Chasing Shadow (Shadow Puppeteer) (9 page)

“That guy, Draken, who pushed us out the door last night stole Ms. Sable’s bracelet. Apparently it means something to the Berserkers and he’s pretty high in World Congress,” I said.

“That guy is working with World Congress?” Starr sounded affronted.

“I don’t know who he works for. Last night he sounded concerned for the Berserkers. This morning he sounded concerned for World Congress,” I said.

“This is really bad. You don’t want either group to notice you,” Starr said.

Like I didn’t know that. “Tell me about it. Draken told me not to go anywhere. He’s going to come back to question me.”

Starr worried her lower lip. Twice she opened her mouth to speak and decided against it. When I first met Starr, it bothered me that I couldn’t read her. Her aura wasn’t evident like everyone else’s. Until I ran into Draken, I didn’t think there was anyone else out there like her. Starr had many redeeming qualities despite the lack of an aura, I didn’t find her as much of a freak as I felt I was.

“We haven’t slept out there in years, are you sure you’re going to be okay alone?”

“I like camping,” I said.

Starr pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Her smile was sly and I had a feeling she was already pushing our conversation out of her mind.

“I have a dinner date. I’m supposed to meet Bert to discuss poetry, but afterwards, I’ll come by and check on you,” she said.

Leave it to Starr to change the subject so quickly. I didn’t believe she was an airhead as she let on, but every once in a while she was pretty convincing. It made me frustrated at times.

Bert? I rolled my eyes. He was a senior and from what I heard, he had a new girlfriend every week.

“Don’t bother checking on me, I have plans tonight too.” When I thought of meeting Rex, it didn’t inspire calm feelings.

“I really want you to come to the rave with me tomorrow. There’s someone I want to introduce you to,” Starr pressed.

“Okay, I’ll go,” I said as I slid out of the cart. I didn’t want her to go alone, not after what happened last time.

She waved goodbye over her shoulder as she set off down the road, I headed into the woods with both bags. I couldn’t wait to reach the tree house so I could relax.

T
he tree house was drab. The red bandanas in the windows were faded and thin. The wood planks were splintered and the paint had long chipped away. It looked like it should be condemned, but it was better than sleeping out in the open.

I pulled the duffle bag straps over my neck and shoulder and yanked on the knotted rope. When it didn’t give under my weight, I climbed it to the trap door. It was still shut, which was a good sign that big animals hadn’t gotten in, but the last thing I wanted was to open it up to a bunch of vagabonds. I lowered my shields, feeling nothing inside.

The hatch screws squeaked and opening it kicked up dust that coated my nose and the back of my throat. I waited just below the opening with my eyes shut and my shirt pulled over my nose, for the dust to settle. It was nice having a place that felt so familiar. I pushed my backpack and duffle bag against the far wall and picked up a flashlight.

The light passed over the few forgotten items. There was a thin layer of dust on the stationary objects, but there was only one spider web and no bug carcasses. There were two blankets still folded, some candles and a box of matches. Three bottles of water sat on top of a box in the corner. There was a poster of a band we were in love with and quickly forgot.

Together, we built a small bookshelf for our comic books and graphic novels. These were some of the first things I lifted at the street markets in Ardent. I managed to steal four before I got cocky and didn’t realize I was being watched. The last comic I stole landed me in jail overnight since Miss Sable didn’t want to pay the fines.

Stealing started at an early age. I practically made it a hobby, but that was behind me now. As much as I didn’t want to recall my past, I was surrounded by triggers. Right now, this was the safest place to be, so I dealt with the flood of memories.

I carried the blankets down to the foot of the tree and shook them, making dust clouds. A deep breath of that and I was coughing again. When they were as clean as they were going to get, I crawled back into the tree house, locked the latch and made myself a bed. The fabric was musky, but it was dry and softened the wood floor just enough for me to relax. Every muscle in my body grew heavy as my mind slipped into bliss.

