He let go of the seat and watched her go. The contraption moved more awkwardly under her than it had under him– slow and wobbly. Her soft shoes kept slipping off of the foot-levers and her balance was unsteady. She said the clothes felt strange. He told her that the machine would not work if she sat side-saddle on it. They were ladies’ riding clothes. Jacob had ordered them from Paris. Fortitude refused to wear them. Grushilde liked the idea of wearing them, but said they were difficult to get used to. Like wearing men’s clothing, she said. She had fallen three times already, but she wanted to learn. So each time, he had helped her mount again, helped her toes find the levers, and had given her a push to get her going. He watched her now, making slow, crooked little circles around him, gradually going a bit faster and a bit more steadily. As he watched, the front wheel went over a rock and she lost her balance. “Karl!” she shouted, and he leapt forward to catch her. She fell into his arms, knocking him to the ground, and the riding machine fell with them. He worried only for a moment, but then he heard her giggling. She sat up and untangled herself from the machine and from him, then lifted it up off of him. She laughed as he stood up and brushed the dust from the back of his pants. “Thank you, Karl,” she said with a bright smile, “Now help me get back on this thing!”
Karl woke to find Jacob’s face looming over him and nearly jumped. “Geez, Jacob, I’ve told you not to do that! I don’t care how child-like my face looks when I’m sleeping; I don’t like people hanging over me like that when I wake up!”
Jacob laughed. “Sorry,” he said, “but you were calling out Grushilde’s name in your sleep. Over and over.”
Karl sat up in the bed and rubbed the sleep from his face. “I’m sorry. Was I loud? Did I wake you?”
“No. I was already awake. But I thought maybe . . .”
“Oh.” Karl sighed. If only that were the case. “No, I was only dreaming about her.” He thought for a moment. “But it will be soon, I think. I doubt it will even be a year. I’ve been thinking about going to Australia soon. I want to get there before she awakens.”
“Is that what you were dreaming about?”
“No, actually . . . do you remember when we got that bicycle? And you got those riding outfits for the girls?”
Jacob laughed. “I remember. Fortitude thought it was all so stupid. She wanted no part of it.”
Karl grinned. “I remember it was your idea to begin with. Fortitude thought you were crazy.”
“Yeah. But Grushilde loved it,” Jacob nodded. “She used to ride that thing everywhere.”
“And you could never get her to stop wearing those funny clothes.”
Jacob groaned. “When I ordered them, I never thought Grushilde would want to wear them all the time.” He laughed again. “I don’t think I’ve seen her wear an actual skirt since.”
Karl laughed. Jacob was exaggerating, of course. Hilde had worn plenty of skirts and dresses since then. She just preferred something that was easier to run around in. “God, I miss her.”
“I know.”
A light tap at the door interrupted them. “I’m coming in,” a soft voice warned from the other side, “Are you decent?”
Jacob got up and opened the door for Fortitude.
“Ugh! Jacob, you’re naked!” Fortitude shouted as she pulled the door closed again. “Cover yourself up so I can come in!”
Karl laughed again. Jacob was wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. That was certainly not what Karl considered naked, but Fortitude apparently had her own definition of the word. Jacob rolled his eyes and grinned as he pulled a robe on and tied it around his waist, then he tossed another robe onto the bed so that Karl could cover up his own sleep-shorts and bare chest.
Jacob let her in again and, satisfied with their new level of decency, she bounced into the room and seated herself on the edge of the bed, tucking her feet up under the bottom of her dress and flipping her ash-blonde curls back behind her as she did so. “I talked to Hespah,” she told them.
Karl sighed. “And?”
“She’s still very angry with me.”
Jacob shook his head. “Of course she is. You have to admit, that’s understandable.”
“Yes, I know. But now I’ve apologized. And I released the command. So she can stop avoiding you now.”
Karl glanced at Jacob. That was a relief. Hopefully that whole incident would be forgiven and forgotten soon. And Shepetheleh would never have to hear about it. When Fortitude had first told them what she’d done, Jacob had panicked. She, of course, hadn’t been thinking about what kinds of consequences her little “outburst” could have. She had simply been angry, and had just lashed out at Hespah without really planning to.
“We need to make this right,” Karl muttered. An apology from Fortitude would go a long way, but he still felt that something else was needed. Something that would get them all talking again. Remind everyone how well they’d always gotten along.
Jacob shrugged. “Why don’t we all go into town today? We could go to a restaurant, maybe do a little window-shopping . . . The weather is really beautiful today.”
Karl rolled his eyes. “That’s your answer? Window-shopping?”
But Fortitude looked excited. “No, I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “Come on, Karl. It’s been so long since we’ve been out of the house. And Hespah’s been cooped up all by herself for almost two weeks now. I’m sure she’d love to go out.”
Jacob was already in Karl’s closet, pulling out more of those ridiculously expensive clothes that he was always buying for him. A pair of brown jeans came flying across the room to hit Karl in the face. Then a blue t-shirt. And a brown and blue plaid shirt. Karl held up both shirts. “Which one do I put on?”
Jacob paused for a moment and looked at him. “Both, of course.”
Of course. Jacob was always making him wear two or three shirts at once.
Jacob tossed a belt at him. “Tuck the t-shirt in, wear the belt, leave the collared shirt unbuttoned. And here are your shoes and socks.”
Karl laughed. “You know, I’m not a three-year-old. I do know how to put my own clothes on.”
Jacob and Fortitude exchanged a look, and Fortitude laughed. “I’ll go tell Hespah,” she said as she made her way toward the door.
Karl stood up. “No, I’ll get her. Just give me a minute.”
Fortitude shrugged and left the room.
Karl followed Jacob’s instructions without even pausing to ask why the shirt had buttons on it if he wasn’t supposed to use them, then he rushed out of the room to find Hespah.
She was in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of coffee and staring into the pantry. She turned to scowl at him when he came in. “Karl,” she said with a nod.
“Hespah,” he nodded back.
“You look like you’re feeling better.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “You were right, of course. It only took about ten days or so to heal up.”
“Jacob, too?”
Karl nodded.
Hespah’s eyes dropped to the floor. “Look, I’m sorry I kicked your asses so hard,” she said. “I guess I should have gone easier on you.”
“No, it’s okay,” he assured her. “We needed it.” He laughed. “Now we both know how out-of-shape we are.”
Hespah grinned. “Yeah, well . . . I guess, since it was your first day back in the gym in a while, maybe I could have been a little more careful with you.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re not made of glass, you know.”
Hespah snorted, then turned back to the pantry.
“By the way, the rest of us were talking about going into town today. Get something to eat, maybe walk around a little. You should come with us.”
“I don’t know. I’m not ready to start acting all chummy with that . . . with Fortitude.”
“Please? If you don’t come, Jacob’s going to make me go shopping.”
Hespah laughed out loud that time. “Okay. For you, then.”
Karl smiled to himself as he followed Hespah out of the kitchen. When he and Grushilde had first come to live here, Shepetheleh had described the arrangement as “tactically prudent”. Allies living under the same roof made for a stronger defense. But somehow, for Karl, these people had become like a family. Grushilde, Jacob, Fortitude, Hespah– even Shepetheleh– they all knew each other so well. And it just didn’t feel right when two of them were fighting. The last two weeks had felt so wrong. It was a relief to finally be making peace again.
4/24/13
4/6/13
31- Alexei
The second guy went for a low tackle, but Alexei dodged it and shoved his knee up between the man’s ribs. Then the big one came at him, bellowing loudly and leaping into the air to throw himself at him. An idiotic move. Alexei ducked and turned, moving himself out of the way, then kept turning, swinging his leg out to take a hard sweep at the guy’s knees, kicking them up higher so that instead of landing on his hands and knees, he took most of the impact on his neck and shoulders. Right then the smaller guy was starting to get his breath back and was pushing himself up onto his elbows. Alexei shoved his fist into the man’s face, but he was still trying to fight back. At that point he completely forgot his plan and just started raining punches down on the two men on the ground. He ignored the guy on the other side of the alley. That one had been all talk. A punch in the face and he was done fighting. But these two . . . Alexei had planned to just knock them all down and run. Get back to his hotel. Stay in his room for the rest of the night and wait until tomorrow to go out again. But the idiots refused to stay down. They kept trying to get up and fight. It was frustrating. Alexei slammed his knuckles into the big guy’s mouth and felt a tooth come loose, then he shoved his other fist into his jaw. He was just about to aim another blow at the smaller one when he realized he was being watched.
