Making Ripples

by Katrina Abbott

  I looked at the guy one last time, debating about staying behind and watching him while staying safe, but now that I’d determined I had a small window where I could be free—if only for a short time—I had to take it.

  Busting Out

  Although I was busting out, which would make my dad explode with rage if he caught me, I wasn’t going to be stupid about it. Despite the fact that they’d already shut down the terrorist cell, I was still a target as long as my father was working for his agency and anyone could download a facial recognition app for their phone. So while I was determined to get out into the fresh air, I needed to protect myself.

  The weather provided the perfect cover. I pulled a wool hat over my head and wound the new scarf I’d knitted myself around my neck, pulling it up over my nose and mouth as I left the flat. Only my eyes were exposed and while I considered putting on a pair of sunglasses like the guy in the courtyard, it was overcast enough outside to make that look suspicious; best to blend in.

  Before I left the flat, I glanced out the window and saw he was still sitting on the bench, so I took the long way down the hallway and down the outside stairs to the street—best not to be seen leaving the building by anyone, if I could avoid it.

  I stopped at a coffee shop that was piping out Christmas songs, suddenly feeling cheery and in a Christmas mood, now that I’d left the least festive flat in all of London. Leaving the hat on, but pulling the scarf from my face, I ordered a candy cane latte for ‘Angie’ and waited for my alias to be called while I perused the shelf of cute teapots for sale. There was one I knew my mom would love, but I couldn’t exactly explain where it came from. Maybe for Easter...

  “Kaylee?” one of the baristas shouted out, making me turn around before I was even conscious of doing it. As my eyes drifted to the girl at the counter, I almost turned away again, knowing there was no way it was my friend. Well, former friend.

  But even though she was wearing a hat and sunglasses, it only took a quick glance to realize it was her.

  “Thanks,” she said as she took the cup from the barista.

  I quickly shifted my body, aiming my back toward her so she wouldn’t recognize me. My heart thumped in my chest, part from worry over being recognized and part from wanting so desperately to see her and talk to her. Best to let her go, I told myself, you can’t be seen here. Especially if Declan was near because that meant more photographers.

  “Angie?” the barista called out next. I moved over to the counter and took the drink, nodding a thanks. I turned away and scanned the shop with my peripheral vision as I took a sip of the drink, cursing silently as I completely scalded my tongue. Ignoring that, I watched as Kaylee exited the shop, noting she was alone.

  I moved toward the door quickly, expecting to see Declan on the street waiting for her, but as I got to the window, I watched her walk away on her own.

  Before I could rationalize, I pulled the scarf up over my face, pushed open the door and followed her down the street. At first I followed at a distance, just to make sure Declan hadn’t nipped into a store down the street, but she walked with purpose, heading somewhere.

  I got almost up to her when she whirled around, her eyes wide and frightened. “Why are you following me? Don’t you have enough pictures?!” she blurted, but then, before the words were even barely out of her mouth, she gasped and then her face softened in recognition. “Brooklyn?” she whispered.

  So much for my disguise. Apparently all it took was one look into my eyes for her to recognize me.

  I gave her a tiny nod, looking at her face, waiting for her to scowl and then turn her back on me. After a tense moment, I realized she was looking at me with curiosity, not anger. “Not here,” I said, relieved. More relieved than I could have imagined I would be if given the chance to see her again—something I never thought would actually happen.

  She nodded back and looked around. “Where?”

  “Where were you going?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Nowhere, really. I just needed to get away for a bit. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and needed some time to myself. Hence the sunglasses and hat.” She sighed. “I’m tired of the photographers”

  My stomach rolled at the guilt over that. Still, I needed to be careful and I didn’t have a lot of time. “Where is Declan?”

  “At home playing Xbox with his younger brother.”

  I smiled, familiar with how brothers loved their video games. “Let’s go to the fountain.” I didn’t want to go somewhere inside where I’d have take my scarf and hat off.

  She nodded and we headed off down the street toward Piccadilly.

  “How has your trip been?” I asked casually, not wanting to get into the big burning topics until we were off the busy street and situated somewhere where there weren’t ears everywhere.

  She was quiet long enough that I glanced over and raised my eyebrows.

  She gave me a sheepish grin. “More good than not. I mean, it’s been amazing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s like everything I hate about Hollywood is Declan’s life when he’s here at home. Except with charming accents and more...I don’t know...passive-aggressive behavior, I guess. Everyone’s so polite even when they’re being awful to you.”

  “Who’s being awful to you?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t Declan.

  “Oh no one in his family! They’re all super-nice. Just some of his parents’ friends and extended family have been a bit...less than nice.”

  “Don’t worry about them. Declan’s all that matters.” I smiled. “And anyway, they love you in the papers.”

  She looked at me hopefully. “Really? Declan forbade me from reading them. He said they’re vicious to everyone and not to read them ever.”

  “Believe me,” I said. “I’ve done nothing but read them these past few days and although you’re American—which is nothing you can control, obviously—they do love you.”

  She gave me a smile. “Thanks.”

  “But things are good with you and your duke?”

