Socket 3 - The Legend of Socket Greeny by Tony Bertauski Read Free Book Online Page A

my
father died.
    We gripped each other tightly, staring at the
globe. But it wasn’t the award we were looking at. We weren’t
admiring its beauty or fame. It was a symbol of Mr. Thomas’s
family, represented how grown up they were. There was a time he was
convinced he would never live to see it, but there he was. There
they all were, wrapped tightly at the table.
    Chute was a young woman. And here was
something to hold, something to prove it.
    Something her mother would be proud of.
     
    “Don’t close the door!” Angela shouted. “Dad
said he’d get his bat.”
    Chute fell back on her bed, arms out. “Listen
to her,” she said. “She used to sneak out of the house all the
time, and now she’s telling me when I can close my door.”
    “You sneak out all the time,” I said.
    She rolled on her side, buried her face in
the pillow, said something about the greatest day of her life. She
used to have posters of celebrities and bands on her wall. They
were replaced by a shelf full of trophies. She’d have to clear some
space for the globe.
    The only thing that remained the same was the
picture over her headboard of the three of us. We were on the curb
in front of Streeter’s house. It was our first day taking the
school bus. We were seven, had our bookbags strapped on our
shoulders. Chute was in the middle, arms around us.
    “I can’t sleep,” she said into the pillow.
“Will you stay the night?”
    “Right.”
    “You can sleep on the couch.”
    “I told you your father had a bat. If he
finds me on the couch in the morning, he’ll use it.”
    She lifted her head. “You can hide, then
knock on the door like you came over for breakfast.”
    She’s serious. “Look, I’d love to see
you all day and night, but I can’t. Not tonight.”
    “The world can wait.” Still
serious.
    “I’ve got some things to do, and there’s a
trip.”
    “Where are you going?”
    I grabbed a tagghet puck from her dresser,
inspected the scuff marks. “Somewhere far away, but it won’t take
long.”
    “Well, I guess I’ll have to get used to you
being on the road, once I’m Mrs. Greeny.” Her laughter muffled into
the pillow. “It’s not easy being the wife of a superhero, you
know.”
    “I’ll bring you to the Preserve when I get
back. I’ve got some kids that would love you to teach them some
tagghet moves.”
    “Really, really?”
    “Promise, promise.”
    She rolled over, closed her eyes and hummed.
Her sleepy imagination flashed with images of trees and grimmets.
“Could you do that energy thing?” She tapped her forehead. “I’m not
tired.”
    I sat on the bed and touched her forehead. My
essence mingled with hers and our experiences merged. A closeness.
Oneness. Something that reminded us we were never alone.
    She was softly snoring within a minute. I
stopped at her doorway and glanced at the picture of the three of
us again. It seemed like just the other day. I leaned closer. The
details were smudged in the background, like there was a figure
using back-reflecting gear to appear invisible. Then again, it
could just be the printer smudging up.
    I had a gut feeling that wasn’t it.
     
     
To Reign
    The roads were empty and slick from a light
rain, reflecting the street lights. I turned the music off and
cruised down the Interstate. I didn’t miss leaving South Carolina,
but I hated leaving Chute. Someday, I could bring her with me. But
then what? Are we going to play house inside Garrison Mountain? I
was still so torn about my two lives. Somehow they were going to
merge. Maybe one day I could retire and find peace and quiet and a
normal life when the world was saved.
    I took my exit after crossing the Cooper
River bridge, the blinker flashing—
     
    The figure steps forward, reveals the
strands of wet hair over her face. Red hair. Chute lifts the knife,
her face twisted with anger. Then she leaps, swinging the weapon
down at me, lightning flashing off its edge.
     
    “Auto-pilot engaged,” the car