“You aren’t serious? We have an agreement with the Mexican government. They won’t touch us.”
“Never say never,” Toby said. “Just wait. They should be here soon.”
Just then, the phone on the desk rang. Henry picked up the receiver and snapped at the recipient on the other end. “What is it?” He was silent for a moment and then said, “Right, and you’ve tried to call?” He listened again and then said, “Okay, I’ll go check myself.”
He hung up the phone and looked at the boys. “Apparently the police are outside, and my guard in the security room didn’t notify anyone. Do you know anything about that?”
The boys smiled and shrugged.
“We need to go for a little walk.”
“Where?” Toby asked. “The police are already here.”
“There are a few exits they don’t know about. We should still have time. Let’s go.” He pulled a gun out from under his desk and aimed it at them.
Tyler sucked in his breath. Do you still see a way out of this? he silently asked his brother.
Toby was silent for a moment and then thought, Um…yeah. Just a few more seconds and we’ll be good.
“Come on, boys.” Henry waved the gun toward the door. “Let’s walk. First, I’ll take that disc off your hands.” He walked around the desk, aimed the gun at Tyler, and held out his other hand for the flash drive.
Any second, huh? Tyler thought. Are you sure about that?
Um, yeah. Right about n— Toby’s thought was interrupted by a knock at the door, and before Henry had a chance to put his gun away, an IIA security guard entered, followed by three members of the Federales.
“I am Chief Morales with the Mexican Police. What is going on here?”
“What are you doing here?” Henry demanded. “This is my private office and property of the United States Government.”
“The United States Government does not own property in Mexico,” the chief corrected. “They simply lease the land. We have every right to be here.”
“That may be, but we have an agreement with your government that you won’t disturb us. Our business here is private.”
“That is true,” the chief said. “Unless we hear that you are breaking one of our laws. Then we have the responsibility to check it out. We have word that there are kidnapped American children.”
Henry must have realized that he still held his gun, because he hastily tucked it into his back waistband.
The chief turned to Toby. “Have you been kidnapped?”
“They weren’t kidnapped,” Henry interrupted. “They are criminals. Our agency has arrested them under suspicion of a threat to national security.”
The chief eyed Toby with curiosity. “Really? Is this true?”
Toby shook his head. “No, sir. My brother and I were both kidnapped. They’ve kept us here and we don’t know why. You can check it out for yourselves. There are other kids who are locked up downstairs, too.”
“Secure him until we can find out what’s going on,” the chief said.
The other two uniformed men marched toward Henry. One of the men aimed a gun at him while the other removed the gun from Henry’s waistband and handcuffed him.
With his hands secured behind his back, Henry glared at the boys. “You know, once the agency hears about this, they’ll have me out and back home in no time. We’ll just relocate somewhere else.”
“You’re probably right,” Tyler said. “And we trust that once you do make it home, you’ll make sure that the agency leaves us alone…Liliana, Grace, Eddie, Sarah…all of us. You might go on with your work, but we’re going to go on with our lives.”
“Would you kids like to come with me?” the chief asked.
“Absolutely,” Tyler said. “We’re ready to go home.”
EPILOGUE
“Boys, go ahead and grab your bags. If you’ll just follow me, your room will be on the second floor.”
Tyler and Toby each grabbed their two large duffel bags, which contained all of their personal belongings. They followed the guidance counselor out of her office and down the hall to the stairs, which would lead to their new room.
The Portland, Oregon boarding school housed students from around the world, and the twins were thrilled to be able to call it home. For some, the school meant confinement and rigidness, a residence filled with rules and proper etiquette. To the twins, it represented freedom, a place of independence.
The counselor glanced over her shoulder to ensure that they were following and then continued down the hall. “I have to say, it is unusual for students to transfer to our school mid-year. We do make special exceptions on occasion, but usually only for students whose parents are, what you might call, influential. Now don’t get me wrong, we pride ourselves upon the confidentiality of our students. We understand that many come to us because they desire privacy. So please understand, if you ever want to share anything with me about where you come from or who your parents are, the information would be kept strictly confidential.”
She stopped and turned to the boys with an inquisitive gaze. Tyler knew that she wanted information. Their arrival almost at the end of the school year, along with a very generous donation to the school from an anonymous donor, had left the guidance counselor more than a little curious. The boys simply smiled.
“Ah, I see you’d rather not talk about it. I understand. Just know that I’m here anytime you need someone to talk to.” They reached the second floor and arrived at the room they would call home for the next two years. It wasn’t large, but it was comfortable and would suit their needs. “So here we are. I’ll let you get settled in. Dinner is at six downstairs in the dining hall. I’ve given you your class schedules. You’ll find them in your folders. School starts at eight tomorrow morning. Do you have any questions before I go?”
“Um, yeah,” Tyler began, “just one. What’s the policy about weekend travel?”
