Smoke

by Mariah Esterly

  They left the apartment and made their way to the government building a few blocks away, Gertie pulling her coat closer in the early morning cold. Since they were there before most everyone else, Vail slipped into the empty elevator with her rather than taking the stairs.

  He squeezed her hand as it stopped, then let go, allowing her to move ahead of him.

  Mr. Lott was already in his office. Gertie felt Vail follow as she went to get her stack of pages. Normally, he would linger by her desk, keeping her in sight in case something went wrong, but he didn’t particularly like to be in the same room as Mr. Lott. He’d told Gertie that he found it hard to watch them interact and not inflict some sort of pain on the older man.

  That he followed her indicated her was more anxious then he’d let on.

  Mr. Lott glanced up from his computer, and a smile crossed his face. “Miss Penn! Early again, I see. Eager to start your day?”

  She folded her hands in front of her, hoping she looked demure, like a good little government employee. “Yes, Sir. I want you to know that I really appreciate working here, and I understand what it means to have your support.”

  Mr. Lott waved his hand. “I don’t believe any of the things Mr. Saunders said about you. I hope that you understand that. You will always have my… full support.” His brown eyes roved over her body, and Gertie felt Vail brush by her. What he intended to do she didn’t know.

  Worried he might blow their cover before they’d even begun, she stepped forward and smiled at him. “I do. I appreciate it. Truly.” She smiled at him. He smiled back. “Do you have pages ready for me, Mr. Lott?”

  It took him a moment to remember himself, but he glanced down and sorted through the large stack in front of him, before handing her a set, held together with a paper clip. She smiled at him in what she hoped was a brilliant manner and returned to her desk.

  “Ready?” She murmured into the empty room.

  “Yes.” Vail’s hand ran down her back as she held up the first paper, trying to make it look as though she was considering it, while her other hand tapped at her keyboard to turn the computer on. “Got it.”

  Gertie dropped the stack to the desk and popped her earbuds in. She worked her way through the stack, pausing before she started each page, holding it up until Vail touched her back letting her know he’d taken the picture.

  She’d gotten through five pages when she saw Kay wander in. She didn’t look up from her task, focused her whole attention on the numbers in front of her. Kay leaned back in her chair and tried to catch Gertie’s eye. Gertie lifted up the piece of paper, her right hand continuing typing all the while. Vail’s fingers brushed her shoulder and she let it drop.

  Kay had watched her do that three times, when she scooted her chair over, right in front of where Vail would need to stand in order to take the picture. Gertie stopped typing and looked at her, pulling out her earbuds. “Yes?”

  Kay narrowed her eyes at Gertie’s cool tone. “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “You’ve worked next to me for six months and I’ve never seen you do that.”

  Gertie frowned and said slowly, “you’ve never seen me type in numbers before?”

  She shook her head and reached out to snatch a paper off the desk, holding it up in the same way that Gertie had. “You’re holding up each piece of paper as you start it.” Vail’s fingers brushed Gertie’s other shoulder. Apparently, he’d taken advantage of Kay’s movement.

  “Was I? I didn’t notice. Is that bad?” Gertie was all innocence. “Is there a rule against it that I am not aware of?

  Kay’s face didn’t relax. She leaned forward, gripping the arm of Gertie’s chair. “Look, I know something is up with you. I know that you are mad at me for what happened with Liam, but he’s worried about you. I am worried about you. And you need to stop doing what you are doing. If I notice it, other people are bound to notice, too.”

  Gertie felt a stab of guilt. Kay’s fear for her was plain on her face, she was truly concerned, only wanting to look out for Gertie like she had since they’d met. She wished that she could stop, that she could smile at Kay and tell her she was sorry and she would stop. But if they didn’t continue today, Atkins and Graves would come up with another way to get the pages, and Gertie would be in the exact same spot she was in now.

  She raised her chin an inch. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

  “Please, Gertie, I’m not an idiot,” Kay hissed.