  “Future duke,” she corrected with a sideways glance. “And yes. Very good. I mean, ugh...he’s so...”

  “Handsome? Sexy? A good kisser?” I asked, leaning into her shoulder.

  “All of the above,” she said, blushing adorably, making me ache because I’d missed her so much. “Except that he’s a great kisser. I never thought it would happen for me, you know? Especially with the Phillip thing.” She frowned, which I didn’t blame her for: between Phillip being a douche and that she’d puked on him last year, the entire topic was cringe-worthy.

  “Of course it was going to happen for you,” I assured her. I really meant, it, too; she was such a smart and nice girl and was cute in a girl-next-door way. Declan was obviously smitten with her.

  Though I knew too well what she meant when she said she didn’t think it would happen for her. I’d felt the same until I’d gotten to Rosewood and became more of the girl I wanted to be. And the biggest surprise: that girl attracted the attention of guys. Not just guy, singular, but guys plural. But it had been for nothing, since I was here in London and those guys were a half a world away, never to be seen again. I fought the urge to sigh, not wanting to be a downer to Kaylee, who was obviously so happy and had every right to be.

  “So,” she said her face getting very serious. “About you...”

  Mission Impossible

  “Hold on,” I said, leading her over to the fountain where we’d be by ourselves. I brushed the dusting of snow away from the edge of the fountain and pulled my jacket down and sat on it. Kaylee did the same beside me and then she waited patiently for me to start talking. It took me a minute to figure out how to say it.

  Maybe it was better to find out what she knew first. “What did Declan tell you?”

  She looked out over the square and exhaled but didn’t say anything.

  “Kaylee?” I asked, looking at her to try to read her. Was she mad? Hurt? She didn’t seem either, really. If anything, she looked guilty, which was weird.
I was the one who was supposed to feel guilty.

  She shook her head.

  “What is it?”

  She looked at me sideways. “Don’t be mad at him, okay? He said he wasn’t supposed to tell me. But I needed to know. I wouldn’t let him not tell me. If you’re mad, be mad at me, not him.”

  So that made me nervous. “What did he tell you?”

  “That your dad is some sort of security specialist and that you’d been threatened that night—Thanksgiving—back at Rosewood.”

  “That’s the truth,” I said with a shrug. “That’s pretty much it. I’m a target because of what my dad does.”

  “How much of your life is a lie?”

  I sighed. “My bio is all a lie, but who I am, as in the girl you know, isn’t. I’m me and I swear to you I wasn’t faking my personality or anything. Just my background.”

  “Is your name Brooklyn Prescott?”

  I looked her in the eye. “Not precisely, no.”

  “I guess I knew that.” She gave me a weak smile. “Will you tell me your real name?”

  “It’s better for everyone if I don’t.” Though I suppose she could find it out from Declan who’d seen my real passport when he’d brought me to London on his plane. Best she didn’t, though, and I was grateful he’d kept my secret. At least that one.

  Her eyes went wide. “This is the real deal, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Does anyone back at Rosewood know?”

  I shook my head. “Not unless you’ve told anyone.”

  “No. I haven’t really been in touch with anyone since I’ve been here, mostly because I still don’t have a cell, but I wouldn’t have said anything anyway,” she said, holding my eyes steady with her own. “They’re your secrets to tell. And of course I wouldn’t put you in danger. We’re friends.”

  “Are we?” I asked and then held my breath, because her answer really mattered.

  “Of course.” She said seriously and then smirked. “Although I don’t know what to call you.”

  “Brooklyn, just call me Brooklyn,” I said. “My parents and brother do, and I’m so used to it now that it feels like my name, even in my head.”

  “I guess I’m used to calling Edmund Declan, so okay.”

  “So we’re good? You’re not mad about the lies?”

  She shook her head. “No. I get it. You didn’t have any choice. I guess it explains why you blew Dave off.”

  I cringed at that. “Believe me, the way I blew everyone off was pretty much the last thing I wanted to do.” I hated that I never got to say goodbye to Dave. “Was he really upset, though?”

  “I haven’t seen him; he didn’t go to the last dance. At least, not that I noticed. Emmie talked to him though. She told him what happened with you and your dad—the story you told everyone. She said you broke it off with him because you didn’t know how long until you’d be back.”

  That hadn’t exactly happened, but it may as well have. “God, I hate how everything went down. What a mess. I hate so much that all this happened.”

  “It’s not your fault. You can’t beat yourself up about it,” Kaylee said. I loved her for it and hoped the rest of the Rosewood girls would be so understanding. Not that I could tell them, but if they could know, I hope they’d be as cool about it as Kaylee was being.

  “So now what?”

  I shrugged and looked at a couple walking hand in hand across the square. “Nothing. I stay here and get home-schooled.” And don’t have a boyfriend or even any sort of life, I didn’t say.

  “You don’t get to come home to the States?”

  “No. Dad wants me here. I think he got really freaked out with the threat and wants me close to home.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Tell me about it. I’m not even supposed to be out of the house now.” My stomach rolled suddenly as a wave of panic washed over me. “Wait...what time is it?”

