The clock reads 5:12 in its ugly neon glow as I pick up the phone and
hesitantly dial the numbers to the Tracy household. My hand shakes as I
hold the old-fashioned phone to my ear, waiting for someone to pick up on
the other side.
That someone is Virgil's father, Mr. Tracy. His protest about it being five o'clock in the morning fades away when I speak. I know he can hear the urgency in my voice when I ask him to put my father on the line. A couple seconds later, I let out a soft sigh of relief into the receiver as my father greets me, his confusion clear.
"Tin-Tin, are you okay?" He asks after a moment of silence. I don't know how to start to tell him what I want to.
"No, father, actually, I'm not okay," I answer honestly. How could one be all right when she'd just tried to kill her boyfriend with a knife, now embedded in the wall, under the psychological power of a madman? Exactly. I wasn't all right.
"What's wrong?" He always worries about me when I go away, but I'd never phoned him choking back tears like this before. "Did you have a fight with Mr. Virgil?"
"No, father, I didn't have a fight with Virgil."
"Tin-Tin, why are you repeating everything I say?"
I'm stalling. That's what I'm doing, why I'm repeating what he says. "I'm buying time, I think."
"Why, Tin-Tin? Whatever is bothering you, tell me." I hear the shift of his bed as he sits down upon it on Tracy Island, probably in the dark, the moonlight coming in the window.
"Father. . .when you had your attacks, was there a reason for it?" I ask finally, wondering how to say all this to him.
"I don't understand, Tin-Tin."
I sigh and rub my head, seeing Virgil standing uncomfortably by the couch in the small hotel room, listening. "Was there someone talking to you, in your head, I mean?"
I hear a sharp intake of breath that tells me I've definitely hit something. "Yes, Tin-Tin, there was."
"Who is he? What did he do to you?"
I can almost see the wheels turning in my father's head, wondering if he should tell me about it or not. "He is my half-brother, your half-uncle. He used me for information on International Rescue," he confesses after a moment.
"Father! Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" I cry into the phone, shocked. But why would a relative of mine want information on the organization? I didn't completely understand who he was, what he wanted with International Rescue.
"Tin-Tin, Mr. Tracy and his sons have always been good to us. If they knew I was a direct link to a very evil man, you and I would no longer be welcome to live with them." His tone is quiet and apologetic as he explains it to me.
"A very evil man?" I repeat. It sounds much like the man that's using his powers on me.
"Yes, Tin-Tin. International Rescue has encountered him several times because of me."
"But father, you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure it was not solely because of you that this man - my half uncle - got near them."
"It is. He will do anything to get near them, to bring them to an end or steal their secrets." He pauses for a moment. "He's using you, isn't he, Tin-Tin? Just like he used me."
I bite my lip so hard I draw blood. "Yes, father. He's using me too."
"Oh, Tin-Tin, I knew the symptoms you were showing were too similar to be a coincidence. Are you all right?"
There's that question again. I dodge it completely this time. "Who is he, father? You said he was an evil man. What's his name?"
"He's best known by the world as The Hood. Do you remember him?"
My mouth nearly hits the ground. I'm related to him? To The Hood? "How could I not, father?" I exclaim, shock settling in. "He tried to sabotage the Fireflash I was on, and he caused that cave in just to lure International Rescue to that movie set!" He'd done numerous other things as well, but those were the ones that stayed as the freshest in my mind.
"Yes, Tin-Tin, that's right." How can he be so calm at a time like this? I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm related to that wicked bastard? "What is he doing to you?"
"Bad things, father. Very, very bad things," I answer, my breath coming shorter and faster now. I had to tell him what had happened.
"Go on, Tin-Tin," he urged, anxiety creeping back into his voice.
"He's taking me over," I begin, trying to collect my thoughts. The whole story came tumbling out then, tears running down my face as I let it pour out of me in a rush.
When I was finished telling him absolutely everything, silence fell between us. I could tell he was speechless, he didn't know what to say.
