The Spotted Tail

Her grandma, again, nodded her approval, and Paxine raised her left foot. Garon fastened a silver chain around her ankle.

“Okay, let me tune in the frequencies,” Garon said, pulling a small scanner out of his pocket. He scanned her ankle chain, then Tache’s chain, and then he scanned her grandma’s ankle chain and Tinder’s chain. Garon stood, watching the scanner, then he disappeared into the back.

“What are these for?” Paxine said, whispering, surprised she had never seen the chain around her grandma’s ankle before.

“These will help you communicate with your Tail. Also, please don’t tell your dad. They work even where there are deactivators. They get power off of your own pulse and body heat, and use your whole body as an antenna,” her grandma said, not whispering. Her voice seemed loud in the room.

“What are T and R?” Paxine said, examining the chain around her ankle. It seemed so thin that it would break.

“Transmitter and receiver,” her grandma said.

“How can a chain help me talk to Tache?” She was thinking it could be a walkie-talkie but then she would have to bend over to talk into it. That couldn’t be.

“With the chain, you will always know where Tache is and he will always know where you are,” her grandma said.

“Tache knows that already,” she said, not understanding.

Her grandma laughed. “Only sometimes. Okay, Tache, you are just a bundle of energy waiting to demolish this place, please don’t break anything.” She waved her hand. Tache dove off the table and disappeared from view.

“Of course, I should give Garon more time to get them programmed, but it can’t hurt to give Tache a head start. So do you know where he is? Without looking?” her grandma said, watching her.

“Without looking?” She wondered if she was supposed to know where he was by sound. “I know what direction he went.” She shrugged that she didn’t know any more.

“Keep trying, but without looking. See if you can feel him. It might be a few more minutes,” her grandma said.

Paxine closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She could see through Tache’s eyes, but that didn’t tell her where he was. A cabinet door opened.

“Tache,” her grandma said. “Stay out of the cabinets.”

The cabinet closed, and Paxine giggled. “He never closes them at home.”

“I believe the cabinets close automatically. Tache is indeed one of the more challenging ones I have come across, but what makes them challenging makes them great.”

Paxine couldn’t resist the urge, turning toward the sound of the cabinet that opened. Tache wasn’t in sight, however, the items on the shelves weren’t the hodgepodge collection of stuff that she first believed. Wire reels stocked one shelf and the next contained jars of screws and nails. The jars and reels were stacked in a neat row, according to size. Next to that shelf, labeled bins of plastic pieces and metal shavings were stacked as high as the ceiling. She wondered where the smell of caramel came from.

A warmth spread around her ankle, bringing an image in her mind of Tache off to her left, peering at her over a basket of metal gadgets. He slinked off as soon as she turned toward him.

Paxine mouthed a silent, “Wow” to her grandma.

Garon appeared out of the back room smiling. “Well?”

“Very good,” her grandma said. “Now I want one more thing. An Aural Ring.”

Garon opened his eyes wide as if shocked and answered with his voice very low. “Those are illegal.”

“Yes, for people. Not for Tails,” her grandma said, giving him a stern eye.

“Sorry, don’t carry them,” Garon said, grinning as he left the room.

Well that was that, Paxine thought. They would be going now. Her grandma didn’t move. What were they waiting for?

Over her grandma’s head dangled a twirling spider-looking object. Paxine was sure it moved once on its own, reminding her of a slender version of the Waterer.

Garon returned, humming as if he was having the best day. He carried what looked like a metal punch.

“Call Tache, but call him in your mind, not out loud,” her grandma said.

Paxine tried to think of how she could do that, but the thought itself, caused Tache to come up beside her. Her grandma tapped on the table, prompting Tache to jump up.

“Does he bite?” Garon said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Only if you do it wrong,” her grandma said, looking annoyed. Paxine couldn’t tell if her grandma was serious or not.

Garon leaned over Tache with the punch and Tache leaned away, looking leery at both Garon and the punch. Paxine didn’t know if she wanted Garon near Tache with the punch either.

