The Arrival (16 page)

“Are these seats taken,” Kate asked a
woman with a small child at her side, sitting on the back row.

Immediately, she tossed her bag in the
chair. “Yes. I’m saving it,” she snapped.

“Ookay,” Kate replied.

“We’ll have to split up.” I motioned to
an empty space. But before she could sit, a guy in the chair next to hers got
up and moved to the front of the bus.

“What’s the deal with these people?” Kate
whispered.

“I don’t know.”  I slid to one of the seats.
“But at least we’re together.” It didn’t take long to note the cold stares. Did
we have a sign on our backs that said Eslite slaves?  I couldn’t figure it out.

I leaned close to Kate’s and asked, “Why
is everyone watching us?”

She scanned the bus. “Do you think they
know something?”

“No, I doubt it.”

“Well, I don’t like it.” She shifted in
her chair and inched down in her seat. “It’s scaring me.”

“Hey, don’t let them get to you.” I
grabbed her hand. “They are probably more scared of us than we are of them.”

She sighed. “I don’t know about that.”

“Hey.” I tugged her arm. “We can do
this.”

“Can we, really?”  She took a deep
breath. “I mean--will our efforts do any good? What if my uncle doesn’t believe
us or doesn’t care, like your dad?”

“He’ll believe us.” Squeezing her
fingers tighter, I said, “And he will care. But if you don’t keep the faith
then why go on? You have to believe in yourself—in your cause.”

She cast me a doubtful look.

“What matters is what’s inside here.” I
placed a palm over my heart. “Your willpower and determination make all the
difference in the world.”

“You always know how to make me feel
better.” She gave me a small smile.

“I just want you to see why we have to
do this. Why we have to trust that what we are doing is going to have an
impact. That we will change or do away with the order.” Then I pointed to the ring
that Aliah made for Kate. “When your uncle hears about how our friend died,
along with the other girls, he will help us.”

She peered at me, tears filling her
crystal blue eyes. “He has to help us.”

I sniffed. “And he will.”

“We do this for Aliah and the other nine
girls that died.” She laced her fingers through mine in a strong grip. “We owe
it to them.”

“So we’ll do it for them.”  Lifting our
clasped hands in the air, as an expression of victory, I said, “And we’ll do it
for freedom.”

θ

The bus stopped in front of the white
structure that resembled a miniature US Capitol. Flashes of my dad meeting with
politicians flooded my mind. He had a way of convincing people to get what he
wanted. Did I have that same ability? I had already struck out with him, so
who’s to say that wouldn’t happen with the senator? Were we wasting our time
and putting our lives in unnecessary danger? I shook my head and reminded
myself why we had to act.

Freedom.

The bus began to clear, and we made our
way to the front.

“Crap.” I checked my watch. “It’s
fifteen minutes till five.”

“Come on.” Kate pointed south. “This
way.”

“Do you think he’ll still be there?”

“Don’t know.”  She held her hands up. “But
we better hurry. If not, we’re going to have to take a taxi to his house.”

We hurried down the street, walking at a
fast pace until we finally broke into a full sprint. Kate and I ran until we
made it to the senator’s ten-story building. Sweat streamed down my face, and I
paced the sidewalk, trying to catch my breath before I opened the door. Kate
hunched over, bracing herself against her legs, panting for air. 

“We gotta go,” I said, taking her by the
arm.

She nodded, and we dashed up the stairs.
We stumbled inside, not prepared to meet a security officer. I hesitated for a
second and turned to Kate, hoping she had an idea of how to deal with that
unexpected surprise. Had she known there was a guard on duty? If so, why hadn’t
she told me? That could screw things up royally. I grabbed her hand to pull us
out the door but stopped when the man addressed us.

“May I help you, ladies?” His deep,
thick voice echoed through the foyer.

With eyes big and our breath ragged, we
stared at each other, waiting for someone to say something. At last, I said,
“Yes, we’re here to see Senator Wesley Bosch.”

The guard stood with arms crossed,
studying us from head to toe.

Kate flipped her blond curls, and I lifted
my sunglasses and flashed a girlish smile. He didn’t buy it. Instead, he looked
right through us.

“Do you have an appointment?” He glanced
at the clock that showed ten minutes until five.

I shook my head and pouted. If flirting
didn’t work then maybe sympathy would get us past the metal detector.

“No, I’m sorry we don’t.” My partner in
crime leaned against the counter. “If you tell him his niece Kate Bosch is
here, I’m sure he’ll agree to see us. It’s
very
important.”

The officer furrowed his brows. “I’ll
need your identification, please.”

