Aligned (18 page)

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

After I read Grace a story I slip out of the house and go over to Masters’ place. I knock on the door and am completely taken back when Andi answers the door.

“What are you doing here?” I blurt out.

She smirks. “Well, when I’m not working I live here. What are
you
doing here?”

I never thought about where Andi lives when she isn’t working. I guess I assumed she always stays in the guest quarters. Why would she live with Masters though? That seems rather odd. “I’m here to see Masters.”

“Is he expecting you?”

She sure is being cheeky tonight.

“Obviously not or else he would have come to the door and spared me this little interrogation.”

She smiles widely. “I highly doubt that. Well, come on in, Masters and Natasha are finishing the dishes.”

The idea of Masters doing dishes somehow seems absolutely absurd to me. Then again it’s hard to picture him doing anything that doesn’t involve intimidation. I follow Andi into the kitchen where Masters is indeed doing dishes next to Natasha, who is drying them and putting them away. I must be standing there with my mouth hanging open because Andi laughs and Master shoots me a dirty look.

“Did you come here for a reason, Wesley, or to stand there gaping?” Masters asks.

“Oh…yes. I came over to see if you felt like, you know…um…if you wanted to…”

“Are you asking me on a date or do you want to work out?”

“The second one.”

Masters looks over at Natasha, who smiles.

“All right, let me finish up here and then we’ll go down to the basement. You can have a seat in the living room; I shouldn’t be long.”

I go back to the living room and sit on the couch. Andi comes in shortly, handing me a glass of water.

“Thank you,” I say, accepting the glass and taking a drink.

“Do you and Masters work out a lot? You haven’t said anything.”

“Yes, he’s been helping me for the last few months; it’s no big deal.”

“Masters had me work out with him every day since I was five until I turned sixteen. It’s a good skill to have.”

“It is a necessity. You ready to go?” Masters asks, startling us. I jump up and follow him down to the basement.

We start on the usual sets of sit-ups, pushups, and chin-ups. I’ve gotten much better than when I first started. It took me weeks to be able to do one chin-up by myself. Now I can do a set without even really breaking a sweat.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” Masters comments.

“I do.”

“All right, the bag it is, come on over this way.” Masters hands me a pair of boxing gloves, brings out a punching bag, and sets it up in front of me.

“You need to pay attention to what you are doing because if you don’t, that bag will swing around and knock you out. Step into each punch and put your whole body behind every punch, not just your arm. You don’t want to hurt yourself by hitting wrong. Watch me a few times first all right?”

He takes several swings at the bag. He makes it look effortless, and I am certain I won’t be able to do what he makes look like such a simple task. When he has finished he motions to me. I mimic his stance and toss out a right punch.

The bag doesn’t even move.

“Come on, you can do better than that. You need to put your body into it. Step with your right foot and swing hard.”

I do as he says and hit with all my might. The bag moves and I am so excited that I look at Masters to see if he saw it. The next thing I know it feels like I’m being tackled and I look up from the floor at a frowning Masters.

“What did I tell you? Never take your eyes off the bag or your opponent.”

“Geez, you didn’t say it would attack me,” I say, trying to sit up.

“One more time, let’s go.”

I spend the next thirty minutes punching the bag, and Masters shows me different punches and ways to stand. Once I am utterly exhausted and thoroughly disgusting, he brings me a towel and a glass of water.

“Drink this and have a seat.”

After I drain my whole glass and we’re sitting in silence, Masters asks me, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t talk things over. I contemplate.”

“And how is that working out for you?”

“Not as well as I would like.”

“Girl problems?”

“Oddly enough for me, yes. But that isn’t the issue that has me perplexed at the moment, although it is highly uncomfortable to have girl problems.”

Master laughs and hits me on the back, causing me to bite my tongue. I scowl at him but he doesn’t even notice.

“Get used to it, kid. Girl problems only get worse the older and deeper you get into it.”

I allow myself to be distracted by this subject for a moment so I don’t have to open up about what is really on my mind.

“What I find perfectly perplexing as well as vexing is how men always say how problematic women are, how they are nothing but trouble and so on. So why even bother getting invested in the first place if they are so much trouble?”

Master smiles. “Ah my boy, you will see in time. For as much trouble and heartache they may bring, they can also make every single moment worth it.”

“How can heartache and trouble ever be worth it? No, I think I am much better off sticking with my work and not having any crazy emotional entanglements.”

