Panic struck: he couldn’t move his legs. Jesse tried to kick wildly and he felt them. Looking down, he saw that they were wrapped tightly in his blanket. He moved his right arm to untangle himself, then shook his left arm and reached his ear to check for blood. Everything was fine.
Glancing over in the gray morning light, he saw that Alfredo and Marcy were still sleeping. He sat up and unplugged his phone. Multiple notifications were waiting for him.
10:52 PM Friday, February 14
maria fonseca: omg, so high rnnn
maria fonseca: where are u? we needd apic dengit. hungry
11:19 PM
maria fonseca: got a fuckin burgr we gettin kikked out tho, lol
Still laying in bed, Jesse scrolled the rest of his notifications and then opened his social media apps to search for any other messages from Maria, clearing most of his notifications in the process. There was nothing. He swiped through her feed and saw short clips of her getting ready, then footage burned white by her camera’s flash while dancing on the crowded dancefloor; posing in the bathroom mirror, more dancing, tons of pics and tags with other people on the dancefloor and other spots in the classy-looking venue; that fucking guy again, who Jesse didn’t even recognize. Next was her yelling and singing out the window of a speeding car, laughing with a guy driving and another guy in the passenger, and Erika laughing next to her in the back seat. Then a bright, white fluorescent clip in a fast-food restaurant filled with giggling and slowly stuffing food in each other’s faces, apparently unable to avoid it. Finally, her arms pushing open the doors to the restaurant, laughing terribly along with the two guys and Erika with a text graphic that read, “guess we dun for the night lol”.
He laid his arms down flat on the bed with his phone still in his hand, and he stared at the ceiling. What the fuck? Why do I feel farther away from her now than I did six months ago? I just fought a fucking mech piloted by the toughest, meanest bitch I never knew possible. AND outsmarted her in my head. I think. Why can’t I out-maneuver Maria? This -- whatever this is with her -- doesn’t feel real. Is she trying me on for size? Or just using me? She’s already replacing me. And I’m just letting her. Am I the next fucking Moises? How does Maria have so much power and control over me? He hung on that thought. Does she, though? I fucking fought Anna Baronova -- twice! And I’d do it again. Could I do all that shit on the Plane if I didn’t have this sense of control with Maria? Have I just been so cocky -- or delusional?
Another notification was from a new contact on Dolen, an app for encrypted and secure messaging that he had already been using with Yusef. The awaiting message was from “RunToRuin.” His breath held hoping it was Maria.
8:12 AM Saturday, February 15
RunToRuin: Jesse, this is Dali. Things really went south over here. Don’t contact me anywhere else. Got rid of my phone. It looks like I’ll be taking an extended trip. Meet me back on the Plane where we last saw each other there, in exactly two months. That should give me enough time. Things are going to get crazy. I messed up, bad. I’m such an idiot. Don’t tell anyone you’ve heard from me. Don’t respond to this message. Just send me a thumbs-up two weeks before we meet. BE CAREFUL.
It was awkward not to reply, especially when she sounded like she was in trouble and he really wanted to know more. Jesse shook his head. “Can’t be crazier than my night,” he muttered to himself. Still on Dolen, Jesse opened up Yusef’s message.
7:54 AM Saturday, February 15
sef: It was a trap. I barely managed to escape. We do not have much time. We will need to get away for a little while. I fear we now have become the hunted. Pack your belongings, enough for a few days. Fortunately, President’s Day on Monday can afford us an additional day. Meet at Davidson Park at 10:00 AM. We shall briefly discuss our plan at my apartment before we head out.
Christ, I thought I had a bad night. This Aron guy really saved my neck. I’ve got to figure all this out. Jesse looked at the time: 9:35 AM. He shook his head. On my way to the park.
He was about to get up in a rush but he decided to check another notification that was nagging at him: a personal email from a new contact. Jesse left for the kitchen while looking through his inbox for this message. There were so many news bulletins and spam emails, not to mention the clutter of his mind at the moment. He was also trying to figure out how to ask Dominique to watch the kids for the next few days. There wasn’t a single good excuse, and he clearly couldn’t tell her the truth.
He heard a kid’s show on the television, as well as Dominique moving around in the kitchen. There was too much to figure out right now and all he wanted was some clarity and peace of mind with Maria. Jesse flipped back to Maria’s message trying to figure out how to respond as he sat on the opposite end of the couch from Alexia, who was engrossed in watching a cartoon.
