11: No One Appreciates My Paranoia

Driving away conservatively, Leanna didn’t notice any police cars, but they did hear sirens in the distance.

“Alex, what the hell was that about?” Cate demanded, sounding peeved about the whole encounter.

“I’m sorry, Cate, but you weren’t aware of what was going on. Leanna advised me the guy wasn’t a seasoned criminal. He didn’t have the intent to harm anyone, and I was interested in making sure he didn’t harm anyone by accident. When he grabbed for the bag the girl gave me, I just reacted.”

“Oh,” she responded, stopping to consider that. “Still, you know none of us like when you take risks like that. Just as you’d step in front of a bullet for any of us, you should realize that it makes sense to allow us to do the same for you. After all, if one of us is hurt the movement will still go on. The same isn’t true in your case.”

“Yeah, I know, but everything just sort of occurred before I realized what was happening.”

“So how are you holding up?” Leanna asked, sounding concerned and a little upset herself. She was the one driving.

“Right now I’m shaky. I’m coming down from an adrenaline high, so it’ll probably last for another 15 to 20 minutes. I’ve been through this before.”

“Yeah, like yesterday evening,” Cate reminded him in an angry tone.

“What happened yesterday?”

“You didn’t hear?” Alex asked, surprised. “We were involved in a shooting at a concert in Dallas.”

“The one at the Cotton Bowl?” she asked, seemingly surprised by Alex’s association with it.

“Yeah, the shooter came looking for Alex, trying to keep him from corrupting his daughter. Luckily the police and the press never got that information, but...” Cate let the statement hang, letting Leanna figure out for herself what it would have implied if Alex had been implicated.

“So you see why I was trying to avoid creating a scene today. If there’s news of my being seen here, then the Dallas police are likely to put out a witness warrant for me, which is something I don’t need. I need anonymity to do what I do, and as soon as anyone figures out what I’m doing I’m history.”

“Well you certainly avoided that scenario, didn’t you?” Cate asked.

“You don’t need to remind me, I know I screwed up,” Alex replied wearily, his voice indeed sounding a little shaky.

“It was hardly your idea,” Cate reminded him. “But we’d better get you some food. You’ll probably be OK without it, but I don’t like testing your limits. I know stress and those little slow-motion episodes you have tax your system. Leanna, can we stop somewhere and get him something to eat?”

“Frankly we’re almost home. It would be easier just taking him back to the bar and feeding him there.”

“No, that’s not the best option. I think we’d better head to the hotel,” Alex told them with a commanding insistence neither one was willing to argue with. “I got into this mess because I didn’t listen to my initial instincts. I should have stayed in the hotel today, but instead I ventured out and got involved not just in one mess, but two. One where I exposed myself to a bar full of people and another which will involve the very police I was hoping to not alert. Chances are they’ll be sending out an APB on the New Orleans Angel any minute.”

“All right, I’ll take you to the hotel, but I’m going with you,” Leanna informed them. “You can hardly expect me to abandon you when you’re in the shape you’re in. You know, for someone who was in such control, you certainly fall apart when everything is over and done with.”

“It’s the result of the adrenaline surge and the following letdown,” Cate explained. “He’s been through this enough for us to be familiar with it. He’ll be OK in a little while, but until then he’ll be shaky and a little out of it.”

Leanna accepted that, not having any similar frame of reference to judge it with. She soon drove them into the hotel parking lot, not wanting to expose Alex to public scrutiny by forcing him to walk along the public streets in his condition. Unlike the other times he’d experienced this type of thing, this time he’d developed a case of the shakes, where his whole body had a slight tremble, making him feel not in control of his body. As a result the two women had to assist him. His stumbling along with the assistance of two women was likely to attract the very attention he was seeking to avoid. Instead they helped him into the hotel, where Georgia was still on duty.

“Mr. Jennings? Are you all right? Freddie, help them, would you? It looks like they need help.”

Alex tried to answer but he was having enough trouble with simply walking in a straight line, so Leanna took charge.

“He’s OK, he just had a bit of a shock out in the parking lot. A car almost backed into us. We just need to get him settled.”

