The Last Alignment: Cry of the Scorpions (4 page)

“
Okay,” Awbrey signed
getting up. “I’ll see you in a bit,” she said leaving his
room.

As soon as she entered her own bedroom
Awbrey set to packing, her mind racing with all sorts of different
possibilities. However, as scenarios played themselves out in her
head, she couldn’t stifle a sense of foreboding that had crept up
on her. Her mother was crying. Whatever it was that was going on
was definitely serious, but she couldn’t help feeling eager. She
needed to know was going on, and for now, that overrode whatever
nervousness that had started to sprout.

Chapter
3

Hudson

He packed slowly since he wasn’t sure of
what he should think or how he should feel. Hudson supposed that he
was excited, but only because he was finally about to find out why
he was the way that he was. He was more nervous than anything and
wasn’t too happy when he was told that he wouldn’t be riding up to
Oren’s house with Awbrey. He wouldn’t be so edgy if he could just
talk to her, but his grandmother thought it important and insisted
that she be the one to drive him without offering any explanation
as to why.

“
Hudson, are you decent,”
called a voice from the other side of his bedroom door.

“
You can come in,
Grandma,” he said zippering up his duffle bag.

“
That didn’t answer my
question,” she snapped.

Hudson smiled, stifling a laugh. He was
completely comfortable around his grandmother and had no problems
whatsoever parading around in front of her wearing only his
underwear whenever he had the chance. The only reason he did this,
aside from the enjoyment of hearing her yell at him, was because
she constantly told him over and over how she wished he would
become a model even though he told her time and time again that he
wasn’t interested. In an effort to throw her off of his case,
Hudson told his grandmother that the only way that he would model
is if he could do it in his undies. Needless to say, she backed
off.

“
Hudson,” she called
again.

“
It’s alright, Grandma!
I’m not practicing my ‘runway underwear walk’ today,” he said
pulling a pair of sneakers out from underneath the foot of his bed.
“You can come in.” As upset as he was with her currently, he still
smiled at the sight of her. His grandmother was a lovely woman on
the inside and out and she had been a mother figure to him for most
of his life.

“
I absolutely hate the
fact that you are in this big ol’ house by yourself eighty-five
percent of the time,” she said sticking her head in first to make
sure that he was suitably clothed. To be honest, Hudson didn’t mind
being in his father’s house by himself; he enjoyed the solitude.
“But, that is at the very bottom of my list of reasons as to why I
want to pitilessly murder my son,” his grandmother said finally
stepping into his room.

“
Where exactly is Dad
anyway,” Hudson asked tying his laces. He hadn’t seen or spoken to
his father in almost a week and a half. Though he was used to and
perfectly fine with minimal communication, Hudson still made it his
mission to at least see Tyler whenever he could just to make sure
that he was alive.

“
No idea,” his grandmother
answered resting a hand on his dresser. “But it’s a good thing he
isn’t here after the way he spoke to me over the phone a few days
ago. I swear…if I could’ve reached through those wires I would’ve
wrung his neck.”

“
Well,” Hudson said as he
stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, “at least you speak
to him over the phone. At least he speaks to you
period.”

“
Oh, Hudson,” she said
sincerely, bringing a hand up to her chest. “Believe me, sweet pea.
We weren’t talking about each other’s day, how we were feeling, and
all that other junk. Your father is a…what do you kids say
now-a-days…he’s a ‘cunt-head.’ He’s a cunt-head to everyone, and
regrettably that includes his wonderful mother and his remarkably
bright and handsome…what is wrong with you?”

Hudson didn’t catch any of what she had just
said; he was doubled over and laughing at the fact that his
seventy-one year old grandmother just said “cunt-head.”

“
Why are you laughing so
hard,” she asked. “What did I just say?”

“
Grandma,” he said
catching his breath so that he could talk, “where in the heck did
you hear that?!”

“
At the grocery store
yesterday,” she replied innocently. “I was getting coffee beans and
these two young ladies were talking beside me. Of course I
eavesdropped because I’m snoopy and I can’t help myself, and that
was what one of the girls called her sister because she wouldn’t
let her borrow a car or something like that. After a minute or two
I realized they were both dumber than a sack of mulch, so I stopped
listening.”

Hudson was laughing so
hard that he had to set his bag down. “Okay,” he said holding a
hand up and composing himself. “For future reference, don’t
ever
use that word
again. And please…
please
don’t call another woman that.” He could tell
that she was completely oblivious as to what she said which made it
all the funnier.

“
Whatever,” his
grandmother said swatting at the air. “Anyway, we have to leave.
You all ready to go?”

“
Yeah,” Hudson said
sticking his cell phone inside of his pocket. He swung his bag over
his shoulder again though he was still sniggering.

“
Well, let’s get a move
on.” She led the way back down to the main floor, but before they
could reach the front doors they were stopped by Sarah Allis, a
woman who had served as Hudson’s caretaker for a little over ten
years.

“
Why, hello, Mrs. Kate,”
Sarah greeted with a smile. “I didn’t even know that you were
here.”

“
That’s because I didn’t
want you to know that I was here, dear,” his grandmother replied
slyly. Hudson pursed his lips in an effort not to chortle. “But
only because I was hoping to be in and out,” she added, trying to
seem as if she meant no harm.

“
Oh,” Sarah said looking
uncertain. “You two going somewhere?” Hudson saw her eye his
bag.

“
Yes, and he won’t be back
for about a day. Maybe two.”

“
Well, I just finished
preparing dinner and-”

“
Apologies, Sarah, but
this trip is very important. No time to sit down and eat,” said
Kate.

