I waited several days after Tinga left to call Zack. And for the first
time in my life, and certainly not the last, I lied to him. When he
answered he was surprised to hear my voice, I'd almost go far enough to say
"happy" . But that was only for the instant that he heard my voice, once
the surprise was gone he demanded to know how I got the number.
"Tinga."
Where was I living? "Southern California."
Was I on the streets or in a house. "Streets."
Did I want to stay there? I actually hesitated for several moments when he asked me that. I finally told him I'd get back to him about that, and that I missed him, then I hung up on him.
That night, Zane and I sat on the top of a parking garage a couple blocks away from our house. We watched the stars up there often, just thought in the High Place, or whatever but that was where we went together. He had been really mad at me for calling Zack but when he realized that I had been smart, I hadn't mentioned us being together or anything, he was not as mad. And he couldn't really be mad at how talking to Zack made me feel, I had been smiling all day. I don't smile. He couldn't be mad at me when I smile.
It had been so relieving to hear from Zack, to know he was ok. He had risked himself to let me and Max get away and now that I knew he was safe I felt better.
I got other forms of comfort from talking to Zack, he accidentally. or maybe not. let the number of escapees slip. Twelve. He also, in his own way, let me know that Max had been one of the ones who made it. She had not been killed like Nox, or captured like Zack or Quin, so there was a chance to find her.
This is how "The List" started. "The list" is how we would keep track of everyone in our unit. Escaped, Unaccounted, Manticore, or Dead, is how you could be listed. Under Escaped was Zane, Zack, Me, Max and Tinga. Manticore had Quin and Jace, and Dead was Nox. Most of the unit was unaccounted for now but as we found the others or heard news, names would shift categories. There were seven missing blanks in the Escaped category but we vowed to find and account for every member of our family.
We made a series of vows that night. If we were ever separated we would find a way to talk regularly; if we found any of the others, we would have to share all the information we had with them.
And everything seemed so right, in that moment. But it was too good to be true. Zane was in mid-sentence, trying to think of a new vow/pact for us and he stopped speaking and lifted his hand. It was shaking. He stared at it in amazement, I stared at it in fear. Then suddenly he fell over, his whole body shaking violently.
Images of Jack being dragged away flooded my head. And then images of Max seizing and everything preceding the escape filled my head. And honestly, I panicked. I had no idea what I was supposed do to, what I could do. So I did the one thing I could think of.
I called Zack.
His voice didn't have any of the near joy it did earlier, it was gruff and harsh, not what a panicking ten year old needs to hear, "WHAT?" He shouted.
"I'm with Zane and he's shaking. What do I do?"
He took a breath and calmed down, "How bad?"
"Jack bad."
Again he paused and thought over a response. "Do you have milk?"
"I can get some."
"Do it. He needs to drink it. Then find a pharmacy and get a bottle of Tryptophan."
"Alright." I said, now that I had a mission I could focus now.
"Where are you guys, I'll come help."
"Like hell you will." I said and I hung up on him. I ran over to Zane and was about to tell him that I'd be right back but he was SO scared, I couldn't leave him. So I grabbed him and pulled him over my shoulder and then jumped off of the ten story parking garage. I landed softly and thanked my cat DNA and then hurried over to the house. I laid Zane on the floor of the kitchen and grabbed the milk.
I heard Line enter but I ignored it as I force fed Zane the milk. She started to protest, the milk belonged to the whole house but then she saw his feet flopping around like fish out of water. She ran over, "Riley, what's up with Mecha?"
"Seizures. I have to go get pills."
"I'll watch him." She said.
"Make sure he drinks milk." I said, she nodded. She would make a good soldier.
I thanked her and then ran at top speed to a pharmacy and launched myself through the glass windows. I got to my feet in a fluid roll and quickly found where the Tryptophan was. I took everything they had in stock and ran like hell back to the house.
After a handful of pills his shaking subsided and I gave Line some money that I had saved to go buy milk. He was still shaking a little as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Thanks." He said softly, with a weak smile.
I looked away, "Don't thank me. I panicked. Thank Zack."
I could sense Zane tense, he looked around.
"I called him." I continued, trying so hard to be strong and failing miserably. The tears started to fall as the full extent of my fears hit me. "You could have died, Zane. I didn't know what to do. I had to call."