“Should I call the police?” Georgia asked with apparent alarm in her voice.

“No, it was an accident. I don’t even think the people were aware they almost hit him,” Cate hurried to explain. “We’re close enough to the elevator. He’ll do better in his room than he will out here in the lobby.”

“OK, if you’re sure,” Georgia answered doubtfully, just as Freddie hurried to assist them. Leanna allowed him to steady Alex. Cate told her their room number, handed her the keycard, and excused herself as she walked over to talk to Georgia, who she’d not yet met. Leanna looked back nervously as the elevator opened, but Cate waved her on. She turned back to Georgia as they entered the elevator.

“Georgia, did anyone stop by looking for Alex?”

“Oh, yes, I almost forgot. It was just like he described. Someone entered looking confused, glancing around as if searching for something she couldn’t identify. Personally, I think I know what she was feeling,” she whispered to Cate. Speaking in a more normal tone she continued. “I told them you’d be back shortly, but she was with some other women who didn’t seem to understand what she was doing here, so she told me she’d be back in a little while and she’d see him then. I gave her your room number, was that OK?”

“Yeah, that’s what he asked you to do. She’s just like you. She knows there’s something significant about him, but she doesn’t understand what it is yet, and won’t understand until she has a chance to speak to us. We’re also still expecting Gail Sanders to show up, so be sure to give her her keycard when she arrives, OK?”

“Of course,” Georgia replied. “So is he going to be OK?” she asked worriedly, afraid she’d somehow been complicit in harming this great man she didn’t even know the true name of.

“Oh, yeah, he just needs to rest a little. He’s got a bit of a ‘nervous disposition’ so he’s easily upset by things which wouldn’t bother other people. It’s really nothing; he just needs some time alone for a couple of minutes.”

“All right, I’ll be sure to watch out for anyone stopping by. What’s more, I’ll call ahead to let you know if anyone is heading up.”

“Thanks, Georgia, I appreciate it. I’ll enjoy talking to you later,” Cate replied with a wink before she headed to the elevators herself.

When Cate got up to the room she saw Freddie, one of the hotel staff, being tipped by Leanna but reluctant to leave Alex while he was still woozy.

“Are you sure he’ll be OK, Ms. Dickson? I can have someone call for a doctor if you think that’s a good idea.”

“That’s not necessary, Freddie. He’ll be fine once he has a chance to rest for a while. It was just a sudden shock, that’s all, he’ll be fine.”

Freddie took the tip and reluctantly left, tipping his hat to Cate as he passed.

‘Damn, that’s all we need,’ Cate thought. ‘If Leanna is that well known about town, they probably know her at the jewelry store she recommended. Which means they’ll connect us and seek her out to find out where we ran off to. We’re material witnesses to a robbery, and running away before the police get there is a criminal offense. I’ll have to discuss this with her,’ she told herself.

When Leanna let her in she’d already gotten Alex laid out on the bed. Cate was saved from having to make a supply run, since she’d stored Alex’s emergency supplies in the room fridge. She dug them out and started feeding him.

“This looks like more than a simple case of the shakes,” Leanna observed.

“Alex has side effects from being exposed to the BCM. There’s simply too much of it, and no human is designed to withstand that much of it. We all need it to survive, but too much in too small of a space can overwhelm the body. As a result he gets a lot of ‘episodes’ where I have to feed him enough to replenish his body’s normal energy supply. The BCM helps heal the very damage it’s doing so we’re never quite sure just how sick he is, but there’s always the danger he may die at any time, so we take threats like this very seriously.”

“Wow! That’s pretty heavy. And here I thought the life of an angel was ... sort of angelic, I guess,” Leanna said as she watched the two of them.

“By the way, what’s up with all the mice?”

“Oh, them, they’re part of an ongoing experiment. It’s actually part of my attempt to determine how long Alex is likely to survive. As such, we value them very highly and keep a careful watch over them.”

“Ah,” Leanna said, before moving on to a new topic. “You know, I know you’re not interested in any of the girls at the bar, but I’m also picking up more than the traditional brother/sister vibe here.”

