“Do you think Wallace aka Excariot kept any money here?” Val started to move the boxes behind the counter. “We will need to pay the bills and buy new stock.”
“I don’t know, but you probably have about fifty thousand pounds worth of stock, or more, already in the shop,” Wendy responded in a matter of fact way.
Val sat back on the stool. “Are you being serious with me?”
Wendy nodded her response, visibly less impressed than Val. “My family has been in the retail industry for years,” she explained. “I will speak to my mum about what we need; you just keep bagging those prisoners.” Wendy grabbed a pen and paper with her duster and headed off to catalogue the books.
Val rummaged a little more and managed to find a twenty-pound note. Not a bad start, but she needed so many things. It was hard being on your own. Her mum and dad had always done everything for her. She pondered what they had been doing with their time since the spell that had made them forget her existence. Glancing over at the clock she saw it was eleven-thirty. Dad would be at work, probably having his mid-morning sandwich with the lads, and her mum would be shopping for dinner. Or would they? Now Val had gone would their lives still be the same? The doorbell broke her painful reverie and as she looked up her heart skipped to her throat.
“Morning Val.” Sam walked up to the counter.
“Hi, how’s it going?”
He looked amazing: crisp white t-shirt, jeans and he smelt like he had just jumped out of the shower. How could she hide her feelings? They were pouring out all over her counter.
“Are those the clothes you were wearing yesterday?” he frowned.
Please God swallow me up and let me die peacefully. “Yes. I haven’t got anything else. I need to go shopping, but I was busy being beaten up and meeting my designated hunter,” Val responded brushing herself down.
“Sounds exciting. Tell me more.” Sam leaned on the counter and Val relaxed as she told him about the morning’s entertainment.
“I can’t wait to meet this hunter; he sounds fascinating. Now for the real reason I’m here.” Sam opened his brown leather satchel.
“Please say it’s to whisk me off my feet and take me for lunch. I’m starving,” Val thought.
“Do you remember I told you I had a new gadget for you? Well, here it is.” Sam pulled a small black box out of a pocket and placed it on the counter.
“You could have wrapped it.” Val eagerly picked it up and opened the lid. “It’s a bracelet.” She held it out. It was definitely pretty but how was this thing a gadget? Plus she already had a bracelet; she was going to start looking like the queen of bling.
“Well sort of. Let’s put it on. See, it goes closer to the top of your arm to keep it hidden.” Sam took the bracelet as Val lifted up her sleeve.
It felt strange to Val not to see the tattoo any more.
“OK, it goes here.” Sam wrapped it around her arm.
She frowned at it, still unsure of its purpose. “OK, now what?” She asked looking from her arm to Sam.
“See the gemstone on the end?”
There was a clear orange looking gem on the end. Val nodded.
“Grab it and pull, but leave enough room.” Sam stood back.
Enough room for what, Val wondered. She was excited and afraid at the same time. She held the gem in her hand and pulled. It was amazing, it uncoiled at such speed. Within a second she had four feet of what looked like silver rope in her hands. “It’s titanium tungsten carbide alloy, which makes it light but very strong.” Sam beamed at her like a schoolboy.
“I’m very impressed, but what do I do with it?” She asked, handing it back to Sam.
“Watch.” He turned the gem back and it recoiled into the bracelet. “You can use it as a rope or a whip.” Sam handed the bracelet back to Val who slipped it back on her arm and covered it up.
“It’s lovely thanks.” Val felt pleased. “Sam, I need to tell you about something that happened today. When I used the sword my bracelet went haywire. There were flashing lights and then the sword seemed to be so much stronger than usual. Do you know why?” Val held out her wrist for him to look at it. Sam took her hand and her skin electrified, her senses going into emotional overload. How could it be that this Sam didn’t seem to have the slightest interest in her and yet Sixteen-forty five Sam couldn’t keep his hands off her?
“I can’t really tell. If you give me your bracelet I could maybe do a few tests.” He turned her hand over a few times inspecting it.
