The Omega Children - The Return of the Marauders (A young adult fiction best seller): An Action Adventure Mystery (16 page)

Daquan raised himself off his undersized cot, fully releasing the stink from his nappy. He slapped Doctor Thurgood again. ‘If we don’t have the bracelets,’ he roared, ‘then all this is in vain.’

‘I found this though.’ Quesob pulled some toy figures, a doll and some drawings done by children from his jacket. ‘We also found what is called a play-ground. Are you familiar with such?’

Daquan nodded and thought about the news. ‘So they were also training to become kids again. Fascinating. You killed them all?’

‘My Lord. As commanded.’

‘Good, good.’

Silent reflection fell across Daquan’s hairless face. ‘Good.’ He looked up and his fatty jowls wobbled slightly. ‘Trust in me Quesob. I feel we are close. Doctor Thurgood will continue to transform me into a baby. I want you to prepare for what we spoke about.’

‘But without the bracelets.’

‘They are all dead, for sure?’

‘Saw to it myself.’

‘Then trust. The bracelets will turn up soon.’ Daquan caught a look on Quesob’s face that suggested there was more news. ‘What else?’

‘A giant eagle attacked us, twice. And a forest appeared in front of us out of nowhere. And the house they were living in was rigged. They blew it up soon after we attacked. And why are the workers active at this time of night?’

Daquan received the news and pondered it at length. ‘Be about what you need to do. Don’t worry about the workers. I feel the end we have sought so long for is close at hand.’

***

‘Well,’ Lexington asked again.

Melaleuca vented a sigh of frustration. Lexington had a point - this was real yet the ever-present words of her mother, “play, play-acting, move forward,” rolled around in her mind, contradicting their present reality.

Had their mothers got it wrong? How would play help them here and now? The same hand of doubt she had felt the night on the mountain stirred deep inside her again, and she could feel it wanting to pull her down. With the mantle of leadership on her shoulders she sensed the others wanting to hear how playing would help.

‘Let’s just explore the passageways,’ Melaleuca said making a snap decision.

‘Because playing is wrong?’ Lexington asked.

‘Because it’s what I decided.’

The secret passages had their own sets of secret stairs ascending and descending all five stories. They seemed to go on forever, like a labyrinth following every wall, every twist and every turn. Having discovered empty room after empty room, their enthusiasm waned, and tracking where they were and where they had been became near impossible, even with Lexington’s near photographic memory and Ari’s uncanny sense of direction.

As they searched for a way back they passed a room on the second level with voices coming from it, and out of a small peephole shone a beam of light.

Melaleuca looked through it.

Aunty Gertrude sat on a bed, her naked back covered with deep scars and violent looking pock marks.

Melaleuca gasped.

‘Let me see,’ Quixote said pushing forward.

Melaleuca hissed at him. ‘Ssssshhhh. Quiet. They will hear.’

One by one they
peered through the peephole.

‘Oh my,’ Lexington said in a whisper. ‘What do you think happened to her?’

‘She’s from outer space,’ Quixote said back.

‘Shhhh. Not so loud,’ Melaleuca said. ‘It’s probably why she is so crabby.’

‘Is that what she meant when she said she would whip us into shape,’ Quixote said.

‘Shh,’ Melaleuca said again. ‘Lower your voice.’

‘What do you mean Quixote?’ Lexington asked.

‘On the stairs,’ Ari answered in a whisper. ‘She yelled if Uncle did not get us under control within two weeks, she would whip us into shape.’

‘Actually whip us?’

They heard a door open and shut and then heard Uncle Bear-Nard’s voice. As he spoke, it became clearer.

‘Here’s your cream dear,’ Uncle Bear-Nard said.

‘I’m not happy,’ Aunty Gertrude snapped.

‘Yes dear.’

‘You said those children were well behaved. They are insolent, rude, ill-mannered, wilful, obstreperous and rambunctious.’

‘Yes dear.’

‘And stop agreeing.’

‘Yes dear.’

‘BEAR-NARD!!!’

Melaleuca could almost hear him cowering.

