Page 31 of Anchored to the Storm

Styx was running up behind me. “Go! Shut her down! She’ll be heard in a ten-mile radius!”

Through my room, rushing a code, and out the next door, we darted across the yard to the wall. I barely stopped in time not to fall back into the water.

Eyes blazing green, Saleeni was in the water, irate, doing all kinds of walking her fingers across her palm, then slamming those palms against the surface, shrieking the whole time.

My arms waving to get her attention, I told her, “Stop! Stop!” Frantically, I swiped my bottom lip, left to right, then held my top and bottom lip together, hoping she would understand to shut her trap. She opened her mouth again to give us hell, but I interrupted, “No!” and clamped my lips together again.

Saleeni huffed and puffed but finally did as told, holding her own lips together.

So fucking happy with her, I praised, “That’s my girl,” while making the universal shh sign with one finger.

She huffed again but made the same sign.

Another lesson learned. Now to figure out what caused the ruckus in the first place. I scanned what of her I could see, telling Styx, “She looks okay. Why so mad?”

With her calming down, Styx grabbed his chest. “Maybe it’s good she doesn’t have legs. She may have killed me for scaring you.”

In amazement, I gazed at my beauty in the water. “Is that what you’re carrying on about?”

Saleeni started rambling in a language I didn’t understand, her hands going a million miles a minute. One motion I understood was her hitting her chest, again and again.

I asked Styx, “She felt my actual heart pounding?”

He sighed, long and hard. “From what Noma told me, you seemed to sense Saleeni all the way to Cali. Imagine what she senses with you so close.”

“Wow.” I stared at her in amazement but also deep concern. Complications just got more… complicated. “I have to be more careful.”

He patted me on the back. “I’m glad you know this episode was your fault.” And walked away!

After walking my fingers across my palm to tell Saleeni I would be back later, I chased the old coot. “Ever heard of work in progress?”

Beep beep beep… went the code on the door. “Yup! Speaking of, follow me.”

I did, past my bed, then past the bathroom…

Back in the large room in the middle of the mall, he gestured about. “Here’s where your club will meet.” He pointed to a door I hadn’t noticed was different earlier. It was near where I had spooked him in the corner. “That’s Church.” It was a medium-dark wood that was rounded at the top. Cathedral-like.

Not sure why I needed to become religious on top of everything else, I nodded. “Bibles. Got it.”

He grimaced. “What? No. That room is for your meetings. Members only.”

Wow. Noma was correct. I was going to have my own club. “Does that mean… Is this part of Noma’s… Do I own this building?”

“Technically, I do, but yes, this is all yours. Legally, once some kinks are worked out.”

“Kinks? Why do I sense you downplaying what you’re up to again?”

“Because you’re learning me well?”

I smirked. “Mind explaining the true reality?”

He waved off my concerns. “Meh, just a little making sure your false identity has evaporated, yada-yada. Before falsifying where your old one has been, blah, blah, blah.”

This crazy old coot. Shaking my head endearingly, I said, “Okay, tell me more about this place.”

Styx walked to the bedroom next to mine. It was to the left when facing the huge room. “Here’s where I rest my noggin’.” It was another plain white room but definitely more lived-in. A dirty ashtray on his nightstand. A TV remote. Clothes over a chair… “Sorry for the mess.” He shut the door. “Been a little busy.”

At the door next to his, he reached for the handle but stopped. His hand hung there for a few seconds before he turned away to face the room. “Some of these rooms have belongings I haven’t, umm, removed yet.”