Jack James and the Call of the Tanakee (10 page)

ELEVEN

“HAS ANYBODY SEEN my daddy!” Lily shouted as soon as she got inside Winmart. “He’s gone and we can’t find him!”

The cashiers each stopped what they were doing and presented her with sad faces. Then Liz walked in and they all left their posts.

“Liz, is it true? Is Ben missing?”

“Yes,” she tried not to cry. It was no use. Her mascara was already running, and her nose had stuffed up completely. “We’ve been to the police department, to file a-a missing person’s report,” she lost it on those last three words, sobbing out of control.

“Come on, Mrs. James,” Amelia took her elbow and led her toward the employee break room.

“Wait,” Al rushed from the upstairs office, keys jingling on his hip. “I heard you say Ben’s missing. Is there anything we can do?”

Liz mustered the strength to speak, fighting her shivers and lack of breath. “We just came to find out if anyone knows anything.

Al rubbed his chin, and his eyes narrowed. “Come here,” he led her to one of the cash registers. Extending from the counter, on a flexible stand, was a microphone. He tilted and pointed it at Liz’s mouth. “Go ahead.”

She thanked him with her eyes, then pressed the button.

“Hello, everybody. Can I please have your attention? This is Liz James.”

People took notice. Shoppers stopped shopping. Voices fell hushed. Liz looked at her daughter, red eyes and puffy cheeks. Then she turned to Amelia, standing beside the Tanakee—Pud, Ayita, Enola and Cheyton. Words failed her.

“Here,” Amelia took the mic.
“Everyone, please listen. Ben James is missing!”

“My daddy!” Lily screamed and the store buzzed with chatter.

“We think he disappeared sometime last night, and we’re worried something terrible might have happened to him.”

A woman pushing a shopping cart and trailing several children asked, “Your son has that miracle machine. Why doesn’t he just use it to find your husband? Heck, if
I
had that machine, I’d find me a
new
husband!”

Several people laughed. Cheyton hopped to the counter and grabbed the microphone.

“This is serious,”
he said.
“The same monsters that almost destroyed your town are behind this. They’re up to something, I know it.”

“Please,”
Enola took the mic.
“If anyone knows where Ben is, please come forward. We need him back. Ben’s family needs him.”

“I need him too,”
Pud sniffled over the loudspeaker.
“He’s my friend.”

“It’ll be okay, Pud,” Enola rubbed his furry, orange-tinted back. “We’ll find him.”

Liz detected commotion at the other end of the store. Murmurs. People moving quickly to clear a path. Someone was coming, someone determined and headstrong. When Liz saw the flowing, purple robe adorned with shiny letters and symbols, she knew help was on the way. It was Teresa Tree.

“What’s this I hear?” Teresa made her way forward, nimble as a child. “Ben James is missing? This can’t be. This simply can’t be!”

“But it is,” Lily ran and pressed against Teresa’s silken gown. “My daddy’s gone, Teresa. He’s been kiddy-napped!”

“Where’s Jack and Takota?” she asked.

“They went to look for him,” Liz responded. “But I’m getting the feeling they’re having a hard time.”

“Well, I’ll just have to see what I can do,” she reached under her shawl and produced a thick, brown leather-bound book. Immediately, Liz felt a surge of relief. With Jack and Takota using the awesome power of the O/A, and with Teresa’s amazing gifts of magical storytelling, they’d get to the bottom of this. But before the silver-haired woman had the chance to crack the book open, an annoyingly shrill declaration stopped her cold.

“There they are! These are the people, and the
things
you’re looking for!”

For a moment, Liz felt disorientated. It took Amelia and her sharp eye to see who it was.

“Dillon Shane! What have you done this time?”

The blonde kid blinked his clear blue eyes and flashed a devilish smile while leading a group of men in expensive suits. All wearing dark glasses and wires in their ears, they reminded Liz of the evil industrialist Archer Savage’s men, but they weren’t. They were too classy to be Savage employees.

