HSH: Camp Hero - Chap 13-14
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CHAP 11-12
Chapter 13
Destination Unknown
It didn’t take too long to convince the officer I was innocent. Though “convince” is probably the wrong word. I manipulated his thoughts into believing my story. Even though it was the truth, it still felt wrong. After all, this was a police officer, and he was just doing his job. He would likely get in trouble if any of his superiors found out about it. But the last thing I needed to start my weekend out with was a criminal record – one I didn’t even deserve.
I stayed in the empty car for the rest of the trip, not wanting to bump into any of the other people who all believed I had stolen their bags.
So, I sat for the remaining two hours of my trip, pondering two things.
Number one: Who in God’s name were those two people that had really stolen the bags? Knowing their names were Johnny and Gina didn’t tell much, nor did their powers – invisibility and multiplication. I know multiplication sounds stupid, but what else do you call a guy who can make copies of himself? Duplicator, I guess. I had pretty much figured out they had done this before. I was pretty sure they were professionals at it. After all, they’d executed the robbery perfectly. A brief distraction while someone covertly removes their bags, and then an escape. And the girl, Gina, had the perfect escape – hiding in plain sight. If I hadn’t been there, they’d have gotten away with it.
Number two: Why would Quinn want me to go to Montauk Point? As far as I knew, the only thing there was a lighthouse. Nothing at all interesting about a lighthouse. I didn’t know how I was going to check that out. I was afraid I would have to disappoint him in this case.
It was near eleven o’clock when the train slowed for the last time. I’d dozed a little bit, clutching my bag to my chest, just in case the thieves made another appearance. It didn’t matter – I was pretty confident they had gotten off the train when we stopped in Philadelphia, though, I couldn’t be sure.
The buildings and factories of New Jersey were quickly replaced by the blackness of the labyrinth of tunnels hidden beneath the surface of New York City. About ten minutes later, we pulled into Penn Station.
I grabbed my bag, and stepped off the train. I was amazed. Even at eleven at night, there were still hundreds of people out and about. I could already tell New York lived up to its name as “the city that never sleeps.”
I had no idea where I was supposed to meet Grandpa Walker. My mom said he’d meet me at the station. As it turned out, Penn Station covered a couple of square miles. While the smart thing would have been to meet me by the train, my grandfather didn’t seem to want to do that.
I concentrated on my grandfather, hoping to pinpoint him in the crowd. The problem was, not having that close a relationship made it very hard to know what his mind felt like. His could have been any one of the hundreds of minds surrounding me. Pushing the image of his face to the forefront of my thoughts helped make the task a little easier. He was somewhere to my right – down what looked like a mile-long hallway.
This is going to be fun.
Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I began walking. I hoped that the closer I got to my grandfather, the easier it would be to locate him. Actually, after my long day, which at this point felt like it had already been about fifty hours long, what I really hoped was that my grandparents’ apartment wasn’t too far away, so I could get to bed. After all, I had a big day ahead of me tomorrow.
As I trudged through the station, still reaching out to find my grandfather, another presence alerted me. One of the “friendly” thieves was following me. I couldn’t tell which one, but I was pretty sure it was the girl, Gina.
I made no indication I felt her presence, even though I knew beyond a doubt, she was stalking me. Another minute passed, with me wandering the station, my unseen pursuer following close, before I found my grandfather.
“Hey, Christine.” He waved me over to the giant billboard about some new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.
“Hi, Grandpa.” I ran over and hugged him, playing up the normalcy a bit for the stalker.
My grandfather didn’t seem like he knew what to do, like he wasn’t used to showing affection to another human being. Eventually, he wrapped his arms around me. It wasn’t a tight hug, but it was good enough.
I was glad I was here for my own reasons. If I actually had been there to visit my grandparents, I think I would have died. When I pulled away from the embrace, he gladly let me go. I handed him my bag, and he reluctantly grabbed it.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I explained. I didn’t really, but I knew that if I went into the bathroom the girl would probably follow, and then I could get her.
“Can’t you wait? It’s only about twenty minutes back to the apartment.”
“I’ve been holding it for hours,” I whined. “The train’s bathrooms were beyond disgusting.”
He chuckled. “I’ve got news for you, kid. These aren’t going to be much better.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Turning, I dashed across the corridor to the bathrooms I’d seen as I past. Once inside, I ducked into a stall. The stall wasn’t that bad, no dirtier than at school, and even those I would use if the need was great enough. I’m sure the one on the train was worse.
