Shadow Train (14 page)

He wanted to ask another question, but when he turned back to look for him, the Magician was gone.

“Disappeared again. Typical,” Raphael muttered.

No, he decided firmly. It was too risky to go charging through time or to try to take the phantom train to visit his father in the Dark Territory. The safest bet was to go back to Middleburg now and make sure his mom and Aimee and the Flatliners were all okay. Once he did that, maybe he could find his way back and explore the borderlands.

“Middleburg, here I come,” he said. He was about to start walking when he remembered the Magician's warning. Enemies would confront him at every step, he'd said.
Well,
Raphael thought,
bring 'em on.

He started walking and before long a figure appeared in the fog. The man was short, probably only four feet tall. He was naked and looked like he was more monkey than man, with his long face and hairy, apelike limbs. He shouted a shrill, inhuman battle cry at Raphael, and with both arms flailing, he attacked. Raphael managed to block his fists and sweep his front leg, causing his opponent to do the splits. As the monkeyman fought to keep his balance, Raphael caught him in the face with an elbow and he tumbled backward and disappeared into the mist.

Raphael started moving forward again, but he'd gone no more than two paces when a stone-tipped spear appeared through the fog and jabbed at his face. It almost stabbed him in the left eye before he managed to block it with a
Pak Sau.
The man wielding the weapon looked something like a Neanderthal, just as the first one had, only he was a bit taller and wore a furry loincloth. Raphael grabbed the shaft of the spear he was holding and used an arm-break technique to snap it. In a flurry of swift motion, he spun close to his opponent and impaled him with his own broken-off spearhead, and then he charged onward.

When he looked up, he saw more figures coming toward him out of the fog, and he felt his optimism flagging. The Magician was right. If this was the path back to Middleburg, he would literally be fighting every step of the way.

* * *

Aimee watched as her father stood at the end of their beautifully decorated dining room table. He gave Savana Kain a flash of his charming smile, then raised his crystal champagne flute and saluted her. Aimee was there with Orias, Cheung and Lotus Shao sat at the far end of the table, and Maggie was sitting next to Rick. Aimee wondered what Maggie looked so anxious about.

Aimee already had an idea what was coming; her father had hinted at it before their guests arrived, probably to make sure that she didn't get upset by the news and ruin his little announcement. She wasn't sure if Rick knew or not. Certainly, he was too oblivious to notice the huge diamond that sparkled on the ring finger of Savana's left hand. Aimee watched her brother now, wondering how he would react to what their father was about to say.

“First, I want to thank you all for being here,” Jack continued. “Some of you are family. Some of you are almost as close as family, and all of you hold a special place in my heart. That's why it's such a pleasure for me to share this great news with all of you. As I'm sure many of you know, Savana and I have been seeing each other for quite a while now, and as you can see, we're about to welcome a new little life into the world. So, we're getting married,” he finished. “On Saturday, at city hall. And you're all invited.”

There was a pause before Lotus and Cheung broke the silence with their applause.

“Congratulations,” Orias said smoothly, smiling, and Aimee thought he was sincere. Rick scowled, pushed his chair back from the table, and stalked out of the room.

Aimee sat perfectly still for a moment, unsure of her feelings. It was like that moment of uncertainty where she knew she felt queasy, but didn't know if she was going to throw up or not. She couldn't tell if she was happy or devastated, furious or apathetic, and she wondered how her father could replace her mother so soon, so casually. Finally, with everyone looking at her, she reacted, and it was so spontaneous she couldn't stop herself. She laughed, then she laughed again, and after a moment she was laughing so hard that tears of helpless mirth were rolling down her face. It wasn't until Orias squeezed her hand under the table that her laughter finally subsided.

“Sorry, I thought of something funny,” she said. She had thought of what her mother would say when she returned and discovered what had happened while she was gone. The chaos Aimee imagined taking place on that day in the future was as hysterical as it was heartbreaking.

She was sure that her outburst would make her dad angry, but he was distracted. Savana was leaning close to him.

