Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) (3 page)

“Who’s
going to come after me?”

“The
same people who took me.”

Eddie
was thoroughly confused. “Someone took you? What do you mean? You’re right
here.”

“No…I’m
not. It appears that I’m here with you, but it’s just a dream. I came here to
warn you, to get your help. They’ve captured me and they’re going to capture
you, too, if you don’t help.”

“Who are
they
? And where are you?”

“I don’t
know. I don’t know who they are and I don’t know where I am.”

“Well,
that’s not a whole lot of helpful information, is it? How am I supposed to help
you?”

“The
first step is to find my brother. If you find him and then find the others,
you’ll find a way. You need to hurry before it’s too late. I told my brother
that you would meet him at the rodeo, in Wickenburg, tomorrow.”

“
Tomorrow
?”

“You
have to. That’s the only day that he’ll be there and be able to get away.”

“How
will I know him when I find him? What does he look like?”

“He
looks exactly like me. He’ll be waiting for you.”

“What am
I supposed to do, once I find him?”

“Fly to
Seattle.”

“Seattle?
As in
Washington
? What are we supposed to do there?”

“You’ll
need to look for a girl. Along with you and my brother, they’re also after her.

“So, we
fly to Seattle, and then what? How do we find her? Do you know where she is?”

“Not
exactly, but I’m working on it. I’ll contact my brother once I know where she
is. You need to get to her before they do. She’ll be able to help. Once you
find her and the others, you’ll have to figure out a way to find me.”

“What
others?” Eddie asked, not for the first time.

“The
people who took me are looking for others like me, like you. They know who you
are, and they’re going to come after you.”

“But
why?”

“You’re
powerful. They need you.”

“
Powerful
?”
This dream seemed crazier by the minute. It made no sense.

“Think
about it and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Now, can I count on you to
meet my brother tomorrow?”

“He’s
just supposed to come with me? What if I get charged with kidnapping or
harboring a runaway or something? How old is he?”

“He’s
sixteen, and kidnapping is going to be the least of your worries if you don’t
help. Can I count on you?”

Eddie
couldn’t believe that he was ready to give serious consideration to this crazy
scheme. But before he could consider the wisdom behind his words, he said,
“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to at least go and meet him. You said he looks
like you? What’s his name? What’s your name for that matter?”

“I’m
Toby. His name is Tyler.”

Tyler
found Cybil in front of an open pantry, a bag of potato chips clutched in one
arm. From the doorway he silently read her thoughts and attempted to gauge her
mood. He hoped to find something in her head that he could use to his
advantage.

I
need to add dish soap to the shopping list
, she thought. Then, she ran her fingers through her
hair.
My roots are starting to show; I should see if I can get an
appointment to get my hair done, before the dance, tomorrow night. I wonder if
I should get a new dress, too? While I’m at it, I should buy Kirby a bigger
shirt. I don’t want his fat belly to be hanging out, as he swings me around the
dance floor
.

Tyler
chuckled under his breath as he imagined Kirby on the dance floor with his fat
belly jiggling and exposed to the world. It was true though, Kirby had put on a
few extra pounds since Tyler had been sent to BRATS.

With a game
plan set, he took a deep breath and entered the kitchen. “Hey, Cybil, would you
like me to finish the dishes?”

She bit
into a potato chip and turned to him with glaring suspicion. He never offered
to help around the house, and she undoubtedly wondered what he was up to. With
a mouth full of chips, she said, “Sure, kid. Have at it.”

He said
nothing while he loaded the dishwasher but continued to listen to her thoughts,
waiting for the perfect moment to make his pitch. With his back to her, he
listened to her open the fridge and take out a beer. He waited until she had
popped the top and took the first sip. It was now or never.

“So, the
rodeo’s tomorrow. I’ll bet Kirby would like to take you to the dance. You two
should get out and have some fun.” He hoped this was the right thing to say.
When it came to Cybil, nothing he said was ever certain to be safe.

“Oh, I
was thinking about it.” She reached up to stroke the dark roots of her hair.

“Oh,
yeah, by the way, I got an offer to work tomorrow at the fairgrounds. They need
someone to pick up trash and stuff, for the rodeo.”

The
rodeo would be an ideal location to get lost in the crowds and meet Eddie. He
had talked to his brother the night before, and everything had been arranged.

You’ve
been back for less than a week and you’re already a pain in my ass. I don’t
have time for this, kid
, he heard her think.
I have to get my hair done and go shopping and
—

Before
she could think of another reason why he couldn’t go, Tyler said, “It’s okay if
you can’t drive me; I’m sure I can get a ride from a friend.”

