CHAPTER
Twenty-seven
I move around the room carefully as to not stir up all the dust that lines every bit of the hotel room. It reeks of stale air and smoke. I don’t think I’ll be able to stay a night here, let alone be in here for more than an hour.
“Ok now, that is gross,” Tristis says on his way out of the bathroom that has the humming rumble of a fan coming out of it. He flips the light switch and the light goes out along with the sound. He stands for a moment in the doorway of the bathroom, “This place can’t be sanitary.”
“It’s just for the time being,” Cynthia says through a contorted face as she releases the bed covers from her hands letting them fall flatly back onto the bed coughing up a cloud of dust. The dust particles float and dance in the rays of sunlight coming in through the holes in the window curtains. She pats her hands together to rub something from them.
The awkward silence that follows, as we all try to find somewhere to settle into in the room, puts me on edge. Cynthia gently lowers herself onto the foot of the bed and sits carefully with her legs crossed, hands placed atop her knees and an intent face scanning the room.
Each second that passes her face grows more and more horrified as she registers the room in its entirety. It’s pretty gross but that doesn’t stop Tristis from sprinting to the bed flinging himself sideways while simultaneously laying outstretched, hands rested behind his head. He lands as a cloud of debris is exploded from the bed.
“Tris!” Cynthia says hoping to her feet.
“What?” Tristis says through muffled coughs and a smirk firmly planted on his face. I can’t help but smile and chuckle a little.
“And you,” Cynthia turns to look at me. “What’s at this dinner that has you so interested in it? You can’t keep lying to us and keeping secrets from us. You’ve got a real hot head you know and its gonna get us in trouble if you don’t start trusting us more.”
Her comment wipes the smile from my face. Whether or not her reaction is over-exaggerated because of Tristis’ playing around, she’s right. I tend to get into trouble when I don’t talk to them about what’s going on. I let out a sigh and realize I might as well let them know.
I tell them all about Aubri. About how I met her just the night before meeting them and how I hit it off with her. That night in the diner. The date. Everything. Even the warehouse scene that got me in this mess. The police station, Officer Gibson and the interrogation room. (Tristis was more interested in the police breakout then the rest of my story for obvious reasons).
Talking to Cynthia about my love interests felt weird at first, but got easier as she seemed to be undeterred by it.
“Back when I was in the cell Valde had said something about her,” I say getting to the important part.
“About Aubri?” Cynthia asks.
I nod.
“What’d he say?” Cynthia asks.
“He said that he was going to finish ‘the job’. The one I was supposed to have completed on my last field test with Hilt. She along with the rest of this timeline was supposed to be destroyed during that test. But for some reason it wasn’t and still exists,” my response is followed by a couple of blank stares, “she’s in danger unless I can do something to save her. Somehow… I just don’t know how yet.”
“Well what are we waiting for,” Tristis hops off of the dirty bed and brushed his backside off, “let’s go save Aubri!” He throws his fist in the air and mimics a superhero pose. Cynthia nudges him towards the bed and he falls onto it again releasing a cloud of dust. He grabs her hand on the way down and pulls her screaming onto the bed. They wrestle around for a bit and then get up off the bed, both brushing the dust off.
“Yeah we should Alex. Besides I’m getting kind of hungry anyway.”
“Me too.” Tristis adds.
We shove most of our belongings, though not very much, under the bed hoping that will keep it safe for the time being. I throw on a long sleeve to try to cover up the localizer. I can’t afford to leave it just in case we need it. The shirt conceals it for the most part. Then we all gladly leave the room. Remembering the direction the lady behind the desk had pointed we start down the road. The beginning of the walk starts out quiet but eventually a conversation is struck and its centered around me.
“So Alex if we are going to have any chance of finding your father you are going to have to start thinking about your childhood. For clues and hints at where he may have been or might be,” Cynthia says as she watches the ground pass by beneath our feet.
“There’s not much of what I remember from my childhood. Especially when it comes to my parents,” The wound saying the words opens only stings for a moment. “I was in and out of foster homes and orphanages.”
“There’s gotta be something you can think of that ties you to your father, there just has to be,” Tristis says making me grow defensive.