“Good morning, Jesse. Thanks again for covering last night. I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’ll start with some eggs for breakfast. It’s gotta be fast, though. I have to go back to work.”
“Uh, thanks. Yeah, it’s all good. It was fine. I uh, needed to get some sleep, anyway.” Jesse’s gut twisted with anticipation on how to explain that he was running away for a few days, but he couldn’t figure out if Maria’s messages and her feed were making him more anxious.
The bustling and smell of eggs and chorizo woke up Alfredo and Marcy in no time. They ran out and jumped on the couch with Jesse and Alexia, almost immediately fighting for the remote and what to watch while little Alexia cheered them on and started jumping on the couch cushion. Antonio, in his playpen, also started yelling in excitement. Jesse aimlessly tried to calm them as he stared at the messages on his phone. He shook his head and decided he wasn’t going to figure out this reply to Maria at that very moment. The nagging in his gut raged on as his mind wandered back to his situation with Yusef. “Shit.”
“Ooooo, Jesse said a bad word!” Marcy teased, pausing the battle for the remote. Alexia, still on the couch and trying to stare ahead wide-eyed, continued to pretend like nothing was happening right next to her.
Alfredo joined in. “That means we can say it!”
“Yay!” Marcy agreed.
Shutting his eyes in frustration and shaking his head, Jesse said aloud, “Why do we keep making more of you?” He left for the bedroom.
“Bye, Shitface!”
“Smell you later, Shitbreath!”
“That’s enough!” Dominique yelled from the kitchen. “If Alexia starts that, I’ll make sure the both of you aren’t even able to speak anymore.”
Alfredo swiped the remote from Marcy’s hand and they both leaned back into the couch, eyes forward, and pretended like nothing just happened.
Jesse grabbed his backpack and was trying to decide what to prioritize: his clothes for a certain amount of days or his folders and textbooks. He decided that the circumstances were unique, and maybe it was okay to miss homework this weekend. After all, he had come from all failing grades last semester to straight As by December. He felt indomitable. So he packed his bag with clothes and toiletries. He brushed his teeth and rinsed his face. What about the little ones?
He picked up his phone and replied to Yusef.
9:52 AM Saturday, February 15
Imma be a little late. Trying to figure out what to do with Fredo and Marcy.
sef: Hurry.
As he finished packing and zipped up his bags, he stared at the watch on his wrist. He still saw it as Yusef’s. For the last few weeks when he was selling and trading things for food and bills, he had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But he always knew it would. Jesse also knew what he had to do now, what he would tell Dominique and how messed up it was of him. But he didn’t really have any other choice, and after all, it really was the most believable excuse.
He walked back out to the living room in a rush and headed for the front door. “I’ll be right back. ‘Fredo and Marcy, be good. Listen to Dominique. And stop cussin’!”
“You first!” Marcy shot back.
“Don’t be long! Your breakfast is almost ready and I have to leave soon.”
Ten minutes later, he returned. Jesse was shaking the cold off with some deep exhales as he went straight to his room. He yanked out the two wadded twenty-dollar bills from his pocket and tossed them on his bed, next to his bags. Opening his wallet, he stared at forty dollars and hesitated to take any of it out. Finally, he took a ten dollar bill from his wallet and added it to the two other bills on his bed. He rubbed the soft spot on his wrist where the watch had been. It still left imprints of where the straps were. They had an odd design that left a squiggly pattern on his skin.
His backpack was already on and he gripped his gym bag in one hand and the money in his other when he came back out to the living room.
“Jesse, your breakf--” she stopped when she looked up and saw him. “What… where are you going?”
Jesse’s face scrunched to one side as he prepared himself. He kept his eyes away from Alfredo and Marcy as he walked to the kitchen counter and swapped the cash for the egg and chorizo burrito that awaited him. Looking at Dominique directly in the eyes, he said, “I fucked up again. There’s uh…. There’s some guys that want to fuck me up.” An image of him punching Raymond flashed before his eyes. “I took something from one of them.” Maria walking with him to their classes. “I can’t stay here.” Racha skating somewhere, plotting his revenge against Jesse. “I gotta leave for a few days.”
