Jack James and the Call of the Tanakee (5 page)

“BOYS AND GIRLS, MAY I have your attention?” Mrs. Adams stood at the blackboard with chalk in hand. It had been two weeks since Jack had last seen her. She looked rested. “I know it’s getting close to summer break, but a new family has moved to Willow recently, and they have a ten-year-old boy. Instead of going all summer without knowing any other kids, they wanted their son to come to school for the last week, just to meet you all, and, who knows,” her eyes twinkled at Jack and Amelia. “Maybe make a friend or two.”

She faced the board and, in big, sweeping cursive, began writing the name as she spoke it.

“Let’s give the young man a nice, warm Willow welcome, shall we? Everybody, this is, Argus Cole.”

Jack thought he could hear a pin drop when the door swung open and in came a boy, running straight for a school desk. He cartwheeled, stepped high onto the desk, twisted in midair, and then landed flat on his two feet.

“Whoa!” was the general outburst from the class, and Argus took a bow to a rousing applause.

“Thank you, thank you,” he said. “Just a little Parkour demonstration for you.”

Jack noticed some girls giggling and blushing. About what, he had no clue. Other than his silly gymnastics routine, the kid wasn’t so special. Dark hair, maybe black, cut below the ears, nearly shoulder-length like Jack’s but not quite that long. He also had dark eyebrows that stood out against his somewhat pale skin. His clothes were nice, maybe too nice for Willow, but that couldn’t have been why so many kids seemed so instantly taken. The most surprising thing was how immediate the acceptance came from Dillon and Mike. They were the first ones to approach Argus and shake his hand, talking as if they’d already met.

“Looks like you’re not the new kid anymore,” Jack nudged Amelia. She stood silent and still, staring at the new arrival. He waved his hand in front of her face. “Earth to Amelia. You read me?”

She shook her head and smiled, looking a little embarrassed, as if he’d caught her doing something she shouldn’t have been doing.

“I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

He giggled nervously. “I said you don’t have to be worried about being the new kid in town. He’s taken that title from you,” he noticed she’d reverted to that same glossy gaze, almost as if Argus Cole were a Tanakee and he’d put her under his hypnotizing eyecatcher. “Amelia, are you listening to me?”

Cold silence, save for the general din of the other students saying their hellos to the latest addition to Willow Elementary. Jack was close to nudging Amelia hard in the shoulder if she didn’t stop gawking so intently. It made him nervous. Before he got the chance, Argus, on his way to his assigned desk, stopped and offered her a smile.

“Thank you all so much for the wonderful welcome,” Argus said to the whole class. “It’s been great, really, meeting each of you,” he kept his eyes on Amelia. Her soft cheeks filled with color. “The thing is…I haven’t met
everybody
—yet. You must be Amelia Klein.”

“You’ve heard of me?” she seemed puzzled, though Jack could tell it was only an act.

Argus laughed. “Are you kidding? Nearly the entire world has heard of you,” he turned his head toward Jack. “And, of course, everyone’s heard of Jack James. What you guys did to save your town has become an instant legend. I’m just glad my family has had the good luck to move here to Willow, giving me the honor of meeting the famous heroes and…” he craned his neck to look at Jack’s lap, under his desk, anywhere a small object might have been stashed. “And your teddy bears? Where are they?”

The class unleashed a round of giggles, lead nervously, of course, by Dillon and Mike.

“They aren’t supposed to be at school,” Dillon answered for Jack.

“Too much of a distraction,” chuckled Mike.

“Pity,” Argus spoke in a smooth, flowing accent. Almost like velvet. It made Jack cringe. It was impossible to place. One thing was for sure, Argus wasn’t from Oregon. “I was looking forward to meeting your teddy bear, Jack.”

The two boys made eye contact for the first time. The class fell silent. Jack shattered the hush.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Argus seemed excited. “Ever since I heard the story, I’ve wanted to meet you. But I’ve especially wanted to meet Takota. I mean, the idea of a supernatural teddy bear, assigned to be your bodyguard—that’s so cool!”

A rumble of agreement. Jack saw right through the masquerade. Argus was playing him, using his exploits and achievements to garner favor from his classmates by faking gratitude. He couldn’t get how thoroughly it seemed the others had been duped. Especially Amelia. Dillon and Mike, he could understand. Even Wendy and her friends. But Amelia. The way she stared at Argus, and the way Argus stared in return. It was too much to take.

“You know, Jack,” though Argus spoke to Jack, he still looked at Amelia. “I happen to be in the market for a special teddy bear of my own.”

Jack’s eyes went from Amelia directly to Argus at the speed of light.

“What are you talking about?”

Argus appeared as if he wasn’t going to answer. His mischievous smile told Jack he’d have to do better than that if he wanted any information. It didn’t matter anyway. Mrs. Adams, after checking her watch, decided the meet and greet was over.

