The Elephant Secret

Chapter 14

The silence is the worst. The wait looks like it will ever end. I breathe deeply and hold it in my lungs. “I’m going with you.” Ash says serious.

“Me too.” Tally says and smiles.

“Count me in.” Tiffany speaks and steps forward.

“Don’t have to ask.” Sam says. I smile and nod.

“So are you staying?” Ash asks Drake, who shakes his head. “What about Henry?”

“Fuck” Drake whispers and looks down.

“NO, I’m coming too.” Henry objects loudly. “I want to help!” Drake looks at him.

“Not a chance.” Drake states and personally I wouldn’t object to him but Henry is not me. He puts his hands on his hips and steps towards his brother.

“I’m going, you can like, or dislike it but I will go.” He challenges his brother.

“Henry, you could die!” Drake says loud and clear.

“So could you, and so can everyone ells in this room! And this world! This whole universe!” Henry shouts and suddenly he becomes older, he’s not the seven year old boy that came to dinner just few days ago. “No one is safe! Anywhere!” Drake runs his hand through his hair and sights. His frustration clear on his face.

“I don’t care! I don’t want you to get hurt! You haven’t seen what it’s like out there!” Drake warns. “You are not leaving”

“You’re not my dad, you don’t control me.” Henry’s face is flat and stone cold. I step forward. Then it accrued to me. He wants to be a hero, he just wants to help. 

“Hey dear? Henry I need to show you something.” I tell him and offer him to take my hand. He does and I walk with him upstairs. In my room, under my bed I find the album that I made for a school project about The Black and White Wars. It’s mainly build on the people’s experiences and so on. “This is my big war book.” I tell him.

“Wow.” He sights and I nod. I open the book in the middle and find a page where I had interviewed a man that was eight years old when the war started.

“This is Evan.” I tell him. “He was eight in the Black war. He fought for Medius, and here…” I show him a photo where he stands next to his five siblings all armed with guns, all younger than ten years old. “These are his sibling, well were. There are only three left. His sister…” I point at the tallest girl on the photo. “She was killed in the White War.” I tell him. “This boy here.” I point at the youngest one. “He got lost and they never found him.” I turn the page to a picture of a mass grave. “This is what happens at war.” He looks at the page. His face cold and his eyes frozen. His hands move over the edge of the page. “I war there are no heroes, no winners. Everyone loses.” I tell him and he looks at me. “This is what your brother wants to protect you from.” He nods.

“I just want to help.” He whispers. Tears start to stream down his face.

“Maybe you can.” I tell him. Before I can say any more there is a knock on the door.

“Hey.” Drake says and sneaks in. “You okay?” He asks and Henry nods.     

“I’m going to go.” I say and sneak out the door to let the brothers work this out.

            I find Tally and Tiffany staring at the maps down in the basement. “A! Look at this.” Tally says and pulls me to their side. “Here!” She points at the map. “This is the old city of Medius, but they haven’t taken it.”

“See,” Sam says and a find him in the corner. I didn’t see him there. “Here.” He sits by a small desk my mom uses as her office. My mom has a bad ADHD and can’t work properly close to windows. In front of him is her computer open on the footage of the city. “Here is the old City.” He moves slightly so the forage show the troops that are everywhere ells. “But it’s like they avoid the area.” He says. “I mean look at this.” There is no one there, for ten kilometres are more. Suddenly all our phones start to vibrate. Phonoreception. I look at mine and see a text from my dad. *Will be working late.* I start dialling my dad’s number and wait. The sound of the phone ringing is scary. Mainly because I know that there is a big chance of him not picking up. I close my eyes and wish that the agony will end soon. My hands are shaking and my palms are sweating. I squeeze my eyes tightly together. Silence. Sam has already gone up stairs to call his mom. Ash and Henry all so disappeared and in the other corner of the room Tally is standing with her phone to her ear. Silence. I hear nothing but the sound of the outgoing call. “Pick up! Goddammit!” I curse under my breath.

“April?” My dad voice says quietly, like he doesn’t believe it’s me. I gasp and tears run down my cheeks.

“Dad?” I whisper and hear him exhale.

“It’s so good to hear your voice.” He says and I can hear the smile on his face.

“Dad, where is mom? Have you found her?” The silence is my answer. I was right. “I think I found her.” I say.

“She’s in Frigus.” He tells me and confirms.

“That’s what I thought. She’s in Nift.” I tell him and start telling him what happened, everything from the first bomb and to me finding out where she is. I leave out the part where I and Drake shared our moments.  “I’m going to go get her.” I inform and he says nothing. I know he’s going to tell me not to do it.

“I don’t like that idea.” He says, sounding like he has given up. Which is because he has given up on arguing with me.

“I know. I’m still going.”

“What way? There is no way out.” He says.

“The old Medius.” He stays silent. “I used mom’s computer to find a way.”

“When you go there. Go to the old Hall of Justice. There you will find a metal door. On that door you will find a lock. Lay your left hand index finger on the lock and the door will open up and you will get inn. There you will tell the first person you see who you are and that you are looking for me.” He talks fast yet clear. My heart is beating loud but I don’t care. “See you soon. Be safe.” He says and then the silence greets me again. He’s gone. I look at Tally who’s hanging up her phone. She dries her eyes and smiles at me.

“They are all safe.” She says and I hug her. Tiff comes running down to us smiling like she just got a reindeer to ride on.  

“They are fine!” She shouts. We all hug and then the pity stares start.

“Stop it!” I order. “She’s fine. She has the best military training in the world. She can keep herself a live anywhere in the world. I will find her.” I say and look back at the map.