by Mel Todd
The sick feeling that had grabbed Charley changed to icy fear, and he felt cold and shivery. A warm hand slipped into his and he looked down to see Jessi holding his hand.
~Don’t worry. You’re ours.~
The words helped but he watched the adults with wariness. McKenna had never lied to him and so far these adults hadn’t either, but the odds told him that everything was about to go horribly wrong.
“Mr. Wallace, this is Anne Holich. I work with McKenna. She is currently unavailable. Can you please come over to Toni Diaz’s house? Charley is here.” She provided the address in her calm, matter of fact voice, a voice that Charley didn’t trust.
“Is there an issue?” The man’s voice sharpened, and Charley fought to not grab the phone and hang up on him.
“I’d rather explain it in person.”
“Very well. I am not far from there. I should be there in ten minutes.” He hung up and the call disconnected.
“What are we going to tell him?” Carina asked her voice a bit higher than normal.
“The truth I guess. He’s trying to do his job, if we lie it could get a lot worse.”
Charley swallowed and felt Jessi squeeze his hand tightly.
“Why don’t you guys go finish watching the movie? You’ll be able to hear when he shows up.” Carina suggested. Jamie pulled away from her and headed back to his coloring book.
~What are we going to do?~ Jamie asked, pretending to be paying close attention to his book.
~You know he’ll take me away.~ Charley’s voice leaden and sad even in his mind.
~No, we won’t let him.~ Jessi growled her lips drawing back from her teeth. ~I won’t let him.~
~You won’t be able to stop him. Adults never listen.~ The heavy truth in his words made all of them go quiet. They watched the movie with no idea what the story was, just listening and waiting for the doorbell.
7
Crossroads
A new TV show called Solar Animals is hitting the air next week. A cartoon aimed at kids, it is the trials and complications of a boy named Jeffery who turns into a wolf and his sister Sarah who doesn’t. Insiders are telling us it should be a bit Scooby Doo, Rescue Rangers, and Lassie. My question is when are they going to do a reboot of Scooby Doo where Scooby is a shifter who got stuck in animal form and Shaggy shifts to play with him when the gang can’t see them. It would explain everything, especially the large amount of food they eat. ~TNN Entertainment
The ringing of the doorbell came as a relief. Charley didn’t know if he could have stood the stress anymore waiting for this. They were all up and clustered in the hall as Carina answered.
A man stood there, the one who’d talked to him. He hadn’t hated him but right now Charley couldn’t afford to trust.
“I’m Roy Wallace. Are you Anne Holich?”
Carina shook her head. “No, I’m Carina Watkins, nanny for the Diaz children. Please come in.” He walked in and Charley and the kids watched him, the TV completely forgotten.
He walked in, and Charley saw his eyes track over them in the living room even as the Sergeant waved him to the table. “I’m Anne Holich. Please take a seat and I’ll explain what is going on.”
His body tense and eyes tracking everywhere he sat down, folding his hands and looked at her. “Please, I’d like to know where Ms. Largo is.”
Anne cleared her throat. “Yesterday afternoon, as far as we can tell, McKenna, JD Davidson, Toni Diaz, and a Percival Alexander were taken by armed men. They did not manage to capture the children. At this time we still don’t know where they are.”
Roy sat back blinking. “You’re telling me armed men stormed her house, captured her and guests, but didn’t take the children? And you still don’t know who did it or have any information on getting them back?”
“At this time yes. But it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours at this point.” Her voice stayed calm and solid.
Carina flitted back and forth making Charley dizzy. She rarely stood still but even for her this was a bit more than normal.
“I knew as a police officer her life was slightly more risky than the norm. But this isn’t normal even for a police officer. Do you have any idea as to why?” Roy had his arms crossed, eyes focused on the Sergeant.
“No.” Anne sighed and leaned back. "She's been making lots of waves lately. Mostly by being who she is and damn good at her job." She shrugged. "So, it could be anything. The drug busts, her fame, heck her taking down the guys that kidnapped her the first time. And how sad is it I'm starting to count how many times she's been kidnapped?"
