Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 19.2 - Wanted List

<<Don't you dare play those games with me, Taner!>> Oak's mother said. <<Where's Oak?>>

"Leddie, I'm not hearing you," he loudly said, tapping open a menu and typing a string of code, all the meanwhile not raising his head. "Hello?"

<<Monita—>> Her voice abruptly cut off, interrupted by loud screeches and digital tones.

"Oh, will you look at that," Uncle Tamer flatly said, raising his head and ending the call. "We lost her."

The group sat in silence, listening to the hum of the car as it sped along the tracks.

"Oak...your mom's gonna kill me," he muttered, staring at the ceiling of the car.

"Usually I wouldn't agree with you, Uncle Taner," Oak slowly said. "But yeah, I think you're kinda fried this time."

"Wait until our mom finds out..." Syndria said. She was promptly met by a jab at her shoulder from Kronalia. "What?" she whispered. "I'm just stating facts."

"What do we do now, Uncle Taner?" Ivy said, looking at the map in front of him. "They're probably going to be swarming your house if that agent-lady put you on the Most Wanted list."

"I cannot believe Xiyane," he said, still staring at the ceiling.

"Um, we don't have much time before we get to your lab..." Kronalia nervously said.

She's right—we might almost be there, for all we know! Ivy thought.

"She really has it out for me, doesn't she?" Uncle Taner muttered.

"Uncle Taner?" Oak said. "Are we still going to your lab?"

He sighed.

The group exchanged a look.

"Hello?" Ivy said, venturing to scoot next to him and waving a hand in front of his face. "Uncle Taner?"

"What?" he growled, snapping to attention and glaring at Ivy. She flinched away.

"Are we still going to your lab?" Syndria said.

"Oh, right," he muttered, returning to the map. Quickly, he typed a series of codes into the screen.

The car slowed. Ivy shifted as it veered paths, staring out the window and watching as the nearing city in the distance shrank away. She swallowed back a growing feeling of unease. I...shouldn't have come back, she thought. It's made everything so much worse...

"I have a couple of other hideouts," he finally said. "I've put in the coordinates and masked our car. We should reach the next closest one in another three hours."

"I'm sorry," Ivy said, staring at her feet. "This is all my fault. If I didn't try so hard to come back, we wouldn't be here, and no one would be in danger, and you wouldn't be on this Wanted List or whatever it is..."

"True," Uncle Taner agreed. He looked at Ivy with an appraising glance. "But only partially. Believe me, this is not your fault. Xiyane's had it out for me ever since..." He trailed off, his eyes growing distant. Ivy glanced at the others.

"What's with him?" she mouthed.

Oak shrugged, his face bewildered.

Uncle Taner shook his head. "Well, never mind about it," he finally said. "What matters is that I would have ended up on this Wanted List one way or the other. You just happen to be the latest excuse for her to put me on there." He stood and ambled to a back row of seats. "Now excuse me while I take a nap." He stared despairingly out the window. "Or something."

"...Is he okay?" Ivy asked, keeping her voice low.

"Definitely not," Syndria said.

Ivy turned to Oak. "Have you ever seen him like that before?" she whispered.

"I didn't even know it was possible for him to act like that," Oak whispered back, watching as Uncle Taner leaned against the side of the cabin, his back to them. "Then again, I don't think he's ever gotten on the Most Wanted list before."

"Come to think of it... Do you know of anyone who's gotten on the Most Wanted list?" Kronalia said. "This is major."

"What happens when they do?" Ivy asked.

They all stared at each other, then shrugged.

"They essentially... disappear," Carbon finally said.

Oak shook his head. "Out of all the times he's gotten into trouble, this has got to be the worst."

"That's an understatement," Syndria muttered.

"What's gonna happen now...?" Ivy said.

Oak shrugged. "Dunno."

"At least we're together?" Syndria optimistically said.

"Right," Oak said with a small smile. "I'm glad we were able to join you, Ivy."

"I'm glad to have friends here with me," Ivy agreed, returning the smile.

She looked at the fluorescent lightbulb, then Uncle Taner.

He appeared to have fallen asleep, his shoulders rhythmically rising and falling. "Does he usually sleep when he gets super stressed, or is that new too?" Kronalia slowly asked, glancing at Oak.

"Guys, I'm not an expert on Uncle Taner," he helplessly said. "I just know this whole thing is new for all of us."

The six solemnly nodded, then fell into silence.

"Hey...guys?" Ivy whispered her voice barely audible.

"Yeah?" Oak whispered back, leaning closer to hear her. "I can barely hear you."

"That's the point," she said. "Do you all know why I was trying to come back in the first place?" she continued.

"Why?" Syndria asked, her eyes lighting with interest.

"I think this bulb might be what you guys need!" she said with a smile. "You mentioned yttrium, right?"

"... Yttrium?" Carbon whispered, his eyes widening. "The lost element!"

Oak's gaze darkened as he stared at Uncle Taner. He still appeared asleep. "Let's talk...when we're not in such close quarters," he whispered. A small smile grew on his lips. "But if that's the case," he said. "We might be able to move on to the next step!"