Rex was there, pressing into my thoughts. I never saw him naked, but that didn’t stop me from imagining what he’d look like. Those fantasies quickly turned into nightmares. Amber no longer fought me with fists, but with claws. Rex intervened and as I watched on the sidelines, the fight got bloodier and bloodier.

I startled awake, laying in the complete dark trying to catch my breath. My sweat wasn’t quick to cool so I kicked off the blankets and felt the first stirring of winter in the form of chilled air as it crawled up my bare legs. A quick fix of my knee highs stopped some of the cold.

I rose with a stiff back and couldn’t quite stretch it out. The darkness gave my little space a timeless feel, as if the void started and ended in my current location. I felt the ground for the flashlight and switched it on immediately feeling at ease.

Rex was probably waiting for me. I unlatched the hatch and pulled it back. Leaves brushed with the wind and stole the little bit of body heat I had left. For a moment, I thought I heard a knock right before I woke up. The thought made me edgy, but I wasn’t going to let it stew. I was no doubt late to our private meeting.

I grabbed the rope and pulled the hatch shut behind me. Once I was on the ground, the only fear that lingered was of the dark. I hoped the battery in the flashlight didn’t die as I held the small ring of light just ahead of my path, careful to keep it directed at the ground so I didn’t draw unwanted attention. The smaller flashlights worked better for me. For some reason, the light bulbs didn’t have as short a shelf life, but that little ring of light wasn’t enough to curb my fear.

Why did I agree to meet with Rex when I had to walk through the forest to get to the school?

The walk felt long due to my nerves and the uncomfortable fact that I wasn’t use to sneaking on this side of town. Once the road was in view, I followed it all the way to the main street, admiring the view from where I hid. The dirt path opened into a two lane paved road that lead right into the first row of homes.

It was nerve racking having to watch my back, but I’ve never noticed cameras on this side of town. Starr’s theory was that it was due to all the small critters setting off the movement sensors. Now that I was sneaking around back here, it felt like the perfect place to put a camera if you were as paranoid as the government. I would be happy if I made it to the school unseen. Rex was a great motivator.

The nice thing about my location was that I was fairly close to the school. The bad thing was that the buildings were a little further apart. I managed to get myself to the first open point, but the next would be a challenge. The streetlamps were placed further apart giving me a little darkness for cover. I switched my flashlight off and ran.

When I made it to the alley between the houses, I held my breath waiting for sirens. There was only silence. I released my breath and gave a stunted laugh. This was nearly as daring as crossing between the islands. My adrenaline was high. I followed the fence line, managing to stay on side streets with fewer streetlamps.

The next street I had to cross was wider. I took a deep breath and ran. My muscles wobbled with nerves. I was barely in the next alley when a siren let lose. Out of habit, I immediately stopped as bright blue lights stirred the night.

“Do not move. Patrollers are now approaching.” It was the same prerecorded announcement every official patrol vehicle had.

I stood frozen. It was virtually impossible to outrun the patrollers, and the consequences for attempting were great. The siren continued and this time didn’t stop. The brave part of my brain kicked in. It was time to go. I darted straight into the alley determined not to get caught as the siren came closer.

Patrol cars were faster than regular golf carts. If the patrollers got much closer, they could stun me. I had to lose them. I hopped a fence and froze when I saw a man standing on his porch with a baseball bat.

“Stay right there,” he warned.

The siren stopped behind the fence, the lights swirled two shades of blue against the white walls of the home. My feet felt like lead. This was a nightmare and every second I spent standing there, the heavier my body felt. The man flipped on the emergency light that every house and apartment came equipped with. The antenna on his roof glowed blue pinpointing my location.

I took my chance against the bat and rushed towards the second fence. I expected to feel the rush of wood slam against my leg as I scaled the wall, but it didn’t come. In my rush, I skinned my knee. Blood trickled down my leg and into my shoe. My knee highs were ruined.

Every light in the neighborhood was on and their antennas were lit blue signaling my location. This was extremely bad. There was nowhere to go.

People stood on their doorsteps with phones in hand. Draken was right, we really did look like government controlled sheep. Two carts came around the corner just as a patroller jumped the fence behind me. He was young, fit, and ready to pursue. I was defeated.