There were two other women here. Both were at the mirror, applying makeup and chatting about which nightclubs they were going to visit in Times Square tonight. They both had really big hair, and were dressed like… well, I don’t want to say, but it wasn’t good.
Then, another person entered. It was my stalker. I really was confident it was the girl. She felt apprehensive about following me, like she was afraid I was going to attack her again. She was right.
I flushed the toilet, keeping up the ruse, and exited the stall, stepping up to the sinks and mirrors just as the two scantily clad women left. It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the girl. It had to be her, because I could clearly see the corner she stood in reflected in the mirror, but I couldn’t see her – at least, not with my eyes.
I put my hands near the motion sensor so the water would rush out over them. As I pretended to wash them, I lifted a garbage can with my mind and slowly, quietly floated it in the girl’s direction. She didn’t notice. Her attention was focused on me.
I stepped away from the sink and walked toward the paper towels and – BOOM!
The can slammed into her side, crushing her momentarily between it and the wall. The girl appeared out of thin air again. It was Gina, with the same pink and purple hair and the same pink and purple clothes.
The can fell to the floor as I charged. She cowered in her corner, like a trapped rat. I grabbed her around the wrist, and pressed my body up against hers. Just in case she decided to disappear again, she’d have nowhere to go.
“Why are you following me?” I demanded.
She didn’t meet my gaze. I didn’t need my mind reading ability to tell the girl was scared out of her wits. She was definitely not used to people being able to find her so easily. Gina cringed again as I tightened my grip on her arm.
“Leave me alone,” I told her. “I have no interest in you or your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” She met my gaze, finally. There was an almost defiant tone to her voice, not the sound you would normally hear from a frightened girl. “He’s my brother.”
She was telling the truth. She was offended I’d even thought they were anything but siblings.
Speaking of the other one, I heightened my senses to make sure he wasn’t coming. I couldn’t sense him at all, so he wasn’t nearby.
“Who cares what he is?” I asked. “You’re both a couple of criminals and deserve to be locked up for the rest of your lives.” Not that I would ever turn them in. They would be taken to the MHDA, and I wasn’t about to turn anyone over to them. It would be like a Jew turning in another Jew to the Nazis during the Holocaust. “So, again, why are you following me?”
“I’ve never met another meta before,” she said. “I was interested.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve seen one now.” I let go of her, and took a step back. “Now get out of here.”
She didn’t move. Even when I glared at her again, she just grinned at me. The girl was up to something.
“Get that grin off your face before I remove it for you.” My anger was boiling.
“Okay. Fine. Okay. I’m going.” She seemed genuinely scared again, but it didn’t feel the same as before. “See you later, Christine.”
“You too, Gina,” I shot back.
And then she disappeared. I felt her presence leave and merge with the other minds in the station.
I took a deep breath and walked out, meeting my grandfather once again. He handed me back my bag – the gentleman he was – and we walked through the station. I thought we’d go up to the street and catch a cab, but instead he led me to another part of the station where we caught the Uptown train.
We took the number 1 train up to 72nd Street. The ride only took about ten minutes.
The cars were much dirtier than I expected. So dirty, in fact, that I didn’t even want to sit on any of the plastic seats. The smell wasn’t pleasant either – something between sour milk and rotting garbage – and it permeated everything. I felt soiled just standing there. It was like the city didn’t even try to maintain the trains.
Grandpa didn’t say much, which was fine by me. I hated it when people tried to make small talk for no good reason. And though I knew my grandfather loved me, having a teenager around again was making him uncomfortable.
At 72nd Street, he ushered me off the train and onto the platform quickly. The only thing I noticed was the subway waited for no one. The door were only open a total of fifteen seconds before they closed again and the train lurched into motion down the track.
“No matter what, the 1, 2 and 3 trains will bring you to this station,” my grandfather explained as we ascended the steps onto the street. “But the A and C will drop you off nearer our apartment.”
I’d been in the city for nearly half an hour, this was the first time I’d been aboveground. “Okay,” I replied, easily remembering the numbers he’d told me.
“Our apartment is only three blocks from this subway exit. We’re on 72nd Street and Central Park West, building number 115. If you have trouble finding us, just ask someone where the Museum of Natural History is. We’re two blocks away.”
“Okay,” I said.
We walked down up to 72nd to the end and made a right. Directly across the street was Central Park, exactly where I needed to be. It couldn’t have been more perfect. I couldn’t remember if this was where my grandparents had lived the last time I was here. I was sure it was, but it had been so long ago. It was quiet here, no honking horns or yelling street vendors that many, myself included, associated with New York City. The sidewalks and buildings, though they looked old, were surprisingly clean.
