AMANI: Reveal (23 page)

Ian Cohen

Amanda wasn’t difficult to calm down once I explained the whole story about my father being responsible for my sister’s death. In fact, she proposed that I see a counselor to help with my anger issues, and I had no choice but to tell her I would try anything to make her happy—
              —which included keeping her safe.
              “There is something I need to do if I plan on starting over as a good and honest man,” I said while trying to look morose.
              Her eyes glowed with enthusiasm. “How can I help?”
              Her question couldn’t have been more convenient.
              I told her how Michelle had helped Xander Macfrey escape Headquarters when the Rascals attacked us. Amanda was shocked, obviously, but it also made sense to her. Michelle had been among the few who had kept fighting for Xander against the rebel group John and I had created to pressure Xander’s death sentence.
              The more I talked about it, the bigger Amanda’s eyes grew. She was scared and I played on that.
              “And I believe,” I continued, “that Michelle might have formed a sort of alliance with Rascals. She used them to save Xander, and now she’s gone after another one.”
              “
Another one?
Why?”
              “She apparently wants to prove Rascals can be good, but I suspect she’s been looking for a way to integrate them among us… in our society. And I personally don’t trust them. Not after what they did to Danny, and the explosions.”
              “Poor Danny… By the way, John and a few others from the safety department just got out of the hospital,” she told me.
              If it were true, then I had to see them right now. I hadn’t bothered asking for John’s help since he’d been admitted for third-degree burns, but now that he and probably a few other members of our group were out, cleaning up Headquarters would be a much easier task than expected.
              “Okay. Good,” I said, my brain wrapping around my plan. “Dr. Goldbridge wants to see you in his office concerning the marks on your wrists. I know I am responsible for them, but you must understand that I will need all the help I can get from our colleagues if I want to make our workplace safe again. If they knew what I’ve done to you…”
              “Don’t worry; I won’t say anything.”
              “Well, actually, if you could tell him it was my father…” Amanda frowned. “I don’t know why, but I feel like it would avenge me a little for all he’s done to my sister and me. His reputation is very dear to him.”
              That was enough to convince her. She gave me a short kiss on the mouth before she left for Dr. Goldbridge’s office, and for the first time, I felt a brand new emotion towards my new fiancée. Loathe and disgust had transformed into some sort of trusting dominance. Maybe she could be useful after all.
              Proud of my accomplishments so far, I called John and the rest of our rebellion group to my office. John had half his face covered in white bandages, his two arms in the same condition. Fred Lewis and Nicholas Smith had just recovered from severe concussions. Veronica Young wore a cast around her broken leg. Philip Cohen, my third cousin, was still grieving his wife’s death. On the day of the explosions she had just come back to work for the safety department after the birth of their third child. As for the other six, they had been among the lucky ones who had not been injured by the Rascals’ attack.
              John was the first to speak. “Heard you threw your dad out.”
              “I did what I had to do. I’ve been afraid of him for too long. And, if I have my way, things are about to change around here, so I need a clear mind.”
              “What’s about to change?” Veronica asked.
              “Have you heard from Michelle?” Lisa, a blonde relative of mine, said.
              “No. But there’s something I need to tell you about her…”

***

Once again, around four in the afternoon, I had gathered everybody at HQ downstairs in the library. Amanda was standing by my side, beaming at an extremely baffled crowd, while I was getting more nervous by the second. This was my chance, before Michelle came back, and I had to make the best of it.
              I took a step forward with the intention to grab the microphone, but my shaking hands convinced me otherwise.
              “Thank you everyone for coming,” I half whispered, half shouted, trying to adjust to hearing my voice echoed through the shelved walls. This wasn’t my first time speaking to that many people, but I felt even less confident now than I had last time. “I have gathered you today for two main reasons. Firstly, it is my pleasure to announce that Miss Amanda O’Neil and I will be getting married next summer. And you are all invited!”
              A loud wave of cheers and applause resonated, which inspired me to turn around, walk directly to Amanda, and kiss her in front of everyone. The cheers intensified, followed by a chorus of feminine
aws
. I came back to the micro with a boost of confidence.
