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Refuge

By Stephanie Gallentine

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Chapter 1

One hour and fifty-nine minutes.

Sixteen-year-old Kevin Ramsey shoved his hands into the fleece-lined pocket of his hoodie. His fingers, stiffened by the cold, clasped the folded bus ticket. In less than two hours he would be free and for the first time, in control of his life.

He quickened his pace against the chilling January wind. White flecks of snow swirled about him, dotting his jacket, and melting within seconds. He shivered and pulled the straps of his backpack tighter. A sudden gust of wind blew his hood off and dark strands of baby-fine hair whipped in his face, catching in his glasses.

Frowning, he tugged his hood back on and double-checked the zippered interior pocket for papers that showed his new identity. Sean Childers. He repeated the name under his breath. Puffs of frozen air escaped his lips and disappeared—like he would, once he got out of McKeltic, Texas. Finding him would be like finding Cosmic Warrior’s secret identity. No one would know who to look for. His own life proved that. In the twelve years since his original identity had been changed no one had ever guessed. Why would this time be any different?
His cell phone chimed. Kevin slid it open and read the text message from his best friend, Aiden Rollings.

GJ NOW.

Kevin nodded and then texted a reply. Galactic Jitters, a popular sci-fi coffee shop, was only a few blocks out of his way. He could meet Aiden and still make his bus. He shivered and folded his arms tight across his chest. At least at Galactic Jitters, he wouldn’t freeze into a human iceberg.

As he turned onto Marsh Avenue, a truck with oversized wheels sped by, spraying the sidewalk with the gray slushy remains of last night’s snowfall. Kevin jumped back but slush seeped into the fabric of his jeans and forced the chill deeper into his bones. He glared at the offending truck and wished for a snowball-encrusted rock. A glimpse at the ground told him he’d have to forego revenge. Nothing underfoot but rock salt and barely visible snow flurries.
Two blocks later, Kevin hurried to the entrance of the familiar hangout. Inside, the rich aromas of coffee and vanilla wafted through the air, while overhead hundreds of artificial stars glimmered through the black ceiling. Teens clustered at tables, around laptops and video games, surrounded by a wall-to-ceiling space mural.

“Hey, Kevin.” Joe, the owner, waved to him from behind the counter and wiped his hands on his apron. “The usual? Quadruple shot mocha latte?”

Kevin nodded and then inched back his sleeve to uncover his watch.
One hour and forty-five minutes. Freedom was so close.

He paid for his drink and headed to the back corner booth where Aiden sat. Sliding into the bench seat, Kevin wrapped his cold hands around the steaming cup and breathed in the vapors. He tipped back his head and let the hot coffee slide down the back of his throat. “What’s up? I thought your mom had you on lockdown.”

Aiden brushed at charcoal bangs that shaded his half-opened hazel eyes. A mischievous grin pinched his fever-tinged cheeks. “She did but her boss called her in for a couple of hours. I figure by the time she gets home, I’ll be back in bed.”

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“I had to.” Aiden cupped his hands in front of his face, muffling his sneeze. “I wanted to see if you’d changed your mind.”

Kevin stared down in his coffee and shook his head. “No, but the bus doesn’t leave till five. We can hang out here till then.” His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and grimaced when he saw the caller. “It’s my dad.”
“You think he found out?”

“Nah, I doubt it.” Too bad Kevin’s nerves didn’t agree. Beneath his hoodie, his heart raced at the speed of light. “He couldn’t have. Right?”

“I just hope they don’t send you back to juvie.”

One quick push of the ignore button and the vibrating ceased. Kevin pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes. “They won’t.”

In the past year, he had spent more than his share of time in juvenile detention. He wasn’t going back. Especially since it wasn’t his fault—this time. But who would believe him? He was a juvenile delinquent and like a character in one of his comic books, Kevin bore his label. The world labeled them—some heroes, some villains. But every character had one thing in common. They longed for a place their reputation didn’t follow them, a place they didn’t have to fight, a place they could just be normal. But did a place like that even existed in the real world?

“You need to tell someone about the file you found that night,” Aiden said.

“It wouldn’t matter. That file doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Then why are you running?”

Kevin clenched his fist and leaned forward. “You know why.”

“Just let me tell my dad like we should have done in the first place. Let me tell him about everything.” Aiden voice held a touch of pleading. “I’ll make him believe you.”