Dominique stared at him, stunned. “You can’t. You’re not serious. And right now? Jesse, I have to go to work. Who’s going to watch these kids?”
“Should you? That flu already knocked out your work. You gonna bring it here, too.” Jesse walked back to the living room and bit his burrito in his mouth while he used both hands to bring his gym bag’s strap over his head and onto the neck of his shoulder.
“Jesse!”
“I got to, Dominique. I don’t want any of them coming here and fuckin wit’ y’all.” He finally looked over to Alfredo and Marcy who were trying their best to pretend like they weren’t listening. “This is the best I can do right now to protect you. This is my problem, not yours. I’m gonna come back. I promise. I wouldn’t leave y’all like that.” Alfredo and Marcy were staring back at Jesse now. “Look. None of y’all can say you saw me today. You were sleeping and I was already gone. You understand? That’s important. You even have to go ask around and pretend to not know.”
“But, Jesse,” Dominique interrupted. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know yet. And if I did I wouldn’t tell y’all. For your own good.” Jesse crouched down to Alfredo and Marcy. “I’m serious. You can’t slip up if anyone asks. I’m gonna come back. it’s just a few days. But you aren’t supposed to know that either. You got it?”
They both nodded.
Jesse looked at Alfredo in the eyes. “You’re the man now, ‘Fredo.” His brother stared back with wide eyes. “Don’t fuck it up.” He rustled Marcy’s scalp and tossed her hair around. “Keep him out of trouble, okay?” Then he stood and went for the door.
“Jesse,” Dominique said. “Thank you for the money. Be careful.”
He nodded and closed the door behind him.
On his hurried march to Davidson Park, Jesse was able to listen to a daily news podcast that automatically started downloading every morning. The lead story was about the flu and early scientific estimates about how much it had been spread the night before for Valentine’s Day. There was an interesting bit of facts on just how much bacteria gets swapped from kissing.
Protests against the SENTRII Act and the Stand Your Ground law that were organized in various cities across the country today were already expected to be contentious, but were now anticipating even larger crowds. A police report had been released yesterday, summarizing an incident weeks ago about an unarmed black woman who was killed by a SWAT team in her own home in the middle of the night while sleeping. Apparently, the police had entered the wrong home.
Polar winds were sweeping into the Midwest and were creating yet another record-breaking winter for low temperatures and snowfall.
And lastly, there was a breaking and ongoing story concerning the emergency hospitalization of an unnamed politician in Washington, D.C. Paramedics were called to the scene, but information was still unclear.
He shook his head. Yusef and him weren’t doing enough. Jesse was eager to hear what Yusef had managed to discover, and how Baronova being at Tilson’s den was connected to other things he had yet to learn about. And this trap: Yusef said Tilson probably wasn’t a Reader, so who set this trap? Whose weird golem was that? Just what in the hell was that monster? And who was Aron and why did he help him? Yusef had a lot of explaining to do.
Jesse passed by an elementary school and hopped onto its Wi-Fi. His phone pinged: a new message from Maria.
10:16 AM Saturday, February 15
Maria Fonseca: heyy, when r u bringing me that vday gift u promised?
Immediately, Jesse tried to figure out how he could buy more time from Yusef. And more time to write a poem, or run to the store. Or both. He opened his wallet and thought about how much money he might be needing for the next few days, to who knows where.
Then he saw the marks on his wrists from Yusef’s watch, just barely there now. He thought about the money he left behind for Dominique and the kids. What if they ever knew that I could have left more and instead I spent it on Maria? He dropped his arms as he kept walking. Was she worth that watch? And for what? What could I possibly get her with thirty bucks that would make her happy enough to ignore all the other dudes out there? Even then, how long would it last?
He brought his phone back up and started strategizing a curt response about how he was leaving for a few days. Then he thought about how it probably wouldn’t matter, and she would be in some guy’s car tonight, and maybe a different one tomorrow night, no matter what he wrote. He would never be enough for her right now. She would never be satisfied.
A wave of sadness swept over him, flushed with anger. He felt like such a fool. He was angry toward Maria. Angry at everyone who had gotten in his way. Angry at everything that made his life the way it was. He should have been at her level; he should have been beyond. After all of that work, he still felt like such an ant to her. You’re a fucking joke. And everyone knows it. Everyone always saw you for what you are. You’re just barely in on the joke--it’s you!