Roy snorted. "Very and it doesn't make me happy to have a child in her custody if this is happening. Dammit, technically she is still on probation."
Charley went very still, watching the adults like prey waiting for the predator to indicate which way to flee.
"It's not like she has been doing anything except her job." The Sergeant protested.
"I'm not saying she has. I'm saying her ward is now at risk due to unforeseen circumstances. And I can't have that." He turned and glanced at Charley. "Go get your stuff. I'll have to put you in one of our emergency locations."
"No," Carina protested. "He can stay with me. It isn't a big deal. The kids get along great."
"You aren't even their mother. As it is I should probably be doing something about that also." Roy pointed out and Charley thought his voice had a touch of something mean in it.
Carina though didn't back down, putting her hands on her hips and leaning towards him. "Don't even try it. I've got power of attorney and custody of the kids, per her will and emergency documents. You touch them and I'll press charges. "
Roy raised his hands. "Fine, so you're good with them but you aren't an authorized foster parent and I can't leave him. There isn't anything you can say. Charley go get your stuff while I make calls to find you a place."
Charley took one look at the Sergeant and Carina's face, who had a mutinous pout. The Sergeant just looked resigned.
~This is why I don't trust adults. They never do what they say. Nothing matters but the rules.~ His tone bitter as he headed to the room. He stopped two steps outside, his bag laying there. ~No. I'm not going with him, I'm not getting taken away from McKenna.~
Charley moved faster, grabbing his stuff, making sure he had everything stuffed into his bag.
~Jess, can you grab McKenna's phone? I'm going out the window. I'll get in touch when I can.~
~I'm going with you. You can't be on your own. Jamie, cause a distraction so I can get out with him.~
~You're not leaving me behind.~ Jamie protested. ~I've got McKenna's phone and I took the charger. They are still arguing. Carina is mad, but that man is still making calls.~
Charley wanted to protest that he couldn't look after two kids, but they weren't any younger than him, not really. Something was different about all of them but it didn't matter. He wasn't getting put in another home. He had a home.
~Fine. Give me your bags. You can get out the back gate, right?~
~Yes. I have to stand on a bucket, but I can get it.~ Jessi said.
~Then give me your bags, I'll drop everything out the window. Then you throw a fit, get everyone's attention as you go into the back. Slip out as soon as you can.~
Jamie as always offered the voice of reason. ~Where are we going?~
~I never told them where we hid, so let’s go back to the culvert. We ate plenty, and we can leave our stuff there. If we stay in animal form for a few days we should be fine.~ Even as he said it, he wasn't sure. But he'd gone hungry before. They could figure something out.
Jamie came into the bedroom, grabbed his little backpack and Jessi's and started to stuff clothes in them. ~She's going to distract them, and Carina will probably give her some jerky and granola bars to distract. I'll join her.~ Jamie looked up at him, those green eyes just as vivid as Jessi's but somehow more worried. ~Be careful. Don't leave us. She'll be pissed.~
~I’ll wait for you.~
She
would but she wouldn't tell Charley that. That would not be acceptable.
They filled up the three bags, not that Charley had unpacked very much. They had some food, as shifting snack food had become a staple for their bags. He opened the window, dropping each bag. They had figured out long ago how to wear their bags in animal form but he figured they could get to the park from here before they needed to change to avoid the adults.
"But I don't want him to go! Charley needs to stay with us. We need him. Mom's gone so we need to keep Charley." Jessi's outraged shriek could be heard clearly as he dropped out the window and closed it behind him.
He crouched at the edge of the house, three bags with him. Time ticked by and he got more and more anxious, the need to run rising with every beat of his heart.
~Are you coming?~ He gave in and asked, his heart pounding and sweat beading at his hairline. They would have warned him if the adults figured it out, right?
~Yes. We're here.~ hands grabbing one of the bags accompanied the thought. He almost fell over as he tried to jump and spin around at the same time. Jessi had her bag, Dora the Explorer, and shoved a handful of granola and jerky in it.