“All right, people. Let’s settle down and get started. We
do
have some school left,” she pointed to the empty desk behind Jack. “Argus, take your seat, and everyone open your math workbooks to page fifty-two.”

THE STUDENTS SETTLED IN after the morning’s excitement and became absorbed in their lesson of exponents and integers. Most kids allowed the teacher to teach, with only the occasional and all-too-expected comedic outburst from Dillon. It would have seemed like any other, normal day, if it weren’t for the incessant hand-raising and constant correct answers provided by Argus.

The kid just wouldn’t stop blurting out responses. And he kept getting them right. That would have been bad enough. However, every time Argus raised his hand and solved a math problem, gave the national capital for Portugal, or disclosed the average rainfall in Ecuador, not only did the girls swoon and the boys nod in reverence, but Amelia seemed to pay him even more interest. Every time it happened, Jack felt a little more pain, as if, whenever she would lock eyes with Argus and smile, someone punched him in the stomach. Hard. That was nothing, though, compared to the sheer panic he felt after Principal Humbert approached him in the cafeteria during lunchtime.

“Jack,” Humbert tapped his shoulder. “I think you should come with me. There’s been a…a problem.”

At first, Jack didn’t think anything of it. Amelia was falling fast for the new kid in school. What could have possibly been worse than that?

“Whatever it is, Mr. Humbert, just tell me now,” he sighed.

The principal leaned and whispered.

“The O/A…it’s-it’s—”

“It’s what?” Jack straightened in the bench seat.

“It’s missing.”

“Missing!” he stood, upending his tray and sending a half-eaten toasted cheese, soggy fries, and full juice box scattering over several other kids’ lunch, one of which happened to be Mike.

“Hey!” he complained, but nobody took notice. Most children began chattering incessantly, spreading the rumor that Jack’s machine, a device of ultimate power, had been stolen.

“Everybody calm down!” the principal lifted his open palms.

“How can you tell us to calm down?” Jack said. “Do you have any idea how powerful that machine is? Can you even fathom what it can do in the wrong hands?”

“Now, Jack. Don’t get excited. We have procedures for these things,” Humbert raised his voice. “The entire school is hereby on lockdown! No one is to leave or enter the building until we locate Jack’s device!”

Kids groaned, but Jack got the sense most backed the principal’s move. He got the biggest show of support from Amelia. She hurried to him, her eyes wide, her hand over her chest, near her enchanted eagle feather.

“Jack, the O/A’s missing?” she waited for his anxious nod of confirmation, then addressed the principal. “When did this happen?”

He ran his fingers through his thick, wavy hair.

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Then whoever did it is probably still in the school building,” she pressed harder on her custom-made necklace.

“Do you see something?” Jack begged her.

She pursed her lip and exhaled hard.

“It
is
. It’s still in the building.”

“We should form search parties and look,” suggested Argus. Jack hadn’t noticed him standing behind Amelia before he spoke. Sneaky little…

“Okay,” Amelia was bubbly all of a sudden. “I’ll be on your team, Argus.”

Jack’s butterflies raged. Before he could say something, like,
‘No, Amelia, come with me,’
Argus accepted her offer.

“Sure, come on,” he looked at Jack. “That is, unless Jack minds. Do you, Jack?”

“He doesn’t care,” she barely gave him a glance. “Come on, Argus! I have an idea where to look!”

EVERY KID IN SCHOOL got into the hunt for the stolen O/A. All with teacher supervision, of course. The kids made a game of it, picking squads and splitting up, taking specific sections of the building and searching every cranny, every corner, every dark, dusty place where a person might have stashed the precious machine. Jack’s group had the second-floor bathrooms, the library, and the music room. He didn’t know where Amelia’s group was, and couldn’t stop thinking about them. What were they doing? Was Argus close to her, holding her hand, escorting her through the dark, worming his way into her heart?

It didn’t take long for him to get his answer.

“WE FOUND IT!”

It was Amelia, somewhere on the first floor. Jack bolted from the library and raced downstairs, following the sound of Amelia’s elated pronouncement.
“Jack! We found it!”

Jack discovered Amelia in the school auditorium, behind the stage, in the area reserved for the prop and costume department. He had to fight through several closed curtains and stumbled in the darkness until he found them—Amelia, Argus, and Mrs. Adams, along with a number of other students.

When Jack caught a glimpse of his machine, all he did was stand there, frozen, his blood ice cold. Argus. He had the O/A cupped in his hands, staring at its shimmering, glistening purple and blue exoskeleton.

“What’s going on!” Principal Humbert waddled into the wardrobe area. “Someone’s found Jack’s device?”

“Yep,” Amelia beamed at Argus. “
He
found it. Right here, hidden in the props.”