"That sounds like Belah," he says softly after a long moment.
"Belah?" I ask, wiping at my eyes.
"Belah Gaat. The Hood."
"Oh." Even his name sounded sinister.
"Tin-Tin, I think you should come back to the island sooner than you planned. Get some sleep, and tell Mr. Virgil you want to go home in the morning."
I nod once before realizing he can't see it. "Yes, father, I'll do that." It's going to be damn hard to sleep after all this, but I'm so exhausted that I might be able to. "I think you should tell Mr. Tracy about what The Hood did to you."
"No, Tin-Tin, for now, it's between us. Don't say a word to him," his voice is gentle but firm, and I know better than to go against him.
"Yes, father." I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "I'll see you tomorrow when we arrive home."
"Alright, Tin-Tin. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, father."
"Oh, wait, Tin-Tin?" He cuts in quickly, right before I'm about to hang up.
"Yes, father?"
"If he comes back to you tonight, there's one thing you must do."
"What's that?"
"At the first sign of him overpowering you, you must repeat his name over and over in your head. Not 'The Hood'. Call him Belah. He hates it; he'll likely leave you alone for a few hours. If he knows you know who he is, he'll be less likely to try to use you in case you tell someone."
"But father, even if I did tell anyone, no one has ever been able to find him," I point out. "Will calling him Belah repeatedly make him go away for good?"
"No, Tin-Tin. I'll help you get rid of him the same way I did when you get back here. Just sleep, and pray he leaves you be until you return to the island. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, father, you will. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Tin-Tin."
I hang up the phone feeling better yet worse, less confused but even more puzzled. Virgil sits beside me on the bed, taking my hand in his and making me look up at him.
"So, I take it your father had the same problem?" He asks gently, eyes searching mine.
I nod. "Yes, he did. The exact same problem."
"With the same man inside his head?"
"Yes, the exact same man."
"Then you'll be able to get rid of him how he did, right?" He sounds hopeful, like maybe we've found a cure for this 'disease' I have.
I'm not so sure.
That someone is Virgil's father, Mr. Tracy. His protest about it being five o'clock in the morning fades away when I speak. I know he can hear the urgency in my voice when I ask him to put my father on the line. A couple seconds later, I let out a soft sigh of relief into the receiver as my father greets me, his confusion clear.
"Tin-Tin, are you okay?" He asks after a moment of silence. I don't know how to start to tell him what I want to.
"No, father, actually, I'm not okay," I answer honestly. How could one be all right when she'd just tried to kill her boyfriend with a knife, now embedded in the wall, under the psychological power of a madman? Exactly. I wasn't all right.
"What's wrong?" He always worries about me when I go away, but I'd never phoned him choking back tears like this before. "Did you have a fight with Mr. Virgil?"
"No, father, I didn't have a fight with Virgil."
"Tin-Tin, why are you repeating everything I say?"
I'm stalling. That's what I'm doing, why I'm repeating what he says. "I'm buying time, I think."
"Why, Tin-Tin? Whatever is bothering you, tell me." I hear the shift of his bed as he sits down upon it on Tracy Island, probably in the dark, the moonlight coming in the window.
"Father. . .when you had your attacks, was there a reason for it?" I ask finally, wondering how to say all this to him.
"I don't understand, Tin-Tin."
I sigh and rub my head, seeing Virgil standing uncomfortably by the couch in the small hotel room, listening. "Was there someone talking to you, in your head, I mean?"
I hear a sharp intake of breath that tells me I've definitely hit something. "Yes, Tin-Tin, there was."
"Who is he? What did he do to you?"
I can almost see the wheels turning in my father's head, wondering if he should tell me about it or not. "He is my half-brother, your half-uncle. He used me for information on International Rescue," he confesses after a moment.
"Father! Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" I cry into the phone, shocked. But why would a relative of mine want information on the organization? I didn't completely understand who he was, what he wanted with International Rescue.
