Dimitrios asked Anjoleah to write all of this up in her report for Anthony. He told her that he would be delving into this episode with his own investigation once he was released. He would follow up on all this and more with Anthony.
Cassia walked to Dimitrios’ bedside and gently held his hand.
Chapter 104
Charles started his senior year enthusiastically. Although, after several weeks into the school year, he realized this year would be his hardest challenge yet. Usually once his head hit the pillow, Charles would be sound asleep, but tonight he couldn’t even relax. He closed his eyes from time to time but unwelcome images flashed behind his eyelids. Charles rolled over and stared at the blank wall. He kept grumbling, “I need to go to sleep.” The pressure of keeping up with his school assignments and the extra demands Dimitrios had recently placed on him were starting to wear on Charles. Sometime in the early morning hours, he fell into a deep sleep.
It seemed as if he had just closed his eyes when Charles heard the sound of his alarm clock. He didn’t know how many times the alarm sounded but he shut it off just before he heard footsteps in the hallway approaching his door. With his eyes still closed, he sat up in bed and flung the covers to the foot of the bed.
There was a tiny knock at the door. He barely heard Bev say, “Charles. Charles, are you awake?”
Charles’ shoulders slumped. He opened one eye and looked at the clock. Once his eyes focused, he jumped out of bed and began to get dressed. “I am now. Thank you,” he said. Bev had left his door and was halfway down the steps as he entered the bathroom.
Once Charles finished dressing, he raced downstairs to the kitchen where he took a brown bag from Bev’s hands, kissed her on the cheek before he flew out the kitchen door to the garage. He had to pick up Caroline before school and didn’t want to be late. Charles quickly raised the heavy garage door and got into the driver’s seat. The roar of the engine was like adrenaline to him. He forgot how fast the V8 engine accelerated when he stepped hard on the gas pedal. In an instant, Charles stopped at the foot of the driveway. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He drove the car up the driveway and got out to lower the garage door. Charles drove back to the street, put the car in drive and continued to remind himself to drive slower. He was still early enough to miss the line of cars at each stop sign. Morning rush hour hadn’t begun yet. It wouldn’t be long before the farmers would also take up their share of the road. Charles put the window down. The cool wind felt good on his face. It helped to wake him. He finally settled down and began to enjoy the roar of the engine. He was pleased when he pulled into Caroline’s driveway a couple of minutes early.
Charles threw his backpack onto the back seat. He took a deep breath before he stepped out of his car and ran to the front door. He knocked and waited.
Joyce opened the door. “Oh Charles, Caroline is sick.”
Joyce motioned him to come inside. Charles stood in the entryway as Joyce made her way up the stairs to Caroline’s room. It didn’t take long for Caroline to appear at the top of the stairs, still in her pajamas and pulling her hair in a ponytail.
“Charles, I am so sorry. I was going to call last night but I thought I would be better this morning.” She walked sleepily down the stairs.
“That’s okay. Shouldn’t you be in bed instead of coming to see me?”
Caroline looked to the side and tilted her head. “Well, I guess so.” Then she looked back at him and smiled. “I really wanted to see you.”
He smiled. “Now you’ve seen me, back to bed so you can get better. I will bring your homework to you after school.”
Caroline’s face lit up. Charles studied her face. That particular look in that split second said more than words could have. She hugged him and as they separated she gently kissed him on his cheek.
He smiled. “See you after school.”
She smiled again.
He sneaked a kiss on her forehead before he backed up toward the door. He bumped into the door and fumbled for the doorknob.
Charles kept his eyes on Caroline. He blew her a kiss and mouthed, “Get better,” as he walked backward out the door, closing it behind him.
With no time to waste, he hurried to his car and drove to school. He parked his car and rushed to his locker. He grabbed his books and had to race up the hall to his first class. Charles made it to his seat as the bell rang. He let out a sigh of relief.
The day seemed to go by uneventfully. When the last bell rang, he hurried to the office to get Caroline’s homework. He stood at the front desk, waiting as Ms. Kranston gathered the papers for him. She was a sweet lady in her early forties and Charles liked her a lot.
Across the office, Charles thought he saw Dimitrios enter the principal’s office. He walked around the long front desk to look in the office from a different angle. Charles squinted so he could see who was actually talking to Mr. Vidrio. It was Dimitrios! What was he doing here? Charles frowned. Interfering?
Just then Ms. Kranston touched Charles on his shoulder. She asked quietly, “Charles, did you need to see Mr. Vidrio?”
Charles jumped, startled by her presence. “Uh, no, that’s okay. Maybe sometime when he isn’t so busy.”
Charles pointed and asked, “I think he is busy with Mister, Mister Uh, I forgot his name…”
She smiled warmly and asked, “Do you know him?”
Charles nodded. “Yeah, I met him at my grandpa’s farm.”
“He is a very nice gentleman.”
Charles asked, “What is his last name?”
She looked Charles in the eye and handed him the sack she had put together. She stated, “A note is in the bag for Caroline from each of her teachers. I sure hope she feels better soon.”
She smiled, as if to let Charles know she wasn’t being mean but he was under no circumstances to ask any more questions. Charles thanked her and turned to walk out of the office.