‘I m..m..mean I will...will...will talk to them.’

‘If they cannot behave then I will send them to the borstal.’

‘I am sure they will see reason...over time.’

‘Over time! There is no time. Send them to the Unforbidden Forest or Disciple Park. Or both.’

‘Please dear, let me have a couple of weeks, that’s all it will take. Just two weeks and I am sure they will adjust, please, please, please.’

Lexington whispered, ‘Poor Uncle Bear-Nard.’

An evil tone entered Aunty Gertrude’s voice, a tone she took great relish in. ‘You know what will happen to them if they go to the borstal.  I will make sure they are crushed.’

‘Just two weeks. Please.’

‘Smack them into shape or I will tell them the truth, that their parents are dead.’

Gathered in the girl’s room, the news sat heavy upon Lexington. Weak candle light, tugged by a draught, flickered across her face.

‘Alive or dead it changes nothing,’ Melaleuca said. ‘We still keep being us, playing, working out what’s going on and not listening to anyone else.’

‘Don’t you care,’ Lexington said holding back tears.

‘Lex,’ Ari said, putting his arm around her. ‘I know you don’t want to hear this but Mel is right. Think about it.’

‘Perhaps we should go back?’ Lexington put to them.

‘Lex,’ Melaleuca said concerned.

‘I need proof.’

‘Of course,’ Melaleuca said. ‘And until we have that...’

Lexington sighed. ‘I know...I know...until then...we don’t know.’

‘Use that brain of yours Lex. What are the possibilities and probabilities?’ Melaleuca said.

‘Cheer up Lex,’ Quixote said unchanged by the news.

Lexington sniffed.

‘How can you be so happy?’

An “it’s-obvious” look passed over Quixote’s face.

‘Cos I bet Aunty just meant she would tell us that, even though it is not true. You know, like, “I ate the last one,” but I haven’t.’

‘Maybe. I guess she could not have seen the bodies? And anyway, who saw them last besides us?’

‘Argus? Our attackers,’ Quixote said.

‘Forget Argus,’ Ari reminded them. ‘He’s gone and he lied to us. He said our parents led our attackers in the opposite direction yet we saw them heading into the mountain cave.’

‘Which means...’ Lexington said with a rush. ‘They might have them. They could be here.’

Melaleuca shook her head at Ari.

‘Which means we don’t know,’ Ari said.

‘Enough,’ Melaleuca said. ‘A clearing is needed.’

After clearing themselves they all climbed into Melaleuca’s bed and slept.

***

Lexington stirred, hovering at the edges of wakefulness - her mind refusing to settle.

‘
Wake up. Wake up. Wake up,’ a small voice said. ‘Wake up.’

Roused, she peered into the darkness and smelt burnt-down candle wax. Something darted across the room.

‘Who’s there?’

Startled, the figure leapt up and ran straight through the closed door and disappeared.

She lifted herself over Quixote and felt her way to the door. Finding it locked, she concluded she must have dreamt it. Living creatures can’t pass through solid matter but then she thought of the disappearing creature and their mothers’ unexplained appearance and disappearance. If her hypothesis were written, she chided herself, answers would be closer at hand.

She felt her way back to the small desk and lit another candle. She pulled one of her last notebooks out and glanced over her shoulder, checking her cousins still slept, and commenced writing.

“Why”

‘About time.’

‘Shh not so loud.’

‘No one can hear me.’

‘Okay. What do you think?’

‘About???’

‘Stop it you know very well.’

‘I think a hyper-thesis is needed.’

‘Hyperthesis?’

‘Yes. A hypothesis is the theory that is underneath something. We need a theory that is above everything.’

‘Sounds the same.’

‘Perhaps. With a hyperthesis you take the facts and see what theory fits between them. A hypothesis is where you start with a theory.’

‘I just need a framework. Melaleuca says keep moving forward. But she has no aim.’

‘You are not sure really, are you? If only you had Melaleuca’s gut feelings.’

‘Well I don’t. Help me or...’

She held the pen in her hand and started to write, “
that’s why.”

