F
U T U R
E
B A R R I E R
(
The 1st Novel
)
Secret Technology, Unrequited Love, Absolute Vengeance
© April 2014
Written by
David Wicker
Please do not reprint without
permission
CHAPTER 41 - MEETING LILLY
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He called out to me, "Dev, you remember your good ol' Uncle Leroy, doncha ? Gimma a hug !"
I was still lost in thought, still remembering the terrible first time we met. He reached out for me again, but I still didn't want to be anywhere near him so I pulled back, watching him carefully and still hating him after all this time.
Fortunately my Mom stepped in to intervene, shooing Leroy back inside. Then she motioned for me to come close. I walked up to the doorway and she handed me one of my suitcases, which, by the weight, was completely filled with stuff.
"Honey, uncle Leroy is going to be staying with us this weekend. I'm sorry, I wish I told you earlier but I kept getting busy at one thing and then the next."
She smoothed back the hair around my ears. "I KNOW you two don't get along but me and your Dad need to spend some time with him. His wife, your aunt Beatrice, died, I know you didn't know her. And he has nowhere to stay right now as she was paying his bills."
Then she turned to smile at Tyr. "Tyr has agreed to babysit you the weekend, and don't worry, she won't be alone, she said her cousin Lilly will be there to help. Because Tyr's folks are also out of town, Maggie, Tyr's babysitter, will stay with you until her folks get back.
"Well now Maggie really doesn't - " I began and then Tyr somehow accidentally mashed down my foot with her own.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." she began with false-apology to me and then turned to my Mom. "What Dev is trying to say Ms. Borne, is that Mizzie Oshmeyer hasn't met Lilly yet, but she will tonite."
"That's nice, dear." Mom began hesitantly. Then looked back to me. "I even packed Teepo, your teddy-bear, honeybun, so you're all set."
"Teepo Teddy Teepo Teddy.." Tyr chimed out and noogied my head painfully. I smiled sheepishly at her.
Then I stepped out of foot-range of Tyr and started again, "Mom, I don't think - "
But then Mom interrupted me, "Dev, I need you to be a big boy and do this. Your uncle heads out Sunday evening and I want you back by then so you can get ready for school again."
"Donna worried mizzie Borne, I've gonna taked really good care of Dev." and she waved to my Mom who was heading back in the door.
I looked down at my suitcase. "We'll need the plugin." I said to Tyr and started for the front door. Tyr caught me.
"Aww Dev, we won't need that old thing. I got the WHOLE weakened plan for you, me, and Lilly. We gone to have tons o' fun." and then she gave me a reassuring hug.
I looked at her suspiciously. She was up to something. I just didn't know what yet, but I relented. "OKAY." I whoofed under my breath, and picked up the suitcase to follow Tyr home.
If I was worried about seeing any secret agents hiding in the bushes I could put my fears to rest. It was all quiet. Only the telltale clean steps of Tyr's front door led me to reveal that her Mom had cleaned all the dog-crap off the steps when Tyr did her magic trick yesterday.
We went inside and Tyr's Mom was there by the front entry, a long table with briefcases and suitcases were there along with a flight ticket. I had forgotten that Tyr's Dad - well - he never made it back home from the service when Tyr was a really little girl.
"Hello, Tyr's - Mom." I began hesitantly.
"Please dear, just call me Annie." she mumbled as she had a credit card in her mouth while holding a briefcase in one hand and a saran-wrapped business outfit in the other.
Tossing down the bulk on the table, Annie quickly patted her daughter on the head. Reached for her purse to pick out her cell-phone and started dialing. Before she finished, the doorbell rang.
She motioned I open it and there was a teenage girl at the front door. Very thin, she was wearing a little leather jacket that, unlike all the cute and girly logos Tyr had on her backpack had serious decals relating to military service, and some decals I didn't recognize that had swords, skulls, and fireballs related to biker gangs I supposed.
No glasses, bright green emerald eyes and, did I see it ? Some of the same mischievousness in her face that I've seen so often in Tyr.
She was wearing big rubber boots that were too big for her, a type of faded platinum button-up shirt, and a traveler's cap, like you might see in Paris. If it wasn't for all the grown-up clothing she was wearing she might seem very frail indeed.
There was one oddity however. She wore a brightly colored very-children's bracelet that had rainbow flowers all over it; definitely out of place with the outfit she wore.
"Lilly !" Annie said in delight and then added, "Where's your Mother, Coraline ?"
* * *
"Owside." she said and thumbed over her back. I looked to see a red racing car with stripes, a woman driving that looked for all sakes of appearances like a prostitute you see on TV, and, upon seeing me, gunned her engine eagerly and cranked up her stereo to vibrate the windows of Tyr's house.