Everything.

Kevin groaned. Aiden couldn’t possibly understand what he asked.
“I can’t.” He crushed the empty cup. “I don’t need his pity.”

“But you need his help.”

Kevin crossed his arms while his gaze shifted to make sure no one was close enough to hear. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Aiden set his cup on the table. His hazel eyes grew round as the twin planets painted on the wall mural behind them. “Oh man, what did you do?”

“I went back.”

“To The World’s Gateway?”

Kevin nodded. The small, travel business, co-owned by Peter Damon and William Tyke, had been his and Aiden’s latest assignment as part time penetration testers for Rollings Securities. Their job had been to help with the attempt to infiltrate the company’s computers and detail any potential security threats. They reported everything except for one file, never knowing how much trouble a single encrypted file could cause.

“Are you nuts?” Aiden lowered his voice another notch as a teen passed by. “You’re already in so deep, you’ll be lucky if they don’t lock you up in juvie till graduation.”

“I wanted to find proof one way or the other.” Kevin paused. Now it was his turn to plead with Aiden. “I had to know.”

“Know? What more did you need to know? Didn’t finding the first file get you into enough trouble?” Aiden shook his head. “Why is it so hard for you to break down and ask for help?”

“I told you, I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“Oh yeah? Keep telling yourself that. Let me know when that starts working for you.” Aiden sighed, massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers.

Kevin stared at his friend. The pink-tinge in Aiden’s cheeks intensified to a deep scarlet in the dim lighting. “You okay?”.

“No.”

“Want me to drive you home?”

Aiden’s head popped up. “No thanks. The only way I’ll ever hand over the keys to my car is from my cold, dead fingers. You’d either kill me driving or my dad would when I got home.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

“Who said anything about confidence? I’m not gonna let you wreck my car the way you wrecked your dad’s”

“But that was an accident.” Six weeks ago, he had ‘borrowed’ Dad’s car only to ram it into the back of a parked car three blocks later. “I just need more practice.”

“Well, you’re not gonna get it in my car.” Aiden twisted in the booth and leaned back against the wall. “So what happened when you went back to The World’s Gateway?”

Kevin scooted further into the booth so Aiden could hear his low tones. Galactic Jitters probably wasn’t the best place to have this conversation, but it would have to do. “I waited until one o’clock when I knew everyone but the receptionist would be at lunch. It only took a few minutes to pick the locks on the back door and then Mr. Tyke’s office.”

Aiden gaped. “Man, the things I miss when I’m stuck at home.”

Kevin scowled at him. “At first, I was just going to check his file cabinet, see if I could find some sort of documentation on his investments. Then I spotted a laptop tucked in a crevice between the desk and the file cabinet.”

Aiden’s eyes creased with interest. “Did you find anything on it?”

“Not at first. Then in one of the subfolders I found a zipped file called PThomas. When I tried to open it, I discovered the file was password encrypted.” Kevin reached into the outer pocket of his backpack and pulled out a small flash drive. “I didn’t have time to figure out the password so I copied it onto this.” He held up the device.

“Why? What’s so special about that file?”

“I’m not exactly sure but Mr. Tyke acted as if he didn’t know something as simple as emptying the recycle bin could free up space on his hard drive. Why would he know about encryption?”

Aiden shrugged. “What did you do?”

“I got nervous when I heard voices in the lobby so I did something really stupid. I locked up his laptop with a virus I had stored on the flash drive.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

Aiden shook his head. “So it wasn’t enough to plant a virus in their company’s computers? You had to put one on Mr. Tyke’s personal laptop? Kevin, you are going to be so dead.”

“Not unless they catch me, and in another hour, I’ll be outta here.”

“Then what did you hope to accomplish?”

“Let’s just say I bought us some time to prove who the real criminal is.”

“Yeah, time in juvie.” Something in Aiden’s expression changed. His mouth moved silently as he tried to form words. A single phrase became audible. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

“Adult alert.”

Kevin turned. Like some silent alarm had gone off, the incessant chatter around them died down to whispers. Laptops snapped shut as Dad strode through the room.
Kevin groaned. Dad wasn’t supposed to get off work until after the bus left. Through the dim lighting, his gaze traveled to an iridescent, moon-shaped clock. One hour and twenty minutes.