Jamie did the same thing, though his was Magic School bus, and he had juice packs and some crackers and cheese.
~Ready?~
They both hoisted their backpacks into place and started out at a fast trot. All the running and playing as animals had put them in very good shape and the trot they set out at they could keep up for an hour or more. Almost by instinct they avoided anyplace cars could go. They didn’t talk until they had put a good two miles between them and the house.
~So where are we going?~ Jessi asked, but her tone implied she had ideas. ~To rescue mom and McKenna?~
Charley came to a stop so fast he almost fell over as he spun on Jessi.
“What in the world are you talking about? We can’t rescue them.”
Jessi had her stubborn look on her face and Charley got very worried.
“Jessi, you didn’t see them. They were all adults with scary dart guns and real guns on their belts. They took JD and McKenna without any trouble. They took two adults trained to stop bad guys. What do you think we are going to do?”
Her lower lip began to tremble, and she looked away from him, her hands falling to her sides.
“I just want Mom back.” Her voice quavered at the end and Charley found himself wanting to cry too.
“I know. I do too.” He looked around, taking in where they were. It would take them a few hours to get to the culvert and McKenna’s would be the first place they looked. “It’s Sunday. No one is at the lake, it’s too hot. Let’s head there. Carina never takes us there, so they won’t think about it and we can hide in the trees. If we sleep in animal forms, nothing will bother us.” He swallowed and pushed down the scary thought. “Maybe hunt as an animal?”
Jamie paled, wrinkling his nose, but Jessi’s eyes lit up at the idea.
“Just remember, if anyone sees a jaguar or a wolf, they’ll call animal control and they will call the cops. You know they’ll put out notices for us.”
“Oh,” she let loose a heavy breath. “Fine. But if I get a whiff of Mom or JD or Kenna, I’m following.”
Charley half smiled. “Me too. But I don’t think it will be that easy. We can’t fly, or are super strong, or follow them. I can’t feel them in my link at all. Can you?”
Jamie wrapped his arms around him and shook his head, even as Jessi clasped her hands behind her back, eyes shining with tears.
~No.~ They couldn’t even speak the words. Charley didn’t know what to do, so he turned and started walking, a bit slower now, headed to the secluded park. It had a winding lake, gazebos and lots of trees. They should be able to hide there without an issue. He hoped.
~Why aren’t we going to McKenna’s?~ Jamie asked, and Jessi sighed in exasperation.
~Because that is the first place they’d look for us doofus, then they’d take Charley away. That can’t have him. He’s ours.~
Those were the last words they spoke for a while, but her words made Charley feel better than he had since McKenna told him to run.
8
Day in the Park
Leash laws for local parks? While the knowledge that people can turn into animals is wide spread, people are saying that if you are in animal form in public places a collar with a contact number and a person who is in charge of you should be required. They say otherwise how can they know how to react? After all, it could be a wild animal as opposed to a person. This reporter’s opinion is that if you live in North America and you see a Siberian Tiger or a huge wolf getting a drink at the local fountain, assume it’s a person. Nod and go on your way. India might have more of an argument for this than the United States, given that it is not unheard of for a tiger to wander into town. ~ KWAK News
It took them a good two hours to get to the park. Part of that was making sure they weren’t near roads, so no driving cars could see them, at least not more than what they had to. They arrived at the park in the early afternoon. None of them had watches but Charley figured it took them until well after lunch to get here. None of them were hungry as they had all eaten well at breakfast and making sure they didn’t shift kept the hunger at bay.
They headed farther into the trees, looking for a good place to rest, and stay out of the way. A sour smell drifted through the area and Charley froze.
~Do you smell that?~
~Yes, what is it?~ Jessi’ voice had disgust in it even as Jamie took another step forward. Something moved in the darkness and Charley reached out, grabbing Jamie and pulling him back.
