“Thank you so much.”
The waitress nodded politely and made her way through a set of swinging double doors at the back of the dining room.
After a few minutes, she returned looking disheartened. “I’m sorry. The chef is swamped tonight preparing for a catering event and doesn’t want to give tours of the kitchen at the moment. Is there anything else I can do for you? Perhaps something to eat?”
“No, thank you,” Allison told the sweet little lady. “We aren’t very hungry.”
“Well, I’m sorry we couldn’t help you with your restaurant. Maybe if you stop by another night, the timing would be better.” She held out a single fortune cookie to Allison. “How about a fortune cookie for the road?”
“Thank you.”
The woman hobbled off and Ethan looked at the cookie. “She only brought one,” he said indignantly. “I like fortune cookies too.”
Allison shot him that look again, and he clamped his mouth shut. The two stood and made their way past the other tables and booths to the door.
“Thanks for coming,” the waitress called as they left.
When they were outside, Ethan looked at Allison, a little annoyed. “I thought that was the place.”
“It was.”
Allison cracked open the cookie and pulled out a small piece of paper. After reading it, she handed the fortune to Ethan. The paper contained an address: 342 Eisenhower Road.
Flipping it to the back, he laughed. “And your lucky numbers are 42, 58, 13, and 9.”
Chapter 6
342 Eisenhower Road was a private elementary school about twenty miles from the Emperor’s Dragon. It looked reminiscent of the cathedrals and castles from ancient times, with whitewashed stone and brick forming the outer walls of the building. The roof was mostly flat but pitched at a slight angle over the south and west wings, various spires rising from the edges around the school and gargoyle statues at each corner. The main entrance protruded from the front of the building, large ornate columns rose into archways, and a broad driveway circled in front of the entrance.
Ethan and Allison approached the building from the northeast, passing a fenced playground lined with unkept hedges. Inside, there was a full suite of swings, slides, and teeter-totters. They could see soccer and baseball fields just beyond the south wing of the school in the distance. It would’ve been impressive had the lawn been manicured and the playground equipment not broken and lying on the ground. The place looked empty. No light shone out the windows, and there was no sound from within. If they hadn’t known better, they would’ve assumed the school was abandoned.
“I can see why they haven’t been found yet,” Ethan said. “They seem to have a flare for this cloak-and-dagger stuff.”
They stopped in front of an arched double doorway. The doors were twelve feet tall with large wooden panels on the front, a silver lion’s head in the center of each with a swinging circular knocker hanging from its mouth. Allison grabbed the knocker and gave it three fast, hard raps on the door. They waited but nothing happened.
Feeling the barrel of a plasma rifle dig into his back, Ethan threw both hands in the air. “We’re friends!” His voice was panicked. Glancing slowly toward Allison, he saw that she also had both hands in the air.
“We’ve come from the Emperor’s Dragon,” Allison said smoothly. “I have the invitation in my right pocket.”
She felt a hand cautiously slide into her pocket and remove the small fortune. A moment later the pressure on her back was released. She and Ethan turned slowly to find two young men pointing rifles at their chests.
“Why are you here?” the man in front of Allison asked. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, his dirty-blond hair short and messy. It was sticking up in all directions, but his stature was all business. He was certainly not someone you would want to cross.
“We are, or rather were, part of the resistance in the Eisenhower sector,” Allison said. “A small group of Urlowen soldiers attacked our headquarters. We’re the only survivors. No one else made it out. We’ve come to join you.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” the guy in front of Ethan asked. It was hard to see in the dark, but Ethan was sure he was shaking with excitement. Clearly this was the first real action he’d seen. He was younger than the other, probably about his age, and a little lanky. In better lighting, he was sure the man would have flaming red hair.
“If we were here to attack you, we wouldn’t have come alone,” Allison reassured him. “I also brought the invitation, and met your messenger, Micah, several days ago.”
The older of the two lowered his rifle. “It’s all right, Grant. Lower your weapon. Her story checks out. Micah got back a few days ago.”
Grant lowered his carbine and relaxed.
“Come inside. It sounds like you have quite a story to tell. I’m Leon, and you probably figured out that this is Grant.” Reaching past them, he unlocked the door and swung it open. “After you.”
The inside of the school was just as extravagant as the exterior. They entered a long hallway lined with cherry wainscoting, portraits of wealthy benefactors hanging on the walls.
“It’s not as grand as the main entry,” Leon said, “but walking in and out of the front door seemed like a bad idea.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Ethan responded, taking in the decor. “I wasn’t rich or smart enough to go to a school like this.”
“I don’t think many people are,” Allison added.
Leon shrugged. “It’s not really all it’s cut out to be.”
Grant led the four of them through the hallway and deeper into the school. Leon took up the rear, keeping Ethan and Allison between them. Ethan got the impression that Leon wasn’t going to immediately accept them into the fold. Trust was going to have to be earned here.
“Are you hungry?” Leon asked.
“Extremely,” Ethan replied. “We ate a little here and there on the trip, but not all that much.”
“Then we’ll take you to the cafeteria first. I don’t think we got your names.”