Cate froze with her hand halfway to Alex’s mouth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded.

“Look, it’s no business of mine, and I’m not about to question how someone in your positions should live their lives, but I’m just telling you that you look much more intimate and much more concerned than a simple sister would be. When you mention how close he is to dying, you look like you’re ready to break down. Also, when you talk about doing research on what’s making him sick, you sound like those mice are more important than gold to you.”

“Can’t a sister just be—” Cate tried to argue.

“There’s a concerned relative caring for someone who’s sick, and there’s someone who’s finally recognized someone close to them won’t be around forever, but baby girl, you don’t seem to be in either camp.”

“I’m sorry, but sometimes I feel like I’m about to break down when I think of it,” Cate confessed, tears beginning to streak down her face. “I know I’ve got to resign myself to it, since it’s looking more and more obvious, but I don’t know how I’ll handle it when it occurs.”

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll get you some tissues and give you some good old fashioned female comforting while your brother recovers. You don’t need to confess anything you don’t want to. I understand how situations in life present us with challenges we don’t plan for.” With that she headed off to the bathroom, being careful around the animal cages, and soon returned to take Cate in her arms. As much as Alex hated to see Cate suffering, he was glad she was allowing her worries about him out. He knew his impending death was hard on her, and how it was made worse by her inability to talk about it with anyone else. The only ones who’d understand were back in Carbondale, and Gail was as busy keeping a stiff upper lip as she was. Perhaps admitting her fears to a well-meaning stranger was just what she needed.

Thus Alex lay silently while Cate revealed all her fears, never once acknowledging what Leanna had so clearly picked up on. Once Alex felt better, he told them he’d get them some sodas from down the hall. They each knew they already had some in the refrigerator, but that wasn’t the point, he was trying to give them a little privacy since he knew he was the very reason she’d been holding this in for so long. So Alex ended up standing alone in the little ice room, nursing a bottled water, giving them a chance to talk while he considered just how much trouble he’d stepped in this time. ‘Man, you’ve really got a knack for getting into it, don’t you?’ he asked himself, as he figured there wasn’t anything he could do about it other than waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Alex returned a little while later, two extra drinks in his hands.

“Where the hell, were you?” Cate instantly asked as soon as she saw him. He hadn’t actually thought he’d been gone that long.

“I was just giving you a little—”

“Alex, you’re talking about being worried about the police tracking you down or attracting someone’s attention, and then you sneak off and go into hiding. Don’t you know—”

“Now, now,” Leanna consoled them both. “I think you’re both getting a little crazy here. There’s no problem. No one got hurt. No one’s being arrested. I think I see why Cate dragged you out on the street today, Alex. It seems like being holed up here in your room makes you both a little nuts. I think you’d do better being out with some people. You were fine out at the club, you seem like a natural in a lesbian bar. You seemed right at home.”

“Well,” Alex admitted with a slight blush, “it wasn’t exactly the first one I’ve ever been in.”

“Oh, do tell?” she asked, thinking this might distract the two overly stressed teens. So Alex told her the story of Gail’s hangout in St. Louis, “The Abbey”. Once he started telling the story, Cate started filling in details and they got so caught up in their own recollections they were both feeling better when they finally finished, and Leanna had a much better idea of just how intimate everyone in Alex’s ‘organization’ was, even the outsiders, family and friends. Leanna seemed to be about to say something when someone’s phone rang.

Since Cate had taken over Alex’s scheduling duties, and since he normally didn’t even need one to talk to people, Cate carried both the iPhone and the iPad he’d received for his last birthday. She quickly grabbed the phone out of her purse. “Oh,” she responded simply, sounding a little surprised when she looked at the number on the screen.

“Hey there, girlfriend,” she responded happily when she answered it. “I’m sure you’re looking for Alex, but I just couldn’t resist saying hi too ... Wait a minute. Slow down, there. Tell me about it.”

Leanna glanced at Alex but he just shrugged, having no idea what the phone call was about. Cate listened for a little longer and then held the phone out to Alex.

