mom’s voice in his words. “All of those mentors I thought I found by accident weren’t accidental at all, were they?”
He shook his head. “As the direction of your path became clear, your mother and father placed guideposts along the way. Your mentors were carefully selected and some of them moved to the neighborhood to assist. Of course, you could know none of this.”
“Why not?”
“Because they wished that you always had choices. They wanted you to have tools in your toolbox for anything that showed up in your life. But they assumed the things that would show up in your life would not be the normal problems of the everyday person.”
“Master Wang and my kung fu lessons? My Kitchen Grandmothers?” My body tightened. I loved Master Wang and my Kitchen Grandmothers; they were the close-knit extended family of my youth. Were they paid to act like they loved me? Was I just a job to them?
“No, they were fortunate moments of serendipity – and no, not Chablis, either. She was your own doing.” Spyder chuckled.
I blushed hotly. Yeah, it would be farfetched for me to think Mom found a hooker to teach me (in theory) about the birds and the bees. Of course, given the information Spyder was handing me, I also wouldn’t put it past Mom. I mean, she didn’t blink an eye when I told her what I was doing.
“Miriam Laugherty had been selected early on for your training.”
“I thought –”
“There could never be a time when you thought anything other than the illusion that your parents constructed for you. Everything was to seem as if you lived a normal yet charmed life. And that you happened to have developed an interesting array of skills along the way.”
I shook my head at the enormity of their subterfuge. “That must have cost them a fortune.”
“Your training was paid for by the money earned at your father’s special job. Other than that, your family lived on the salary that he made with his cover job. It supplied the lifestyle your parents wished to lead. They were very happy with their decisions. You must understand that.”
Memories sifted through my mind, a different color painted the images, which I had trusted, with my new understanding. With the spotlight turned on, it all made so much sense to me. It was almost like when I read a well-written mystery novel, the seeds of truth sewn throughout the plotline, and now that I was coming to the end of that particular chapter, when the truth was revealed, I wasn’t really surprised. Honestly, I should have put it together right from the beginning. “The willing suspension of disbelief — my mind believed what it wanted to and didn’t seek other options because I liked my life.” I slid my hand into Spyder’s. “Thank you for telling me. And thank you for coming home.”
“You never called me to you before.”
“No, I. . . I’m not even sure why I called you now.”
“You must sense something devastating on the horizon. And I agree.”
I have only ever seen a peaceful or joyful looks on Spyder’s face. The hard edged determination I saw there now made my heart skip a beat with foreboding.
“It is time, Lexicon, for us to put a stop to it.”
Seven
A click of the door and the heavy tread of booted feet in the corridor, trying to walk softly, woke me. I glanced at the clock. It was six-thirty in the morning. Thursday. Three days after our FUBAR mission.
Striker went into the bathroom first, then came into his bedroom and slid under the covers. Naked. I sat up in the dim light that filtered through his curtains. I put my hands on him – all of him. I touched every inch of his skin. I made him turn over so I could trace the outlines of his bandages. So I could kiss his burns. Tears dripped from my eyes, landing on his body, and I rubbed them in like salve, wishing I could wash away the purple and green bruises.
I still found words impossible. I haven’t been able to utter one syllable to him since this all happened.
He shook his head. “As the direction of your path became clear, your mother and father placed guideposts along the way. Your mentors were carefully selected and some of them moved to the neighborhood to assist. Of course, you could know none of this.”
“Why not?”
“Because they wished that you always had choices. They wanted you to have tools in your toolbox for anything that showed up in your life. But they assumed the things that would show up in your life would not be the normal problems of the everyday person.”
“Master Wang and my kung fu lessons? My Kitchen Grandmothers?” My body tightened. I loved Master Wang and my Kitchen Grandmothers; they were the close-knit extended family of my youth. Were they paid to act like they loved me? Was I just a job to them?
“No, they were fortunate moments of serendipity – and no, not Chablis, either. She was your own doing.” Spyder chuckled.
I blushed hotly. Yeah, it would be farfetched for me to think Mom found a hooker to teach me (in theory) about the birds and the bees. Of course, given the information Spyder was handing me, I also wouldn’t put it past Mom. I mean, she didn’t blink an eye when I told her what I was doing.
“Miriam Laugherty had been selected early on for your training.”
“I thought –”
“There could never be a time when you thought anything other than the illusion that your parents constructed for you. Everything was to seem as if you lived a normal yet charmed life. And that you happened to have developed an interesting array of skills along the way.”
I shook my head at the enormity of their subterfuge. “That must have cost them a fortune.”
“Your training was paid for by the money earned at your father’s special job. Other than that, your family lived on the salary that he made with his cover job. It supplied the lifestyle your parents wished to lead. They were very happy with their decisions. You must understand that.”
Memories sifted through my mind, a different color painted the images, which I had trusted, with my new understanding. With the spotlight turned on, it all made so much sense to me. It was almost like when I read a well-written mystery novel, the seeds of truth sewn throughout the plotline, and now that I was coming to the end of that particular chapter, when the truth was revealed, I wasn’t really surprised. Honestly, I should have put it together right from the beginning. “The willing suspension of disbelief — my mind believed what it wanted to and didn’t seek other options because I liked my life.” I slid my hand into Spyder’s. “Thank you for telling me. And thank you for coming home.”
“You never called me to you before.”
“No, I. . . I’m not even sure why I called you now.”
“You must sense something devastating on the horizon. And I agree.”
I have only ever seen a peaceful or joyful looks on Spyder’s face. The hard edged determination I saw there now made my heart skip a beat with foreboding.
“It is time, Lexicon, for us to put a stop to it.”
Seven
A click of the door and the heavy tread of booted feet in the corridor, trying to walk softly, woke me. I glanced at the clock. It was six-thirty in the morning. Thursday. Three days after our FUBAR mission.
Striker went into the bathroom first, then came into his bedroom and slid under the covers. Naked. I sat up in the dim light that filtered through his curtains. I put my hands on him – all of him. I touched every inch of his skin. I made him turn over so I could trace the outlines of his bandages. So I could kiss his burns. Tears dripped from my eyes, landing on his body, and I rubbed them in like salve, wishing I could wash away the purple and green bruises.
I still found words impossible. I haven’t been able to utter one syllable to him since this all happened.
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