“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking – is Jack Hunter really worth all this trouble? He’s just a high school student,” One of the suits asks. Tweed-guy sighs.
“Yes. He’s in high school. But he’s four months away from college. It’s just a matter of time before the Harvard scouts sniff his brilliance out, and I intend to recruit it before them. I won’t let Aramon take this one from me. He’s too smart, too ruthless, and too perfect. He is the future of my company. Now, get back to searching. The body has to be here somewhere. Look for a badly-dug grave, six by two feet.”
Body. They aren’t talking about Tallie’s body. They’re after a full-grown, adult body. How do they know about that night? How are they so sure it’s buried here at all? And who the heckle is Tweed-guy’s source?
I move my leg because it's cramping, and it's the last thing I ever do. Theoretically. In the alternate reality where they have guns. But they don't. All they have are ears. Which is slightly problematic.
"What the hell was that?" One of the suits looks up.
"Deer?" The other offers.
"No deer here," Tweed-guy says. "Moriyama, check over there."
A suit starts moving towards me, his back hunched and his fists clenched. Saying I don't wanna get caught by these guys is like saying being on fire is a mild discomfort. My heart throbs in my ears. I scrabble for a rock and chuck it to the left of me. The suit freezes, and starts gravitating towards the noise, and I move in the opposite direction around the log, slowly.
And then something fuzzy scampers over my leg, and, unable to contain my fabulous voice, I yelp. Or sing an opera. I can't be sure, because all of a sudden there's chaos, and I'm running, and someone's running after me, and the Tweed-guy is shouting, and a hand grasps my hair and I stop dead in my tracks and duck, and he goes soaring over my head down the hill, a chunk of hair in his hand.
"Thanks for ruining the do, doo-doo!" I scream. My gloating's short-lived, as the other suit catches up with me and puts his arms around my torso, pinning my own arms to my side.
"Fuck you! Unhand me at once!"
"Don't think so, princess." He struggles to contain my flailing. I switch up my voice to make it sweet.
"Please let go of me. Your future children will thank you."
"What?"
I take his moment of confusion and dig my heel into his crotch. He lets out a strangled moan and collapses, and I tear away and slide down the hill. My car isn't far down the trail. Air burns like cold flame as it goes down. My legs want to collapse and never work again. It's not fear. Okay, it's a little bit of fear. But like, 15%. 60% is elation at what a fantastic ninja I'd make, and the last 25% is my mind screaming at me to let Jack know about these f**kers. Platonically. We'd texted earlier and I said some dumb shit about Tallie, but he didn't seem mad. Hopefully my luck sticks long enough. Hopefully my stupid newfound butthead fear of him keeps it's voice down.
Finally the trail gives way to the parking lot, and I scrabble into my lime-green Beatle. Don't let me down baby. It coughs and sputters as it starts, and I glance wildly back at the trail entrance. "C'mon, c'mon, now is not the time to fart out on me! Pick another time! Like, you know, when I'm not running for my life from mysterious gangsters with thousand-dollar suits and tiny nuts!"
The engine roars to life, and I do the greatest u-turn in Ohio. Which is saying a lot, because everyone here drives like they just got their license and are celebrating with six beers.
***
I pull over only when there are ten miles between me and Lake Galonagah, and fourteen McDonald's to choose from. They'll never find me. Unless they saw my car in the parking lot and are looking for it now, which is likely. I consider a midnight paintjob. Maybe I could just, I dunno, bathe it in the blood of my enemies really quick and turn it red? Avery doesn't have enough blood, though, and I feel kind of sorry for her, and the only other people I really hate are the people chasing me, and they are not an option because they are chasing me, and -
"Did you want ketchup with that?"
I look up, the cashier handing me my order of fries. Just fries. An entire bag of fries.
"Ketchup is the great illusion. Only when you put barbeque sauce on your fries will you know truth and freedom,” I chastise.
He looks appropriately enlightened. I head to the nearest, least-greasy table and inhale my kill. When my writhing stomach is appeased slightly, I text Jack.
"I need to talk to you. In person. Right now."
His response is nigh-instantaneous.
"What happened? Is something wrong?"
"I don't wanna talk about it over text. Where are you?"
"Come to the Hilton, on first and broadview street. I'll meet you in the lobby."
I grab my bag of fries and head out. I shouldn't be scared. I shouldn't be feeling nervous. I told him off but I'm the dragon, and he's just a prince, and I breathe fire and I meddled and hurt the people he loves, and him, but I'm still the dragon, and I can fly away if I need to. I'll be fine. I am always fine. I survived Nameless. I survived Leo. I can survive this. I'm fine. I'm fine.
