The Twenty Seven

Chapter 9

Jackson's farm, called the Miller Homestead, was all but deserted as Nes pulled in front of the house. Turning off the car and getting out, she knocked a few times before she received any sort of response. "I'm coming," a voice faintly calls through the door. Fiddling with her watch, Nes tries to wait as patiently as she could.

When the wooden screen door finally opens, it's an elderly man standing in the frame, burnt to a crisp. "What do you want?" There is no pleasantness to his gravely voice, something that Nes can appreciate.

"I'm investigating the girls," She starts. "I have some questions."

"For me?"

"The sheriff told me to come here." Jackson swears under his breath, shaking his head and going back inside. He holds the door open for Nes and she follows him to the sitting area. "Do you work?"

He gives her a tired look. "I'm running this farm practically by myself. I got two boys that help, but that's it."

"So you're busy during the day? Say, around the time school gets out?"

"This isn't about Owen?" Jackson asks, leaning forward and anticipating Nes' next question. "He's one of the boys who works for me. He comes over after classes. Isn't that when the girls were being taken?"

"It is." Nes was wishing she'd thought to take one of the notepads. "Do you suspect him? Is he capable of something like that?"

Jackson shakes his head. "Of course not. Anyways, he comes here right afterwards. Hasn't missed a day, and he wouldn't have enough time to stash the kids somewhere."

Nes stands. "This was a dead end, then."

"Sure seems that way."

Eira and Ty meet at the park in the center of town. It was close enough that both could walk there fairly quickly. "Did you find anything?" Ty asks, coming up to Eira as she reads from her book.

"Yes," Eira starts, a smile forming on her lips. "And no." The girls relay the content of their interviews, Ty flopping beside Eira as they sit underneath a large tree. "In other news, I finally found a Toch that might help."

Ty plays with the grass beside her. "It makes people tell the truth?"

"Not exactly. It lets someone read someone else's mind, but they both have to have the Tochs." Eira chews on her lip. "Do you want to try it when Nes picks us up?"

"On Nes?" Ty asks, shaking her head. "I don't think she'd like that very much."

"Maybe not, but I doubt she knows what it is. It's probably the only way we can try it before using it on someone. I just want to make sure it works how we think it does. Then again," Eira pauses, frowning. "Will the tochs work on normal people?'

Ty nods. "They work on everyone but the Tochaisi." She waves her hand in the air, dismissing the train of thought. "Either way, it's probably not a good idea to try it on Nes, as much as I'd like to. We should tell her what you found and go from there."

"That's what we always do," Eira says. "Why can't we take charge for once?"

"You've been with us for less than a week and you already want to take charge?" Ty gives her an incredulous look. "You're just another Nes, aren't you? Here I was, thinking you'd be alright -- might've even asked our dear Prim to put you in my group -- but now--"

"I'm not 'just another Nes.'" Eira stands, crossing her arms. "I'm not saying that I should be in charge. I'm saying we should be. All of us. Together." She huffs as she looks down at the other girl. "Who put her in charge anyways? What's so great about her?"