“There wasn’t and isn’t. My parents left me when I was only six. They didn’t want anything to do with me then, why would they now…”
I know it’s not fair to take it out on Tristis like this but lately my feelings have seemed to be displaced. The person deserving of this anger, my father, has recently become my source of salvation now. It’s hard to need someone who was never around and who I’ve foster such distaste for.
“I’m sorry Tris. I just really don’t remember much.”
Tristis nods in acceptance of my apology.
“Well, just tell us what you can, whether it’s about your father or not.” Cynthia says.
I try hard to think back to my childhood. The one in which I’ve spent the last 12 years or so of my life trying to forget.
“Well, one of the first foster families I remember having lived in San Diego somewhere. I only stayed with them for a year or two. They were nice people. Couldn’t keep me once they had a child of their own.”
Cynthia waits for a small pause before asking, “Where did you go next?”
“I think it was the orphanage. Yeah the orphanage. I was there for about 6 months before getting kicked out.”
“Why’d you get kicked out?” Tristis asks.
“I guess one night while I was sleeping one of the Nuns came into the sleeping room and noticed me, well, noticed me levitating in bed or something. They kicked me out the next day thinking that I was doing some sort of witchcraft or wizardry thing.”
Tristis bursts out in laughter. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!”
Cynthia begins giggling as well and I can’t help but see the humor in it now.
After the laughter dies down Cynthia ask,”Where was the orphanage at?”
“It was a ‘B’ name, that’s all I remember. Bry— Bel—, Belize I think.”
“Isn’t that in South America?” Tristis asks.
“Yeah I think so, Why?”
“Well, how did an orphan in San Diego ever get into an Orphanage in Belize?”
I don’t have a good answer for his question so I just shrug my shoulders and respond, “Beats me. I was like ten at the time.”
“What about after that?” Cynthia asks with her face showing deep thought.
“I don’t know, just a bunch of other foster homes and orphanages I guess.”
She must sense my limit being reached because she seems to stop looking like she is intently thinking and turns to grab tristis’ hand. She slips her fingers into his and his body immediately calms as if someone just gave him a shot of Ritalin.
We continue to walk in and out of silence until we round a corner letting the diner and gas station come into view. My heart skips a beat as I realize that I’m about to see Aubri again for the first time in months. And then it hits me.
What am I going to say about where I’ve been? How am I going to convince her she is in danger and needs to come with me without sounding like a crazy person?
The next few moments happen in quick succession and begin blurring into each other, before I know it we are in the diner and being seated by a lady much larger and older than Aubri who smells like bacon grease and maple syrup.
I fail to ask her the first time when she seats us because of my nerves, but through time passing and Tristis’ persistent elbowing I gain the courage to ask about Aubri.
“Excuse me, Do you know if Aubri is working today?” I ask through a shaky voice. I nudge Tristis in the ribs knowing he’s laughing at me on the inside. I must’ve been right because he doesn’t retaliate.
The waitresses face shifts slightly as if she didn’t understand my question. “I’m sorry she’s… she’s been missing for a few months now. She was, taken.”
Tension grips my lungs and holds my next breath ransom for more info on Aubri being missing.
Noticing my inability to get anymore words out of my mouth Cynthia asks for me, “When was she taken? And by who?”
“It was a few months ago, can’t quite remember the day exactly but it was after one of her late night shifts. Some guy in a black car had grabbed her and kidnapped her. Just drove off with her,” The lady seemed distraught by recalling the event and she excuses herself from us and walks away.
My hands slowly clench into fists as my heart beat becomes irregular pumping adrenaline throughout my body at an enormous rate. I feel on the verge of exploding and the room seems to drift outward expanding as my eyes focus from the extreme adrenaline.
“Alex…” Cynthia lets out.
She reaches her hand out to grab mine and I pull it away.
“Alex…”
I feel my body begin to flux and flow with my power and the table begins to rumble, shaking its contents into a symphony of noise and clatter. I quickly slide out from behind the table and stand up.
“Alex, wait…” Tristis tries to follow but I am out the door before he even gets up.
I stop outside the diner and pull up my long sleeve revealing my localizer. I press the buttons until the date and time of our first meeting is displayed and I waste no time. The energy is released from my body with such force, and I am immediately gone. Out of sight.