“But you didn’t really see him hurt the bird. You said so.”
“I really don’t understand why you keep defending someone you say you didn’t even meet.” Binny responded to her younger sister’s interrogation.
Penny watched the interaction between the two siblings closely. Something remained unsaid, but she wasn’t sure what.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. Rembrandt is fine and Mom doesn’t need to worry about this.” Binny concluded.
Cassie shrugged as if to say fine with me, and then reached for the handle to Henry Huitre’s front door.
“Cassie! Remember what Mom said about knocking?” Binny admonished, but it was too late. The door was open.
Binny felt the air rush from out of her stomach. Standing in the living room was her mom and Henry Huitre… well… it looked like they were… dancing. They were definitely touching, and there was music. The music sounded old-timey.
A female voice sang over strings in French. The only words Binny could make out were ‘la mer’. Binny wasn’t sure what that meant. All the other words were getting jumbled. Her mother and Dr. Huitre weren’t just dancing, they were slow dancing. Her mother’s eyes were closed. It was so unbelievably inappropriate. And gross.
Years later, Binny would regret this invasion of privacy. Adult Binny would tell herself that looking inside her mother’s thoughts wasn’t a rational decision. It was an emotional one triggered by the sight of her mother’s closed eyes. Binny would never forget that image. Binny would also tell herself that she had hardly needed to look into her mother’s mind to know what she was thinking.
Binny looked into her own mind and upward to a sort of screen or projection. Her mother’s thoughts were on display. It looked like something that hadn’t happened yet. Or maybe something her mother was hoping would happen?
Binny saw stars glowing softly above her mother and Dr. Huitre. They leaned their elbows on the wall surrounding a rooftop patio. They alternated between taking sips of dark red wine and letting their shoulders touch as they looked out over the city below. Binny followed their gaze and recognized the Eiffel tower. But more than anything about the scene in her mother’s head Binny remembered the color.
“Are you… dancing with each other?” Cassie wrinkled her nose when she said ‘dancing’ and punctuated her question with a giggle.
Julie and Henry had been too focused on the music to notice the door open.
“Oh, hello children.” Dr. Huitre said.
Binny watched Huitre and her mother hastily disentangle. Huitre strode over to the stereo removing the needle from the record player with a dissonant scratch.
“It’s a record player! My mom has one of those.” Penny said.
“How was the walk kids?” Julie patted Rembrandt on the head.
Binny’s shot lasers at her mother from her eyes.
“Yes. I like the sound of the vinyl.” Huitre answered Penny.
“Fine Mom. Can we go now?” Cassie made an impatient face.
§
“Just trust me. This is something you need to see.” Zach assured Zoe.
“OK. But I need to go home soon. If I’m too late bringing Gabe home, I’ll get in trouble.”
Gabe was just happy to be along for the adventure. They wound their way through the Madrona hillside heading east from the park through tree-lined streets and mostly on overgrown switchbacking pedestrian paths. After a long flight of stairs they found themselves at an entrance to the Madrona Woods.
“It’s getting dark.” Gabe said.
“No it’s not. It’s just the trees blocking out the light.” Zoe answered. And then to Zach, “It’s in here? What you want to show me?”
“Yeah. Just a couple more minutes.”
Zach was about to take a step, and then turned to Zoe and Gabe, his eyes serious, “Before I show you, I need you to promise me to keep it a secret.”
Gabe nodded solemnly.
“How can I promise to keep something secret that I haven’t even seen?” Zoe complained.
“Just promise please.” Zach implored.
Zoe nodded, but inside remained non-comittal.
The woods felt extra quiet at this hour. Everyone had gone home for dinner. Zach had a pit in his stomach about what he was about to do. But it was the right thing, wasn’t it? Though Binny wouldn’t think so.
Zoe was convinced that the white-haired boy was doing something to the animals. When they’d seen the hurt cat Zach had his doubts about any connection to the white-haired boy. But when he saw the bird sitting next to the boy, and more importantly when he’d seen how the bird had flown away on that awkward and painful looking flight path, Zach knew that something was off, and that boy had something to do with it.
Zoe’s instincts had been right all along. And Zach’s instincts told him that Zoe was going to confront this boy one way or another. And she shouldn’t do that on her own.
Zach knew that Binny would be angry. Probably very angry. But Caleb had said that they needed to be a team. And Zach agreed. That was why he was about to do this. No matter what Binny thought Zach’s reasons were, Zach was just following Caleb’s advice. That was all.
§
“Are you coming honey?”
Binny remained on Huitre’s porch with her arms folded.
“Binny?” Julie implored her daughter.
A deep saturated pink. That was the color Binny had seen.
“Binny, it’s time to go home.” Julie repeated.
“Home? Which home is that?”
“Binny please. Let’s go to our home.”
Binny knew what pink meant. “Our home? I don’t know where that is. I know where your home is. And I know where my home is. But I don’t know where our home is. And you know why that is?”
“Binny please.” Julie sounded tired.
Binny had seen the pink in Zach’s thoughts after he’d first met that Zoe girl. Zach had been positively pink for days. “There is no our home anymore. And that’s because you left.”
