“I was bored and thought that I would come to see how you and your new plaything are getting along,” Alayna drawled as she strode further into the room, gracefully lowering herself into the seat in front of Erik’s desk.
“Quite well, my dear. I must compliment you on a job well done,” Erik praised, lacing his fingers together and resting them on his lap.
Alayna bobbed her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. “The pleasure is all mine, darling. I look forward of seeing the outcome of all this. You will let me know how it turns out, won’t you?”
“But, of course,” Erik confirmed. “Though, if you prefer, you may remain here as long as you desire. This place is certainly more secure for you than any other oat this point in time.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Alayna nodded her head. “I accept your offer, Erik. I would be most pleased to remain here with you.”
Rising from his seat, Erik held a hand out towards the dark-haired beauty. “Come then, my dear, and I will show you to your rooms.”
As the pair departed from the room, Creed stared after them, a snarl twisting his features. There was something about Erik’s newest consort that didn’t sit well with him.
~*~*~*~*~
The big people were lying.
They kept telling him that Momma and Daidee were gone away but they weren’t gone away. Nope. They were at home. But the big people were hiding them. Braeden knew they were lying to him and Kristyn. That was the truth. Whenever he asked where Momma or Daidee were, they wouldn’t look right at him when they answered him.
So Braeden decided that he was going to look for Momma and Daidee. He would find them and prove all the big people wrong.
Waiting until Katrina gave Kristyn her bath, Braeden snuck out of their little house in the big house. Braeden could still sorta smell his Momma’s stinky shampoo in the air. Sniffing the way Daidee had taught him how to, Braeden followed the shampoo down the hallway towards the huge stairway.
All of loud teen-boopers ignored him which was a good thing. It meant no one could tell Katrina where he had gone. No one ever paid any attention to him because Daidee had taught him how to hide from people. Braeden liked hiding from people because it meant he could sneak up on them and surprise them.
“Momma seeing Dr. Hank,” Braeden told the picture of the old man with Daidee’s button chops. “I gonna see Dr. Hank.”
Standing up on his tiptoes, Braeden pushed the button that made the elevator work. While he waited for the elevator to come, Braeden look down up at his scuffed up sneakers. More importantly, at his right sneaker that had the untied laces. He remembered how Daidee had promised to teach him to tie his laces but that he hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Kristyn liked to show off because she could tie up her own laces and Braeden didn’t like that very much.
Ding!
Braeden smiled brightly when the door opened for him. He jumped inside and immediately began looking for the button that Momma always pressed to go see Dr. Hank. The door slid shut and Braeden smiled proudly. The elevator still smelled a little like Momma’s shampoo and Braeden was almost convinced that he could make out the smell of the water Daidee used to make his beard grow.
It didn’t take Braeden long to get bored on the elevator. It was slow, didn’t do anything fun and the music Dr. Jeanie played in it made him sleepy. Braeden couldn’t be sleepy, though, because he had to find Momma and Daidee.
“I’s am Henry da eight, I’s am! Henry da eight, I’s am, I’s am! I’s got mawwied to da widow next store! She’s be mawwied seven times ‘efore!” Braeden recited, jumping up and down in the middle of the elevator. Daidee had taught him that song because it annoyed Uncle Scooter. It also made Kristyn mad when he sang it lots of times.
Ding!
The doors opened up onto the shiny hallway and Braeden took off running towards Dr. Hank’s room. Kristyn would think he was a coo-coo clock for going to see Dr. Hank in his room when he didn’t have to because Dr. Hank always gave them shots when they went to his room. But he did have to. He had to go see Dr. Hank. He had to find Momma and Daidee. They were somewhere in the shiny hallway because he could smell the real good.
Just before he got to Dr. Hank’s room, Braeden smelled Momma and Daidee’s smells better than before. But there was something real wrong with Daidee’s smell.
Daidee smelled scared.
Daidee wasn’t supposed to smell scared because Daidee was never scared. He wasn’t allowed to be scared. Braeden had the strongest Daidee in the world who made all the bad guys go away. None of his friends at pre-school had Daidees who got to go fight big, scary monsters.
“I save you, Daidee!” Braeden shouted as he took off running towards where Daidee was.
Braeden pumped his small legs as fast as possible, wanting to get to Daidee before the bad thing hurt him. He tripped on his laces a few times, but didn’t fall down until the last time. Braeden skidded onto his knees, scraping the skin. For the moment, Braeden ignored it and pushed himself up off the ground.
“I’m right here and I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Momma said from inside a big door far away down the shiny hallway.
“Rogue, I do not think you realize just how dangerous the situation is,” Dr. Jeanie grumbled sounding very pissy.