He froze for a moment, then turned to look, brushing his hair out of his eyes with the back of one bloody hand. It was a tall, thin woman with espresso-colored skin and black hair the length of peach fuzz on her head, wearing a light grey suit with a pink blouse, dragging along a little rosy-cheeked caucasian child with short-cropped hair the color of dry dirt. He recognized the woman, and by association he had his suspicions about the boy’s identity as well. “Nadina?”
Nadina picked up the little boy and rested him on one hip, presenting a motherly image that conflicted with everything Alexei had ever known about her. “Alexei,” she said in that stern, authoritative tone of hers, “What are you doing here?”
Alexei blinked. What was he doing here? He thought that would have been obvious. The more important question should be, what was she doing here? And was that kid really who he thought he was? And if so, why couldn’t he sense him? She couldn’t possibly be holding M’boku while he was still dormant . . . could she? “Nadina,” he said softly, “who is that kid?”
Her eyes narrowed at him dangerously and he flinched back as she took a step forward. “Come on,” she said, “This isn’t a good place to talk.”
Alexei looked around. They were standing in a dirty alleyway between two casinos in downtown Macau, with three bloody men groaning at their feet. But somehow it felt safer to stay here than to follow Nadina to wherever she might be taking him. Still, he followed her. It should be fine. Nadina was a practical person. And M’boku didn’t have many friends. And as much as Alexei hated the guy, for some reason Mila was fond of him. She was probably the only one who liked that psycho. So it wouldn’t be practical for Nadina to do anything treacherous. She and M’boku needed to hold on to any friendships they could get.
“So where are we going?” he asked.
Nadina looked him over for a moment, then reached into her bag and produced a package of disinfecting wet wipes and a box of bandages. “Clean yourself up,” she told him.
Alexei took a wipe from the package and began cleaning his hands as they walked. It stung at the broken skin on his knuckles, but it felt good to get the blood and dirt off.
The little boy was staring at him. “Are you a good guy?” he asked.
Alexei took a second wipe from the package and considered that for a moment. A child’s idea of good and bad was always so clear. In reality, there was no such thing as good guys and bad guys– everyone was a little of both. He looked at Nadina, holding this kid’s hand like it was the most precious thing in the world. Even she had a soft side. “Yeah,” he replied after a minute, “I’m about as good as your Nadina here.”
Nadina shot him an icy glare, and Alexei flinched.
He finished washing his face and hands and opened the box of bandages. They were brightly colored, with Super Sentai heroes printed on them. Alexei glanced at Nadina, then looked down at the child. He smirked as he wrapped the Super Sentai bandages around his knuckles. It was a good thing Mila wasn’t here to see this.
After a minute, Nadina stopped walking and looked down at the little boy. “You’re hungry,” she stated, then she turned to Alexei. “Have you eaten?”
Alexei shook his head. He hadn’t eaten anything in days; he couldn’t afford to waste money on food right now. But he tried not to show it.
Nadina let the boy pick a restaurant and twenty minutes later, they were ordering cheeseburgers at a McDonald’s. Alexei tried hard not to show how hungry he was. He took small bites and made them last. He didn’t want Nadina thinking he was desperate.
“So how long have you been in Macau?” she asked him.
“Only a few days,” he replied. “What about you? What are you doing here?”
“I live here, for now.”
“Oh?”
Nadina glanced at the boy and nodded.
Alexei stared at the child. “Nadina,” he whispered, leaning forward, “Is that . . . who I think it is . . . ?”
Nadina smiled and ran a hand through the child’s ash-brown hair. “This is M’boku,” she confirmed.
Alexei swallowed. “But he’s not . . .”
“He’s still dormant.”
Alexei leaned back in his seat and watched M’boku for a few more minutes. He was a cute kid. But what was Nadina thinking? Didn’t she realize how dangerous this was for him? No, of course she did. There must be more going on here. Some extreme circumstance that would force her to take this kind of risk.
M’boku tugged at Nadina’s shirt. “Can I get ice cream?” he asked. Nadina gave him some money and he ran to place his order.
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” she asked.
Alexei thought about that. “Honestly, I’m a little jealous,” he replied. “I would love to be able to have Mila with me right now.”
Nadina watched him in silence for a minute. “Where are you staying right now, Alexei?”
“I have a room at the Sands.”
“Oh. How long do you plan to stay in Macau?”
“As long as I can.”
Nadina nodded slowly and sat quietly, watching M’boku. The girl behind the counter handed him a tray with three items on it and asked, in broken English, if he could carry it by himself. M’boku smiled at the girl and replied, in perfect Cantonese, that he was strong enough to do it without help. The girl seemed surprised, and Alexei laughed. Nadina was teaching the boy well.
M’boku made it back to the table without spilling anything.
“What did you get?” Nadina asked him. “I don’t think your little tummy is big enough for all of that!”
M’boku giggled. “No way!” he said, then he handed her a small sugar cone with vanilla ice cream on it. “This is for you.”
“Oh, thank you,” she replied with a nod.
“And this is for you. It’s the same as mine.”
Alexei stared at the cup that had been placed in front of him. “What is it?” he asked.
“It’s ice cream, silly! It’s Oreo and taro flavor!”
Alexei smiled. M’boku had never bought him dessert before. He decided that he really liked the dormant, four-year-old version of M’boku. He was much easier to get along with than the M'boku he was used to.
Nadina stared at Alexei as she nibbled at her ice cream cone. After a while, she leaned forward. “I have an idea,” she said. “I think we can help each other out.”
He froze for a moment, then turned to look, brushing his hair out of his eyes with the back of one bloody hand. It was a tall, thin woman with espresso-colored skin and black hair the length of peach fuzz on her head, wearing a light grey suit with a pink blouse, dragging along a little rosy-cheeked caucasian child with short-cropped hair the color of dry dirt. He recognized the woman, and by association he had his suspicions about the boy’s identity as well. “Nadina?”
Nadina picked up the little boy and rested him on one hip, presenting a motherly image that conflicted with everything Alexei had ever known about her. “Alexei,” she said in that stern, authoritative tone of hers, “What are you doing here?”
Alexei blinked. What was he doing here? He thought that would have been obvious. The more important question should be, what was she doing here? And was that kid really who he thought he was? And if so, why couldn’t he sense him? She couldn’t possibly be holding M’boku while he was still dormant . . . could she? “Nadina,” he said softly, “who is that kid?”
Her eyes narrowed at him dangerously and he flinched back as she took a step forward. “Come on,” she said, “This isn’t a good place to talk.”
Alexei looked around. They were standing in a dirty alleyway between two casinos in downtown Macau, with three bloody men groaning at their feet. But somehow it felt safer to stay here than to follow Nadina to wherever she might be taking him. Still, he followed her. It should be fine. Nadina was a practical person. And M’boku didn’t have many friends. And as much as Alexei hated the guy, for some reason Mila was fond of him. She was probably the only one who liked that psycho. So it wouldn’t be practical for Nadina to do anything treacherous. She and M’boku needed to hold on to any friendships they could get.
“So where are we going?” he asked.
Nadina looked him over for a moment, then reached into her bag and produced a package of disinfecting wet wipes and a box of bandages. “Clean yourself up,” she told him.
Alexei took a wipe from the package and began cleaning his hands as they walked. It stung at the broken skin on his knuckles, but it felt good to get the blood and dirt off.
The little boy was staring at him. “Are you a good guy?” he asked.
Alexei took a second wipe from the package and considered that for a moment. A child’s idea of good and bad was always so clear. In reality, there was no such thing as good guys and bad guys– everyone was a little of both. He looked at Nadina, holding this kid’s hand like it was the most precious thing in the world. Even she had a soft side. “Yeah,” he replied after a minute, “I’m about as good as your Nadina here.”
Nadina shot him an icy glare, and Alexei flinched.
He finished washing his face and hands and opened the box of bandages. They were brightly colored, with Super Sentai heroes printed on them. Alexei glanced at Nadina, then looked down at the child. He smirked as he wrapped the Super Sentai bandages around his knuckles. It was a good thing Mila wasn’t here to see this.
After a minute, Nadina stopped walking and looked down at the little boy. “You’re hungry,” she stated, then she turned to Alexei. “Have you eaten?”
