In Which They Drink Tea and Try Again

After a few minutes of walking, Justina turned right; She remembered seeing inns and diners that way. But Patience turned left on a road that headed back toward the residential side of town. Justina hurried to catch up, "Shouldn't we go somewhere we can sit down and talk inside? There was a cheap hole in the wall restaurant I passed earlier today."

Patience sighed, "Go where you want. I'm going home. I have plenty of heat and light there. You can come too."

"Right, of course."

Justina followed her and they lapsed back into silence. After another couple blocks Justina cleared her throat.

"Maybe you could tell me what happened? So we can plan for next time?"

Reluctantly Patience began to tell her about the storage room and Max. She grew more animated as she talked. Justina struggling to keep up with the frequent backtracks, repetition and tangents into other stories. As they reached a small cottage glimmering with carefully sculpted decorative opaline fortification, Patience was finally winding down.

She fumbled out a key and opened the door, flipping on a light at the same time. Justina was surprised at the lack of mess. It was a small space, the door opened into a combined living room, kitchen, and dining area. There was opaline filigree twining up the walls in here too, looking like climbing vines, windblown saplings, and somehow also the wind itself. The shimmering material seemed to sway at the corners of her vision and Justina found she liked the artist's work immensely.

There was a small work table in one corner scattered with lumps of opaline and what looked like scales the size of her thumbnail. But everything else was neatly put away.

Patience went to the stove, put on a kettle, and turned on the oven. Then she went to the fridge and pulled out a frozen wad of pad thai in a plastic pouch. After a pause she grabbed a second one. It was so intensely ordinary, in the midst of a town Justina had mostly seen as a falling apart mess, that the dissonance made her a little dizzy.

"What happened here?" She asked abruptly.

Patience looked up from decanting frozen food into glass bowls, confused. "What happened where?" She put the bowls on a cookie sheet and put them into the oven.

Justina watched this a little concerned, "This world, what happened to it? You have houses patched together with debri and twine but you also have freezers and microwave meals and is that safe? I don't think bowls are supposed to go into the oven."

"They say oven safe on them, and it's not like we have a microwave. They're way too expensive and besides, everyone is focusing on bigger things than making life convenient."

Patience pulled a chair out by the counter and gestured for Justina to sit down.

"As for what happened here, after the dome fell all the supers have been trying to help people-"

"Wait, sorry to interrupt, but please back up further. What dome?"

"Oh," Patience shrugged as if it was the most normal thing ever. "400 years ago some jackass named Migrane trapped everyone with super powers in an impenetrable dome and kept resetting the timeline every few years so we never aged or remembered things. But then a couple years ago Hex Destiny and her friends destroyed the dome and we learned how long it had been and that there had been an apocalypse on the outside and now everyone is trying to help. My mom moved us out of Sentinel City as soon as she could. She said it made her feel trapped just living there, even though she knew she could leave at any time. She said it was worth the inconvenience of living in a 'third world country' whatever that means since we only moved a couple dozen miles and this is definitely the same country. And besides if she had chosen a bigger town there would have been a lot more infrastructure already. This one just got electricity since we've been here. She was really happy because it freed up a lot of time for her to work on her next art thing. Most of the old locals treat it with suspicion but it's so useful they're growing to like it too."

The teapot whistled, distracting Patience from her tangent. Justina felt like there were some important pieces missing from her story, but it did explain some things. Patience poured tea for them both and pulled out the bowls of pad thai. They smelled good but they were dry and soggy at the same time. She didn't say anything, it was hot food and she could tell from Patiences expression that she didn't like it much either. When they finished, and their tea had cooled enough to hold, they relocated to a couple overstuffed chairs in the living space side of the room. Patience curled up in hers sideways, one leg slung over the arm and the other tucked under her. Justina settled back, with a sigh.

"So," Patience sipped her tea, "what now?"

"Well, we can't get back into the warehouse."

"I'm not giving up."

"Of course we aren't. Where do the auction items go next? People will want to see them in order to bid on them."

"They go to the tent behind the stage. But they'll have even higher security there."

Justina set down her tea thoughtfully. "They'll have higher security tomorrow, but will they have any security now?"

It wasn't long before they were slipping through the dark and climbing into a pitchblack tent. Although calling it a tent was only accurate in that the walls were made of taught well oiled cloth. It was dry and clean with lights, outlets, and professionally done wiring that made it clearly a permanent structure, with a solid wood floor on the same level as the stage. In fact, carefully shining the penlight around the space Justina realized it was part of the stage. The whole front wall of the tent could be opened up to reveal what was inside, and there was enough bare stage outside that when the tent was closed it could serve as a backdrop.

"What now?" Patience whispered, "There's no nowhere to hide, we'll be spotted as soon as they arrive."

Justina didn't answer right away, running the light across the floor. If this is part of the stage then… There!

The light stopped at the thin rectangle on the floor that marked the edges of a trap door.

