Displaced

Timber - Sixty-One

Whatever Paul was planning, it had me nervous. For some reason, I didn't sleep well the night before. Chevelle came back and zonked out like a light. Me, I spent most of the evening curled up on my side and looking at Lara, trying to imagine why anyone in their right mind would think it was okay to hurt such innocent creatures.

Something else wasn't sitting well with me. My intuition was trying to warn me. Because I couldn't figure out what it was trying to tell me, I tried to figure it out instead of sleeping. By the time the next morning came around, I'd say I was running off of about four hours of rest. A shower and a filling breakfast perked me up.

I brought Lara to the park, seeing her off to school like I sometimes liked to do. Rumor was there with Vance, waiting on a bench.

"Thanks," I said. "I would have gotten him from you earlier, but I had to get Lara ready for school."

"It's not your fault. Paul is the one who canceled on collecting him from me," Rumor muttered. She didn't look quite as clean and seductive as she usually did. In fact, she looked like a normal mother of a toddler.

I didn't know what Paul was planning, but I hoped it happened after I was in the clear of her. "He didn't come by with Monique today. Maybe he's taking a day off."

"Paul? Never. He's the definition of workaholic." She snorted. "I'll see you later. I mean, you will be coming by again tonight. Maybe we could try for dinner again? This time just the two of us?"

"Can't. I promised Lara I'd be home tonight and we'd all eat together. That kind of stuff is important to her."

Rumor shrugged. "Another time. Soon, I hope?"

"Sure." That was about as non-committal as I could get without flat-out telling her no and making her wonder what was up, or saying yes and lying. Vance clung to me, his tiny body shivering as I held him in my arms. He was scared, his face buried against my shoulder like he wanted to disappear from his mother's sight.

I waved and walked toward the exit of the park, gently rubbing Vance's back in an effort to calm him down. He winced at my touch. "Hey, it's okay buddy. I'm not going to yell at you or anything. Actually, I have a surprise for you." I reached into my diaper bag and pulled out Mops. "See? He's all better now."

"Mops!" Vance took him and hugged him close. "Thank you, Mr. Timber."

"You're welcome. Are you okay?"

Vance shook his head. "I have an owie."

"Where is it? I'll make it better." I gave him a small smile, wanting to reassure him in any way I could that he was in a safe place.

"My back," he whimpered.

Frowning, I set him down before I slowly lifted his shirt. Immediately I dropped it again. A bruise the size of a fist was across the center of his back. It had to be fresh because I'm almost positive it hadn't been there yesterday. Wouldn't I have noticed it? He was nothing like this when I got him. The glare I wore in my gaze must have been frightening because he recoiled when he glanced at me.

"Stay on the bench, Vance. I'll be right back." I sat him down with Mops and then stalked after Rumor. "You monster!"

All eyes were on me, needless to say. Parents and children alike, gasped. Rumor faced me, her brow furrowed in bewilderment.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

I got right up in her face, it didn't matter if she was a couple of inches taller than me. She shrunk back as if she were three feet smaller.

"You heard me," I spat. "What the heck did you do to him?"

Her glare was sharp, dangerous, and she didn't even bother to deny it. "Spankings, have you ever heard of them?"

"You don't spank a kid on his spine."

"He's my son, not yours. Unless you want to take on the position as daddy to keep him safe? I'll take your application for companionship."

Bile rose up. I was seriously going to puke. "Never."

"Then it's not your problem." She spun on her heel, took one step forward. I grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her back to me.

"You're not getting away with this."

"Who are they going to believe? You? Or me? I'm a woman."

I almost snapped off a comeback. Off in the distance were a group of tall, lanky, men. Large blue eyes, pale blue tinted skin: Achlivans. People cleared out fast. Parents gathered up their kids and bolted from the scene. All of the kids waiting for school to start hurried inside. I stepped away from Rumor, releasing her from my grasp.

She glanced over her shoulder and smirked. "Oh good, they saw how disrespectful you've been to me and are coming to take care of things."

What did I just get myself into? I swallowed. Did I run? Did I stay and fight? Accept my fate? I checked back on Vance and saw Paul sitting with him. The guy was calm, so calm. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. No, the aliens were coming for her.

One Achlivan grabbed her by the elbow. "We believed you to be rehabilitated."

Another placed a black metallic band around her wrist. "You have made a fool of us by harming one of the innocents."

The third one took her other side. "We know you've tapped into our security for your own interests. This is against our code. It always has been. You've violated and betrayed your species."

"No, I didn't do anything. I was set up. He did it all. Please, why would I hurt my own child? He's using me." Rumor's eyes were wide and filled with tears.

All three of the aliens were not moved by her performance. The two holding her picked her up off of the ground as if she weighted nothing.

"I hate you," she screamed, her angry gaze never leaving me. "I hate you, Timber, and you're going to regret this!"

The Achlivan stared down at me, his expression vacant. "Thank you for taking a risk to protect the young. They are the most precious of all. You will be rewarded for your courage. We will be in touch."

I watched him leave, my breath caught in my chest. I'm surprised I didn't pass out from shock. My whole body was shaking, a mixture of rage and fear, as I watched them disappear from sight.

Paul came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder. I recognized the sound of his steps and the firmness in his grasp, even before he spoke. "Are you okay?"

"I just need a moment to process." My knees buckled, my gaze stayed glued on where I had last seen the Achlivans. "They're really big."

"Yes, they are."

I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. My brain was basically broken. I'd just saved a kid's life, sent a woman to possible prison for the rest of her life, and saw aliens. Real aliens. Up until then, the Achlivans had been present in the back of my mind, but they weren't solid in my reality.

"What's going to happen to Vance?" I asked, my voice barely audible. The pounding of my heart was far too loud.

Paul let go of me. "He can stay with you or with me until he gets reacquainted with his father. He's a good man and should have never gone to the Pit with the Undesirables. It'll take a little bit of time to adjust to the change, but Vance will be happy with him."

Nodding, I rose to my feet. Vance was safe, everything would go back to how it was supposed to. So why did I feel miserable?