“I wish it was that simple, it won’t come off.” Val tugged but it was impossible. “Sorry.” She gently pulled her hand away. “So what now? Are you off again?” Val held her breath unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
“No. I have decided to spend a little more time here with Shane, but there’s another reason for me coming to see you. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch tomorrow, at my new house.”
“Yes! I’m free between twelve and one.” Val wondered if skipping at this point would be highly inappropriate.
“Great! Here’s my address.” Sam handed her a card. “I’ll see you then.”
“Yes, you will.” Val took it and stood as still as she possibly could. She waited, hardly breathing, until Sam had left the shop, and then let out a huge squeal, ran around the counter and started prancing around the entrance. At this point Wendy, Jason and Fran came running.
“What’s wrong? Are you ok?” they chorused.
“Look at her; they are playing with her mind,” Fran said to Jason.
Val grabbed Fran and used her as an anchor as she came to a halt. “I’m fine, Fran, just happy.”
“Well, you’re going to be ecstatic in a minute. Come and see this.” Jason led Val towards his new headquarters. Val walked into the cupboard and looked about her, wondering what all the fuss was about. They had placed the two boxes down on the floor, moved the mop and a couple of other things about, but there was nothing worth singing about.
“Ok Val, what can you see?” Jason pointed towards the wall in front of her. Val looked. There were shelves and a very dodgy picture of a ship.
“Nothing special.” Val shrugged and turned to look at the others.
“Wendy, you found it, so you do the honours,” Jason said. Wendy moved past Val and pulled back the picture.
“Oh my goodness!” Val gasped. “There’s a safe.” She moved to stand beside Wendy to see the brick-sized metal square jutting out of the wall, a white key pad on the front of it.
“Yes, we haven’t got a clue what the number might be to open it, but it’s a start.”
Val moved closer. “I think I know what it is.” She typed in the number twenty-three twelve and the door made a clunking sound. Val turned the handle and it opened with surprising ease. The others watched silently. Val pulled it back and there it was: a stash of money. “Oh yes, you beauty.” Val pulled a pile out and handed it to Wendy, then another, then another. There were also a few pieces of paper that Val placed on Jason’s new desk.
“How did you know what the number would be?” Wendy asked as she started to count the notes in her hand.
“It was Excariot’s prison guard ID, just a lucky guess. So how much?” She turned to the others.
“Well I have five hundred.” Wendy held out her stash.
“Same here,” Jason and Fran chorused.
“So Wallace left us fifteen hundred pounds.” If Val’s grin had been any wider a plate could have fitted in the gap.
“What now?” Jason handed over the cash.
“Snakes and Ladders for burgers on me.” Val took the money.
She shoved a few notes in her pocket and put the rest back in the safe and closed the door.
“Hello anyone there?” a voice called from the front of the shop.
“Did you hear the door bell?” Val darted a glance at the others. They all shook their heads. Jason quickly moved back to back with Val. She placed her hand on the sword but didn’t want to pull it in case they were wrong. They made their way cautiously up the main aisle and as they were getting closer to the entrance the stranger called out again.
“Hello, it’s Zac Efron here.”
“Did he just say Zac Efron?” Jason looked at Val.
She nodded and relaxed her stance, replacing her sword into her back pocket.
“Hi Zac, what’s wrong?” Val made her way towards the counter.
“We have a problem.”
“Hi,” said Jason. He and Fran waved in Zac’s direction. His expression was unmoved as he stared at them both. They lowered their hands, noticeably uncomfortable.
“Another prisoner?” Val asked, easing the icy moment as she started to collect her belongings.
“I’ll get back to the computer room,” Jason started to head off.
“No, it’s your dellatrax. I went to collect one for you, but it seems that it won’t work on your planet; the signal is scrambled by your moon and another twenty-five in between.”
“Now what?” Val asked.
“The Warden came up with a solution and the Judges have agreed. We will give you all the information you need in these.” Zac moved to reveal a pile of dated looking leather bound books on the counter.
“Great, more books. How on earth am I supposed to carry them every time we get called out? The Warden didn’t think this one out,” Val moaned.
“They understand that. However, the Warden feels that they will be well disguised in the bookshop and that your seer, Wendy, would be a worthy reader for you. Maybe these two others could be of assistance too.” Zac pointed at Jason and Fran.