Kevin grasped the small handhold on his backpack and slid out of the booth. He quickly palmed the flash drive into Aiden’s hand. “Don’t lose this. It may be the only solid proof we ever get.”

Like a professional, Aiden closed his hand around the device and shoved it into his pocket. Kevin’s dad approached him like a linebacker in a suit. He swerved his way between tables and teens and his lips formed a thin line across his face as though he were preparing to tackle someone.

Dad made sure his back was to everyone but Kevin and Aiden before he asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you answer my call?”

“Sorry.” Kevin shrugged. “Why are you here?”

“I was looking for you and—”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be found.”

“Then you should have gone someplace you don’t frequent.”

Kevin glared. “Give me a five minute head start and I will.”

“Kevin,” Aiden ground out the words.

He glanced at his friend. Aiden would never talk to his dad this way. Kevin knew he shouldn’t. If his mom were alive, she would have created another black hole in the painted galaxy behind him for being so disrespectful. But in the year since her death, his relationship with Dad had deteriorated to a series of shifts between arguments and apologies.

Dad peered around the room as if deciding the best course of action. “Let’s go,” he said in a calm, measured voice. In one swift move, he latched onto Kevin’s arm.

Kevin twisted out of grip, causing himself to backpedal into a chair. The metal legs screeched across the tiled floor. His backpack slipped from his hand and skidded back to where Aiden now stood.

A meaty hand reached down to help him up. Kevin tilted his head up and met Dad’s furious gaze.

“That’s enough of the dramatics, Kevin.” Dad hefted him from the floor and clamped the other hand around his forearm in a grip that would rival any superhero.

The owner appeared in Kevin’s line of vision, his expression one of controlled anger. “Kevin, you’re making a scene. You need to go.”

Kevin’s gaze swept over the shop; all eyes were on him. A few mouths hung open. And for once, Galactic Jitters was completely silent.

Aiden passed him his backpack. He hooked it on his shoulder as Dad propelled him out the door and toward the waiting Volvo.

“Get in.” Dad shoved him into the backseat. The chill in his voice could’ve convinced any scientist of the absurdity of global warming.

Kevin pulled back his sleeve. One hour and eleven minutes. Time was quickly running out. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe.”

Safe? Kevin glanced up into the unreadable expression Dad’s face had taken on. Like Dad cared about his safety. Kevin felt his own expression harden. “I’d be better off working that problem out on my own.”

Chapter 2

With a frustrated grunt, Dad slammed the car door and circled around the back. Kevin pulled on the latch, still determined to make his bus. Nothing happened.
Safety locks.

Kevin scrambled over the seat and reached for the passenger side latch just as Dad opened the driver’s door. Pain ripped though Kevin’s side. He gasped as Dad’s burly hand bit into his ribs, pinching the skin. “Stop,” he yelled.

“Let go of the door,” Dad said, his tone calm yet steely.

Kevin obeyed and the grip in his side loosened. Dad’s other hand reached across his back and snatched the small black device clamped onto the waist of his jeans. Then Dad withdrew both his hands.

“Now get in the backseat. You can have your Icom once we get you settled.”

Kevin slid into the rear seat and frowned. The engine started and warm air blasted from the vents. Dad maneuvered the car into traffic. With the sleeve of his hoodie, Kevin swished the fog from the side window. He tried to figure out their destination but without his Icom, his glasses still left his vision worse than the normal eye chart could measure. The Isolated Computer Optical Magnifier controlled two tiny computer chips in the lower portion of his glasses. Those chips magnified objects up to thirty times their size and then relayed those images directly onto his retina, increasing the basic magnification of his glasses.

Clenching his fist, Kevin gave the door a sideways punch. He yanked back his sleeve and pulled the watch close to his face. One hour and seven minutes. But now he had to somehow retrieve his Icom before making his final escape.
“Where are we going?” Kevin called over the seat.

No answer.

A few moments later, Dad’s cell phone buzzed. With a quick tap of his earpiece, he answered the caller. “Yeah, we’re almost there.” Dad adjusted the rearview mirror. His gaze reflected and met Kevin’s. “I understand. Thanks.”

Within a few blocks, traffic thinned out in the residential area. Dad slowed the car and then veered off to the left onto a side street. Kevin strained to read the street sign but it blurred. Halfway down the block of two-story homes Dad pulled up next to a familiar wine-colored Escalade. Prof’s house.