We stopped in front of building 115, and my grandfather led us through the door. The door was actually helped open for me by a doorman, a squat man with a red coat and hat. I felt just like in the movies when the star walked into the fancy hotel.
“Just don’t tell your mother we let you wander around the city alone,” my grandfather said, as we walked straight to the elevator.
“You mean, you’re going to let me just sightsee by myself?” I asked, unable to believe it.
“You’re a big girl now,” he said. “One who doesn’t need a couple of old people slowing her down.”
As he opened the door, I silently cheered. The one thing I hadn’t been sure of was whether I’d be able get out of my grandparents’ sight. It appeared that was a battle I didn’t need to fight. That was the difference between my grandparents: Grandma and Grandpa Carpenter wouldn’t even think about letting me go off in a big city alone. For once, I thanked the heavens it was Grandma and Grandpa Walker who lived in Manhattan.
They lived on the 24th floor. Actually, their apartment was the 24th floor. Stepping through the doorway I could tell that this was where all their money went. Again, when people think of apartments, they don’t think of anything luxurious, or large. This was both. The furniture looked like it hadn’t been used – ever. The walls appeared to be freshly painted. The crystal chandelier hanging just out of reach above the doorway was like nothing I’d ever seen, or at least not in reality. They even had expensive-looking paintings – yes, real paintings – hanging on practically every wall.
For the first time in my life I wondered if why I’d never bothered to visit before. These people could probably write a check to cover the cost of my entire college education without blinking an eye. I’d never have to worry about being poor again. All I’d have to do was ask. Then I remembered who I was thinking about.
My grandmother came to greet us. She put on her best fake smile and gave me a hug. “Oh, Christine. How good of you to come see us. Now, call your mother, she’s been waiting. Called here three times wondering where you were.”
“Oh, right.” She’d wanted me to give her a ring when I got here. I reached in my pocket for my cell phone. But it wasn’t there. That was strange. I’d definitely had it in there. Maybe I stuck it in my bag. I’d look in a minute. “Can I use your phone?”
“In the kitchen.” My grandmother pointed.
“Thanks.”
The kitchen was every bit as nice as the living room. I couldn’t believe it. I was surprised there was no maid or butler walking around the kitchen as I entered.
The phone hung on the wall, near the refrigerator, and I picked it up and dialed. My mother answered before the first ring finished.
“Christine? Is that you?”
“Yes, Mom,” I said, a bit of annoyance creeping into my tone. It was my first time away from home by myself. So, while I understood her frantic behavior, I wished she’d tone it down a little. “I’m here, and I’m alive.”
“Good. I’m glad. How was your trip?”
I told her about the train ride – omitting the invisible people and my being nearly arrested, of course – and how Grandpa had picked me up and we rode the subway to the apartment. Then Conner started crying in the background and she said she had to go.
“Have fun,” she said. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.” I hung up the phone.
I walked back into the living room, where my grandparents still were. They were talking to each other in hushed tones. I could have easily eavesdropped, but I didn’t feel like it. Besides, once my grandmother saw me, the conversation ended.
“So, what do you feel like doing, hun?” she asked.
“Nothing really. I’m kind of tired and want to get to bed.”
“That’s fine.” I felt her excitement at the prospect of me dropping off to sleep already. She didn’t have to entertain me until tomorrow. “I had Myles make up a bed for you in the guestroom.”
Oh my God, they do have a butler. I would have said something sarcastic about that, but the thought of insulting my grandparents suddenly seemed unappealing.
They led me to the guestroom – which was at least twice the size of my bedroom, by the way – and threw my stuff on the bed.
“Bathroom’s right up the hall.” My grandfather pointed in its direction. “Have a good night. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks. Goodnight.”
They walked away and I shut the door. I grabbed my bag, and rummaged through to find my cell phone. But it wasn’t there. But it had to be there. I’d definitely had it when I left the house.
I checked my pockets again, just in case I didn’t feel it before, and noticed something else that was odd. My wallet was gone too! I couldn’t believe it. I frantically searched my bag, dumping its entire contents out. It wasn’t there. It was gone. I’d lost my cell phone and my wallet, which had my driver’s license and $300.
Where could I have lost them? I’d had my wallet on the train, because I used it to buy snacks. I’d had both items when the cop handcuffed me, because he removed them from my pockets. But I got them back when he released me. Where did I lose them?
