Saving Her Shadow

by Lutishia Lovely

  “I can try.”

  “That’s good enough. Let me make sure the coast is clear.”

  Raina, dressed in all black, eased down the hall to her parents’ suite. She placed an ear against the door. Jennifer slept quietly but Raina heard Ken’s reassuring snore. She tip-toed back to her room just as her phone vibrated.

  Where you at?

  Coming! Are you at the house?

  Can’t. Security. I’m on foot, by the fence. Hurry.

  Raina retrieved the sweatshirt she’d hidden beneath the bed and ran through the tandem bathroom to where Abby half sat, half lay on the pillow. She pulled her sister to a sitting position and pulled the black shirt over Abby’s head. It dragged on the ground. Perfect. Just as Raina wanted. She took a last look around and in a second of ingenuity placed the pillow lengthwise in her sister’s bed, along with a stuffed animal. She threw the blanket over both pieces. Anyone just peeking in could easily imagine Abby under the covers. Jackie said the nurse would need less than an hour to check Abby. Raina planned to have them back long before then.

  She placed a finger to her mouth, took her sister’s hand, and hurried through the bath and her room to the nearby staircase. They eased down them without incident, and over to the side door, which she left unlocked. Once outside, they stayed close to the houses and beyond the security lights. The sky was black and cloudy, yet a full moon lit their path. They neared the last home and crossed to where a loose board provided escape through the ten-foot security fence. Raina had discovered the break months before. At first she’d forgotten to tell someone. Later, she kept the secret deliberately. As they neared the escape point, she could tell the plank had already been pulled back. They eased through it, staying low to the ground. The sound of air pushed through lips came from the direction of a thick pine bush.

  “Jackie?” Raina whispered.

  A taller, leaner figure stepped from behind the bushes.

  “Bryce?”

  “Yeah, come on.”

  It had been more than a month since Raina had seen him. Even now, in the darkness, she felt more than she saw. There was no time to reconcile the mixed feelings his being here caused her. They had to go.

  Holding Abby’s hand tightly, Raina scurried over to where he knelt.

  “Stay low,” were the only words spoken as he effortlessly lifted Abby into his arms and led them back the way he’d come, staying close to trees and other objects that could hide them as they hurried through the park. Excitement coated with fear thrummed through every cell of Raina’s body. Part of her felt happy and confident that someone other than a healer would finally see Abby and might be able to help her get better. The other part thought she was crazy and asked what the hell she was doing, especially given how almost every inch of Lucent Rising was monitored by the organization’s security force. Fortunately, because of her father’s position and his tendency to speak freely with the door open when working from home, Raina knew where the cameras were and even more importantly, ways they could be avoided. Which is why they’d made their escape through Chippewa Park, which ran along the north side of Lucent Rising and was forbidden to the children of light.

  They reached the park’s entrance. “Where’s your car?”

  “Text Jackie,” he said, stopping by a large oak to shift Abby from one arm to another. “Just send an X. She’s waiting. You all right, baby girl?” he asked Abby.

  Abby, wide-eyed, said nothing.

  Raina sent the text. Almost immediately, the familiar frame of the black Mustang came into view. The usual booming stereo was radio silent. The lights were off.

  Bryce snorted. “That girl watches too much TV.” He set Abby down.

  Raina grabbed her hand. “Come on, Shadow.”

  “Where are we going?” For the first time, Abby showed fear.

  “To the light, to make you better,” Raina explained.

  “I don’t know these people. They’re outsiders!”

  “Girl, get in this car,” Jackie said. “Or I’m going to leave your behind outside.”

  “Jackie, shut up. Stop scaring Raina’s sister.” Bryce had opened the back door for Raina and Abby and then eased into the front seat.

  He rolled down the window. “Y’all coming or what?”

  Raina kneeled down to look at Abby eye-to-eye. “You trust me, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Shadow. I’ll protect you with my life.”