Masters studies me for a moment, not saying anything. I try not to flinch under his scrutiny but I don’t think I am successful. After several long minutes he finally speaks.

“You are all about enlightenment, right? Finding answers, learning how and why things work. This is big with you right?”

“Very big? Yes, I’d say so since it is my life’s purpose after all.”

“Then I don’t see why you wouldn’t welcome a relationship. I’m sure you’ve realized how different men and women are. Women tend to be more emotional, and think with their head and heart. They can be hard and soft all at the same time, not to mention being able to multitask. They simply amaze me with how much they are able to accomplish.”

I can tell by the far off look on his face and the smile on his lips he must be thinking of his wife.

“You see, Wes, for someone whose main goal in life is enlightenment, I would think you would jump at the chance of having another half. When you find that woman who completes you so perfectly, you finally realize what you’ve been missing. Where you are weak, she is strong and vice versa. While she might drive you crazy at times because of your differences, at the same time she will challenge you and make you better than you ever thought you could be. As a scientist, I would think you would appreciate different views and approaches. That’s what you get in a relationship—someone to challenge you, make you better. Change might be a scary thing, and it’s hard to put yourself out there, but the reward is worth it.”

He slaps me on the back again but this time I’m ready for it.

“So you think I should date Andi?”

Masters’s face turns into a scowl.

“I never said that. I’m only trying to make you see that women aren’t all bad. Andi is special, she doesn’t need to get her heart broken; she’s been through enough.”

Instantly my mentor is replaced with the disapproving uncle. It is fascinating how quick the change occurs. What he says, however, has piqued my interest.

“Who hurt Andi?”

Masters sighs and rubs his temples. “It’s not my place to tell you, Wes. What I will ask is how much do you know about Andi? Have you ever asked her about herself, her past, her life? Or has it always been focused around you? Andi is a sweet girl, she likes to listen and to help, but part of that is to deflect having to talk about herself and her past. If you are thinking about getting into a relationship with her, I would expect you to want to get to know
her
and what makes her who she is today. Ask her questions, get her to talk to you. If you can do that you might just be worthy of her time. Now get on home and get to sleep. If you want to work out again tomorrow, stop by.”

With that Masters goes up the stairs, leaving me to wonder exactly what happened to Andi. Maybe someone broke her heart. And why does the thought of someone breaking her heart make me so upset, yet at the same time glad she isn’t with him any longer?

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

I go home with way too many thoughts in my head, even for me. Everyone went to bed hours ago, so it’s nice and quiet in the house. I go directly to my office and boot up my computer to see if Roz has written me back. Luckily she has.

Wes,

I hate that I can’t be there for you when you need me. I know you must be totally freaking out over all of this, so let me help by giving you some data. (If you tell anyone I told you any of this I will tell everyone about the time we played dress up in my mom’s clothes and you said you were a prettier girl than me.)

First of all I want you to know that the Council isn’t like when we were in school. It isn’t made up of all the cool and popular kids who won’t accept you. What makes the Council so unique is that they are all so very different. They each bring something different to the table and because of that it runs very successfully. Don’t be afraid they won’t accept you. Trust me, if they didn’t, your name would never have come up, let alone they wouldn’t be begging you to join.

I think you will get along well with most of them. There is only one person I am thinking of who you would butt heads with and I have a feeling she is the one you will be replacing. (I hope, anyway.) Most of the members have a unique strength. There is a history guy, a numbers guy, a people guy. You will have no problem fitting in there; they are all highly intelligent. One girl reminds me a lot of Andi, actually. She is rather shy, but she isn’t afraid to speak up if she has to. Everything she says is thought out and calculated. I can only think of one girl that might make you a little uncomfortable, but she’s one of my favorites. She is absolutely beautiful and has a mind to match. She will challenge you and keep you on your toes. You’ve already met Annabelle who is more heart than head, but a needed member. That’s the best part about the Council; they don’t all think the same. You have some who think with their heart, some with their head, some rely on facts; they all have something to add.