Alexei shook his head. He hadn’t eaten anything in days; he couldn’t afford to waste money on food right now. But he tried not to show it.
Nadina let the boy pick a restaurant and twenty minutes later, they were ordering cheeseburgers at a McDonald’s. Alexei tried hard not to show how hungry he was. He took small bites and made them last. He didn’t want Nadina thinking he was desperate.
“So how long have you been in Macau?” she asked him.
“Only a few days,” he replied. “What about you? What are you doing here?”
“I live here, for now.”
“Oh?”
Nadina glanced at the boy and nodded.
Alexei stared at the child. “Nadina,” he whispered, leaning forward, “Is that . . . who I think it is . . . ?”
Nadina smiled and ran a hand through the child’s ash-brown hair. “This is M’boku,” she confirmed.
Alexei swallowed. “But he’s not . . .”
“He’s still dormant.”
Alexei leaned back in his seat and watched M’boku for a few more minutes. He was a cute kid. But what was Nadina thinking? Didn’t she realize how dangerous this was for him? No, of course she did. There must be more going on here. Some extreme circumstance that would force her to take this kind of risk.
M’boku tugged at Nadina’s shirt. “Can I get ice cream?” he asked. Nadina gave him some money and he ran to place his order.
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” she asked.
Alexei thought about that. “Honestly, I’m a little jealous,” he replied. “I would love to be able to have Mila with me right now.”
Nadina watched him in silence for a minute. “Where are you staying right now, Alexei?”
“I have a room at the Sands.”
“Oh. How long do you plan to stay in Macau?”
“As long as I can.”
Nadina nodded slowly and sat quietly, watching M’boku. The girl behind the counter handed him a tray with three items on it and asked, in broken English, if he could carry it by himself. M’boku smiled at the girl and replied, in perfect Cantonese, that he was strong enough to do it without help. The girl seemed surprised, and Alexei laughed. Nadina was teaching the boy well.
M’boku made it back to the table without spilling anything.
“What did you get?” Nadina asked him. “I don’t think your little tummy is big enough for all of that!”
M’boku giggled. “No way!” he said, then he handed her a small sugar cone with vanilla ice cream on it. “This is for you.”
“Oh, thank you,” she replied with a nod.
“And this is for you. It’s the same as mine.”
Alexei stared at the cup that had been placed in front of him. “What is it?” he asked.
“It’s ice cream, silly! It’s Oreo and taro flavor!”
Alexei smiled. M’boku had never bought him dessert before. He decided that he really liked the dormant, four-year-old version of M’boku. He was much easier to get along with than the M'boku he was used to.
Nadina stared at Alexei as she nibbled at her ice cream cone. After a while, she leaned forward. “I have an idea,” she said. “I think we can help each other out.”
3/30/13
30- Jack
It felt strange. Jack closed the door behind him and glanced around the small flat. It was like visiting a friend who lives out of town– everything was familiar, but in a distant sort of way. It didn’t feel like home. Jack sighed and dropped his bags. He supposed that was what happened when one was away for so long. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered why he had never bothered to fix the place up. There were no pictures on the walls, no little decorative items sitting around. The furniture was comfortable and functional, but not particularly nice to look at. It was clean, mostly. A pile of clean laundry was scattered across the settee. He had packed his bags in a hurry and hadn’t bothered to put everything away before he’d left.
He made his way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The smell nearly made him ill. It would probably have been wise to clear out those old take-out boxes before going away. He peered past the half-fermented kung pao chicken and the fossilized pepperoni pizza and found the one thing that hadn’t been compromised during his long absence. There was only one bottle left, but he needed it after these past few days.
It had been so long since Jack’s last drink. He didn’t usually drink much to begin with, and he had abstained to keep his mind sharp while he was working on that case. But now he felt the cold, bitter liquid slide down into his empty stomach and he found himself wishing he had more than just the one bottle. He wanted to just drink and drink, until he no longer cared about anything. He didn’t want to think about mangled, bloody corpses, or about helpless little children being stolen away from their homes. He wanted to forget about that mysterious woman and her strange friends. Those people with only first names, who lived in giant houses and carried weapons and made threats and had big, dangerous secrets and false papers. People who could manipulate security footage from all over the world. People who were obviously involved in something very large and very illegal, but who never seemed to get caught.
Jack drained the last few drops from his bottle and set it down beside the sink. Since that woman had left Switzerland with the boy, the investigation had gotten nowhere. A few false leads, but nothing more. She was gone. The boy was gone. And she had the audacity to tease them with images and videos on a daily basis– images and videos which couldn’t be used to trace them, no matter how thoroughly they were studied.
After several months with no new leads, it had been decided that the small task force should be broken up. The case had gone cold. The investigation was, at this point, a waste of resources. There were other cases– other crimes being committed, other criminals to be caught. Everyone was sent home. Jack was given a week’s leave, and then he would be back at his old desk, probably assigned to another kidnapping case. A normal one, this time. Something involving a ransom demand, perhaps.
Jack groaned. There was so much more to this case than just a double murder and a kidnapping. He knew it. And no one else seemed to see it. The local police in Switzerland had somehow gotten the idea that they were wasting their time watching those people. They had stopped all surveillance of that house. Why? Were they paid off? Threatened? And no one had ever found that man who had attacked the hospital. He had completely disappeared. Why couldn’t everyone see that there was something very wrong about these people?
The whole situation made him sick. Jack made his way to his bed and pulled off his clothes before flopping down onto it face-first. Worst of all was the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. He’d tried explaining his suspicions, hoping to convince someone to keep the case open, but all he’d gotten was a canned response. “Thank you, we’ll look into it.” That was it. Nothing more. And now he was expected to just put it all behind him, enjoy his week off, and be ready to get back to work next Monday.
As if it were that simple.
Jack stretched out across the bed. At least now he would finally be able to catch up on his sleep.
He made his way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The smell nearly made him ill. It would probably have been wise to clear out those old take-out boxes before going away. He peered past the half-fermented kung pao chicken and the fossilized pepperoni pizza and found the one thing that hadn’t been compromised during his long absence. There was only one bottle left, but he needed it after these past few days.
It had been so long since Jack’s last drink. He didn’t usually drink much to begin with, and he had abstained to keep his mind sharp while he was working on that case. But now he felt the cold, bitter liquid slide down into his empty stomach and he found himself wishing he had more than just the one bottle. He wanted to just drink and drink, until he no longer cared about anything. He didn’t want to think about mangled, bloody corpses, or about helpless little children being stolen away from their homes. He wanted to forget about that mysterious woman and her strange friends. Those people with only first names, who lived in giant houses and carried weapons and made threats and had big, dangerous secrets and false papers. People who could manipulate security footage from all over the world. People who were obviously involved in something very large and very illegal, but who never seemed to get caught.
Jack drained the last few drops from his bottle and set it down beside the sink. Since that woman had left Switzerland with the boy, the investigation had gotten nowhere. A few false leads, but nothing more. She was gone. The boy was gone. And she had the audacity to tease them with images and videos on a daily basis– images and videos which couldn’t be used to trace them, no matter how thoroughly they were studied.
After several months with no new leads, it had been decided that the small task force should be broken up. The case had gone cold. The investigation was, at this point, a waste of resources. There were other cases– other crimes being committed, other criminals to be caught. Everyone was sent home. Jack was given a week’s leave, and then he would be back at his old desk, probably assigned to another kidnapping case. A normal one, this time. Something involving a ransom demand, perhaps.
Jack groaned. There was so much more to this case than just a double murder and a kidnapping. He knew it. And no one else seemed to see it. The local police in Switzerland had somehow gotten the idea that they were wasting their time watching those people. They had stopped all surveillance of that house. Why? Were they paid off? Threatened? And no one had ever found that man who had attacked the hospital. He had completely disappeared. Why couldn’t everyone see that there was something very wrong about these people?
The whole situation made him sick. Jack made his way to his bed and pulled off his clothes before flopping down onto it face-first. Worst of all was the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. He’d tried explaining his suspicions, hoping to convince someone to keep the case open, but all he’d gotten was a canned response. “Thank you, we’ll look into it.” That was it. Nothing more. And now he was expected to just put it all behind him, enjoy his week off, and be ready to get back to work next Monday.
As if it were that simple.
Jack stretched out across the bed. At least now he would finally be able to catch up on his sleep.
