Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) (4 page)

Tyler
was ready to say that he didn’t need anything. He was just happy that he had
been in the right place at the right time, but then he looked over the man’s
shoulder and spotted Kirby. He was near the food vendors and headed their way.

He
turned his attention back to the boy’s father. “Actually, sir, this may sound
strange, but there is something that you could do for me…if you wouldn’t mind.
Do you see that man over there, in the green overalls, walking this direction?”
Tyler nodded his head toward Kirby.

The
boy’s father glanced over his shoulder. “I do.”

“Well,
you see, I was supposed to be working and picking up trash. If he finds out
that I was over here and not doing my job, I might get fired. Do you think that
you could maybe forget that you saw me and distract him for a minute or two, so
that I have time to get back to where I’m supposed to be?”

The man
smiled and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. “I was young once, too. No
boy wants to be stuck picking up trash at a rodeo while there are pretty girls
to see and excitement going on. I understand. Don’t you worry about it. I’ve
got you covered. You go on that way and get outta here. I’ll keep your boss
talking for a few minutes.

Tyler
grinned, thankful for his good luck. “Thank you so much!”

“No
thanks needed, young man. It’s the least I can do. Now, go on that way, behind
the trailers, and get outta here.”

“Thank
you, sir!” Tyler turned to Eddie, with a smile. “Come on. Let’s go.”

They
escaped between two horse trailers and made a beeline for the parking lot.

It
wasn’t until they had reached Eddie’s Jeep that Tyler spoke. “I need to get my
bag. I left it in Kirby’s car.” He had stowed the duffle bag, filled with
clothing, on the floor of the backseat of the car, the night before. The floor
was riddled with old McDonald’s sacks, work boots, receipts, coats, and water
bottles. It seemed the rubble had taken up permanent residence, and Tyler knew
it was unlikely that it would be cleaned up, anytime soon. He had been
confident that his bag would remain safely hidden.

“Where’s
the car?”

“It’s
parked on the other side of the lot.”

“Hop in.
We’ll drive.”

Halfway
across the parking lot, Tyler realized that he was holding his breath and had a
death-grip on the edge of the seat, as Eddie careened down one dusty lane and
up another. He prayed that no children ran out from behind a car as they left a
trail of blooming dust in their tracks.

Tyler
didn’t want to be a backseat driver to someone he had just met, but at the same
time, he felt compelled to speak. “I, uh…know we’re in a hurry and all, but you
might want to slow down a bit so you don’t draw attention.”

Eddie
glanced at the speedometer and immediately released pressure from the gas
pedal. “Sorry, I’m usually a cautious driver. I just…” He shook his head and
kept his eyes trained on the parking lot, now driving at the designated speed
limit. Then he glanced at Tyler. “I just had my priorities all laid out. You
know? College. My future. I had it all figured out. And then your brother came
along and kinda threw a kink in my plans. I’m not ready to throw everything
I’ve worked for out the window and risk jail time for harboring a runaway.

“Before
I drive any further, where’s your father’s car?”

“Ugh,
Kirby? He’s definitely not my father. His car’s right over there though.” Tyler
pointed straight ahead and to the right. “It’s that old red Pontiac, second
from the end.”

Eddie
pulled up behind the car and parked. “This is it?”

“Yep.
I’ll just be a second. I left the bag in the backseat.”

Tyler
glanced at Eddie. There was an unmistakable look of concern written on his
face. Eddie had said that he wasn’t ready to throw everything he’d worked for
out the window. What was that supposed to mean? He’d come this far. Was he
going to back out now? Without conscious effort, he tuned in to Eddie’s
thoughts.

I
could just drive away
,
he heard Eddie think.
I could keep going, never look back, and pretend we
never met
.

“You
could,” Tyler said. “It’s definitely an option.”

Eddie
looked, as expected, very confused. “I could do what? What’s an option?”

“You
could drive away and never look back.”

“How did
you know…?”

Tyler
shrugged. “My brother’s not the only one with talent. It’s true. You could
drive away, pretend that you never met me, but it wouldn’t put an end to all of
this. My brother isn’t the one who threw a kink in your plans. The people who
kidnapped him are. You’re damn lucky that my brother had the power to contact
you. If he hadn’t, you could be in the same position that he’s in right now.
The people who took him want you, too.  Like it or not, we have to rely on each
other if we’re going to make it through this.

“Now, I
need to get my bag. Can I trust that you aren’t going to drive away once I get
out?”

Eddie
gave him a half smile. “Go ahead. I’ll wait right here.”