“Wait, Jack,” Savana protested. “Saturday? That's too soon. We need time to plan. I need a dress. We have things . . . things to discuss.”

Jack brushed a stray hair from her face and soothed her with a whisper: “Plenty of time for discussion later. We're getting married before the baby is born. You know how I feel about that.”

“But city hall? I told you I wanted it at Middleburg United.”

“The church is booked this weekend, and my buddy in the mayor's office got us in downtown—opening city hall as a favor to me, even though it's Saturday. Don't worry. It will be fantastic. I got you set up at Lotus's flower shop—get anything you want. I don't care about the cost. The lady at Middleburg Couture will make your dress—you have a fitting tomorrow. It will all work out. The main thing is that we're together, like we talked about—right, baby? Right?”

Jack spoke gently, but the customary firmness never left his voice. It was as if he were negotiating with a child, Aimee thought—he spoke quietly, humoring Savana a bit, but there was no question that he was going to get his way. He finished his little speech by smiling at Orias and Cheung, like a stage actor pausing in his scene to ham it up for the crowd.

Savana started to protest again, then seemed to remember that everybody was looking at her. She added her smile to Jack's. “Of course,” she agreed.

“I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding,” Lotus said. “Let me know if you'd like any help with planning—especially with the flowers.”

“Nine A.M. at city hall,” Jack said. “I hope to see you all there.”

A loud crash reverberated from the other room. Probably Rick breaking something, Aimee thought. Across the table, she saw Maggie go pale, but her father went on as if nothing had happened.

“Well, let's have some dessert and celebrate, shall we?” he said and called toward the kitchen. “Lily Rose, would you bring in the cake, please?”

* * *

After Orias, Maggie, and the Shaos departed, Jack directed Aimee to sit on the couch in the living room with Rick.

Aimee could hear the familiar and comforting sounds of clacking plates and rushing water from the kitchen, as Lily Rose cleaned up the celebratory feast. She seemed always to be around during the scariest, most volatile moments at the Banfield household. Aimee found her presence infinitely comforting, and this was a moment, she thought, when everyone in the house needed some comfort.

Her father and Savana Kain stood in front of Rick and Aimee as a pair of burly movers passed through the hallway and up the stairs, hauling a load of suitcases and boxes. At least Jack had waited until their guests had left to tell them that Savana was moving in.

Rick was still steaming.

“Listen, Rick, I understand that you're upset,” Savana was saying. “But I promise, I'm not trying to replace your mom.”

“Yeah—like that could happen,” Rick said sullenly but clamped his mouth shut at a look from his father.

“And this baby isn't going to replace you or your sister, either,” Savana went on. “Your dad has made it very clear that you kids are his number-one priority—”

“I don't care about you or your stupid baby,” Rick broke in.

“Exactly what is your problem?” Jack asked flatly. Aimee knew what it meant when he talked like that; his patience with Rick was gone.

“I can't believe you're marrying the mother of a Flats rat!” Rick exploded.

“I don't recall asking for your opinion, and I don't need your permission,” Jack returned sharply, but Savana put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

“Okay,” she said to Rick. “I get it. I know that you and Raphael had some problems, but when we find Raph and you get to know him, I'm sure you'll be able to work it out. He's really a good person—and I'm sure he'll see that you are, too.”

“I know him as well as I want to,” Rick sneered. “Did you know he called my dad a murderer? He stood right there in our foyer and threatened him—threatened our whole family. He vandalized our property. He broke my friend Cle'von's arm. Knocked Bran Goheen out. Now you expect me to act like we're brothers?”

“Rick,” Jack warned.

“If he tries to move into this house, I'll kill him!” Rick shouted. “How's that for brothers?”

“That's it. To your room,
now
,” Jack said.

Rick's eyes ignited with fury and his fists clenched. For a second, Aimee thought he might actually attack their dad. Then he simply stood and walked out of the room. They all winced at the sound of his feet pounding up the stairs.