He could
hear her trying to think of another reason why he couldn’t go, when Kirby
walked in the back door.

“Hi, honey.”
He brushed past his wife, gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, and then made a
beeline for the fridge, in search of beer. With his prize in hand, he plopped
down in a chair, leaned back, and propped his dirty work boots on top of the
kitchen table.

“Sorry I
missed dinner, but with all these extra people in town this week, everyone’s
calling me to come fix somethin’. The motel out on the highway had plumbing
problems, and that new diner in town already had a broken toilet and it’s not
even a month old yet. Tomorrow I need to head out to the fairgrounds to fix a
few things I didn’t have a chance to get to today.”

“Oh,”
Cybil began, “I thought maybe you’d like to take me to the dance, tomorrow
night.”

“Hey,
that sounds like fun. I won’t be working all day. It’ll just be few hours in
the morning. Then I’ll have time to come home and pick you up.”

“And
shower
and get
cleaned
up.”

Kirby
grinned. “Of course.”

Tyler
saw his opportunity. “I got a job offer to work at the rodeo, for a few hours,
tomorrow morning. Do you think I could go with you?”

From the
corner of his eye, he noticed Cybil shake her head and silently mouth the word
“no”, but it appeared that Kirby either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care.

“Sure,
kid. I can take you. But just keep in mind, you’re only there to work. You
won’t be there to have fun and hang out with friends. Got it?”

“Yup.
Yes, sir. Thank you.” Hopefully Eddie would be at the rodeo as promised, and
Tyler would be able to meet him, away from the watchful eyes of his guardian.

*****

When
lunchtime rolled around, Tyler had just finished up trash duty. He leaned
against a hotdog stand and surveyed the crowd. Between the hot dog stand and
parking lot was a corral where the bulls were penned, left to anxiously await
their admittance into the arena. Tyler watched a group of cowboys work to get a
struggling bull out of the back of a trailer and into the pen.

He took
a bite of hot dog and looked beyond the corrals to the parking lot. A few
vehicles drove in, stirring up dust in their wake. Among them was a Jeep that
caught his attention. His eyes remained glued to the vehicle as it parked and
the door opened. From a distance, the driver seemed to match Eddie’s
description. He was still too far away to be certain.
It has to be him
,
he thought. His stomach tightened. The hot dog that had tasted so good going
down now felt like an unwelcome intruder. He needed this man to be Eddie.
What
if it is him
? he wondered.
What if it’s not him? Only one way to find
out
.

As he
headed for the parking lot, he tried to contemplate an introduction. What would
he say to the guy? Halfway there, he spotted two small kids, about five years old.
They had climbed the fencing to peer over the side of a bull corral.
Dumb
kids
, he thought
. I wonder where their parents are
? He was about ten
yards away when one of the boys must have decided that he needed a closer look.
He climbed to the top, placed one foot on the highest rail, and leaned over.

Tyler
didn’t have his brother’s precognition ability, but it didn’t take a psychic to
foresee what was about to happen. He took off at a run toward the corral just
as the boy’s grip slipped, and he toppled forward, out of sight, behind the
fencing.

His
heart began to race as adrenaline kicked in, and he ran faster. He prayed he
would get there before it was too late. The second boy remained perched on the
fence and began to scream for his father, who was still nowhere in sight.

Without
pause to rationalize a plan, Tyler leapt onto the fencing and scaled it to the
top. He later thought that it, perhaps, would have been wise to appraise the
situation first, before he entered the lion’s den—or in this case, the bull’s
pen. He didn’t pause though, and before he had time to reconsider, he had landed
in the soft manure and dirt beside the boy.

The
child sat motionless. Tyler followed his transfixed gaze, to the massive bull,
who had equally massive horns aimed in their direction. He had seen it before
in the movies; the bull usually snorted and stomped his foot a few times in
preparation to charge. He could now safely say that this didn’t just happen in
the movies. Bulls did in fact snort and stomp when angered. And angered he
certainly must have been, for the bull lowered his head, shook it, and grunted.

Given
the short distance between the fence and the animal—he estimated it to be about
ten feet— he guessed that he might have time to get the boy hoisted to safety
in time, but by then, he knew that the bull would be upon him and he wouldn’t
have a hope of escape. One slight move and it would charge. No time to reason—he
needed to get the boy and himself to safety before the bull decided that he had
shared his pen long enough.

Tyler
grabbed the boy’s hand and helped him to stand. He placed a hand on the boy’s
chest and pushed him closer to the fence. He then took a slow step in front of
him. Thankfully, the boy’s state of shock had rendered him speechless; any
sudden noise would further agitate the creature.

