He said something to her – I don’t know what, but then we started fighting, and then Joana – I should have called her.”