Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

39 ∞ not the only one

Day Ten ∞ Sunday 

LORA STARED ACROSS the treetops at the dark moon for a long time; it had just a smiling edge lit by the impending sunrise. It was the first time she had felt the need to check on her vessel since she arrived in Albany. She knew exactly where it was: off the left cusp of the moon's crescent—locked into synchronized orbit near the border of day and night. It responded to her signal with a single pulse of data via her choker, reassuring her of its status. The blending mode remained fully functional to shield itself from detection, while its self-repair system was at sixty percent completion.

It was good news—but hardly of any consolation. It changed nothing. The dream that woke her was a harsh reminder of that.

She kept staring as the sky brightened with subtle hues, gradually subduing the moon—until the sun shot direct rays over the edge, forcing her to close her eyes.

"Where's Lora?" she heard Toni's muffled voice from below.

"She went outside." That was Ramiro.

The front door opened and footsteps came outside. "Lora?"

Lora drew her fingers across her eyes, drying the tears. "Up here."

Toni backed away from the house and looked up. "What'ya doing on the roof?"

∞

By late morning, Lora could not take the inactivity any longer. There was nothing else inside the house that could capture her attention—she needed to get out.

"A walk? Sure, I'll join you," Toni said. "I just gotta change first."

Lora passed through the front room where Ramiro and Pace were glued to the TV, noisily playing their video game with TJ watching over their shoulders. She stepped up to the door.

"You can't leave, y'know. We all gotta be here when they get back."

She turned as TJ came up to her and placed his hand on the door, blocking her exit. "I am taking a walk," she said evenly.

"Doesn't matter. They can be back anytime and Jagg expects us all to be here."

Lora raised her head to look him dead in the eye. "You know you can not stop me." She would give him a few more moments before using mind force on him; she could see he was still undecided about how to respond.

"It's okay, TJ; I'm going with her," Toni's voice came from the back.

He tilted his head to look at her in annoyance. "And where d'you think you going?"

Toni pulled TJ from the door. "Don't worry, hon, we'll be in the neighborhood. We'll hear when they come." She went up on her toes to give him a kiss, then got the door. "Come, Lora." When they reached the sidewalk she said, "You've gotta 'scuse him: he's a bit on edge since they didn't get home yesterday and my brother hasn't called. Our brother. Were you going to hypnotize him?"

Lora just glanced at her thoughtfully. She was not worried but she could sense that Toni was. She steered their steps toward an area of the neighborhood she had not ridden through before, with the intention of adding to the map she was building in her mental database. She listened to Toni's chatting with half an ear as usual, occasionally interjecting a word here and there.

They had reached as far as the main street when Toni plopped herself down on a low wall and said, "You're not the only one, you know."

Lora looked at Toni quizzically—she had not been listening to her animated voice for the past minute since she caught sight of a broad-winged bird of prey flying past.