  Gertie stared at her for a second, then swallowed. “I’m sorry. I know that you feel like I’m being unfair by being upset at you, when you were just concerned for my welfare. I can’t help how I feel. I don’t want to talk about it with you, Kay, not right now.” Gertie pushed back her chair and stood. Striding away from her desk toward the small kitchen on their floor that was really just a microwave and a coffee maker. She felt Vail come with her.

  “She may be right,” Vail murmured. “Maybe we should stop.”

  Gertie poured coffee into a paper cup, held it to her lips to hide them as she muttered, “You can do what you like, I’m going to keep holding up the pages whether you take the pictures or not. If for no other reason than to annoy Kay.”

  He chuckled and Gertie smiled softly.

  She was true to her word. She held up each page typing all the while, holding it for far longer than necessary, glancing at Kay to see her disapproving glare. The blonde did not try to talk to her again.

  Gertie was almost done with her stack when Mr. Saunders disembarked from the elevator. He strode by her desk and went straight to Mr. Lott’s office. Her stomach clenched and her heart began to beat uncomfortably fast.

  Vail gripped her shoulder. Gertie popped her earbud out and she felt his breath on her ear as he said in a barely audible whisper. “Stop right now.”

  She nodded briefly and did as he asked, kicking herself mentally. She should have listened to Vail and to Kay. She shouldn’t have pushed her luck. What if someone watching the feed from the office had noticed her strange behavior? What if they had reported it to the Chancellor and Mr. Saunders was there to question her?

  But if she stopped holding up the paper after Mr. Saunders appeared wouldn’t that be an admonition of guilt? That she stopped doing it because she noticed he was there and she had something to hide?

  Trying to make it seem casual, Gertie picked up pages at random, leaving some on the desk as she typed. She also slowed her progress quite a bit, typing at a greatly reduced rate. She didn’t want to drop off her pages to Mr. Lott while Mr. Saunders was still in his office.

  She finished her pages and took her time printing them, bundling them together, walking slowly, hoping against hope that she would see his grey head leaving Mr. Lott’s office over the cubicle walls.

  She was not so lucky.

  Her heart was thumping in her chest as she knocked timidly on the closed door, the beat was so loud she barely heard him call out for her to enter. The smile on her face felt brittle as Mr. Lott glanced up from his computer. “Done for the day, Miss Penn?”

  “Yes.” Her mouth was dry and her voice came out quiet and scratchy. She swallowed and tried again. “Yes, I’m done for the day.” She glanced at Mr. Saunders, who stood behind Mr. Lott, his eyes locked on the computer screen.

  Her boss held out his hand and idly flipped through the stack she handed to him. “Looks good. I’ll call this in.”

  Gertie nodded and backed up a step then two. Waiting for him to ask her to stay, that they had some questions for her. She was in the door frame when Mr. Saunders looked up at her, his grey eyes pinning her in place.

  “Miss Penn? If you would please ask, Miss Barnett to come see us. I would be eternally grateful.”

  She should have just nodded her acquiescence and left. Her feet wouldn’t move, despite that she felt Vail’s hand close around her arm, silently urging her to maneuver to the door.

  “Is she in trouble or something?” She asked.

/>   Mr. Lott shook his head. “No, she’s not in any trouble. Mr. Saunders just has questions for her.”

  She should leave. “What kind of questions?” She heard herself ask, and wished that she could call the words back.

  “That’s none of your concern, Miss Penn.” Mr. Saunders’ voice was smooth like silk, and Gertie shivered.

  She nodded. “Yes, of course, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll send her to you.” She backed out of the office and closed the door behind her. Vail pulled her toward her desk where she changed her shoes and gathered her things.

  She considered not telling Kay that Mr. Saunders wanted to see her, but worried if she didn’t Kay would get into trouble for not speaking to Mr. Saunders.

  “Kay?”

  Her friend flicked her eyes in Gertie’s direction. “Oh, are you talking to me now?”