Just then Dimitrios briefly looked Charles in the eyes. Charles was very curious about that meeting in the principal’s office. He walked very quickly to his car. Along the way he thought of all kinds of scenarios. Charles knew it was futile to try to guess. He didn’t have a clue.
He drove to Caroline’s house and delivered her things. She met him at the door and said she was no longer ill. She would be going to school the next day. Caroline looked in the bag.
She looked up at him and said, “I have my work cut out for me tonight.”
Charles half smiled. He knew that was his cue. “I am glad you are better. Call me if you need help with your homework. I will be thinking about you.”
Caroline joked, “Right, so you can give me the wrong answers.” They laughed.
“Do your best, but not your very best work.”
She walked him to the door. After thanking Charles, she gave him a hug. They said goodbye. She waved to him as he drove away.
While he was driving to his grandparent’s house, he sped up thinking that Dimitrios might be waiting for him. Charles pulled into the garage and parked the car. Then he headed to the office with his backpack on his shoulder. When he reached the door, he paused and listened for voices. He didn’t hear anything so he knocked before he entered.
Charles stood in the doorway and stared at Dimitrios sitting at Carson’s desk. Paw Paw was standing beside him looking at colored papers strewn over the desk. Charles entered the office and set his backpack down. He moved toward the desk but was stopped by Dimitrios’ hand being held in the air. Charles froze.
Carson looked up at Charles. His face was expressionless. Charles suddenly became concerned. The two men continued to shuffle through the pages as if placing them in some kind of order. Charles backed up to his desk chair and put his backpack on his lap. He unzipped it, pulled out his books and began his homework. He tried to hear what the two men were saying to each other, but they were whispering. Whatever was said, it was not meant for him to hear. When they finished, Dimitrios turned in the chair facing Charles and stared at him. Charles
stopped working and gave Dimitrios his full attention. Carson showed no emotion on his face as he glanced momentarily at the stacked papers. Then he too looked at Charles.
Dimitrios began to speak first, very intentionally saying, “Charles, it has been brought to my attention that you may not be safe at your high school.” He glanced at the papers on Carson’s desk, and then continued, “It was not my desire to have you see me having a meeting with your principal today. I am sure you were puzzled by my presence.” Charles nodded.
Dimitrios sighed. He decided he ought to just explain the process. He continued, “Throughout the years each candidate for the prime minister position had a team put in place in the schools they attended to ensure that they were kept safe. Some teams have been in place for years in case they should have a mission. Your principal is your agent assigned to your protection.”
Dimitrios turned to the papers and picked them up. He then turned back to Charles and stated, “These are the reports that have been gathered through the years. Carson helped me put important pieces of the puzzle together. I believe we may be on to something.”
He looked at Carson quickly then back to Charles. “It may be important that we consider our options to keep you safe. One of the tough decisions we may need to make involves possibly changing your school assignment.” Charles frowned.
Dimitrios had anticipated that response.
Airabelle flew over and landed on the back of Charles’ chair. She broke into his thoughts: “You may want to just hear him out. I’ve seen what he has been looking at. He fears it is the same group that abducted him. He now fears it wasn’t him that they were after. It was you.”
Charles half turned to speak and then thought it best not to reveal to Dimitrios that he and Airabelle shared their own special communication. Charles asked, “What did you discover that I should be concerned about? If it is possible, I’d like to finish out my senior year with Caroline. Then I will be happy to entertain any of your plans for college.”
Dimitrios looked down and then stood. “I need to discuss this with Anthony. I am going to allow him to make the final decision.” Charles nodded that he understood.
Dimitrios thanked Carson and walked over to the Passageway. As soon as the Passageway opened, he said to Charles, “I will get back to you as soon as a decision is made.” Then he disappeared through the corridor opening.
“Well, that’s that. I guess we wait,” Carson said.
Charles wondered what Anthony’s decision would be. He let out a sigh. Some senior year: he thought. He wondered what next year would be like being in college. He pondered that for a moment then became aware that Airabelle was present in his thoughts. He quickly turned his attention to Carson.
“What do you…?” Charles started to say.
Carson raised his hand as if to stop him. “Charles, I honestly do not know.”
“Do you have to…?”
Carson knew what was next, and he answered, “Yes, and without a doubt I will discuss this with Nana. Charles, you know we do not keep secrets. It’s just the information contained in those papers is classified. If someone obtained that data, it would allow him to do harm to not only you but others as well. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have had access to them but Dimitrios trusts us.”
Charles nodded that he understood. He picked up the homework he had begun earlier and continued to work on his school assignments. When the work was completed, he put his homework away. He stretched out on the chair and made an inverted v with his arms against the armrests. Then he closed his eyes and just thought for several minutes. Charles hoped Dimitrios would find a solution for his senior year that didn’t require him to transfer to another school.
Carson and Airabelle were at his desk, discussing the events of the evening.
Charles glanced at his wristwatch. He sat up and stretched. “Paw Paw, I think it is time for me to eat something and then turn in for the night.”