I think you would make an amazing addition to the Council. You have such a knack for being able to see through to the facts. You don’t allow any emotion to get in the way of the truth and that is so rare to find, Wes. I can’t see your joining as a bad thing. You will get to be a freelance contractor which means you still get to do things your way, yet still be a huge asset to the Ministry by serving on the Council. I would be lying if I said it wouldn’t thrill me to have you working beside me on such major events, not to mention this would mean we wouldn’t have to keep any secrets from each other ever again! I miss you, Wes. I miss telling each other everything and knowing what the other person is thinking and feeling before they do. I think this is going to be the only time in your life you will have to make a decision on faith and not data. I believe in you. Push yourself, Wes. Step out of your comfort zone and see what happens. I love you to the moon and back!

Roz

P.S. Andi punched a guy for you? Andi Masters? Sweet, shy, non-confrontational Andi? Marry her, Wesley Anderson Sanders! Marry her right this instant!

Rolling my eyes at her post script I move on to the original content. I read and re-read what she wrote three times. Step out in faith? Not use data to come to a conclusion? Leave my comfort zone? Does she have any clue who she is talking to? That’s crazy talk. However, something in the back of my mind keeps nagging at me, telling me she might be right. Rosaline is the only person I know who can make an impetuous decision and have it turn out right. According to her she has great instincts. I’ve always said she has good luck. Should I listen to her instincts now? Would I make a good Council member? Would I even like it? The idea of having to work in a group for the rest of my life makes me nauseated.

I look at the clock and see it is 3:00 a.m. Dexter will most likely kill me if I wake him up, but I’ll never be able to sleep with all of these questions on my mind. I jump out of my chair and quietly head down the stairs and into Dexter’s room. I open the door and see Grace sleeping over in the corner, Dexter on the other side. If I quietly go over to him I can wake him up without waking Grace, although the sheer size of him and catching him off guard could also work against me. I go into the living room and take a decorative pillow off the couch, then return to Dexter’s room. I stand in the doorway, launch the pillow at his head, and then duck behind the door. Dex instantly springs to life and looks around the room like he is under attack.

I poke my head into the room. “Dex? Oh, hey. Since you’re up I was wondering if we could have a chat?”

Dex shoots me a death glare. I can tell he is about to yell at me so I put my hand to my lips and point at the sleeping Grace. I turn and go back to the living room and sit on the couch.

Dex comes into the room wearing his pajamas and a scowl.

“‘Since you’re up, I was wondering if we could have a chat?’ You mean after you’ve thrown something at me and scared me half to death, you want to talk my head off in the middle of the night about something that can wait until morning?”

Dex is almost shouting now, but since he isn’t too far from the truth, I nod.

I’m not sure if he is too tired to argue or is curious as to what I have to say but he slumps into the chair nearby and waves his hand at me to continue. “Well, out with it.”

“I was thinking about what you said about working for the Council and—”

“Argh! Wes, this couldn’t have waited until morning?” he growls. “I’m not a Council member at 3:00 a.m., I am your roommate!”

“If it could wait don’t you think I would have let it? You know how I am, Dexter, I can’t let things go. They eat at me until I resolve them. It’s actually one of my better qualities because it ensures I get things done, and with a rather impressive success rate I might add.”

Dex sighs. “All right, Wes. What do you want to know?”

“Is there any way I could do a trial run before accepting?”

“You mean as a Council member?”

“Yes.”

Dex is shaking his head and I deflate a bit. “Wesley, you know it doesn’t work like that. You’re either in or not. We can’t go around letting people ‘try it out.’ This is a very important job and staying secret is a must. I understand you’re nervous, especially about the unknown, but you’re going to have to trust me when I say you were meant for this job. As with any job, if you hate it you can leave, but it’s not to be taken lightly. There is a time after training where you can chose not to become a member, like I did. This is highly frowned upon, but does happen. However, if you choose to go through with it after training and become a member, the only way out is to be voted out by the others.”

I had a feeling this was going to be the case, but I’ve never been able to do anything on faith. Science, fact, data, yes. Faith? Never.

“I know it’s scary for you, Wes. It doesn’t have to be decided tonight. Fixating on it won’t change things. Start the training, do the freelance work, and see where it goes from there. You won’t have to tell anyone about the training, in fact you aren’t allowed to. Take it one step at a time. It will all work out, you’ll see.”

Dex stands up and starts for his room then pauses. Without turning around he says, “Never wake me in the middle of the night again.”

Then he keeps walking until I hear his door shut. I let out a sigh and go back to my room to try to block everything from my mind so I can get a little sleep. After my second round of counting the stars, I finally drift off to sleep.