              “My next point is a little less cheerful,” I continued as I gently touched my swollen eye with the tip of my fingers. “I was recently forced to face a certain… ghost from my past; a ghost I believed had vanished from my life for good when I was very young.” Several people exchanged knowing looks, which confirmed that the rumor had spread. “That ghost, however, lead me to remark certain ruptures in my life. For instance, I need to go out more often. Seriously,” I said, when several mouths widened. “I haven’t had fun in, what, months? Years? Our job as Protectors of Amani takes so much of our time and energy that we completely forget to
live
outside of work.” Everybody nodded. “I also noticed that I don’t know more than half of your names, and most of you are directly related to me. Isn’t that awful?” More people laughed and kept nodding along.
              I cleared my throat before I kept on. “I’ve spent most of my life afraid to love.” I glanced at Amanda, who’d started weeping behind me. “Afraid to care… But starting today, I’ve decided that it is
enough
. I’ve had enough of people governing my own life. Of people standing in the way of my own happiness, just because they can. Because I know that as long as I give them power—as long as I don’t believe in myself and my choices—they
will
keep coming.
              “And the first thing I want to do, now that I can deliberately say how much I care about all of you and about our beloved Dimension, is to confess that I’ve been lying to you.”
              Smiles transformed into gasps, nods into frowns, as the atmosphere changed completely.
             
Come on, Ian
, I cheered myself.
Meo will be so proud.
             
“Mrs. Cohen left me with a very heavy burden: a secret she wanted me to keep from all of you. I have shared this burden with my fiancée, of course, but I am now ready to share it with you. Why? Simply because you deserve to know your leader and what she is up to.
              “As many of you know, she left Headquarters shortly after the Rascal attack. Well, I deeply regret having to tell you myself, but she has gone searching for yet
more
Rascals.”
              A loud choir of protestation and disbelief rose from the crowd, but I kept going.
              “You may ask her yourself if you wish, though I can already answer one of your many questions. Why would she do such a thing? Well, simply because she trusts them. She never wanted to put Mr. Xander Macfrey in a prison cell. Had it been only her decision, he would have walked free the second he set foot back at Headquarters.”
              Looks of disdain lifted my spirits as I kept forcing myself not to smile.
              “It is in fact she who ordered her husband, her daughter, and Miss Amya Priam to break Mr. Macfrey out of jail.”
              The crowd broke into outraged shouting making it impossible for me to continue as. The majority seemed to be angry with Michelle, even insulted, while a few yelled at me personally.
              “Yes,” I said louder. “And that is why there was no official mission set in place to find them. That is why I asked most of you to put all your energy into finding Miss Delilah Priam. Because Michelle ordered me to.
              “But since the attack, I haven’t been able to sleep properly. I’ve been having nightmares about a world where Rascals can walk freely among us and feed on humans whenever they feel like it. So I gathered a few trusted people and started Operation R.”
              I sought Henry in the crowd. Fortunately he was close to the stand, so I invited him up. Shy and confused, he followed my lead and stood next to me.
              “Henry, would you tell the rest of your colleagues what your job consisted of these last few days?” He looked hesitant. I had after all told him to keep it a secret not so long ago. “It’s okay,” I encouraged him. “It’s time to tell the truth now.”
              Henry took my place in front of the microphone. “Er… I was in charge of Operation R, which I believed stood for Rascal. My job was to, with the help from a few handpicked Protectors, find Xander Macfrey’s location. But then… er… the operation became even more classified…”
              I stretched my arm and took the mic.
              “When, Henry? When did I ask you to be even more careful who you spoke of this operation to?”
              “I believe it was the day your father arrived at Headquarters?”
              “Indeed it was.” I turned to the crowd. “I had reason to believe that Mrs. Cohen had sent my father to spy on me—on us. To make sure we were not looking into Xander’s escape too closely. To make sure no one found out the truth. Isn’t it odd that a Rascal attack was orchestrated on the same day as Xander Macfrey’s trial? And that, even after what happened to our dear Danny Hall and the destruction of Headquarters, we were forbidden to look into the disappearance of our prime suspect?”
              My audience remained quiet, all too stunned to react, so I continued.
              “And did you find him?” I asked Henry, who was still standing beside me, looking uncomfortable. “Did you find Mr. Xander Macfrey?”
              “Yes, we did find him.”
              “What did I tell you to do when you did?”
              Henry seemed surprised by my question. “N—Nothing… You said you’d have to think of a plan before we could move in on him… But you never came back to me.”
              I let that information sink in.
