Episode 10
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Friday was usually a day of celebration in the small hallway neighborhood Ash and Cascadia had made together. Today was a different kind of Friday, but there was a definite reason to be grateful. Ash thought about this while he lay in bed, blinking away the remains of his fitful sleep. He had come home from the library, prayed the Rosary on the bus, then gone straight to bed. No need for dinner, he had already eaten it with a young girl who made plants come out of her hands, a British lady who controlled light itself, and a Southern gal who could harness the wind. Oh, and that last person happened to be Gayle, the kind waitress he had thought he had known for years. At least he knew Cascadia was still alive. That took a weight off his heart.
After dressing, he went next door to fulfill some of his promises from the night before. He made himself a large bowl of cereal, with the milk in Cascadia's fridge that was about to go bad. Sitting down with a bowl of ready-to-eat food, prepared in about two minutes, he understood why Cascadia ate so much of it.
Once his quick breakfast was over, he picked up the phone. Aidan answered quickly; Ash winced, since that meant he was up early. "Ash?"
"Yeah, it's me."
Aidan exhaled. "Alright, then. How are things? You said you had some kind of lead?"
"I did…" Images from the video he had watched last night came back to him, bringing back the righteous anger. He calmed himself a moment before continuing. "I found Cascadia."
"What? That's great! Can I talk to her?"
"No, not yet." Ash relaxed his tight jaw. "You were right, Aidan. Foul play was involved."
"No…"
"She's been kidnapped, by a man called Drake Frost. Apparently he wants to use her power for some kind of energy device, and he's trying to force the rest of us to go along with it."
Aidan said something that Ash didn't understand, but had the fury of an oath. "I'll go straight to the airport, can you meet me there? Oh, you don't have a car, I'll get a taxi. I can call our lawyer in the States, have him get something ready…"
"Wait…"
Aidan did, but changed the subject. "Hold on, did you say 'the rest of us?' I thought you didn't know any other gifted people like you."
"Yeah," Ash said, smiling now. "I didn't, until yesterday. There's a group here, I have some help already. We're already working on getting her back."
Aidan didn't speak, but Ash could hear him sitting back down in his chair, the ire gone out of him. "Well, that changes a lot… Hmm…"
"What is it?"
"Oh, I was just wondering, something I ran across earlier. Yes, that seems about right…" Aidan paused. "I'm thinking out loud again, aren't I?"
"Yeah," Ash grinned. "I've gotten used to it by now."
"I'm sure you have… Anyway, this group, these people you've found, would they happen to include a Lumina Brighteye?"
Ash felt a chill down his neck. "Well, yeah, she's how I found out about all this."
"Oh good. I can relax now. I mean, relax more, I suppose."
"How do you know her?"
"Well, I know of her. I've done a lot of research about yours and my sister's gifts, and, while a lot of it is unreliable, her name keeps coming up repeatedly. Apparently, she is a force to be reckoned with."
Ash relaxed a little as well. "That's good to hear."
"Well, this is both good and bad news, I suppose," Aidan said. "You're working to get her back, you said? What will that involve?"
"I'm not sure yet," Ash said honestly. "Lumina said she's searching for her, but I'm not sure how. I'll keep you updated as much as I can, though."
Aidan gave a bitter laugh. "Alright then. I suppose that will have to be enough."
"How do you think your parents are gonna take it?" Ash asked.
"Likely not well," Aidan said. "They're already worried sick, but at least we know she's alive and well. But like I said, let me take care of that. I'll be the bearer of the bad news, if you call to tell them when you've gotten her back."
Ash felt the blaze within him. "Yeah. I will."
"I know you will, Ash. We've always been able to count on you."
These words stuck with Ash as they wrapped up the conversation, determining the best times for calling in the next few days, ultimately agreeing to just use text messaging instead. Aidan prayed over Ash again, invoking Saints Patrick and Brigid and several other names Ash didn't recognize, probably some of the obscure Irish saints of which there were so many. Ash made a mental note to tell Lumina she had a fan overseas.
This was not the end of his reaching out for the morning, however. Óscar Mario had sent him a text message the previous evening, but he'd been too tired to respond. The garage wasn't open yet, so he should have been at home. Ash went over what he was going to say in his head again; Lumina was right, it was fairly easy to tell the truth in a way that didn't risk compromising the situation.
"Hey man! Happy Friday, or I hope it's a happy Friday?"
"Yeah, it's better than I thought it would be. I just wanted to let you know I found Cascadia, but she has to go away for a while. I'll let you know when she's back and we can get together." He hoped his nervousness wasn't audible through the phone. Everything he had said was true, and didn't put Óscar Mario or his family in danger. Just the way he wanted it.
Óscar Mario paused for a moment, then continued in the same jovial tone as before. "Cool, dude, glad to hear she's alright. Well, if you need a ride or help with anything while she's gone, lemme know, okay?"
