Chapter 12

Junior Kamryn Schultz, starts the second half of her serialized book titled Redemption. Chapters will be revealed every two weeks. Make sure to check back twice a month and leave comments on what you think about it. If you missed the eleventh chapter, read Reunion.

My hand burned a bright red, throbbing intensely. I bit my lip trying to ignore the pain. Slapping someone hurt, but receiving the blow probably caused even more pain. Kevin stood in front of me, his left cheek rosier than usual, stunned at my reaction.

“Kevin, I don’t even know who you are anymore!” I called out as we stood in the hallway. “I honestly can’t even wrap my head around all this. This is insane.”

I couldn’t even look at Kevin because he disgusted me so much. The past two years of my life have been one big lie, and I had him to thank.

“What about Mom, huh? Was whatever I thought you had real? Or was it just one big ploy to keep me distracted from this whole mess?”

I really thought Kevin was perfect for Mom. I mean, he had his flaws but this was a whole new level of issues.

“And to think you were going to marry my mom. Or was that another trick too?”

Indy stood awkwardly behind us, witnessing the whole event in silence. I whipped my head around to direct my attention to her.

“And you!” I violently pointed my finger at her. “How did you get here? You were at the hospital in Michigan a couple weeks ago, then I found you on the streets in Ireland, now you’re some sort of lab assistant to my father who I’ve just discovered is both a kidnapper and a maniac.”

My head spun. I was both furious and confused at everything and everyone. I was also a bit hungry; I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours.

“You both owe me an explanation about whatever is going on right now.”

Both Kevin and Indy stood in silence for a while, not sure if speaking was the best option. Finally, Kevin reluctantly spoke up.

“First of all, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry and that you don’t have to forgive me; I know this looks really bad.”

I glared at him as I folded my arms in disgust.

“But,” he leaned in and whispered, “I still love your mom. I always have.”

He took a deep breath to begin his story.

“I started working for Mr. Hawthorne about five years ago. I lived in California at the time and found an ad in the paper that said they were looking for tech guys with experience. No context, but they paid well, and luckily I had plenty of experience. I applied and within the next day, I received a call from a blocked number.

“They said I got the job. I was to start immediately in Ireland. When I realized where I’d be working I was a bit hesitant at first. But they assured me everything would be paid for; housing, food, travel.

“I had no reason to stay; I lived by myself in a dead end job with no prospects. So I took the opportunity and moved. I was told to arrive at some office building in the middle of Dublin.

“When I walked through the door I noticed the lobby was empty with only an assistant at the front desk. I told her I was the new tech guy and it was my first day. She directed me to the elevator and told me to go to the uppermost floor.

“The further I rose, the colder I got. It was no warmer when I entered the top floor. A tall man was there to greet me and introduced himself as Connor Hawthorne. He told me I would be working here about five days a week, eight hours a day, and would be researching different things for his travel agency called Travel Lucky. I didn’t understand entirely what I would be researching at the time, but it seemed like a well paying job with good benefits so I stuck with it.”

He paused, recalling the memories.

“How could I have been so blind. Taking this job was the worst and best decision I ever made.”

“I’m not following,” I said.

“Well, what was research for his company turned into hacking and that turned into a lot more illegal work that I wasn’t prepared to deal with. He was searching for something, or multiple things, in separate countries. The harder I worked, the more I realized Mr. Hawthorne wasn’t running a travel agency. This was just a cover-up for his project. 

“What project?” I asked.

“Hawthorne has been looking for the artifacts he mentioned to you for years now. Apparently, they possess a special sort of power if put together. Not a lot of us knew he was looking for them, but the few who did thought Hawthorne was crazy. We still do, but his hunger for power scared us to stop him.

“A couple months into my job, a girl named Farryn came to work for us. Later I found out she was my boss’ daughter, and that she was going to travel around Europe in search of the items. 

“Farryn worked for my father?” I asked in shock.

“Ya, she was really sweet; the favorite of everyone in the office. A shame she passed away two years ago though.”

“You knew about that?” 

“Yes, it really hit us hard. She was the most determined person here. She loved traveling for your dad. But after she passed, he became very depressed and went out searching for you. He needed you to find the objects yourself and bring them back to him. 

“Why can’t he just go out and get them?” I didn’t understand why I needed to complete his risky mission.

“He’s sent out dozens of people before Farryn, actually. Each one failed to attain any information of the artifacts and was never the same when they came back. But Farryn found two of the pieces for us.