              “And a day or two later, I looked like this,” I said, pointing to my injured face and body. I paused once more, acting sad and thoughtful, scratching my head. “I mentioned earlier how much I care about all of you. Well, my next announcement is a direct result of my personal concern. I do not believe it would be safe to let Mrs. Michelle Cohen come back to Headquarters.” Only a small portion of the crowd started arguing, so I kept going, my voice getting louder. “Her involvement with Rascals has become a danger to us all, and I care too much about our work and what the Protectors represent to let her sabotage what we’ve spent so much energy to build.
              “Now, I am in no position to make such a decision on my own, so I propose a general vote. If you care as much as I do for your family and friends, for our Dimension, I beg you to consider our safest option.”
              I’d first planned on giving my audience five minutes to deliberate, but I now realized that if I did, some might change their mind. They were on the spur of emotion and I had to take advantage of it.
              “All right!” I almost shouted over several arguments. “It is time to vote for or against Michelle’s banishment! The majority will win!” The room fell silent and I could see many angry faces from my position. “The decision cannot please everyone, so I will understand if some of you wish to leave Headquarters after the vote. Bear in mind that you will always be welcome if you ever want to come back.
              “Those in favor of letting Michelle go, of keeping our Headquarters free of evil threats; those who wish to keep fighting for our Dimension’s safety, raise your hand!”
              “Now, those in favor of welcoming Michelle back, even if she arrives accompanied by Rascals, raise your hand!”
              Just then, I could not help myself grinning anymore.
              I looked to my left at John, Veronica, and the rest of the rebel group, nodded, and watched as they escorted the few owners of those raised hands out of my Headquarters.
             

Amya Priam

It was nearly dark when we left Bishop’s campus. Patrick, Sine, Vivian, and Mary did not have class before six this afternoon so we stayed in the seminar room—with the permission of Mrs. Boyd, the librarian—until four.
              Toward the end of the session, Vivian was almost accustomed to Xander. She even laughed at the way he chastised Samera for being too enthusiastic every time Vivian burned his hand. Mary kept offering her help with the bruises, but we never let her come close to Xander, in case she’d try to pull the same stunt Hibiscus had on Samera and Mr. Jensen earlier. Sine participated on and off, but according to Patrick, it was a habit of hers. She was often busy listening to her Red and Yellow-selves.
              Apparently, the Sine Ebun in Red was a chemist, and she had just invented a hair dye that could last forever. Some sort of molecule planted at the root of the hair, dyeing it as it grew. Samera was thrilled to hear the news, as she felt all her money went into dying her hair red every so often because the color washed out after only a few shampoos.
              Karl, who had been taking notes on the effect of gold on Xander’s skin and timing how long it was taking him to heal, called Michelle before we left the library. She agreed that with the help of my father and a newfound way to kill Rascals, we were likely to convince the Protectors to give Xander a chance.
              We agreed to meet her, my dad, and my mother just outside Headquarters in two days. We were to make the way back from Canada by private jet, leaving tomorrow morning.
              Michelle would arrange everything with the Canadian Protectors and would ask, although we did not wish to hide anymore, that they be very discreet. Xander was to come back to Headquarters willingly rather than by force.
              Samera did not convince her father to go back to Madame M.’s house by the Red Dimension, and the Yellow was out of question as we knew all too well we would have to skirt the Crags, which would certainly delay us. We headed off to Deacon Street immediately after the meeting, Xander and Mr. Jensen on constant alert every time we crossed path with a student.
              The wind was blowing the thin layer of snow on the street, creating sinuous, dancing patterns, while it crept into my coat by the neck hole and into my bones, like a raw chill. It was so cold, I thought my nostrils would crack and my lungs freeze.
              Samera had been asking her father permission to buy the permanent hair dye Sine’s Red-self had created, when two boys appeared from around the corner of Lorne Street, running. They halted in front of us as Xander immediately shielded Sam and me with his body, followed closely by Karl, his hand in his coat.
              Seeing our reaction, one of the boys threw his hands in the air, halting so abruptly he almost crashed into Xander.
              “Whoa, we don’t want any trouble,” he said. It was the same guy who had invited us to a party on campus the night before. His friend was staring at Karl, too nervous to say anything. “We’re late for class, excuse us—oh, hey!” He seemed to notice Samera and me for the first time. “You didn’t come to the party last night! It was awesome! Logan”—he nudged his dark-haired friend—“was crowned the Beer Pong King. Let me tell you,
he deserved it
, didn’t you?”