Tyler
checked on Eddie’s thoughts one more time. Once he was certain that his new
friend wasn’t going to leave him in the dust, he jumped out of the Jeep and
yanked on the door handle of Kirby’s car. It was locked. It couldn’t be. Kirby
never locked his car. He walked around the vehicle and tried each handle, but
to no avail.

Eddie
got out of the Jeep and came to stand by his side. “Car’s locked I take it?”

“Yeah. He
never locks the car.” He slammed his hand on the roof.

Eddie
sighed. “Just add breaking and entering to my police record, along with
kidnapping.”

Tyler
glanced at him. “You’re going to break in? Do you have a lot of experience with
breaking into cars?”

Eddie
scowled. “No, I don’t. Until I met you, the idea of breaking the law never
crossed my mind. Do you see anyone coming?”

Tyler
peered up and down the aisle of parked vehicles. They were parked in the back
of the lot, and thankfully, there was no one around. “Um, nope. Looks clear.”

“Good.
This should just take a moment.”

“What
will? What are you going to do?”

Eddie
grinned. “You and your brother aren’t the only ones with powers. Watch and
see.” He placed his right hand, slightly above the handle on the door and placed
his left hand near the locking mechanism. In less than ten seconds, Tyler heard
the click.

“Voila.”
Eddie smiled and flourished a hand toward the door. “One unlocked car, as you
wished.”

“That’s
awesome! Besides my brother, I’ve never met anyone else with powers like that.”
He touched a hand reverently to the car door and then lifted the handle. “I
could have done that. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.” He gave Eddie a
sly grin. “Of course…
I
didn’t break into the car—
you
did. You
know what that means, don’t you?”

“Um…it
means now the car’s open and you should hurry up and grab your bag, before
anyone sees us.”

“Well,
yeah. But it also means that now you’re part of this crazy escapade, too.
There’s no turning back.”

“Right…Why
don’t you grab your bag so we can discuss this somewhere else? We should get
out of here before Kirby discovers that you’re missing.”

Eddie
drove in focused silence until they had left the fairgrounds a few miles
behind. Then he glanced at Tyler. “Grab my phone and see if you can make us a
flight reservation.” He handed over his wallet. “Here ya go. You can use my
credit card.”

“Does
that mean you’re in? Where are we going?”

Eddie
kept his gaze straight ahead on the road when he spoke, “We’re going to
Seattle. Crazy as this whole thing is, it looks like I’m in. Like you said,
there’s no turning back now.”

Liliana
watched the sparrows flutter about on the power line outside the glass balcony door
of her grandfather’s third-floor apartment, in Chinatown. From the table, she
could clearly see the apartment building across the alley. On one of the
apartment’s balconies, an elderly woman fed her two cats.

Her
parents, both dentists, had gone to China for a month, on a goodwill mission to
bring dental care to needy children. Her grandmother, who hadn’t returned to
China for thirty years, had eagerly gone with them. Liliana had begged her
parents for the chance to go along, but they insisted that it was more
important for her to stay in school. So, it had been arranged that she stay
with her grandfather, until their return.

She
glanced at the clock. It was early still, and she had half an hour before she
would need to walk to the corner bus stop. Had she been home, she would have
walked to Aimee’s and her mom would have driven them to school. Her
grandfather’s apartment, however, was miles away, in the opposite direction,
near Elliott Bay. The city bus was, unfortunately, her only option.

When the
phone rang, Liliana reached over to the old wall phone, which thankfully had a
cord long enough to reach the table. She smiled when she heard Aimee’s voice on
the other end.

“Hey,
Liliana! So I just talked to my mom, and she said that you can stay with us
while your parents are gone. What do ya think?”

“Um…I
don’t know.” She swirled her cup of hot tea. “I’d feel bad leaving Grandfather
here all by himself, you know? If Grandmother were here, I wouldn’t feel so
guilty, but she went to China with my parents. He doesn’t speak any English,
and if he needed help or something, I don’t know what he’d do.”

“Liliana,
he lives in
Chinatown
. I’m sure he’ll manage, just fine. It’s not like
there’s no one around for him to talk to.”

“I
know…You’re right. I just feel guilty leaving him alone.”

“Well,
don’t. If he and your grandma are anything like my grandparents, I’m sure that
he would welcome the opportunity to be alone and have a little bit of freedom
for a while.

“And
besides,” Aimee went on, “you don’t really like riding the city bus to school
every day, do you?”

“Definitely
not!” Liliana agreed. “The bus is one downside to staying here.”

“Will
you at least think about it?”