“Let’s take this nice and slow,” the patroller had his gun trained on me. This wasn’t the first time I found myself staring down the barrel of a firearm.

Draken stepped out from behind the man, dressed in his royal blue colors, but wearing sunglasses. “Stand down, I’m taking over here.”

The patroller put the safety back on his gun and holstered it. “She was caught running around after curfew. Do you want me to scan her?”

“I’ll take care of the computer work,” Draken said.

“Yes sir,” the patroller said.

The other patrollers stayed in their carts watching. With their sirens now off, I could hear them whispering.

“Where did he come from?”

Draken pulled his palm computer out and I lifted my hair for him to scan the back of my ear. He knew who I was, but he went through the motions anyway.

“Where did you come from?”

“We’ll talk, but not here,” Draken said.

He pulled out handcuffs and I was wary about letting him put them on me, but there were too many patrollers to put up a fight. Fear and pride mingled as I put my hands behind my back. The metal rubbed painfully against my switched wrist. Worse of all, I was at his mercy.

His hand on my lower back guided me down the street and into the alley where I expected a cart, but there wasn’t one. The patrollers had their hands full getting people back into their homes and some of the motion lights were already turned off. We had relative privacy, but it wouldn’t take long for one of the patrollers to start their rounds.

“Here is good.”

He caught the link between my wrists and unlocked the cuffs, tucking them in his pocket.

I rubbed my fingers over my wrist, grateful the gauze was still dry after the fence jumping. He watched me as he raised his hands to his sunglasses and slowly lifted them off his face. His yellow pupils were split down the middle with black. I had a hard time following why he’d risk wearing the contacts while in his official suit.

“I’m going to show you something that few get to witness,” he said.

He pulled a gold disk from his pocket that fit the palm of his hand. It looked ancient, like something that belonged in a museum. When he pointed it at the fence, the wall wavered.

I stepped back into Draken’s arms. There wasn’t a chance to protest. He pushed us towards the wall. I expected brick in my face, but it felt like we were stepping through a bubble. It took a moment to catch my breath while he put the disk back in his pocket.

“What was that?” I asked.

“The technology is beyond your understanding,” he said.

“What’s there to understand? You pointed your coin at the wall and it disappeared. We walked through it and now we’re…” I glanced around us. We were standing in the forest right next to the school.

“Have you heard about the Free-String Walkers?” he asked.

“I’ve heard about them, but there isn’t a lot of information on the subject.”

He caught my hand and placed it on his bare arm. I humored him, while eyeing his gun.

“I feel human. To some extent, I am. It’s like cloning, only at a higher rate of accuracy and at a faster production. My soul is human, rescued from the battlefield of hell to serve in this life form until I’ve completed my mission. I have no control over my actions during the day, but at night…” he trailed off, gauging my reaction. “At night, for some reason, I can think for myself.”

“What’s your mission?” I asked.

“It’s not important.”

“Thanks for saving me, but there’s someone I’m here to meet,” I said.

I tried to move around him and he caught my arm, pulling me back. If I screamed, Rex would come. I glanced back towards the shed.

“That nonhuman male isn’t here.”

That surprised me. “Are you spying on me?”

“We could sit here all night talking, but that’s not going to help you or me. As long as your identity chip remains in place, World Congress can locate you anywhere. How do you think I found you so quickly tonight?” he said.

I wasn’t slow. “So I help you and you help me? There’s nothing I want more than to be left alone. Can you actually clear my record and get me a pass off this island?”

“You ask for something I could do now, starting with your identity chip.”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“Meet with Sonya, head of the Ardent Berserkers. She’s got a number of spells protecting her, which makes it difficult for me to walk in and deal with the problem,” he said.

“Can I think about this?”

“You’ll be helping your adopted mother,” he said.

“Miss Sable never adopted me. I’d know if she had.”

There was a lot of inner doubt brewing inside me. Before I came to live with Ms. Sable, I was moved almost every couple of months. Since Ms. Sable, no matter what trouble I got into, the system never removed me.