Late Morning – Amarillo

Rebar struggled to open his eyes. They felt heavy and crusted from deep sleep. He tried to sit up, but someone had a hand on his chest, holding him down. Slowly, his vision cleared enough to see.

“Who are you and where am I?” His throat felt gravelly, and his voice sounded hoarse.

“Don’t try to speak,” a female voice said. “You are wounded. Save your strength.

A woman. A woman is holding me down. He mulled that over. I must be in bad shape if I can’t overpower a female.

“Who are you?” he asked again.

She pressed a warm wet cloth on his bare chest. Her touch felt gentle, but it still hurt. “My name is Feather.”

Sounds familiar, he thought, trying to recall where he’d heard it. He felt too drained to think.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood. But the bullet went straight through and exited your back. There is no damage to your internal organs.”

“Bullet? Are you a nurse?” He looked up into the prettiest blue eyes.

“I’m a Medicine Woman. Hush now.” She rubbed a thick paste over his wound.

“You said a bullet. Was I shot?”

She nodded. “They dropped you off here for the day and will be back tonight.”

“Tonight?” He began to feel a little panicky. “Who?”

“Two wah-shee-chue. One with pale hair and the other black hair. I have never seen them.”

“What is wasicu?” he asked.

“White man. I am Lakota.”

Dread washed over him. “Did Malika send you?” He remembered Shook’s story about Malika’s mystical appearance at White Wolf’s cabin.

The woman shook her head. “No. She is evil. She has kept me in this house for a long time.”

“I’m confused.” He sighed, then winced in pain.

“You talk much for an almost dead man,” she said. “I cannot make you strong enough to escape if you won’t shut up.”

He closed his eyes and racked his brain. However, no amount of effort helped him remember what’d happened, or how he ended up here in this unfamiliar house with a stranger.

His short-term memory seemed blank. He couldn’t even recall what he was doing before the so-called shooting. Was he in a battle with Ricochet? He remembered everything up to a certain point. He tried to fight the grogginess and think.

I was overly distraught while the movers hauled everything out. Chamber and I argued. I ordered a pizza, then worked in my den all night.

He recalled playing around with his inventions to improve the stability on Face Palm. He drifted in and out of consciousness as the Indian woman hovered over him. She supported his head and made him drink a bitter tea that made him cringe. After finishing the mugful, he laid back and began to feel very relaxed.

Great, she drugged me, he thought. Malika is using her mystery powers and posing as another woman and holding me hostage until they come back to finish me off. He fogged out.

When he came to, she was still there. He had no idea how long he’d slept.

“You’re awake,” she said softly. “That’s a good sign.”

He stared at her. “What time is it?”

“Around noon by the position of the sun. There are no clocks in this place.”

“How long have I been here?” He turned his head and looked at his surroundings. Bare walls and floor, small windows near the ceiling, and minimal furniture. His gaze moved over her. Long black hair framed a lovely face. She was dressed in a blue and tan dress with fringes dangling from the sleeves.

“They brought you here at sunrise.”

“Why are you here, in this shack?”

She pointed to a hoop with a net woven within the circle hanging over the door window. Feathers and beads dangled from the object.

“A dreamcatcher?”

“Yes. Malika’s magic lives within the web design. I cannot escape.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a long story that you are not up for. Rest. You can escape and perhaps find the one who can free me.” She inspected his wound. “Would you do that for me in exchange for saving your life and helping you escape from them?”

“Can’t you just come with me? I don’t even know where we are.”

“I cannot.” She sighed.

“I’m afraid I won’t get far in this condition,” he told her sadly. “I feel weak. Must have lost too much blood.”

“If you don’t leave by nightfall, you may never escape. They have evil plans.”

“What about you?” he asked, worried over her safety for helping him.

“Malika would never let them harm me. I am her energy source. She has weakened me over the years, drained my soul to increase her power.”

“You mentioned one who can free you.”

She nodded slowly. “Her name is Cameo. She is half Lakota but recently she joined in spirit to a man who is also half Lakota. Before she gave her heart to this man, Malika was able to torment and deceive her. She tried pulling them apart in a sacred dance, but Cameo’s faith was strong. She drove Malika back and is now the only person able to defeat her power.”

Rebar remembered that name, the name of the woman his memory could never erase. He also recalled Shook telling them about the dance. “You know Cameo?”

Tears glistened in Feather’s eyes. “She is my daughter.”

He wrinkled his brow. “Must be a different Cameo. The one I know is Malika’s daughter and has a twin sister.”

“They are my twins. Malika stole them from me and sold them to evil men. Then she imprisoned me in this white man’s house to use me for her malevolent schemes.”

“This is really confusing.” He closed his eyes to think.