I shot Kate a quick peek. We had agreed
to use our fake IDs, but since she told him her name we had to use the real
thing. She peered at me and mouthed an apology. Brushing my hair from my face,
I cast a lopsided grin. Either way we hadn’t planned for that little
faux
pas,
and if Kate hadn’t told him that she was the senator’s niece, we might
not get in the door. I couldn’t be mad at her.

“And who are you?” the security guard
asked, as I handed him my ID.

“I’m Miranda Mays, Kate’s best friend.”
He reviewed the state-issued card and then took a long hard stare at me before
examining my picture.

“She’s with me, Officer Levinson.” Kate
unzipped the front pocket of her backpack. “And here’s my ID.  Please tell my Uncle
Wes that I’m here.”

“Thank you,” he said with a slight
attitude, as if we were a big nuisance. Probably because he was ready to go
home. Government workers never liked working past their schedule. How did I
know that? Dad reminded me all the time with his constant complaining.

He studied her ID, gazing back and forth
between Kate and the card, before picking up the phone. “Hello, Martha. I have
Kate Bosch, the senator’s niece, and Miranda Mays, for Senator Bosch.” He
cleared his throat while keeping his gaze steady on us. 

I tried not to flinch because something
told me he sensed we didn’t belong there. I leaned against the counter, trying
to act normal while I slowed my breath. My tongue clung to the roof of my mouth,
and I focused on not swallowing, recalling how Dad said that was a sign of
nervousness.

“Yes, and her friend, Miranda Mays,” he
repeated.

“Please tell him I’m the daughter of
Richard Mays, the mayor of Myrtle Beach,” I quickly added.

“Miss Mays is the daughter of Myrtle
Beach Mayor Richard Mays.” He gave me another once over. “Yes, that’s correct. 
I’ll wait.”

Kate bit her lip as she hummed a tune.
It made me antsy, and I wanted to tell her to stop but refrained.  Regardless
of how hard I tried to calm myself, my heart couldn’t seem to catch a break.
After steadying my pulse from the sprint, it still drummed in my ears as I
prayed he would clear us. When I thought my heart couldn’t race any faster, I
almost fainted when the guard swiped our IDs into a card reader attached to his
computer.

Shit.

If the Eslites had any link to that
security database, our trip was over. I swallowed hard as every muscle in my
body tightened.

Kate moved closer and whispered in my
ear, “Are you all right?”

I gave a slight nod.

“You’re approved,” the guard said,
hanging up the phone. “Down the hall and last door on the right.” He returned
our IDs, but thoughts of the Eslites occupied me. Where would we run? What
would we do if they came for us? I wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet. I had too
much to do.

“Come on.” She nudged me, breaking my
hypnotic trance.

“What?”

“We can go now.” She motioned for me to
follow her.

I blinked a few times, finally realizing
that we were all right. “Oh…okay.” We walked through the metal detector without
a problem. As we headed down the hall, I waved to the guard. “Thanks.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m worried because they scanned our
real ID’s.”

“What do you mean?” Kate inquired.

I stopped. “Did you know there was going
to be a guard?”

“Yes, why?” A perplexed expression
formed on her face.

In a hushed voice, I said, “Because, we
might have given away our location. If I’d known there was a security officer,
we could have discussed which ID to give him.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, crap.”

“Mmm huh. Yes. Hello? We gave that guard
our real IDs, and he entered them into a system that the Eslites might be able
to access. Did that even occur to you?” I threw my hands in the air, irked that
she didn’t tell me.

“Sorry, Miranda. I didn’t think about
that.” With tears looming, she said, “See, that’s why I shouldn’t have come
with you.”

Guilt penetrated the anger, turning it
into compassion. Why was I treating Kate that way? It really wasn’t her fault.
She wasn’t the type that thought through every detail. If I needed to be mad at
someone, I should’ve been mad at myself. I was the detailed person, the anal
one.

“No, Kate, I need you with me.” I gave
her a quick hug. “It’s my fault. I should have asked you. I’m sorry.”

“Well, I’m sorry, too.” She wiped her
tears. “Come on, let’s go talk to my uncle.”

She opened the door to the senator’s
office, and we stepped into a room that revealed a nice sophisticated
workplace. Patriotic blue painted the walls and a row of stained mahogany
shelves with law books partially covered the side wall. Posters of campaigns
framed in a gold antique wood hung wherever space allowed. Dark wood blinds
shielded the windows, blocking out the afternoon sun. The space had a cozy feel
to it, but I imagined the chaos around election time.

A middle-aged woman behind an antique
desk greeted us. “Hello, you must be Miss Bosch and Miss Mays.”