  “Mr. Lott asked me to have you go see him in his office.” Gertie slid her arms into her jacket. “He said they have some questions for you.”

  Gertie had wanted to tell her to be careful, that she didn’t trust Mr. Saunders. But didn’t get the chance. Kay sighed and pushed back her chair, striding away from Gertie before she could say anything more.

  Feeling slightly sick, Gertie watched as her friend disappeared into the office and closed the door behind her.

  “Gertie.” She heard Vail, hardly louder than a breath, trying to get her attention. They did, after all, have a plan to stick to.

  She gathered up her bag and walked to the elevator, slowing as she passed Mr. Lott’s office, trying to catch a word or two of the conversation going on inside. She couldn’t hear anything, no matter how hard she strained her ears.

  When they reached the street level, they turned in the direction of Gertie’s apartment and 4th district. A few blocks from her house, Vail left her with a gentle squeeze on her hand.

  Gertie let her feet carry her the rest of the way home, without paying much attention to her surroundings. She was worried about Kay, about the conversation that her friend was having with Mr. Saunders. She should have accepted her apology, should have listened while she explained her reasons for helping Liam.

  What if they were asking Kay about Gertie? About what she was doing today in the office? About Vail running into her at the bar…

  Kay was so upset, she would probably tell them everything she could.

  Thankfully, she didn’t know all that much.

  Vibrating with nervous energy, Gertie dressed for the gym. She ran on the treadmill, lifted weights and was in the middle of a yoga sequence when she felt fingers brush across her shoulder, letting her know Vail had joined her.

  The exercise made her body feel calmer, but her brain was still jumpy as they rode up the elevator together. Once in the apartment Vail let his invisibility drop and followed her to the kitchen.

  “Atkins and Graves appreciate the work you did today, though they are concerned that we didn't get all the pages.”

  Gertie gulped down her glass of water before answering. “Well, it was either that, or have me hauled away in handcuffs, so they’ll have to live with it.”

  Vail leaned against the counter, and crossed his arms over his chest. “They want us to try again next week.” Her eyes flew to his face and he held out a hand to keep the words that threatened to tumble from her mouth at bay. “I told them not next week. Maybe the week after, but they really want a full set.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Who’s to say that they give me a full set? If it’s some kind of code, wouldn’t it make more sense to split it up among us?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that would, but they don’t seem to care.” One of his hands swiped through his hair, showing his frustration. She was sure that he’d fought them with every argument he could think of in order to keep them from asking this of her. Gertie set down her glass and reached out to squeeze his forearm.

  He covered her fingers with his own, his eyes searching her face. “The good news is that we have an appointment in 2nd tomorrow.”

  She looked up at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “There’s someone in 2nd that has a very unique ability. She might be able to help you remember what happened that night.” Gertie didn’t need to ask what night he was talking about.

  She dropped her hand from him, and took a step back, trepidation gripping her. “What kind of ability?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll let her explain, but I think she’ll be able to help.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide her sudden agitation. She was torn between wanting to rush to 2nd to meet this Extra and to stay as far away from her as possible. Did she really want to know what had happened?

  Yes.

  “Can we go now?”

  Vail laughed a little, but the smile melted from his face when he saw she was serious. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny,” he said gently. “We have to wait. She’s doing us a favor by even agreeing to see you. It’s dangerous for her too.”

  Gertie nodded once, decisively. “Fine. I’m going to go shower.”

  She was so on edge. Seeing Mr. Saunders in the office and knowing that he’d talked to Kay shook her a lot more than she cared to admit. She worried that if she didn’t get away from Vail soon, she would snap at him.

  She didn’t sleep well that night. Vail tried to sooth her in her normal manner, but she found his ministrations infuriating, until she finally got up from the bed and went to sleep on the couch.

  He was cautious with her the next day, giving her space as she went through her morning routine, silent and withdrawn. Gertie wondered if he could see how her nerves gnawed at her, taking large swaths of her focus and patience.