Laughter thrust out of him, like vomit. He calmed to a chuckle. All of that struggle and growth? A total waste. You didn’t get her, you didn’t defeat any bad guys. You didn't’ save the fucking day. You’re a loser. Just how everyone knew you always would be. And here you thought you were a hero. Everyone called you a hero!
Cackling came out of his throat. He stopped walking and hunched over, leaning on his knees, laughing uncontrollably. Oh, I’m such a loser! I should have listened to Racha on that first day of school. And everyone else who warned me and made fun of me. They all knew! And I was the idiot. They’re all laughing at me now.
A realization that he wasn’t angry at Maria, or Racha, or anyone else settled in. His laughing suddenly changed to a whimper. He hated himself. He hated himself for being so foolish and naive. Tears fell from his blurred eyes and he quickly wiped them away. He hated himself for always being an idiot, and always making things in his life -- and things in the lives around him -- so much worse.
He took one last look at her message, then blocked her as a contact. He opened his social media apps and did the same across them all.
Davidson Park was on the other side of the elementary school. When he rounded the campus to the park side, he saw Yusef standing and waiting far off at the other end. His phone pinged. It was a breaking news notification: Representative Tilson was dead. Murdered. In his own Washington, D.C. apartment. Jesse’s jaw actually dropped. Details were extremely limited. He thought about the protests today, and how angry the counter-protestors were going to be and how many more of them were going to come out all over the country. Did he and Yusef fail completely now? Were they too late to prevent a great conflict? It looked like the country was ready to tear itself apart.
How can I worry about Maria at a time like this? Jesse was attempting to bolster his recent decision. He already wanted to go back and check her feeds. He sighed and instead searched for more information regarding Tilson, but he lost his Wi-Fi connection.
“Did you hear?” Jesse asked as he hustled up to Yusef, who was already turning to the parking lot. “About Tilson. He’s dead!” Jesse exclaimed, not wanting Yusef to ruin the shock of the moment.
“Yes, yes. I saw. Terrible, Mubtadi. Just terrible.”
“What do you mean? This is good in the long-run, right? He was one of the bad guys.”
“I would not wish for our political leaders to be murdered. No matter how much I disagree with them. It is barbaric and detrimental to a functioning democratic republic, held up not only by laws, but by a society that agrees to follow them. Such mindless barbarism will only lead to more chaos.”
They reached Yusef’s modest car and got in. Jesse plopped his bags in the backseat and sat up front with Yusef. “Today is going to get crazy, right?” Jesse asked.
“Mushiiyat Allah,” Yusef said under his breath.
“Huh?”
“God protect us,” Yusef said after he backed up and drove out of the parking lot. They headed to his apartment, which was downtown. “I must apologize to you, Mubtadi. They were waiting for me. Were you discovered as well?”
“‘Discovered’? ‘Sef, I got my ass handed to me by that bitch, Baronova.”
“Tell me everything. Spare no details.”
Jesse was scolded after Yusef inquired about him nearly falling asleep in the boat, and he made Jesse confess to taking Nyquil the night before. Yusef let the lecture slide so he could hear the rest of the story. When Jesse got to the part about being rescued by Aron and a tree monster, Jesse stopped himself to ask questions.
“Aron Franklin,” Yusef sighed. “One of the most promising apprentices I ever had. He was the one I mentioned before, who had reached out to me last year.” There was a moment’s pause as Yusef appeared to refocus on the road. “I am... relieved to hear that he is okay.”
They passed another park, one of the bigger parks in the city, where there were lots of people with signs and, backpacks, huddling in small groups within the stretched crowd.
“Well, he didn’t look like he was going to be okay last I saw him.” Jesse finished explaining how he had crawled out of the boat and performed his teleportation ritual from the ground at the vortex in Canyons of the Ancients. Then a flurry of questions followed, about the golem, about Aron, Baronova, about where Yusef was the entire time.
Yusef pulled into a parking garage and raised his hand. “Alright, Mubtadi. Yes, I will explain. Let us continue once we are in my apartment. I do not want any stray ears listening in.”
“Ugh. Fine.” Jesse grabbed his bags from the backseat.
“You can leave them there. We will come back and leave shortly.”