“It’s Chalise, she’s pretty upset so you’d better talk to her, after all, she’s not going to want to repeat this twice.”

Alex anxiously took the proffered phone from her, worried about what might be happening.

“Hey, baby,” he answered.

“Oh, Alex, I hate to interrupt you. I know just how busy you are. I mean, I know how good you are at calling, but—”

“What’s wrong, Chalise. You should know by now that you’re a priority in my life. If you have a problem, I’ll drop everything else.”

“Well,” she said with a quiet hickuppy sob, “my father finally accepted his plea deal with the prosecutor today. He knew he couldn’t fight it, but...”

“I can see how that would get you upset. How’s everyone taking it?”

“Well, Mom’s kind of distanced herself from him, but she’s pretty shaken up even though she won’t talk about it. I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but—”

“Hey, baby, there’s no right way to feel in a situation like this.”

“You know, it’s strange. Dad got some hard prison time, but my brother, James, got none. He lost his career, his reputation and most of his friends, but still. But I find myself on the fence about it. I want my Dad to go free, but I also want James to go to jail. I want them both to suffer and not suffer at the same time.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Alex told her, settling in, preparing for a long talk. He waved to the other girls to indicate he was here for the long haul as he continued consoling Chalise.

“Do I dare ask?” Leanna asked.

“That’s Chalise, one of Alex’s two girlfriends,” Cate explained.

“One of two?” she asked without managing to imply anything by it.

“It’s not like with his followers. He’s really committed to them. But with so little time he needed to try to reach as many followers as he could, so he had to leave them behind while he—”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand. Tell me about what they’re like together, as well as the rest of his friends and family back home.” So while Alex consoled a tearful Chalise, Cate described what Alex’s home life was like, which did just what Leanna had wanted it to, relax and distract her so she could distance herself from her anxiety.

The two conversations went on for quite a while. It turned out that Chalise and Caroline had been in to see Rodger before he was finally led off to the Federal prison. He’d already been before the Judge and he’d already accepted the deal, so it was already signed, sealed and delivered. Chalise had spent the afternoon crying on Kitty’s shoulder, since they all lived in their own apartment at the loft, but she’d needed her boyfriend’s reassurance in her hour of need.

Alex related he had a new girl in a similar situation to hers, and that he thought it would be good if Chalise could talk to her. He explained about the shooting, and how Grace had been unaware her father had gone off the deep end, even though she knew he’d been behaving strangely since she’d first met Alex. Chalise could easily see the parallels between them, and immediately volunteered to call and speak to her. Alex gave her Grace’s phone number, getting it from Cate rather than bothering Grace for it at the moment. But the idea of helping someone else in a similar situation managed to refocus Chalise’s attention. Alex knew she’d feel better walking someone through something similar, and he felt sure they’d manage to help each other in the process.

When he finally hung up the phone he looked a little worn out, for a wholly different reason than before. He briefly recapped what was happening, not bothering to relate how she was reacting to it. They both nodded sagely.

“You know, between your early emotional outbursts and this newest depressing news, I think it would really do you both good to get out amongst people. You’re both people-persons, so you’ll do much better there than here. Besides, what is there to do here? Watch old movies on the TV, play with your mice or have sex? Or maybe that’s exactly what you want to do?” she finished, leaving her meaning perfectly clear.

Alex was still thinking about it, but Cate made a quick decision. “You’re right, it’ll be good to get out of here. But I’m a little concerned. It seems you’re pretty well known, and I’m afraid if the people at the jewelry store know you then...”

“The guy you talked to is Mr. Mizrachi himself,” Leanna said, addressing Alex directly, “as in ‘Mizrachi & Sons Jewelry’? He’s René Mizrachi, one of the sons, the original Mizrachi having passed away some time ago. He and his family run the place, and yes, we know each other. But I’ll tell you what, if you’re worried, I’ll call the club and see if anyone has been asking for me. Believe me, if some strange guy shows up asking about anyone, they’ll take notice.”

