The Inner Circle (Return of the Ancients Book 3) (4 page)

We’d gone through only half of them when Tigger waddled into the kitchen and laid down in front of the refrigerator. Dropping his nose between his paws, he gave a sigh of deep contentment.

With a chuckle, Al leaned down and scratched the bloodhound’s ears.

A wave of peace washed over me, and it was then that I recognized what it was.

I’d never had a father.

Somehow, I’d come to see Al in that role.

In just the short time I’d been there, Al and Betty had become my parents more than my own mother, Maya, ever had been.

In some strange way, I’d grown to love them. And that thought filled me with a strong resolve.

I wasn’t about to let my new family be turned into Mesmer playthings.

I watched Al flip through the pages of his Neighborhood Watch notebook and stop on a page titled ‘Citizen’s Arrest’. Wetting the tip of his pencil with his tongue, he began filling out the details.

I had to take action.

I’d figure out what the lizard people and the Inner Circle were up to myself. But I had to make sure none of us could be mesmerized again first. I wasn’t sure Jareth’s rune could protect all of us.

Leaving Al in the kitchen, I headed towards Betty’s computer, and sitting down in her white plastic chair, I typed my question into the search engine.

How do you protect yourself from mind control?

I found lots of articles that stated the best way to prevent yourself from being brainwashed was to first recognize that someone was trying to control you. Apparently, you should look out for people who tried to isolate you from friends and who actively tried to scare you about things.

I knew there was something to be learned there, about not letting myself be scared, so I made a note and kept searching.

One article was a long one about fluoride that claimed it was designed to make people submissive to governmental control.

I tapped my fingers on the tabletop, and after deciding that I didn’t feel particularly in danger from my toothpaste, I moved on.

In the kitchen, I could hear Al talking on the phone. I held my breath to listen and when I heard the name ‘Jack’, I unabashedly got up to eavesdrop.

Finding a nice vantage point behind Betty’s mountain of Ebay boxes, I peered into the kitchen to see Al pacing excitedly in circles, almost tripping over Tigger each time he looped around.

Tigger wasn’t threatened. His droopy face rested comfortably on his paws as he watched Al’s every move with worshipful eyes. And each time Al’s foot came within an inch of his nose, he wagged the tip of his tail before heaving a huge sigh as if the effort had completely exhausted him. Maybe it did.

“Good point, Jack,” Al was saying as he furrowed his brows. “Good point.”

There was a long stretch of silence as Al paused before the counter and furiously scribbled in his notebook.

Apparently, Jack had a lot to say.

“I see.” Al nodded his head. “Noted. Good point. Noted. Roger.”

I scowled. I wasn’t learning very much.

“And missing time?” I heard Al ask.

I caught my breath as Jack’s voice buzzed.

So, Al was more receptive to the supernatural than he appeared. That was good.

But then Al’s frown deepened and he was telling Jack goodbye.

I scrambled back into the shadows as he passed by me and then craned my neck around Betty’s boxes to watch him disappear into the family room where Betty was still resting on the couch.

It was then that the doorbell rang and Tigger began to bark. Or as much as Tigger barked, anyway. It was more of a dog comment that there was a stranger at the door that served the dual purpose of being a greeting, just in case they had a hot dog. Tigger clearly kept his options open.

“Is that the UPS man?” Betty called.

I hesitated, but not for long. If it was a Mesmer, I knew I was the best one in the family to deal with it.

“I’ll handle it,” I called back.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened the door.

To my surprise and relief, it really was the UPS man. They were working late shifts for the holiday season. I signed for the boxes and had just lugged the last one inside when I glanced across the street to see Rafael’s tall form slouched against the side of his house, just inside the circle of his front porch light.

I held still.

I couldn’t see his face. It was too dark. But then he stood straight, and I could feel his eyes on me. He lifted his chin in acknowledgement.

I was going to have to confront him. But not yet. Not until I’d come up with a plan. Sticking my hands in my pockets, I backed through the door when I bumped into something furry.

With a yelp, I whirled to see Ajax’s dark eyes staring at me, his pointed ears on high alert.