  They got into the car. Jackie hit a main street and finally turned on the headlights. Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the driveway of Lois Monroe, a member of Christine’s church. The location had been carefully chosen to minimize problems for all involved. Beverly didn’t want to lose her job at the clinic. Going to her house wasn’t an option. Jackie was an attorney who didn’t want to be disbarred. The McFadden home was out. Raina had given Christine’s name and address to the council. Her father had it, too. So Raina found herself once again in the home of a stranger, an unsanctioned. She trusted everyone around her, but out of habit, shielded herself anyway.

  They entered a small but warmly decorated home. The lights were dim, so Raina saw little of its interior, but the bedroom where Beverly had set up shop was colorful and brightly lit. Religious paraphernalia was everywhere. If that wasn’t enough, the homeowner greeted them wearing a colorful T-shirt with a message: JESUS IS MY ROCK, THAT’S JUST HOW I ROLL.

  Abby looked around but said nothing.

  “Trust me,” Raina mouthed, while executing shielding symbols. Soon Abby’s little fingers were doing them, too, an action that seemed to relax her. Bev’s personality was warm, her bedside manner comforting. She introduced herself to Abby, then asked that she sit on the bed. Pulling a stethoscope from a nearby tote, Bev began the examination. She checked her temperature, examined her skin.

  “I think she has a virus,” Bev concluded several minutes later. “I’m no doctor though, and she needs one. I know you feel it’s not an option, but I recommend a hospital visit.”

  “I can’t,” Raina said. “My parents would kill me. If they awaken while I’m gone, I’m already dead.”

  Bev looked over at Abby, now lying back on the bed and sleeping. “Tell you what. This isn’t protocol, in fact it’s against the rules. But I’m driven to help your sister and feel we have no time to lose.” She reached into the tote and pulled out a tincture. “This is a liquid antibiotic, orange flavored to make it easy going down. I will administer one dose, and wait”—Bev looked at her watch—“for thirty minutes, maybe forty-five. See if there’s any change. If not, I’m going to have to issue a report on your sister.” She stepped closer, dropped her voice to a whisper. “I can’t have this little girl dying on my watch.”

  Chapter 17

  The antibiotics hadn’t brought a change to Abby’s condition. Her temperature had risen two degrees.

  “Raina, this is very serious. Your sister needs immediate medical help. You’re going to have to decide what’s more important, your faith or your sister’s physical condition. We need to take her to emergency, and we need to leave now.”

  “What do you want to do?” Bryce asked.

  “Follow your heart,” Jackie encouraged. “You already have the answer. Do the right thing.”

  Ten minutes later, Bev, Jackie, and Raina prepared to take Abby to emergency. Bryce had a slew of packages to deliver and left for work. Abby, who vacillated between shivering and sweating, still wore the long-sleeved black sweatshirt over a pair of sunflower pajamas and now also sported a pair of bright red smiley-face slippers. Because of the medical dilemma and the potential legal fallout, Bev had called ahead to a doctor who was familiar with the Nation and understood the unusual nature of their arrival. He was expecting them and had a team prepared to act as quickly as possible as soon as the patient arrived. The early morning temperatures were still on the cool side. Bev suggested that both ladies grab a sweater or jacket to warm them as the hospital, especially the wai
ting room, tended to be cold. Lois retrieved a sweater for Jackie and a light jacket for Raina.

  “Are we ready?” Bev asked.

  Raina turned to Abby. “Ready, Shadow?”

  Abby didn’t respond, just leaned into her sister’s side.

  Bev observed the action. “We should go.”

  The three stepped outside and headed toward Bev’s red Kia. Jackie entered the front seat. Raina climbed in the back next to Abby, placed a throw that Lois provided around her legs and feet. Bev started the car, quickly shifted into gear, and began backing down the drive. Suddenly, the yelp of a police siren pierced the quiet morning. The glow of red and blue lights bounced from Lois’s garage door as five squad cars that seemed to come from every direction surrounded the car.

  “Oh no,” Bev whispered.

