The Acolytes of Crane (Theodore Crane, #1)(35)

Odion and Zane were Omnians, and there were only the two of them. They each led at least one army. On the evil Odion’s side were the Dacturons. On the good Zane’s side were the Dietons. There. I had to straighten out in my head who was who, and what I was fighting for.

It was about eight in the morning, and I swung my feet out from underneath my covers, knocking a baseball card album to the floor. I sat up straight on my bed, cocking my neck to rid myself of the cramp.

I walked over to my closet and searched for some clothes with only a tad of fashion in mind. I really wasn’t strategic about the clothes I wore, but it was time to put forth some effort.

If I were going to summon the charisma needed to rally four people—Earthlings really, who had been raised on a planet that, for millennia, believed itself to be the only inception of intelligent life in the universe—to join in the resistance, I would need some style. I had to start in my closet.

While I was thumbing through my clothes, I overheard my grandma through the thin walls discussing my relationship with Lincoln. She was going on about how Lincoln should come over, and that it may help take my mind off Jason.

One thing was for sure. My intentions were shrouded and unclear to my grandparents. I was glad that she made the call, because my mission could only be finished accompanied by meticulous planning. I needed Lincoln to join the cause to save Earth.

I sat down at the kitchen table, and I heard my grandpa clunking down the stairs, clad only in a large light blue terrycloth towel wrapped firmly around his waist. He had just taken a shower. As the sight of his naked torso was relatively rare, I couldn’t help but gaze at him. He had a massive eight-inch long scar in the center of his bare chest where he had heart surgery. He looked like he had battled his entire life by way of sword, with all the scars he collected from surgeries. These grim markings were wicked.

He must have cut himself again shaving because he had tiny toilet paper fragments attached to his face. He had a flattop buzz-cut like an army grunt straight out of boot camp.

‘Well, if it isn’t my little adventurer extraordinaire. I was worried sick about you yesterday. I am glad you are back, Theodore. Your father called earlier today. I am not sure what he wanted. Anyway, I can make you some breakfast,’ he said.

‘No, I already ate, and I think I will probably be leaving soon to go play over at Lincoln’s.’ I was interrupted by a knock on the door. It must be Lincoln.

‘Speak of the devil,’ Marvin said, as he noticed Lincoln at the front door. When my grandpa said, speak of the devil, it really made the wheels turn within my mind, because lately I had been worried about trusting people.

I walked over to the door skittishly like a rabbit avoiding a dog. Just before I touched the handle, my nerves took over. I was panicking. Here I was, about to whisk Lincoln away to reveal the most momentous secret in the universe, and I didn’t have the foggiest clue what to say.

‘Tell him I am in the bathroom and let him in please grandpa?’ I asked.

‘I am in my towel, weirdo!’ he protested, holding his palms outward in front of his bare chest. He grumbled, ‘Alright. I will do it.’

I ran into the restroom, not because I had to pee. I needed five minutes to do a patented Nezatron character check. I held out my hand to summon my IPU. An investigation on Lincoln was necessary before I made the decision of acquiring his help.

My findings were enlightening and satisfying. Turned out, Lincoln was an outstanding boy. Not only was he extremely advanced from the statistical comparison data Nezatron provided from other teens of his age within the area. He also made sound decisions on numerous occasions when approached with devious plots. One of which was the prospective theft at Big-Mart with Nick White.

I ran out to meet him.

‘Alright, see ya later, grandpa,’ I yelled and then switched to a whisper for Lincoln, ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’

I grabbed Lincoln’s arm in one hand and my banana skateboard with the other. We rushed out toward the cul-de-sac.

Lincoln gave me a puzzled look. ‘Dude, what did you do? My dad has been weird about us hanging out. He wants me to try to hang out with you every day this week,’ he said.

Then I had to draw in my breath, and start explaining everything to him as we walked.

‘Okay Lincoln, here goes. This will probably take the entire walk to your house to explain, but this is it. Yesterday, I took a cab to Taylors Falls. My grandparents don’t know this, but I was going up there to test The Intervention,’ I said.

‘You what? Are you nuts? We decided not to push it any further,’ Lincoln said.

‘I know that we decided that, but it is too late for that now. Be open-minded. Please. My plan at the cliffs was to jump and push The Intervention to do something. I wanted to make it show itself. When I was at the top of the cliff, I was shoved off by Travis.’

‘Whoa!’ Lincoln exclaimed, his eyes bugging out. I sure had his attention.

‘He knew about my amulet, and he has been working with the Dacturons to kill me. When he pushed me off the cliff, things got weird . . .’

‘You lost me, dude, now I know you’re joking,’ Lincoln said dismissively. His glance at me in the next second told me that he was hesitant; he was struggling between his common sense and his complete trust in me.

‘Just wait, just wait...’ I said, almost pleading.

I explained to Lincoln everything that happened, and of course, he looked at me as if I was a maniac. He did exactly the same thing he did when I first told him about the Dietons a few months ago. He probed me, searching for gaps in my alibi.