“I’m Ethan.”
“And I’m Allison.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Welcome to West River Academy.”
The three of them entered a large bustling cafeteria where probably fifty people sat at various large wooden tables across the room. At the front, four long rectangular tables had been pushed together to form a serving station with a small variety of beans, chicken, mashed potatoes, and sides. The spread wasn’t the most appealing display, but Ethan and Allison were hungry enough that it didn’t really matter. They each grabbed a dark green rectangular tray, gold-emblazoned with the school’s crest, and loaded a plate.
“This way, please.” Leon led them to a table at the far end of the room and pulled out a chair for Allison. “For you,” he said, motioning to the seat. After she sat, he helped slide the seat into position.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. My father used to say that a little hospitality will take you far in life.” He took the seat next to her.
Ethan walked to the other side of the table and sat across from them. They were in the corner of the room next to a large window overlooking a beautiful courtyard. The school surrounded the opening on every side, and columns rose to form a covered walkway around the square. Grant disappeared to inform the others of their new guests, and they ate in silence for a while, focusing on filling their stomachs.
When they were about halfway finished with their meals, a tall, medium-build man with well-kept graying hair entered the cafeteria. He scanned over the crowd, then, upon seeing them, walked straight to their table.
“Allison, I’m glad you made it,” the man said, shaking her hand. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to visit so soon. Has the northern resistance decided to join us?
Allison hesitated. “Sort of.”
Micah looked perplexed.
“There isn’t a northern resistance anymore,” Ethan shared. “It’s ju
st us. Everyone else is dead.”
Micah, looking stunned, slowly sank into the empty seat by Allison. “Your parents?”
Allison shook her head, tears beginning to roll down her checks.
“It was a massacre,” Ethan said grimly. “We didn’t see them coming until it was too late.” He still felt exceptionally guilty having been on guard duty that night. He knew there was nothing he could’ve done, but that didn’t offer much comfort.
Allison wiped her eyes with her napkin.
“When?” Micah asked.
“Two nights ago,” Allison said. Her voice quivered.
Micah slowly shook his head. “I’m so sorry. You’ve both been through a lot.” He reached over and patted Allison’s hand gently, then looked to Ethan. “We’ll need to know exactly what happened, but that can wait until tomorrow.”
Ethan nodded. “Thanks.”
“There’s one more thing I have to ask you, and then Leon can show you to your rooms.”
“Anything.”
Micah’s face turned even more serious. “Are you sure you weren’t followed?”
“I don’t think so.” There was a slight hesitation in Ethan’s voice.
“Did you double back a few times or just come straight here?” Leon pressed.
Allison’s face turned slightly pale. “We just came straight here.”
Leon sprung up from the table, grabbed his rifle, and looked directly at Micah. “I’ll gather lookouts. We’ll do a complete sweep of the neighborhood,” he said urgently. “Why don’t you show them to their beds.” Not waiting for a response, he jogged across the room to the exit.
“See if Jackson wants to go with you,” Micah called after him, “You may need him.”
Leon waved his hand, acknowledging the request, but didn’t waste time by stopping.
With a strained smile, Micah looked back to Ethan and Allison. “Sorry about that, but we just need to be certain. There’ve been rumors that the Urlowens are increasing their forces in occupied cities, some sort of new campaign to quell the rising resistances. From what you’ve described, it sounds like the rumors are true.”
“We should’ve doubled back.” Ethan’s face was downcast, embarrassed for making such a stupid mistake. “I knew better. What was I thinking?” He looked up at Micah. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. Most of us aren’t soldiers, and we just do the best we can. Besides, we’ve been training for things like this. Our lookouts can handle it. It’ll be all right.” He paused a moment. Micah had retired from the Alliance Intelligence Service several years before the Urlowens arrived and was doing his best to train the resistance. He’d learned that a little compassion went a long way. But not too much compassion. “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
When Ethan and Allison finished dinner, Micah led them out of the cafeteria and down several hallways similar to the first. Rounding a corner into the academy’s main lobby, Allison gasped. It had marble floors and two giant circular columns rising to the ceiling three stories above. On either side of the entryway was a winding staircase that curved gently to meet in the center of the second floor. On the third floor, the hallway was open, protected by a railing, giving a bird’s eye view of the grand lobby below. The school’s coat of arms was designed in marble in the center of the floor.
“Well this is impressive,” Ethan said as they walked beneath one of the staircases.
“This school was built and used by the richest families in Madison City,” Micah explained. “Mostly it was to prepare their children to take over the family businesses, become CEOs, entrepreneurs, surgeons, government officials, and the like. But it was abandoned at the very start of the war. The parents assumed—and rightly so—that they’d be on the top of the Urlowens' hit list.”
“How’d they know?” Ethan asked.
Micah answered in his most professorial voice. “History has shown us that most violent regime changes follow certain patterns. For merciless, dare I say evil governments, it’s typical to eliminate those holding power within each city to get rid of political opposition to the new leaders who’ll be installed. These governments tend to simply kill powerful rivals instead of defeating them through debate.” Micah grinned a bit, adding, “Mostly because their oppression of the populace is insane, and there’s no way they’d ever come to power through debate and logic.”