Tyr just giggled. Apparently she was used to Lilly's Mom. Annie didn't frown but didn't smile either. Annie waved half-heartedly to her and then Lilly stepped in closing the door behind her.
Annie addressed me directly, "Dev, this is Lilly, a close cousin of Tyr. They're both going to be babysitting you this weekend, and Maggie will be here the whole time too to make sure everyone stays safe."
Lilly reached out her hand and I shook it. She started fingering my hand with her delicate fingers almost lovingly when Tyr stepped closer to me and Lilly let go and pushed back my hand like she lost interest.
This was going to be an interesting weekend. I already knew that Tyr was going to do some mean things to me, and Lilly, well, I didn't know too much about her except what Tyr told me earlier.
As Lilly gave me another pleasant smile, I saw a flash of movement around her neck and I looked closer to see a fearsome small face with sharp teeth glaring up at me.
"Augh !" I shrieked and darted back. I then noticed I was the only one to react in fear, as if fur and fangs were perfectly normal for Lilly to have draped around her neck.
"Dev," Lilly began quietly with a soft lisp, "Thi' si Choo-Choo, my pet s'quirrel. I know you think s'quirrel are rodent and pe'st, becau'se however I but brought thi' one up from a baby and he'f kepceptionally well-behaved. I hope we can be friend." and I knew she was referring to both her and Choo-Choo.
I reached out a finger to Choo-Choo who, to my panic, grabbed the finger in his sharp little paw giving me a fearsome and toothy smile. A long moment passed before I finally nodded my finger up and down. "Ahhm ... pleased to meet you, Choo-Choo." I began quietly.
As I was waving my finger up and down Choo-Choo did something odd. He eyed me up and down from head to toe in matter of moments. This kind of action would've seemed invasive if a person did it, and then he thrust down my finger, scratching it, drawing some blood, to scamper to Lilly's ear and chittered quietly in it.
"Hmm.." Lilly began thoughtfully. "I think s'o, too." she said quietly and then fixed her eyes on mine. I marveled. Could Lilly speak to the squirrel I wondered ? I looked at Choo-Choo who was licking his paws, of my blood, I wondered ?
Then he fixed me with his own small jewel-amber eyes.
From what Tyr told me, Lilly's father was still in prison and sent there for murder, but I was told to say that he died in military in the war. Lilly's Mom was a professional tatoo-artist and also a stripper but for that last bit, me and Tyr kept that between ourselves.
It was too quiet now and Lilly couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "Damn you're cute, Dev !" she said and Choo-Choo chirped noisily in agreement.
"Lilly !" Tyr's Mom began. "That's not very lady-like behavior."
"S'orry," Lilly began, "I meant, Gos'h-dang it you're cute !" and then looked to Annie for approval.
Annie wasn't paying attention though and was already back at the table bundling things together. Then to Tyr while still facing the table. "Ms. Oshmeyer will be here shortly. I think I've got everything I need. Let's go through the checklist, okay ?"
"Awww Mooom !" Tyr said tiredly.
"You know we need to have everything in order before I go, Sweetiepop." Then she pulled out a slip of paper to read it. For each sentence Annie read, Tyr replied back.
"House-key ? Check. Phone number. Check. Fire extinguisher. Check. Hatchet. Check. Breaker box. Check. Stepladder. Check. Captain Spadwick's Extra-Crispy Chewy Chicken Nuggets. Check. Cereal. Check. Toilet paper. Check. Underwear."
(There was a moment of silence)
"I want clean underwear from you every day young lady, do you hear me !" Annie fairly yelled while showing some restraint, I think only because I was there. This apparently was a sensitive area, and there may have been something Tyr didn't tell me about her.
"Mmmh, yeah, whatever.." Tyr said disconsolately not meeting her eyes.
"That's everything. Give me a kiss." Tyr reached over to peck her Mom as she stooped over. "OK, don't burn down the house, Tyr. And if you DO decide to set fire to the house, you know where the fire extinguisher is. And if the fire gets TOO out of control, you call the fire department like a good little girl, and THEN call me, in that order, understand ?"
She reached for a sweater to pull on, "Ms. Oshmeyer is on her way. I love you, Sweetiepop, see you late Sunday !" and then she was out the door. I heard her car pull out of the driveway.
There was a moment of silence. I heard a bird start to chirp outside. Then suddenly Choo-Choo chirped an inquiry to Lilly. "Yeah." Lilly drawled out the word and had that same evil smile I've seen on Tyr before.
I backed up against the wall as both Lilly and Tyr came right up against me, Tyr's bare legs touching my jeaned ones and Lilly's boots squeaking up against my shins. Even Choo-Choo looked like he had evil plans in mind for me too.
Then without warning, the doorbell rang. "Saved by the bell." I said and darted forward to open it.
END OF
CHAPTER 41
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