I locked eyes with the shiny black Doberman.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. I wasn’t about to keep Rafael’s spy in the house. “Go home, Ajax,” I ordered, pointing across the street. “You can’t stay here.”

Ajax flattened his ears against his skull and growled in protest.

A cold draft of air blew through the door and I shivered, not entirely just from the cold. I had previously felt safe from Mesmers with Ajax around. But I couldn’t let him stay.

“How can I trust you?” I asked. “Go home! I have Tigger. He’ll protect me.”

Ajax’s lip curled back in displeasure, revealing a row of pointed white teeth. But I wasn’t scared of him anymore. Adamantly, I advanced, and he knew I meant business. Chastened, he backed away.

“Now!” I snapped.

But ditching Ajax was harder than it looked. He plainly didn’t feel compelled to take any orders from me. He kept sidestepping me, and he was so sleek, there wasn’t anything to grab onto. His tail was the size of a Twinkie and kept slipping through my fingers.

It was only when Rafael whistled from across the street that he finally left, but at the edge of the yard, he stopped to send silent waves of reproach my way.

Rafael was staring at me too.

I stared back, growing angrier with each passing moment.

What did they expect?

I’d just found out Rafael wasn’t a particularly nice guy. I certainly wasn’t going to keep company with his dog.

We probably would have glared at each other all night if Grace hadn’t come home, pulling up the driveway in Ellison’s Volkswagen Beetle.

Rolling down the window, Ellison poked out his shaved head and waved cheerfully. “I’ll pick you up for work tomorrow,” he offered. “We’ve almost got the same shifts.”

I just had time to nod before he was backing out, and Grace bounded up to the porch, lugging a bag of groceries. And as Ellison zoomed away, I glanced across the street.

Rafael was gone.

Grace pushed past me to dump the groceries onto the countertop.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said apologetically. “We went to a fancy restaurant.”

Dressed in gray sweats and with her black hair pulled back into a severe ponytail, she looked as if she’d just come from the gym. But then, Grace was such a tomboy, she didn’t care to dress up. It was one of the things I liked about her. She was comfortable in her own skin.

Al came into the kitchen then, and as they began to chat, I suddenly wanted to be alone and escaped to my room.

Kicking my shoes off, I leaned against my dresser and stuck my hand into Jerry’s cage. I gave the mouse a fond poke in the belly and filled his dish with seeds.

As I opened my top drawer, my eyes fell on the small metal hand mirror that Rafael had given me. Clenching my jaw, I grabbed it and tossed it in the trash, but in less than fifteen minutes, I was digging it back out.

Looking into the mirror, I said, “You’re such a jerk, Rafael. I want you to know that.”

I hoped he’d get the message somehow.

Irritated, I shoved the mirror into the back of my drawer. I could always throw it away later.

My eyes fell on my Fae bracelet then. I still couldn’t get the darn thing off. I was getting so used to it that I barely noticed it anymore. I knew it only worked in Avalon. Or at least I hoped that was true. But regardless, I couldn’t do anything about it.

Leaning my forehead against Jerry’s cage, I muttered under my breath, “Just when I thought I’d met someone nice, he turns out to be a first-rate jerk, Jerry.”

Jerk was an understatement. He was more like an apprentice evil mastermind.

To my surprise, Jerry sat up on his haunches and lifted his pink nose in my direction. His little dark eyes stared into mine, looking so ageless and wise.

“And I was falling in love with him,” I confessed in a whisper. For some reason, it actually felt good to admit that, even though it hurt.

I took Jerry out of his cage, and holding him close, kissed his little pink nose. I could feel his tiny heart beating against my fingers.

“I love you,” I whispered in his ear.

At least Jerry was stable. I could rely on him. He didn’t judge me or turn out to be something that he wasn’t.

Putting him safely back in his cage, I dug out one of my school notebooks, and throwing myself down upon the bed, began to write down the things I knew I had to do.

First and foremost, I had to figure out how to protect Al, Betty, and Grace from the Mesmers. Next, I needed to find out what the Inner Circle was up to and what Marquis had meant that I’d been a help to them in their cause.