  She hated herself for it, wished that she could be stronger, that she had the emotional fortitude to overcome whatever it was that they would discover happened that night weeks ago. But as the day went on, it only got worse.

  Especially, when it became obvious that Kay was missing from the office.

  26

  Gertie

  “Don’t worry,” Vail said, as they made their way to 2nd. “I’ll have someone from the Office track her down. I’m sure she just wasn’t feeling well and stayed home.”

  Aware of the traffic cameras around them, Gertie didn’t reply. She wanted to believe him, but the sinking feeling in her stomach told her otherwise. Kay hadn’t missed a day of work the whole time that Gertie had known her. No matter how late she was out the night before, she always appeared at Gertie’s door bright eyed and ready for the day.

  She’s attempted to ask Mr. Lott about where Kay was, but her boss had brushed her off, saying rather ominously. “Nothing to worry about, Miss Penn. You’ll be seeing her soon enough.” Gertie had failed to suppress the shiver that worked its way down her spine when Mr. Lott had patted her hand, and Mr. Lott’s face had hardened. “Yes, you’ll be seeing her soon.”

  She kept her gaze focused on her black flats as she and Vail wound their way through the city.

  They’d returned to Gertie’s apartment when she finished her work so that she could change into something more appropriate for 2nd. Her pencil skirt, and button up blouse would make her stand out as a government employee in a place where everyone dressed like they were going out for the evening.

  If she was noticed she could be arrested. Her bracelet only gave her access to 3rd and the lower districts. 1st and 2nd were forbidden.

  Vail guided her through the streets and over the wall between the two districts, carrying her over the thin board he used to cross over the wall that separated 3rd from 2nd. His arms were solid around her, comforting, but Gertie could hardly appreciate them, she was so absorbed with worry for Kay and anxiety about what they would discover.

  The streets here seemed cleaner, as though hordes of people were constantly sweeping up any refuse they found on the street. In fact, in the time it took for them to reach the salon, Gertie saw six people dressed in grey coveralls, scooping up any garbage that might linger on the pavement.
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  The inhabitants of the district ambled through the late afternoon sunshine, taking their time and enjoying their day. They were impeccably dressed in finer clothes then Gertie had ever seen. Their hair styled to perfection.

  She wished she had spent more time on making herself presentable. The looks that she was getting made her uncomfortable, like it was obvious to them that she didn’t belong.

  She stepped into the sleek salon, holding the door open a little longer than was normal to give Vail time to follow her in. The dark haired girl behind the counter flicked her ice blue eyes up, before returning her attention to the screen in front of her.

  Behind her, there was a long hallway with a series of closed doors, rather than an open room with a series of chairs, like the salons in 3rd. Apparently, people in 2nd preferred to have their hair styled in complete privacy.

  “Excuse me?” Gertie asked, stepping up to the counter. “I have an appointment with-La-”

  “Lanie.” She cut her off, without looking up. “I’ve informed her that you are here. She’ll be out in a moment. You can take a seat.”

  Gertie sat, and picked up a magazine, flipping through it idly, the images blurred together. She felt Vail’s knee brush hers as he took the chair next to her, his hand rested on her knee, warm and comforting. After ten minutes, during which the leg Vail wasn’t touching bounced nervously, they finally heard the click of heels approaching from the back.

  “Gertrude?”

  Gertie looked up. Lanie was tiny, short and slim, with black hair cut into a slick bob. Thick black makeup lined her brown and green eyes. She smiled, as Gertie met her gaze. “I’m ready for you.”

  Gertie dropped the magazine on the table in front of her and stood, following Lanie to the back of the building. Tall was something Gertie had never been accused of being, but the petite woman who walked in front of her made Gertie feel like a giant.

  “We’ll be in here.” Lanie opened a door and revealed a windowless room. One side had a salon chair, a small sink for washing hair and a large mirror. The other side had a low bed with lights and a magnifying glass over it. A table next to it had various pots and lotions. A faint smell of lavender and citrus reached Gertie’s nose, and she immediately felt more relaxed.