He kept
his eyes trained on their probable tormentor while he reached a hand behind his
back and grabbed the boy’s wrist. In a calm, hushed voice, he whispered, “When
I say ‘go,' I want you to climb back up to the top, just like you did when you
got in here. Do you understand?”

The boy
whimpered but managed to whisper, “Uh, huh.”

“Good.
Not yet, you understand. Wait until I say ‘go’."

“Okay.”

Tyler
wanted to ensure that the bull was calm before the boy made a move. He began to
send calm thoughts and positive energy to the animal. He was answered with a
snort and a stomp.
Oh, God, please let this work
, Tyler thought.

He
continued to hold his focus.
It’s okay
, he thought.
We aren’t here to
hurt you
.
My little friend, here, made a mistake. All we want to do is
go and leave you alone
. He doubted the bull understood but hoped he caught
the meaning.

The bull
retreated a step, and Tyler knew that it was now or never. With his eyes still
on the creature, he squeezed the boy’s wrist once, released it, and whispered,
“Go!” Thankfully obedient, the boy quickly clambered up the side.

A moment
later, a man’s voice shouted, “Timothy! What were you thinking?”

Tyler
tuned out the commotion, from the other side, and continued to emit calm,
relaxing thoughts and energy. He was fairly confident that he could climb
safely to the top, without getting speared with horns, but he was still
hesitant to turn his back.

And then
an image entered his mind. He saw
himself
climbing up the fence. The
bull was telling him that he could go.

“Thanks,
buddy,” Tyler whispered. Assured of his safety, he turned to climb. He was two
rails up, when he turned back to the massive, horned creature and said, “Good
luck out there." Tyler wondered if it was his imagination but he could have
sworn that the bull winked.

A man
stood to greet him as he landed back to safety on the other side. He wore a
cowboy hat and boots and sported a thick, black mustache. “That was very brave
of you. I owe you my thanks for saving my nephew. He could have gotten real
hurt if you hadn’t come along.”

“I’m
just glad that I was able to help.” Tyler brushed the dirt from his hands, onto
his jeans, and accepted the man’s outstretched hand in a firm shake.

The boy
was snuggled in a giant bear hug in the arms of a woman he assumed to be his
mother, while a man, whom he assumed to be his father, stood by and scolded the
boy. “Don’t you ever do anything so stupid, ever again! Do you hear me? Do you
have any idea how lucky you are?” The boy burst into tears and buried his head
in his mother’s neck.

Tyler
realized that a small group had gathered around the commotion. At the front of
the crowd stood a tall Hispanic guy who was about eighteen years old, with
thick, black-rimmed glasses. This had to be Eddie. They made eye contact and
then he smiled and stepped out of the crowd toward him.

Tyler
turned to the boy’s uncle. “I’m sorry. Could you excuse me for just a minute?”

“Of
course. I’ll be right over there.” He touched the brim of his cowboy hat and
gave a nod before he wandered over to check on his nephew.

Tyler
turned to the newcomer, who extended a hand in greeting. “Hi, I’m Eddie.”

“I’m
Tyler.”

Eddie
accepted the handshake and said, “Your brother wasn’t kidding. You do look
exactly alike.”

Up to
that point, the entire situation with Toby and the kidnappers had seemed
surreal, but now that Eddie stood before him, in person, his reality suddenly
seemed to take on a new countenance, and he found himself momentarily speechless.
When he finally found words to speak, he said, “Um, yeah…we are identical…I was
worried that you wouldn’t show up. I’m so glad that you’re here.”

“Well,
to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to come. I’m still not convinced
that I’m going to go through with this insane plan.”

Tyler
was overcome with panic. He needed Eddie’s help to find his brother. He looked
around to make sure he wouldn’t be overheard and then said, “You have to help.
We need you.”

“I saw
you jump into that bull pen. I don’t know if you’re brave or stupid.”

Eddie’s
attempt to avoid the subject was obvious, but Tyler couldn’t help but laugh. “I
was kinda wondering that myself after I jumped in there. No one else was around
though, and somebody had to save the kid.”

“How did
you manage to get the two of you out of there in one piece?”

“Um…I
guess you could say I have a way with animals.”

“Whatever
you did, it was pretty cool.”

“Can we
go somewhere else to talk?” Tyler hoped to convene their meeting elsewhere,
preferably somewhere far away from the rodeo grounds. “Kirby, my…guardian, is
going to be looking for me soon. If he finds me, we’re done.”

Just
then, the boy’s father walked over. He also sported a thick mustache and wore a
cowboy hat and boots. “I don’t know how I can ever thank you. You saved my son.
If there is anything that I can do for you, anything at all…”