Even in the morning, there was no movement. If the guy worked, he had to work from home. Or was on holidays. He spent a lot of time in his house, that’s all we knew for sure. After a full twenty-four hours, we were no closer to finding out who he was.
“We could take his mail and find out his name,” Garrick suggested. As far as stake out buddies went, he was quite a good one. I hadn’t heard one complaint from Garrick yet.
“He might see us, we’d have to do it covertly.”
“I’m sneaky.”
I was starting to believe him. “We’ll have to wait for the postman to deliver it first. I haven’t seen him come by, have you?”
“Nope.”
More waiting, just what we needed. I checked my watch, it was almost noon. If I was going to meet my parents, I would have to leave shortly. I still hadn’t broached the subject with Garrick. I didn’t want to be trapped in a car with someone who didn’t agree with what I was about to do.
Now, it was time to speak or forever hold my peace. “Garrick, I have an appointment to get to. Do you want to come?”
“What appointment?” He asked, confused.
I explained about the cryptic message my dad gave me on the phone. He listened intently but his forehead creased with wrinkles the more I said. “It’s almost time, I have to go or I’ll miss the meeting.”
“It’s probably a trap.”
“I trust my parents. They might be able to help.”
“Your parents work for the Department,” he continued. “They will probably be waiting for you, ready to take you back to the complex.”
“They wouldn’t do that to me,” I insisted. Even though I had a little niggling doubt in the back of my mind, I still believed the best of them. They were on my side, they had to be.
“Their allegiance is to the Department. They wouldn’t even know how to think differently. They probably think it’s in your best interests to return to the complex.”
“Is that why you wouldn’t call your parents? Because that’s what you think they’ll do?”
“Partly.”
I shook my head. “My parents don’t think like that. Look, you don’t have to come with me. I can leave you here or drop you off somewhere else. But I’m going. My gut is telling me I can trust them.”
“Are you sure that isn’t just what you want to believe?” He stared me in the eyes, challenging me. I knew he had a point and I would probably be having this same discussion with him if the tables were turned. But I had to go, even if it was a suicide mission.
“I’m going, Garrick. Do you want to stay or come?”
He sighed and shifted in his seat, uncomfortable all of a sudden. “I’ll go with you. We’ve come this far together. I guess if we get captured, we can die together too.”
I started the engine and prayed that wouldn’t happen. If we got caught, it would be entirely my fault. I guess the good news would be that I wouldn’t have to dwell on my downfall too long. I’m sure the Department would kill us both to save themselves any more trouble dealing with us.
CHAPTER 9
“I hear a car,” Garrick whispered. We were hidden in the forest surrounding my family’s picnic spot. The old VW Bug was nearby on the road, I had done my best to park it discreetly.
“Remember the plan,” I said seriously. “If anything happens, run and get out of here. I don’t want you waiting for me. Pirate code.”
“Pirate code?”
“Whoever falls behind, stays behind.”
He shook his head, like he still didn’t understand me. I guess I’d seen too many pirate movies for my own good.
I pointed to the couple entering the open field. “They’re my parents.” It felt so good seeing them, even if from afar. I wanted to run out and wrap my arms around them but I couldn’t. Not yet, anyway.
“Wait here and I’ll give you the signal,” Garrick said as he crept away. I remained in my hiding spot while he checked the road to make sure they came alone.
My parents kept checking their watches, staying close as they talked – probably about me not being there. It seemed like forever before Garrick whistled just once and gave me the signal the road was clear. I had to remind myself that, just because they weren’t followed, it didn’t mean they would be on my side. I wasn’t in the clear yet.
I stepped out of the forest, they immediately spotted me and hurried over. Finally, I was enveloped in their arms. A hug from my mom and dad had never felt so good before.
“Amery, I am so happy to see you,” Dad gushed. “I didn’t know if you would understand the message.”
“You got all the details wrong, of course I got it,” I replied, not confessing it took a few minutes for it to sink in and click. “I had to come and see you then.”
“The Department is looking everywhere for you,” Mom warned. “They told us we have to report your whereabouts if you contact us.”
“Are you going to?” I held my breath as I waited for an answer. I didn’t want my gut to fail me. When they shook their heads, I wanted to hug them all over again. “What changed your minds?”
Dad explained. “They wouldn’t tell us where you went, all they would say was that you were safe. We weren’t allowed to speak or visit you. That is not okay, not when you have been our daughter for the past seventeen years.”
“I think they’re going to kill all the members of the project,” I blurted out. “They are holding everyone in a place that is like a prison. We aren’t allowed to do anything in there. It’s horrible. They held me in a pitch black cell and were going to leave me there to die.”
“I think you’d better tell us everything,” Mom said. We sat on the ground while I told her everything from when I was taken from the park to when Garrick and I returned to Portview in a borrowed VW Bug. They listened intently as I gave them a full report. The only details I was a bit sketchy on were those surrounding Garrick. It wasn’t my place to tell his story.