  Kaylee pulled her hand out of her pocket and looked at a watch since she didn’t have a cell phone. I didn’t anymore, either. Not since Robert had confiscated mine after I’d gotten the threat. “It’s almost noon.”

  I stood up abruptly. “I have to go.”

  Kaylee rose next to me. “How can I get a hold of you?”

  I stared at her. “You can’t.”

  She frowned. “But...”

  “Kaylee, we shouldn’t even be talking now. I will be in touch when everything blows over, but...” I shook my head, worried I was telling another lie. “I have to go.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  “No. I can’t let you know where I live. It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I said quickly when her face crumpled. “It’s safer for you if you don’t know. Please believe me that this is not about you at all.”

  “This is very Mission Impossible,” she said.

  “Yes, but real life. I don’t want to make things worse for you and Declan. And I can’t put my family at more risk, either.”

  “Obviously,” she said. “Let me walk you back to the coffee shop, at least. After that, I promise I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Okay,” I said, actually glad for a few more minutes with her.

  We got halfway there, when I stopped in front of a store.

  “What is it?” she said as she froze beside me, fear threading through her voice.

  I looked at her. “No, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking.” I looked through the window of the shop. “Come on,” I said, pushing the door open.

  Before she followed, she looked up at the sign and then smiled at me before she followed me in. One thing I always liked about Kaylee is how smart she is.

  ~ ♥ ~

  With the disposable cell phone tucked deep in my pocket, I opened the door of the flat, prepared with a story about going out into the courtyard for some fresh air. But when I looked down at the empty shoe rack, I realized Mom still wasn’t back from the store yet. I breathed a sigh of relief and told my pounding heart to relax and then hurried into the flat and down the hall to my room. Once inside, I fought the urge to close the door, needing to be able to hear when anyone came in.

  I’d never been the type to break rules before, but look at me now: breaking rules all over the place. I was a total badass.

  I laughed at that as I pulled out the new phone. I texted Kaylee, using the number I’d programmed into contacts before we’d left the store with our new phones. I’m home. Can’t tell you how awesome it was to see you.

  Her response came almost immediately. I have missed you so much and am so glad we ran into each other.

  I shouldn’t press my luck, I sent back to her. But I wanted to let you know I didn’t get busted.

  I’m glad. Don’t get caught! TTYL.

  I sent her a smilie and made sure the sound was off before I stuffed the phone into my underwear drawer, wishing I didn’t have to be so crazy careful, but at least now I had a link to the outside. Though, now that I did, I was even more desperate for news about my friends and wished I’d had more time with Kaylee so she could update me on everything that was going on at Rosewood. Not that I wanted gossip, but real news; these girls are my friends—at least they were—and I wanted to know what was going on with them.

  But then I realized with a sigh that I probably wasn’t ever going to see them again. I couldn’t exactly let Kaylee explain to the rest of them what was going on. So while she knew the truth and forgave me for all the lies, the rest of them probably wouldn’t.

  And then there was Dave. The guy I’d totally blown off right when we were about to start dating. I thought about that kiss, the one that had ended up putting him in the hospital. I smiled at the evidence of my badassery. But anaphylaxis aside, that kiss had been hot. Smokin’ hot.

  It didn’t matter, though. He was a continent away and I was stuck here under house arrest. He probably thought I wasn’t even into him anymore and that’s why it had been so easy to walk away without a trace. He probably thought I was a coward and had decided agains
t being with him and was just too much of a wimp to be honest about it. I hated that. I hated it all. This wasn’t me—not even the new me that I had been cultivating at Rosewood.

  I sighed. Not much point feeling sorry for myself since it wouldn’t change anything. And since I was lined up to spend so much time alone, I hardly wanted to spend all that time with a self-pitying, whiny girl. Nope, no whiny babies here. Just badasses.

  Looking around my room, I tried to think of what to do next. Not anything really dangerous, of course, just something a little bit risky. The kind of thing that would get my heart pumping and make me feel like I wasn’t wasting my life sitting in a boring flat by myself.

  But what?

  I glanced out the window into the courtyard and noticed the guy was still out there. I’d come in through the east wing doors, avoiding the courtyard when I’d returned to the building, just in case he was out there. But now that I could watch him from the safety of my window where I could duck away quickly if he happened to notice me, I took him in. Going out there and talking to him would be pretty badass. But as my heart fluttered in my chest, I knew I wouldn’t, and not just because I wouldn’t know what to say to him, but if Mom came home and caught me out talking to some strange guy, she’d have my hide.

  I sighed, wondering when I’d get my life back. And also saddened by the realization that I wasn’t badass at all.

  Not that I should have been all that surprised.

  Deck the Halls with...Nothing

  I think even my parents would agree that Christmas Eve sucked. Despite the perfectly nice meal, which may as well have been a regular Wednesday night dinner, none of us even mentioned Christmas. No presents, no decorations, nothing. It was almost like we were in mourning for my brother, which just felt awful. Mom had tried to call him but couldn’t get a hold of him, which just made her even more upset.