"Oh!" Patience gasped quietly before Justina had to say anything. It took them long minutes to figure out how to open it from above but they eventually figured out that what looked like a knot in the wood was actually a release catch if you pushed it in a couple inches. The trapdoor banged as it swung down. Patience cringed at the sound, and Justina shielded the light in case anyone had heard them and came looking. They jumped down quickly and closed the trapdoor again, sliding the heavy rod back into place.

The space was used for storage as well as trapdoor access, it seemed. Patience could stand up but Justina had to duck her head awkwardly, so she settled back against a pile of rolled-up cloth backdrops. She kept a wary eye on the row of giant lights that appeared to be welded to C clamps and hung on a bar that ran all the way around the small space.

As they waited, Justina felt her eyes drifting insistently closed. She was tired from the long day and soon she was asleep. Patience unrolled part of one of the lighter backdrops and draped it over her. After a minute Patience crawled under it too. There would be a lot to do come morning, but for now they slept under what looks like three sheets sewn together and finger painted as a forest.

Justina came suddenly wide awake to the sound of footsteps overhead and wheels creaking under a heavy load. Patience was still asleep beside her but after a loud thump of a crate being unloaded she sat up with a start and a little squeak. She looked a little wild eyed and ready to bolt. Justina waved at her gently then put a finger to her lips and smiled as reassuringly as she could. Patience blinked and relaxed.

Following Justina's lead they rolled up the backdrop they had slept under and then ducked down behind the pile. It wasn't much cover, but it was something. Hopefully, no one would come down here at all. They listened to the work men upstairs as they laughed and joked and dragged expensive things around and popped the tops off crates. Every once in a while a loud voice would yell at them to get back to work, and they would stop talking for a little while.

Justina's feet had long fallen asleep by the time they were finally done. She heard the loud voice again, but this time it sounded happy. "Well done! We made good time and now we have almost an hour before the auction even starts, where upon we shall open the curtain in a big reveal, and everyone will see what an amazing job we did setting up! Mwaha, ha-ak, cough cough… Sorry old habit. Ah, well done, as I said. I'll buy you all coffee."

"Thanks, boss. And don't worry about the monologuing, we don't mind."

As the sounds of their footsteps faded, Patience started to rise but Justina put a hand on her shoulder and leaned over to whisper. "Give it a couple of minutes. We don't want them to come back for something they forgot and find us right away."

Patience nodded and settled back down. Justina checked her watch and took the opportunity to stretch her legs and rub some life back into her feet. Once a few minutes had passed without incident she rose quietly. Popping the trap door open she realized that getting out was going to be harder than getting in had been. The top of her head was over floor level but even getting her elbows up and out was tricky. She tried to jump and grab something but there was nothing within reach that looked like it could support her weight.

After several minutes of scrambling, Justina lay panting on the wooden floor boards glaring up at the rectangular hole above her. She heard a scrape on the floor to her right.

"Maybe this will help?" Patience's voice was full of Xanaria's dry amusement.

Justina turned her head to see the 4ft ladder Patience had just brought over. Justina made a face at her, unwilling to swear in front of a kid, and rolled out of the way.

"After you." She gestured vaguely at the trapdoor.

Shaking her head and smiling, Patience climbed out into the room overhead. By the time she got up the ladder Justina had caught her breath and climbed up after her.

There was enough light seeping in through the white fabric of the tent that they didn't need a flashlight to see the displayed items. Justina still had to get close to read any labels, but nothing was crated up anymore and Patience was able to run straight to her mother's statue. Justina took a moment to gaze around the room at the array of expensive art and antiques. Some of it was breathtaking, like a silver swan that swam, seemingly at random, across a rippling golden pond all set about with twisted wire trees. But some of it amused her, like the powered down slushie machine she saw off in one corner.

She followed Patience to where she stood in front of her mother's statue. Patience had both hands pressed to her mouth and tears filling her eyes. The statue was incredibly lifelike and after all the impossible things she had seen Justina had no problem believing it could truly be a person.

The statue was of a tall woman whose thick tightly curled hair fluffed, effortless and elegant, around her head. She wore a loose flowing sleeveless dress belted at the waist that was tucked in around her crossed legs but fanned out behind her. She was biting her lip absent mindedly and the intensity of her focus traveled down her arms and into the half formed dragon lying curled up in her lap. It's head looked finished; a sleeping lizard with matte flurries around it's nostrils that suggested smoke was leaking out. Somehow she had made it convey a sense of peace and at the same time exhausted mischief. Justina could tell it was a child. The artwork truly was stunning. The neck curved elegantly down to where one of the woman's hands was teasing individual scales into it's skin, her hands elegant and nimble even in stillness. Her other hand was held to the side, ready and waiting full of opaline lumps that seemed to bubble from her palm. The back half of the dragon would have looked good if she hadn't seen the head already. It had no scales but was smooth and Justina could see the underlying musculature of the mythical creature. She could tell that whether or not it had sculpted opaline bones, the artist had known exactly where it's bones should be. It was incredible.

Justina slowly realized that she had been staring open mouthed at the statue for some time while Patience cried silently beside her. Justina put an arm around Patience who leaned against her. After a couple minutes Patience took a deep breath and pulled away again. She still had tears on her cheeks, but Justina pretended not to notice them.

