The Protector

by Stormi Lewis

  Sophie put her arm around her friend as they rode the bus down a couple of blocks before hoping off and heading to the alleyway to remove their wigs and double back to the hotel.

  Chapter 4

  “W hat’s all the fuss?” demanded Clarice as she entered the tech room.

  At the front of the room, there was a wall made of large 43” computer monitors, each showing a different scene. Rows of metal desks and chairs lined the room, leaving two desks in the center facing the wall of monitors. One with a triple monitor setup that Eddie toggled control over everything. It was cool, dark, and the only light was provided by the various monitors within the room.

  “They’re in New York, Ma’am,” said an eager, early twenty-something blonde agent walking up to her with a clipboard in his hands.

  “Where?” Clarice snarled.

  “They WERE in New York,” sighed Eddie, crossing his arms in annoyance.

  “Where are they NOW?” Clarice demanded. She stared down the blonde eager agent.

  “Oh, uh, we’re not exactly sure, I guess,” the blonde agent flustered.

  Clarice whipped her head to throw daggers through her eyes at Eddie. He shook his head at both of them.

  “Tina used her badge at the FBI branch,” shrugged Eddie.

  “What were they doing there?” Clarice hissed with a mixture of irritation and curiosity.

  The blonde eager agent went to speak, but Eddie cut him off.

  “She showed up with an assistant to inspect the facility for her local branch,” Eddie replied lacking any emotion.

  “Sophie?” Clarice demanded more than she asked.

  “Most likely,” Eddie said, turning his back dangerously to Clarice to pull up the footage.

  “The facial recognition didn’t identify her,” the blonde eager agent attempted again.

  The look from both Clarice and Eddie had him retreating to the corner and keeping his mouth shut.

  “Which direction?” commanded Clarice.

  “They went down an alley and most likely doubled back. We haven’t located any footage to determine which direction yet,” Eddie stated flatly.

  “Find her!” Clarice ordered.

  “Working on it,” Eddie said with a hint of annoyance.

  Clarice stormed out of the room, glaring at the eager agent as she exited.

  “And that’s why we don’t call anyone until we have ALL of the information,” Eddie said over his shoulder in irritation. This kid was going to be the death of him. Literally.

  Tina tried to pretend that she was fine, but her friend knew better. Sophie sat on the bed and watched Tina work quietly at the desk on the other side of the room. Ben came in and sat next to Sophie.

  “How goes it?” he asked cautiously, while he watched his wife work feverishly on the laptop.

  “It’s a hard place to be,” whispered Sophie. “However, Tina was amazing,” she said with a smile creeping across her lips. “You would have been so proud to watch her command everyone she came across. She didn’t miss a beat.”

  “That’s my girl,” Ben whispered back full of pride.

  Just then, James entered the room with a bag full of supplies.

  “Thought I would grab dinner,” he said, laying the bag on the table.

  “Oh, COME ON!” yelled Tina out of nowhere.

  Everyone rushed to her side. “What?” Sophie asked with hesitation.

  “It’s the second puzzle!” whined Tina.

  “What?” Ben asked in confusion.

  “I can’t figure out what it’s supposed to be!” exclaimed Tina with a bit of hysterical laughter. “It’s just some random sentences. There’s no digital code or anything,” Tina said, throwing her hands up in the air and walking away.

  “Let me take a look,” said Sophie.

  Together they didn’t make much sense, but there was something about them that sounded familiar. She just couldn’t put her finger on it at the moment.

  “Well, that’s good, right?” asked James. “We need to move tonight now that we have invaded the FBI anyway.” Tina flinched at the statement.

  James hurried on. “So, at least this is something we can work on while we travel, and we can get that device thingy that we borrowed back to where it belongs, right?” James finished with a hopeful smile towards Tina.

  Sophie began scribbling the information down. “I think I’m going to take this with me. There’s something memorable about them. I just can’t quite place from where,” said Sophie shoving the piece of paper into her pocket. “We need to start leaving soon,” she added with a hint of urgency.

  “I hope you got mine to-go,” Tina said as she packed up the laptop and grabbed her bag. “I have a bus to catch,” she sighed with frustration.

  James got her a bag to-go while Tina carefully put the device into an envelope with the address to Jeanette. She figured it was the least she could do for most likely ruining her afternoon at work. Tina handed it over to Ben.

  “Drop this off at the front desk please, Babe,” she stated before giving him one last longing kiss. “See you on the other side,” Tina said winking before going out the front door.

  “See you on the other side,” Ben called after her. He ate quietly with his friends for about 45 minutes, before grabbing his own bag.

  “See you on the other side,” Ben said waving to them and went out the door, dropped off the package at the front desk for his wife, and headed in the opposite direction once he got outside.

  Sophie sighed heavily. James got off the bed and held out his hand to her. “What?” she laughed.

  “Come here,” James said with his boyish grin that could make her do anything.

  Sophie pushed off the bed and took his hand. He pulled Sophie into his arms and began slow dancing with her in the middle of the hotel room floor. James hummed gently as he occasionally kissed her on the top of her head.