3/24/13
29- Tsu Lai
Desiderius had a way of entering a room as if he owned the place. Even when he was newly awakened, he still somehow managed to exude that same kind of brisk, masculine confidence. Tsu Lai watched as Desiderius’s adolescent form strode manfully into the sun-room and stopped in front of Aterat. He dropped to one knee and gave a short bow with his head, then stood back up. Aterat’s face glowed at this unexpected display of fealty. She gestured for him to sit in the wide wicker chair across from hers.
Precia had entered just after Desiderius, but she had remained by the door. Tsu Lai poured tea for Aterat and Desiderius, then quietly made his way to the wall where Precia was standing. She was looking well. Her dark brown ringlets were pulled back into a messy knot at the back of her head and she wore a simple grey dress that matched her eyes and complimented her olive complexion. Precia appeared to be in good condition, judging by the well-toned muscles that he could see in her bare arms and calves. Her shape was no real indication, though. No matter how muscular she got, Precia always had those wide, round hips and that small chest. She was tall for a woman, or maybe her height was about average now– her head almost reached the center of Tsu Lai’s chest– she was about half a head taller than Aterat’s current form. He couldn’t see any weapons on her, but with Precia, one never saw the blades until she was using them. Sometimes not even then. She had a way of hiding them so that they appeared to just materialize in her hand when she needed them. It was the kind of deceptive tactics that always made Tsu Lai nervous.
Once they had both finished looking each other over, the two of them turned to watch Aterat and Desiderius.
Aterat picked up her cup and swirled a spoon around in it. “You look very handsome this time, Desiderius,” she said.
“Thank you,” he replied. “You are very beautiful, yourself.”
Tsu Lai looked at him again. He had a Polynesian look to him– dark olive skin, dark hair and eyes, high cheekbones. He had a smooth face and an athletic-looking body. But he was still a boy. It was difficult to say for sure, at this point, whether or not he would keep his good looks when he reached maturity.
Aterat smiled. “How long were you dormant, this time?”
Desiderius leaned back in his chair. “I turn fourteen in three months.”
Aterat beamed at him proudly. “Less than fourteen years!” she gushed. “You’re growing so strong!”
Tsu Lai’s mouth twitched slightly at one corner. Aterat was obviously patronizing the boy. Aterat herself had awakened at the age of nine this time. But then, hers was a much older soul than Desiderius’s was, so of course she would be the stronger of the two. He wondered briefly how long Shepetheleh had stayed dormant the last few times, but then he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. He must never compare Aterat’s strength to Shepetheleh’s, even in a passing thought. It would upset her if she knew he even considered such things.
Tsu Lai and Precia stood silently near the door and listened as Aterat and Desiderius talked. Desiderius asked after several of the others and Aterat told him what she felt he needed to know. He was the first of her own who had awakened in the fifteen years that had passed since her own awakening. The three who had left her cause had all been reborn, but so far none of them had awakened. Konrad was still dormant.
“Jaira?” Desiderius asked.
“She has not yet returned.”
Desiderius sighed. “And once she does return, how long before she awakens?” he muttered. “We are weakened without her.”
Tsu Lai gasped quietly and glanced at Precia, who tensed her shoulders and watched Aterat’s reaction with worried eyes. The idea that Aterat might ever need to rely on the strength of anyone but herself was one that must never be implied in her presence. Tsu Lai knew she was struggling to hold in the sudden fury that Desiderius’s words had triggered. He could feel the adrenaline pulsing through his own veins.
Aterat closed her eyes and pursed her lips, but otherwise she maintained her outward composure. “Jaira is strong,” she conceded with a nod, “but I am here, so her absence makes little difference.”
The color left Desiderius’s face as he realized his mistake. “Of course,” he replied hurriedly. “I only meant . . . ah . . .”
“It doesn’t matter,” Aterat cut him off with a wave of her hand. “We are in the better position right now anyway.”
“How many do they have?”
“One or two. No one important. That fool Shepetheleh has not returned yet.”
Tsu Lai felt a slight movement beside him and caught Precia stealing a glance at him. From her smug, amused expression, it was clear that she had heard about his recent failure in Switzerland. Did everyone know about that? He sighed softly and unconsciously brushed his fingers against the spot on his hip where he had been shot. How long until that humiliating episode would be forgotten? He focused his attention back on Aterat.
Desiderius leaned forward slightly in his chair. “So then I guess we won’t be making many big moves anytime soon. Do you know what you want to do now?”
Aterat gave a small smile. “Actually, I’ve been toying with an idea recently . . . But I’ll tell you about that later. For now, you must be tired. I’ll let you get settled in.”
Desiderius thanked her and excused himself, and Precia followed him out.
Aterat leaned back in her chair with a groan. “Well, I suppose that could have gone a lot worse,” she muttered.
Tsu Lai nodded slightly. She had been so nervous about this reunion, and now that it was over, he could tell that she was exhausted. He quietly removed her outdoor shoes from the small cabinet beside the outer door and brought them to her. She gave a little sigh and lifted one foot up as he knelt to remove her sandals. An hour or two spent relaxing in her garden would relieve most of the tension that had built up over the past few days.
Aterat wandered over the winding path toward her favorite little grotto. When she entered, she found a book on the seat of the wooden swing there. She glanced back at Tsu Lai for a moment, her face completely blank, then sat down with the book.
He gave a short, silent bow and left her to her reading. As he walked away, he just barely heard her whisper, “How did he know this was exactly what I needed, when I didn’t even know it myself . . . ?”
Tsu Lai ducked his head and allowed himself a wide smile.
Precia had entered just after Desiderius, but she had remained by the door. Tsu Lai poured tea for Aterat and Desiderius, then quietly made his way to the wall where Precia was standing. She was looking well. Her dark brown ringlets were pulled back into a messy knot at the back of her head and she wore a simple grey dress that matched her eyes and complimented her olive complexion. Precia appeared to be in good condition, judging by the well-toned muscles that he could see in her bare arms and calves. Her shape was no real indication, though. No matter how muscular she got, Precia always had those wide, round hips and that small chest. She was tall for a woman, or maybe her height was about average now– her head almost reached the center of Tsu Lai’s chest– she was about half a head taller than Aterat’s current form. He couldn’t see any weapons on her, but with Precia, one never saw the blades until she was using them. Sometimes not even then. She had a way of hiding them so that they appeared to just materialize in her hand when she needed them. It was the kind of deceptive tactics that always made Tsu Lai nervous.
Once they had both finished looking each other over, the two of them turned to watch Aterat and Desiderius.
Aterat picked up her cup and swirled a spoon around in it. “You look very handsome this time, Desiderius,” she said.
“Thank you,” he replied. “You are very beautiful, yourself.”
Tsu Lai looked at him again. He had a Polynesian look to him– dark olive skin, dark hair and eyes, high cheekbones. He had a smooth face and an athletic-looking body. But he was still a boy. It was difficult to say for sure, at this point, whether or not he would keep his good looks when he reached maturity.
Aterat smiled. “How long were you dormant, this time?”
Desiderius leaned back in his chair. “I turn fourteen in three months.”
Aterat beamed at him proudly. “Less than fourteen years!” she gushed. “You’re growing so strong!”
Tsu Lai’s mouth twitched slightly at one corner. Aterat was obviously patronizing the boy. Aterat herself had awakened at the age of nine this time. But then, hers was a much older soul than Desiderius’s was, so of course she would be the stronger of the two. He wondered briefly how long Shepetheleh had stayed dormant the last few times, but then he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. He must never compare Aterat’s strength to Shepetheleh’s, even in a passing thought. It would upset her if she knew he even considered such things.
Tsu Lai and Precia stood silently near the door and listened as Aterat and Desiderius talked. Desiderius asked after several of the others and Aterat told him what she felt he needed to know. He was the first of her own who had awakened in the fifteen years that had passed since her own awakening. The three who had left her cause had all been reborn, but so far none of them had awakened. Konrad was still dormant.
“Jaira?” Desiderius asked.
“She has not yet returned.”
Desiderius sighed. “And once she does return, how long before she awakens?” he muttered. “We are weakened without her.”
Tsu Lai gasped quietly and glanced at Precia, who tensed her shoulders and watched Aterat’s reaction with worried eyes. The idea that Aterat might ever need to rely on the strength of anyone but herself was one that must never be implied in her presence. Tsu Lai knew she was struggling to hold in the sudden fury that Desiderius’s words had triggered. He could feel the adrenaline pulsing through his own veins.