“The Department are going to keep coming after you,” Dad warned when I was finished. “We’re going to have to work out how to keep you away from them until we can figure out what to do.”
“It’s best you both don’t know,” I replied sadly. “They will know you’re lying otherwise. If nobody knows where we are, they can’t be a party to our escape.”
“We’ll come with you,” Mom declared. There was no way I could allow that to happen. It was far easier for Garrick and I to stay on the road. The more people, the more we had to think about.
“If you disappear, the Department will know you’re helping me. There is no way to go back from that. I need you to continue on like you haven’t heard from me.”
Dad nodded, thankfully agreeing with me. If they didn’t, I would have quite an argument on my hands. “Amery is right, we need to maintain a show for the Department. The Originals are after you too, you’re going to have to stay away from them all. It’s not going to be easy.”
“I know, but I’ll be careful.”
“We brought some money for you,” Dad continued, handing over a wad of cash. “If you need more, you just have to call and we’ll arrange it for you. Even if it’s a dead drop, we’ll make sure you get enough to keep going.”
I accepted the money, easily several hundreds of dollars, and gave them another hug. “Thank you. We’ll try to find a hotel out of the way and figure out our next move. We’ve got a lead we’re chasing down at the moment.”
“Better we don’t know the details.”
I agreed with him, we were all on the same wavelength now. “Will you please let Lola and Lochie know I’m alright? I don’t want anyone worrying.”
“We will,” Mom promised, taking my hand and squeezing it tight. “But I thought you didn’t like that Lochie boy?”
That was a whole different conversation I needed to have with them sometime. At least I didn’t have to worry about the project rules for a while – especially the one that said I couldn’t date until I was eighteen. I had done such a good job
of hiding our relationship, I didn’t want to ruin it now. “I, uh, don’t want him spreading rumors about my whereabouts. He’s nosy like that.”
We all stood and said our goodbyes, I promised to call if I needed help for the twentieth time. I reluctantly retreated into the forest and waited for them to leave. When their car engine sounded and the exhaust disappeared into the distance, Garrick reappeared at my side.
“Are you okay?” He asked. Clearly I wasn’t hiding my sadness very well.
“I’m fine, it’s hard to say goodbye. Did you see anything funny on the lookout?”
“Nope,” he replied as we started walking back to the car. “They were the only ones to come and go. Nobody else even passed by. This place really is deserted.”
“My dad knew it would be.”
We climbed into the VW and Garrick started driving back toward the house in Rio Grande. “Are they going to report you to the Department?”
“No. They gave me some money so we can look after ourselves. I kept you out of it as much as I could, but I know they’re on my side.”
“I hope you’re right,” Garrick said so quietly I barely heard him. We drove in silence for the remainder of the trip. We took our spot on the street and continued to watch number 135. It didn’t look any different from when we left it.
And nothing happened for the next four hours. My stomach was growling with hunger and I was bored out of my brain. I was ready to call it a night and find a hotel room when the front door opened. Instantly, we were alert.
“He’s heading for the car,” Garrick pointed out. He started the vehicle and moved out from the curb when the man passed by. We followed him through the darkened streets as he weaved his way through town. I hoped his errands weren’t going to be as mundane as the previous day.
The area started to become very familiar as we approached the building I knew belonged to the Originals. Their motto ‘Protect Our Own’ stood over the heavy front doors – firmly closed. My stomach automatically tied in knots as we got closer. Just remembering how I had almost been their prisoner for good was enough to set my nerves on edge.
The guy pulled his vehicle into the curb and we parked a few spots back in turn. We hunched down in our seats to ensure we couldn’t be seen. I would like to think we were ultra-covert but I didn’t really think we would make good spies.
He got out of his car and crossed the road. Walking down the street, my jaw dropped open when I realized where he was heading. He wasn’t doing groceries or running errands, the guy walked down the block and entered the meeting house of the Originals. My stomach started churning.
“This can’t be right,” I muttered. Why did the people from our planet tell us to go to the house of one of the Originals? Were they trying to offer us up as lambs to the slaughter? Perhaps it was the Originals that had heard our message and not the Department? Perhaps they were the ones setting the trap for us? The bile started to creep up my esophagus.
“What is it? What’s that building?” Garrick asked, sensing my panic.
“It’s where the Originals meet. The guy is a member of the organization that is trying to kill all the aliens.”
“Why would they tell us to go to him?” He was obviously trying to process the same thoughts I was. I wished we had the answers.
“Maybe they were warning us?”
“Maybe,” Garrick moaned, distracted.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, sensing he had something on his mind. It would have been nice if he had all the answers.
Garrick sighed as he chewed on his bottom lip, deep in thought. Finally, his eyes flicked to mine. “I think there has to be more to it. If that message did come from our people, then they would have had a reason. You asked them for help, they wouldn’t give us an address to warn us where not to go.”