I find a parking space four blocks away. The Hilton is small compared to the one in Columbus, but it's fancy - fresh orchids and a fountain in the marble-floor lobby. The concierge smiles at me. Jack is waiting, sitting in a leather chair with too-perfect posture and a lazy flannel shirt and jeans. He's on edge. The second I walk through the doors he bolts up and walks over.
"What happened?" He demands. "Are you alright?"
"I won a million d-dollars," I say. I can't look at his face for some reason. Shame. Shame and guilt, probably.
"You're shaking like a leaf. Come. It's warmer in the room."
"No - I -" I pull away. "I just, I just want to tell you something, and then I'll leave. I don't want to - I don't want to -"
"Be in the same room as me?" His voice is low.
"Just…don't be nice to me. I'd appreciate it if you'd just momentarily forget I've been pretending you don't exist for the last few weeks long enough for me to tell you this. Just like, develop amnesia. Wait, shit. Don't. I've been there. It's terrible. Also, there's a lot of jello involved."
"Isis -"
"There's someone digging around in your past. Other than me, I mean. I saw them at the lake."
Jack's eyes narrow.
"I'm sorry, I went to see Tallie again, because Sophia - she asked me to, and -"
He starts walking away, to the elevator.
"Hey! Wait! I'm not done talking to you!"
"Get in."
"Uh, no? Have you not seen The Grudge? Getting in elevators after dark is asking for the voodoos."
"You either get in this elevator and come back with me to the room, or you leave."
I puff my cheeks out and agonize for four whole seconds.
"Fine! But I'm leaving right after!"
"I'll kick you out promptly," He promises. Somehow, it makes me feel better, but in a weird twingy-gut way. The doors close and he hits the button for floor eleven. There are approximately thirty seconds of us standing together in a closed space. He smells like mint and sweat in the best way. I mash myself into the farthest corner and think about how much he and Sophia like each other and it works, keeps my head above the swirling memories lurking just beneath the surface of that smell. The elevator opens and he leads me to room 1106. It's not a big room, but it's beautiful, and the queen bed is disheveled in a way only sex can dishevel things. Not that I'd know. But it's messy, and sex is messy, all those fluids, and I really have to stop thinking about sex while I'm facing down my nemesis, who I incidentally do not like in any way, I am just concerned about various creepy suited men in my neighborhood because I am a good Samaritan, that's all -
“Yes. He’s in high school. But he’s four months away from college. It’s just a matter of time before the Harvard scouts sniff his brilliance out, and I intend to recruit it before them. I won’t let Aramon take this one from me. He’s too smart, too ruthless, and too perfect. He is the future of my company. Now, get back to searching. The body has to be here somewhere. Look for a badly-dug grave, six by two feet.”
Body. They aren’t talking about Tallie’s body. They’re after a full-grown, adult body. How do they know about that night? How are they so sure it’s buried here at all? And who the heckle is Tweed-guy’s source?
I move my leg because it's cramping, and it's the last thing I ever do. Theoretically. In the alternate reality where they have guns. But they don't. All they have are ears. Which is slightly problematic.
"What the hell was that?" One of the suits looks up.
"Deer?" The other offers.
"No deer here," Tweed-guy says. "Moriyama, check over there."
A suit starts moving towards me, his back hunched and his fists clenched. Saying I don't wanna get caught by these guys is like saying being on fire is a mild discomfort. My heart throbs in my ears. I scrabble for a rock and chuck it to the left of me. The suit freezes, and starts gravitating towards the noise, and I move in the opposite direction around the log, slowly.
And then something fuzzy scampers over my leg, and, unable to contain my fabulous voice, I yelp. Or sing an opera. I can't be sure, because all of a sudden there's chaos, and I'm running, and someone's running after me, and the Tweed-guy is shouting, and a hand grasps my hair and I stop dead in my tracks and duck, and he goes soaring over my head down the hill, a chunk of hair in his hand.
"Thanks for ruining the do, doo-doo!" I scream. My gloating's short-lived, as the other suit catches up with me and puts his arms around my torso, pinning my own arms to my side.
"Fuck you! Unhand me at once!"
"Don't think so, princess." He struggles to contain my flailing. I switch up my voice to make it sweet.
"Please let go of me. Your future children will thank you."
"What?"
I take his moment of confusion and dig my heel into his crotch. He lets out a strangled moan and collapses, and I tear away and slide down the hill. My car isn't far down the trail. Air burns like cold flame as it goes down. My legs want to collapse and never work again. It's not fear. Okay, it's a little bit of fear. But like, 15%. 60% is elation at what a fantastic ninja I'd make, and the last 25% is my mind screaming at me to let Jack know about these f**kers. Platonically. We'd texted earlier and I said some dumb shit about Tallie, but he didn't seem mad. Hopefully my luck sticks long enough. Hopefully my stupid newfound butthead fear of him keeps it's voice down.
