Early in the morning, they came to Ogunquit and stopped for breakfast. Sora bolted to the bathroom while Kat and Kari got a table. Kat noticed some people who looked familiar, but she let it go. When they were done eating, they quickly went back to the Sunfire, and Kat remembered who the people were. "Celebrities!" Sora exclaimed. "Let's go talk to them." "Did you see it?" Kat asked. "That Black Mustang. It just drove away when the Celebrities came out." The Celebrities heard them and came over. "Hello, Kat," said one. "You're late. Or lost, I suppose." "Elijah Wood!" Sora whispered in awe. Kat was shocked. "He knows my name." Elijah Wood smirked. "I've seen you with Joe's Brother. I know him. And, I do believe, you are playing my part in this story." "Tell us about the Black Mustangs," blurted out Kari. Elijah Wood looked troubled. "Why do you ask about them?" "Because one is following us," said Kat. Elijah Wood spoke to the other Celebrities. Then he turned back to the girls. "We can't tell you here. It's not normal, but you can follow us, since we are going the same way. Then you can stay with us tonight." "Thanks!" exclaimed Kari. They climbed in the cars and went back to the Interstate. A Bentley in front, the Sunfire reluctantly behind, and a Mercedes-Benz in the rear. Elijah Wood had joined the Sunfire group and was enjoying shotgun. "Toll?!" Kat exclaimed, as they came near to the toll booth. "Since when was this here?" Elijah Wood fished out some change and put it in Kat's hand. Sora was gaping. "Elijah Wood touched your hand!" After the toll, the Celebrities stopped at a roadside park for lunch. "York Harbor," announced Elijah Wood. "Nice place. Our homes are nicer though. Sorry we have to eat here." They all sat down, but Kat sat next to Elijah Wood to get information out of him. "Have you seen Joe's Brother since he left?" she asked. "Sure." He said no more about Joe's Brother. "You are leaving Maine, but you don't even know why." He turned to her. "Am I right?" "That was supposed to be a secret." She glanced at Kari, who was at the other end of the table. "We're not going to tell the Enemy. We don't know why He's following you, but you seem to have peril on either side of you." She looked around her. "You don't seem perilous to me." She quickly changed the subject after the look he shot her. "So what about these Black Mustangs? I see they're GTs, and convertibles." "Didn't Joe tell you about them?" "No. But then again, I wasn't listening too carefully." "Then I won't tell you. But you better drive faster." "Maybe if I didn't have to stay behind that fucking slow Bentley..." "Well, if you have a question, ask Joe." "That's just it. I haven't seen him for a while." "What?!" he shouted. Everyone stared at him. Then they went back to eating and conversing. "This bothers me, Kat. It is said, 'Do not meddle in the affairs of Nerds, for they will use big words you don't understand.'" She gave him a look. "It is also said, 'Do not ask Celebrities for advice, because they are too stupid to know anything about the real world.'" He frowned. "Oh, yeah? 'Do not converse with girls from Maine, because they are all little bitches.'" She opened her mouth, then could not think of a comeback, so she frowned and crossed her arms, playing with her Dice Tongue Ring. "You could at least tell me about those Black Mustangs," she said sullenly. "Who cares? They're bad, that's all you need to know. Run away from them! But we must go. Good-bye, Kat." And he gave her a hug before the Celebrities left. "Did he tell you anything?" Kari asked. "Just insults," Kat replied. "We need to go. Quickly." "Suppose we'll see the Black Mustang again?" asked Sora. "Yep." They got in the Sunfire and drove down I-95, in silence, for Kat was thinking. "I am coming with you," Sora said quietly to Kat. "Even after Portsmouth. The Celebrities said to me, 'If you effing leave her, well... you better effing not.' And I laughed and said, ''Course not. That kid in that Black Mustang didn't look so tough. I could take him.'" Kat laughed at that. "Do you still like those Celebrities, now that you've met them?" "Yes. I suppose. They seem happy, and yet sad, if you know what I mean." Kat looked at her. "Still want to leave Maine, now that you've seen them?" "Yeah. It's exciting, I guess. Something inside of me says, 'There's somethin' for you to do, so ... do it.'" "Good. 