“Either way, this isn’t what I expected. What do you think Zac?” Val asked.
“Sorry?” Zac’s expression changed to one of confusion.
“I said, what do you think? Can we work like this?” Val looked at him, waiting or a response.
“It is not my place to answer that question. Please, let us talk about you.” Zac was visibly uncomfortable.
Wendy walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his arm. He looked down at her hand feeling even more confused. “Listen, we were just going to the Snakes and Ladders burger bar for lunch. Come with us and you and Val can carry on this conversation there.”
“Yes mate, come on.” Jason patted him on the shoulder and they all walked towards the exit gently coaxing Zac to go with them.
“Is this normal and appropriate behaviour?” Zac called back to Val.
“Very.” She locked up and they all climbed into Wendy’s Morris Traveller.
“Give your dad a call and get him to meet us,” Val shouted over the engine noise to Jason. He nodded back.
The Snakes and Ladders was fuller than usual and Val was pleased when they managed to get a nice table tucked away in the corner. The waitress came over to take their order as Jason’s dad, Shane, arrived.
“Where have you been?” Val stood up and embraced him. This was as close as she was going to get to a father figure for now.
“I have a job.” He hugged her back and then went to greet the others.
“You are Shane Walker, the painter. I am pleased to meet you. I am Zac Efron,” Zac bowed a little for him and Shane gave him a welcoming smile and a pat on the arm.
“Hi Zac. I hear from Jason that you’re a hunter. Tell me all about it.” Shane sat next to Zac and Val smiled to see her hunter relax a little. Shane had once again willingly embraced a complete stranger.
Jason called over the music, “Dad, when were we last here? I can’t remember.”
Val could: the exact moment, the very day, and who was with them. She remembered the plane crash and how much she had wanted to protect her then best friend, Delta.
“I’m not sure, son. Strange, but I can’t remember,” Shane replied.
“Burger with cheese? Veggie delight?” the waitress called out over their heads.
“I’m the Veggie,” Wendy leaned over to collect her plate.
“That’s Zac’s,” Val called, grabbing the enormous burger.
Zac’s face said it all. Val could tell that he had never seen anything like this burger. She picked up her Hawaiian and started to eat. Zac looked around the table at the others, then tentatively picked up his burger. Val nodded at him and he took a bite.
She watched with interest as he chewed, concentrating on the new sensations he was experiencing. Finally he looked at her and declared, “This burger is very pleasant.”
Val grinned at him. “Glad I’ve done something that meets with your approval.”
“We have no need of food in Alchany,” he told them. “We have what you call a pill that supplies us with all the nutrition we need, but this is much tastier.” Zac pulled out a small black pill from his pocket and handed it to Val.
“Wow, tasty, thanks.” Val smiled and popped it into her pocket. “I’ll save it for later.”
“That will feed you for at least three of your weekly cycles,” Zac told them, shoving another hand full of chips into his mouth.
Val was enjoying everyone being there, even her new acquaintance, Zac. They would find a way to make this new system work. If anyone knew books it was Wendy; she knew the shop was in good hands. In thirteen years of waiting, Wendy had never given up on her and that meant that she was the closest thing Val now had to a best friend.
She glanced across the table. Jason and Fran were laughing together about something; she had to admit that they made the perfect couple. She had confronted the fact that her romantic feelings for Jason had been all her own and she was over that now. Anyway, they were committed to helping her and she knew how much she needed their support. She looked across the table to see Shane nodding, agreeing with something Zac was telling him, and then proceeding to slap him vigorously on the back. He was the glue that would keep them all sane. This was good; things were going to be ok.
Then it began.
Val could feel it in the pit of her stomach: something was wrong; she didn’t know what, but it was going to be bad. There were no pains like before, when she had the tattoo, but it had taught her a very important lesson: she now knew to listen to her instincts and something was definitely coming. Zac was just devouring the last chip on his plate when his watch sprang into life.
“Zac something is happening; I can sense it.” Val rose from her chair. Zac was with her as lights and symbols flashed away on his screen.