Tina Chan - imperfect

“Seems like some sort of cabin,” Kristi said.

The cabin looked ramshackle and desperately needed a paint job. No lights shone from inside the cabin and the roof dipped inwards, hinting of the weight of snow it bore during the winter months.

“Shh!” Chelsa whispered tersely. She pulled Jaiden and Kristi behind a large sassafras tree with a trunk at least six feet across.

“Who visited Stevey?” a croaky voice called out from behind the cabin. “Stevey likes visitors.”

Kristi peeked out from behind the tree trunk. A stooped, stout man emerged from behind the cabin; he had crazy, white hair and a long, matted beard. He wore a yellow plaid shirt with the collar unbuttoned. The sleeves carried a grayish stain on them and he looked like he could use a bath. Stevey’s wiry build and his overall appearance made him seem like a genius gone mad.

He looked around the empty area around him. When no one appeared, he called out once more, “Stevey knows he saw people here. Come out! Stevey likes to talk.” He paused in his talking long enough to waggle his eyebrows up and down. “Stevey knows many, many stuff. Stevey is smart. Stevey knows about the Revealers.” He clapped his hand over his mouth and loudly mumbled, “Bad Stevey. Stevey wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“I’m going to talk to him,” Kristi whispered and then tried to approach Stevey, but Chelsa held her down.

“Let me go first. Stay behind the boulder with Jaiden. Wait—where’s Jaiden?”

While they were talking, Jaiden had slipped away. Kristi peered around the sassafras and saw him approaching Stevey. He was too far away to stop now. She bolted after her brother with Chelsa hot on her heels.

Stevey’s eyes lit up when he saw three visitors appear. He straightened up from his stance and attempted to run his fingers through his severely tangled beard. “Stevey hasn’t had visitors for a long time!”

“I wonder why,” Kristi said under her breath.

Jaiden, being ever the gentleman he was, stuck out his hand for Stevey to shake. Stevey vigorously pumped his arm up and down. The little, eccentric man must’ve had more strength than Jaiden expected because he grimaced with pain.

“Nice to meet you, Stevey,” greeted Jaiden. Stevey reluctantly let go and grinned toothily. “So, I heard you know a lot of stuff.”

Stevey bobbed his head up and down. “Yes, Stevey is very smart.” He proceeded to rattle off the periodic table of elements then started to recite the numbers of pi.

“I also heard Stevey knows some information about the Revealers,” Jaiden said.

Stevey paused his recitation and shook his head, “Stevey doesn’t know anything about the spy group. Stevey got in trouble for interacting with them.”

“Stevey, we need your help. If you do know information about the Revealers, we would really appreciate it if you would share it with us,” Kristi said.

Stevey’s gaze fell upon Ghost who had reappeared. “Stevey will give you information if Stevey can have the kitty.”

Ghost snarled at Stevey and spat at his shoes.

“Sorry, the leopard isn’t up for trade,” Chelsa said. She turned as if to leave. “Come on, we should get going.”

Stevey looked up in alarm. “Wait! Don’t go! Stevey will share information if you give Stevey company. Stevey is very lonely.”

“Stay or leave?” Jaiden asked.

“Stay.” Kristi faced Stevey and said, “We’ll stay for as long as you can provide us useful information, okay?”

“Okay. Let’s go to Stevey’s house.” Stevey led them into the pathetic excuse of a cabin and lit a fire in the fireplace; Kristi was mildly surprised he didn’t burn down his cabin in the process of lighting the fire. It seemed like something he would do.

Then Stevey patted on the worn-out couch for them to sit on. Ghost, still looking sorely insulted by Stevey calling him a “kitty”, had once again disappeared.

“What do you want to know?” Stevey asked.

“Who are you and why are you living in the woods by yourself?” Jaiden said.

“Stevey was a brilliant scientist. Stevey was the head scientist and worked for the government. But, Stevey couldn’t stand the pressure of Stevey’s work anymore and went coo-coo,” Stevey said, simultaneously twirling his index finger and wiping a string of drool with his sleeve.

“I can tell Stevey went coo-coo,” Chelsa muttered into Kristi’s ear.

Kristi hushed her and listened to Stevey continue to talk. “Stevey got fired and the government said Stevey had to disappear or else they would make Stevey disappear. So Stevey left Stevey’s old home and lives here now.”

Jaiden asked some more irrelevant questions, getting Stevey to grow comfortable with his presence.

Chelsa leaned over to Kristi, who was seated between Jaiden and Chelsa, and said, “Tell Jaiden to cut to the chase and ask Stevey where the Revealers are. We don’t have time to waste.”

“It was your idea to come here in the first place,” said Kristi. She kept her voice low as not to distract Jaiden from his questioning.

“I didn’t expect finding this whacko in the woods.”

“Fine.”

Kristi passed on Chelsa’s request to Jaiden, who in turn asked Stevey, “Stevey, why don’t you tell us more about the Revealers?”

“Stevey can’t do that. Stevey will get in trouble if Stevey gives away top-secret information.”

Chelsa started to speak up, wanting to get Stevey to give her the answers she sought, but Jaiden broke in before she could. “Why don’t you share some information that’s not undisclosed?”

“Stevey knows lots! 1.77245385091 is square root of pi. Some numbers are square and others are triangular. The circle has the largest area out of a group of shapes with the same perimeter. A jellyfish is over 95% water. The average government official spends 137 points a day. A lot of Revealer members visit Charleston because that is where their headquarters is. Droid-pets were invented twenty-nine years ago. Is that enough information?”

Chelsa, Kristi and Jaiden exchanged looks. At last, one vital piece of information in aiding them to hunt down the Revealers.

“So, one of the Revealer’s headquarter is in Charleston in the West Region, right?” Kristi asked Stevey.

“Stevey said too much.”

She took that for a “yes.”

Stevey offhandedly stood up and opened the rickety door of his cabin. “Out!” he commanded. “Stevey wants you out!” He wagged a finger at them and said, “You guys are sneaky. You made Stevey careless and say too much.”

They got the message and left.

Troop sucked in a deep breath then opened the door to his apartment.

A man stood in the kitchen with his back to Troop. His father. At the sound of the door clicking shut, his father spun on his heels to face him. Troop hid his discomfort as the man scanned him from head to toe. In return, Troop observed his father.

He had changed a bit. Granted, the last time Troop saw him was ten years ago, but he had changed more than Troop expected. His father had acquired a gaunt and haunted look. Dark circles encircled his eyes, which flickered around in an unnerving fashion.

“Troop.” His father stuck out a hand.

Troop reached out his right hand and briefly shook his father’s. Everything felt wrong; everything felt too formal and alien.

“What time does your mother come back from work?” his father asked.

“Not for a while.” Troop couldn’t bring himself to call this man dad . “How did you get in here?”

“Your mother picked me up from the air-train station and dropped me off here before going back to work.” His father lifted up a duffle bag and said, “Where should I put my belongings?”