“Psh. You clearly never lived in the hood, ‘Sef. They coming with me.”
“Very well. Come along.” Jesse followed Yusef out of the garage and through a tight canyon of tall stylish apartments, three stories tall. Small balconies jutted out among the white-framed windows. They walked up a staircase to the second floor. “Here we are. Welcome.” Yusef unlocked his door and opened his arm, allowing Jesse in first.
The apartment was minimal and clean. Wide open with no walls separating the bedroom. There was simple, cheap-looking furniture, a workspace in the corner with a laptop. A basic television. No wall decorations, but the kitchen looked busy with what looked like a science experiment: a massive collection of unlabeled, half-filled bottles and tiny jars in a rack that he spotted over the bar counter that separated the living room. A solitary barstool stood at the bar counter. There were a few cardboard boxes Jesse saw sitting in the bedroom by Yusef’s closet, which was partially hidden by a dividing wall that Jesse assumed led to the bathroom since there weren’t any hallways. There was just a sliding glass door, covered with blinds, that went out to one of the small patio-balconies he saw from outside. This was not at all what Jesse expected. “Uh, nice place.”
“Thank you,” Yusef replied as he walked in and locked the door behind him.
“Hey, where’s your remote? I want to check the news really fast. See if there’s more info on Tilson.” Jesse dropped his bags by the door and spotted the TV remote on a small table next to the small couch and sat down.
Yusef didn’t bother with a response. He walked over to his worktable in the corner and grabbed a rolled up poster, then walked back across to his closet. “I will get us ready. But we cannot waste much time. You did make sure not to tell anyone about our retreat, or leave any clues or hints behind. Right? No messages to your friends?”
“How do I…?” Jesse fiddled with the remote and the TV finally beeped on. “Got it. Yeah! I mean, no! I just made up something vague and told Dominique I had to get away on my own for a few days. That really sucked.” Jesse yelled from the couch as he flipped loud channels for news.
“Excellent,” Yusef said, almost to himself. He reached deep into the closet to grab something else and walked over to the kitchen-side of the bar counter, awkwardly reaching over the stove to unroll the poster. It was actually a map. He set things down and aside to make room and placed a few items on the corners to keep it flat. “Mubtadi, please. Come along now.” He raised his voice over the TV.
“He’s dead,” Jesse said from the middle of the living room; his eyes were unblinking as he stared at the television. “Erik Peters. He was killed early this morning. In his hotel room.” He waited for a reaction from Yusef, but there was silence. He turned around and saw him staring back without any surprise in his face. “Where were you last night, ‘Sef?”
His brow furrowed. His silence was magnified by the ongoing reporting blaring from the TV. “Jesse, we do not have much time. Come here, please. You need to see the plan.”
“No. Not until you tell me what happened last night. I already told you everything I saw. What about you? Why is Peters dead?”
“Do not be ridiculous, Mubtadi. You should not insinuate such things. We need each other now, more than ever. I was with you last night.”
“For part of it.”
“Come here. I will show you on the map where I was and what happened. Then you will see where we need to be tonight.”
He and Yusef stared at each other for a long moment. Jesse looked back at his bags on the floor next to the door. Then he looked back at Yusef standing in the kitchen behind the bar counter, with one arm out inviting him to the map. “Please, Jesse. We have come so far. We cannot let it all fall apart now. Please.”
Rolling his eyes, Jesse walked over to the bar counter. “Fine. But don’t dumb this shit down. I want to know everything.”
“Sit.” Yusef had one finger pointed on the map. “You see that small town, there? Telluride?”
“You making that shit up? No.”
“Look closer. It is there.”
Jesse squinted and brought his head closer to the map. He heard a muted, metallic crunching sound from behind him. He whipped around and saw the doorknob turning. In panic, he looked back at Yusef. Behind the counter, he saw that Yusef held something like a short stick in his other hand, dark and heavy-looking.
The front door swung open and a blonde woman rushed in. Her clothes, jacket, and gloves were dark and her eye shadow was a magenta pink. Following her a gloved, tall white man with blonde hair and icy blue eyes locked the door behind them. He placed thin utensils that looked like dental tools into a jacket pocket and pulled out a black dagger. Baronova reached into her jacket and pulled out a thick, black handle. She flicked her wrist -- chk-chk-chk -- and the handle extended into a baton.