Finally the trail gives way to the parking lot, and I scrabble into my lime-green Beatle. Don't let me down baby. It coughs and sputters as it starts, and I glance wildly back at the trail entrance. "C'mon, c'mon, now is not the time to fart out on me! Pick another time! Like, you know, when I'm not running for my life from mysterious gangsters with thousand-dollar suits and tiny nuts!"
The engine roars to life, and I do the greatest u-turn in Ohio. Which is saying a lot, because everyone here drives like they just got their license and are celebrating with six beers.
***
I pull over only when there are ten miles between me and Lake Galonagah, and fourteen McDonald's to choose from. They'll never find me. Unless they saw my car in the parking lot and are looking for it now, which is likely. I consider a midnight paintjob. Maybe I could just, I dunno, bathe it in the blood of my enemies really quick and turn it red? Avery doesn't have enough blood, though, and I feel kind of sorry for her, and the only other people I really hate are the people chasing me, and they are not an option because they are chasing me, and -
"Did you want ketchup with that?"
I look up, the cashier handing me my order of fries. Just fries. An entire bag of fries.
"Ketchup is the great illusion. Only when you put barbeque sauce on your fries will you know truth and freedom,” I chastise.
He looks appropriately enlightened. I head to the nearest, least-greasy table and inhale my kill. When my writhing stomach is appeased slightly, I text Jack.
"I need to talk to you. In person. Right now."
His response is nigh-instantaneous.
"What happened? Is something wrong?"
"I don't wanna talk about it over text. Where are you?"
"Come to the Hilton, on first and broadview street. I'll meet you in the lobby."
I grab my bag of fries and head out. I shouldn't be scared. I shouldn't be feeling nervous. I told him off but I'm the dragon, and he's just a prince, and I breathe fire and I meddled and hurt the people he loves, and him, but I'm still the dragon, and I can fly away if I need to. I'll be fine. I am always fine. I survived Nameless. I survived Leo. I can survive this. I'm fine. I'm fine.
I find a parking space four blocks away. The Hilton is small compared to the one in Columbus, but it's fancy - fresh orchids and a fountain in the marble-floor lobby. The concierge smiles at me. Jack is waiting, sitting in a leather chair with too-perfect posture and a lazy flannel shirt and jeans. He's on edge. The second I walk through the doors he bolts up and walks over.
"What happened?" He demands. "Are you alright?"
"I won a million d-dollars," I say. I can't look at his face for some reason. Shame. Shame and guilt, probably.
"You're shaking like a leaf. Come. It's warmer in the room."
"No - I -" I pull away. "I just, I just want to tell you something, and then I'll leave. I don't want to - I don't want to -"
"Be in the same room as me?" His voice is low.
"Just…don't be nice to me. I'd appreciate it if you'd just momentarily forget I've been pretending you don't exist for the last few weeks long enough for me to tell you this. Just like, develop amnesia. Wait, shit. Don't. I've been there. It's terrible. Also, there's a lot of jello involved."
"Isis -"
"There's someone digging around in your past. Other than me, I mean. I saw them at the lake."
Jack's eyes narrow.
"I'm sorry, I went to see Tallie again, because Sophia - she asked me to, and -"
He starts walking away, to the elevator.
"Hey! Wait! I'm not done talking to you!"
"Get in."
"Uh, no? Have you not seen The Grudge? Getting in elevators after dark is asking for the voodoos."
"You either get in this elevator and come back with me to the room, or you leave."
I puff my cheeks out and agonize for four whole seconds.
"Fine! But I'm leaving right after!"
"I'll kick you out promptly," He promises. Somehow, it makes me feel better, but in a weird twingy-gut way. The doors close and he hits the button for floor eleven. There are approximately thirty seconds of us standing together in a closed space. He smells like mint and sweat in the best way. I mash myself into the farthest corner and think about how much he and Sophia like each other and it works, keeps my head above the swirling memories lurking just beneath the surface of that smell. The elevator opens and he leads me to room 1106. It's not a big room, but it's beautiful, and the queen bed is disheveled in a way only sex can dishevel things. Not that I'd know. But it's messy, and sex is messy, all those fluids, and I really have to stop thinking about sex while I'm facing down my nemesis, who I incidentally do not like in any way, I am just concerned about various creepy suited men in my neighborhood because I am a good Samaritan, that's all -