“Well, we offer a variety of weekend getaways for our students. We do backpacking trips into the mountains and excursions into the city to visit museums. They are all voluntary, of course, but we like to encourage our students to participate as much as possible.”
“That sounds like fun. What I was curious about though was if we are allowed to go off on our own for the weekend.”
“Oh, well, weekend travel on your own isn’t encouraged, but it certainly isn’t prohibited either. If you did leave for the weekend, you would need signed parental consent, and you would have to be back to school on Sunday evening by seven. If your parents don’t live around here, they may fax a written consent. You would have to provide your own transportation.”
“That’s not a problem. Our dad left us a car to use.”
The counselor smiled. “Well, great then. Do you plan to visit friends in the area?”
“Seattle,” Tyler told her. “I have a friend in Seattle.”
*****
Toby sat in the window seat and gazed out of the rain-speckled dorm room window. The tall, lush, green trees were a welcome change from the brown desert of Arizona he had always known. It seemed appropriate that he would start out his new life in a new state. A future filled with endless possibilities, welcomed him with open arms.
He thought about Rebecka and the future. Though their time together had been short, they had definitely shared an undeniable connection, which he would like to further explore. He would be a junior next year. Two more years of school and after that, well, who knew? Perhaps he would go to college in California.
When his cell phone rang, he didn’t have to look to know who it was. He answered with a smile in his voice. “Hi there. I was just thinking about you.”
“I know,” Rebecka said and then laughed. “I heard your thoughts, but I figured I would call like a regular friend. We’ve never really just talked on the phone before. It’s kinda fun, huh?”
Toby smiled. “Yeah. It’s good to hear your voice. How are things going?”
“I’m back to school. My guidance
counselor worked things out so that I can take some summer classes and get caught up. I’ll be able to start out next school year as a senior. Isn’t that great?”
“That is great. Just one more year of school, huh?”
“And then college, I guess. So did I hear that you were thinking about coming down here to go to college with me?”
Toby laughed. “You really were listening to my thoughts. Yeah, the idea crossed my mind. What do you think?”
“I would be more than thrilled. Of course, I don’t know what my parents would think. My last dating experience left me kidnapped. I don’t think they’re going to allow me to see any boys until I’m thirty. But don’t worry. I’m sure once they meet you, they’ll like you as much as I do.”
“You like me?”
“You know I do. You’re a wonderful friend.”
“A friend.” It was a simple statement to test the waters.
“You’re more than just a friend.”
“Oh yeah? More than a friend?” Toby closed his eyes and envisioned Rebecka. She was lying against a giant stack of pillows on her bed and grinning.
She laughed. “Why do I feel like that’s a trick question? All right, I’ll say it. I like you. I like you a lot…more than just a friend. I miss you already and can’t wait to see you again.”
“I like the sound of that. I’d like to see you again, too. Of course, I can see you right now. You’re lying on your bed and you’re wearing huge, fuzzy, pink slippers.”
“You can see me! That’s not fair. I wish I could see you, too.”
“Can you? I mean, do you think you could do your thing and transport yourself here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to travel over such a long distance. I’m not sure what would happen. That’s why I never tried to escape the compound. I was scared I might end up in limbo or something. Maybe I could practice. I could try to teleport a little bit farther each time. In the meantime, take a picture of yourself and send it to my phone so I can see you. Okay?”
“I will,” Toby promised.
“Thanks. I’d better go. Dinner’s ready. You take care, okay? I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
*****
“Grace, honey! Come downstairs. Derek is here,” her mother bellowed.
“Coming!” Grace called back. She had hoped that she wouldn’t have to face her boyfriend until school on Monday, but that apparently would not be the case. She took a quick survey of herself in the mirror. She had no make-up on, her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and athletic pants. It occurred to her that she didn’t care what she looked like. She no longer felt the need or desire to impress Derek.
Then she suddenly realized that Derek was downstairs, alone with her parents. After she had been so careful to cover her tracks, to make her parents believe she had gone to Florida on the band trip, it would take only one conversation with Derek to ruin everything.
She darted out of her bedroom and practically flew down the stairs. She came to a sudden stop in the entryway, out of breath, and faced her mother and Derek.
At her abrupt entrance, her mother turned to her with raised eyebrows. “Well hi, Grace. I didn’t exactly mean for you to come downstairs quite so quickly. You only saw Derek yesterday. Do you miss him that much already?”
“Oh,” Derek began, “well actually, Grace and I haven’t seen each other since—”
Grace quickly cut him off. “We haven’t seen each other in what seems like forever. Come on, Derek. Let’s go out to the front porch. We can talk there.”
“Oh…uh…okay.” He reluctantly followed her outside. Grace knew that he wanted to go up to her bedroom, where they would have more privacy. She decided that the front porch would be a better location for what she was about to say.
He sat close beside her on the swinging bench. She scooted a few inches away and turned to face him.
“So, how have you been?” he asked. “I really missed you on the trip. I wish you could have come.”