“Unless the message was intercepted by the Originals.”
“Unless that.”
We turned our attention back to the building, both lost in thought. More people were heading inside, one by one. Their numbers had swollen since before. It reminded me so much of the last time I was there and I wanted to get rid of those memories. If Lochie hadn’t rescued me by plowing his borrowed car through a wall, I would still be their prisoner. If they hadn’t killed me by now, anyway.
“If we wait until they are all inside, we can watch through the window without them seeing,” I explained. “I’ve done it before so I know we can do it now.”
Garrick gave a slight nod of the head. If we looked through the window, we might be able to work out where the guy fit into the order of things. If he was sitting at the head of the table, we’d know he was the current leader of the Originals. Perhaps then we might be able to work out why the message led us to him. If he was the head, then I guess the message would be a clear warning.
People continued to trickle into the building, looking around as they went to check for anyone who might be watching. For a secret society, they were pretty obvious. They wouldn’t make good spies either.
One of the men had a familiar gait to his walk. He had long strides, a slight bounce to his step. I had seen that walk before. Many times.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed, sucking in air as I gasped.
“What is it?”
“I know that guy.”
“How? Who is he?” Garrick asked urgently.
“His name is Lochie.”
CHAPTER 10
“You have to go get him, you can’t let him go inside,” I insisted, pushing on Garrick’s leg to get him to move. There was no way I could watch as Lochie entered the Originals’ meeting. They would eat him alive, what the hell was he thinking?
“If he’s a member of the Originals, I don’t think we should go anywhere near him,” Garrick replied, ignoring my prodding at his leg.
I couldn’t go myself in case one of the other members recognized me from my last visit there. It would be too easy for just one of them to raise the alarm. I doubted I would be able to get away for a second time.
“He’s not a member, he’s my-” I stopped short of saying boyfriend, unable to shake the rules of the project. “He’s my friend and he’s definitely not an Original. Please, you have to stop him. He’s just going to get himself hurt because of some sense of duty to me. Please, Garrick, quickly.”
Garrick finally undid his seatbelt and opened the door reluctantly. “Fine. But I’m going to be really angry if he ends up killing us both.”
“You can haunt me forever, I promise.”
He left the VW and crossed the road – too slowly for my liking. I silently willed him to go faster, he had to get to Lochie before he went inside. The fool was going to get himself killed, it was so typical of him to do something stupid like that.
One of the members held the door of the building open, waiting for Lochie to catch up. He sprinted the last few steps and disappeared inside. Garrick didn’t get to him in time. He looked back at me questioningly, I waved at him to return.
Horrible thoughts about what Lochie would be doing inside flashed through my mind. Surely they would remember him from when we crashed their meeting last time? They would know he was hiding an alien. What the hell was he thinking? They were probably in there making mincemeat out of him. And all because of me.
Garrick climbed back into the car. “Sorry, he walks really fast.”
“He’s a basketball player, he’s fit. Thanks for trying.”
“How can you be so sure he isn’t one of them?”
I didn’t even need to think about it. “I just know. He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“I hope you’re sure.”
“I am.”
We settled into the seats again and continued watching. The trickle of people started to die down to nothing. Checking my watch, it was eight p.m. sharp, probably the meeting time. My stomach continued to churn at the thought of Lochie inside with all the people who hated aliens. Being an alien supporter would not bode well for him. Why did he have to go inside? If they didn’
t kill him, then I would.
“You said he was a friend?” Garrick asked.
I guessed the time for lying had long passed with Garrick. He wasn’t likely to report me to the Department. “He’s my boyfriend.”
He shot me a reproachful look before shrugging. “Have you been together long?”
“Only about a month before they took me to the complex.”
“Does he know?”
I felt guiltier answering that question than admitting I was breaking the rules in the first place. “No, he doesn’t know.”
Garrick’s eyes shot to mine. He couldn’t make me feel worse than I already did about it. “You know you’re breaking about a hundred project rules, right?”
“Just racking them up to see how many I can break, I guess.”
“Is he your first boyfriend, or have you been rebelling against the Department for some time?”
“He’s the first and it was completely unintentional, trust me. I was just as surprised that it happened.” Lochie’s confession about loving me flashed into my mind. We were sitting in a crowded café on a university campus and I had been completely taken by surprise. Perhaps I should have walked away from him then, at least he would be safe now if I had. “How about you? Have there been any lucky ladies in your life?”
“None.” Why did that answer make me happy?
“For the record,” I started. “I was completely true to the project in every way until my friend was taken by the Originals and the Department refused to help. I had no intention of breaking any of the rules, I never would have considered it until that happened.”
“For the record… I believe you.”
A brief smile crossed my face. At least I hadn’t lost my only accomplice. “Thank you. And I will tell Lochie one day what I am. I just couldn’t do it before when things were going so well.”
“He’s probably going to freak out.”
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 29