              “Yeah,” Logan answered. “I’m Logan, by the way. This is Daniel.”
              “Anyhoo,” Daniel continued. “He’s competing against a guy named Marc-Antoine Something from the University of Sherbrooke tonight, if you care to join us. Twenty-eight-fifty on College! Now if you’ll excuse us!”
              Just like that, Daniel and Logan had darted down College as though they had never stopped.
              And oddly, for the first time in my life, I felt like going to a party.
              Thanks to Hibiscus and Vivian, Xander was going to be safe, we had found a good—though expensive—way to fight Rascals, which would make it easier to get my sister back, if we ever located her, and we were heading back to the States in less than twenty-four hours.
              We had one night to celebrate.
              Karl and Samera were not thinking along the same lines, though. According to them, we had one last evening in Sherbrooke to prepare good arguments for the Protectors, and a good night of rest before returning to Headquarters.
              For maximum safety, Madame M. lent us a some of her golden jewelry. Samera wore earrings, Karl a very feminine watch, and I a golden chain.
              I spent the evening playing with Snow White while we discussed our plan. Madame M. wasn’t too keen about our early departure, but she promised she would come visit us someday. As for the cats, they wouldn’t leave our sides. Doc, Dopey, and Sneezy dozed off on my legs the second we went to bed, while the other three snuggled against Xander on the floor, purring so loudly I thought we’d never be able to fall asleep ourselves.
              “Amya?” Xander whispered. “Are you awake?”
              “Can’t sleep. Dopey keeps attacking my foot every time I move.” That and I was so excited it was difficult for me to close my eyes for more than ten seconds at a time.
              “Want to go for a walk?”
              “Yes please! But what about Karl?”
              He frowned. “You still have your necklace on you?” I nodded. “Then nothing can happen. I won’t let it.”
              We put on some sweatpants over our pajamas and silently headed for the closet for our winter coats, when I nearly stepped on an old, gray cat. It spat at me, its yellow eyes a haunting glow, as though threatening to wake its master. Xander and I froze, listening for the slightest movement, and when we were certain Grumpy hadn’t woken up anyone, I wrapped myself up with a second layer—Madame M.’s turtleneck sweater I’d worn the day before—put on my winter coat, and then went outside.
              The two Canadian Protectors had fallen asleep in their respective positions, allowing us to pass undetected.
              The weather was cool and crude, though the wind had died, which made the night much more comfortable than any daytime we’d spent in Sherbrooke so far. We waited till we were several steps away from the house before either of us dared make a noise. Walking down on Speid Street, stars were visible above our heads and only a few street lights illuminated the neighborhood.
              A cat crossed the road a few feet below, ignoring us completely.
              “Do you think they’re going to accept me?” Xander mused aloud, breaking the silence. “The Protectors, I mean.”
              “Of course they will! They were initially afraid, that’s all. When they realize you’ve discovered a way to harm Rascals, maybe to kill them too, there will be no more reason not to trust you, you know that. And my father…” It still hurt to think that he’d lied to my mother and me for so long, but I was slowly coming around. He had never meant to hurt us, after all. “My father’s married to a Seraph and he couldn’t look more innocent.”
              My dad was the perfect definition of a nerd, which, in my opinion, wasn’t very frightening. He had large, thick bifocal glasses, his hair was untidy all the time, and he always wore a bow tie, no matter what kind of shirt he matched it with. Besides, he never got angry, which was probably the reason why his eyes had never turned black in front of me. I supposed he’d learned to remain calm in any situation to hide his identity.
              “But what if it’s not enough?” Xander continued, bothered. “What if they still wish to kill us all, to eradicate our race?”
              I thought about the possibility for a second. “Did Sam ever tell you why the people in Amani don’t know about the Dimensions?”
              “Hitler…”
              “Exactly. They are Jews, Xander. Some still have parents or grandparents who survived the Holocaust. They understand what it’s like to be the target of a prejudice… even more than that, of pure racism, hatred, and blind animosity. They were like you not so long ago. They were a misunderstood people threatened by a powerful authority. And Nazis still exist; misconceptions of Judaism and of so many other religions are everywhere. It is fear that blinds them, but once the fear is removed, once they know they have a chance at defending themselves against Rascals, then they will see clearly. They will understand.”