Without a word, the men filed through Winmart’s front entrance. The lead man, a tall, slender guy with no hair, marched up to Teresa and stole the book from her hand.

“I’ll take that, if you don’t mind,” he said.

“What are you doing!” Liz protested. “What’s the meaning of this!”

“We’re from the government,” the bald one said without any emotion. “And we’re here to help,” he gestured to the Tanakee. “Get the creatures!”

Liz knew Enola and Pud wanted to stay and protect the children. She could tell by the way they were eyeing the men. But the suited, sunglass-clad militia seemed too formidable. As the agents moved in, the Tanakee scattered. Liz screamed, “Don’t you dare touch those little guys!” and tried to do something about it. A man with strong hands grasped her arms, holding her in place. She could only watch as Enola, Cheyton, Ayita and Pud dashed in different directions, taking separate groups of agents with them.

The Tanakee moved quickly, scaling tall stacks of packaged food products. From the tops of the aisles, they chucked cans of soda, bottles of baby formula, tins of sardines—anything they could find for their makeshift arsenal. And the more they threw, the messier the mess became. The agents had trouble staying upright, many slipping and slopping in the strained pea, seafood, milk and ketchup mixture.

“Mommy!” Lily cried when a rather unsavory-looking fellow took hold of her.

“Hey!” Liz was livid. “Leave my daughter alone!”

Enola stood at the end of an aisle and waved her arms, letting her green halo slip out in brilliant bunches. She lowered her head and stared intently at the man holding Lily.

“Wha-what’s she doing?” he stammered. “Hey! Stop her!”

All at once, the men aimed their weapons straight at Enola. With a blinding flash, Cheyton and Pud rippled in from empty space, materializing right on top of two agents, taking down each of them.

“Stop!” the man in charge pointed his pistol at Enola. “I’m warning you! This is the business of the United States Government! Surrender or else!”

“No,” Enola skewed her head. “I’m warning
you
! Leave us alone or
else
!”

He ignored her decree, setting his aim even more intently. Enola answered with an eruption of green flames, a dazzling display sizzling in the direction of the lead agent. His eyes widened and he fell to the floor fast, just barely avoiding the unearthly glow.

Several agents ambushed Enola at the same time. With a flick of her fingers, she sent a cloud of green fire and enveloped the surly men. Frowns turned to smiles. Threatening sneers changed to warm greetings. They sat down, all grown adults, and beamed at Enola like she was about to give them a treat.

“Sir!” one of the unaffected agents pointed out. “It’s true! She has a love spell!”

“Get her!” their leader commanded, and the underlings aimed their guns instantly. Enola fired another salvo of emerald flames, forcing the men to dive for cover, pushing them toward the exit. The ones holding Liz and Lily and Amelia let go and ran, anxious to evade the bright green fire. They were almost out the door when Enola’s amorphous energy stopped suddenly. She lost her determined stare, and her face went blank. Then she grimaced and doubled over, hugging her own waist.

“Enola!” Ayita ran and caught her from falling. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I, uh…” she murmured. “I don’t feel so…” and she collapsed in Ayita’s arms. Cheyton appeared in a flash by her side, helping Ayita ease her to the floor.

“Enola? Did they get you?” he searched her body, pushing aside tufts of fur, looking for a wound. He seemed to find nothing. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Enola breathed heavily. “All of a sudden I feel terrible.”

The lead agent alternated his pistol between the Tanakee and Liz. “You’re coming with us. We have a lot of questions for you!”

“They’re not going anywhere,” the store manager asserted. “These guys are heroes, if you haven’t heard. They saved a lot of lives, and they singlehandedly revived this town’s economy.”

“I don’t care,” the agent said. “These creatures are a danger to society.”

The customers grew bolder by the minute, coming forward slowly, one step at a time, and directing their ire at the agents.

“You can’t come in here and just take them!”

“They’re not a danger to society!”

“People,” said the lead agent. “We’re doing our best to protect you and your families. I know you think these creatures are cute and nice. They may have even helped to save your town, but that won’t stop me from doing my job. For your safety and ours, we have to put these creatures under quarantine.”

