---------
CHAPTER 12
Surprisingly, the blue nachos soaked in silver cheese was very tasty. Marcy enjoyed every bite of the crunchy meal. Neither one said a word as they both ate.
---------
Finally, Marcy reached a stopping point. She let out a contented sigh. “Ah. That was really good.”
Alex eyed her plate, still occupied with chips. “Are you going to eat those?” he asked.
“No,” she giggled. She pushed the plate toward him. He eagerly took it and dumped the contents onto his own plate.
“So, what do we do now?” Marcy questioned as Alex continued eating the nachos. “I mean, I have no clue what to do here, so I’m basically just following your lead, and you don’t really know what to do either.”
“Well,” he answered as he crunched a chip, “we need to figure out why Jenny sent us here, of all places. Unologe is a strange space, to be honest, and she probably knows that you and I wouldn’t be most comfortable here. My question is, why here?”
“Exactly.” She watched as he finished the rest of the chips. There was a moment of silence. “We could walk around for a while,” she suggested. “Wouldn’t hurt, and we might find out if something out of the ordinary is happening today. What if there’s an event or something?”
“I doubt there would be an event in Unologe,” Alex stated. “And even if there was, I doubt Jenny would send us to an event if she was about to die.”
Oh, I hope she’s not dead! Marcy thought frantically. She’d better not be dead! “Um, okay, that’s true,” she replied, trying to keep calm and not worry about Jenny. “So again, why here?”
Alex stood up and stretched. “The idea to walk around was a good one. Let’s do that, and we can think while we get some exercise.” They threw their leftovers in the trash and strolled out of the restaurant, side by side. Marcy almost felt like she had a boyfriend again, taking a walk in town with him beside her. No, he’s not my boyfriend, she reminded herself. And I’m not even going to think about it happening. He’s my friend--for now. I don’t even know if he’s really on our side. I mean, he could be working for Matt for all I know! Startled at the thought, she shot a sideways glance at him. He looked perfectly at ease, sauntering along the shiny road as hovercars whizzed past. She was sure that if the suits had pockets, his hands would be in his. He looked…comfortable. Well he sure doesn’t look like a spy, she considered. But I’d better watch him more carefully from now on.
As they walked, Marcy took in all of the strange sights along the way. Skyscrapers were primarily the only buildings, and they were so tall she could barely see the tops of them. She was thankful for her sunglasses--without them, she would have to close her eyes. Everything was bright and shiny, but not in a way she liked. It’s not new like a new outfit, it’s all new like a new lightbulb or something, she thought. It’s almost too new.
The city seemed to be alive, moving quickly. People were jogging and running past them. Some of them were on scooters and a few zoomed by on hoverboards. Marcy was sure her eyes were as big as plates. This is so like a movie. It’s crazy.
Suddenly Alex stopped and put his hand out to stop her as well. “What in the--” she began.
“Look!” he hissed, pointing. She looked.
There, across the street, was Matt.
He was holding a large cardboard box, which was weird. He was dressed just like everyone else on Unologe, except for one thing. His suit was blue with random silver lines running up and down the limbs, not the other way around. As he walked through the crowd it parted respectfully as if he was an authority. That’s weird, thought Marcy. But it’s even weirder that he’s here! What are we going to do?! Where’s Jenny? Is she okay?
“Don’t look at him,” said Alex. His mouth wasn’t moving. “We need to be part of the crowd. Just keep walking.” She walked. “He’s going in the opposite direction as us. Hold up your head, it’s a risk but if we act like we’re not supposed to be here then he’ll notice us.” Marcy tried to walk confidently, as if she belonged. I am a Unologian, she thought. I live here. I love technology and I’m cold and hard like metal and oh yeah I love metal too and I… She tried to think like a Unologian as they both walked. Alex was perfect--he even looked like he hated everyone. Matt was directly across the street from them. She held her breath. He didn’t even look over to them. They passed by him without being noticed. Marcy let out a sigh. “Don’t relax yet,” whispered Alex without looking at her. “Keep walking until I tell you what to do.”