Then it hit me, and I felt anger rise up in me until I feared I would lose control and break something incredibly expensive in my grandparent’s guest room.
The girl. That stupid girl had pickpocketed me in the bathroom. It was probably her plan all along, and I just didn’t see it – probably trying to get me back for messing up their score on the train. I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid. I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it happening.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it now. Gina and Johnny had to be long-gone, and with them, my wallet and cell phone.
What a start to the weekend.
Chapter 14
Missing Persons
Okay, so to recap my Friday:
First, I cheated on a test, then manipulated my teacher into giving me an A. I followed that trick by outing one of my best friends when I blurted that she wants a baby. Then I revealed my powers to a government agent who then proceeded to let me go. From there, I went home and upset my grandfather. Then I broke up a robbery, and got myself arrested in the process, only to meet up with one of the suspects later on and get pickpocketed.
Yeah, the day had gone swimmingly.
I woke – if a person can wake up after a sleepless night – to the salty and sweet scent of bacon and pancakes.
Despite my restless night, I had to admit, the bed was comfortable. I rose and, like a moth to a flame, followed the incredible smell into the kitchen. I had expected to see my grandmother standing beside the stove. I should have known better.
A man stood in what most people would call a tuxedo, but I knew was a uniform, flipping pancakes onto a plate. He was tall. Dark, black, receding hair made his forehead look huge. He hadn’t heard me come in, and was singing Bad Moon Rising to himself as he worked.
“…there’s a bad moon on the rise,” he happily belted – he actually sounded pretty good.
“Can I get a little Fortunate Son next?” I asked.
He jumped, hitting his head on the vent above the stove. His fright only lasted half a second. Then he recovered and turned to face me. “Oh, little miss,” he said – British accent, that figured. “You startled me.”
“Sorry.” Though it had been funny, for once, I hadn’t meant to scare anyone. “You must be Myles.” I extended my hand.
He wiped his hands on a dish towel before he reached out to me. “Yes. And you must be Miss Carpenter.”
“Christine, please.” The last thing I needed was another adult referring to me by my last name.
“Whatever you say, little miss.” He turned back to the plates of food. I noticed he still didn’t speak my first name. Maybe it was some butler code of ethics things.
He prepared a plate – pancakes, eggs, bacon and home fries – and set it in front of me. It looked like a meal I’d get at IHOP or someplace like that. I never got breakfast like this at home.
“So, you like Credence?” he asked.
I’d already shoved a forkful of eggs in my mouth, so it took me a few seconds to respond. “No, actually. My dad listens to them all the time, so I know the songs.”
He nodded and stepped away. “Orange juice, coffee or tea, little miss?”
“OJ’s fine,” I said, between bites, which wasn’t easy. The food was so good I kept scooping it into my mouth. I couldn’t remember a time I’d had a breakfast this satisfying.
I only slowed down when Myles set the juice down before me and commented, “Can you even taste your food?”
I laughed, but politely ate like a human for the remainder of the meal. It wouldn’t look good if I made it seem as though my parents were starving me.
“What time is it?” I asked, since I had no cell to check.
“Five after eight.”
I drained the last swig of juice from my glass and set it on the table. “Can I use the phone?” I needed to call Ethan and tell him where to meet me.
Myles motioned to where the phone hung on the wall. I rose and dialed Ethan’s cell number. On the second ring, he picked up.
“I’m on 72nd and Central Park West.”
“Okay.” I heard him scribbling. “How is it?”
“Let’s just say I plan on visiting here again. As for the rest, I’ll tell you when you get here.”
“All right. I should be able to meet you in an hour or so.”
“See you then.” I hung up the phone.
I turned back to Myles, who’d either ignored my conversation, or pretended he hadn’t heard anything – not that I’d revealed any deep, dark secret anyway.
“When do my grandparents usually get up?” I needed to borrow some money, since mine had been in my stolen wallet.
“They should be stirring about now. I’ve never known them to miss their 8:15 breakfast.”
I nodded, and sat back at the table. “In that case, can I have some tea, with honey and lemon?”
“Whatever you wish, little miss.”
In less than a minute, a steaming cup of tea, which Myles informed me was Earl Grey, sat in front of me. I let it cool for another minute before taking a sip. It burned my tongue and throat, but it was still awesome.
I could definitely get used to this.
As I slowly drank my tea, I pondered how I should bring up the subject of money. I could just tell the truth – at least most of it – and say I was pickpocketed, and didn’t notice until I went to bed. Or I could just tell them they could spare a few thousand, though I didn’t see that one going over too well. There was always hinting that I could use a few bucks for the weekend.
