Revelation

"Mommy?"

Mira couldn't believe her ears. She didn't dare after all her delusions and hallucinations that her daughter was alive and talking to her. But this one seemed so real. Could it be that her dearest wish had finally come true? No, impossible; she had seen the monster that took her baby. This had to be someone's sick joke.

"Who is this?" she demanded shakily.

"Mommy, it's me," said Antares softly. "Ana, remember? Your daughter."

"My daughter died almost a month ago," said Mira angrily. "If this is your idea of a joke, missy-"

"No, Mom, it's really me," said Antares, pained. "It's me. I'm alive. I'm OK. Please believe me."

"No," said Mira. "You're just another stupid kid who thinks my grief is a source of entertainment! You're lucky I don't call the cops!"

"Mommy wait, please don't hang up," Antares pleaded. "It really is me, Antares Joyce Starr, and I can prove it any way you want. Ask me anything that only Antares would know."

"I don't have time for this," growled Mira.

"My father tends the sheep!" said Antares desperately.

Mira froze, her finger hovering over the OFF button. "What did you say?"

" "My Father Tends the Sheep"," said Antares softly. "It's a lullaby. You used to sing it to me when I was little, and rock me in your rocking chair. You know, the one with the red padding with teddy bears on it. My favourite colour was green when I was that little, but I changed it later on. The carpet in my bedroom is emerald green and the walls are midnight-blue with metallic silver ragged over. I have a Celtic unicorn tapestry on my bed and a veil of deep purple with silver stars and moons. I have a scar on my left forearm that's four and a half inches long exactly from where I had a birthmark removed when I was ten years old and in fifth grade because kids were teasing me about it." She paused, catching her breath. Her eyes stung with tears as she whispered, "Mom. Mommy. This is me."

There was silence at the other end, and Antares feared that her mother had hung up. Then she heard a joyful shriek:

"Ana!" Her mother burst into tears at the other end, and Antares began crying freely too, so great was her joy. "Ana, you're alive! You're really, really alive! Oh my baby! My baby girl!" They both just cried for a few minutes. Finally Antares got her breath back long enough to say, "I'm running out of time on this phone, Mommy. I'm at the Poho County police station, about twenty miles outside Pertwilla." She listened for a moment before replying, "Yes, in Ohio…yes, I'm OK…I'll tell you everything later. For now, I'd really like to come home…Mommy, don't cry anymore. Please don't cry. It's OK now. I'm back. I'm so sorry you worried so much, but I couldn't contact you. I tried, believe me, I tried…I know you love me; I love you too, so much. Please bring me home."

"Of course, of course honey," said her mother, barely able to speak for joy. The door opened and she heard her husband and son enter. "Sirius! Rigel! Come in here quick! You'll never believe what's happened!"

"Mom? Are you OK?" called Rigel as he and his father rushed into the room.

"She's alive! She's alive, and I'm talking to her now! She's alive!" cried Mira. She didn't need to say a name for them to know who she meant.

"Ana's alive?" cried Sirius. In response, Mira set the phone to speaker.

"Mommy? Mom, what's going on? Who's there?" asked Antares.

"Ana!" yelled Rigel.

"Ana!" yelled Sirius.

"Daddy? Rigel? Is that you?" asked Antares excitedly. "It's me, guys! I'm OK. I'm alive. Oh, I'm almost out of time on this phone. Mommy knows where I am. Please come get me. I really want to come home. I love you-" And the line went dead as her money ran out.

Antares sighed in relief as she sank onto the bench where Darry sat. He smiled and put his arm around her.

"You really OK?" he asked.

Antares nodded. "I am now. They're coming for me, I know it. Mom knows where I am now, so they'll be here as soon as they can."

"North Carolina's a long way off," said Darry.

"I don't care," Antares replied. "All I need is the knowledge that they're going to be here soon, that they know I'm alive and waiting for them. You should've heard how happy Mom was. I've never heard her that happy before. And Dad and Rigel. I can't wait to see them." Darry nodded understandingly. Antares turned and smiled at him. "Now it's your turn."