Penny shifted on her feet not sure where to look.
“Honey, I didn’t leave.”
“Well I’m still there. Cassie and Zach are still there. Dad is still there. But you’re not. So I’m pretty sure you were the one that left.”
“That’s not what happened.” Julie’s voice only slightly more than a strained whisper.
If Binny could ban one color from the spectrum it would be pink. She never wanted to see that shade again. “And now you’re drinking wine and dancing with Dr. Huitre dreaming of flying off to Paris with him while Daddy sits at home alone. This is all your fault.” Binny said the last three words as if they were underlined.
Julie Jordan looked like she’d been punched in the stomach.
Tears streamed down Binny’s cheeks. “I’ll come home to my home when I’m good and ready. And I’m glad you don’t live there anymore because I don’t want to see you.” Binny turned and ran towards the woods.
Julie tried to hide her own tears as she turned to Penny. “Could you please go after her and make sure she’s safe. Just stick with her until she’s ready to come home?”
“Of course.” Penny said.
“Me too!” Cassie piped up.
All Julie could say was “OK.”
§
“Where? I don’t see anything.” Zoe asked.
“Right… here.” Zach pulled some of the ivy aside from the metal door.
“Oh wow. I didn’t even see it.” Zoe said.
“Cool.” Gabe added.
Zach opened the metal door and flipped on the lights that lined the long hallway into the abandoned bomb shelter that sat under the Madrona woods.
They walked until they ended up in what was now the makeshift Madrona Heroes headquarters. Not much had really changed since they first came upon it the previous summer. The dust still lay thick on most things.
Zoe said in a low voice, “What is this place?”
Gabe looked around the room wide-eyed coming upon Penny and Cassie’s now faint dust drawing from the previous summer, “The Madrona Heroes? What’s that?”
“That’s why I brought you both here.” Zach’s gaze moved from Gabe back to Zoe. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He usually couldn’t. It was disconcerting. But he’d come this far, and even if he wanted to turn back, he wasn’t sure that in Zoe’s presence he could come up with a plausible excuse for why he’d brought them down here other than the truth.
Zach pushed away the knot in his stomach that was woven out of thick strands of his sister’s disapproval and dove in. “I know you don’t want to talk about what happened at the playground the first time we met, so I won’t.”
Zoe’s eyebrows inched upward, but she stayed silent.
“I, well we, well, I, well…” Zach knew what he shouldn’t say, but what he should say was another matter.
Gabe was listening earnestly with an innocent look on his face.
Zach found it easier to concentrate if he looked more at Gabe than at Zoe. Sometimes, wondering what she was thinking made it impossible for him to form a complete sentence.
Zach tried again. “I have a superpower.”
“Wha – ” Zoe’s lips made the shape of an ‘O’. A beautiful O.
“Well, maybe it’s not super, but it’s a power nonetheless. Or if we’re being accurate. I have a certain skill or talent that appears to be unique among humans.”
Zach snuck a look back at Zoe’s face. He decided he’d better hurry. “I have a really good memory.”
Zoe’s shoulders slumped. “Oh please. that Pi thing? I could do that given time.”
Zach felt her trust slipping away.
“That’s awesome.” Gabe said.
“It’s not just really good. It’s exceptional.” Zach explained.
“Thanks for showing us the cool hideout, but I better get Gabe home in time for dinner.” Zoe motioned to her brother to leave.
Zach took a breath, “0582097494459230781640628”.
Zoe stopped moving.
Zach continued, “6208998628034825342117067”.
“What are those numbers?” Gabe asked.
“Ask your sister.” Zach replied.
Gabe looked up at Zoe.
She replied, “They’re the next fifty digits of Pi.”
“Want me to keep going?” Zach allowed himself a small smile.
“I suppose there’s no point in me checking your accuracy?” Zoe asked.
“Nope.” Zach’s smile got a little bigger.
“How many can you do?”
Zach could tell the wheels in Zoe’s mind were turning. “I memorized about the first 500 before I got bored. But give me a few minutes to read beyond that and I’m sure I could do more.”
“OK. I admit it. That and the clubhouse are very cool. In fact, really really cool. I’m impressed.” Zoe paused. It looked like she was searching for just the right words. “I’m just not sure how all this is connected to me.”
“It’s not just me. Penny, Binny, Cassie, all have powers too. Nobody else knows. This is our secret hideout. And I believe two things. First, if we use our powers together we can figure out what happened to the animals that got injured, and second,” Zach took a deep breath, “I think you’re one of us.”
§
Binny thought to herself that if she never ever saw that shade of dark pink again she’d be quite happy. What was her mother thinking? Dancing. So unbelievably gross.
Binny’s legs carried her through the woods on automatic. Her brain dedicated the absolute minimum amount of power to navigation while the rest was on absolute fire with rage and sadness. But what Binny felt most of all was betrayal.
Binny was so lost that she didn’t notice that the lights were already on as she entered the long concrete tunnel.
§
“What do you mean, I’m one of you?” Zoe asked Zach.
“What is she doing here?!?”