  “I’ll be damned,” Jackie said with a sigh.

  “Sister, what’s happening?” Abby squealed.

  Raina said nothing. Couldn’t with a heart lodged in her throat.

  Two police jumped out of their cars, guns drawn.

  “The blood of Jesus!” Lois cried, loud enough to be heard from inside her front door.

  The officer quickly swiveled and trained his gun on the door. “Don’t move! Stay inside!”

  “Out of the car!” the other officer demanded.

  A third police car pulled up, siren blasting, lights blazing.

  The women opened their doors and exited the car.

  “Get your hands up!” the female officer yelled. “All of you. Do it now!”

  “Hands up!” cried the baby-faced officer who’d just arrived.

  “Don’t move!” the first cop warned again.

  Each of them walked up to a woman, spun them around and threw on the handcuffs. Lois hadn’t stayed inside as the officer commanded. Once the handcuffs came out, she did, too, and witnessed it all.

  “What are you doing?” Jackie demanded. “We didn’t do nothing, Officer. Why are you arresting us?”

  “Are you Raina Reed?” he demanded.

  “I’m Raina,” she said, relief flooding through her. Obviously, since he knew her name, her parents had let them know that the two were sisters and would take them back to the house. She’d probably be obscured again, but that was the least of her worries. Especially when she heard Beverly pleading on her sister’s behalf, and then Abby’s anguished crying, coming through the window.

  “Seriously, Officer, we have a very sick child inside that car. She needs to get to emergency. We were just on her way there.”

  “And you are?”

  “Beverly Wilson, a nurse and friend of the family.”

  “I want Mother,” Abby wailed. “I want to go home!”

  “You’re Raina Reed?” the officer asked again.

  “Yes! I need to help my sister!” She tried to pull away. The officer’s grip was a vise. “It’s okay, Abby! Please,” she said to the officer. “My sister is sick. Can you please get her to the hospital?”

  “We’ll see to your sister. But you’re under arrest.”

  “For what?”

  “First degree kidnapping, among other things.”

  “No, there’s got to be some kind of mistake. Abby’s my sister. We’re taking her to the doctor.”

  “If you’re Raina Reed, this is no mistake. You’re being arrested for kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent . . .”

  “No!” Raina struggled against the officer as he led her away. “Abby! Don’t be scared. I love you, Shadow!”

  The Miranda rights continued as he walked-slash-dragged Raina to his squad car. She was numb, spent, the moment felt surreal. She watched as Bev was marched to another car and saw the female officer place Jackie in the car she’d driven to the scene. The officer started the car, whipped a U-turn as good as or better than any male driver, and headed down the street. Raina’s head fell back against the seat. Of all the scenarios she’d played about how the night might turn out, going to jail hadn’t been one of them. Prison bars hadn’t entered her mind.

  Later, she wouldn’t remember the ride to the courthouse. Everything went by in a tearstained blur. When had her parents awakened and discovered Abby missing? How had they found her? Security. The word floated into her mind like a whisper. In her heart, she believed the church watchmen were how they’d tracked her down. One of them must have noticed Bryce’s car, became suspicious and followed him. She wished she could speak with Bryce, ask if he’d noticed lights trailing them. She’d been too concerned about Abby to think of much else. Beyond the cameras all over Lucent Rising, they existed along the streets of Chippewa, too. There were members of the Nation on law enforcement’s payroll. If they wanted to find someone, obviously, they could.

  Raina thought about her mom and felt bad. They’d had a good conversation just hours before. The police had taken her purse, but the burner phone Valarie had given her was tucked into her clothing. Handcuffs prevented her from being able to reach it. Even if it were possible, it probably wouldn’t matter. She doubted her parents would take her call and was pretty sure this true act of kidnapping more than crossed the Council’s zero-tolerance line. Raina dropped her head against the back seat of the police car. What had she done?