“Yeah, I think it was good that I stayed behind. It gave me time to think and reflect on life. You know? I realized what’s important and what I want my future to be like.”
“Um, how come I get the feeling I don’t like where this conversation is going? When you say future, am I included in that future of yours?”
“Derek, you know I like you. I always have. You’re a wonderful friend.”
“Oh…this is the part where you say you just want to be friends, isn’t it?”
“Sort of…I’m sorry, Derek. I’ve tried. I just feel like you’re more of a brother to me than anything else. You’re a great friend, and I don’t want to lose your friendship. I understand if you don’t want to ever see me again, but if we can still be friends, I’d really like it.”
“Is there someone else? Did you meet someone else while I was in Florida?”
“No.” Grace realized it was a lie when an image of Eddie immediately popped into her mind. “I’ve felt this way for a while. It’s just…I meant what I said. I don’t want to lose your friendship.”
“Is there anything I can say to make you reconsider?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”
He stood then.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yeah, I need some time alone. I don’t want to lose your friendship either, Grace. I need to think right now, but I’ll see you on Monday. Okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll see you at school.”
She walked back into the house, slowly closed the door, and leaned against it. She hated to break Derek’s heart, but at the same time, she felt a huge sense of relief.
Her mother poked her head out of the kitchen. “Where’s Derek? Is he staying for dinner?”
“Uh, no, Mom. We kind of broke up.”
“You did what? Why?”
“It just didn’t feel right, you know? I tried, but I knew that it would never work out between us. I figured it was best to just end things now before it went on any longer.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, Mom. I’m happy. Derek will be happy, too, once he realizes it’s for the best. He’ll find someone who’s just right for him before he knows it. I want to be alone for a little bit. I’m going up to my room until dinner’s ready. Okay?”
She dashed upstairs and closed her bedroom door before her mother had a chance for further comment. She sat on her bed and picked up her phone. Should she call Eddie? What would she say to him if she did? She knew that he had felt something for her when they had shared a dance in Mexico. The look in his eyes and his aura had been undeniable proof that he had feelings for her.
She found his name under her contacts but then second-guessed herself and tossed the phone onto the bed. What was she thinking? She had just broken up with her boyfriend. Shouldn’t she at least wait a day until she called him? Then again, whoever said there was a certain protocol to follow after you broke up with someone? She picked up her phone, again, found Eddie’s number, and before she had a chance to think twice, she called.
*****
“Welcome back. How was your little excursion with your friends?”
Eddie set his notebook on the lab counter and turned to see Jenna’s familiar smile. He had known that he would see her soon; he had just hoped that it wouldn’t be today. He wanted to dive headfirst into his homework and not have to dwell on any thoughts of girls for a day or two.
“Hi there, yourself,” he said. “How have you been?”
“Not bad. Class has been dreadfully boring without you there to keep me company. I can’t believe you missed more than a week of school. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get caught up on my work if I missed that much.”
“Yeah, it’ll be rough, but I figure a couple of late-night study sessions and I should be back on track.”
“Well, I’d be happy to help. You could come over to my place, we could order a pizza, and I could he
lp you make some flash cards or something.” Her tone was flirtatiously sweet, and she wore a playful grin.
Any guy he knew would jump at the chance to have a private study session at Jenna’s place, and yet he couldn’t help but think about Grace and Sarah. What I need, he thought, is to swear off all girls completely for a while. He didn’t want to drive Jenna completely away, but he needed time to figure out his life before it became complicated with a girl—any girl.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think I should do this on my own. I want to just sit down and get it done. If I studied with you, I would be too tempted to talk and get sidetracked.”
The disappointment was apparent in her expression. “Oh, okay. Well, if you change your mind, I’m just a phone call away. Do you mind if I join you now? I just came to the lab to finish up a little bit of work.”
“Sure, I don’t mind. Pull up a stool.” In truth, he really did want to be alone, but he wasn’t about to throw her off twice in one day.
“So did your friends go home already?”
“Yeah, they all had to get back to school, too.”
“Oh, well that’s too bad. Maybe next time they’re in town we can all hang out and I can meet them.”
“Sure. They’d like to meet you.”
He turned back to his project. He just wanted to work, but a moment later she asked, “Where did you guys go? You said you were going to show them the sights.”
“Oh, um, we went to the Grand Canyon and spent a couple of days there, and then we toured Sedona.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Yep, we had a good time.” He kept his response brief and to the point. He hoped that she would get the hint.
With his back to her, he was thankful she couldn’t see his face. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Obviously he wouldn’t find peace and quiet in the lab today. Before she had time to ask another question, his phone rang. Saved by the bell, he thought. Maybe she would get lost in her work and forget about him by the time he got off the phone.
He took his phone out of his pocket and looked to see who called. It was Grace. From one girl to the next, he thought with a sigh, and yet he realized that he was excited at the idea that he would hear her voice again.
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Page 27