Truth won, hands down.
Right on time, my grandparents strolled into the kitchen.
“Good morning,” my grandmother said, as she sat next to me. “Myles treat you okay this morning?”
“Yup,” I muttered.
Myles had already placed my grandparents’ breakfast plates in front of them. “I gave the young lady a hearty breakfast, ma’am. She should be quite satisfied until lunch rolls around.”
“Thank you, Myles,” my grandfather said, though I wasn’t sure if he was thanking the butler for his breakfast, or for mine.
I wanted to bring up my money issue, but my embarrassment didn’t allow my vocal chords to work. I really wanted to ask, but I didn’t want them to think I was some money grubber. I mean, what would they think of their granddaughter who never came to see them, suddenly showing up and asking for cash?
“Where are you planning to go today?” My grandfather actually looked genuinely interested in what I was doing. I didn’t bother to read his mind to figure out whether he really was interested or not. The effort of making me feel like he cared, was enough for me.
I took one more sip of tea, stalling for an extra second to choose my words. Now was the time to bring it up. “I was planning on going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” It was true. It was the end part of my dream, so it seemed like the logical place to start.
“Very good.” My grandmother pointed out the window with her fork. “That’s right across the park.”
If it was so close, maybe this Eddie Eagan lived near here. Maybe he went to school right in the area. It was something I should probably check out.
“But…” I let the word hang in the air for a moment, “…there’s a slight problem.”
They already knew what I was going to ask. My grandfather cast a glance at my grandmother. It was like they were communicating silently. It was one of those things that only years and years of marriage could give a couple. They just knew what the other meant with a simple look of the eyes.
“How much do you need?” my grandfather asked, already reaching into his pocket.
“No, I mean, yeah. But I didn’t mean it like that.” It was really embarrassing. It was exactly what I was afraid of. They thought I just wanted a handout. “My wallet was stolen last night, and I had $300 in it. I never meant for you to…”
“Three hundred it is.” He unfolded three $100 bills and held them out.
“I really did lose my wallet.” I tentatively grabbed the money. I got a sick feeling in my stomach, like when I do something horrible.
“It’s okay, hun,” he said. “You don’t need to explain.”
Both my grandparents thought I was lying. A quick scan of their minds told me that. I didn’t know why I cared, but I did. I really didn’t want them to think of me as a con artist.
It was after 8:30 by this time, and Ethan was going to be on the corner a little after 9:00. Taking the money, I excused myself from the table, saying thank you, and returned to my room. There, I grabbed my clothes – black T-shirt and jeans – and went into the bathroom to shower.
I probably don’t need to go into detail about the room, but I have to use a word never associated with a bathroom before - breathtaking. And big, too. I’m sure some people would love to have a whole apartment the size of this room. They had a Jacuzzi tub and then next to it, a stand-up shower. I half expected all the fixtures to be gold, but they weren’t.
Suddenly, I no longer felt bad about taking the money.
I took a quick shower, but fully intended to use the Jacuzzi tonight. Then I got dressed.
Going back to the kitchen, I informed my grandparents I was leaving. They barely looked up from their newspapers – yes newspapers – plural. They couldn’t just share a paper, they each had to have their own.
“Have fun, dear,” my grandmother said.
“Give us a call if you have trouble finding your way back,” my grandfather added.
I should have reminded him that I’d been pickpocketed and didn’t have a cell phone, but didn’t.
I took the elevator down to the lobby. I don’t think I’d ever been on an elevator for that length of time. It felt like a few minutes before the doors opened again.
I walked through the lobby. There was a different doorman holding the door this morning. I didn’t actually expect to see the same guy from last night. He couldn’t very well stand there twenty-four hours a day.
He swung the door open and tipped his hat as I walked out. “Have a good day, miss.”
I thanked him and stepped outside. But before I stepped onto the sidewalk, I paused. I’d never find Eddie if I didn’t know where to start looking. I turned around. The doorman opened it for me again, looking a bit confused.
“Forget something, miss?”
“Actually, I was just wondering if there were any high schools nearby.”
“There are a number of them,” he told me. “But don’t ask me where they are.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, feeling a little disheartened. I was so sure I’d be able to find Eddie if I knew where he went to school. “Thank you.”
I turned to walk away, but stopped when I heard, “My nephew goes to a school up on 102nd Street. West Side High School. But it’s not really close to here.”