"Tin-Tin, Mr. Tracy and his sons have always been good to us. If they knew I was a direct link to a very evil man, you and I would no longer be welcome to live with them." His tone is quiet and apologetic as he explains it to me.
"A very evil man?" I repeat. It sounds much like the man that's using his powers on me.
"Yes, Tin-Tin. International Rescue has encountered him several times because of me."
"But father, you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure it was not solely because of you that this man - my half uncle - got near them."
"It is. He will do anything to get near them, to bring them to an end or steal their secrets." He pauses for a moment. "He's using you, isn't he, Tin-Tin? Just like he used me."
I bite my lip so hard I draw blood. "Yes, father. He's using me too."
"Oh, Tin-Tin, I knew the symptoms you were showing were too similar to be a coincidence. Are you all right?"
There's that question again. I dodge it completely this time. "Who is he, father? You said he was an evil man. What's his name?"
"He's best known by the world as The Hood. Do you remember him?"
My mouth nearly hits the ground. I'm related to him? To The Hood? "How could I not, father?" I exclaim, shock settling in. "He tried to sabotage the Fireflash I was on, and he caused that cave in just to lure International Rescue to that movie set!" He'd done numerous other things as well, but those were the ones that stayed as the freshest in my mind.
"Yes, Tin-Tin, that's right." How can he be so calm at a time like this? I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm related to that wicked bastard? "What is he doing to you?"
"Bad things, father. Very, very bad things," I answer, my breath coming shorter and faster now. I had to tell him what had happened.
"Go on, Tin-Tin," he urged, anxiety creeping back into his voice.
"He's taking me over," I begin, trying to collect my thoughts. The whole story came tumbling out then, tears running down my face as I let it pour out of me in a rush.
When I was finished telling him absolutely everything, silence fell between us. I could tell he was speechless, he didn't know what to say.
"That sounds like Belah," he says softly after a long moment.
"Belah?" I ask, wiping at my eyes.
"Belah Gaat. The Hood."
"Oh." Even his name sounded sinister.
"Tin-Tin, I think you should come back to the island sooner than you planned. Get some sleep, and tell Mr. Virgil you want to go home in the morning."
I nod once before realizing he can't see it. "Yes, father, I'll do that." It's going to be damn hard to sleep after all this, but I'm so exhausted that I might be able to. "I think you should tell Mr. Tracy about what The Hood did to you."
"No, Tin-Tin, for now, it's between us. Don't say a word to him," his voice is gentle but firm, and I know better than to go against him.
"Yes, father." I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "I'll see you tomorrow when we arrive home."
"Alright, Tin-Tin. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, father."
"Oh, wait, Tin-Tin?" He cuts in quickly, right before I'm about to hang up.
"Yes, father?"
"If he comes back to you tonight, there's one thing you must do."
"What's that?"
"At the first sign of him overpowering you, you must repeat his name over and over in your head. Not 'The Hood'. Call him Belah. He hates it; he'll likely leave you alone for a few hours. If he knows you know who he is, he'll be less likely to try to use you in case you tell someone."
"But father, even if I did tell anyone, no one has ever been able to find him," I point out. "Will calling him Belah repeatedly make him go away for good?"
"No, Tin-Tin. I'll help you get rid of him the same way I did when you get back here. Just sleep, and pray he leaves you be until you return to the island. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, father, you will. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Tin-Tin."
I hang up the phone feeling better yet worse, less confused but even more puzzled. Virgil sits beside me on the bed, taking my hand in his and making me look up at him.
"So, I take it your father had the same problem?" He asks gently, eyes searching mine.
I nod. "Yes, he did. The exact same problem."
"With the same man inside his head?"
"Yes, the exact same man."
"Then you'll be able to get rid of him how he did, right?" He sounds hopeful, like maybe we've found a cure for this 'disease' I have.
I'm not so sure.