‘Okay I’ll help.’

‘My hypothesis has to explain many things.’

‘A hyperthesis would be perfect. Arrange the facts and plot between them.’

‘Listen. Here are my starting hypotheses. I have been thinking about them.’

As she spoke them she wrote them down.

1. Most of the strange effects are illusions designed to fool us from the truth.

2. Something really obvious has been hidden under our noses.

3. The dinosaurs never died out, and they, and an ancient culture, have survived to this day.

4. Our parents organised this as a big test.

5. Pirates set up this land and we are descended from them.

6. We are the next step in evolution.

‘Is that it?’

‘It’s a start.’

‘A poor one at best. Pirates?’

‘Yes pirates. If I don’t put that one there, Quixote will get bored.’

‘What about all the tidbits you heard while asleep from Argus and Antavahni?’

‘I can only remember them for a few days afterwards. It was enough that I recalled that stuff about Argus. After many days it is all a jumble.’

‘How will those hypothesis help?’

‘Take the first one. If what we are seeing are illusions then find what is creating them and we find our answer. Or Number 6, the next step in evolution. Think about it. Our parents talked of risking something. Quixote saw our fathers with above human abilities. Already Mel has developed some trait of looking into people, and I, well, I have you.’

‘Not bad.’

Melaleuca stirred and pushed herself up and in a sleepy voice said, ‘Lex, who are you talking to?’

Lexington wrote
“That’s why”
in hurry and then turned to Melaleuca.

‘Myself. I could not s.s.s..sleep,’ she said.

‘You okay? You sound scared.’

‘You scared me. I have been sitting thinking and well, there are lots of noises.’

‘Oh. Go to sleep. Worry about it in the morning.’

Lexington doused the candle and hopped into bed.

‘The hypotheses are worked out. At least it’s a start.’

‘Good.’

The next morning the door swung open, and two maids holding piles of clothes and their cloaks freshly laundered, entered. Noses held high, they deported themselves with a royal air.

‘Awake now girls,’ said the fatter older one while the younger one crossed to the window
s
. She pulled and pulled on the latch until it flew open. Dust and insects fell out and the morning air flooded in.

Both maids gasped in shock, horrified by the sleeping cousins entwined in one another. The fat maid produced a long stick and jabbed them with it until they stirred. Quixote poked his scarecrow-haired head up first.

The fat maid gave him a hard dig in the ribs.

‘What’s the matter?’ Quixote asked, grinning.

‘Matter! Matter,’ she gushed with disgust. ‘Boys and girls in the same bed! Dirty! Out before your Aunt sees. Out!’

The others woke and met the maids with a stumped stare.

‘Get out now. She’ll have your guts for garters.’

The fat maid prodded Lexington. ‘In a bed with boys. Now get out before I beat you.’ She raised the stick in threat.

Ari grabbed it, stood and said, ‘No, you won’t.’

The maids suddenly started whimpering. ‘Oh please, get out before she comes. She will take it out on us.’

‘What on earth do you mean?’ Lexington said.

‘If she finds out what,’ Aunty Gertrude’s icy voice said as she rounded the door.

The maids froze and the cousins held their breaths.

Aunty Gertrude’s took in the immoral sight.

‘Oh, I see.’

She adjusted her high starched collar and twiddled with the whalebone buttons on the front of her waist gripping dress. She stepped out of the door and hollered un-lady like, ‘BEAR-NARDDDDD! BEAR-NARD!’

She shouted it over and over again, until they could hear him running down the corridor. He shuffled in, terror on his face.

‘You can start now,’ Aunty Gertrude said and tapped one of her pointy boots on the floor.

‘S...s...start?’

Unsure, he scanned the room while rage fumed off Aunty Gertrude and the skin on her age-marked face tightened.

‘Oh heaven’s to Murgatroid. Look you dotty, old, fool,’ Aunty Gertrude shouted.

He looked again and offered her a weak smile, crinkling his piggy fat eyes.

‘The boys and the girls slept in the same bed,’ Aunty Gertrude yelled, straining her neck with indignation.