“Thanks,” I said again, and this time I walked to the corner, and waited for the light to cross the street. Central Park was right there, where so much of my dream had taken place. I remembered vividly the lake with the bridge spanning it – not to mention the giant pirate ship that appeared out of thin air and fired cannonballs at the Agents.
First, I’d need to wait for Ethan, who should be there any minute. It had to be after nine. I wished I had my cell phone. I could at least call him and find out where he was.
I was eager to get started. I paced the sidewalk, glancing into the park every few seconds to see where I might need to search. The park itself was lovely, with its green trees, lakes, baseball fields. It was like a little oasis in the middle of a vast cement desert.
I couldn’t find the time to enjoy it. With every person that passed by going for a morning jog, or walking their dog, my impatience grew. I only had a limited amount of time to find this boy, and every minute that ticked by made me feel like there was less of a chance of finding him.
Thirty minutes passed before Ethan strolled up, and he had a surprise with him – a surprise I was dead set on tearing limb from limb.
Ethan was followed by five people. Five unwanted visitors I specifically told to stay behind because this was too dangerous. Five teenagers who should have been safe at home in Jefferson Hills: Tiffany, Savanah, Peter, Sam and Samantha. Okay, well, Samantha didn’t have to be safe. As a matter of fact, we could use her as a human shield if things went badly.
“What the hell are you doing here?” My anger it was directed at Tiffany, who must have been the mastermind of this whole operation.
“Like I tried telling you yesterday,” Tiffany said. The anger in her words hit me like a baseball bat. “We want to help.” Her thoughts told me she believed I was being stubborn.
“It wasn’t my idea, Chris,” Ethan said in a vain attempt to show his innocence. It had no effect on me. “They called this morning and told me they were in the city. They made me meet them in Times Square before making me WALK–” he turned on the others, who looked back at him guiltily, “the forty blocks up here to see you.”
“Thirty blocks,” Samantha corrected. “And you know this wasn’t my idea, Christine. So don’t get mad at me.”
The funny thing was, of all the people standing before me, the one I was probably least disgruntled with at that moment was Samantha. What a turn of events.
“How did you all get here, anyway?” I asked.
“I told you, I took my dad’s car. Everyone just piled in with us,” Sam explained. His tone was as diplomatic as it could be, but I could tell that even he thought I was being stubborn now. “I’d already booked the hotel for me and Samantha. She’s never seen New York, you know.”
Samantha gave me a little wave, even as she put her hand through Sam’s and looked at him affectionately. I’d have thought he was the best boyfriend ever, if it weren’t so damned inconvenient.
“Guys, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” I said, giving one last attempt at getting them to go home.
“When do we ever?” Tiffany argued.
I sighed. “You don’t understand.”
“No, you don’t understand, Loser,” Savanah spoke up. “It’s their choice to be here. Just like it was your choice to come.”
“More people means a bigger search grid,” Sam said.
I wanted to continue arguing, but I knew there was nothing I could do to get rid of them. Any thoughts of continuing the conversation stopped as Peter spoke, putting the nail in my argument’s coffin. “We’re staying. If this boy is as important as you say, we’re going to help you find him.” He hadn’t said anything anyone else wouldn’t have said, but the fact that it came out of Peter’s mouth, the boy who barely spoke in a crowd, gave the words that much more weight.
My mental beatings would be severe that evening, but thankfully I would have the Jacuzzi to soak in when I got back to my grandparents’. “Okay,” I conceded. “But we have to work fast. It’s a big city, and all we have is a name.”
I told them what we had to go on, adding that the boy’s name was Eddie Eagan. I explained how he was supposed to be captured inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also explained how I was beginning to suspect that his school was somewhere near Central Park, because he ran into the park to escape the Agents.
“And be on the lookout for Abby Davidson,” I finished. “If she sees any of us, we’re in trouble.”
“Okay,” Sam said. “We should split up then. Groups of two. Me and Samantha can–”
“No,” I interrupted, probably a little too forcefully. Though I didn’t want Sam and Samantha alone together, that wasn’t why I objected to their pairing. “Each non-powered person should be paired with a powered person. It’ll be safer that way.”
“Fine,” Sam said, seeing my point.
Samantha didn’t seem to agree. I didn’t care, it was the right call.
“So, who goes with who?” Ethan asked.
“Samantha, you can go with Savanah. Sam, with Peter and Tiffany with me and Ethan.”
I came up with them off the top of my head, but the pairings seemed to make sense. Plus, at least this way Tiffany would be kept under my watchful eye. For some reason, I felt that if anyone might do something stupid, it would be her.
