Mr. M touched down in the Emerald City, also known as Seattle. Constance and Frank Bleu, Lyla’s parents, were here and expecting him. They left town a few months back to get any eyes off of her. He checked his watch. They were meeting him at SeaTac so he could turn around and get back on the plane for Florida but Sam had other plans, and what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Sam walked out of the security gates and directly to the only coffee shop in site, Seattle’s Best Coffee. Constance and Frank were already there.
“Sam, how is Lyla?” Constance pounced.
“Why don’t we find a quiet corner?”
Frank looked around. “I think we’ve been followed, I’d feel safer in our own car where protection has been placed.”
Sam nodded. “Lead the way.”
They went to the car silently and pretended to be leaving. Frank started the car and drove out of the aisle. He moved the car up a few levels until they were at the top. He turned the engine off and they both turned to Sam to talk.
Sam filled them in as far as he could. He had no idea where Jaden and the rest were at the moment so he left that part out. Better to not panic them, he thought. Sam had questions of his own.
“So until we find what safe house they’re in, there’s nothing we can do. Jaden has a handle on it.”
“Maybe it’s time we headed back.” Frank looked worried.
“And bring unwanted attention back to us before we even find them? It would be a nightmare trying to keep them safe, no. Look, I know your first inclination is to run back to Lakeland and get Lyla and hide her again, but now there’s Chase. We can’t separate them and you two have a tendency to try and run. It would only kill them.”
Constance and Frank looked at each other, concern written across their features. “Alright.” Constance stated.
“Now I have a few questions of my own for the both of you.” Sam leaned forward and placed a hand on Constance’s arm. “Listen, now that Lyla has Occlumency, as well as Chase, I need to know some things. It will help me find out what they’re up against if I understand what you’ve been through.”
“Yes?” Frank interjected.
“How did you know Lyla might be ‘the one’, it couldn’t have just been her birth date?”
Constance spoke up. “When I found out I was pregnant and did the timeline, I knew she could be born in October or November. We lived in a large community in Venice, California. We were kind of beach kids at the time, always in bathing suits. This was after our time with you, during our carefree days of being young twenty-something’s. Anyway, the rest of our group found my change in clothing peculiar so they started pecking around. We moved when my best friend at the time found my notes on my desk about when I thought I was due.”
Something hit the back of Sam’s mind. “Constance, who was that friend?”
“Emily Hartkey.”
Sam thought for a moment. “Name doesn’t ring any bells.”
“We left in the middle of the night, leaving everyone behind. At first it was an easy pregnancy to hide, you know how the higher ups keep tabs on the women due around that time. I didn’t want to be under a microscope so we found a convent, but one with retired nuns.”
“Where?”
“Here. There’s an island with a beautiful spit of land that houses them. The one who delivered her was Sister Dorothy.”
“Okay, go on.”
“So when I couldn’t conceal it any more, I moved in with the nuns. They took great care of me but Frank wasn’t allowed anywhere near me. It was really hard on him.” She reached out and grasped his hand. “He stayed holed up in different hotels around the area just to stay near.”
“And when she showed up on November first?”
“I panicked. The nuns said they had a vow of secrecy so we were safe but Frank and I began our life on the run from that point forward. Sam, we didn’t want this for her.” Constance wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
Frank squeezed his wife’s hand. “Is it true Sam, does she really heighten Chase’s powers?”
Sam looked down. The whole situation was hard on him as well. “Yes.” He sat back and rubbed a hand over his face. “When he and Lyla vanished, we all thought the worst but common sense said they were safe, how could they not be?”
“Have you heard from them yet?” Asked Constance, a look of hope riddled her weary features.
“We’ve searched all of Florida but now Jaden has moved out of cell reach. I’ll get you word as soon as I can. Constance, Frank, they’re safe. Trust me. Did you research what Lyla would be up against?”
Constance spoke up. “Yes, within reason. We knew she would have the marks if she met someone and it would ultimately lead to madness and death.” Her voice cracked slightly.
Frank sighed. “Listen, we knew that every time we researched it, a red flag would go up, and next thing you knew we were moving again. The power hungry are everywhere.” He spit the last words out.
“I’ll get word to you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you Sam, you’ve been a good friend.” Lyla’s mother looked a million years old. Eighteen years of running were catching up to her fast.
They said their goodbyes and Sam walked back into the airport. He didn’t want them to know he had an appointment in two hours at Pike Place Market about a certain book….
