CHAPTER TWELVE
The Gift
After walking for twenty minutes, Connor arrived at a small stream trickling peacefully past the roots of a tall tree. The sunlight’s reflection glittered on the water. For the first time in ages, his tension eased in this calming this place, which reassured him.
Massive roots, stemming from a thick trunk, entrenched beside the stream. Tilting his head, Connor watched a small flock of birds, with incredibly long tails, sweep across the sky. Meanwhile, insects busily flew in the air, humming as they passed.
He relaxed by the stream; relieved no one had followed him. Taking off his trainers and socks he dangled his feet in the water, gently lowering them in. Through the clear water miniature fish swam haphazardly in short sharp bursts of movement. Surprisingly, the water wasn’t shocking cold but warm and pleasant. Exhausted, Connor relaxed by the stream reminding himself how much he needed a decent night sleep. Leaning back on his elbows, he closed his eyes to fall asleep. But a large insect flew from the sky, swiftly changing direction before twisting and tumbling uncontrollably, shattering his peace.
‘Aahhhh!’ it yelled. ‘It’s too heavy! I can’t stop!’ The plump insect landed right on top of Connor, winding him in the stomach. Choking, Connor shoved the creature off.
‘What the–?’ He came face to face with Bill-Chew, who quivered under his gaze. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Sorry! That wasn’t supposed to… happen!’ Bill-Chew froze, staring at Connor. In a small squeaky voice, he pleaded. ‘Please don’t tell Tookar what happened! I can’t do anything right lately.’
Connor rubbed his stomach. ‘You need flying lessons!’
‘Tookar gave me this box to give to you. It’s from your parents.’ Bill-Chew searched the area.
‘I’ve heard of air mail but this is ridiculous and I can’t see the box,’ commented Connor calmly.
‘It’s in the water,’ gasped Bill Chew, waddling to the edge of the riverbank and stretching his neck as far as it would go so his head entered the water. Repeatedly, he ducked his head in the water. ‘It’s gone!’ he squeaked, breathlessly. ‘Gone!’
‘Is this it?’ Connor accidentally touched something hard beneath him. He lifted a strange little wooden box, curious to know what it contained, but didn’t open it straightaway due to sheer stubbornness.
‘Brilliant, you found it. I could kiss you!’
‘Well don’t!’ Connor snapped, holding the curious box.
Bill-Chew carefully tested his small transparent wings; fluttering them so fast they became invisible. ‘Good, they still work. See you later!’
‘No, don’t go!’ pleaded Connor. ‘I don’t mind you staying.’
‘Really? I haven’t been too kind to you. Why would you want me to stay?’
‘Because you’re funny and I actually like you.’
‘Well, stranger things have happened I suppose.’
Connor rested on the riverbank holding the box as Bill-Chew plonked next to him, shaking his wet head.
‘Urgh!’ groaned Connor, wiping his face. ‘Did you have to do that right next to me?’
‘Sorry,’ muttered Bill-Chew. ‘But a little water can’t harmed anybody.’
Connor ignored him and stroked the smooth wood.
‘What’s inside it?’ buzzed Bill-Chew, after an awkward silence.
‘Don’t know,’ Connor whispered.
Still holding the box, Connor examined it more closely. It had a small catch. A simple flick and it would open. What had his parents sent him? He wished they had given it to him personally. How long would it be before he met them? The box trembled in his palms, so slight at first.
‘It moved,’ he lifted the box.
‘Boxes don’t move.’ Bill-Chew thumped the lid with his small fist. ‘It’s made from wood and wood doesn’t move!’
‘Jomkim does. He’s a tree with a personality,’ Connor added.
‘True, but if you don’t mind me saying so – you’re nuts!’
Connor rolled his eyes at Bill-Chew, when the box swiftly lightened in colour.
‘Fly!’ screamed Bill-Chew, flapping his wings and dancing on the spot as if he were jumping on hot coal. ‘It’s going to explode. It’s a bomb!’
White-faced, Connor threw the box on the ground and jumped back several feet with his heart lunging. The box sprouted thick little legs with knobbly knees and sprinted towards Connor through the grass. Screeching, Bill-Chew flew higher, landing on a branch of a neighbouring tree. Connor clambered after him.
With eight chunky legs moving frantically, the bizarre wooden box flipped open its lid and catapulted a small object, which landed neatly on Connor’s lap, before it fled for cover beneath the dense vegetation.
‘Oh!’
‘Argh!’ screeched Bill-Chew.
So, instead of a wooden box, Connor had a harmless glass marble in his lap, with a chain attached to it. He scooped it up and saw it had been sliced in half.
‘My parents have sent me half a marble! They abandoned me and sent me a stupid necklace!’ Connor’s disappointment turned to anger. ‘They could have sent me something more interesting – perhaps an apology for leaving me!’ He remembered the shrouded letter he’d received from his parents and his cheeks burned, for his parents had already apologised.
Connor’s first instinct had been to throw the necklace away but having second thoughts he placed it in his pocket. Climbing to the bottom of the tree and scratching his knees, Connor noticed Tookar strolling into the clearing.
‘Ah! You’ve received your parents gift.’
‘Yeah, it’s great,’ mumbled Connor in sarcasm as he straightened his clothes. He strolled to the riverbank to retrieve his shoes and socks. His feet were slightly damp as he struggled to put his socks on. ‘The best present ever!’
‘Are you not happy?’ Tookar watched him wit interest.
‘Happy? Far from it! It’s hard to get excited about a stupid necklace!’
Tookar chuckled. ‘Your parents thought the same thing when they first had one. It’s a communication device.’
Connor brightened. ‘A what device?’