Gasps. Murmurs.

“Quarantine?” Liz knew what that meant. “Why? You think they’re diseased?”

“I mean they’re dangerous, and it’s our job to neutralize that danger,” the man snapped his fingers, and the agents not under Enola’s spell came forward, inching toward the Tanakee with their guns raised.

“We’ve got you cornered. Surrender before this gets ugly.”

“Teresa!” in an orange burst of light, Pud appeared on top of the agent with Teresa’s leather-bound book. He snatched the hardcover and tossed it into her outstretched arms. She plucked it out of the air, opened it, and began to read:

“From the four cardinal directions the spirits came to breathe life, to animate that which was once inanimate!”

On the shelves, packages and cans and jars began to shake and shimmy.

“
Arise! Awake! Alive!
—and come to the aid of your friends.”

In perfect unison, a torrent of cookies, crackers, candy, popcorn and other grocery items exploded from their boxes. Hundreds of them, flying with the force of little missiles, disorienting the agents with flurries of food, and giving Liz the chance she needed.

“Come on!” she took Lily’s hand. “Let’s get outta here!”

Cheyton let Enola lean on him and they followed Liz out the door. Right behind her ran Amelia, Ayita, and Pud. Then, sprinting faster than them all, was Teresa, carrying her book. Behind her swarmed a flood of candy—jawbreakers and Hershey’s Kisses and Hot Tamales—coming to life and dancing in midair along with the rest of the store’s merchandise. As she ran out the door, some of the smaller objects escaped. Sweet-tarts and Skittles flew in formation, then separated and rocketed out of sight.

As the renegades ran, a cadre of unmarked, four door sedans, black paint and tinted windows, raced into the parking lot from every entrance, blocking all possible ways out.

Pud hollered, “Let’s just blink outta here! You know, use Eteea!”

“Not with her like this!” Cheyton motioned to Enola. She rested against him, dependent on him to stand.

As the sedans closed in, Liz clutched her daughter and pleaded for a miracle. She should have known she’d get one. They had Teresa.

“
Vroom, Vroom
said the storyteller’s ride,” Teresa read. “Eager to please, enduringly loyal, the little yellow van saved the day—once again.”

With Teresa’s oration, her cumbersome Volkswagen sped from the crowded lot, aiming directly at them. Pud, to get out of the way, rolled on his side and then sprung to his feet again.

“Your van?” Amelia sounded puzzled. “But we wrecked it. You got it fixed already? That’s impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible,” Teresa tapped her book. “As long as I have my stories to tell.”

As soon as the van squealed to a stop, Amelia opened the sliding door so Cheyton and Ayita could help Enola inside.

“Mommy? Is Enola going to be okay?” Lily asked as they climbed in the front seat together.

“Of course, honey,” Liz said, despite worries to the contrary. Enola was hurt, and Liz wasn’t sure if those government agents did something to her.

Teresa took command of her van, plopping into the driver’s seat. Then she caught sight of the oncoming fleet of federal Fords, turned the wheel, and hit the gas. The van banked left, toward the east exit. An official vehicle sped at them, hastening through the parking lot at a rather unsafe speed, considering how many innocent people were milling about on foot.

“Those guys are gonna kill someone!” Liz complained.

“Yeah,” Amelia said plainly. “Us. If they catch us.”

“And it looks like they’re gonna,” Pud pointed out the back windows, where a line of government cars were closing in on them.

“We’ll never get out of this!” Cheyton lamented. He covered Enola like a living shield.

“Yes we will,” Ayita smiled at Teresa. “Won’t we?”

“We will if
I
can help it,” the storytelling enchantress hit the brakes as she thumbed through her sizable book. “Let’s see, let’s see—ah! Here!” she cleared her throat. “The cars all have minds that wander, but those aren’t the only things that roam. Even the automobiles know they have a part to play. All good things join forces when the time comes. And that time is now!”