The two maids made fainting and moaning noises, feigning shock.

Snivelling and faking hurt, Aunty Gertrude added, ‘And look what they have done to Pemily and Petruce.’

Ari and Lexington flicked their eyes between the dramatics of their Aunt and Melaleuca, and Quixote burst into laughter. Tears ran down his face as his scrawny head bobbed back and forth.

Aunty Gertrude’s face clammed up and she uttered with the utmost contempt to Uncle Bear-Nard, ‘You have two weeks.’

She wheeled about flicking her wrist at the two maids and left. Pemily and Petruce promptly followed. A forlorn Uncle Bear-Nard stood still looking like a scolded child, uncertain, in the quiet aftermath. Without warning Aunty Gertrude bustled back into the room again and grabbed one of the cousins’ cloaks. She pawed at it, turning it over and over.

‘What is the meaning of this?’ Her livid eyes danced between Uncle Bear-Nard and Melaleuca.

Melaleuca felt a dry apathy toward this stupid question.

‘It’s a cloak.’

‘Yes, I can see that. Where did you get it from?’

Melaleuca opened her mouth to whip out a smart answer, though Uncle Bear-Nard, Lexington and Quixote leapt forward and spoke.

‘Why?’ asked Lexington. ‘Is there something special about it?’

‘It’s magic?’

‘Let me handle this...d..d..dear.’

‘Shoo,’ she said to Lexington and Quixote, and turned on their uncle. ‘Handle? You’re not handling anything, are you? Are you?.......So help me, if I find out you have taken these ─ ’

‘Ahhhhhhh,’ Uncle Bear-Nard cried out, shocking Aunty Gertrude.

She stepped backward, uttering once again, ‘Two weeks,’ and left.

Lexington stepped forward. ‘We only know the way we do things Uncle. We have always slept together. Well mostly.’

With little fight to his words he said, ‘Please put those clothes on. You will look less like outsiders.’

‘Uncle. What is with the cloaks? What did Aunty mean?”

He shuffled back to the door, stooped and not answering.

‘Are you going to train us as Aunty Gertrude said,’ Melaleuca asked.

‘I think it best if you go outside. Leave your Aunt to me. She’s just proud of our heritage.’

‘Uncle Bear-Nard did you leave us the note?’ Lexington asked kindly.

He smiled, and warmth exuded from it as if Lexington’s lyrical voice penetrated his persona’s frail shell, then it faded, and confused he spoke, afraid.

‘N...n...n..note? What n..n..note?’

Melaleuca stepped in front of Lexington. ‘It’s okay Uncle. Lexington is mixing up an earlier conversation, that’s all.’

Lexington protested but was silenced by Melaleuca’s hand.

Perplexed, Uncle Bear-Nard scratched his head. ‘Grateful to your...mother...er...mothers...really truly am,’ and said with little glee, ‘Pop your new clothes on and hop out the back. Avoiding your Aunt is probably best,’ and then headed out the door.

‘Mel. I wanted to ask him questions.’

‘Did you see the way he reacted? You scared him. The note said, tell no one especially not them.’

‘We don’t know if the note is true.’

‘Exactly. So don’t. All we have is each other. Right now that’s all we can rely on.’

Lexington nodded. Melaleuca was right. She just wanted answers this instance. She picked up one of the cloaks. ‘I would ask more about why she got upset about these, yet really it’s just going to be another unanswered question.’

‘Come on. Clothes on and then let’s get out of this mansion,’ Melaleuca said.

‘I know, I know. Move forward, etcetera, etcetera. I’m sure we will find plenty to explore, and you said we could use my hypothesis.’

Knowing she never said that Melaleuca chose to ignore it.

They stripped to their undergarments and threw the new clothes on. They looked like Roman Togas with gold gilded edges though their own colourful tee shirts poked out from under them.

Together they wandered to the Grand Ascension Stairs and stopped on the top of the third set. The immensity of the pillars and the ribbed, dark-shadowed roof swept through Lexington.

‘Why would you put a stair case this size in the middle of a great hall like this?’