  They reached the courthouse. A few curious onlookers, those who worked nights in and around the courthouse and a few officers entering or leaving the jail, stopped to watch as she was led out of the police car and into the building. A part of Raina left her body to preserve the part that remained. She went through the booking process on autopilot. Her basic information was recorded before she was fingerprinted and photographed. They removed all of her personal items and placed them in a numbered bag. Because she was being taken to a holding cell rather than the actual jail, she was patted down rather than strip searched and allowed to wear her own clothes. The female corrections officer found her phone, made her remove the shoestrings from her tennis shoes, and took the band from her hair. By the time they were finished Raina was totally and completely humiliated. She wasn’t an animal. Why did they have to treat her like one?

  “All right, Reed,” the woman said. “Let’s go.”

  They walked away from the desk area. As they entered the hall, the officer’s hold became softer, as did her voice. “Kidnapping your sister, huh?”

  “She’s sick. I was trying to take her to the hospital because my parents wouldn’t.”

  “The Nation?”

  Raina turned to look at her. “You know about us?”

  “I’m familiar.” They reached the end of the hall where there was a pay phone. The officer stopped. “Got anybody to call?”

  “I can use the phone?” Raina asked. The officer nodded. “I don’t have any money,” Raina said.

  The officer reached into her pocket and pulled out some change.

  “Thank you.” Still handcuffed, Raina deposited coins into the slot and called the number she memorized during the flurry of calls earlier that evening.

  “McFadden.”

  “Miss Valarie . . .”

  “Raina? Thank God. Where are you?”

  “Clinton Correctional. Where’s Abby?”

  “Right, they couldn’t keep you in Chippewa. Their facility isn’t set up to house a mixed population. So you were actually arrested. Have you been booked?”

  “Yes, but I don’t care about that. Where’s my sister?”

  “With Child Protective Services most likely.”

  “Not the hospital where we were headed, as I told the police?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “Abby has never been alone with an outsider,” Raina said, panic causing her voice to rise. “You’ve got to find her, please, Miss Valarie. She’s probably terrified!”

  “Being with the state might work to your advantage, as a medical evaluation is part of the intake process. If any illness is suspected, they’d definitely take her to be checked out. If she’s back home with your parents, then their authority rules. They couldn’t be forced to see
k help for her.”

  Raina groaned. “This is awful. All of the planning and getting arrested . . . and for what?”

  “I know this is difficult, honey, but you’ve got to stay calm. I’ll make some calls, find out what I can as quickly as possible. Now listen carefully. We may not have a long time to talk, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t say anything to anyone about what happened tonight, especially to law enforcement. Even if asked casually, tell them you have an attorney who will answer all questions. It’s too late for anything to happen now, so you’ve got to be strong and tough it out for the night. I’ll go before the judge first thing in the morning to try and get you released on your own recognizance. That means without posting bail.”

  “I can’t believe I’m in here.”

  “This is definitely the worst-case scenario I hoped wouldn’t happen. But you’ve never been arrested, have no criminal history, and other than this stunt your parents pulled, have no criminal charges.”

  “My parents are the ones who called the police?” Considering how adverse the Nation was to outside enforcement, Raina found it hard to believe. “Are you sure?”

  “They woke up to find both you and your sister missing. I’m sorry Raina but yes, it was them.”

  The officer stepped forward. “Wrap it up,” she said.

  “I’ve got to go,” Raina said to Valarie.

  “I heard her. I’ll get to the courthouse first thing in the morning. In the meantime, try and go to sleep. Time will pass faster that way.”

  They reached the holding cell. Two women were inside, one curled up on the floor, the other stretched out on the hard, metal bench. The officer took off the cuffs and walked out of the cell. Raina jumped as the heavy metal door banged and clanged shut behind her. Raina rubbed her wrists as she looked around. The surroundings were as dismal as her mood, dull gray cement painted with antiseptic spray. The harsh lighting was not strong enough to dissipate the darkness, and Raina could no longer hold back the tears. She slid down a wall, propped her head on the arms wrapped around her knees and cried silently for sleep, and for Abby.