The Variables (42 page)

“I don’t want to stay here,” Ainsley said, wrapping her arms around her thin body. “This is beyond creepy.”

“The creepiness factor doesn’t compare to a basement with breeding rabbits. I’ll take freedom,” Darla said.

“I’m with Ainsley on this one,” Dean added. “I think the joy of nighttime is that we won’t have to look at all the creepy clown shit.”

“Creepy clown shit,” Ainsley repeated, punctuating each word and staring right at Darla. “Speaking of which, you think that clown café has something worth eating? Candy bars?”

“After all this time?” Darla shrugged. “We’ll scrounge what we can. And then tomorrow we’ll explore...find some necessities. We can pull the bags off the plane and go through those. Bet some of those boys packed food for their flight home.”

Dean wandered a few feet ahead of the girls. He stood looking at the wall separating the fun center and the beach. “Can they see us?” he asked to no one in particular.

Walking up beside him, Darla put her hands on her hips and followed his gaze. “No,” she answered. “They’re too far out. Blair wouldn’t have put us in danger.” It was a declarative statement; she had said it as if it meant something, as if she knew it was truth. But the truth had never felt so tenuous.

“What are we in danger
from
exactly?” Ainsley asked, joining them. She shoved her hands deep in the pockets of her sweater and hunched up her shoulders near her ears.

Darla closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the sand. Just beyond them was a beach with scattered planes on their makeshift runway, and beyond that the distinct flickering lights of a place they would never see or experience. Her shoulders slumped, and Darla opened her eyes. “Evil,” she answered, as the Ferris wheel creaked above her head. “Pure, unadulterated evil.”
   

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lucy could see Grant riding the elevator in silence from her place in the sky bridge doorway. A guard stood a few feet in front of her and prevented her from using the common room, but Lucy didn’t care. Grant was here: his eyes were wide as he scanned the tower and the large arrival room, and he didn’t see her. Frank was by his side, his wet, sloppy tongue happily licking the side of Grant’s jeans, and he put his hand down to scratch the lab between his ears. The doors opened to the enclosed glass atrium filled with sparking chandeliers. The room had been cleared, save for Huck, Gordy, Claude and Scott. They stood and watched the elevator settle and the doors open. And it was then that Lucy took her chance and tore forward, darting past the guard before he could think to grab her.

“Grant!”

She could hear Gordy call out, “Stand down. Let her go” as she rushed past them all and straight into Grant’s arms.

“Grant!” she said again. She reached him and slid her arms around his neck and buried her head into the middle of his chest. She loved the way her head felt tucked up against him, as if all their angles and edges had been designed to fit together. Grant kissed the top of her head, and she didn’t pull away. Voices of dissent rose and fell behind them.

“I’ve missed you,” he said. “It’s been an adventure. I—”

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Lucy said. “Cass heard from her father! She came to tell me the moment she knew...which was good, because we had a falling out the first night. And I’m not supposed to know...but I thought maybe I could say it was luck that I saw you? I don’t know. I was on this mom and daughter date and that was when Cass found me, and...”

“Goodness,” he said. The room felt wobbly. He put a tender hand on the top of her head. “Take a breath, Lula.”

“I’m excited!” Lucy said without apology. “I haven’t talked to you. I didn’t think this would happen...I’m just excited!”

“I need to talk to you,” Grant interrupted. His face was severe. His hands were shaking. He watched her face turn white; she could sense the intensity in his voice, the importance of time alone.

“They didn’t want anyone to see you guys arrive,” Lucy said. “If it hadn’t been for Cass...” she trailed off and she tried to search his eyes for answers. Grant looked up and he watched an argument brewing behind them. Blair was having an intense conversation with her father and Gordy. Scott and Claude were only a few steps behind. Lucy looked back at her father and tried to make eye contact with him, but he kept his eyes on the floor. When she looked to Claude next, he was staring right at her. Then he slid his eyes over to the elevator and gave a subtle jerk of his head.

Lucy slipped her hand into Grant’s and began to lead him in that direction.