"I will. Thanks again for your help the other day."
"Don't mention it, man. What are amigos for? But, I gotta go, I'm on diaper duty… I think they've been eating the dog food again… ¡Fuchi!"
Ash took a minute to settle down after he hung up. He had plenty of explanations and excuses ready, why and when and how, but he hadn't used any of them. Either Óscar Mario didn't care, which wasn't true, or he just accepted what his amigo said without any further explanation. That felt refreshing, to say the least.
The marathon phone session had one more stop to make, but he felt a lot more comfortable than he would have if things hadn't gone well so far.
She picked up the phone on the fourth ring. "Hello! This is Gabrielle speaking."
"Hi Gabrielle, this is Ash, Cascadia's friend. We talked a few days ago."
"Oh, of course I remember you, Ash. I've been praying for Cascadia for the past two days, and you as well. But you called, so go ahead."
"Okay. I wanted to tell you I found Cascadia, but, she had to go somewhere. She'll let you know when you can get together."
Gabrielle was quiet for a moment longer than Óscar Mario had been. "I see. Well, thank you for letting me know. I asked our instructor for an extension on the presentation we have together, but I might need to figure out something else instead."
"Yeah, sorry about that." He wasn't sure why, but apologizing felt like the appropriate thing to do.
"Oh no, you are fine. I appreciate you letting me know… Although," her usually bright tone of voice changed to be slightly less so. "I wonder if you would permit me to ask a question that might be somewhat difficult to answer?"
Ash tilted his head, his brow furrowed. "Umm, sure."
The line was quiet for another moment. "Would Cascadia's going away suddenly have anything to do with her mystery?"
Ash gulped. He was pretty sure she could hear it. "What… does that mean?"
Gabrielle paused again. "That's what I've been calling it, I don't know quite else how to describe it, which is, sort of ironic considering I fancy myself a writer. Anyway, sometimes Cascadia does… things, mysterious things. When it's quiet, and no one else is moving around near us, I'll hear someone approaching and she will move suddenly like she's surprised, and sometimes I hear what sounds like water, like… a bucket being sloshed around. Since you two are so close, I wonder if you haven't noticed that as well."
Ash had done more than notice. His first reaction was to explain everything, but how could he? This wasn't just about their being inconspicuous anymore, it was about Gabrielle's safety too.
"Yeah…" he said into the phone. "It's because of that…" He couldn't think of more to say.
"Alright… Well, regardless, I will continue to pray for her, then."
"Thanks." He paused again.
"I can tell you have a lot on your mind also, Ash, so I'll do what else I can to help you. I'll inform Cascadia's professors and instructors that she has an unforeseen, extended absence. That way she will not have to worry as much about her classes when she returns."
Ash smiled. He hadn't even thought of doing something like that, but here she was offering it. "That'll be great. I really appreciate it."
"You are welcome," she said. "Cascadia is a wonderful person, and I'll be praying every day to be able to speak with her soon. Again, please call me if you need anything else."
"I will. Thanks a lot, Gabrielle."
"Peace be with you, Ash."
"You too."
He hung up, exhaling. He had heard of people who had lost one of their senses becoming highly acute in others, and it appeared he had just spoken to such a person. Then he remembered one more phone call he had to make, which was for his shift that day. He hesitated before dialing the restaurant, though. He didn't have any kind of paid time off, so his repeated missed shifts were that same as a resignation. His prayer before the call connected: "Thy will be done."
Thinking of restaurants made him also remember the owner of the birrieria he had met with two days ago, and who he was supposed to have contacted the day before. Óscar Mario had been right, it was a good opportunity, but it didn't look like one he would be able to take advantage of right then. He was grateful he got the owner's voicemail, leaving an apologetic message and wishing him luck with his business. God didn't mean for him to take that path, at least not yet.
He clearly had much bigger plans for Ash right now.
A shower helped him get ready for the rest of the day, whatever that was going to be like. He trimmed up his miniature beard and combed down his hair. He emptied out his backpack on the table, setting the printed fliers off to the side, hopefully not needed any longer. Afterward, he made his bed and tidied up the place a little, since he hadn't been home much. Just as he finished cleaning off the stove, his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Howdy, it's Gayle." The initial 'howdy' was enough, he mused.
"Hey," he said. The feelings from the previous night came back, unease, discomfort.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Okay… better than the night before."
"Glad to hear. Listen, I hope you can call in to work today."
"Yeah, I already did."
"Wonderful. I was hopin' to come by and pick you up, there's a few things I wanted to go over today, if'n you're willin'. How's that sound?"
"Sounds good. I'm ready anytime."
"Great. Be there in a half hour."
"Wait, don't you need my address?"
"Well, no. Lumina already gave it to me."
Ash smirked. "From her intelligence network?"
Gayle made a humphing sound. "Sure, it's called the phone book. I'm in there too if'n you ever wanna stop by. See you soon."
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