They walked for another minute, not changing their route. Has he forgotten that he was going to tell me what to do? she wondered. As soon as she finished the thought, he grabbed her arm and pulled her sideways. She suppressed a squeal. They both darted into an alleyway.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” Alex said immediately. “We need to follow Matt. I think that somehow, Jenny figured out he was going to come here after he finished at her house, and that’s why she sent us here before him. Whatever he’s doing, it’s not good. Judging by the way the people acted just by the color of his suit, he has power here too. That’s even worse. Now--”
“Hang on,” Marcy interrupted. “Matt might have killed Jenny and who knows how many other wizards and witches.” She felt a lump in her throat at the idea. “If we try to stop him, he might kill us too!”
Alex sighed. He grabbed her hands. “Physical contact makes a point stronger,” he stated. He gazed into her eyes. Marcy noticed his were very blue. “Yes, we might get killed,” Alex said. “We might die. But we need to take that chance. Here, the Unologians believe in the survival of the fittest and strongest. They kill babies that are mentally challenged or sickly. They kill the elderly too. Matt raised me for a pretty long time, but not long enough for me to realize that what he taught me was wrong.”
“Then why did you look so pleased to be strangling me with those roots?” asked Marcy indignantly, a sob caught in her throat. “Just because you’re helping me doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how you almost killed me.”
He looked down. “I know that was wrong now. I knew it was wrong when I did it. I don’t know why I liked it. Maybe it was because I’ve been with Matt. But you have to trust me.”
“Okay,” she said finally. I’ll just roll with it until you prove otherwise. It’ll take a lot for me to trust you fully.
“Good.” Alex let go of her hands. “Now, we’re going to follow Matt.”
**************
Marcy and Alex strolled briskly down the sidewalk. They were now on the same side of the road as Matt. As they weaved through the crowd, they kept an eye out for him. “We need to hurry,” whispered Alex. “Matt is going to blend in as much as he can, so he’s going to be rushing like us.”
“Right,” she answered. “Where could he be?” There were so many people on the streets, Matt could have been anywhere.
“Well, remember, he’s got that distinctive suit,” Alex noted. They ducked under a security arch. “That means he’ll be able to get through the crowd easier, but it also means he’ll stand out.”
“True.”
Getting through all of the people wasn’t easy. Some were trying to go the opposite direction, and because everyone was so rude no one was making it easy for them to get by. Everyone thinks of only themselves here, Marcy pondered. That’s why they’re so mean to people. That’s sad. She shook her head a little. This is why I live in America. Hang on, what’s that? Oh my goodness, there he is!
She poked Alex. “Look!” she breathed. Matt was standing several steps ahead of them in front of a building. Without noticing it, she and Alex had followed him into a strange part of town. All of the buildings are smaller! she realized. They’re only about two stories! “Have you noticed the sizes of the--” she started to say to Alex, but he shushed her.
“It’s the black market,” he whispered. “Where outsiders trade with the Unologians. This space has hardly any poor, so everyone’s well off, but they’re greedy too. Lots of them sell technology and stuff here for extra money.”
As they watched, Matt leaned forward and pressed a button beside the door. He was still carrying the large cardboard box, and had to shift it to press the button. There’s no doorknob on that door, Marcy realized. There was a sudden hiss and it slid open sideways. Her father looked around cautiously--she held her breath, but he didn’t see them--and then stepped inside. “Hurry!” exclaimed Alex. “Before the door closes!”
They rushed through the doorway as the large metal door began to close. Alex dropped behind her and pushed her through before him. She lost her balance and fell against the wall inside. Scrunching up his face in concentration, Alex lunged sideways through the doorway and barely made it inside before the door shut with another hiss.
He stood up and brushed himself off, seemingly unphased by how close he had come to being crushed. “Come on,” he whispered. “Let’s go.”