              “You sound like your grandmother,” Xander told me, smiling mostly with his eyes.
              “I miss her so much. She always makes things easier, clearer.”
              We turned right on Lorne Street, toward College, and met a couple of drunk girls talking loudly about a boy on the football team. They hurried past us, giggling amongst themselves, and were out of sight in no time.
              They reminded me of Delilah. She, too, used to hang out with friends at night, though our parents forbade it. She could have been one of them, going to a party on a school day, away from her family, away from any rules.
              She would have enjoyed college. She would have hated the part where you actually had to go to classes and study, but the rest she would have loved.
              “We can help the Protectors find your sister when we’re back in New York,” Xander said suddenly, as though he knew I’d been thinking about her.
              “Yeah. There’s just… I don’t—I still don’t understand why they took her, you know?”
              “They probably thought it was you. Or they knew you’d be coming for her.”
              “Maybe, but I’ll do anything to find her anyway… so why keep her alive?”
              “Don’t think like that.” He spoke quickly, standing in my way. “She is still alive, Amya.”
              There was confidence in his expression, more confidence than I could bear. I looked away.
              “How can you be so sure?”
              He cupped his hands around my cheeks, staring deeply into my eyes. His mouth opened, then closed. He frowned slightly. “I can’t be sure, but somehow I am. And you should be too. My father calls it faith. The same faith I held on to when you were in a coma.”
              “How can your father still have faith in life, after everything that’s happened to your family?” After his wife and daughter had died… how could he find such strength?
              Xander’s bright eyes reflected a street light behind me, giving the impression that they held all the stars in the sky.
              “Ha, that’s a mystery,” he replied as we started walking again. “He is a strong man, my father. Mentally strong, of course. He still asks for help when he needs to open a jar lid.” He laughed. “When I was still training to be a chef in his diner’s kitchen, he used to get so mad every time he had to open a new jar of pickles. He walked around, banging the jar on every counter until someone offered their help. Maybe being so stubborn helped him overcome grief during the worst periods. I dunno. When you can’t give up on a jar of pickles, you certainly won’t give up your own happiness.”
              “Will you tell him what you are? He must be worried; he hasn’t heard from you in a while.”
              “I’m still supposed to be in Italy, attending a special culinary school, remember? He doesn’t expect me to call him very often, though it has been more than a month already. I could pay him a surprise visit when we get back.”
              “I think he would like that very much.”
              “Will you come with me? It would be easier with someone by my side.”
              Without thinking, I slid my fingers between his and leaned against his arm. Xander looked at me, bewildered, but did not say anything. We were silent until we reached the corner of Lorne and College.
              “We should head back now,” he said quietly. “Karl will be awake early tomorrow…”—he glanced at the sky—“today, actually. It must be past midnight.”
              I faced him, very aware of the fact that I was still holding his hand. “You know, I can’t remember much of anything from my first year in college. And most of my memories were probably forged by Meo, faked.” I let the thought float between us. “What do you say we go to a party tonight and create new memories together? We’ve almost made it half-way—”
              “No,” he said, stiffening instantly. “Amya, we might already be in danger. We should have notified the Canadian Protectors that we were leaving the house.” He looked around, suddenly aware of how far we’d walked.
              “But it’s our last night! We’ve both been stuck inside Headquarters for a month, and who knows how long it’ll take before we can have our life back after tomorrow? A real life where we can freely walk around town…You know as well as I do that even Rascals need some sleep. If Wyatt and the others really are behind the murder in front of Madame M.’s house, they are very unlikely to keep an eye on me twenty-four-seven. If they wanted to kidnap me, they would’ve done it yesterday or the day before. They’re not afraid of Karl and his gun and we know why now. Besides, I’m still wearing my golden chain under my shirt…”
              “But what if something happens?”
              “It won’t. Like I said, they would have attacked us already if they’d wanted to so badly.” I pulled on his arm, smiling widely. “Come on! Let’s have fun for once in, like, forever!”
              “Oh, don’t tell me cutting my arm using different ancient daggers and being hurled to the ground by a flying, mad bird-woman isn’t fun for you, or I might question your mental health,” he said in a sarcastic tone, following me down College Street.
              “You didn’t enjoy our journey? And I thought I was the only one.”