‘It’s a communication device. It will allow you to speak to your parents,’ Tookar explained. ‘Hold the flat surface for a few seconds. If your parents are wearing the other half you will have direct communication with them.’
‘Are you kidding me?’
‘No.’ Tookar looked deadly serious.
‘Why would my parents have this? Why didn’t they visit me?’
Tookar sighed. ‘Let me explain. Your parents aren’t on this planet. Dangerous times threaten to overshadow us. They are needed elsewhere at this present time.’
‘I need them too!’ cried Connor.
‘Yes, I know you do. But it’s impossible. I’ve known your parents for years, Connor. I helped train them when they first came to the academy. They were gifted individuals; I knew it the moment I met them. They worked extremely well as a team and were star pupils in the making. They became the best we have. You remind me of your parents a great deal. You possess qualities from both of them.’
‘I do?’ murmured Connor, shyly.
‘Strong willed, stubborn and determined; all, I must add, are great qualities. I became more than a teacher to your parents. I became a close confidant to them both – a close friend indeed. I witnessed your birth and your parent’s tears of joy when they first set eyes on you and I was with you when they made the hardest decision in their life – to give you up.’
‘Why didn’t they visit me?’ whispered Connor.
‘They did, from a distance. They would mingle with a crowd and watch you from afar. So many times your mother wanted to tell you they were alive and loved you dearly, but she didn’t want her visions coming true. She desperately wanted to protect you –’
‘What visions?’ interrupted Connor.
‘Now is not the time to tell you. Right now your mum and dad have been called away in an attempt to preve
nt another war. They’re protecting a fragile planet from Definastine’s servants.’
‘If they spend time protecting other planets, how can they be desperate to protect me, their own son?’
‘They believed they were protecting you by keeping your identity a secret.’
‘Well, they didn’t stop my uncle from beating me when I accidentally spilt his coffee or stop him locking me in a cupboard for an afternoon when I’d been ill in bed and late preparing his breakfast!’
Tookar’s face paled. ‘I didn’t realise it had been so bad for you.’
‘Well it was much worse living it, believe me,’ cried Connor, fighting the hot tears. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He hadn’t talked openly of his uncle’s treatment. before ‘So tell me – who were they protecting me from, because it wasn’t from my aunt and uncle.’
Tookar lowered his gaze, sorrowfully. ‘Definastine. They’ve been trying to kill him ever since they became involved with the AAA.’
‘I know.’ Bitterness surged through his body, having lain dormant for many years.
‘Whatever has happened in the past cannot be changed. Your parents love you. Use the necklace to talk to them. You’ll feel better when you do.’
‘Please tell me about them?’
‘As I mentioned before, they were extremely gifted individuals. The AAA had been glad to recruit them. Your parents, being incredibly hardworking, made their way to the highest rank and are now the best detectives we have. But they’d wanted to break free from the AAA after your mum became pregnant with your sister. They’d wanted to give her the best chance they could. After the birth of your sister, your mum suffered a terrible time when the doctors said she wouldn’t be able to have more children.
It took months for her to recover. She’d wanted two children. They moved into a lovely house, a hundred miles north, where I visited regularly with K.’ Tookar smiled at the happy memory. ‘To her surprise, ten years after giving birth to her first child she gave birth to you. You were her little miracle and they loved you so much.
For twelve years your parents didn’t work with the AAA. Your mum wanted to be a mother and your dad became self-employed running his own shop. But as Definastine became increasingly powerful and created large armies more children were going missing and when several disappeared at once we suspected Definastine. Finally, when a close friend of your parents had their child abducted, your parents returned to work.
They had no choice, but to help prevent more children from disappearing. After all, they had children of their own and they didn’t want the same fate befalling you or your sister.
But they didn’t leave you entirely alone. They requested me to watch you from time to time. I slept on the ground outside your house, disguised as an insect.’
As Connor’s anger slowly dissolved, hot tears appeared. Tookar held him close.
If it weren’t for Sparkie calling their names, they might have remained all day. Connor had no idea when a father figure had ever given him a hug. Although he had parents, he felt closer to Tookar, who’d been keeping an eye on him for years.
‘So now you know why I won’t let anything harm you again.’ Tookar released him. ‘I’ve known you since your were born. Your relatives won’t ever lay a finger on you again. Do you hear me? Come and dry your eyes. Sparkie sounds as if a dracline is running after him.’
‘A dracline?’ sniffed Connor.
Bill-Chew came to join them. ‘It’s a small green pig with two bottoms instead of one and smells worse than sewage.’
Rushing into the clearing, Sparkie grew upset. He pulled Tookar to one side, wanting to speak to him in private. Connor and Bill-Chew pretended not to listen as they listened.
‘A message came from the AAA,’ wheezed Sparkie. ‘There’s been an accident… Jeremy’s dead.’
‘Dead!’ exclaimed Tookar. ‘Good grief – this is terrible news, such terrible news. What happened?’
‘Two UFOs were spotted an hour ago on the outskirts of Wislington Town. They collided with each other. The AAA have already retrieved the two spaceships and have taken the prisoners to the AAA establishment. Jeremy died a few minutes ago but Marion doesn’t yet know.’
‘Who occupied the other spacecraft?’
‘A crew of Armatripe. They’ve been captured, but the dark hounds on board managed to escape – fifty of them by all accounts – on the loose.’
Tookar’s expression swiftly changed from concern to distress. His voice lowered to a bare whisper. ‘Go and be with Marion. You must let her know. How is K coping?’
‘Not too well.’
Tookar squeezed Sparkie’s shoulder. ‘Be careful. Wait for me at Marion’s. I have a few jobs to finish before I join you.’
Puzzled, Connor left Tookar and followed after Sparkie, who mumbled and blew his large nose on a handkerchief, until it reddened.