“Here,” Cate responded as she proceeded to dig through her purse. “Use this,” she said, handing Leanna a disposable cell phone. Leanna looked up at her with a dubious expression.

“I see you’ve done this kind of thing before.”

“Alex gets pretty paranoid. He’s so worried about his ‘girls’ getting in trouble because of him that he makes sure we cover our tracks well. He knows all it would take would be someone picking up a random comment about telepathy, and the resulting outcry would have wiretap warrants flowing pretty freely.”

“I can understand that. OK, give me a second.” Leanna made the call, which she kept short. It seemed an easy enough conversation and she casually asked whether anyone had asked for her, her meaning implicit without having to spell out who might be doing the asking. When she hung up they both anxiously watched her to see what she said.

“No one’s been there. Either they don’t know or they don’t care. Either that or they just haven’t gotten there yet. But if they do we’ll know before they come in the door, so we can hide you safely away while I talk to them. I can easily tell them I was just showing you around town, having just met you through your Foundation or something.”

“No, no, don’t mention the Foundation,” Alex warned her. “I don’t want it associated with me. It’s serving a serious purpose, and I don’t want to see it go down in flames if I’m ever exposed. If I’m compromised, I hope to see the Foundation continue its work while the rest of us take the heat.”

“You’ve really got this worked out, don’t you?” she asked

“I’m planning for the long term,” Alex assured her. “I want us to survive as a people for the next thousand years, not just while I’m around to reap the benefits. Protecting my people is my topmost priority. Everything else comes after that.”

“Well, we’ve had a full day and I’m sure the girls would be glad to quiz you again. They were pretty excited about this Foundation of yours. And wasn’t there something about a concert or something?” she asked as she picked up her purse, gently nudging them along, happy to see them getting over their well-earned paranoia.

Both Cate and Alex were anxious about venturing out. Neither one expected anyone to be able to track them, after all, as Alex had described, his fingerprints weren’t on record and no one knew him in Oklahoma yet, aside from the girls in Leanna’s bar, but they were still nervous about it.

Alex stopped off at the front desk, assuring Georgia he was OK before telling her where they’d be, and to send anyone seeking him out, or seemingly lost, over to meet him in person. She assured them she would, telling him how glad she was that he was OK. She told him the hotel was ready to make some restitution for what had nearly happened on their premises but he wouldn’t hear of it.

“Nothing happened. It was a simple accident and no one was harmed. I was unnerved is all, so there’s nothing for anyone to worry about. The hotel did nothing wrong,” he assured her.

They set off, Leanna once again letting him walk arm in arm with her, even though she wouldn’t have allowed any other male that degree of familiarity. Yet with Alex she felt it oddly comforting, and she reveled in what she’d considered an archaic male dominating behavior.

When they entered the club, Alex was surprised at the number of people present. Despite it being later in the day, with their serving dinner instead of lunch, it didn’t seem to account for the substantially larger crowd.

“Damn, I’ve got to keep you around, Alex, you’re definitely good for business,” Leanna told him as she took in the crowd as well.

As soon as the people in the bar noticed them they were suddenly swarmed, although the girls from earlier pushed the others back and got Alex and Cate situated before allowing the others access.

“It seems the people from earlier called their girlfriends, and many of them called up their straight friends and family as well,” Lori explained.

“I invited my family,” Debbie admitted. “I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds, but I thought they’d be interested.”

“Don’t worry,” Alex assured her. “Family and friends are always welcome. After all, they’re the ones who will support you if you need it, and you’d be expected to share this kind of news with them, especially if you suspect any of them might have this genetic trait.”

“We’ve got a questionnaire to identify who may or may not have it,” Cate explained, digging once more through her small purse. “These were made by a friend in New Orleans, so we don’t have a lot of spare copies, but pass this one around so everyone can review it. It should give you a good idea of who to contact about it.”

“Before we get to that,” Lori said, casually passing the pamphlet on to someone waiting behind her, “there’s a lot more going on. The whole town is abuzz with what you did today!”

“What do you mean? What did you hear about us?” Alex cautiously asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“The word about your ‘appearance’ at the mall is spreading like wildfire. People who never heard of you before are talking about you now. Everyone I ran across has been talking about it.”