“I
will.”

“Promise?”

“I
promise.” She looked out the window again and spotted the two cats on the
neighbor’s balcony. A fat, black cat sat next to its food bowl and delicately
licked a paw. The other, a skinny tabby, jumped onto the railing. Its tail
swished frantically back and forth as it watched the small birds flitter about
on the power line. Liliana held her breath, anxious for the cat’s safety. The
railing wasn’t wide, and the alley was a far drop from the third-floor balcony.

Just
then, one of the birds caught sight of the feline and flew away. Startled by
the bird’s hasty escape, the rest of the flock took off as well, some flying in
confused circles. There was a loud thump as one of the birds hit the glass door
and bounced to the hard balcony. Liliana watched, breath held in anticipation,
to see if the sparrow would fly away, but it lay motionless.

“I have
to go,” she told Aimee. “I’ll see you at school, okay?”

Her
friend sighed. “All right…Think about it, okay?”

“I will.
See you in a bit.”

She
forcefully urged the old sliding glass door open and was assaulted by the cold
February breeze. For once, the Seattle sky was clear; not a cloud was in sight,
and the sun winked down between the rooftops. Still, the temperature was near
freezing, and the damp breeze that blew in from the bay sent chills down her
bare arms.

She
gazed down at the motionless bird. Unsure if it was dead or simply stunned, she
didn’t want to stand out in the cold trying to figure it out. Regardless if it
was alive or dead, she couldn’t leave it on the balcony. She looked around for
something to pick it up with and grabbed a kitchen towel, from a nearby
counter.

Her toes
curled when she stepped, barefoot, onto the frozen balcony. Quickly but gently,
she scooped the bird into the towel and leapt inside. With the towel-enwrapped
bird held against her chest, she struggled one handed to shut the rickety glass
door.

She sat
at the kitchen table and carefully opened the towel, wary of the chance that
the bird might fly up at her. It didn’t, however, and as she laid the towel in
her lap, the sparrow remained motionless. She observed it carefully for any
sign of life and thought that she detected movement in its chest. Delicately,
she touched a finger to the top of its head and gently stroked its back. After
a few moments, its eyes opened. Startled, it stuck out a wing as though to fly.
Liliana reacted quickly and cupped a hand over its back to hold it in place.
She noticed that, while one wing fluttered in its will to fly, the other
remained crooked at its side.

Poor
thing. It has a broken wing
, Liliana thought. She frowned when she realized that it had stopped its
attempt at escape and now lay still in her lap, breathing heavily. With one
hand cupped over its back, she continued to gently stroke its head.

Her
grandfather, known around the Chinese community as a healer, was well practiced
in the art of ancient Chinese medicine. If he were home, he would have known
exactly what to do with the poor creature, but he had stepped out to the
morning marketplace.

She looked
down at the bird and frowned again. It had been over a year since she had used
her healing ability.
Well, it’s certainly worth a try
, she thought.
Gingerly, she fingered the broken wing, cupped it between the palms of her
hands, and closed her eyes. Heat radiated from the spot that was broken. As she
concentrated, heat and energy began to radiate from her own hands, and her
energy began to overtake the heat that radiated from the broken wing. In her
mind she saw the bones heal and fuse together, and then she imagined the bird
taking flight in freedom.

She
opened her eyes and slowly released the wing. Unsure of how the bird would
react, she took hold of the towel, prepared to cover it if it should panic. The
last thing she wanted was for the bird to take flight in the apartment and
reinjure itself. It remained motionless on her lap, but it was clearly more
relaxed and at ease. Its breathing had slowed and it had stopped trembling.

A rustle
of keys at the door caught her attention, and a moment later, her grandfather
entered. His arms overflowed with brown paper packages of all shapes and sizes.
When he set them on the table, Liliana’s nose told her that, along with the
vendors he visited for herbs and plants, he had also visited the fish market.

He
peered over her shoulder. “What do you have here, my granddaughter?”

She
responded in his native language. “It flew into the window. Its wing was broken,
but I think I might have healed it. I was going to let it rest for a minute and
then see if it’s okay.”

She
carried the sparrow to the balcony and her grandfather followed to open the
door. After she set it outside, they stood together in the doorway to watch. It
sat for a moment and twisted its head sideways to look up at her. Then it
stood, took flight, and landed on the power line. Two other sparrows flew in
and landed beside it. The birds remained on the line for a few moments, and
then Liliana and her grandfather watched as they flew away in unison.