Finally, Braeden got to the door and peered inside. Dr. Jeanie had her hands on her hips and was glaring at Momma and Daidee. Braeden was confused. It looked like Momma had all her clothes on, but he could see Daidee’s bare bum.
“Logan is a danger. He could kill you without a second thought,” Dr. Jeanie hissed, taking a step towards Momma and Daidee.
“Daidee won’t hurt Momma!” Braeden cried angrily, stomping into the room. “Daidee loves Momma and won’t hurt her!”
When he spoke, all the adults whirled around to stare at him. Momma and Daidee looked surprised but Dr. Jeanie looked downright mean. Braeden glared at her and stomped over to where Momma and Daidee were. Braeden crossed his arms over his chest, daring Dr. Jeanie to tell him that Daidee was going to hurt Momma.
“Squirt, what are you doin’ here?” Momma asked, letting go of Daidee to straighten the button up t-shirt he was wearing over his plain t-shirt. “And why isn’t your shirt buttoned up anymore. Did you break all the buttons off again?”
Braeden scowled at Momma and stepped away from her. “My shirt’s fine, Momma. Leave it ‘lone.... Momma! Daidee’s tinkle’s showing!”
As Braeden had hoped, that got the attention off of him and his unbuttoned shirt. Scampering across the room, Braeden grabbed hold of Daidee’s boxers and brought them over to him. Grinning broadly, Braeden clapped his hands over his eyes while he waited for Daidee to put his boxers back on.
“It no fair dat Daidee gets to be naked and I don’t,” Braeden informed the gathered adults, peeking out at them between two fingers.
“You, squirt, are still in trouble for being down here without me or Daidee,” Momma told him, once again reaching for his button up shirt.
“But you and Daidee are down here!” Braeden reminded her, jumping backwards and crashing into Dr. Jeanie. Taking his hand away from his face, Braeden looked up at Dr. Jeanie and smiled. “Hey-lo, Dr. Jeanie!”
“You should be upstairs, Braeden,” Dr. Jeanie told him, staring down at his upturned face. “This is not a place for you to be wandering around alone.”
“But I not ‘lone,” Braeden reminded her. “Momma and Daidee are here too.”
Braeden let out a squeal of delight as Daidee hoisted him off the ground and into his arms. “How about you let Jeanie take you back upstairs, squirt. It’s not good for you to be wandering about down here.”
“I’s not going upstairs wifout you!” Braeden insisted, wrapping his arms around Daidee’s neck. “Ever one keeps telling me you and Momma goed on vacation but you didn’t goed on vacation. Don’t you love me and ‘Tynny anymore?”
“You’re Momma and I love you and Kristyn more than anything in the world,” Daidee assured him, squeezing Braeden tightly. “Don’t you ever doubt that, kiddo. It’s just that something real bad’s happening right now and I can’t be around you for very long.”
Momma reached over and ran her hand through Braeden’s hair, smiling sadly at him. “But you don’t need to worry about anythin’, squirt. We’re gonna fix everythin’ quick as we can.”
“So you still love us?”
“We love you so much,” Daidee said, kissing the side of his head. “You never doubt that, okay?”
Braeden nodded his head, burrowing his face against Daidee’s shoulder. “What’s da matter?”
Daidee turned around so that he was facing Momma, bobbing Braeden up and down. There was a lot of quiet time and Braeden knew that it wasn’t a good thing. Quiet time meant that something real bad had happened and they were trying to find a nice way to tell him about it. The last time Momma and Daidee had been quiet was when Mr. Biggles his teddy bear had been eaten by the washing machine.
“It about the bad men, ain’t it? The ones that took Daidee?” Braeden asked, lifting his head from Daidee’s shoulder so that he could see both of his parents.
Momma and Daidee looked at each other, their eyes getting real big. That meant it was about the bad men. Braeden chewed on his bottom lip, a trait Daidee said he had gotten from Momma.
“Well, squirt, the bad men stuck somethin’ in Daidee’s head and it makes him do bad things that he doesn’t mean to do,” Momma explained, smoothing his dark bangs away from his face. “But your Daidee would never do anythin’ to hurt you. Nothin’ at all. We’ve just got to figure out how the things outta Daidee’s head.”
“Why don’t Dr. Jeanie or Dr. Hank take it outta Daidee’s head?” Braeden asked, glancing over Daidee’s shoulder where Dr. Jeanie had been standing before.
Daidee frowned, rubbing Braeden’s back. “They can’t take it out because of the metal I’ve got in my head. They can’t get through to where the little machines are so they can’t pull them out.”
Braeden furrowed his eyebrows, looking from Momma to Daidee and back again. “Then why don’t Aunt Kitty-Kat reach in and pull it out?”