Portia nodded her understanding. “You’d better! I’m here for you, Terra; I know things are changing for you right now. I know I need to let you find the right school. Terra, you make sure you and Liam are staying in separate rooms. You are both young, and you have your lives ahead of you. I don’t want you making any… mistakes.”
The blood rushed to Terra’s face with renewed intensity. “Mom! Really!”
“Mrs. Roland, I have the utmost respect for your daughter.” Brendan’s formal words did not match his youthful visage. “We will honor your wishes.”
“Alright, Terra," Portia said, "the admission clerk was looking for you. It's time for you to be released. Let’s go back to your room and make sure you have everything packed.”
“Okay,” Terra said lamely. She could feel the awkward conversation that was minutes away.
“Why don’t you come back here when you’re packed,” Brendan said. “That way, we can load the car after my x-ray later.”
“Alright, I’ll see you in a little while,” Terra said. She gave Brendan an awkward hug under her mother’s scrutiny.
“And I will clean up before we leave,” Elise said. As she spoke the Scourge entity crumbled in her dainty grasp.
Terra looked away as her last tie to Liam’s disappearance ceased to exist.
Chapter 29
As Liliana sunk into the portal to Earth, the strange vortex moved around her. She felt herself being stretched and distended as she shot through the nothingness around her. A scream that was building inside her tried to escape her lips, but no sound reached her ears. Panic filled her, and she struggled against the portal.
I may have made a horrible mistake!
Liliana's fingers clawed at the swirl of energy around her, but they found no substance to cling to. She looked back up where the Tweens once was but could see nothing of the only existence she had ever experienced.
Liliana landed with an undignified flop, face first in the dirt. She sat up slowly and looked around. Aside from the crater, her arrival had created, she was surrounded by waving grasses as far as she could see anything. The blue sky arched overhead. It was dotted with an occasional wisp of a cloud.
Oh no, where are the people? I thought I would go where the other guides were sent! This is a prairie. I'm in the middle of nowhere!
Liliana stood up, straightened her long dark hair and looked around herself. In the distance, she could barely make out a small cloud of dust rising from the grasslands.
A road! That must be dust from someone driving. If there's a road, then it must lead somewhere! I won’t find Carol here. I have to go somewhere I can find out what the letters IPS I saw above the doors in Carol's thoughts, might stand for!
She took off toward the dust, moving at a rapid rate through the uncomfortable matter that slowed her normal pace. Despite the barrage of matter particles, having no physical body allowed Liliana to accelerate toward the wisp of dust. She covered miles within seconds. Gradually, the distant dust cloud gained definition, and Liliana could see that the disturbance was caused by a car traveling down an empty roadway. The road cut through the prairie grass long and flat for as far as Liliana could see. The coating of dust showed its isolation. The car Liliana caught up to was a nice newer model sedan.
I wonder why this car is way out here in the middle of nowhere. I guess I should wonder the same thing about the road. I suppose it must lead somewhere. And wherever that is, I want to be along for the ride!
Liliana dived into the passenger seat of the moving vehicle. The driver, a middle-aged man glanced over at the seat next to him, then shook his head and stretched.
“Stay awake,” he grumbled to himself as he stretched in his seat.
“You really should, driving while you're asleep would be dangerous,” Liliana said.
The man took a drink from a water bottle from the drink holder but made no response.
“Wow, you really can’t see or hear me at all can you?” Liliana waved her hand in front of the man’s face. He kept his eyes on the road. “Well thank you for the ride anyway. I had no idea I would end up in the middle of nowhere.”
“Continue on this road for fifty miles, then stay straight,” a robotic female voice blared over the car’s speakers.
Liliana jumped at the suddenly voiced response. She looked around for its source. A lighted screen in the middle of the dashboard caught her attention. The display showed a map and a blue line indicating the car’s location and progress along its route.
"Interesting!" Liliana leaned forward and studied the map. "So we are headed west through Nebraska. That explains why there's nothing around for miles!" She touched the map and realized that she could make the image zoom in and out. “What else does this machine do? I wonder if it can tell me how to find Carol?”
The man glanced at the GPS. "What in the world?" he grumbled to himself as the display seemed to change its self. He fidgeted with the buttons, then gave up and continued his monotonous drive.
“You're not very conversational, but I think your machine can tell me what I need to know,” Liliana mumbled. She touched the picture of a keyboard and typed in the acronym she had witnessed through Carol’s thoughts, I.P.S.
“Did you mean International Packaging Services?” the female voice blared over the radio.
This time the driver was the one who was startled by the automated voice. He swerved slightly, then sat up straighter in his seat. “What the heck?” He tapped on the screen of the navigation system. “No, I didn’t put in any new route; this crazy thing must be malfunctioning.”