Zach, Zoe, and Gabe jumped a little, they were so surprised by Binny’s sudden appearance in the bunker.
“I can explain.” Zach took a tentative step forward.
“You’re the same. You’re just like her. You’re both the same.” Binny was wailing now. “Neither of you care. You just do what you want. No matter how it affects everyone else.”
Zoe looked like she was about to respond, but a look from Zach quieted her. He whispered, “She’s not talking about you.”
Binny didn’t hear over her tears. She just kept repeating herself. “The same. You’re both the same.”
“I’m so sorry Binny.” Zach knelt down next to his sister. “What happened?”
“What do you care? You weren’t there. You’re too busy with her.” Binny motioned towards Zoe.
“I care.”
“There you are.” Penny and Cassie burst into the room huffing and panting.
Penny knelt down next to Binny as well. “Your mom was worried when you ran off.”
Cassie too patted her crying sister on the back, but after a moment, noticed the new visitors to their secret underground lair. Cassie stood up, walked over to Gabe and Zoe spreading her hands wide, a big smile on her face, and said, “Welcome. Welcome to Madrona Heroes headquarters.”
§
Binny had retreated to a seat in the corner by the shelving. Penny sat by her side trying to be comforting, but couldn’t really think of much to do other than wait it out. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Binny this hurt and angry.
Zoe stood on the other side of the room, arms crossed, and also looking relatively unhappy. Periodically Zach would shuttle between Binny and Zoe. None of what he said to either seemed to make the situation any better.
“Are you okay Binny?” Cassie tried to comfort her sister.
“Leave me alone.”
“Fine. Sorry I tried to help.” Cassie marched off and offered Gabe a tour of their lair.
“I didn’t ask to come here.” Zoe said to Zach in a low voice on one of his trips to try and fix things.
“I know. It’s my fault.” Zach acknowledged.
“Of course it’s your fault.” Zoe’s words jumped on the end of Zach’s statement.
“She shouldn’t be here. Neither of them should be. We discussed this.” Binny had gotten up from her chair and was now pointing at Zoe.
“Bet you can’t catch me.” Cassie said to Gabe.
“Don’t point at me. It’s rude.” Zoe took a step towards Binny.
“I bet I can.” Gabe responded.
Gabe started running in circles around the large room with Cassie in tow.
“What’s rude is being somewhere you weren’t invited.” Binny pointed again for emphasis.
“I was invited.” Zoe took another step towards the center of the room. Zoe and Binny were six feet apart. The closer they got to each other, the louder each got.
“Not by me you weren’t. Not by me. One person doesn’t get to make decisions that affect everyone else.”
Penny kept putting her hand on Binny’s shoulder as much to comfort her as to stop her from advancing any further.
“Binny, just listen for a second. Zoe belongs here.” Zach said.
Cassie and Gabe chased each other through the room with increasing speed and volume.
“Can you two please stop running around.” Binny yelled.
“We can’t hear ourselves talk.” Zoe added.
Cassie and Gabe showed no sign that they’d heard either of their siblings.
Binny turned back to her brother, “No she does not.”
“This place is for kids with powers.” Zach said.
“You told her? You told her about our powers? What happened to not telling anyone?” The incredulous hurt expression looked like it might become a permanent resident on Binny’s face.
“I told you. She’s one of us.” Zach insisted.
“You told her what happened at the playground?” Now it was Zoe’s turn to look incredulous.
“I, I, –” Zach stuttered.
The noise from Cassie and Gabe’s horseplay was reverberating throughout the concrete room.
Binny and Zoe turned to their younger siblings and yelled at the exact same moment, “Can you two please STOP!”
Nobody knew whether it was their booming voices that distracted Cassie, made her more determined to run faster, or had nothing at all to do with what happened. One thing was clear, regardless of the reason, Cassie was going to hit the ground.
As Zoe and Binny yelled, Cassie’s leg got a little too far out from under her on a turn and she found herself sliding towards the wall on her side. In moments her leg was on fire where the momentum dragged it across the concrete floor.
Gabe was so focused on catching Cassie that he didn’t realize until too late that Cassie’s slide was not an effort to escape his clutches. Gabe wanted to catch Cassie but he didn’t want to trample her. In the split-second he had to decide, the only option he saw available that didn’t involve him crushing Cassie’s skull or ribcage was to jump over her.
The kids hadn’t inspected the walls much other than to draw in the dust that covered them. The walls of the shelter were mostly poured concrete. But one section of wall was covered in a big piece of plywood turned streaky gray with age. It was that precise part of the wall with which Gabe Flowers made contact in his desperate attempt to avoid Cassie’s now limp body on the ground.
Instinctively protecting his face, Gabe turned as he jumped so by the time he made impact with the wall he was mostly turned around with his back and his side taking the brunt of the impact.
The last thing everyone saw was Gabe flying through the wall, his arms and legs trailing after him like streamers from a kite. Gabe’s scream, which lasted much longer than seemed logical, ended with a distant thump. And just like that, Gabe was gone.
All that remained now was a gaping dark hole where there used to be wall.