“Hold his gaze, Paxine,” her grandma said.

Tache’s eyes moved to Paxine, who held his gaze as Garon slipped the punch over a piece of Tache’s ear, just above his eye.

Crunch.

Paxine flinched. Tache’s other ear flinched. Garon stepped back with the punch.

“What’s that for?” Paxine said, touching a tiny metal ring in Tache’s ear.

“A number of things we will go over later. The other part?” her grandma said.

“Well,” Garon said, “I prefer coral, pink to be exact, and that would fit quite well here, but everyone knows my preference so that wouldn’t work. I see she already has silver diamond studs.” Garon referred to Paxine’s earrings.

“Well, not real diamonds,” Paxine said. “My mom gave them to me.”

“This is very plain,” Garon said, handing her a silver ring. It was tiny.

Paxine found it fit on her left pinky.

“Perfect as always,” her grandma said, rising, and handing him a package. Garon put the package in one pocket, taking a package out of another pocket and handing it to her grandma. Then he gave them both a wink and a smile.

Tache jumped back into his backpack and her grandma picked up her handbag with Tinder curled up inside. Garon escorted them to the door, smiling and humming as he walked. He swayed as if keeping time with his humming.

“Good day,” her grandma said, putting the package in her handbag on top of Tinder.

“Goodbye,” Garon said, waving them off, grinning as if they had the most enjoyable visit.

“We’re back, Greta” her grandma said when they exited the cube. “Can you show Paxine the conference room? Oh, and here.”

“Is that a Garon package?” Greta said.

Her grandma nodded

“What fun.” Greta looked as excited about the package as Paxine was curious. “Well, come this way.”

Greta’s movement was so graceful and gentle that the only footsteps that echoed down the hallway were Paxine’s and the escort’s. Paxine wondered if Greta’s feet even touched the ground.

“Come on in and take a seat,” Greta said, opening the conference room door.

Paxine remembered when she had been locked in. She didn’t realize how thick the carpet was, muffling their footsteps. There was a big large oak table surrounded by chairs. Paintings with forest scenes hung on two walls, a projection area was on the far end and opposite that, a counter with cabinets and drawers.

Greta pulled out scissors from a drawer, cutting open the package. Tinder jumped up on one of the chairs, eyeing the package with intense interest.

“Someone seems to know what’s in there,” Paxine said, surprised at Tinder’s presence.

Greta folded down the paper of the package to reveal…

“Mice?” Paxine said in total surprise, counting a dozen gray fuzzy mice.

Tinder batted one off the table, causing it to scurry across the floor. She jumped after in hot pursuit.

Tache jumped up on the chair that Tinder had just left, nosing one of the mice, which vibrated to life and scurried off the edge of the table. He lunged after it.

“Garon makes the best toys,” Greta said, sliding the scissors back into the drawer.

“They’re not real are they? I mean what makes them work?” She didn’t see a wind up button or a switch.

“Touch. Touch one,” Greta said.

The mouse Paxine touched came alive and scurried away across the table. It almost reached the edge before it stopped.

“They only go so far if not touched again. Watch Tinder, she’s a pro,” Greta said with a laugh.

Tinder tapped the mouse, causing it to scurry off, but before it went too far, she pounced and sent it in a new direction. The mouse was almost out of reach and she pounced again, sending the mouse in a new direction. She looked as if she was barely keeping the mouse at hand, but she never missed and the mouse never ‘escaped’.

Tache came up to the table for another mouse.

“Where’s the one you already took?” Paxine said, looking around.

Tache tapped a new mouse, causing it to scurry off the table. The mouse hit the floor, moving behind Greta. Tache hopped around the floor, but couldn’t find the mouse. He came back up to the table for another.

“Watch this,” Greta said, brushing her hand over the remaining mice, activating them. They all scurried off the table to the floor.

