Echo

16. Leo

Malax and I run to the dining room and sit fast.

"BOY."

"NO TIME."

"BUSY DADDY. ON MISSION. EAT NOW."

"Mr. Phade, Rye is here to see you."

"TELL HIM TO WAIT."

Momma rolls her eyes. "Have him come in. The kids are excited."

Rye runs in. "WE'RE ON THE GROUND."

"I KNOW."

I point at a chair. "SIT AND EAT."

Eriska walks in. "You know that's an egg in your box, right?"

"It fell out of the tree."

"No. That is an egg of something big."

"I'll put it back."

She nods and sits down. "You had better before momma finds out it's gone and eats half the camp."

Malax runs out. "I'LL BE RIGHT BACK."

"TAKE ME WITH YOU." I grab my chair and shake it.

Momma nods. "Eriska, follow him and make sure he stays focused."

"Yea, that's a good idea."

Rye stands up.

Momma yells, "SIT."

He slams himself down. "I haven't seen it yet."

"You can eat first."

Daddy rolls his eyes. "Azo, Phade Enterprise is going to be worthless tomorrow."

"Yea, they're going to be sleeping. What is going on?"

Rye jumps up again. "OUR SUPPRAS ARE ON THE GROUND AT CRUCORIX NORTH. AND WE ARE HOSTAGES."

"The suppra's are hostages?"

I smack the table. "NO. WE ARE HOSTAGES AT THIS TABLE."

Malax runs in and sits by me. "I put the egg back where you were digging."

"Thank you."

Eriska sits on the other side of me. "Everywhere they go is very fast. But, the egg was moved successfully out of camp."

Daddy nods. "Wonderful. Let's eat."

"CHEW." Momma rolls her eyes. "You're not getting out of here until everyone is done. So, eat right."

I slow down and Malax growls. It's not funny today.

We eat dinner, glaring at everyone. Then momma smiles. "Thank you for coming to dinner."

Malax picks me up and carries me to the suppra room. He lays me on a bed and lies on the one next to me. Rye is right beside him. The servants get us hooked up, and I'm back on Cru N.

I find some interesting rocks. Then I get a few leaves and a stick. It's good stuff.

Malax points out a bird to me. It's the biggest bird I've ever seen. It's as big as a small house. Everything about this place is so amazing. The 3 of us stay half the night pointing stuff out to each other.

Morning comes entirely too early and momma makes me go to work. I make it to my desk and lay my head on it. This is fine.

The phone wakes me up, and I'm the only person here. I watch it for a second and shake my head. Then I lay on Malax's couch.

I open my eyes a couple of hours later. "AAAAAHHHHH!" There is a man standing in front of me. "Can I help you?"

He smiles and hands me a box. "It will always lead you home." Then he leaves.

I rub my face and sit up. Where the hell is everyone?

I put the box in my purse and check the suppra room. They are sleeping in beds. Some of them aren't even hooked up to anything.

I touch Malax's shoulder.

He opens his eyes and smiles. "Good morning."

"I guess it's still morning for 13 minutes. Did you decide to nap here?"

"Yea, I was exhausted. Did you come in late?"

"No. I slept on the couch in your office. There was a man in there."

He sits bolt upright. "Did you recognize him?"

"No."

"In my office?"

"Yes, I don't know where Kai is either. I was sleeping on the couch. He was watching me and it woke me up. I think."

"Could it have been a dream? Sleeping in a different place can mess with people."

"Maybe. But I don't think so. He gave me a box."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was a dream."

He takes a deep breath. "It's ok. Sleeping in a weird place and the bombs yesterday. I'll check the security footage. You can play on Cru N if you want. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Thank you."

He kisses my head. "RYE. Come on, we're checking security logs."

"Yep." Rye follows him. I think he's sleepwalking.

I'm not on Cru N very long and Rye calls us back.

We sit around the conference table and Malax has other people bring us coffee.

"Rye and I have gone over the footage 15 times. We can't explain it. Maybe someone else has a thought." Malax uses a controller of some kind and a monitor comes out of the ceiling. "The cameras are motion detected. We're going to watch this level, this morning."

Rye stands up. "At 9 Echo puts her head on her desk. You can see the time stamp. At 9:26 she shakes her head at the phone and moves to the couch in this office." Everyone laughs.

"The next time stamp is 11:35. The elevator opens, but nobody gets out. We checked the elevator cameras. Nobody was in it."

"This is 11:41."

"AAAAHHHHHH!" I sit straight up. "Can I help you?" There's nobody standing there. It sounds like scratches on the recording. I reach out my hands and a box shows up in them.

"11:42. The elevator opens and nobody gets on or off."

"11:44. She places the box in her desk and gets in the elevator. We keep her on camera all the way to the suppra level when she wakes up Malax."

I scratch my head. "So, was it a dream?"

"I don't think so. Can you describe the man?"