We decided that Samantha and Savanah would find the lake, while Sam and Peter would check out the museum. While my group–
“We’re going to look for his school. It’s gotta be around here somewhere.”
Finally, we were under way, each group heading off in a different direction, with explicit instructions to call the others’ cell phones if anything were to happen. We had to find something. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I failed this mission. Eddie’s life was in my hands, and I had a sinking feeling that much more depended on me finding him before Abby Davidson did.
Now that most of our crowd had gone, I threw my arms around Ethan and pressed my lips against his. For half a second he was shocked by my affectionate attack, but then he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back. We hadn’t seen each other in over a week, and that was way too long to be away from the one you loved. It felt so good – so right – to be back in his arms. With this minute-long kiss, it seemed that we had caught up for all the time we’d lost apart. And yet, it was still not enough.
“You guys maybe wanna take a break?” Tiffany interrupted.
Ethan pulled away, but I continued to press my face against his. Eventually he managed to extricate himself from my grip. “She’s right. We have work to do.”
He was right. They were both right. I’d just missed him so much. Life didn’t seem right with him not around.
“So where do we start? There’s gotta be, like, a hundred schools around here,” commented Tiff.
“Okay, well, I can tell you the boy ran across the park to get to the museum, so the school should be on this side of the park. And it should be nearby, because like I said before, he hid in there,” he pointed at the enormous expanse of green, “to escape the Agents. So he must have been nearby.”
“But how do we know he was in school when he ran away?” Tiffany asked.
“It’s just a feeling.”
That sealed it. When most people had feelings, they could go either way, but when I had a feeling, my friends knew not to argue, even though they still tried.
“Let’s start walking then,” Ethan said.
**********
Three hours later we had no luck in finding anything. We’d made it all the way up to 100th Street, stopping at every school we could find on the way. Most weren’t even high schools. At the three locations we’d found, I searched to see if I could feel some sense of the boy having been there, and got nothing. That wasn’t to say that one of those weren’t the schools he attended – it just meant I couldn’t sense him.
It was beginning to look hopeless. We hadn’t heard anything from either Peter or Savanah. Both of their teams had to have checked out where they were supposed to by now. If we didn’t find something soon, we would have to give up.
The doorman said there was a school on 102nd Street. After we checked that one out, we’d head into the park. The boy couldn’t have gone to school further away than this. We were already twenty blocks from the museum, much too far to run.
I kept trying to recognize the spot I’d stood when I had the first dream. We passed a lake, but it didn’t look like the one the pirate ship had appeared on.
At 102nd, we left the park behind. The school couldn’t have been more than a couple of blocks away – if it was, it was too far to be the one. I hoped it was nearby. This was out last chance.
“There it is,” Tiffany said, a little less excitedly than she had the last two high schools we’d found. The failures at the last places, and the seemingly endless walking, had obviously taken their toll.
I wanted desperately to ask if she was happy she’d come, but as I still hadn’t apologized for outing her yesterday, it probably wasn’t a good idea to tease her.
The school looked much like the others–a simple brick building, three floors, with a small yard of basketball courts. It wasn’t anything special. Like the other schools, this one had very few students milling about. It was Saturday, but there were still sports practices and other events at each that some kids would come to.
I reached out, looking for any sign of Eddie Eagan. If I couldn’t sense him here, then we were done. All I needed was a brief image of his face – the faintest sense that he existed.
For several minutes I tried, walking around the outside of the building, even walking inside the main entrance to see if the slightest mental vibration existed. But I still turned up nothing.
Shaking my head, I motioned to Tiffany and Ethan that we should go. “There’s nothing here.”
It was stupid. This whole idea was stupid. How could I have even thought anything this crazy would have worked? There were too many minds, too many distractions. I couldn’t feel anything. This sucked.
“Let’s just go home.” I was about as depressed as I could get.
I walked back through the entrance of the school. My two friends followed. They felt bad. I could actually feel the echoes of their worry in the back of my head. They had expected this to work. It was strange. As much as they argued, they really did put their faith in me. Unfortunately, that faith was misplaced.
At least I had a wonderful apartment to go back to. God knew what rotting cesspool Sam could afford to stay in. It couldn’t have been anywhere I would ever be caught dead in.
I’d begun to walk back toward the park when I was forced to halt. No one impeded me, but my legs locked and my feet gripped the ground as if I had stepped into quick-drying cement and was now stuck in that spot.
Where is he? An agitated thought reached my mind. We’re gonna miss the movie!
No. It couldn’t be. After all that, it couldn’t be that easy.