“I hope not; I need it to tell me where this International Packaging Service is!" Liliana said. The thrill of putting a possible name to the Acronym made her feel a sense of hope that had been absent for a while. As the driver resumed a steady drive pattern, Liliana tried again. I.P.S. she typed. Once again, the computer blared to life: “Did you mean International Packaging Services?" Liliana was prepared this time. She pushed the yes button before the annoyed driver could reach the machine. It calculated for a second and then listed three addresses. Liliana’s feeling of hope sank. The addresses listed were all in different states. Before she could memorize them, the man reached over to clear the route.
“I wish you would just give me a few minutes to use your computer thing. I really need to find my charge!” Liliana said.
“Crazy thing. Maybe I'm just tired. The next gas station I come to I am getting out to get a pop and to stretch my legs.” The man said.
“Perfect, then I won’t bother you as I search!” Liliana agreed with her oblivious chauffeur.
~~~~~~~~
The man put the dusty car in park at the filling station. The GPS map indicated that he and Liliana had traveled to the middle of the state. He stretched before swinging the car door open and standing up with a groan.
"Take your time, I'll just work on your computer while you go in," said Liliana. She touched the console and began to enter the initials IPS.
"My keys," the man grumbled. He reached back into the car and removed the keys from the ignition.
The screen went blank before Liliana could finish entering her information.
"Hey, I was using that! I waited patiently, but I really need to know this, and I'm sure you're ready to be rid of me. Although you're not much company yourself."
The man walked stiffly toward the store, leaving the window open.
"Hey, I really need those keys!" Liliana exited the car without bothering to open the door. She caught up with the man just before he opened the door to the shop. His keys dangled from his pocket. Liliana carefully pulled them free and headed back toward the sedan with her prize. She tried to go back through the door with the keys, just as she had before, but realized that the keys would not go through the solid door when they clanked into the door and fell onto the dusty pavement, leaving a small scratch in the paint.
"Oops!" Liliana went back out in search of the keys. This time she lifted them carefully th
rough the open window and put them into the ignition. Nothing happened. She tried pushing and then turning the key. Finally, the car's electrical system whirred to life.
Liliana smiled. Perhaps she was better at navigating Earth than she imagined. She quickly found the three addresses she has only been able to glimpse before.
150 Trade St.
Denver CO
1640 Jones Rd.
Acron, Ohio
410 Michigan Ave.
Waco, Texas
Well, that is a start, but all of these places are in different parts of the country. Are they all closed like the one Carol saw seemed to be? Now what?
The sound of the car door opening startled Liliana.
“What in the world? I could have sworn…” the owner of the car grumbled.
“Thanks for the ride, but I have a feeling we are headed in different directions,” Liliana said. She stepped out of the car, leaving the driver to settle the mystery of the disappearing and reappearing keys for himself.
I suppose I’ll start in Colorado since it is closest. Liliana looked at the collection of big rigs parked at the back of the parking lot. “Now which of you gentleman is heading in that direction?” : She zipped across the parking lot, hovering slightly above the ground. She wandered among the truck for a short time, reading the license plates of the trucks. Two of the trucks had the iconic green mountain range plates indicating that Colorado was their home state.
She climbed into the cab of the first truck but found the driver sound asleep. “I don’t have time for napping, she said before switching to the second truck. The driver was programming his phone to find his easiest route to 3rd and Monaco, Denver Colorado. “That will do just fine,” Liliana agreed. The driver shuddered as though a chill passed through him, but gave no other sign of recognizing Liliana’s presence. He pulled his ball cap down low over his eyes and turned his truck westward toward the afternoon sun.
Chapter 30
“What did you think of the training and the followers Troy has gathered?” Korin asked Azalea. She leaned back in the kitchen chair at the worn table.
Azalea stood, packaging the strange swirling chemical concoction that she had been brewing. “I think that it will make for an interesting partnership. Now I just need to find the most active locations. Then we can begin to slow down this infection of evil.”
A shuffling sound outside the kitchen door caught Azalea’s attention. She opened the door.
Xavier stumbled into the kitchen carrying a heap of various newspapers. “I think I found all the papers you asked for grandma!”
“I see that. You've done well! Just set them down on the kitchen table, and you can go play with your sister.”
He hoisted the stack of papers up and dropped them on the table in front of Korin with a thud. She smiled and waved at the child. He waved back with a serious expression.
“But I don’t want..." Xavier said.
Azalea interrupted him: “Never mind that, just go check on her."
"Yes ma’am,” he mumbled as he shuffled out of the kitchen door.
“Those are a lot of newspapers!” Korin tried unsuccessfully to pick up the top paper on the stack.
“I need to look at the patterns in the news to know where the largest problems are,” Azalea said.
“I'd just check the internet,” Korin said.
“I will work with what I know. I don’t have time to learn any new tricks. If I don’t do something to stop the spread of these deformed things, then it will be too late!”
“I understand,” Korin shrugged.
“In the next day or so it will be time to begin my plan,” Azalea let out a slow sigh as she stirred another canning kettle full of the mixture.