Darry nodded and rose, walking over to the phone, picking up the handset, putting gin his money, and dialing a number. He waited for a while, fearing that no one would answer, 'til at last the phone clicked and a familiar but very tired voice answered, "Yeah, hello?"

"Trish?" asked Darry softly. There was no response for a while.

"Who the hell is this?" demanded Trish unsteadily.

"Trish, it's me, Darry," said Darry. "Or Brat, whichever you prefer. It's your brother."

"My brother's dead, you sick son of a bitch," hissed Trish. "You bastard, calling me like this, how dare you."

"Trisha, it's really me," Darry said. Then, as if struck by inspiration, he said, "Trisha? Trisha, why are you driving home for Spring Break with your brat brother and not heading off somewhere with that nice Mr. Poly-Psi-Track-Team-Guy?" There was no answer, but no dial tone either so Trish hadn't hung up. Darry tried once again, half-singing, "You broke my heart in two/ Now I can't find the duct tape to put it together for you/ When I met you I thought I would die/ I wanted to cry/ Didn't know you were evil/ Or that you would hurt me/ Mr. Poly-Psi-Track-Team-Guy."

"Oh my God," Trish whispered. "Darry? Dare, is that really you?"

"It's me," said Darry softly. "It's really me, and I'm really alive. I'm at the Poho police station we ended up at."

"How?" croaked Trish. "How can it be?"

"There was a girl," said Darry softly. "You remember that concert Mom and Dad went to in Easton? To see that singer Antares Starr?"

"Yeah," said Trish. "But she disappeared almost-"

"Twenty-three days ago?" Darry asked quietly. "He took her, Trish. And he kept her. She's alive still; she's here with me. And she saved my life. I wouldn't be here if not for her."

"I wouldn't be here if not for you," said Antares softly, but Darry didn't seem to hear her.

"We got away, and that thing is sleeping or whatever," Darry continued. "We're at the Poho police station, like I said, and I could use a ride home."

"Oh, of course!" said Trish. "Oh my God, I still can't believe it. Darry, I'm sorry I was such a princess-bitch before. I'm sorry I always had to win. I did make up that rule about calling the license plates when you see them. And I'm sorry for all the names I called you. I love you, Dare."

"Call me Brat, OK?" said Darry gently. Trish burst into tears at the other end of the line. "It's OK. None of that stuff matters. It never did. I love you too, sis."

"I'm sorry I dropped you down the pipe," sobbed Trish.

"It was an accident," said Darry soothingly. "It's OK. Everything's OK now. I'm almost outta time on the phone. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, OK? I missed you all."

"We're coming to get you," said Trish softly, her voice cracking. "Don't go away again, OK?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Darry assured her. "Love you, sis."

"I love you too, Brat," she said softly. Darry smiled as the time ran out and he hung up the phone. He turned to Antares.

"You saved me too, y'know," she told him as he sat next to her. "I wouldn't've had the guts to try and escape on my own. If you hadn't helped me…" Her voice trailed off.

"Tell me something," said Darry, situating himself as comfortably as possible on the bench. "Say Trish and I hadn't gone back to the church after what we saw. Say we had just kept going and I never fell down the pipe and saw what was down there."

"He'd still have come after you," said Antares, anticipating Darry's question. "He'd already smelled your fear, when he scared you on the road like you told me. He knew one of you had something he wanted. He would've caught up with you at the diner or on the road. Once he has the scent of something he wants, he can't stop 'til he gets it. It's like an addiction to him. But I don't want to talk about this now. I'm exhausted, and I just want to sleep without nightmares for once."

"Sounds like a great idea," said Darry, yawning. Antares drew her legs up on the bench and leaned back, trying to get comfortable. Darry put his arms around her and pulled her against him, letting her lean against him. She smiled and closed her eyes. Darry followed suit. Soon the two young adventurers lay asleep in each other's arms, never dreaming that the nightmare wasn't over yet.