Ruby Red Marionette

thirtythree | fragrance

She and I left him, walking through the doors to start on our research. 

I had a feeling that today would be just as disappointing as yesterday. 

~~~

We found some valuable information.

We hadn't exactly connected any of what we found to the bombings, but we would eventually. Batul was doing extensive research on gas explosions, since the detectives told me that the first explosion at the fish stop was due to one. With what she found, she might be able to debunk his claims. She just needed more exact information on how the explosion happened at the actual site. I was doing research on bombs—how they're built, the different types, and the effects of the different types. Tyler was looking up how one could get access to the military-access bombs that Charlie claimed were used. 

By the time we left, we had close to a level of expertise on all three subjects. All we needed was to connect the dots. 

I wanted to stay longer, but Batul and Tyler were desperate to know what Isaiah and Yvette had found. (Well, Tyler wanted to go home.) They were right; the others did have an interesting assignment, and if they had as much success as we did, their information would help us even more. 

"Guys, I have something to confess." Tyler said to us. It was dark out now, a little after seven o'clock, and we were the only ones on the street. The air had grown more cold. 

"What is it?" I asked him. 

Holding his stomach, he said: "I'm lactose intolerant." 

Batul rolled her eyes. "And you ate three ice cream sandwiches?" 

"I couldn't resist!" 

"Don't worry, Tyler." I shook my head. "We'll be home soon." 

This wasn't exactly true. The library was far from Isaiah's house, and we couldn't walk fast. The faster we walked, the more breeze we created around ourselves. We didn't need to add to the biting wind that already whipped past us. 

"I have something to confess also," Batul said, "but it's a little more serious than Tyler's bullshit." 

"Go ahead." 

"I'm depressed." She said. 

"Yeah, I could tell by the way you've been acting all day." Tyler replied. "And you didn't do your weird sitting-still thing." 

"You mean meditating. I've been struggling to keep up with myself. Ever since that one night, I was really apathetic and didn't care about myself or anyone else. Then I found you all again, and I realized that there was hope for me. Just talking to you all, sharing energy, felt good. So I tried to make a change in my behavior and actually care for myself, but it hasn't been working. Praying, meditating, using healing crystals, and learning new things used to make me feel good. I used to do it effortlessly. Now, everything feels forced. I have to remind myself to do certain things. Nothing feels natural anymore." 

"That's because it isn't." I told her. "You'll never get anywhere by doing that. If you're depressed and the things that used to make you happy aren't working anymore, maybe you should just stop. Take a break from those things. Yes, those things are helpful and all, but sometimes you have to fall back. Do new things. Don't do anything at all. Just relax, you know? Take some time to focus on other things. Help out dogs or kids. If those things that you normally do are all about you, do things that are all about other people. Charity, tutoring, whatever. Just don't force it. I've had periods of my life—in fact, for my whole life, I've been doing nothing. I don't make an effort to actually do anything. The only difference is that I usually concentrate on myself, but maybe you should do the opposite." 

Batul listened to me the entire time, quietly nodding her head. When I finished, she stopped walking, came up to me, and fist-bumped me. This was her thank you. 

It was very confusing how I could give people such good advice but I had none for myself. 

"When I have problems, Geneva, I'll come to you." Tyler told me. 

"You already have problems." 

"Yeah, but—

A quick, sharp object zoomed past us then, burning a perfect hole in the metal gate of the house next to us. We looked to our right, but there was another one coming from our left. Every time we dodged there were more. We ran as far as we could, searching frantically for cover, but we couldn't leave the block. Right when we saw a car parked on the opposite side of the street, the source of the bullets stood right in front of us. 

A cop. And then more cops. 

They surrounded us. They had us fenced in. There were about ten, maybe fifteen of them, all standing in a circle around us with their guns raised. Then all at once, they started shooting. 

It was strange that none of the bullets hit us. We could see them flying, but we managed to dodge them all. The cops kept firing, and it could not have been more than ten seconds that passed before they stopped. Suddenly, a siren began to go off. When I heard it at first, I thought that it was the real cops coming to get these, but instead something else happened. Inn unison just as they started, the bullets ceased. They put their guns down. Snipers on top of nearby buildings, who I hadn't noticed before, put their guns down also. They looked at us, all twenty-three cops including the snipers (I counted), and then did the most unexpected. 

They smiled at us. 

The officer in the front tipped his hat at us. "Have a good night, folks." 

They walked away in a single-file line. They all wore badges, but I couldn't tell if they were real. I couldn't tell if any of this was real. Tyler's left arm had been grazed. 

It took about a whole minute for the three of us to catch our breath and remember how to speak again. 

"What the hell just happened?" Batul asked in a soft, breathless voice.

In the literal sense, over twenty police officers just surrounded us, started shooting us, and then stopped when an unfamiliar siren went off. Then they smiled and told us to have a good night. 

But I couldn't say that, so I said the only thing I could. 

"I don't know."