“When she returned to Mr. Hawthorne, both were gone and she told him it was a huge mistake, that he didn’t know what he was getting into. She had put the pieces back, afraid of finding the third. He was furious and fired her.”

Kevin paused and looked me over, examining my features.

“You two are siblings; maybe that has something to do with it.”

I hadn’t thought about that possibility. Maybe seeing Farryn in different places also tied into this whole mess. But what Farryn had said scared me.

“If Farryn said finding these items was dangerous then I’m not going. I won’t put myself in danger for him.”

“Then you’ll never see your mom again,” Kevin argued.

Kevin’s words made me rethink mine. What he said was true; I didn’t know where she was and my dad had us wrapped around his finger.

“Fine. But I have one more question. How did he find me?”

A regretful look overcame Kevin’s face as he tried to speak. A shyness swept over him causing him to shuffle his feet and twiddle his thumbs.

“Well, that’s where I come in. He sent me out to pursue your mom. And it burns me to say this, but it was to get closer to you and to get you here for his project.”

My second hand went up to give him another blow, but Indy held me back just in time.

“You never loved her! You were just obeying orders from my crazy dad. I can’t believe you!”

“Woah, woah, Paige slow down!” He caught both my hands and held them together.

“I really do love your mom. After the first couple months, I didn’t think of it as some sort of mission to fulfill. I fell in love with her and now I want to marry her.”

His voice went to a small whisper as he said, “As soon as we took off from the airport I knew turning you in was a bad idea. I was planning on proposing to her and then taking you guys away so we could be a family. But now that he has her captured somewhere I need to help you complete his project.”

I relaxed my hands as they slip from Kevin’s grasp.

“So does my dad know about your plans?”

“No, and he can’t ever know. I trust you to not tell him, OK?”

I nodded.

“OK, now that you know most of the story, Indiana and I need to let you know where you’ll be going.”

Still silent, Indy opened the door to an office space with lots of computers. Most of them were high tech, but some looked old and decrepit. Kevin blew the dust off of a ‘90s computer and took a seat. A couple clicks and button presses later, it sprung to life.

“I’m sorry, but how on earth do you get anything done on these?”

“Oh, most of the stuff we research doesn’t require much technical work,” Kevin reassured me.

He typed for a couple minutes, then information popped up on the screen.

“Alright, so you need to search for three objects that fuse together to create one. They look like this:”

He showed me a picture of what looked like three large gems. Each one the same in size and shape, but in different shades of green; one light, one dark, and one so bright it made my eyes hurt. 

“If your sister is right, then these gems hold immense supernatural power. There’s not much detail on what kind, but I assume you’ll figure it out once you obtain them.”

I glanced at the computer in angst. But I knew this would get me closer to Mom.

“I’ll do anything.”

Kevin glanced at Indy, then back at me.

“How about traveling around Europe?” Kevin implored.

“What?” I scanned the computer.

“The other two items are in different countries in Europe. Do these sound familiar?”

He read them aloud, “Berchtesgaden, Germany and Interlaken, Switzerland. The first one was already found in Tarifa, Spain.”

I gasped. “Yes! That’s exactly where Farryn went after she graduated high school! That makes a lot of sense now, actually.”

“Well, that’s where you need to find them. Everything will be paid for, so that shouldn’t be a problem. You just need some travel gear and you should be good to go.” 

He swiveled around in his chair to face me. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more information about any of this. It’s basically a hopeless case. But if Farryn found them all, I have no doubt you can find them too. I believe in you.”

I smiled at his kind words. His face turned red, but not because I had hit him again.

“Also,” he included, “Indiana will be joining you on your travels.”

Indiana stood behind us, still as silent as before. She put a weak smile on her tired face and nodded her head. I couldn’t help but notice she looked sad all the time. Maybe spending time with one another would fix that.

The lab door opened and my father entered the room. His tall appearance didn’t intimidate me like before. He looked small and helpless in my eyes because I was his only hope.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked in a cruel tone.

“Sure. Let’s get this over with so I can get my mom back.”

As Indy and I exited the lab, my father put a cold hand on my shoulder.

“If you do as I say, then that shouldn’t be a problem. But mark my words, if you screw this up in any way possible, and believe me I will know, there will be serious consequences. Do you understand?”

I never looked at him as he spoke, but nodded my head in agreement. My fists balled up in anger, but I knew I could not use them. Not yet.

For the first chapter, read Confronting weaknesses. If you missed chapter two, read Is she OK?.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @schultz_kamryn and via email: Kamryn Schultz.