Tache bounced, pounced, and somersaulted, not certain about which mouse he wanted to get, resulting in letting them all get away.

“Enjoy. I’ll be right back. It’s time for a snack,” Greta said, dancing out of the room.

The escort leaned against the wall, trying to be invisible, but he kept snickering at Tache. Paxine pretended to help Tache catch mice, only to let them escape so he had to catch them all over again.

Tinder plopped down on the floor, tired. Her mouse captured under her paw. Tache pretended to ignore her, but then tackled her to get her mouse. Tinder pounced, pinning Tache, letting her mouse escape. Paxine grabbed the mouse while Tache managed to escape up onto a chair as if his life depended on it. Tinder plopped back down, looking pleased.

“Snack time,” Greta said, waltzing in with a tray, but it didn’t contain the usual tea and ginger snap cookies.

“Soda. Chocolate chip cookies,” Paxine said with surprise, grabbing a cookie. “They’re still warm.” Paxine bit into the warm, gooey cookie.

“Fresh baked,” Greta said

“My favorite,” she said with her mouthful.

Greta poured a soda for Paxine into a glass with ice. “Now don’t tell anyone,” Greta said, pretending that the soda and cookies were a secret. “Also, don’t tell anyone about the mice from Garon’s,” Greta said this, looking at the escort. “Garon’s is not an acceptable shopping place.”

The escort ignored her and the refreshments.

Paxine pretended to focused on her cookies, pretending to ignore Greta, but she understood what Greta said, knowing that the chain and the ring were to remain between her and her grandma.

“The mice are irresistible to the cats,” Greta said, grabbing herself a soda and a cookie.

“The mice are cool,” she said, grabbing another cookie. She could hardly wait to show her friends… Paxine felt like hitting herself in the head. She couldn’t show her friends the mice. They were a secret, you dummy, she thought.

Greta rounded up all the mice, using the same wrapping to tie them back up. The paper crinkled as the mice moved around, but soon they all fell quiet.

“I like those,” Paxine said, reaching for the package.

“No, I’m sorry. These aren’t approved, and I don’t think your parents would like you to have these,” Greta said, hanging onto the package.

“I can’t even take one home?” she said, disappointed.

Greta shook her head no.

“Darn.” She consoled herself by petting Tache, who was sound asleep on his chair.

“I think your grandma wants you in her office,” Greta said, ushering them out of the conference room.

The escort walked ahead of them. Greta came up beside Paxine, taking her hand, leading her into her grandma’s office.

“Please stand out here,” Greta said, talking to the escort, pointing to a stool.

Paxine was sure the stool moved and that there was a pink watering can tucked beneath it.

“Your grandma will be just a moment,” Greta said, releasing Paxine’s hand and shutting the door behind her.

Paxine felt something squirm in her hand. A fuzzy mouse. She slipped it into a pocket, pleased.

“Have a nice time with the mice?” her grandma said, hanging up the phone.

“They’re really neat,” she said, smiling and not saying a word about the mouse in her pocket.

“Looks like your mom is busy with house hunting and has asked if you don’t mind being stuck with your old boring grandmother. We’ll join your parents for dinner tonight.”

“I guess I can handle being bored for a little while.” She moved toward one of the sofas, thinking that she was never bored when she was with her grandma. “What’s the ring for?” She knew it was time to get answers to her questions.

Her grandma didn’t answer, stopping midway to the sofa. The office door opened just enough to allow Tinder to enter. Tache followed right behind her. Her grandma didn’t move until the door closed, then she sat opposite of Paxine on the other sofa. Tinder settled down beside her grandma and Tache curled up beside Paxine.

“First, I hope you know that this is only between us?” her grandma said, scratching Tinder’s chin.

“Greta told me and the escort that Garon’s wasn’t a good place to shop and that we weren’t to talk of the mice. I knew that also meant the chains and rings,” she said, liking the fact that she had to keep secrets, even from her parents.

