When Many-Stories told me that nemesis stuff, I didn't know I'd be the one unleashing it on everybody. Well, I'm also gonna be the one that stops it.
One thing's for sure, Tulip's headed toward what used to be his home--the Once-Kingdom. I don't know where it is, besides that it's in Virginia, near Dooms, Mr. Unger and Belle Lake. So that's where I have to go.
It takes me a while to figure out that the shed I opened the door in was in Arkansas. Those stupid keys ended up taking me farther away from where I wanted to end up! The bad news is that the Tengu and Mirabelle'll still be after me, but the good news is that there's no way they'd expect to find me this far away from where I was. The closer I get to Dooms, though, the more careful I have to be.
I alternate between hitchhiking and following trails. I sleep when I can, which isn't much, and when I do, I have another nightmare. Nothing new on that one, right? This one ... I can't say all of it. I wish Toby was around. I could tell him anything. Hell, you can tell anybody anything when they can't hear you.
When I'm hungry, I scrounge for what I can. After days and days, I end up on the interstate and in Virginia. My feet hurt. At least I don't hear "Kon! Kon!" echoing around me. Not yet, anyway.
Doesn't anyone drive down this stretch of highway?
Hitchhiking used to be fun. I know, you always hear how dangerous it is. With Kon, it never was. We'd sit in the back and have a great time. And the people driving us seemed okay with things. But now, as I slink along the road with my thumb stuck out, I realize just how out of control this is.
The first guy that stops giggles WAY too much. I think I'd rather catch a ride with Lijah, if that tells you anything.
"You need ...**giggle**" he leans out the window, "...a ... **giggle ** ride?"
Not with you I don't. Shaking my head, I start walking.
"No ... **giggle** you need a ride." When I still don't get in, Giggle-box drives
beside me. When I walk faster, he drives faster to keep up with me. I veer off to the right to disappear into a small grove of trees. It takes about five minutes for him to give up.
After that a trucker stops but I have a bad feeling about him. Probably just a case of nerves but I've seen TV. I don't want to end up as some John Doe found in the woods, in a newspaper headline. Kon and I didn't have to worry about anything like this. Being human is freaking hard.
By the next afternoon, I'm ready to take the next ride I can, even if it's from Jack the Ripper. A little old lady pulls over. She has a dog about the size of a hamster perched on her lap.
After I get in and tell her where I'm headed, she steers the car back onto the road.
"He must be frozen to the bone, little miss Brownie." It takes me a little to realize that she's talking to her dog.
"I'm okay. Really." She doesn't think so. She blasts the heat. I feel like I'm sitting in front of a jet turbine.
"A boy like you shouldn't be out here on your own," she says, clicking her tongue against her teeth. "A mother worth her salt wouldn't let her boy run around like this. "
What the hell does that mean?
She's not done, though.
"I'd feel lucky to have a son like you. Yes, I would."
"Let's not talk about my mom," I say.
She thinks it's because it's a painful subject. It is, but not because Kon's a bad mom. I'm not gonna let somebody say anything bad about her, not even some little old lady.
أنت تقرأ
A TAIL OF NINE
الخيال (فانتازيا)Kitsune have more names than there are stars in the sky, but I only have one--Jack Jericho. Call Kon of the Many Tails whatever you want-fox-spirit, monster, kitsune, myth-to me, she's one thing-mom. But everybody's got a past, and hers is about to...