“Good job, my boy,” Humbert smiled. “What was your name again?”

“Argus,” he furnished the man with a smug grin, and then aimed it at Jack. “Argus Cole.”

Jack crossed his arms. “How’d you know the O/A would be in here?”

“Just got lucky, I guess.”

“Got lucky? The odds are astronomical,” Jack pleaded with someone, anyone to see his point of view. “Doesn’t anyone else think this looks just a little suspicious?”

“Jack,” the Principal said. “Don’t be rude. The boy just found your device. Tell him thank you.”

Jack’s eyes found Argus’s. That look. That smile. Bringing himself to express any sort of gratitude came difficult, yet he knew the principal was correct. Reluctantly, quickly, he said, “Thanks,” and held out his hand.

“You really should take better care of this, Jack,” Argus extended his arm, but not enough to hand over the machine. “I mean, what good is the world’s most powerful interdimensional device if its operator keeps losing it?”

As he spoke, the O/A seemed to charge up. The pulsing light got brighter and brighter, and Jack heard it start to sing.

“Give me that!” he snatched it out of Argus’s hand. The kid just smiled bigger.

“Remember what I said, Jack. Don’t lose it again,” Argus giggled and walked away. Jack glared at Amelia.

“What?” she said.

FIVE

AMELIA HATED TO make Jack jealous, but the strange way Argus’s spirit clothes were sparkling—the temptation proved too great. She just had to investigate. Argus had the same type of aura, or spirit clothes, as Jack, and that drew her in like the gravitational pull of a giant star. With all the visions she’d been seeing lately, plus the Tanakee and O/A having spirit clothes when they shouldn’t have, she was beginning to take every new surprise as a precursor for future events. Argus’s arrival seemed to be one of those precursors.

She couldn’t put her finger on it. She wasn’t even sure if she’d ever know. All she knew was Argus had something—the
it—
and she needed to find out what it was. Still, it didn’t take a psychic to see Jack didn’t like the attention she was giving Argus. She’d make it up to him. Somehow.

Later that night, just before getting to bed, she got the surprise of her week. For the first time in days, her father, Michael Klein, Commander in the United States Navy, came home early enough to tuck in his daughter. She’d just said goodnight to Ayita when she heard his car pull into Tangled Trail Estate’s parking lot. It was late, and she knew she should have stayed in bed, but her legs acted on autopilot, taking her downstairs, past a stern look from her mother and into her daddy’s arms the second he stepped foot in the apartment.

“Whoa, there!” he shouted, and, all of a sudden, she felt like a three-year-old. Little and helpless and secure now that Daddy’s home, now that Daddy’s holding her. “I’m happy to see you too, honey.”

Her parents whispered with one another, agreeing it was too late for Amelia to stay up.

“Come on, sweetie,” he carried her up the stairs, grunting. “You sure are getting big. Too big,” he panted, though Amelia knew it was an act. Commander Klein was a large man. Six foot three, two hundred and twenty pounds. And all muscle. Even at his age, which wasn’t old, he had the strength of a bull. Amelia liked that.

“I’ve missed you, Daddy,” she whimpered. Her parents were right, she was tired. Exhausted, actually. She hadn’t yet let herself wind down after the events of two weeks ago. Not until now. Now, finally, after seeing her father for the first time in forever, she allowed herself to relax.

“I know,” he spoke soothingly, like a warm blanket. “I’ve missed you too, sweetie.”

“But where have you been? Why do you have to be gone for so long?”

He cradled her like a baby into her bedroom.

“You know I can’t talk about it, honey,” he placed her on the twin mattress. “Don’t ask, okay?”

She turned over and faced the other direction.

“Your work is more important than we are.”

“You know that’s not true,” he touched her shoulder. She pulled away. “Amelia, honey, I’m sorry if you feel like I haven’t been around much lately. It’s true. I
have
been pretty absorbed. I promise, though, when the project I’m working on gets into full swing, I’ll have lots of time to spend with you.”

She spun over like a lathe. “Really? You mean it?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Soon.”

That’s when her hopes dropped. She’d heard that word before.
Soon
. It should have been tattooed on her father’s forehead. She frowned again and shook her head slowly.

“What?” he asked.

She turned over one last time, signaling she was done with the conversation.

“Well if it isn’t the famous Tanakee protector,” he must have noticed Ayita. She’d been sitting silently on the bed. “I’ve been hearing great things about you, little one.”

“And I’ve been hearing great things about you too,” Ayita answered.

“Well, I appreciate you protecting my daughter, Ayita. Keep up the good work.”

“I will, sir,” though her back was turned, Amelia sensed Ayita saluting her father.

Slowly, he got up and walked to the door. “I love you, sweetheart.”

Amelia said nothing.