“Why is
she
here?” Huck snapped and he pointed to Lucy, his voice carrying. “I had planned for a private escort—”

Blair began speaking again in hushed tones while Scott and Claude took even greater steps away from the conversation.

“You have no power over this situation, Blair. You are dismissed.”

“Dad!” Blair cried out. “I’m asking for you to listen to me...”

Their conversation resumed in whispers. Lucy’s heart pounded.

Lucy reached the elevator and she pushed the button, willing it to arrive faster. “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice low. “Grant...”

“I need Ethan,” Grant replied.

“He might be with Cass,” she said. His tone was clear: something bad had happened. Something bad was happening.

“I need Ethan,” he said again. “And I’m sorry, but I think I need Ethan now. I have a letter...”

Lucy nodded.
 

“Okay. Okay. And can we talk about
your
letter?” Lucy asked. The pieces of the letter might have still been floating around the library; or maybe Gordy had reclaimed them all and had pieced them back together—reconstructing their private words to each other. She wanted to tell him that she couldn’t ever choose to leave him behind. She wanted him to look at her and see her loyalty. She knew that they would be reunited and here they were; she wanted to say, “I have faith in us. Don’t you have faith in us?”

The elevator bell dinged, and they slipped inside. Lucy pushed a random button and hit the door close button over and over.

“And why are we letting them leave?” Huck yelled. He stepped away from Blair, but she put her hand out. Lucy watched as Huck batted her hand away as he stalked forward, the doors closing before he could stop them.

“Grant—” Lucy’s eyes were wide. She leaned against the glass. She glanced at Grant’s neckline and searched for Salem’s necklace. Pulling away from the glass, Lucy tucked a hand under his shirt and then ran her hand across his collarbone. “It’s gone,” she said.

“It’s gone,” Grant whispered. “I’m sorry. You have no idea…I’m sorry.” He looked away; she could see his shame and she tried to connect her loss with his visible chagrin.
Lucy’s lip trembled. “That’s all I had left…what happened? Where—“ she stopped and closed her eyes.

Grant leaned down and kissed her softly. When he pulled back, he ran his thumb across her cheek. He was crying. His nose was red and his mouth turned into a frown. A tearful, snot-nose kiss was not how she had imagined their reunion. She wasn’t upset; she was afraid.

“I love you, Lula. I love you so much. But you have to take me to your brother.”

The Kymberlin residents already knew Cass, and it didn’t take long for someone to say they had seen her heading toward the East Tower pool. The pool was on one of the top levels of the main tower, and its domed ceiling was pure glass. Quickly, Grant and Lucy made their way to the pool and let themselves in through the clunky metal doors. It was warm inside with hot, stale air. Thick white clouds rolled over the top of them and exposed only brief splotches of blue. Cass was swimming laps in a bright purple bathing suit and a floral swimming cap. She moved gracefully through the water, and Lucy watched her at the edge of the pool, unsure of how to get her attention. The entire area was open and cavernous, and all they could hear was the steady splash of Cass’s feet against the water. It took several laps before Cass noticed them waiting for her, and as she neared the end of the pool, she grabbed onto the edge and ran her fingers over her nose and pulled off her goggles. She smiled, water dripping down her face, and pulled herself out of the pool in one fluid motion.

“Grant!” she exclaimed. “I’d hug you, but...”

Grant smiled and shrugged. He leaned in for a hug anyway. When he pulled away, his clothes were damp and there was a wet circle on his shirt where Cass’s head had been.

“I couldn’t believe when I heard,” she continued. She tugged her swim cap off and her hair fell around her shoulders. “You’ll have to tell me all about it. Sounds scandalous from what I can tell...”

“Oh, yeah?” Grant asked. Lucy thought she saw a glimmer of sweat on his brow. Maybe it was from the humidity of the pool.

Cass wiped some water out of her face and her smile faded. “Well, my father took the call. Sometimes I’m privy to certain things.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Lucy interrupted. “Grant needs Ethan.”

“Have you—”

“We don’t have time to check his usual places,” Lucy said. Kymberlin was the size of a small city. There was no way Lucy and Grant could search for him without knowing where to look. “Earlier today you said you used the cameras to find me and my mom...”

