CODE NAME WOLFGIRL: LOST CHILDREN IN AMERICA

Chapter 20: Candy in the Air

Candy put one hand out and touched the stone wall again. It was rough, but had a regular pattern to it. In some ways, it wasn’t a lot different from the rock of the cliffs near the forest where she’d lived. Although it was different from the stone walls she’d encountered around the institute, she did like it. Her fingers felt the vibrations from the building. Candy lay on the wall and could hear the sounds of people inside. She heard a man yell at someone and backed up. It wasn’t the building that yelled, she finally told herself, but someone on the inside. Candy wanted to find out what was inside the building, but it would have to wait.

She knew Jason needed her help, but she couldn’t find the missing child from down here at ground level. Candy turned and looked for Jason. There he was, a few steps away and busy in a deep discussion with the other dark man. She wondered what the relation between the two might be at the moment. Then decided she needed to help on her own.

She knew Jason would be mad at her for what she needed to do, but he’d understand later. The important thing was to find those children, wasn’t it? Since she couldn’t do it on the ground, wouldn’t it make sense to find them the best way she knew how? Besides, Jason was busy with the other man. No one would blame him if she slipped off on her own to find the children. She wanted to find all of them, not just the latest missing girl. It bothered Candy someone would do this to little children. Someone had done it to her. She was determined to stop them.

She didn’t like the way this ground felt. The shoes made it hard to feel the surface with her feet. If it were similar to the building, it would be rough. Candy didn’t mind, if the ground and building was rough, it meant she could climb on it better. So long as there was nothing too sharp, Candy felt confident she could do it.

While Jason continued to talk to the other man, Candy slipped her shoes off and peeled off the socks they made her wear. Now she could feel the ground. Yes, was rough as she thought. Much like the building next to her. It too pulsed with the energy of many lives. She’d felt that pulse many times back at her house and when she was outside. This time it was strong. The ground beneath her feet felt alive with an energy she couldn’t recognize.

Most important, she felt better and free. The wolf inside her was awake, but she had him under control. Jason didn’t see her and she looked up. Plenty of things she could grab onto and go straight to the top.

Then she began to climb.

It wasn’t’ easy at first, the building didn’t have as many places to grab as she thought. No matter, she found a few stones that such out further than the rest and used them to pull herself upward. No more difficult than the time she’s climbed the cliff to escape from the angry bear. This time there were no bears down there, but she still had to worry about angry animals.

Candy was three stories off the ground when she decided to pause on a window ledge and look around. She saw lines and cables that ran between the buildings and to poles. Candy knew about electrical power. She knew not to touch the lines. A small pole transformer wasn’t too far from her. On the side of the building, she could hear it make a hum. It wasn’t alive in the true sense, but seemed that way. She turned to face another direction and listened to some pigeons coo on the other window ledge. The pigeons were interested in her.

At which point some of the men on the ground began to point up and her and gesture. She waved at them, but they didn’t wave back to her. This was strange. She decided not to wait any more and began to climb to the next level. She was certain they’d go to Jason and he’d want her to come down before she had a good look at the grounds below.

Two more levels up; she stopped because a little girl was staring at her out the window. She smiled through the window to the girl who waved at her. Somehow, the child found a way to crank the window open so she could talk to her.

“Are you an angel?” the little girl said to her.

She was cute with little ringlets on her hair. She wore a dress that frilly, but not extravagant. The little girl was only two inches away from her face. “What is your name?” she asked.

“I’m called Candy,” she told her. “I’m trying to find a little girl about your height.”

The sounds of men who shouted at her came through the window and into the room behind the child. Candy glanced down. Jason was very mad at her, but there was no going back.

“Rachel!” a voice yelled behind the girl, “Get away from that window! That woman is crazy!” A pair of hands materialized and the child was swept away from her. Candy watched as a woman, who had to be her mother from the resemblance, vanished into a kitchen on the other side. It was time to continue her climb to the top of the building.

“She’s up here!” Candy heard her mother say. “Yes, I saw her; she was talking to my daughter. Send someone up as soon as you can!”

This bothered Candy, as she hadn’t meant the little girl any harm. She remembered Jason had told her that parents were very protective of their children. It was something Candy thought about as she continued her climb.