'Cuz I feel the same. Joe chose me a good buddy." Kari woke up with a snort. "I'm still hungry. This Interstate is taking too long. 75 mph, my ass. It's no faster than 65." "I don't drive 75," said Kat. Sure enough, the speedometer was pushing 100. "This is fine, and stopping to eat will take longer. I want to get to Portsmouth, ASAP." "Aw, but I was hoping to stop at Applebee's." Kari slumped back into her seat. "We're almost to the Maine-New Hampshire border, anyway," said Sora. "COP!" yelled Kat, as she slammed on the brakes. "Road construction," groaned Sora. "Looks like you'll have to drive at 75," said Kari. "Forget that." Kat noticed a nice orange sign that said, "55 mph." "I hate road construction." Sora threw the map on the dash. "Oh, stopping to eat makes delays, huh?" Kari gloated in the backseat." The backroads go out of the way, huh?" She was grinning. "Shut up." Kat threw her left arm on the window ledge, dropping her head in her hand as traffic moved slowly along. At the first exit, Kat turned off. "Fine. Back roads. You better be good at that map, Sora." "Well, this road goes north," Sora replied, picking up the map again. "Then there's another that goes back south." "Fine." Kat slammed on the gas. After a mile or so, the road came to a dead end. She turned left. The road curved back and forth. Finally, she stopped on the shoulder, got out, and screamed in frustration. Kari got out. "I know where we are. There's a big raspberry field down that way. Maybe the farmer what's-his-name can give us directions." Kat said nothing, but shoved Kari back in and drove down the dirt road. The farmer was outside and started yelling at them. Kat rolled down her window. "I know you!" he said. "Kat! Used to come and steal my raspberries!" Kat smiled sheepishly. "We are lost, actually. We need to get to Portsmouth quickly. Before night, preferably." "Sure. Go down that road," he pointed, "and go through St. Eliot. That will bring you back to I-95, where most of the construction is done. And here." He shoved a Tupperware at her. "Thanks, sir," Kat said and drove off. Sora opened the Tupperware. "Raspberries!" she exclaimed and started eating them. The light was starting to go. As the Sunfire rounded a corner, the girls noticed a Black Mustang in front of them. Driving slowly. Sora gasped as the much faster Sunfire caught up with it. The windows were tinted, so they couldn't see anything inside it. "Hold da phone," said Kari, leaning between Kat and Sora. "That's a Mustang Cobra. With a nice wing. And Maine license plates." "Thank God," sighed Sora in relief. A cell phone rang. It was Kat's. "Yello?" she answered it. "Stop tailgating me!" shrieked a girl on the other end. It was Mimi. "Sorry." Kat didn't slow down. "Wondering what was taking you so long," Mimi said, turning her Mustang Cobra onto the Interstate. "Got lost taking a short-cut." The Sunfire followed and immediately passed the Mustang Cobra. Sora waved. They could all see the bridge that crossed the Hudson River into New Hampshire. "Uh-oh." Kat saw a familiar car in front of them. "'Scuse me?" said Mimi. "Ah, my battery is dying! I'll call you back!" She hung up. "Do you see that?" Sora noticed the Black Mustang. "Oh no-no no-no no ..." They crossed the river, never taking their eyes off the Black Mustang. Kari's cell phone rang. "Hello?" "Kari, do you see that Black Mustang ahead of you?" It was Mimi again. "Yeah, sure." "Mine's nicer, isn't it?" "Yeah. Newer, too." "And a Cobra." "Yep." The Black Mustang turned off the Interstate and the girls gave sighs of reliefs. "And there is Portsmouth," said Kat. "Next exit." She suicidally weaved between cars, trying to get back into the right lane. "And just in time for bed," said Sora. "Uh, I mean, watching TV and drinking beer." "Damn right," said Kat, turning onto the exit ramp. Mimi was following her. "Did you realize," said Kari, "that it took us nearly a whole 15 hours to get here. That's strangely ... unlikely." Kat glared at her in the rearview mirror. "So we spent the whole afternoon with the Celebrities. So what?" "Just sayin'." Kat turned onto 10th Street (funny, huh) and into the driveway at the end of the cul-de-sac, where Dereck was waiting at her house. Mimi parked at the curb. Everyone got out and took the bags out of the Sunfire and into the house. Kat collapsed on the couch in front of the fireplace. "I'm damned tired." She looked around. Everything was arranged just like at 10th Street in Portland. She wished she wasn't going away; she wished she could just live here peacefully with no worries about a Tongue Ring that had been in numerous people's mouths and lakes. Dereck moved her legs over so he could sit down. She smiled at him. "Change is good, ya know," she said. "You could've at least experimented with some feng shui." He shrugged. "You moved. Enough change for 18 years." "19." She sat up. Sora, Kari, and Mimi had settled themselves in chairs with sodas. Dereck offered her one. She shook her head. "Hell no, I had to drive down here with you guys. I deserve a beer." Dereck smiled and went to get her one. Kat