Aterat closed her eyes and pursed her lips, but otherwise she maintained her outward composure. “Jaira is strong,” she conceded with a nod, “but I am here, so her absence makes little difference.”
The color left Desiderius’s face as he realized his mistake. “Of course,” he replied hurriedly. “I only meant . . . ah . . .”
“It doesn’t matter,” Aterat cut him off with a wave of her hand. “We are in the better position right now anyway.”
“How many do they have?”
“One or two. No one important. That fool Shepetheleh has not returned yet.”
Tsu Lai felt a slight movement beside him and caught Precia stealing a glance at him. From her smug, amused expression, it was clear that she had heard about his recent failure in Switzerland. Did everyone know about that? He sighed softly and unconsciously brushed his fingers against the spot on his hip where he had been shot. How long until that humiliating episode would be forgotten? He focused his attention back on Aterat.
Desiderius leaned forward slightly in his chair. “So then I guess we won’t be making many big moves anytime soon. Do you know what you want to do now?”
Aterat gave a small smile. “Actually, I’ve been toying with an idea recently . . . But I’ll tell you about that later. For now, you must be tired. I’ll let you get settled in.”
Desiderius thanked her and excused himself, and Precia followed him out.
Aterat leaned back in her chair with a groan. “Well, I suppose that could have gone a lot worse,” she muttered.
Tsu Lai nodded slightly. She had been so nervous about this reunion, and now that it was over, he could tell that she was exhausted. He quietly removed her outdoor shoes from the small cabinet beside the outer door and brought them to her. She gave a little sigh and lifted one foot up as he knelt to remove her sandals. An hour or two spent relaxing in her garden would relieve most of the tension that had built up over the past few days.
Aterat wandered over the winding path toward her favorite little grotto. When she entered, she found a book on the seat of the wooden swing there. She glanced back at Tsu Lai for a moment, her face completely blank, then sat down with the book.
He gave a short, silent bow and left her to her reading. As he walked away, he just barely heard her whisper, “How did he know this was exactly what I needed, when I didn’t even know it myself . . . ?”
Tsu Lai ducked his head and allowed himself a wide smile.
3/17/13
28- Nadina
Nadina held tightly to the tiny fingers that wriggled around in her hand. She rarely liked to venture into downtown Macau, preferring to keep to the somewhat safer suburb where she and M’boku were living. But today she’d had some business to take care of, and she’d promised M’boku that once they were done, if he was good, they would go to a show. Macau was a big casino town– the gambling capital of the world– and while that did attract some of the most unsavory people, it also meant that there was always a lot of great entertainment available. M’boku had been asking to see a troupe of acrobats that had been advertised a lot lately.
Recently, she’d started calling him by his real name. She wasn’t sure if that was a risk or not, but calling him John just felt wrong to her somehow. And the first time she’d accidentally addressed him as M’boku, he’d answered to it as easily as if he’d never had any other name. She wasn’t certain whether or not that was a bad sign, either. But she didn’t sense any indication that he might be awakening early, and he hadn’t been showing any of the usual symptoms, either. So she tried not to think too much about it, and kept reassuring herself that soon enough he would be safely off to boarding school, and she wouldn’t have to worry anymore about causing him any permanent damage.
They had to walk through the main level of the casino to get to the theater entrance. The crowd inside was uncomfortably thick, so Nadina lifted M’boku up and carried him, smiling at the feeling of his little arms squeezing around her neck and shoulders as he excitedly watched the twinkling lights and bright colors that surrounded them.
For a moment, she thought she saw a familiar face on the other side of the room. Nadina peered through the throng and caught a glimpse of a young man with platinum-blonde hair being led into one of the private rooms in the back, but she couldn’t see his face. She shook her head. Even if she hadn’t just imagined the patch, it really could have been anyone. Was she becoming paranoid now?
There was a long line at the entrance to the show, and everyone was crowded so closely together that Nadina considered going home. But she had promised M’boku that they would see this show today, so she braved the heat and the stench of all those people and packed herself in with everyone else, clinging tightly to the precious child in her arms.
Almost immediately she felt a large, rough hand slide up the back of her skirt. Yet another reason why she hated crowds. “Remove your hand from my body,” she enunciated in her most polite Cantonese, “or I will remove it from your arm.” The man behind her laughed, the stink of alcohol on his breath nearly gagging her as the hand slipped even higher under her skirt. Shifting M’boku to one side, she reached back with her free hand and grabbed the man’s wrist. Squeezing it hard, she wrenched it to one side until she felt it snap. The man whimpered and collapsed onto the floor, cradling his broken wrist against his chest. The rest of the crowd stepped around him as the line moved forward, ignoring his pathetic crying just as they had ignored his perverted groping.
Nadina squeezed M’boku with both arms and planted a quick kiss on his soft cheek. He would never have tried something like that. No matter what others may think of him– no matter how far he may sometimes take his little games– no one could ever accuse him of being less than a gentleman to any woman.
After waiting in line for about an hour, they were finally able to find their seats before the show began. M’boku had no problem with the long wait. He was fascinated by all of the lights and the people everywhere, the music and noise of the casino, and the posters of acrobats in colorful costumes hanging on the wall near the entrance to the theater. By the time they were seated, he was so excited that he could hardly keep himself still, and was squirming and bouncing in his chair.
Nadina smiled. At times like this, she was glad to be able to spend time with him as a child. Usually she didn’t get to be with him until he awakened, which usually happened when he was a teenager. Last time he’d been about seventeen years old. Being together like this, when he was dormant and so small and sweet . . . She hadn’t thought it could be possible for the bond between them to grow stronger than it already was, but caring for him as an innocent, helpless child had somehow made her feel even closer to him than before. If she didn’t know that it was dangerous for him, she would want to keep him with her like this every time.
Nadina was not very impressed with the acrobats, but what they lacked in physical skill, they more than made up for with dramatic lighting and music, and with elaborate, glittering costumes. M’boku thought it was the most amazing thing he’d ever witnessed. He couldn’t stop talking about it as they left the theater, and as she carried him through the main floor of the casino, and as they walked outside.
He skipped along beside her, clinging to her fingers as she led him back toward the station. “. . . and that man jumped on top of that other man, and then that girl climbed up to the top of all the men, and she stood on her hands and made her body go all twisty and curly! And then that red princess lady did a jump and a flip and she landed on that twisty girl’s belly! And then– those guys are fighting. Are they bad guys?”
Nadina turned to look. There was a brawl going on in an alleyway behind the casino they had just left. She was about to turn away and move on when something made her stop and take another look.
One man was huddled against a wall, holding his face as if he had a broken nose. Two other men were still fighting their assailant, a slender teenager with pale blonde hair who had his back to her. It was this person that had made her give a double-take.
The two men still fighting the young man were both very large and capable-looking. The taller of the two appeared to be of northern-Chinese descent, with short-cropped black hair and a wide jaw. The other was a bit leaner, with more of a Korean look to his features, and had shaggy red-brown hair that stuck out fashionably in all directions. As Nadina watched, the red-haired man bent low, thrust his arms out in front of him, and rushed forward to tackle the blonde boy’s middle. But the boy shifted to one side at the last second and lifted one knee hard, right into the red-haired man’s diaphragm, knocking the breath out of him. Then the larger man ran at him, shouting wildly as he raised his fists high in the air and jumped to throw his whole weight into the massive blow he was aiming at the top of the boy’s head. But the slight young man dodged this attack as well, turning smoothly out of the way and tripping up the man’s landing so that he fell head-first onto the concrete.
Nadina watched him slam his small, pale fists into the bodies and faces of his attackers over and over, until she felt a small tug at her hand and looked down.
M’boku was staring up at her. “Is he the bad guy?” he asked.
Nadina squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “Not usually,” she replied. She took a few steps toward the alleyway.
The young man stopped for a moment and turned to look at her. He raised one bloody hand to brush his thick blonde hair out of his face. He had a smooth, round face and a small, pouty mouth. A pretty little nose. His right eye was very beautiful– large and round, the color of milk chocolate, with a thick fringe of dark brown lashes. The patch across his left eye had been shoved up onto his forehead, revealing the gruesome, knotted scar that disfigured his eyelid and spilled out over his eyebrow and the top of his cheek. He had no lashes on that eye, and he couldn’t open it as widely as he could open the other, but he could still see through it, and he peered at Nadina with both eyes.