The undergrowth of the trees and bushes created odd shapes and shadows that could hide anything. Without conscious thought Charley pulled the twins behind him as one of the shadows moved closer.
A warning growl vibrated from behind him, and he glanced to see Jessi, bearing her teeth, teeth that were starting to elongate.
~Stop it. We were warned that was dangerous for us.~ He snapped his attention back to the front to see a man resolve out of the shadows.
"Got any food?" His voice shaky and a wave of rancid odor from his breath assaulted Charley's nose.
"No." he said shaking his head, even as he watched the man warily. He had experience as to the evil adults could do.
"Kay." the man muttered, shuffling out into the daylight of the park.
All three of them sagged a bit in relief as his figure faded.
~We'll need to make sure we find a place small enough that adults can't get into.~ Odd wisps of memory, of lessons he'd never learned, filtered through as he talked. Protect himself and his squad. Charley pushed away the thoughts. It made him uncomfortable and right now he didn't have the energy to deal with it.
The sun rose high in the sky and all he wanted to do was sleep. The emotions of the last day or so exhausted him.
~Let’s find a good place, then maybe take a nap?~ Jamie asked, his voice hesitant. The homeless man added a level of danger they hadn't expected. That, and since being able to turn into cats, the twins hadn't found naps as awful as before. Sleeping meant time to recharge and they all needed it.
~Yes.~ Jessi agreed, and they began to move deeper into the less populated part of the park. They passed boxes and sleeping bags, the three of them grouping tighter together as they moved. Charley felt doubt creeping in as they looked around.
It took a bit but they found a tree that had fallen in among a bunch of others. It created a hollow that they could use. With all the time in their animal forms, squeamishness about bugs had disappeared, along with worry about getting dirty. They pushed their bags back into the overhang, then went to collect pine needles. It took a bit but they had a warm area, far enough back anyone wandering through couldn't see them.
A few of the homeless had watched them with narrowed eyes, eyes that made Charley's skin crawl.
Remember, you can shift and bite, you know how to protect yourself and Jamie and Jessi.
That
thought helped as they cuddled up, watching the sun move across the sky. The little thing they created helped cool them off as they lay there, touching and needing the contact.
~Should we eat, or save the food?~ Jessi asked, but there was no sense of hunger from her.
Charley closed his eyes, just listening and playing with the idea of shifting. It would make the ground more comfortable.
~Save it.~ He said into the mindscape, taking comfort from their links, though the dark ones for McKenna, JD, and Toni ached. He could feel Jessi shifting around and narrowed his thought to just her. Jamie had already slipped into a drowsy feeling.
~You okay?~
~Fine,~ she snapped, then sighed a bit. ~Want mom.~
Charley didn't open his eyes, just sent what reassurance he could down the link. His own fears didn't help. The image of the trees around them and the shadows flickering through the canopy of leaves solidified in his mind. A squirrel scurried across the space between two trees, then raced up a trunk.
His breath caught in his lungs, and he didn't move. ~Jessi are your eyes open right now?~
~Yeah, watching the squirrels. Think I could catch one as a cat?~ Her tone idle, and very cat like, but he knew she hadn't shifted.
~The squirrel that just jumped from one tree to another and is now chittering at a raven?~
Jessi stilled, her body going tense next to his.
~I thought your eyes were closed?~
~They are~ He swallowed hard. ~I think I'm seeing through your eyes.~
There was silence in the bond and he heard her release a long slow breath.
~This more of that dream stuff that feels old and new at the same time?~
He didn't open his eyes, instead looking through hers. ~I don't know. But we need to see how far away this works. If it works as an animal, it would be kind of neat.~
~Yeah.~ She fell silent for a bit. They both listened to the people around them. ~You think they are okay?~
Charley heaved a sigh. ~People are mean to each other but McKenna is tough. You saw that. She let them whip her, you saw all the blood, and she never broke for them. I hope they’re okay. I hope they are coming home to us.~ Even his mental voice broke a bit on that and Jessi leaned into him a bit, though she didn't look at him.