Carson turned around in his chair and thoughtfully agreed that that was probably for the best. “You’ll need all the sleep you can get. It is possible that Anthony will come and discuss the situation with us tomorrow while you are at school. I think I already know how you feel about finishing out your senior year at another school. However, we do have to listen with an open mind.” Charles agreed.
They said goodnight and Charles made his way to the house in the dark. He wondered if the outcome of Dimitrios’ meeting with Anthony would further disrupt his school plans.
Chapter 105
Dimitrios had thoroughly investigated the “Brown Suited Men Ambush”. He wrote up a report of the incident after all the facts were gathered. Afterward he sent the assessment straight to Anthony with the proof that Max was behind the abduction. The crazy young man was looking for Charles, threatening his life. After he sent the paperwork to Anthony, Dimitrios scheduled an appointment with Mr. Vidrio to assess options for Charles’ senior year. When the conference with Mr. Vidrio was over, Dimitrios asked Carson for a meeting. He showed Carson some of the evidence that he had gathered. The two men discussed the possibilities for Charles.
Later Anthony called Dimitrios to his office at his official site. When Dimitrios walked through the door, he saw Anthony looking at the report on his desk. The prime minister looked up at Dimitrios. The look on Anthony’s face was blank. He sat motionless.
Dimitrios started to pace in front of the prime minister talking out loud. He looked down at his shoes as he walked. He paused momentarily, thinking to himself: Come on, come on, and say something. Say anything. Just give me an answer. What is it going to be?
Finally he got his wish when Anthony said, “Again.”
That wasn’t what Dimitrios wanted or expected. He ran his hands through his hair, rubbed his tired eyes and then complied, going over the facts again. Dimitrios knew what Anthony was searching for. He just wasn’t sure he could deliver. The prime minister was pondering different scenarios. After an hour, Dimitrios was getting vexed. He knew the stakes were high. He knew that Charles was the only clear choice for Anthony to accept as his successor. This wasn’t something the prime minister would take lightly. Anthony had invested greatly in Charles. Once Anthony had invested in something, he was determined to see his decision through. Dimitrios thought his brain was going to explode from the tension headache that he was getting.
Finally the prime minister moved. He stood, stretched his long legs and crossed his arms. Then he said, “Where is Anjoleah? Find her and bring her to me. She’s the one that will have to execute any strategy we come up with.”
Dimitrios silently groaned. He turned and walked out the door. He was on a mission to find Anjoleah? He walked with a purpose. Dimitrios briefly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh of frustration as he walked. She had been even more difficult to work with after being dealt with firmly by the council. They believed she broke the guidelines of her position in order to bring him back from the abduction.
Dimitrios still hated the thought that he had been a victim. He thought: Given the opportunity, I could have escaped if the right moment had presented itself. She just happens to be good at what she does. She beat me to the punch. Dimitrios shuddered to think of what her mood would be once he found her. He thought of her more as a robot than a woman.
He took out his flying disk and stepped on it. Anjoleah hadn’t forgiven him for not letting her do her job in the beginning. Early on she had tried to get permission to have authority agents assigned to the prime minister and himself. Both he and Anthony blocked her requests. She threw a fit in front of the Sojourners’ Council. He mocked her silently.
When Dimitrios arrived at the authority headquarters, he smoothed his jacket and buttoned one button. He took out his badge and carefully placed it on his lapel. The badge was a symbol of official business. Dimitrios hardly ever wore it, only when he used it to show he meant business. He wasn’t in the mood for Anjoleah to protest. Dimitrios was certain she would notice the badge and wouldn’t ask any questio
ns, or would she? He shook his head. Wishful thinking. He rode his disk by the sensor that detected his badge and three of Anjoleah’s officers joined him. He was certain they had informed her he was on the move. She wouldn’t be surprised he was heading in her direction.
When he reached her building, she was waiting for him. Dimitrios couldn’t read the look on her face, but he was certain she didn’t like being pulled away from whatever the job was at hand.
She spoke very directly. “ State your business.”
In his military tone he barked, “I am here on official business of the prime minister. Code 974521 section 4c-12a states that you shall utilize your second in command until further notice thereby allowing you...”
She briefly squinted and mumbled, “I wrote it. I know what it says. I’m just surprised you know what it says.”
As Dimitrios continued to speak, she turned to the officer behind her and gave him a secret code. She quickly walked out of headquarters with Dimitrios, got her disk ready and stepped on to it. She glared at Dimitrios because she didn’t know exactly what direction she was supposed to travel. She gave orders to the men accompanying them. The officers who were presently guarding Dimitrios were to change places with her officers.
The officers now escorting them were from the elite force. They were dressed in black and looked stern. They followed Dimitrios to the prime minister’s official site. This was the first time Anjoleah had actually entered the building.
Dimitrios was certain she wanted to know what it was like inside. Almost every Sojourner who knew about the prime minister’s official site wondered what it was like, and wished they could see it. It was nondescript on the outside, but inside it was phenomenal. Anjoleah stepped off her disk and packed it away. She stood at the foot of the steps. Then she turned and looked at Dimitrios. To Dimitrios her look seemed to say, “I am not impressed,” but he knew she was.
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