  Sophie giggled. “You’re mad,” she laughed.

  “Mad for you,” James said smiling against her hair and kissing her again.

  “Do you wonder what your life would be like if we had never met?” Sophie asked quietly.

  “Nope,” James said, and continued to hum as he danced with her.

  “Why not?” Sophie asked, pulling away to look him in the face.

  “Because I already know what my life was like without you,” James said smiling. “And I hated it,” he winked before tipping her head back to kiss her passionately.

  “You need to go,” Sophie whispered when they came up for air.

  James sighed. “Okay,” he said smiling and shrugging. He grabbed his own bag and threw it over his shoulder. “I miss you already,” he said kissing her gently.

  “See you on the other side,” Sophie whispered smiling against his lips.

  “You’d better,” James winked back, walked out the front door, and headed for the bus station.

  He hated leaving her. He knew it’s how it had to be. Yet, the life was always sucked right out of him the second he closed the door. James was dying to ask Sophie to marry him, but he knew she had to be ready too. He hoped she would get there soon as he bought his ticket and climbed aboard.

  Sophie looked around the room. Only her bag remained. She used to be fine traveling alone. Since meeting her new family, she always felt empty when they separated. Sophie wasn’t entirely sure if keeping them close was selfish or what was keeping them safe. All she knew is that they had changed her life forever.

  Sophie threw on the hoodie that James gave her on their first date and breathed in his scent. She tossed her own bag on her back and looked around the room.

  “Good-bye, Bill,” she whispered. “I miss you.”

  Sophie pulled the hood over her head, climbed out onto the fire escape, slid down the railing, and landed gracefully like a cat to the ground. She looked carefully around before strolling down the back alley on her way to the train station.

  James watched the rain beat against the bus window as it traveled late in
to the night. He held his bag firmly close to him and jumped when he felt it vibrate against him. James scrambled to grab the burner phone that was currently going off. “Hello?” he asked, full of confusion and fear.

  “Jamie, it’s Mom,” he heard Sally’s voice come through the other end.

  “What’s wrong?” James asked in panic.

  “We’re fine, Dear,” Sally assured. “We have to return to the states. Your father has to give the keynote address at the national conference this year.”

  “Okay,” James said, patiently waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “It’s a masquerade party on Halloween in New Orleans,” Sally stated matter-of-fact. James didn’t respond. “We will get you guys the invitations to get in.”

  “Mom, I don’t think we should…” James started but was cut off immediately.

  “Jamie,” Sally stated more sternly. “We haven’t even gotten to talk to you in months, and a mother needs to see her children and know they are safe,” she said firmly.

  “Mom,” James tried again.

  “Have you asked her yet?” Sally asked, quickly changing the subject.

  “How did you know?” James asked in shock.

  “A mother always knows,” Sally chuckled. “Why do you think your dad put your grandmother’s ring in the bag for you?”

  “There hasn’t exactly been a good time,” James sighed.

  “Jamie, in this situation, the timing will never be good,” Sally stated bluntly.

  “She’s not ready, Mom,” James replied more firmly.

  “How do you know until you ask?” Sally meddled.

  “Mom, I have to go,” James sighed shaking his head.

  “Alright, Son,” Sally conceded. “We’ll see you in New Orleans on Halloween.”

  The phone went dead before James could protest. He turned off the phone and put it back in his bag. How the heck were they going to pull off seeing his parents for Halloween?

  Granted, the masquerade did lend good coverage, and it would be nice to do something normal and in public for a change without worrying about being caught on tape. The right mask would keep them safe. Besides, Sally wouldn’t stop until she got her way, and her calls alone would put them at risk.

  James sighed and pulled the phone back out. He typed a quick message and pressed the send button before putting the phone back in his bag. Now, to figure out how he was going to get the girls dresses for the ball.

  Sophie bought her ticket for the train and climbed aboard. She was thankful to see the cars mostly empty as she worked her way back to the last car. A mother held onto her sleeping daughter towards the front, and a man more interested in his paper then his surroundings sat by the window in the middle of the car.

  Sophie passed them all quietly and picked a seat by the window in the very back. It was the perfect place to watch what came at her and giving her a quick exit to her back if needed.

  She slid down into the seat thankful to find it very comfortable. Sophie was surprised when she felt her bag vibrate against her. She quickly scrambled to pull out the burner phone buried inside.

  “See you in New Orleans on Halloween. Explain later. -J”

  “What the heck?” Sophie said out loud.

  The man lowered his paper and gave her a glare before going back to his paper.

  Sophie knew James wouldn’t change the plan unless it was necessary. She was dying to call him directly, but communication needed to be limited. She looked out the window as the train pulled away from the station.

  Sophie was supposed to head to Atlanta, GA to draw any team away from New York. There was no way getting around having to use Tina’s badge at the FBI headquarters, and Sophie knew the man with the cane would be hot on their trail. She needed to get them going in the wrong direction.

  Would Atlanta be far enough away if they are to be in New Orleans by Halloween? Sophie watched the buildings wiz by and contemplated her options.