Did they need me for something?

Could I turn that against them?

And what of the lizard people? I began doodling on the page, wondering how I could really fight back against them. I knew they fed off fear. But how could I get the entire Earth to quit feeding them?

A soft knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.

It was Betty, holding out the phone. “It’s your mother, honey.”

I looked at her. I’d called
her
‘Mom’ just a few hours before. And I had never meant it more. Part of me wanted her to know that.

“Are you ok?” she asked with a soft smile in her brown eyes.

“Sydney? Sydney?” I heard Maya’s voice coming out of the receiver.

Shaking my head, I mumbled, “Yeah, thanks, Betty,” and taking the phone, I sat down on the edge of the bed as Betty left, shutting the door behind her.

The conversation with Maya was a short one. She was getting out of rehab soon. And as usual, she wanted to move.

I stared at the phone long after she had hung up.

“Move,” I said out loud.

A squeaking sound drew my attention to Jerry happily running in his wheel.

Move?

Maya wanted me to go with her.

That meant leaving Al and Betty behind.

And Jerry would have to leave his cage, too. Maya didn’t know about him. I’d always kept him a secret from her. She would not understand my having a mouse for a pet. She’d make me get rid of him immediately.

“What’s up?” Grace asked, popping her head through the door. “Are you ok?” She entered my room, absently tugging her ponytail. “You look a little sick.”

“I’m fine,” I replied warily. I didn’t want to tell her about Maya. Or Rafael. Or the Mesmers.

Maybe it would be best for everyone if I
did
just leave.

“Ok,” she said, but I could tell she didn’t believe me. “Don’t forget that Ellison’s going to give you a ride tomorrow.”

There was something in the way that she said his name that caught my attention. “You like him,” I said. For some reason, it felt relaxing just to focus on that and to forget about everything else for the moment.

Her shoulders stiffened and she looked a little sheepish, but she took my words as an invitation and flopped down belly first onto the bed. “Yeah. He kind of grows on you,” she admitted with a grin before surprising me with the question, “What’s up between you and Rafael?”

I frowned.

“Come on,” Grace insisted, rolling onto her back and propping herself up on her elbows. “I know you two like each other. It’s obvious. Everyone knows.”

I just shrugged. The thought only made my heart even heavier.

“Lover’s quarrel?” she asked, teasing.

I was saved answering by the musical ringtone of her phone playing one of Jareth’s songs. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that.

Glancing down at her phone, she announced, “It’s Ellison.”

“Well then, don’t worry about me,” I said, relieved to escape her questioning. Grabbing the nearest book, I waved it in the air. “I’m just going to make a dent in this book here and go to sleep.”

“
Pride and Prejudice
?” she said, squinting her eyes to read the title. She laughed. “You’ll be asleep in five minutes!” She moved to the door, but before she left, she twisted around and added, “Oh, just kiss and make up with Rafael. You two are a really good match.”

I scowled as she giggled, and with a cheerful wave, skipped out of my room.

Rubbing my temples, I stared at my handwriting scrawled across my notebook.

How was I going to spy on the Inner Circle and outwit them?

Closing my eyes, I began to rub my temples, when I suddenly realized that Grace had just given me my answer.

Rafael had apparently been using me.

It was time for me to flip the tables and use
him.

Yes, it
was
time to kiss and make up.

The more I thought about the idea, the more I liked it.

Grabbing the hand mirror Rafael had given me, I stared into it. I knew it was Fae technology, but I wasn’t sure how to activate it. Hopefully, he hadn’t gotten my message from before where I’d called him a jerk.

Finally, I just looked at my reflection and said, “Rafael, we need to talk. I want to help. I’m sure you’re doing the right thing, even if I don’t understand it.”

I stared at my reflection, a little surprised at how genuinely heartfelt that had sounded, but I chalked it up to burgeoning acting abilities, tucked the mirror back into my drawer, and turned away.

With any luck, he’d get the message, and I’d be able to start snooping on him.

After a while, I remembered my golden Fae bracelet, and bringing it close to my mouth, I repeated the same message just in case it worked along the same lines as the mirror.