As they
continued to look out the window, he put an arm around her shoulders. “You
know, my dear child, our culture holds value and symbolism behind birds. They
are seen as messengers.”

Liliana
looked up at her grandfather, who stood just a few inches taller than her own
height of five foot one. “You think the bird was sent as a messenger?”

He
looked down at his granddaughter. “I would not take this event lightly. Why do
you think this bird came to you? It was not a coincidence. You have given this
bird a second chance at life. Remember what I have always said. What you put
out into the world will come back to you. This bird could represent a life-changing
event. Stay aware and good things will come your way.”

Liliana
smiled. She had been born in America and loved the American culture and all
that it had to offer, but she also valued her Chinese culture and always took
heed to what her grandfather had to say.
Good things will come your way
,
he had said. She repeated his words to herself, as she headed out the door for
school, and wondered at their meaning. When she stepped out to the sidewalk,
the damp wind chilled her to the bone. She tightened her coat and headed to the
corner to wait for the bus, optimistic and open to the day that awaited her.

*****

Liliana
and Aimee shared their last class of the day, English Writing, and after the
final bell, they made their way downstairs. With hats and gloves donned, they
were immediately assaulted by the frigid wind when they exited the double doors
and stood atop the concrete steps of the old brick building. The day had become
slightly overcast, and there was no doubt that the temperature had dropped to
below freezing.

“Hey, I
see my mom parked down there,” Aimee said. “Do you want a ride home?”

“No,
that’s okay. It’s out of the way. I don’t want to inconvenience her. I’ll walk
down with you though.”

When her
mother saw their approach, she got out of the car and walked around to the
sidewalk to give Liliana a hug. “Hi, Liliana. Did Aimee tell you that you’re
welcome to stay with us, while your parents are gone?”

“She
did. Thanks for the offer. I told her that I’d talk with my grandfather about
it, when I get home. I’ll give you guys a call tonight and let you know what he
says.”

“Great!
We’re having spaghetti tonight, so if you’re interested, we’d love to have you!
I’d be happy to stop by and pick you up.”

“Thanks
so much, I really appreciate the offer.” Her mom got back in the car and
Liliana turned to Aimee. “I’ll give you call in a little bit.”

Her
friend opened the car door and climbed in. “Okay. Ask him right when you get
home, all right? See ya!” She waved and then closed the door against the cold.

Liliana
waved goodbye and then turned to head for the bus stop. She stopped when a car,
parked across the street, caught her attention. Just as she looked over, two
guys stepped out of the vehicle. They closed their doors and seemed to stare
directly at her.

At first
she thought that it was her imagination. She didn’t know them; they must have
been waiting for another student, so she continued on. She had only walked a
few feet, however, when she stopped again. She felt as though their eyes
followed her every move, as though their energy reached out to her. She
casually glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, they continued to watch
her.

For a
moment, she wondered if she should be scared, but then she noticed their auras.
The taller of the two had an aura that glowed brilliant turquoise with a slight
rim of purple; he had only good intentions. The guy who stood on the passenger's
side of the car was surrounded by blue with slight tinges of yellow; he was
confident and at peace.

Neither
posed a threat; and yet, what else could explain why they continued to watch
her? She started to walk away, but curiosity got the better of her, and she
wandered back to the front of the school. Again, their eyes followed her every
move.

She
turned when someone from behind called out to her. Cat was at the bottom of the
stairs, waving to get her attention.

“Hey,
Liliana!” she called out. “Are you going to the game Friday night?”

“I
haven’t decided yet. I’m staying with my grandfather for a few weeks while my
parents are away, and I don’t really want to ride the bus at night. I might go
if I can get a ride with Aimee.”

“Oh,
okay. Well, if you decide to go, Joey and I are going out for pizza after the
game. You’re welcome to join us.”

“Thanks!
I’ll keep that in mind. I should know by tomorrow. I’ll let you know in the
morning.”

Cat
grinned. “All right. Have a good evening!”

“You
too. See ya!”

Cat
turned for the student parking lot and then Liliana remembered the two guys
across the street. She looked over to see if they were still there.

They
weren’t.

They
were walking across the street, straight toward her.

Liliana
froze—not from fright, but from curiosity. Whatever these guys wanted, they
didn’t intend to harm her; of this she was certain. As they got closer, their
positive energy radiated out to her.

Time
seemed to slow as she waited on the sidewalk. They stopped about two feet from
her and smiled.

The
shorter of the two caught her attention, first.
I’m so glad that we finally
found you
, she heard him think.

Really?
Cuz I don’t have a clue who you are
, Liliana thought, in return.