“Nadina?”
Nadina lifted M’boku and rested him on one hip. “Alexei. What are you doing here?”
Recently, she’d started calling him by his real name. She wasn’t sure if that was a risk or not, but calling him John just felt wrong to her somehow. And the first time she’d accidentally addressed him as M’boku, he’d answered to it as easily as if he’d never had any other name. She wasn’t certain whether or not that was a bad sign, either. But she didn’t sense any indication that he might be awakening early, and he hadn’t been showing any of the usual symptoms, either. So she tried not to think too much about it, and kept reassuring herself that soon enough he would be safely off to boarding school, and she wouldn’t have to worry anymore about causing him any permanent damage.
They had to walk through the main level of the casino to get to the theater entrance. The crowd inside was uncomfortably thick, so Nadina lifted M’boku up and carried him, smiling at the feeling of his little arms squeezing around her neck and shoulders as he excitedly watched the twinkling lights and bright colors that surrounded them.
For a moment, she thought she saw a familiar face on the other side of the room. Nadina peered through the throng and caught a glimpse of a young man with platinum-blonde hair being led into one of the private rooms in the back, but she couldn’t see his face. She shook her head. Even if she hadn’t just imagined the patch, it really could have been anyone. Was she becoming paranoid now?
There was a long line at the entrance to the show, and everyone was crowded so closely together that Nadina considered going home. But she had promised M’boku that they would see this show today, so she braved the heat and the stench of all those people and packed herself in with everyone else, clinging tightly to the precious child in her arms.
Almost immediately she felt a large, rough hand slide up the back of her skirt. Yet another reason why she hated crowds. “Remove your hand from my body,” she enunciated in her most polite Cantonese, “or I will remove it from your arm.” The man behind her laughed, the stink of alcohol on his breath nearly gagging her as the hand slipped even higher under her skirt. Shifting M’boku to one side, she reached back with her free hand and grabbed the man’s wrist. Squeezing it hard, she wrenched it to one side until she felt it snap. The man whimpered and collapsed onto the floor, cradling his broken wrist against his chest. The rest of the crowd stepped around him as the line moved forward, ignoring his pathetic crying just as they had ignored his perverted groping.
Nadina squeezed M’boku with both arms and planted a quick kiss on his soft cheek. He would never have tried something like that. No matter what others may think of him– no matter how far he may sometimes take his little games– no one could ever accuse him of being less than a gentleman to any woman.
After waiting in line for about an hour, they were finally able to find their seats before the show began. M’boku had no problem with the long wait. He was fascinated by all of the lights and the people everywhere, the music and noise of the casino, and the posters of acrobats in colorful costumes hanging on the wall near the entrance to the theater. By the time they were seated, he was so excited that he could hardly keep himself still, and was squirming and bouncing in his chair.
Nadina smiled. At times like this, she was glad to be able to spend time with him as a child. Usually she didn’t get to be with him until he awakened, which usually happened when he was a teenager. Last time he’d been about seventeen years old. Being together like this, when he was dormant and so small and sweet . . . She hadn’t thought it could be possible for the bond between them to grow stronger than it already was, but caring for him as an innocent, helpless child had somehow made her feel even closer to him than before. If she didn’t know that it was dangerous for him, she would want to keep him with her like this every time.
Nadina was not very impressed with the acrobats, but what they lacked in physical skill, they more than made up for with dramatic lighting and music, and with elaborate, glittering costumes. M’boku thought it was the most amazing thing he’d ever witnessed. He couldn’t stop talking about it as they left the theater, and as she carried him through the main floor of the casino, and as they walked outside.
He skipped along beside her, clinging to her fingers as she led him back toward the station. “. . . and that man jumped on top of that other man, and then that girl climbed up to the top of all the men, and she stood on her hands and made her body go all twisty and curly! And then that red princess lady did a jump and a flip and she landed on that twisty girl’s belly! And then– those guys are fighting. Are they bad guys?”
Nadina turned to look. There was a brawl going on in an alleyway behind the casino they had just left. She was about to turn away and move on when something made her stop and take another look.
One man was huddled against a wall, holding his face as if he had a broken nose. Two other men were still fighting their assailant, a slender teenager with pale blonde hair who had his back to her. It was this person that had made her give a double-take.
The two men still fighting the young man were both very large and capable-looking. The taller of the two appeared to be of northern-Chinese descent, with short-cropped black hair and a wide jaw. The other was a bit leaner, with more of a Korean look to his features, and had shaggy red-brown hair that stuck out fashionably in all directions. As Nadina watched, the red-haired man bent low, thrust his arms out in front of him, and rushed forward to tackle the blonde boy’s middle. But the boy shifted to one side at the last second and lifted one knee hard, right into the red-haired man’s diaphragm, knocking the breath out of him. Then the larger man ran at him, shouting wildly as he raised his fists high in the air and jumped to throw his whole weight into the massive blow he was aiming at the top of the boy’s head. But the slight young man dodged this attack as well, turning smoothly out of the way and tripping up the man’s landing so that he fell head-first onto the concrete.
Nadina watched him slam his small, pale fists into the bodies and faces of his attackers over and over, until she felt a small tug at her hand and looked down.
M’boku was staring up at her. “Is he the bad guy?” he asked.
Nadina squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “Not usually,” she replied. She took a few steps toward the alleyway.
The young man stopped for a moment and turned to look at her. He raised one bloody hand to brush his thick blonde hair out of his face. He had a smooth, round face and a small, pouty mouth. A pretty little nose. His right eye was very beautiful– large and round, the color of milk chocolate, with a thick fringe of dark brown lashes. The patch across his left eye had been shoved up onto his forehead, revealing the gruesome, knotted scar that disfigured his eyelid and spilled out over his eyebrow and the top of his cheek. He had no lashes on that eye, and he couldn’t open it as widely as he could open the other, but he could still see through it, and he peered at Nadina with both eyes.
“Nadina?”
Nadina lifted M’boku and rested him on one hip. “Alexei. What are you doing here?”
3/9/13
27- Xerondar
Dude. Seriously.
GET.
A.
LIFE.
And that’s ME talking.
Xerondar laughed. Over the past few weeks he’d gotten used to Fanzou’s dramatic way of starting conversations. He certainly knew how to get his point across. Xerondar took a sip of Dr. Pepper and bent over his laptop to respond. And what exactly do you suggest I do? He pressed enter and waited. Seconds later he heard another soft ping sound from his laptop speakers.
What did you do all that time she was gone? Mope around and dream up the creepiest ways to stalk her when she got back?
He choked a little on his drink and some of the fizzy liquid sprayed out of his nostrils. That hurt. Xerondar reached for a napkin to wipe off the computer screen, then wiped the sticky stuff off of his nose and chin. He thought for a moment before he replied. Mostly I just attended classes.
Yeah I noticed. Your transcripts are ridiculously impressive.
At this point Xerondar wasn’t even surprised that Fanzou had seen his transcripts. Was there anything this man didn’t have access to? Well I had a lot of time on my hands.
And you still do. Come on, man. You didn’t pick up a century’s worth of college credits just to walk around the neighborhood spying on a toddler all day.
Xerondar sighed. Well, he was right about that.
You can’t even talk to her for another 10 or 12 years. What’s the point?
He sat back and took another sip of his Dr. Pepper. It was true that she wouldn’t be awakening for another decade or so. But still. I’ve missed her. Surely you can understand that?
Of course. We all have those feelings. You think I don’t miss Xiaoli? I think about her all the time. I’m going to want to see her every day when she gets back. But I won’t.
Xerondar rolled his eyes. Sure, he wouldn’t. It was easy to talk like that, when Xiaoli wasn’t even in the world yet. Why not? he replied. If you have a chance to see her, why wouldn’t you?
One word: DIGNITY.
I still have mine.
Xerondar frowned. He wasn’t really that bad, was he? It wasn’t like he was camped out in front of her house or anything. And he’d been keeping his distance. Waving from the porch every morning instead of asking to hold her actually took a lot of restraint. Of course, he only did that because too much close contact so early would be dangerous for her.
You’re right, he typed. Maybe I do need to back off a little. Perhaps he could sign up for some classes somewhere. There were a couple of universities in town. And a new mixed martial arts place had just opened up down the street.
Ya think? Fanzou sent back. You could always come down here for a few months. Sao Paulo is really beautiful this time of year. We could hit the beaches. I could really use a tan.