“I hope no one has been telling anyone about me,” Alex anxiously inquired.

“Oh, don’t worry, we know to keep the things you told us between us. Well, within reason, that is,” Debbie conceded, as she glanced around at all the people in the club.

“What she means is we haven’t told anyone that you were here, telling us about yourself,” Betsy assured him, pushing Ally up to get closer to him. “We told our families and close friends, but only those we trust, and only then after swearing them to secrecy.”

“Whew, that sets my mind at ease,” Alex told them as someone handed both him and Cate a drink. Leanna took that opportunity to ask one of the waitresses to bring them dinner, telling her precisely what she thought they’d each like. “I don’t mind you reaching out to family and friends, but I’ve still got to stay out of the limelight. Talking up what I’m trying to do is one thing, telling people about what I can do, or who I am, is quite another.”

So while their food was being prepared Alex and Cate held court, with Alex meeting everyone while Cate would meet with those requesting more specific information. Alex was terrified about the news of his actions at the mall becoming widely known, but he knew better than to show the women here how concerned he was. While he felt better after they’d assured him they wouldn’t reveal anything about him to anyone they didn’t trust, Alex was still nervous about the word of his performing ‘miracles’ around town. Although he felt safe these women wouldn’t betray him, he knew that rumors had a life of their own, and word of the Angel of New Orleans being in Oklahoma City wouldn’t require anyone here revealing he was here. These women were here to support him, and they all seemed to be on the same page about how to respond to people. But as he talked to everyone his mind was flying a mile a minute, trying to figure out what the spreading rumors would mean to him and how best he could respond to it.

It wasn’t long until their dinner arrived, and rather than move them to a private table they were served right there on the couch, sitting together, so everyone had free access to continue talking to them as they ate. It was a bit overwhelming. Alex had been growing more comfortable with women flocking to him and having to deal with large numbers of them at the same time, but this was something else entirely. These were normal women with no compelling biological reason to gravitate to him, and they seemed to be just as enthusiastic as the most devout Seer he’d met.

He then began to rethink the attitude of the women—and the men—around him. He considered they might not have been so enamored of him because they saw him as a spiritual being, but because they saw him as a powerful leader, someone trying to accomplish something significant, and who they each wanted to encourage and share in his vision. Not the vision of secret abilities, but the idea he was leading a new group of people, trying to organize, educate and guide them, hoping to get them established. He also reconsidered how the men like Brandon and Rodger, Chalise’s brother and father, or Tony from school, or even Grace’s father, Anthony, had reacted to him. If these otherwise normal women were this enamored with him, even without any otherworldly attractions affecting them, then maybe these men were responding to something having nothing at all to do with him. Maybe they were reacting to how the women were responding to him, to how they perceived the attractions involved, or how they feared he might be doing something nefarious? He decided he and Cate needed to rethink their understanding of what drove those around him.

What’s more, it also threw his understanding of his most loyal followers into question. It now seemed they weren’t so overwhelmed by him and his energy, but were excited by what he represented, for themselves, their future children and others like them. This new understanding changed all of Alex’s perceptions of the people around him, and it had his mind reeling almost as much as his paranoia did.

Everyone was anxious to tell him how the people they’d spoken with were reacting to him. They also wanted him to describe his ‘mission’ to each new person they presented him to. They had many more questions, although only a few had potential followers they expected him to evaluate. He actually discovered a new Watcher. He probably would have found more, but Ally’s family lived out of town, and Leanna had spent the day with them, not having had time to contact anyone else.

After they finished dinner they continued their discussions, though now they were free to get up and wander like it was just a big cocktail party. Despite the clear reasons for why they wouldn’t want to, Alex was intrigued by how many of the women were actually flirting with him. He wasn’t sure if it was a matter of his ‘appeal’ overruling their basic non-attraction to him, or whether it was just simple comfort or even the allure which attracted them. This was all a mystery to him, one for him to contemplate another time. For now he was glad everyone was so relaxed and seemed so aware of his own caution.