  It was definitely a different pace to be traveling with three other people verses being alone. Sophie deliberated often if she was actually keeping them safe or putting them in more danger. Was her motive to stay together purely selfish? Probably. It was nice knowing that she wasn’t alone anymore. She honestly wasn’t sure she could go back to it.

  Sophie closed her eyes to view the map of the United States in her mind and quickly calculated where to go to draw them in the wrong direction that would still get her back to New Orleans in time for Halloween. The vision of James tipping a cowboy hat at her made Sophie giggle out loud. She covered her mouth immediately and got a second glare from the man with the paper. Nashville, Tennessee it was.

  Sophie closed her eyes again and rested her head on the seat as she quickly drifted into darkness.

  Sophie was surrounded by darkness. No wooden door appeared. Something wasn’t right. Her senses were on overdrive.

  “Mom? Dad?” she called out. Sophie got no response.

  There was a soft, dark, and almost evil chuckling coming from in front of her. Sophie took a step towards the sound when she felt a small hand slide into her own and tug on her arm.

  “Don’t!” her mini me yelled glaring into the darkness ahead.

  “What is it?” Sophie asked her.

  “Nothing good,” the little girl muttered.

  Sophie could feel the little girl’s tension radiate through her own adult body down to the tips of her toes. The evil laugh was growing louder. Sophie went to take a step again and was yanked back by the little girl.

  “There’s no door,” the little girl demanded, as if that was to clear everything up for Sophie. She looked at the little girl full of confusion. “There has to be a door,” stated the little girl without taking her eyes off of whatever lied ahead.

  “What if it’s mom?” Sophie asked her as a sickness consumed her being.

  “That’s not mother,” the little girl stated defiantly never taking her eyes off the darkness ahead.

  Sophie went to pull her hand away and go see if she could save her mother when she heard Jess’s voice come from behind her.

  “No, Peanut,” Jess pleaded.

  Sophie turned around immediately and saw her mother standing behind her with a skeletal hand on her shoulder. Sophie went to run towards her, but the quick nod from her mother had her stopping in her tracks.

  “What’s going on?” Sophie asked in a panic as fear consumed her body. “Where’s dad?” she demanded.

  “I don’t know,” Jess answered honestly. “You cannot go into the darkness,” she pleaded desperately. “Nothing good is down there.”

  “I don’t understand!” Sophie cried as she became overwhelmed with emotions.

  “Calm down, Peanut,” her mother soothed. “You must not go anywhere without a door,” her mother stated firmly. “Do you understand me?” It was the same urgency she heard from her mother when promising to hide in the closet before they were murdered by the man with the cane.

  “And watch you die again? No!” Sophie shouted.

  The skeletal hand gripped tighter on her mother’s shoulder and Jess surrendered into the pain. Sophie went to run to her, but Jess shoved out her hand and blinded Sophie with a stream of light. Sophie stumbled backwards and nearly fell on top of the little girl.

  “Sophie Lee,” her mother ordered. “You must not go anywhere without a door,” Jess stated firmly. “Do you understand me?” she commanded.

  “Yes,” Sophie said still rubbing the light from her eyes.

  “Get some sleep,” Jess sighed. “You need the rest.”

  “Mom,” Sophie pleaded. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re sorting that out at the moment,” Jess half lied. She honestly didn’t know what was going on. “Please,” she pleaded to Sophie. “Rest. We’ll be with you soon.”

  Jess looked down at the skeletal hand on her shoulder that seemed to signal for them both to disappear.

  “Mom!” Sophie yelled. The little girl grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let her mo
ve.

  “There’s no door,” the little girl whispered. “We can’t go.”

  “What’s going on?!” Sophie demanded to the little girl, but she looked blankly back at Sophie and shrugged her shoulders. She wiggled her finger for Sophie to bend down to her level, so she bent down to look the little girl in the eyes.

  The little girl gently touched her on the forehead, and without any chance to protest Sophie was forced into a deep peaceful slumber. She would not remember the darkness. She would not remember the wicked laugh that seemed to call to her. She would not remember her mother being controlled by a skeletal hand that didn’t seem to be attached to anything. The only thing she would remember would be the warning that was given with great force.

  You must not go anywhere without a door….

  Chapter 5

  J ack paced anxiously in the solid darkness, keeping his eyes on the floor. The black fog danced around his feet as he waited to go before the council.

  “Come,” a tall, cloaked figure ordered.

  Jack followed nervously behind, not daring to look up. He took his place in front of the council once more.

  “Jessica Harris broke one of the sacred rules of this realm,” boomed the center and tallest figure of them all.

  “We are aware, and give our deepest apologies,” Jack stated keeping his focus on the floor out of both fear and respect.

  “Deliberation is complete,” howled the figure furthest to the left. “Your wife will be returned.”

  Jack jerked his head up immediately to look at the twelve cloaked figures before him. Once the shock had passed, he dropped his head once more.

  “I’m ready,” Jack said solemnly.

  “That’s not necessary,” hissed the figured on the far right. “There’s more pressing matters at stake.”

  Jack stared at the floor unsure if what he had just heard was correct.

  “They will be the destruction of us all!” shrieked another on the left.