They took the staircase to the second floor and followed the hallways to the school’s south wing. Up ahead, two children rounded a corner running at full speed. They each held a small figurine of the Alliance’s most advanced space fighter, the Phoenix. The toys were in an intense battle with invisible Urlowen fighters, as they dodged, flipped, and outmaneuvered their foes.
“I’ve got one on my six. Can’t shake him!” one of the kids called out.
“I’ve got ’em!” the other yelled back. “Pew, pew, pew, pew!”
“Keep it down, please,” Micah interjected as the kids turned another corner and disappeared. “There are people trying to sleep.”
“You have kids here?” Allison said.
Micah shrugged. “It wasn’t our first choice, but most of them lost their homes during the war. More than that, we’ve had some intel suggesting the Urlowens in other cities are beginning to target the families of resistance fighters. Women, children, civilian—they aren’t making any distinctions. If they’re linked in any way to the resistance, they kill them. We didn’t want to risk losing anyone, so we brought them here.”
Turning into the same hallway the children just left, they found themselves passing classrooms. Each looked like a gypsy apartment, with blankets hung from ropes to separate children’s rooms from the parents’.
“We try to keep one family per classroom,” Micah said. “It helps everyone feel like they have a little privacy.” He stopped in front of an empty room. “Ah, here we are. One of you can make yourself at home here. The other can have the room just across the hall.” He pointed to the room labeled 213. “I’ll have a couple blankets and pillows brought to you. Is there anything else I can get you tonight?”
Ethan and Allison shook their heads.
“No, this is fine. Thank you,” Allison said.
“I’m good too, thanks,” Ethan replied.
“Very good.” Micah smiled. “I truly am sorry about your parents and your friends, but I’m glad you made it to us. You’ll fit in just fine here.” He glanced down at Allison’s leg. “I noticed you were limping. We’ll get you to our hospital tomorrow afternoon, after we’ve had a chance to hear more about the attack. They’ll be able to help you. At a minimum, they can get you something for the pain.”
“Thank you,” Allison said.
Micah bid them farewell and headed down the corridor. After he asked a few people to lend Ethan and Allison pillows and blankets, he went to his room and settled in for an anxious night’s sleep.
“I hope the boys’ll be all right tonight,” he whispered to himself. “And I hope they weren’t followed.”
Chapter 7
The lookouts returned early the next morning as sunlight was just beginning to peek over the mountains. Ten of them entered the school showing obvious signs of fatigue. Micah waited uneasily for them just inside the door.
Jackson flung his rifle over his shoulder, letting it hang by the strap. Leon stood by his side.
“You’re up early,” Jackson said, stretching his muscles a bit.
“I didn’t sleep well,” Micah replied. “Did you find anything? Were they followed?” The worry in his voice was obvious.
“I don’t think so. We didn’t find anything, though that could mean they were followed by an expert. We just can’t be sure.”
“Well, that’s all we can do.” Micah’s voice hadn’t lost its nervous tone. Jackson was right, of course, and it weighed heavily on him. He even knew a few people from his previous career who could do just that. “You all should get some sleep.”
“That’s just what
I was thinking,” Jackson said. “Why don’t you pick some people to run the watch for the day. I’m too tired to make good choices right now.”
Micah smiled back politely. “Will do. I’ll also let everyone know that there’ll be a meeting this afternoon. Everyone needs to hear what happened to the northern resistance. You’ll have a few hours to sleep, at least.”
“Thanks. And after that, I’ll head over to the hospital to speak with our other guests.”
“I think that’s a good idea. The doctors say they’ve been in and out of consciousness. Maybe by tonight they’ll be a little more coherent.”
“That’s what I’m hoping. Well, I’ll see you in a few hours, then.”
“Sleep well. You deserve it.” Micah looked at the rest of the men. “All of you.”
“Night,” Leon said as he and Jackson headed off to their rooms.
A couple hours after lunch, all the lookouts were up, and everyone gathered in the cafeteria. Ethan sat with Allison at the front of the room where the food was served the night before, watching as the last few stragglers entered—including, to his great surprise, his old friend John. They had been best friends up until middle school, when John’s family moved out of town. Ethan hadn’t talked to him since, but the memories he had were golden. They always got into all sorts of mischief.
John looked just as surprised to see Ethan. He waved and made his way over. “I heard we had a couple of new arrivals, but I never thought it would be you.”
“I could say the same about you.” Ethan smiled. “You remember Allison, right?”
“Of course I remember Allison. Although, I’m even more surprised that she’s sitting by you. She’s way out of your league.”
“Thanks,” Ethan said a little uncomfortably.
John turned to Allison, beaming. “Did he tell you that he used to have the hots for you?”
Ethan started to flush but tried to hide it.
“No.” She glanced at Ethan with the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes. “He never mentioned it.” She looked back to Jackson. “Actually, we just got reacquainted fairly recently as well.”
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