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Chapter 105: Fort Knox
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The True Nature Series Chapter 106: Zinty
I MADE SURE THAT I heard Dad snoring before I texted Zander to give him the "all clear." Before that, there had been more than enough time to do our homework, pick out our clothes for school tomorrow, and even tidy up my room. After homework, we'd moved on to the traditional sleepover activities, painting nails, fixing hair and boy talk. She had described her idea of the perfect school dance with the perfect guy. Her imagination made me laugh. I could have told her to stop dreaming, but I didn't want to squash her dream. So, I'd let her gush while making approving noises. She had gradually transitioned into going to Homecoming with Maverick and how great that was going to be, even though I hadn't asked him yet. When she spent almost an hour on her makeup and hair, I started calling her "Sophia Loren" again because she had that hot Latin look going on with dark, smoky eyes and thick, wavy brown hair. Although her parents were Hispanic and had rich cocoa tans year-round, her skin was m
The True Nature Series Chapter 107: Uncle Iwa
"ALRIGHT, ALREADY!" SAID RUTHIE rolling her eyes. "I call this meeting to order. And before I forget, I just want to let you know we've found a Scooby, so the gang is now complete!"I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Who are you talking about?""Knox, of course," she said, reminding me of the new dog that I hadn't told Zander about yet. "Oh, yeah," I said with a frown. "My dad is getting a retired police dog to help guard our house. And me, I guess.""Seriously?" said Conrad, leaning forward so that his face took up the entire screen."Great," grumbled Zander. "Your dad is making it hard for us to get together, isn't he?""When you said her dad was upset about the Dante thing, you weren't kidding," added Conrad. "I hate to imagine what he'd do if he knew the real story.""Well, I think it's going to be fun," said Ruthie. "Tru always wanted a dog. Her parents only let her have a dumb 'ol stuffed dog.""Hey now!" I said, pretending offense."You know what I mean, girl. I know you love
The True Nature Series Chapter 108: Re-dreaming
I WOKE UP ON my bed, a wet cloth on my forehead. Ruthie and Zander sat on either side of me, worry pinching their faces."What happened?" I asked."Hey! Is she okay?" piped in a voice across the room."Crap," muttered Ruthie. "We left Conny on the chair." She dashed over to move the tablet to the desk beside my bed. Conrad's eyes blinked owlishly at me."How do you feel?" asked Zander, his hands fluttering over me like he didn't know what to do with them."Okay, I think." I recalled what I'd seen before I lost consciousness. "I had the dream again. I don't know how, because obviously I wasn't asleep." I wrinkled my forehead in confusion. "But it couldn't have been a dream because I was awake. It happened before I blacked out.""Holy Spamburger! Wait just a second." Ruthie moved away again to grab her notebook. I could hear Conrad scrambling for something, too. He mumbled "waking dream" as he scribbled way.Ruthie rushed back, kneeling at the edge of the bed, pencil poised ov
The True Nature Series Chapter 109: Most Wanted
"HOW OLD IS HE?" asked Conrad."I don't know," I said. "Maybe forty?" I rubbed my eyes, feeling tired."On the plus side," said Ruthie. "Alondrea is an awesome name." She smiled.My lips twitched. "Yeah, better than Tru Lee!""Your middle name is Lee?" chuckled Conrad. "Tru Lee? Hilarious!"Zander remained silent, staring across the room deep in thought. The corners of my mouth lowered as I watched him. He finally noticed me twisted up toward him. By then we were all staring at him."I know that look, Z," said Conrad. "Who is this man?""Tru, the photo album you showed me before? The one with your aunt in it? Do you still have it here?" asked Zander."Yeah, over there on my shelf."Zander got up to retrieve it. "Where is that picture?" he asked, handing me the album.I opened it up to the same photo I'd shared with him before. "Here it is," I said, as I propped up the book so Conrad could see it."Would you name all the people in the picture for Conrad?" He tipped the photo
The True Nature Series Chapter 110: Double-dipping
CONRAD SPOKE UP FIRST. "So Tru's mom was like a human lie detector for little kids ... Doesn't that remind us of someone?""Barbecued beef kabobs!" Ruthie remembered to lower her voice, but she still wrung her hands and hopped up and down. "Tru, your mom was like you! That means she was idimmu! She must have been if your aunt was. Does that mean your dad is, too? Oh my gosh! This is crazy!"Was my mom involved in this madness? Could my dad be, too? "No. Not possible," I murmured. But impossible had taken a back seat to possible a while ago."Tru," Zander said, scooting closer. He rested a hand on my arm tentatively. "Maybe your mom didn't even realize she had a talent like that. It's common for many idimmu to not realize they are different. Just because she could tell when a kid was lying doesn't mean she knew she was idimmu. She may have just chalked it up to great intuition.""But she wasn't crazy, like idimmu are, I mean." My mom was in her sixties when she died and never once
The True Nature Series Chapter 111: Truth Be Told
ZANDER BACKED AWAY, LOOKING at me like I'd slapped him. "I don't believe it," he said, his face bone-white. "And why would you keep that to yourself this whole time? Why do you even think it?"I couldn't bear the pain in his face, and I scrambled to make it better. "Remember when Dante was so excited about handing over both of us to the Collector? That you were a bonus and that the Collector was going to be surprised."Zander nodded."Before you got there Dante tried to make me believe you were using me.""I wasn't using you!" he almost yelled."I know, I know now. But he called you and Peter the silly sons ... the Collector's silly sons ..." I let it sink in. Conrad swore in the background. "And he kept your father's identity secret from you because he wanted you and your dad to be surprised. He bragged about how funny it would be."Zander looked so betrayed as he stared at me with disbelief. "Don't you see? Your father must have collected my aunt and found out she could hea
The True Nature Series Chapter 112: Gerard Hughes
ME: WHERE ARE YOU?No response.I'd been texting Zander since first break. I had hoped to catch him at his locker but he had never showed, which worried me. What if he'd gone home? I imagined the worst if he confronted his father. I wondered if Peter was still around. As much as I didn't want to talk to Peter ever again, I'd do it to find Zander. I didn't know the name of their hotel, but there were only so many in Scotts Valley. The idea of skipping school didn't even bother me today. I was uncomfortable with everyone asking me about Dante anyway. Now that I wanted a little anonymity, people I didn't even know came up to say how awful it must have been or asked if I knew where Dante was hiding. It was almost as bad as Detective Winchester's inquisition. All I could think of was that I had to get out of here. But I chickened out on my plan to play hooky when I kept running into teachers at the exits. Fuming with frustration, I reversed course and headed to my next class.The perso
The True Nature Series Chapter 113: More Mystery Bruises
MY THOUGHTS CIRCLED BACK to the present, as I zombie-stepped my way through the school walkways, wondering where Zander could be. I had expected him to meet me in the parking lot this morning. Was he avoiding me? Then again, what if he wasn't and something happened to him?I wanted to hit something, so I picked up my step, stomping around the closest building, hoping I could find a wall or tree to smack without anyone thinking I was going postal. I skidded to a stop when I saw Ruthie sitting on the ground crying."Ruthie! Oh my gosh! What happened?" I knelt down beside her.She rubbed her cheeks. "I don't know. That's the problem!" She held out her wrists. "I don't know how I got these bruises. And I don't know why my arm is bleeding."A red line ran down the inside of her arm, oozing blood. It didn't look like a scratch, more like a razor cut. My heart fluttered in alarm."My throat hurts, too." She said, swallowing with a grimace. I stared at her red and swollen neck with shock.
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