Marcy followed him, slightly shocked. He pushed me through before him, she recognized. He was making sure that I got through even if he didn’t. She tried to grasp the fact but gave up. Maybe he’s not spying after all. I mean, if he was, he wouldn’t care about my welfare.
“Usually there’s lots of rooms per house,” he murmured, breaking into her thoughts. “We just have to figure out which one Matt’s in.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
He looked uncomfortable. “I came with Matt on a lot of his…outings. We frequented the black markets in a lot of spaces. That was another thing that clued me in on him preparing for something.”
“Makes sense,” Marcy commented. She was glad he had experience in such things. If I was on my own, I would have died six times by now. They were walking down a hallway. On either side there were metal doors, behind some of which there was the murmur of lowered voices. I guess that’s where the shady stuff happens.
Suddenly Alex paused. “Listen!” They had come to the end of the hallway, where there was another large door just like the one to the building. The sound was obviously not as loud from behind this door.
“Why are you telling me to listen?” Marcy whispered to him. “There’s not much to listen to from in there!”
“Exactly.” Pressing his ear up to the door, he closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. “If anyone is in here, it’s Matt. With his obvious power here and the fact that he was carrying a box, he has something secret to trade. Actually, I bet it’s the Shimner.” He gestured for her to listen as well, and she did. She heard voices, but only caught part of the conversation.
“I’ve got the Shimner…” Matt! Marcy thought, startled. He has it! Does that mean that Jenny is…is she okay?
“…the price we bargained for…” The voice sounded scared.
“…looks like he’s in good shape…”
“…harder than I thought to kidnap him, almost got caught…”
“He’s in my hands now, you don’t have to worry about…”
“…got him, now let me have the Shimner.”
“Are you hearing this?” mouthed Alex as he motioned to the door. Marcy nodded.
“…in the box. Check if you’d like,” Matt said. Footsteps sounded toward the door and Alex looked at her with wide eyes. If he came out, there was no place for them to hide.
The footsteps came closer and closer to the door. It sounded like Matt was strolling around while the other person looked at the Shimner. Holding her breath, she shut her eyes and prayed that he wouldn’t come out.
When she was sure that she would scream at any moment, the footsteps sounded again--in the other direction. Marcy opened her eyes. Alex’s lips were moving and his eyes were closed. She made out the words “Giver” and “help us.” If he was praying to the Giver, she thought absentmindedly, who was I praying to? Oh well, we’re safe now. She let out a breath and poked him. He jumped. She almost snickered. “We’re safe,” she mouthed.
He pantomimed wiping sweat off of his forehead. “I thought we were going to die,” he mouthed back. She nodded her agreement.
The voices started again. They both pressed their ears harder against the door. It was awkward, staring at Alex’s face while trying to listen. But, she thought, not too bad. I like his strawberry-blond hair. He’s got more acne than I prefer, though. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the voices.
“…seems to be in order. How are you going to take him out of here? Humans aren’t usually traded for things here, you know.”
“I know. But I have…”
“…are hard to come by! How did you find…”
“…ask too many questions to be a trader…”
There was momentary silence, then Matt spoke again. “I’m done here. Thank you for your business.” There was a flash of light from under the door.
“…never seen a real one of those,” said the other voice. “Fascinating up close.”
“Indeed.” Matt seemed to be walking again. However, it wasn’t a pacing walk, it was a purposeful walk--toward the door. Marcy almost screamed again. Where do we go? What are we going to do now? she thought frantically. Alex started to tiptoe-run toward the front door and beckoned for her to follow. She did, trying to make as little noise as possible. Her heart was thumping inside her chest. He’s going to see us as soon as he opens that door! When they reached the front, Alex ran his hand around the door, frenziedly looking all over it. “There’s no button!” he whispered wildly. “I can’t open the door!” He stood there frozen, looking terror-stricken.