“
I just thought that you
two would-”

“
How about you take
whatever it is you made home with you tonight and I’ll give you a
call when I bring him back? Sound good?” Without waiting for an
answer, Kate opened one of the front doors and walked out. Hudson
was careful to mouth “sorry” to Sarah before he followed. As they
walked down the front steps, Hudson finally decided to ask the
question that he had been meaning to for the last few
days.

“
Hey, Gran, do you have a
problem with Mrs. Allis?” Hudson had genuinely come to love Sarah
over the years and thought that his grandmother did too, but lately
she had been very short with her.

“
I don’t know.”

“
You don’t know? So,
you’ve been talking to her like that for a couple of weeks now and
you don’t know why?”

“
Talking to her like what?
I’ve been a little snippy, but I haven’t been flat out
disrespectful,” Kate said defensively. “It’s not like I’ve called
her a ‘cunt-head’…yet.”

“
Grandma!” Hudson couldn’t
stop his laughing fit from coming back. Once he got ahold of
himself, he continued. “Seriously, what is it with you two,” he
asked as they approached his grandmother’s BMW.

“
I really have no clue.
There is just something different about that woman that I can’t pin
down,” she said. “Lately I’ve just been getting this feeling from
her.”

“
Feeling like what,” he
asked placing his bag in the back seat next to hers. Honestly,
Hudson felt like he knew what Kate was talking about. He wasn’t
sure what it was either, but he figured that it probably had
something to do with Sarah’s husband, Theo, who had been in and out
of the hospital lately.

“
Not important,” Kate
answered sitting in the driver’s seat.

“
How is it not important,”
Hudson asked as he sat down in the passenger’s seat and closed his
door.

“
Because it just isn’t.
Besides, you and I have much bigger things to worry
about.”

~*~*~

A half an hour later, they pulled into a gas
station but drove straight through to the exit and pulled up behind
a dark green SUV that Hudson recognized at once. “We are following
them to Oren’s,” said Kate. “Lord knows I get confused no matter
how many times I’ve been there.”

“
Really, Grandma,” Hudson
questioned tetchily, all humor and light-heartedness leaving
him.
Why the hell are we following them
when we all could
’
ve ridden in the same car
, he
thought. He wanted to ask if he could get out and ride with Awbrey,
Hallie, and Andrew, but he already knew what the answer would be.
Hudson took out his cell phone intending to vent via text message,
but before he could do anything else it vibrated. As expected, it
was Awbrey.

Why is it that my mom and Kate don’t want us
in the same car?

-Awbrey

Your guess is as good as
mine
, Hudson thought irritably. He went to
reply, but his grandmother snatched his phone. “Sorry. Can’t have
any of that,” Kate said sticking it in her car door
pocket.

“
Hey
,” Hudson shouted. “We aren’t allowed to text either?” At
that moment, Awbrey was in the back window of her mom’s van
pointing to her own cell phone. Hudson pointed at Kate and said out
loud, “She took it,” to which his grandmother laughed. Awbrey
narrowed her eyes at Kate and in response, she waved with a warm
expression on her face.

“
You know, I really do
love Awbrey. I haven’t nearly spent as much time with her as I
would like to.”

“
Can I have my phone
back,” Hudson asked a little louder than he meant to. “Is it really
that big of a deal if we-”

“
It was decided that you
two shouldn’t speak until after.”

“
Until after
what
,
Grandma?”

“
Until after we get to
Oren’s and tell you all what we need to tell you,” she responded
calmly.

What a fucking load of
bullshit
, he thought. The fact that he had
no idea what was going on and why only added to his bad mood.
“Wait,” Hudson said after realizing what she just said.
“‘You
all?’ Who else is going to be
there?” He thought it was just he and Awbrey that needed to be
spoken to. Why would she say “you all” if it were just the two of
them? “Grandma, what is going on?”

“
Hudson,” Kate said
pulling out behind Hallie into the main road, “chill out,
bro.”

Chapter
4

Androse

“
Hey,” she whispered
gently. “Wake up, honey. We’re here.”

Androse wasn’t sure if he had heard her or
not.

“
Androse,” came another
voice, deeper and firmer. “Get up. Now.”

Tired, Androse sat up yawning and wiping his
eyes. He didn’t remember falling asleep so he was slightly muddled.
“Where are we,” he asked peering out of the car windows. They were
in the driveway of what looked like a moderately sized but slender
house. There was a huge garden in front of it and flowers occupied
half of the porch. From what could be seen, the house was two
levels and had an air of peace about it that made Androse think
that maybe an old retiree lived there.

“
We’re at one of my
closest friend’s house,” his grandfather said turning off the
engine and opening his car door. “As always, I expect you to be on
your best behavior while we’re here. I would also appreciate it if
you opened your mouth and talked instead of being your
uncomfortably quiet self,” he added.

Pretend to be the grandson
that you want me to be. Got it
, Androse
thought not wanting to get into an argument. “Mom, have you been
here before,” he asked opening his own door, unable to smother
another yawn.

“
Only once,” she replied
taking off her seat belt. “I never forgot it, though. Oren is an
amazing woman. You’ll love her.”

“
Hey! You two want to cut
all the chit-chat and come and get your bags? Now,” his grandfather
called. “Let’s move!”

“
Okay
, Charles,” his mother responded warningly. “We just got
here. Relax.”

“
I am so ready to get the
heck away from him,” Androse said in a low voice.

“
I know. I’m about two
seconds away from shoving my fist down his throat and ripping out
his vocal chords.”

“
You’d be my hero,”
Androse chuckled.

“
You mean to tell me that
I’m not already,” she winked.

“
Today
, people,” Charles said banging on the roof of the car.
Without a word, they both got out and walked around to the trunk to
retrieve their things when Androse noticed that there were two
other vehicles there; a green SUV and a blue BMW.