"His entire being seemed to almost glow. White skin. Dark hair. It was down to his shoulders. I wasn't afraid. He wasn't here to hurt me. The air was cool. A cool breeze. His clothes were almost like water."

"The papers on your desk, Ax."

"What?"

"A cool breeze. We saw them move."

"Sweetie, that was God. What did he give you?"

"A box. He said it would always lead me home."

"Where did you put it?"

"In my purse."

"We searched the desk." Malax and Rye run out.

"Your purse isn't here."

I shrug my shoulders. "Did I take it with me?"

Then run back in and watch me leave on the screen. "No."

"Check when she came in."

"She did bring it in. She didn't take it out. It's here somewhere."

They tear apart everything for the next hour and don't let anyone move. Then they finally sit back down. "What are your thoughts?"

"Maybe it was a dream?"

"No sweetie, that was God."

Eriska rubs her eyes. "We seem to be at 1 extreme or the other. Can we meet in the middle?"

Kai nods. "Maybe it was an angel."

She shakes her head. "So, where is your purse? It didn't walk off. The 3 of you were the only people here and none of us have been allowed to leave. It has to be here."

Kai crosses her arms. "Not if God doesn't want it to be. It's wherever he put it. I'm sure she'll find it."

Eriska rubs her eyes. "Someone else try."

"Can you tell us anything else about the man?"

"I could feel him. He was relaxing and calm."

"Did he touch you?"

"No. We didn't touch. But you're wrong. The people who brought coffee were in here too." Rye and Malax run out again. I stretch. "The boys are excitable today instead of us."

"Well, sweetie, you lost something God gave you."

"It's not lost."

The boys come back in.

"Well, where is it?"

"Somewhere."

Malax rubs his eyes. "She's just like her father. Going to be putting trackers in your damn purses next."

"That's not a bad idea. If anyone sees a black one, it has $3,500 in it. Please grab it for me."

Eriska snorts. "I'm keeping the money."

"I don't care. I love that purse."

"It is a nice one. It might be in my car."

"We can go shopping if it is."

Kai nods. "Any other ideas?"

I shake my head. "I'll find it. And if it is from God, it's going to find its way back. Maybe it wasn't meant for everybody to see. It's invisible." I feel the cool breeze. "He's here now."

He laughs behind me. "You are smart Queen of Queens, Octavia Echo..." He glances around. "What's your last name?"

"Kinnik."

"Not for much longer." He winks. "You're right. It will find you. It's not for everyone."

Kai jumps in her seat. "What's your name?"

"Leo."

"Are you God?"

"I am a God. There are many." He takes my hand and stands me up. "You are so much like your sisters."

"I look nothing like my sisters."

"Your other sisters. It's almost time."

"How do you know us?"

"I was your sister's soulmate. I was killed and became a God. I can help more from this side, so I stayed here."

"How many sisters?"

"There are 4 of you total. Not counting Casdy and Sanya. They are your human sisters. They are not the same thing."

"We have soulmates?"

"Yes. You have a soulmate. He is yours and you are his."

"Is he gonna show up anytime soon because I'm dying here?"

He laughs. "You already know him. But I won't spoil the surprise. Things have to work themselves out."

Eriska rolls her eyes. "It's not that i***t Scotch, is it?"

"No. It's not him."

"At least there's that. Do I have a soulmate too?"

"Yes."

"I'm not human?"

He smiles. "You are. For now. Do not get the injections. Any of you. Things are going to change very quickly."

Rye nods. "Any other words of advice?"

Leo looks at Malax. "Very soon, you will have to protect her. Do not hesitate. I cannot step in. What will be, will be. And her black purse is in your car." He kisses my hand. "I'll tell your sisters it won't be long until they meet you, Queen of Queens Echo." He's gone. He vanishes and I feel a cool breeze again.

Malax gets a paper. "What did we learn?"

Kai smiles. "I was right. God. I told you so."

Eriska rolls her eyes. "We have soulmates, and now we have to take you shopping because the purse is in your car."

"I don't have to shop."

"You need a haircut anyway."

"No." I shake my head. "He can grow it out."

She cracks up laughing. "You like the God."

"I liked his hair."

Kai rolls her eyes. "Teenage girls... She's a queen, Malax. He kept calling her Queen of Queens."

"I have 3 sisters."

Rye rubs his face. "Things are going to change very quickly, and it's pointless to speculate. Do not get the injections."

Malax nods. "Do not get injections and grow hair out."

"Excuse me, sir?" A woman walks in. "Nobody can get a hold of your office. The investigators are trying to get a meeting."

"You can send them up. Thank you."

"Of course."

"Malax needs another secretary."

I laugh and go to my desk. Seems like every button on the phone is lighting up. "THE PHONES AREN'T MAKING NOISE BOYS."

"God didn't want to be disturbed." Kai unplugs them and plugs them back in. They start ringing.

"FIXED IT."