Prophyrios Papakonstantinou, a second generation Grecian-American, better known as Prof around the Texas town, not only served as the high school principal but was also one of Dad’s closest friends. Both he and Dad had spent many Saturday evenings at this house.

Maybe this was nothing more than about his recent truancy. He hoped. Then he could agree to his punishment, get his Icom back, and make his escape. At least it was a plan.

“Kevin,” Prof acknowledged him as he stepped through the front door. The older man grasped his shoulders and smiled. “Come in. I’m glad you could make it.”
“Like I had any choice.” Kevin hesitated until Dad came in behind him.

“Are we ready?” Dad hooked his coat on the coat rack in the corner of the foyer.

Prof shook his head and led them down the hallway. “Mr. Tyke phoned and said there was a snag at the office. Both he and Mr. Damon should be here shortly to sign the waiver and then we’ll be off.”

Kevin tensed. What was going on? Were they about to take him down to juvie? Why sign a waiver? He had to get out of there before Mr. Tyke and Mr. Damon showed up.

The antique grandfather clock chimed the four o’clock hour as they passed it in the hallway.

One hour until the bus left.

“I had hoped they would have come and gone by now,” Dad said.

“That was another snag.” Prof seemed to hesitate. “It seems Mr. Damon wants Kevin present.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”

“I said the same thing but Mr. Damon was adamant.” Prof’s blurred hand swung out and motioned for them to take a seat on the dark brown couch. The sweet aroma of freshly baked baklava drifted in from the kitchen. “Can I get you something to eat or drink while we wait?”

Kevin shook his head and instead made his way over to the large aquarium Prof had built into a shelf unit, visible from both the living room and the hall. He leaned in close to see better. Brightly colored tropical fish of all sizes filled the tank. Prof said he had bought them to remind him of home. Kevin couldn’t imagine living in such a place or why Prof would have wanted to leave it to come to McKeltic, where the most colorful fish was the catfish.

Prof and Dad spoke in low tones that Kevin couldn’t pick up. That was fine with him. While they carried on their conversation, he kept up his intent interest on the fish and slowly edged his way to the end of the tank. He made the turn into the hallway, where he could view the other side.

He glanced at the door. A mere eight feet away, freedom beckoned him with a grip more enticing than Prof’s baklava. He could still do this. Kevin crept toward the front door. The steady tick-tocking of the grandfather clock sounded more like loud bongs, calling the adults, and alerting them of his imminent escape.

The coat rack came into view. Kevin reached his hand up and quickly sifted through Dad’s jacket for his Icom. He found it hidden in an inner pocket. A sigh of relief escaped him as he flicked the power button and clamped it back on his waist. Instead of a blurred door in front of him, he now made out the fine carvings etched into the wood.

Kevin glanced over his shoulder. Nothing but the steady hum of voices from the main room. He latched onto the doorknob and eased the front door open. Beyond that, the screen gave a short screech. He stopped. Then carefully, he squeezed himself through the narrow opening and pulled the door shut.

Smiling, he released the door handle. Freedom.

“Hello, Kevin.”

Kevin groaned and turned.

William Tyke, co-owner of The World’s Gateway, stepped up onto the porch and blocked his path.

“What are you doing here?” Kevin panned the porch. Mr. Tyke’s form blocked his escape. Thorny rose bushes, covered in a thin layer of ice, surrounded the rest of the wooden-framed porch. He needed Tyke to move.

Mr. Tyke glanced at the still closed front door. He kept his voice low. “What did you do to my laptop?”

“Who says I did anything to it?” He moved away from the door and hoped Mr. Tyke would follow him. Then he would dart around the man and be gone before anyone had a chance to respond.

Mr. Tyke’s brows furrowed into a deep scowl. “Don’t play games with me, Kevin. I can make your life a lot more difficult.”

“Really?” Kevin crossed his arms and glared. “And you don’t think I could do the same?”

“Oh I am fully aware of what you’re capable of. I went over the security footage of my office today.”

No. Kevin’s eyes slid shut and then reopened. How could he have forgotten to disengage the hidden cameras?

Mr. Tyke chuckled and ran his gloved thumb across the tips of his fingers. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a car rounding the corner. “I want that flash drive.”

“Afraid I’ll get arrested with it?” Kevin raised his eyebrow. “I wonder what the police would say.”

Mr. Tyke’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “You would do well to remember there are far greater things to fear.”

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