Marcy heard the hiss of the door to the room Matt was in as it started to open. Moving faster than she thought was possible, she grabbed the neck of Alex’s suit and pressed a button beside one of the doors off of the hallway. She dashed into the room before the door had fully opened, pulled him in behind her, and pressed the button to close it in one fluid motion. The door hissed shut and she held a finger to her lips, not daring to even breathe. Alex stared at her in shock, but didn’t make a sound. She heart Matt’s footsteps as he walked down the hallway. He didn’t even pause beside their door, but pressed the button to open the front door and strolled out.
As soon as she heard the door shut, Marcy realized how fast her heart was beating. “That…that was close…” she puffed as she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. “I don’t know how I did that.”
“Me neither,” replied Alex after a moment. He sat down cross-legged across from her, still looking a bit stunned. “The Giver helped us for sure.”
Yeah right. There’s no such thing as the Giver, she scoffed. “Yeah, guess so,” she said out loud.
“Okay, now we need to follow him again,” announced Alex. “We got out of that one alive. Time to see what he’s really up to. And if he’s got a person with him.”
“It really sounded like he and that other guy traded a person for the Shimner,” mused Marcy. “That means we have to rescue him.”
“Yep.” He stood up and opened the door. Peeking his head out, he motioned for her to follow. “All clear.”
They exited the black market building and searched for Matt. “There he is!” exclaimed Marcy. They followed him, staying out of sight. Once and awhile he looked back, but never noticed them behind him.
“Hey look! He’s carrying something,” noted Marcy. In his hand he held a small, clear plastic box just big enough to fit in his hand comfortably.
“Strange,” muttered Alex. “I wonder if that’s what they were talking about…”
“Could be,” she replied. They tailed Matt for a while, ducking behind buildings when he checked behind him. Gradually they had moved from the black market to the city again, but Matt was moving toward a large parking lot. “Does he have a ship?” she asked Alex.
“I don’t think so,” he mused. “Maybe he’s going to teleport out of here and needs some privacy.” Suddenly he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a big completely silver spaceship. She looked at him quizzically. “He was looking our way,” explained Alex. He was still holding her hand. Raising her eyebrows, she took her hand out of his. He blushed. “Uh, sorry about that.” What does he think he’s trying to do? Win me over with his adventurous charms? she asked herself. Try again buddy, I won’t fall for that.
“Come on, he’s walking again,” he stuttered as he darted out from behind the ship. She shook her head and followed. Poor guy, he’s so embarrassed.
They both waited behind another parked ship for Matt. He stepped behind a ship as well. “Ugh!” groaned Alex. He and Marcy snuck around to where he was, peeking at Matt out from behind a trash can. Cautiously, he looked around one more time and closed his eyes. Making motions with his hands, he suddenly twisted his fingers into several weird positions and a portal popped into existence. “Told you,” Alex whispered.
Matt stepped through the portal and disappeared. Anticipating the close of the portal, Marcy exclaimed, “Here we go again!” and ran toward it. She dove through it and did a somersault, catapulting onto her feet. “Hey, I’m getting better at thi--omph!” she huffed as Alex came through behind her and knocked her over. “So much for that.”
“Hey, I know where we are!” He stood up and brushed himself off. “We’re on Zogomath!” It was true. She could tell by the smell of rotten meat. She cleared her throat. “Oh! Right. Sorry about that.” Holding out his hand, he pulled her up. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Daintily dusting off her own suit, she looked around. “Why does it always smell terrible here?”
“One of Matt’s ways of keeping people away,” he explained. “Also, it doesn’t really look as nice as it does to you. It’s an illusion. All the beautiful trees, this forest--in reality it’s a dead forest, with dying black trees.”
Marcy gagged. “Um, ew!”
“Exactly. Follow me, his cave is this way.”
They set off through the forest.Well. What's going to happen? Is there a budding something going on in Alex's mind--and maybe Marcy's as well? What is Matt up to? Is Jenny okay? Find out next time I finish a chapter on--
MARCY'S STORY!!!!!!!!!!!
~~Zoë Wingfeather
No comments:
Post a Comment