Savana looked at Aimee. “What about you, Aimee?” she asked gently. “You've been so quiet tonight. Are you okay with all this?”

Aimee shrugged. “Sure,” she said. “I guess so.”

“I know you and Raphael were close for a while,” Savana pressed on. “Will it bother you if he comes to live here when he gets back?”

Aimee was looking at her fingernails. The tip of one of them was broken. “What?” she asked distractedly.

“Raphael. I know the two of you dated. How do you feel about him now? About him living here?” Savana asked.

“How do I feel?” Aimee asked. It was strange, she knew what Savana wanted to know, but she was finding the conversation difficult to follow. It was like trying to talk to someone on a bad cell phone connection, where she could hear only about half of their words. It was frustrating.

“Yes,” Savana replied, her voice kind and concerned. “It's not like I'm asking for your blessing, you know—about me marrying your dad. I know that will take time. I just want to know that there wouldn't be any bad feelings between you and Raphael if—
when
—he comes home.”

“Oh,” Aimee said vaguely.

“So stop stalling,” Jack said impatiently. “And tell us how you feel about him.”

“I don't know,” Aimee answered. “I guess . . . I don't feel anything.”

“So if he comes back, it won't bother you to have him here?” Jack asked. “And I won't have to worry that you're going to start something up with him again?”

“Oh—no, of course not.” Aimee thought it was a ridiculous question. She had Orias now. She wondered why her father thought she would be interested in anyone else. She had gone to some dance with Raphael—at least that's what Dalton had told her—but she couldn't even remember what he looked like. Right now she was wondering if she would be allowed to go back to Orias's tonight or if her dad would insist that she stay home. The idea of sipping Orias's delicious tea in front of the fire with his powerful arms wrapped around her made this and everything else in life seem like a meaningless waste of time.

“Well, I'm glad to hear that,” Savana said with wary optimism. “I was a little worried. I just want you to know what I said to Rick is the truth. I'd like to be your friend, but I don't want to replace your mom. I know how hard all this must be for you. And I want you to know that when you're ready, I'm here for you.”

Aimee smiled. “Thanks, but there's just one thing—no offense, Mrs. Kain,” she said and turned to her dad. “What about Mom? Aren't you even going to look for her? She could be out there somewhere, hurt or something.”

“That's enough, Aimee,” Jack told her harshly. “Of course I looked for her. But we have to accept it. She's gone and there's no trace of her anywhere. She's been declared legally—”

“Jack, wait,” Savana interrupted him. “This is not the time.”

“Yes it is,” Jack insisted, his frustration clear. “Aimee, your mother has been declared legally . . . deceased. You're just going to have to accept it. No matter how much we miss your mom, she isn't coming back. She's gone and you'll never see her again. But my life—our lives—must go on. Okay?”

“Okay,” Aimee said, but silently, to herself, she added,
Oh, I'll see her again. As soon my teleportation skills are up to it, Orias will help me find her. And, boy, is she going to be mad when she gets back.

* * *

Savana sat wearily at the table in the Banfield's kitchen as Lily Rose set a steaming cup of herbal tea in front of her.

“Got anything stronger?” she asked. Lily Rose gave her a reproving look.

“Kidding! I'm kidding,” Savana said. She stared into the teacup for a moment, absently swishing the bag around in the hot water. “Those kids hate me, you know.”

“Well, they've been going through a lot. We all have lately, haven't we?” Lily Rose replied complacently as she loaded the dishwasher.

“You can say that again,” Savana agreed.

“You just keep yourself calm and cool and have faith that everything will be all right,” Lily Rose advised. “What you don't want to do is worry that baby. Stress is just as bad for those unborn little ones as it is for you and me.”

“I know, and there's something I need to ask you. I know you gave up your midwife practice a while back—”

“I know what you're going to ask,” Lily Rose interrupted. She put down the serving platter she was rinsing and joined Savana at the table. “Have you asked Jack about it? You know he always wants the best—and to him that's a big shiny hospital and a high-priced doctor. Not some tired old woman who cleans his toilets.”