Xerondar smiled. Fanzou probably spent every minute hunched over a computer in a windowless room every day while the rest of Brazil played in the sun right outside his door. He could just picture it. No, he replied. I can’t go that far away from her. What if something happens and she needs me?
The whole point is to get away from her. She’s an infant. She’ll be fine.
Sure she would be fine. Wasn’t that what people always said right before disaster struck? I don’t know, he sent. It would feel like I’m abandoning her. It wouldn’t be right.
Everybody does it sometimes. You know Mila was born in Japan a couple years ago, and that same day Alexei got on a plane for South Africa. He hasn’t even seen her once.
South Africa, huh? Xerondar could easily guess which city. So that kid was still up to his same old tricks.
Grushilde’s in Australia and she’s almost 15 now, and Karl’s still chilling in Switzerland like nothing’s up.
Xerondar didn’t know much about Karl. He belonged to one of Shepetheleh’s followers. Don’t think I’ve met him.
The point is you need to get out more. DO something besides sit at home and pine over the little drool machine like a lost puppy.
Okay you’re right, Xerondar conceded. I’ve been acting pathetic.
So you’ll come?
Come where? Brazil? Had he actually been serious about that? Xerondar thought for a minute before he responded. I’ll think about it, he sent. He looked at his watch and glanced up the street. For now, I have to go.
Time to wave at the baby?
Xerondar laughed. Yeah, he admitted.
Lol okay. Later, man. Think about my offer.
I will.
GET.
A.
LIFE.
And that’s ME talking.
Xerondar laughed. Over the past few weeks he’d gotten used to Fanzou’s dramatic way of starting conversations. He certainly knew how to get his point across. Xerondar took a sip of Dr. Pepper and bent over his laptop to respond. And what exactly do you suggest I do? He pressed enter and waited. Seconds later he heard another soft ping sound from his laptop speakers.
What did you do all that time she was gone? Mope around and dream up the creepiest ways to stalk her when she got back?
He choked a little on his drink and some of the fizzy liquid sprayed out of his nostrils. That hurt. Xerondar reached for a napkin to wipe off the computer screen, then wiped the sticky stuff off of his nose and chin. He thought for a moment before he replied. Mostly I just attended classes.
Yeah I noticed. Your transcripts are ridiculously impressive.
At this point Xerondar wasn’t even surprised that Fanzou had seen his transcripts. Was there anything this man didn’t have access to? Well I had a lot of time on my hands.
And you still do. Come on, man. You didn’t pick up a century’s worth of college credits just to walk around the neighborhood spying on a toddler all day.
Xerondar sighed. Well, he was right about that.
You can’t even talk to her for another 10 or 12 years. What’s the point?
He sat back and took another sip of his Dr. Pepper. It was true that she wouldn’t be awakening for another decade or so. But still. I’ve missed her. Surely you can understand that?
Of course. We all have those feelings. You think I don’t miss Xiaoli? I think about her all the time. I’m going to want to see her every day when she gets back. But I won’t.
Xerondar rolled his eyes. Sure, he wouldn’t. It was easy to talk like that, when Xiaoli wasn’t even in the world yet. Why not? he replied. If you have a chance to see her, why wouldn’t you?
One word: DIGNITY.
I still have mine.
Xerondar frowned. He wasn’t really that bad, was he? It wasn’t like he was camped out in front of her house or anything. And he’d been keeping his distance. Waving from the porch every morning instead of asking to hold her actually took a lot of restraint. Of course, he only did that because too much close contact so early would be dangerous for her.
You’re right, he typed. Maybe I do need to back off a little. Perhaps he could sign up for some classes somewhere. There were a couple of universities in town. And a new mixed martial arts place had just opened up down the street.
Ya think? Fanzou sent back. You could always come down here for a few months. Sao Paulo is really beautiful this time of year. We could hit the beaches. I could really use a tan.
Xerondar smiled. Fanzou probably spent every minute hunched over a computer in a windowless room every day while the rest of Brazil played in the sun right outside his door. He could just picture it. No, he replied. I can’t go that far away from her. What if something happens and she needs me?
The whole point is to get away from her. She’s an infant. She’ll be fine.
Sure she would be fine. Wasn’t that what people always said right before disaster struck? I don’t know, he sent. It would feel like I’m abandoning her. It wouldn’t be right.
Everybody does it sometimes. You know Mila was born in Japan a couple years ago, and that same day Alexei got on a plane for South Africa. He hasn’t even seen her once.
South Africa, huh? Xerondar could easily guess which city. So that kid was still up to his same old tricks.
Grushilde’s in Australia and she’s almost 15 now, and Karl’s still chilling in Switzerland like nothing’s up.
Xerondar didn’t know much about Karl. He belonged to one of Shepetheleh’s followers. Don’t think I’ve met him.
The point is you need to get out more. DO something besides sit at home and pine over the little drool machine like a lost puppy.
Okay you’re right, Xerondar conceded. I’ve been acting pathetic.
So you’ll come?
Come where? Brazil? Had he actually been serious about that? Xerondar thought for a minute before he responded. I’ll think about it, he sent. He looked at his watch and glanced up the street. For now, I have to go.
Time to wave at the baby?
Xerondar laughed. Yeah, he admitted.
Lol okay. Later, man. Think about my offer.
I will.
3/2/13
26- Hespah
“Ms. Stille, I feel like I must express my concern here. When I said that he could resume normal activities, this was not what I had in mind!”
Hespah nodded to placate the man as she walked him to the door.
“Both of them are in very serious condition. If either of them would let me, I’d have them both checked into a proper hospital and placed under twenty-four-hour supervision for at least a week!” He began waving his hands in the air as he spoke.
Hespah rolled her eyes behind his back. He was really overreacting.
At the door he paused, and Hespah stifled the instinct to flinch when he took one of her hands and held it in both of his as if it were some small animal. He tilted his head and smiled at her. “Of course, I know you’re not to blame in any of this, Ms. Stille,” he said in that gentle, condescending tone that older gentlemen often used when speaking to small children, the mentally ill, and empty-headed pretty young women, “But as they won’t leave this house and they’ve both refused to hire a nurse, you’ll be the only one here to see that they’re properly cared for.”
Hespah nodded again. “Don’t worry, doctor,” she replied, “I’ll take good care of them.”
He nodded. “I’m sure that you will. I’ve given them both a list of prescriptions. Please see that they’re filled, and that they both stay in their beds. I’ll be here again in one week to check up on them, but if anything happens before then, please give me a call.”
“I will.”
He was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned to her again. “First the stab-wounds, now the impact injuries . . . Ms. Stille . . . I’ve been wondering for quite some time now . . . Exactly what line of work are they in?”
Hespah smiled sweetly. “They’re accountants,” she told him.
He frowned as if that were the most contradictory idea he’d ever heard, but after just a brief hesitation, he said his goodbyes and hurried out to his car.
Hespah closed the door behind him and laughed. Really, Karl and Jacob just needed to rest for a few days and they’d both be fine. If that doctor hadn’t come for one last check-up on Karl’s previous injuries, they never would have even seen a doctor. A few fractured bones and some light internal bleeding was nothing to get excited about in this house. They all knew how to take care of themselves around here.
And she’d gone easy on them– she always did. Hespah paused to look at the bruises on her knuckles. Okay, so maybe she’d been a little stressed out lately. Maybe she’d been itching for a good fight for a few weeks. Maybe she’d gotten a bit carried away, and maybe she’d unintentionally taken a little more of her frustrations out on Jacob and Karl than she had meant to. But really, if they couldn’t even handle that much of a fight, they seriously needed to work on their skills. She hated to think what would happen to Fortitude or Grushilde if someone like Tsu Lai or Nadina came after them when Jacob and Karl were unarmed. Sure, they were relatively young, but that was no excuse.
And if Shepetheleh were ever in a situation where he had to rely on those two . . .
No way in hell would she let Shepetheleh come to harm because those two idiots had let themselves get out of shape. She decided that as soon as they were both fully recovered, they would start training with her. Hespah headed up the stairs to inform them both of this decision.
She came upon Fortitude in the second-floor corridor. Something about the look on her face made Hespah stop. Fortitude was staring at her with so much anger in those dark green eyes that Hespah took a step back.