"Alright." Patience said mostly to herself. "It's time."

Walking around in front of the statue Patience knelt down to eye level.

"Mom?" She said gently. "Mom, I know you're in there. Can you look at me please?" The statue didn't move but Patience thought she saw a flicker in it's eyes. "Hey, hi. Mom? It's me. It's Patience. I'm here now. Can you shrug it off? For me? We can get ice cream like we always do. I can buy it this time. It'll be my treat, just... please come out."

She reached up and cupped her mother's cheek. The opaline was cold and hard against her palm but shaped just like her mother's familiar face. "Please mom? I know you can do it if you try. Please?"

Patience continued on that vein for a while. Justina sank onto an iron and emerald bench probably worth more than the house she and Thomas had lived in. She didn't want to watch but she couldn't look away.

When it became obvious that coaxing wouldn't bring her mother out of the statue Patience dropped her hands and rocked back on her heels scrubbing at her face with her palms. Her lips trembled and then went tight.

"Oh, come on!" She shouted, standing up and clenching her fists as she glared down at her mother. "You're better than this! You taught me better than this! I don't care if it's hard, come out of that damn statue, right now!"

Justina looked around anxiously as Patience continued to shout, but didn't do anything to stop her. Eventually, Patience ran out of breath and just stood there, panting, still staring at the unresponsive statue.

"How could you do this to me?" She eventually whispered to her mother, kneeling in front of her once more. "How could you leave me alone like this? Why wont you just come out? I need my mother. I need you. Please don't leave me alone to deal with all these people pretending you'll be right back. They think I'm crazy, or childish. I don't even know how to use the washing machine, you were going to teach me this week, please Mom, don't do this. Don't abandon me." Tears were streaming down her cheeks again but she ignored them.

"Come on." She took her mother's shoulders and shook her carefully. Under her super strength the statue rocked as if made from light plastic but didn't stirr on it's own. Patience shook harder and the statue rattled and rocked against it's low platform. She let go, worried she might cause some damage if she shook any harder.

She took a moment. She put a hand to her mother's chest just a little to the left and closed her eyes trying desperately to feel anything, even the smallest vibration. For a second she thought she felt something but she wasn't sure. She held her breath… but there was nothing.

It's fine, that doesn't mean anything. The opaline is really strong. It must be muffling her heartbeat or holding her in stasis or something.

In the silence Patience heard footsteps out on the stage. Her eyes went wide. There was the scrape of something against the wood and then a tiny electronic squeal. Justina lept from her seat but stood rooted to the spot.

"Testing testing. Main speakers. 1, 2, 3. Testing. How's that Mark? Okay. Left side front…"

"Please," Patience begged her mother quietly, as the sound check continued outside. "Please come out. Please, I am begging you, come out. Come out for me? Please? I'll do the dishes every day, I promise, just please please please come out."

She continued to beg as the russling babble of a crowd flooded into the space outside. She pleaded desperately as the announcements began.

"Please please please please please mother please come out, come back to me…" Patience said.

Just then the announcer cried out, "And so without further ado, let the auction begin!"

The curtain was swept aside and light flooded in.

"What the hell!" The announcer exclaimed. "Security!"

Patience panicked. She had failed to coax her mother out, she had failed to guilt her mother out, she had failed to yell her mother out, she had failed to find proof of a heartbeat. She had failed. She didn't look to see the men turning to run toward the stage. She only had one choice left; break her out. Desperation led speed to her own super strength as Patience brought her hand around, palm flat to crack the shell around her mother. She hit her in the closest arm, the one held a little away from the rest of the sculpture, palm filled with opaline. There was a sickening crack. To Patiences horror, instead of the spiderweb cracks she had expected, the arm snapped off cleanly. She caught it by reflex and felt something cold and damp against her wrist. Her mind locked up as she saw a smear of cold clotted blood on her hands and leaking slowly from around the bones in the center of the opaline statue.

Everyone close enough to see what had happened froze to stare in horror. Justina winced as her suspicion was confirmed. When she'd seen the statue she'd begun to wonder how long someone could be trapped in there without food, water, or air and still be alive. She hadn't expected there to be little left but bones, but at least it was a little less gruesome this way.

Justina moved carefully through the horrified silence and plucked the microphone from it's stand. Knowing she wouldn't have long before people snapped out of their shock. She took a deep breath.

"There are bones inside this statue, the bones of a brilliant artist and outstanding mother. This should be a crime scene. Her body never should have been used like this. Her daughter should not have been ignored." She dodged under the arm of one of the security men who tried to take the mic from her. "Also if anyone knows anything about Thomas Wells please come talk to me! I need to find him. I'll probably be in prison!" She had to shout the last bit as the mic was successfully wrested from her hands.

Security dragged her off. One of them muttered, "Damn right, you'll be in prison."

Over their shoulders she saw Patience still clutching her mother's arm. She didn't react when someone tried to take it from her but she also didn't let go and they were unable to budge it against her super strength.

Xanaria, please take care of her. Justina thought in desperation. I don't want to know what kind of villain she could be.