“Yes, I’m Kate, and this is my friend Miranda.”
Kate shook the lady’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.” I nodded, as I
gathered my thoughts. “We really need to speak to the senator. I know it’s
almost five, and he’s leaving for vacation, but it won’t take long. I promise.”
I spilled out everything in one breath.

“Sure, no problem.” The lady smiled. “If
you girls have a seat, he’ll be with you shortly.”

“Thanks,” I replied, as I perched on a
leather bench. 

Kate sat opposite me. She leaned forward
and in a low voice said, “I’ll start, but you do most of the talking, okay?”

 I gave her a thumb up as I rehearsed
the conversation in my head. If it went anything like what I had said, we were
in trouble.

“Kate?” Senator Bosch called, walking in
our direction. “What are you doing here?”

We stood.

“Hi, Uncle Wes.” She splayed her arms,
and he embraced her.

“It’s good to see you, dear, but what
are you doing in Columbia?” He arched a brow. “Does your dad know you’re here?
Or did he bring you?”

“Can we talk in your office?” Kate all
but bounced.

“Sure.” He gazed at me. “And you must be
Miranda Mays?”

“Hello.” I extended my hand. “Nice to
meet you.”

“Likewise.” We exchanged a hearty shake,
and he smiled.  “I know your dad. He’s a good man.”

Oh, no. Would he call Dad, and tell him
I was there? Or would he side with Dad, and tell us we were crazy and refuse to
help us? Then I remembered they supported opposing political parties. I should
have done my homework on his stance regarding the Eslite order. But so much had
happened in a short amount of time, I hadn’t had a chance.

“Ladies, shall we adjourn to my inner
sanctum?”

Kate giggled, and I managed a pathetic
chuckle.

Before the senator shut the door, the
secretary stated, “I’m going to leave now, if that’s okay.”

“Sure, Martha. I’ll be working late
tonight.” The senator paused at the threshold. “You know how to get in touch
with me the rest of the week, correct?”

“Yes, but I’ll only call you if it’s
urgent,” she responded in a motherly tone. “You’re on vacation and need that
time with your family.”

“I know.” He nodded and closed the door.

“Please, have a seat,” he instructed, as
he settled into a plush, high back leather chair.

His office mirrored the main area with
the exception of more books and stacks and stacks of papers everywhere. Almost
twice the size of his secretary’s, his antique desk sported ornate, claw-like
feet and had to weigh about a ton.

“All right. What are you young ladies
doing in Columbia?” He sounded a little put off, and I couldn’t blame him since
we’d barged in at ten minutes until five the day before he began his vacation.
His stark blue eyes, quite similar to Kate’s, contrasted with his sandy blond
hair that grayed along the frame of his face.

“Well, Uncle Wes, you know we’ve been at
Nidus, the Eslite facility in Martinsburg, West Virginia and—”

“I know.” He steepled his fingers.
“That’s why I’m surprised to see you. When did you get home?”

“Last Sunday.” Kate glanced in my
direction. “We’re on a four week break.”

“Yes, your dad mentioned that you were
granted leave.” He reclined and compressed his lips. “In fact, we were trying
to coordinate a trip, but he hadn’t received approval to take you past the
sixty-mile restriction. So, that’s why I’m wondering what you are doing in
Columbia.”

Busted. Shit.

Kate blinked and squirmed.

Perspiration pooled in my palms, and I
dried them on my shorts. As I opened my mouth, Kate spoke.

“Uncle Wes, please don’t call Dad.”
Scooting her chair to his desk, she leaned over the blotter. “He doesn’t know
I’m here.”

“What do you mean?” The senator narrowed
his stare. “Did you leave without permission?”

“Well, um, yeah, I guess you can say
that. We had—”

“Kate, do you realize the danger, never
mind the violations, you and Miranda put yourselves in?” His cheeks reddened
and his nostrils flared.

“No, Uncle Wes, it’s not like that. You
see, we took—”

“That’s enough.” Without warning, he
pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling your father.”

“No!” Kate sobbed. “Please don’t.”

“It’s for your own good.”

I stood. “Senator, you’ll be sorry if
you do that.”

“Oh?” He cocked a brow. “How so?”

“Because you’ll send us to our deaths.”
I lifted my chin. “Is that what you want to do?”

He hesitated and gazed at the floor. At
last, he pocketed the phone. “This must be damn important if you two are
willing to risk your lives.”

“You’re damn right it’s important.”  I folded
my arms across my chest. “And not just for us.”

“Uncle Wes, we didn’t know where else to
turn.” Kate sniffed. “You have to help us.”

He exhaled and then plopped a box of
tissues in front of Kate. “What’s going on?”