He hugged me and told me it was ok. I sobbed for the first time in my life, about every fear or doubt that I've ever had. I cried all of them out in his arms.
"Tinga."
Where was I living? "Southern California."
Was I on the streets or in a house. "Streets."
Did I want to stay there? I actually hesitated for several moments when he asked me that. I finally told him I'd get back to him about that, and that I missed him, then I hung up on him.
That night, Zane and I sat on the top of a parking garage a couple blocks away from our house. We watched the stars up there often, just thought in the High Place, or whatever but that was where we went together. He had been really mad at me for calling Zack but when he realized that I had been smart, I hadn't mentioned us being together or anything, he was not as mad. And he couldn't really be mad at how talking to Zack made me feel, I had been smiling all day. I don't smile. He couldn't be mad at me when I smile.
It had been so relieving to hear from Zack, to know he was ok. He had risked himself to let me and Max get away and now that I knew he was safe I felt better.
I got other forms of comfort from talking to Zack, he accidentally. or maybe not. let the number of escapees slip. Twelve. He also, in his own way, let me know that Max had been one of the ones who made it. She had not been killed like Nox, or captured like Zack or Quin, so there was a chance to find her.
This is how "The List" started. "The list" is how we would keep track of everyone in our unit. Escaped, Unaccounted, Manticore, or Dead, is how you could be listed. Under Escaped was Zane, Zack, Me, Max and Tinga. Manticore had Quin and Jace, and Dead was Nox. Most of the unit was unaccounted for now but as we found the others or heard news, names would shift categories. There were seven missing blanks in the Escaped category but we vowed to find and account for every member of our family.
We made a series of vows that night. If we were ever separated we would find a way to talk regularly; if we found any of the others, we would have to share all the information we had with them.
And everything seemed so right, in that moment. But it was too good to be true. Zane was in mid-sentence, trying to think of a new vow/pact for us and he stopped speaking and lifted his hand. It was shaking. He stared at it in amazement, I stared at it in fear. Then suddenly he fell over, his whole body shaking violently.
Images of Jack being dragged away flooded my head. And then images of Max seizing and everything preceding the escape filled my head. And honestly, I panicked. I had no idea what I was supposed do to, what I could do. So I did the one thing I could think of.
I called Zack.
His voice didn't have any of the near joy it did earlier, it was gruff and harsh, not what a panicking ten year old needs to hear, "WHAT?" He shouted.
"I'm with Zane and he's shaking. What do I do?"
He took a breath and calmed down, "How bad?"
"Jack bad."
Again he paused and thought over a response. "Do you have milk?"
"I can get some."
"Do it. He needs to drink it. Then find a pharmacy and get a bottle of Tryptophan."
"Alright." I said, now that I had a mission I could focus now.
"Where are you guys, I'll come help."
"Like hell you will." I said and I hung up on him. I ran over to Zane and was about to tell him that I'd be right back but he was SO scared, I couldn't leave him. So I grabbed him and pulled him over my shoulder and then jumped off of the ten story parking garage. I landed softly and thanked my cat DNA and then hurried over to the house. I laid Zane on the floor of the kitchen and grabbed the milk.
I heard Line enter but I ignored it as I force fed Zane the milk. She started to protest, the milk belonged to the whole house but then she saw his feet flopping around like fish out of water. She ran over, "Riley, what's up with Mecha?"
"Seizures. I have to go get pills."
"I'll watch him." She said.
"Make sure he drinks milk." I said, she nodded. She would make a good soldier.
I thanked her and then ran at top speed to a pharmacy and launched myself through the glass windows. I got to my feet in a fluid roll and quickly found where the Tryptophan was. I took everything they had in stock and ran like hell back to the house.
After a handful of pills his shaking subsided and I gave Line some money that I had saved to go buy milk. He was still shaking a little as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Thanks." He said softly, with a weak smile.
I looked away, "Don't thank me. I panicked. Thank Zack."
I could sense Zane tense, he looked around.
"I called him." I continued, trying so hard to be strong and failing miserably. The tears started to fall as the full extent of my fears hit me. "You could have died, Zane. I didn't know what to do. I had to call."
He hugged me and told me it was ok. I sobbed for the first time in my life, about every fear or doubt that I've ever had. I cried all of them out in his arms.