My legs allowed me to turn around and head back toward the school. Ethan stared at Tiff and shrugged as I walked straight toward a nearby bike rack with a boy, about fourteen years old, sitting on it. He was a little overweight, and his hair was a bit long, covering most of his eyes. I wondered how he was able to see. He looked down at his watch and then impatiently tapped his foot on the metal pipe. I knew he was the one whose thoughts I’d heard.
I approached him. “Excuse me.”
He wasn’t startled, but he was definitely wondering why some strange girl was talking to him. His eyes went wide behind his hair, as he stared at us. The boy gave me a look over, then decided I wasn’t a threat.
“’Sup?” He waved his hand through his hair. It fell right back into his field of vision.
Oh, this is gonna be fun, I thought.
“Are you waiting for someone?” It sounded insane. Who went up to a complete stranger and asked if they were waiting for someone?
The question obviously made him uncomfortable. He shifted slightly on the bike rack, as if he were going to run at a moment’s notice, which would have been funny, considering Ethan would have chased him down. “What’s it to ya?”
“I’m looking for my friend. His name’s Eddie.”
He was confused for a second, and wondered if he should know me. “Who’re you? How d’ya know Eddie?” If I wasn’t careful, I would lose this boy. Too much depended on getting information from him.
“My name’s Christine.” I pointed. “This is Ethan and Tiffany.”
“Nathan,” he said. There was still some bewilderment in his voice.
Knowing the going was going to be slow with this boy, I attached my mind to his. “I can’t explain how I know Eddie, but it’s very important that I find him. Understand?” I asked, sending him thoughts to make sure he did.
He nodded.
“Are you supposed to meet him here?” I asked.
He nodded again.
“When?”
“Half hour ago,” the boy said. “He’s late.”
“Have you tried calling him?”
“Yeah. He didn’t answer.”
This wasn’t good. I knew next to nothing about this boy, but from the annoyed thoughts Nathan was having, I assumed Eddie wasn’t the type of person who was usually late. This was getting urgent now. For all I knew, the event I’d witnessed in my dream was happening now. I needed to find this boy, and fast. “When was the last time you saw him?” I asked.
“Yesterday, after school. He had to run home to take care of his sister.”
“Where does he live?”
“I don’t think I should–”
“Where does he live?” I asked again, this time much more forceful, adding a mental nudge that would have him tell me whatever I needed.
“209 104th Street. Apartment 406.”
“Thanks, Nathan. We really appreciate the help,” I said. “Now go home. I don’t think Eddie’s coming today.” I was already in motion, having caught my second wind from the sudden breakthrough we’d had. If he lived on 104th, it was only another two blocks away. We were so close. “Come on!” I called to Ethan and Tiffany, who were still standing with the befuddled Nathan.
We ran out onto Amsterdam Avenue, and made a right. Running up to the corner of 104th Street in less than a minute, we were forced to stop at the corner by oncoming traffic.
“What’s the rush?” Ethan ran backwards, keeping ahead of me. It must have been torture for Ethan to run at our speed.
“He’s late and he’s not picking up his phone. If he hasn’t already been captured, he will be soon,” I explained. “Now which way do we go?”
“This way,” Tiffany pointed to the other side of Amsterdam Avenue.
The 100 buildings were on our side of the street, and the 200s were on the other side. Tiffany was absolutely right, we needed to cross.
We waited for the “walk” sign. Even though we clearly had the right-of-way, and even though they were idling at a red light anyway, it didn’t keep the New York drivers from giving us dirty looks. It was like we were taking time out of their busy schedule. I smiled and waved at a cab driver who looked like he wanted to run me over – nothing like rubbing salt in the wound.
There was a little market on the corner simply named Kim’s Fruit and Vegetables, and right next to it was Kim’s Fish Market. I wonder if they’re owned by the same person, I thought.
We didn’t walk up the street. We didn’t need to. From the corner, we could see the building marked 209. In front was a pair of cop cars – their blue and white exteriors not half as noticeable as the flashing blue and red lights on the top. Two officers stood on the sidewalk in front of the building. They were talking to a frantic woman who cradled a little girl in her arms. The girl couldn’t have been more than two or three years old.
“No, he’d have no reason to run away!” the woman yelled at one of the officers, who was busily scribbling on a pad. “He just never came home after school yesterday.”
“No!” I shouted. Then covered my mouth to prevent drawing attention to myself.
But, none of the twenty or so people even glanced in my direction. Talk about desensitized.
It didn’t matter. The whole trip was a bust.
We were too late.
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