Dad looked at Chase, who said, “The next night, I came into your room about 6am, so we’d be there in daylight. I asked if you were ready, and I thought you said sure. I got you to stand up, shifted, you staggered, and I helped you into the chair. When I shifted us back, you staggered again, so I helped you sit down. I don’t think you fainted.”

  “Toby,” Mom said, “we thought ye knew what was going on. I’m so sorry.”

  Toby sat in silence for a minute. He looked at Mom. “Dad and Chase are both this — Messenger thing?”

  She looked down.

  Neither Dad nor Chase would look Toby in the eye.

  Mom said. “There is only Messenger at a time.”

  “Who is it now?”

  “The last one died nearly two centuries ago,” Dad said.

  “And they’ve been trying ever since?”

  Dad nodded.

  “If everyone fails, why are they still trying? What makes you think I have a chance?”

  “We won’t know until ye test,” Mom said.

  Toby glanced between Dad and Chase.

  Dad seemed proud. Chase fidgeted like his skin didn’t fit. “What if I don’t want to be — Messenger?”

  “What?” Chase said.

  “Chase,” Mom reached toward him.

  He jerked his arm back. Chase pointed at Toby. “Not want... Are you insane?” Chase leaned closer to Toby and said in a jaw-clenched whisper, “I wanted nothing else–”

  “Calm down,” Dad said.

  Chase pointed at the Amulet, “I wanted it, even after Griffin...”

  “What’s he talking about?”

  “We don’t have time to explain everything. It’s your turn.”

  “Wait. You say the guards are after you. Why?”

  Dad said, “A couple of your cousins died–”

  “Did didn’t...”

  “No.” Dad didn’t speak for a second. “Just listen. Two died during testing. The first seemed an accident, but after the second, we suspected foul play. Then two cousins disappeared right before testing. Chase was next, but too young. We asked for permission to leave. I planned to use the Prime to sight shift us south. We’re told the weather is warmer and there is an ocean.”

  “Ye don’t know?”

  “No one has been there in centuries. The Council said no, so we came here to keep you safe, and they declared us outlaws.”

  “Why?”

  “They said we stole the Prime.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “No. They confiscated everything and split it up among themselves. Even after Teacher proved we were not thieves, they couldn’t drop the charges and keep everything for themselves.”

  Toby wondered why they’d want clothes and furniture, but said, “You just packed up moved here?”

  “Not exactly,” Mom said.

  Dad took in a slow, deep breath and searched for some words. “It’s been,” Mom and Dad exchanged a glance, “hard.”

  Dad said, “We lived in a car for a while. A homeless shelter one winter. Many hotels—”

  “But I did the training,” Chase said a sneer as he pounded his index finger into the table.

  “Chase,” Mom said.

  She reached out toward him, but he limped back, shook his head.

  His eyes locked on the Amulet, Chase licked his lips, as if ready to pounce.

  Toby moved the Amulet under the table.

  Mom stepped in front of Chase. “Step back.”

  For a tense second, no one breathed.

  Chase blinked. He hung his head and sat over by the stairs.

  Toby’s mind rang with questions.

  They can’t expect him to believe this garbage.

  “Dad, you’re saying we magically appeared here?”

  “Not magically, but yes, from Conaeron.”

  “No. Mom said a ‘d’ word.”

  “Dúnbarnaugh is a city. Conaeron is a planet.”

  Toby laughed. “Planet.”

  “Yes.”

  Toby rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Dad.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “We’re space aliens. Who came here with no money or anything?”

  Dad became quiet.

  “If we had no money, how did you get a car?”

  Dad looked down at the table.

  After an awkward silence, Mom said, “Ye was just a baby.”

  “You... stole it? That’s why do we move so much?”

  “No,” Mom said. “Well, part of it.”

  “We’ve been hiding from the police?”

  Now so much made sense. The frequent moves, Chase’s weird behavior in the car.

  “I bought some fake papers for yer mother,” Dad said. “The plan was working pretty well, but then I got arrested again.”

  Toby’s mind was blank.

  “I escaped, and that’s when we changed names.”

  “Changed... wait,” said Tobias Aeron Caldae Peoples. “My name’s not Toby?”

  “Our family name is Caldae. Yer mother’s family name is Aeron.”

  Mom said, “I liked the name Peoples because, well, we’re people.”

  Mom leaned forward. “I used the papers to get that job in the government office. It took years, but I slowly created a paper trail for all of us. That’s how yer father got his job at the construction company, how Chase got into college, and why,” she raised her hands toward the ceiling, “we finally have a home.”

  No. This is a joke.

  Something started banging on the basement window; it was one of those stupid birds.

  “That’s Hermes,” Dad said.

  “It has a name?”

  Dad nodded. “He’s not from around here.”

  “You think?”

  Dad’s expression told Toby to watch it.

  “Sorry.” Toby looked at the insane bird and realized something. “What is it?”

  “Not sure. It’s probably a bird, but it belongs to the One.”

  Teacher mentioned something like that.