“Exactly. You’re learning fast. No one must know. Once they know, then they know how to defeat it. Just like the deactivators. Once someone knows they are used, they find ways to get around them. You need to always know where Tache is and vice versa. Once someone knows about how you communicate then they will find a way to break it,” her grandma said using a serious tone of voice.

Paxine thought it was like with her parents. Whenever she thought of a new way to sneak over to her dad’s office so she could play in the Room, her parents figured it out. Her parents knew all her tricks.

“You know that Tache is not a pet,” her grandma said.

“Yes, I know. He’s my Tail, just like Tinder is your Tail. I know what he does. The intruders and the bugs. He’s protecting me.” She caught Tinder doing a flick of her tail as if she disagreed.

“Yes and no. His job is to alert you and give you advance notice so that you can protect yourself. He can’t stop bullets. He can’t fix you up if you’re hurt, but he can alert people and get help.”

“He certainly knows how to get people’s attention,” she said, poking Tache’s tail, which, for once, was motionless while he slept.

“The chain is your means of communicating with him and the same is true in reverse. If he needs to alert you, he can do so with the chain around his neck, and he doesn’t need to be near you. Therefore, if someone kidnaps you, he is going to know where you are. If he gets catnapped, you are going to know where he is,” her grandma said, pointing to Paxine’s ankle chain.

“Wow,” Paxine said, thinking she had better remember to always wear it.

“You’ll never be able to take that off,” her grandma said, as if reading her mind. “It will grow with you.”

“I guess I don’t have to worry about losing it,” she said, as if checking it off a list of things to do.

“Now the ring has a number of uses. First, on Tache, it allows him to hear much more than before. If he focuses, he can hear a mouse run across the road a mile away. What he can hear he can pass on to you. If he hears a car door, when there should be no one around, he can alert you. Understand?”

“Yes. I watch the security guys all the time. I know what they are watching or listening for.”

“Wonderful. You are doing so well. I am proud.” Her grandma looked pleased.

Paxine breathed a sigh of relief, feeling better since the beetle incident. There was a big difference between her parents and her grandma. Her parents were overprotective. They said she was too young, but she was twelve now. Her grandma, instead, kept teaching her how to protect herself, how to read other people, and how to be better at whatever she needed to do.

“Second, the ring is a weapon. It works the same on both of you. If either one of you is hurt or is getting hurt, touch your ring to the assailant. They will feel a jolt ten times the pain you are feeling. Most times that is enough to allow you to escape,” her grandma said.

“Whoa.” She examined the ring on her pinky. It was almost invisible.

“On the other hand, it won’t hurt anyone if they aren’t hurting you. So don’t worry about accidentally touching any one or holding hands. So now, if you are out on a date with a boy and he isn’t being nice, you know what to do now.”

Paxine blushed. The only boy she really liked was Paulie and she didn’t think she would see much of him anymore because of the beetles. Darn, she thought, that meant finding a fifth player for Emersion de Resistance.

“Third, the ring is a tracking device. This will allow those who know about it to track you or Tache down. That way if both of you are kidnapped, I am going to know where you are,” her grandma said.

Tache’s ring wasn’t visible, he had his ear tucked under his paw.

“Fourth, the ring will allow you into this office. You noticed when Tinder and Tache came in? The door opened for them,” her grandma said, gesturing a hand toward the door.

Tinder’s ears were in plain sight while she sprawled on the sofa. There was the faint glimmer of a silver ring on her ear.

“See what can be invisible if you don’t know it’s there?” her grandma said, following Paxine’s gaze.

“Does my mom know any of this?” she said.

“Very little. She does know that Tache is special and that he isn’t a pet. Now, I am going to put you on an assignment. I want you to watch the afternoon news and tell me what Patricia does. Her husband is Mr. Huntsboro. I want you to give me the details. Okay?” Her grandma rose from the sofa.

“Okay.” She followed to sit in the chair by the TV. A pad of paper and a pencil were resting on the table by the chair.

Her grandma turned on the TV.