“I can’t wait to feel like I'm making a difference,” Korin said. “I think Terra will truly be proud when she realizes that I can help make a change that benefits everyone.”
“You still care what your Terra thinks, even after she left you behind to save him?” Azalea asked.
Korin’s eyes opened wide as the question sunk in. “I think that our friendship runs deeper than that. I've helped her for years, but I think that by helping her, I saved myself. I’ve seen what happens to those who linger without a body for too long. The humanity that kept them whole and worthwhile entity slowly erodes away. All that's left is the shell of who they were. These drifting souls are easy prey for Scourge recruiters. They want to belong again. I think that belonging to Terra’s cause has kept me sane. I've been able to hold out longer.”
“That's exactly what I thought,” Azalea said. “There is a relationship that runs deeper than petty promises. Speaking of which, you need to reclaim your body.”
“I've always wanted to be human again,” Korin paused, chewing her lip. “Filling in for Terra, living as a human in her body only makes me miss the experience more.”
“Korin, the enemy we will face will not be kind to what humanity you pride yourself on keeping. The others in Troy’s group don’t have the option that you have. They don’t have a human body sitting in storage somewhere when the battle is done. They're choosing to fight to hold on the humanity they have left. But when all is said and done, they will still be adrift unless something changes for them.”
“And you, you'll need my help!” Korin said.
“You've already helped me more than you know,” Azalea said. “I'm an old lady; I don't expect to finish this fight in the realm the living. As long as I have a few breaths left, I will do what I can to make things right.”
“You don’t think you can survive?” Korin stood to comfort the older woman.
“Sit down child,” Azalea said. “If you get too close to this formula it will be you that meets an end. I don’t want to live forever. I'll be content with making the world a safer place for my family and not be leaving a mess behind for my Xavier to clean up.”
Korin returned to her seat. “I understand. I still think I can help.”
“You can, return to Terra, and let her put you back where you belong. It will make this old lady happy, knowing that you have a chance for a life outside of all of this.”
“You really think I should just go back, knowing what's happening in this world?”
“That is exactly what you should do. I would take you to find your body myself if I could still drive.”
“And what do I tell Terra about your plan?” Korin asked. “Should I try to send her back to you?”
“No. You should let Miss. Terra fight her own fight. Let the guides do what they will. I have to work with what I know. At least, I’m not likely to harm any of them by mistake if they are not here getting in the middle of things and worrying about ways that have nothing to do with them.”
“I understand,” The feeling of rejection weighed heavily upon Korin.
“Now don’t you pout, Korin. You're going away from this danger and back to the life, you're supposed to have. Take it from me, it's short so make it count!”
“I'll try!” Korin said. As she spoke the world around her blurred and spun. She found herself propelled back toward the hospital where Terra had been recovering.
"Wait!" she called out too late. A moment later, she was standing outside Terra's room. The door stood open. Inside Portia was sitting next to Terra.
Korin stepped into the room only to hear Portia warning Terra about the desires of young men. Terra looked uncomfortable as she blushed and tried to change the subject.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Korin said to Terra. "This is a bad time. I'll come back in a little while." Korin cracked a smile. Terra could handle this situation on her own.
Chapter 31
The truck clanked and groaned as the highway gradually succumbed to hills and curves, leaving the flatlands behind. The CB crackled to life, breaking the monotony of the road. Liliana looked at the driver as he reached for the radio.
“This is Red 45.”
“Red 45, be advised: there is a wreck on I40 West of Nashville.”
“Ten-four.”
The driver, a heavy-set lady in her forties shook her head and put on her turn signal as the next rest-stop sign appears.
“We’re stopping here?” Liliana asked. “I still have a long way to go!” She didn’t wait for an answer. She had grown used to her only company being unaware of her presence as she crisscrossed the country.
A few minutes later, the truck creaked to a stop with the sigh of breaks. Liliana did not waste time with goodbyes or thanks. She had learned that a simple touch on the arm of truck drivers at each stop would allow her to read their thoughts and find out their next destination if she wasn’t lucky enough to overhear what she needed to know in their conversations.
Denver was the wrong location for IPS. That left the other addresses: one in Texas and one in Ohio as possibilities. Liliana had taken a gamble and headed east.
“Yeah, I’m headed for Columbus, Ohio tonight.” Liliana heard a trucker mention her target state.
“Perfect, I’ll ride along,” she said as she climbed into the new truck. “On the road again...” Liliana quoted a song she had heard on a truck radio. “Lucky for me, I don’t need to sleep, so let’s get this show on the road. I have a charge to find!”
The truck driver’s demeanor did not match her jovial mood. Sweat beaded his face despite the cool night air blowing through the cab.
“Hey mister, are you feeling alright?” Liliana asked.
The man tugged at his collar and looked at the truck mirrors as though he was expecting to see something or someone behind the truck.
A loud thumping sound made both occupants of the cab jump.
“Don’t start that again,” the driver grumbled.
“What is it?” Liliana asked.
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