  “Toby,” Dad said, “I know this is confusing, but it’s time for ye to test.”

  “Wait.” Toby stood up and walked across the kitchen. He could not look at his parents. “Everyone, just wait.”

  No.

  He held the Amulet in his hand. The warmth, once so reassuring, now foreign. Strange.

  He held out the Amulet. “I don’t want any of this.” When no one would take it, he let go.

  The Amulet clanked on the table, and he walked away.

  “Come back here.”

  Toby kept walking.

  “Ye have no choice!”

  He spun around. “You can’t make me take stupid tests.”

  “No one else can test until yer finished.”

  “So?”

  “It’s yer duty.”

  “No.”

  “Ye must.”

  This was getting beyond stupid. “Then I’ll just fail.”

  “Ye can’t do that either,” Mom said.

  What?

  She sighed. “Some Candidates didn’t try, but no one else could test until they gave their best effort.”

  “Did they become Messenger?”

  Mom looked at the table. “No.”

  “Are you listening to yourselves?”

  His parents looked down.

  “I have school.”

  They said nothing.

  “Your cousins died.”

  No answer.

  “You don’t know who killed them?”

  Dad gave a small shake of his head.

  “I could die.”

  Nothing.

  “For a job I don’t want?”

  Neither spoke.

  Toby headed for the door.

  “Come back here!” Dad said.

  “Let him go,” Mom said.

  The sound of their escalating discussion followed him up the stairs.

  Toby had to clear his mind.

  They lay out a stinking pile of garbage and he’s supposed to devour it like red velvet cake?

  No one is that stupid.

  He flopped on his bed, feeling incomplete. The feeling increased - like he’d been underwater too long.

  He ignored the feeling.

  Didn’t need some stupid broach.

  His parent’s voices grew louder; they were in the living room now; his name filtered up repeatedly.

  He heard Dad go into his bedroom. Something metallic clicked. Seconds later, something slammed, and Dad went back downstairs.

  Toby turned to his electronic friends to drown out the yelling and intrusive thoughts.

  He turned the volume louder.

  Louder.

  Ripped out his earbuds and focused on his computer screen...

  Tried a video game and died on the first level - four times.

  This is insane.

  For a brief instant, just to clear his mind, he half wished that stupid trinket was with him.

  He slid over in his bed, and something brushed his leg.

  He jumped as if it were a hairy, red-legged spider. He grabbed a shoe to smash the offender, but the Amulet flashed in the lamplight.

  He picked it up and looked around the room.

  He opened his door. “Dad!”

  Chase walked out of his bedroom. “Quiet, doofus.”

  “I said I don’t want this thing.” He extended his hand toward Chase.

  Chase’s face became a mixture of emotions.

  He hesitated, licked his lips, and reached out with shaking hands.

  “Chase,” Dad gave a slight shake of the head.

  For a moment, it looked like Chase would snatch the Amulet, but he let his arms fall to his side.

  Toby tried to hand the Amulet to Dad and noticed how both men looked at the Amulet. For Chase, it was like looking at the girl who broke his heart yesterday. Dad’s look was older, nostalgic: she broke his heart, but long ago.

  “Not bad,” Dad said.

  “What?”

  “I put the Amulet in the safe.”

  “Then how did it get in here?”

  Toby heard his tone. He was pushing it, but he couldn’t stop himself.

  “Ye called it.”

  “Right.”

  “It’s one test. One of the most important.”

  Every fiber of his mind screamed, ‘Enough!’ “Take it.”

  Dad didn’t move.

  He cocked his arm and aimed, “Or I’ll throw it out the window.”

  His father said nothing. With teeth clenched and nostrils flaring, he took the Amulet and walked out of the room.

  Mom and Dad argued again.

  2

  Toby woke up feeling rested for the first time in days: no dreams of castles, scary old men, or demon jewelry.

  He came down for breakfast and said, “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” was Mom’s clipped reply. By the ingredients on the counter, she was making chocolate chip cookies today.

  Dad and Chase spoke volumes with their silence.

  Toby fixed his usual bowl of cereal, and just like every morning, pulled up a video on his phone.

  The silence grew thicker, but Toby pretended not to notice.

  Mom glanced at the clock. “Keep track of the time.”

  Toby finished the bowl in three bites. He ran back upstairs, slipped on his shoes, grabbed his book bag, and trotted out the door.

  Hermes flapped overhead as Toby walked toward the bus stop, circled overhead several times, and landed in a tree next to the house. Its gaze turned from Toby to the house. It landed on the sill outside his parent’s bedroom.

  Could it sense the Prime?

  Stop.

  It’s a stupid bird.

  Toby stepped on board and knew he forgot something.

  He checked his book bag, papers, and lunch money. He was wearing a belt. Wallet. Phone.

  Nope, he forgot nothing, and he refused to think of anything else.

  Found a seat, and after a moment, he remembered to look toward the back of the bus. The goons were there, but no leader. The gang kept to themselves, and the crowd’s mood was almost cheerful, considering their destination.