opened it. "Hey, let's eat those raspberries." Sora looked around nervously. "Uh, they're gone. " Kat took a long swig. "Fine." Mimi folded her legs under her. "I was wondering. You guys all looked scared when you first started tailgating me. What for?" No one spoke. "Black Mustangs," Kari said, after a while. "Not Cobras. They were following us." She told her of their journey down 1-95. "I'd think you were trying to trick me," said Mimi, "if I didn't see that Black Mustang on the bridge. What's going on, Kat?" "She's not saying anything," said Kari. "But it's time for her to start sharing." Kat cleared her throat. "All I'm sayin' is that it has something to do with Joe's Brother and the Black Mustangs are looking for him, or me. And it's not safe for me to stay here." She looked around. "She'll crack in a minute," Kari whispered to Mimi. "Well," said Kat. "I suppose I shall tell you." "You slept with Joe's Brother and you're pregnant!" shouted Dereck. "What?!" Kat almost choked on her beer.. He laughed. "Just kidding." "I'll tell you," said Mimi. "You're leaving Maine and you don't know how to say good-bye." "I already left Maine." Kat was shocked, though. The others laughed at her dumbfounded look. "You think you could fool us?" said Kari. "We heard you talking to yourself, and pretending to come to the end of your money, and talking so much with Joe." "So all of Maine is talking about me leaving?" Kat almost dropped her beer. "No, you self-centered boob," said Mimi. "Only us conspirators know. We always wondered when you'd follow Joe's Brother. So don't try to escape so easily." "I have to go though," said Kat, sadly. "'Course," said Kari. "You have to go, so we are coming with you. MImi and I are joining you and Sora, because you need more than one companion." "Sorry," said Kat. "But it's going to be dangerous. Just peril and more peril. You don't understand." Mimi laughed. "We do, though, which is why we're coming. The Tongue Ring is no laughing matter, even though I just was, but we are going to help you." "The Tongue Ring?!" Kat was amazed. "Hell yeah," continued Mimi. "I knew about it. Joe's Brother actually told me about it. Well, not told, but showed me. Not on purpose, but I saw him vanish when Focker and Bitch were coming his way. So I spied on him. Read his book, too." "His book?" Kat laughed. "I can't believe he ever started writing that thing." "Anyway," said Mimi, "it was hard for us to find anything out, because Joe doesn't say a word. But Sora actually found the most information for us." Sora shot Kat an apolegetic look. "So I can't trust anyone," muttered Kat. "Well," said Sora, "you can trust us to keep your secret, and you can't trust us to let you go alone, because we are your friends. Since we know so much about the Tongue Ring, we're going, even though we're scared shitless." "Yeah, but I won't believe you're sleeping ever again. I'll kick you hard to make sure." She took a drink. "But I guess I'm happy you're coming with me. We have to leave early tomorrow. I don't like those Black Mustangs, and it makes me uneasy to stay here when everyone else knew I was coming here. How soon will they get here?" "And how soon could we leave?" asked Mimi. "An hour. We can't wait 'til morning. Things are already ready to go." "There are five bicycles, along with backpacks of clothes and food," said Dereck. "What about the Black Mustangs? They have cars, and we will have ... bikes?" Kat was confused. "You've all gone down the crapper." "We're going through the forest of New Hampshire," replied Mimi. "Safer than the Interstate, mind you." "But that's dangerous!" said a horrified Dereck. "You'll get lost." "Come on," said Mimi. "I go in there all the time." "Whatever," he said, settling deep into the couch. "But I have no desire to leave. I'll just stay here and deal with nosy people." Kari and Mimi smirked. Dereck looked at them. "What?" Kari stopped laughing. "We were just saying that you're skinny enough, we could dress you up like Kat." Mimi burst out laughing. "Fuck no." He got up and started running. Mimi and Kari bolted after him and dragged him into the bathroom. "Well," said Kat. "I'm not going to leave a message for Joe. He can find us on his own, the fucker. I'm scared outta my pants to go, but I wouldn't want to stay here like Dereck--waiting for a Black Mustang to show up." "As a cross-dresser, no less," laughed Sora. "Poor Dereck. But he'll enjoy wearing your clothes. He has a major crush on you." "No he doesn't. Joe's Brother does." "And Joe." "You're full of shit." Kat threw her empty beer can at Sora. "Hey!" she said. Kat got up. "I'm going to bed. I need some rest." |
| The Cult of the Tongue Ring part four |
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