“You hurt Jacob, and you don’t even care,” she accused. “You hurt Karl, and you don’t even care.” She took a step toward Hespah. “You are supposed to be our friend. Our ally. We trusted you.” She came closer, and Hespah felt the wall against her back.
“Fortitude . . . I’m sorry . . .” Hespah scrambled for words. “I didn’t mean to hurt them that much.”
Fortitude’s eyes narrowed. “All you’ve done is blame them and call them weak. You haven’t even apologized.”
“I– I will . . .”
“No.” Fortitude shook her head, her dusty-blonde hair bouncing around her face. “It’s too late.”
“Fortitude, you don’t understand. We were just practicing. This kind of thing . . . it’ll make them stronger–”
Fortitude’s pallid cheeks flushed with color. “They certainly don’t look stronger to me!”
“Just ask Jacob. He’ll tell you . . .”
“No!” Fortitude was nearly shouting now. “I don’t want to hear them making excuses for you again!”
Hespah’s head was beginning to hurt. She’d never seen Fortitude this angry before. “Listen,” Hespah said, “They’ll both be fine. Just give them a couple of days and you’ll see.”
Fortitude took another step toward her. The pressure around Hespah’s temples intensified until it was getting difficult to bear. “You just stay away from them!” Fortitude shouted, and this time Hespah heard the power behind her words before she even finished the sentence. “Stay away from all of us!”
Hespah cursed as she stumbled to her own rooms and slammed the door behind her. Her head was in excruciating pain, and she could feel Fortitude’s command like steel bands wrapping around her.
That little bitch.
Hespah made her way to the toilet and forced herself to vomit, relieving some of the pressure in her head. Damn that bitch. She leaned over the sink to rinse her mouth out and rub cold water on her face. She stared into the mirror. Her face was so red. She lifted a shaky hand to wipe the hot tears from her eyes.
“Shepetheleh, where are you?” she whispered.
That was the real problem here. Fortitude would never have tried something like this if Shepetheleh were around. She wouldn’t have dared. Fear of Shepetheleh’s wrath usually kept all of them in line. And Hespah was supposed to be untouchable.
Maybe she would tell him about this when he got back. She thought about that as she climbed into her bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. How much longer would she have to wait for him? She needed him there now. Everything was better when Shepetheleh was with her.
Hespah pictured him as she had seen him last. He’d been tall and strong and beautiful. Full of power and authority. So clever and wise. Fearless. She tried to imagine what he would do if he were there right now.
He’d make that little bitch grovel at her feet. Hespah belongs to me, he would say. A hand lifted against her is a hand lifted against me. And he would find some perfect and clever way to punish Fortitude for what she did. Hespah could just see it. And then he would ask Hespah if she was okay, and clap her on the shoulder, and leave the room to go about his business.
Hespah sighed. Even in her fantasy, he treated her like a man.
Hespah nodded to placate the man as she walked him to the door.
“Both of them are in very serious condition. If either of them would let me, I’d have them both checked into a proper hospital and placed under twenty-four-hour supervision for at least a week!” He began waving his hands in the air as he spoke.
Hespah rolled her eyes behind his back. He was really overreacting.
At the door he paused, and Hespah stifled the instinct to flinch when he took one of her hands and held it in both of his as if it were some small animal. He tilted his head and smiled at her. “Of course, I know you’re not to blame in any of this, Ms. Stille,” he said in that gentle, condescending tone that older gentlemen often used when speaking to small children, the mentally ill, and empty-headed pretty young women, “But as they won’t leave this house and they’ve both refused to hire a nurse, you’ll be the only one here to see that they’re properly cared for.”
Hespah nodded again. “Don’t worry, doctor,” she replied, “I’ll take good care of them.”
He nodded. “I’m sure that you will. I’ve given them both a list of prescriptions. Please see that they’re filled, and that they both stay in their beds. I’ll be here again in one week to check up on them, but if anything happens before then, please give me a call.”
“I will.”
He was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned to her again. “First the stab-wounds, now the impact injuries . . . Ms. Stille . . . I’ve been wondering for quite some time now . . . Exactly what line of work are they in?”
Hespah smiled sweetly. “They’re accountants,” she told him.
He frowned as if that were the most contradictory idea he’d ever heard, but after just a brief hesitation, he said his goodbyes and hurried out to his car.
Hespah closed the door behind him and laughed. Really, Karl and Jacob just needed to rest for a few days and they’d both be fine. If that doctor hadn’t come for one last check-up on Karl’s previous injuries, they never would have even seen a doctor. A few fractured bones and some light internal bleeding was nothing to get excited about in this house. They all knew how to take care of themselves around here.
And she’d gone easy on them– she always did. Hespah paused to look at the bruises on her knuckles. Okay, so maybe she’d been a little stressed out lately. Maybe she’d been itching for a good fight for a few weeks. Maybe she’d gotten a bit carried away, and maybe she’d unintentionally taken a little more of her frustrations out on Jacob and Karl than she had meant to. But really, if they couldn’t even handle that much of a fight, they seriously needed to work on their skills. She hated to think what would happen to Fortitude or Grushilde if someone like Tsu Lai or Nadina came after them when Jacob and Karl were unarmed. Sure, they were relatively young, but that was no excuse.
And if Shepetheleh were ever in a situation where he had to rely on those two . . .
No way in hell would she let Shepetheleh come to harm because those two idiots had let themselves get out of shape. She decided that as soon as they were both fully recovered, they would start training with her. Hespah headed up the stairs to inform them both of this decision.
She came upon Fortitude in the second-floor corridor. Something about the look on her face made Hespah stop. Fortitude was staring at her with so much anger in those dark green eyes that Hespah took a step back.
“You hurt Jacob, and you don’t even care,” she accused. “You hurt Karl, and you don’t even care.” She took a step toward Hespah. “You are supposed to be our friend. Our ally. We trusted you.” She came closer, and Hespah felt the wall against her back.
“Fortitude . . . I’m sorry . . .” Hespah scrambled for words. “I didn’t mean to hurt them that much.”
Fortitude’s eyes narrowed. “All you’ve done is blame them and call them weak. You haven’t even apologized.”
“I– I will . . .”
“No.” Fortitude shook her head, her dusty-blonde hair bouncing around her face. “It’s too late.”
“Fortitude, you don’t understand. We were just practicing. This kind of thing . . . it’ll make them stronger–”
Fortitude’s pallid cheeks flushed with color. “They certainly don’t look stronger to me!”
“Just ask Jacob. He’ll tell you . . .”
“No!” Fortitude was nearly shouting now. “I don’t want to hear them making excuses for you again!”
Hespah’s head was beginning to hurt. She’d never seen Fortitude this angry before. “Listen,” Hespah said, “They’ll both be fine. Just give them a couple of days and you’ll see.”
Fortitude took another step toward her. The pressure around Hespah’s temples intensified until it was getting difficult to bear. “You just stay away from them!” Fortitude shouted, and this time Hespah heard the power behind her words before she even finished the sentence. “Stay away from all of us!”
Hespah cursed as she stumbled to her own rooms and slammed the door behind her. Her head was in excruciating pain, and she could feel Fortitude’s command like steel bands wrapping around her.
That little bitch.
Hespah made her way to the toilet and forced herself to vomit, relieving some of the pressure in her head. Damn that bitch. She leaned over the sink to rinse her mouth out and rub cold water on her face. She stared into the mirror. Her face was so red. She lifted a shaky hand to wipe the hot tears from her eyes.
“Shepetheleh, where are you?” she whispered.
That was the real problem here. Fortitude would never have tried something like this if Shepetheleh were around. She wouldn’t have dared. Fear of Shepetheleh’s wrath usually kept all of them in line. And Hespah was supposed to be untouchable.
Maybe she would tell him about this when he got back. She thought about that as she climbed into her bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. How much longer would she have to wait for him? She needed him there now. Everything was better when Shepetheleh was with her.
Hespah pictured him as she had seen him last. He’d been tall and strong and beautiful. Full of power and authority. So clever and wise. Fearless. She tried to imagine what he would do if he were there right now.
He’d make that little bitch grovel at her feet. Hespah belongs to me, he would say. A hand lifted against her is a hand lifted against me. And he would find some perfect and clever way to punish Fortitude for what she did. Hespah could just see it. And then he would ask Hespah if she was okay, and clap her on the shoulder, and leave the room to go about his business.
Hespah sighed. Even in her fantasy, he treated her like a man.
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