  He spent the rest of the trip pretending he didn’t miss it.

  The bell rang for lunch, and things were looking up: he still had lunch money and Raymond was gloriously absent.

  Toby got some food and found a seat. He joined some guys from his math class and enjoyed his first normal lunch since coming to this stupid place.

  The intercom squawked. “Toby Peoples, please come to the office.”

  Now what?

  He cleared his trash and weaved through the crowd.

  The principal stood outside her office: she was not alone.

  Toby stopped and ducked behind a pillar. Why would the cops want him? Were Mom and Dad in custody?

  People were staring at him.

  Wait.

  Don’t be stupid.

  These people know nothing. Stop acting guilty.

  He took a step toward the office.

  But what if...

  Looked toward that exit on the other side of the cafeteria.

  “Toby Peoples,” said the voice over the intercom. “Please report to the office immediately.”

  Had to get away.

  Wait.

  Don’t draw attention.

  He took a deep breath and willed his heart rate slower; he walked around the pillar and calmly went to the principal.

  “Toby Peoples?” said the principal.

  He nodded.

  “This is Officer Singletary.”

  “You need to come with me.”

  Toby didn’t want to look like a runner. “Am I in trouble?”

  “Come with me.”

  3

  They sat in the squad car, and the officer cleared his throat.

  “There is no easy way to say this, but something happened to your mother. She’s in the hospital and I am going to take you there now.”

  “What happened?”

  “We’re not sure, but we think someone broke into your house.”

  “Is she okay?”

  The officer didn’t answer.

  “Will she be okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is she alive?”

  “That’s what I heard.”

  The ride was both slow and a blur. The officer asked dozens of questions: did Mom have enemies, problems with the marriage, financial trouble. Was Dad a drinker. Did Chase do drugs?

  Toby and his family had driven past the hospital a few times, so why did it look like a large headstone today?

  The officer chose a parking space; Toby jumped out but didn’t know where to go.

  He followed the officer through the maze of corridors.

  Without a word, they waited for the elevator, then stepped inside.

  Toby glanced at the officer’s gun several times.

  The officer put his hand on the gun. “Is there a problem?”

  “Um, no.” He looked away. “No, sir.”

  The door opened, and the officer walked up the hall, crowded with workers, visitors, and patients.

  Toby found a sign: Surgical Waiting Room. The arrow pointed up the hall.

  Chase was walking into the waiting room. Dad was by himself on the other side of the room. Toby walked across the room; he wanted to run into his dad’s arms like when he was three.

  “Anything?” Chase said.

  Dad shook his head. “She’s still in surgery. One nurse said things were going as expected.”

  Toby nodded, as if that meant something. The three of them looked at each other for a moment and sat down.

  Officer Singletary came back. “Excuse me. The detectives asked me to follow up on some questions.”

  Dad nodded.

  “Who found her?”

  “I did,” Chase said.

  “Did she say anything?”

  He shook his head.

  Toby watched Chase’s eyes. He only does his ‘I’m cool’ act when he’s hiding something.

  “Try to remember. Anything might be helpful.”

  “She sent me to the store.”

  “Can you prove it?”

  “You think I did this?” Chase said. Toby could tell he was acting.

  “Just doing my job.”

  Dad said, “The receipt?”

  Chase nodded. He pulled the receipt from his wallet. “I checked out at,” he pointed, “at 9:33. It takes ten minutes to get home. I found her and called 911.”

  The officer said, “At 10:34. Anything else?”

  “I tried to stop the bleeding, and the ambulance got there seconds before the police.”

  The officer waited as if he was expecting Chase to say more.

  Chase’s expression didn’t change, but he smelled nervous.

  The cop to Dad. “Do you know of anyone who might want to hurt her?”

  “No, sir,” in his American accent, now more southern than Toby remembered.

  “Anything taken?”

  “I haven’t looked yet.”

  “Our crime scene team has found a safe in one bedroom. Whose room is that?”

  “Mine. Jennifer and mine.”

  Toby watched his father. Before yesterday, Toby had seen nothing suspicious, but now Toby could tell; Dad was hiding in plain sight.

  “The intruder didn’t get the safe open, but it looks like they tried to pry it open with something heavy. The lab team also found blood in the gouges.”

  As if they used the same weapon on Mom.

  Dad looked at the floor.

  The officer sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean... Any idea what they were after?”

  “That’s our fire safe. Important papers, but that’s all.”

  The officer looked down to make some notes. Toby looked at Dad, hoping to get a clue. Dad narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

  “I can show you the contents.”

  The officer nodded as he rechecked his notes.

  “Is our house still a... What do you call it?”

  “A crime scene?”

  Dad winced. “Right. When can we go back home?”

  “The team should finish soon.”

  Dad nodded, and Toby shivered.

  The officer stood up. “We have you cell number. We’ll call when you can go back in.”

  They watched the officer go, and after a moment, Dad stood up and motioned for the boys to follow to a quiet corner of a hallway.

 

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