Cass shook her head. “I shouldn’t...I’m sorry.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Steady drips plopped off her body and landed on the cement below their feet. “Once Huck learns that I even know where the camera room is...”

Grant stepped forward and put his hands on Cass’s bare shoulders. She stood straighter under his touch and didn’t back down, her head up high. “You’re privy to things. I’m privy to things. Can we just say that today, perhaps, both of us need to help each other out a bit?”

She bit her lip and shook her head and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’ve already helped you out...” she said in a dry voice, and she looked over to Lucy, who stood awkwardly on the sideline. “There’s only so much I can do before I’m rendered useless. You have to understand.”

“Ethan,” Grant asked again, unwavering.

“He won’t be able to help you either,” Cass replied. She ducked out from under Grant’s hands and walked over to a small metal bench. She retrieved her towel and wrapped it around her body. Her hair had separated into wavy curls and she bunched it all together and wrapped it up into a ponytail. She had a small bag with her and she reached in and dropped a key on the ground and then walked away.

When she reached the door, she turned and smiled. “It’s so nice to see you, Grant. I’m retiring to my place for the night if you have a moment to stop by and say hello. Oh...and have you seen the Remembering Room yet? Lucy should take you. And after you’re done...you should go to the end of the hall. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

She pushed both doors open with a flourish and left, wrapped only in her towel; her bare feet created a wet path out into the hallway.

When she was out of sight, Grant reached down and picked up the small key.

Lucy walked over and took it and held it in her palm.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

Grant turned. “I do,” he replied. “She’s scared. And she should be.”

Lucy led them past the door to the Remembering Room and to the end of the hallway. She had seen the door before, but hadn’t thought to ask what was on the other side. Inserting Cass’s key, they pushed the door open and found themselves in a smaller room. The place smelled like fresh paint and melted plastic; it was warm and suffocating and dark. Lucy turned on a light near the door and it flickered on. The only thing in the entire room was a curtain and Lucy’s breath caught as she walked over and began to open it slowly.

Behind the curtain was a two-way mirror, and it looked down into a control room. Four or five men and women operated the controls. Moving cameras. They zoomed in on areas, zoomed out. Rotated cameras. Followed people as they walked down the sky bridge. Occasionally, the camera would pause and one of the operators would pick up a walkie-talkie and give directions—dispatching guards, or help, or cleanup.

“No cameras in the homes,” Lucy noticed, scanning the screens.

“But in the hallways. All public areas,” Grant noted. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Why does Cass have a key to this place?” Lucy asked and she peered closer. She could see a camera of Cass walking down the bridge to her room.

“It’s a master,” Grant said, but he was distracted as his eyes scanned the screens in front of them. “We’ll never find Ethan like this. We have to ask someone down there...”

“But...”

Grant looked at the mirror and spotted an intercom button. He pushed it and he could see the operators look up toward them; Lucy walked up to the glass and tapped it. “Can they see us?” Grant shook his head. He motioned for her to be quiet and he leaned close to the intercom.

“I’ve been sent to look for someone,” Grant said. Lucy looked at the faces below. They were talking to each other. Someone clicked through to the room.

“We aren’t authorized to take orders from the observation deck without a visual confirmation,” someone said back to them. “You can enter the side door and show your credentials.”

Lucy swore under her breath. She kept her eyes glued to the screens.

“I’ll stall,” Grant said. “You keep looking.”

“There are hundreds of cameras.” Lucy took a step forward.

“I’m Ethan King,” Grant said to them.

At the mention of her brother’s name, Lucy looked over to Grant, her eyes wide. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “That’s not stalling!”

The observers were silent. Someone leaned over and talked to someone else. There was a flurry of activity. Someone shook his head and snapped to an operator at a desk near the front. The woman punched in a code and pushed a camera button and zoomed in. There was Ethan. The camera said “North Tower: Floor Sixty-Two” and he was sitting on a stool at a sports bar. Lucy didn’t know exactly where it was, but that would get them close.

“We can confirm you are not Ethan King. Want to try that again?”

Someone nodded toward the deck and a larger man began walking up a small staircase toward the back of the room.