Book One: Revelations - Chapter 29

I walked back to Jess's room with my mind racing. When I got back they had just finished the last of the trim work and were cleaning up the paint brushes. They took one look at me and stopped whatever they were doing.

"What's wrong Sarah?" asked Jess.

"We can't talk here. Quickly let's get our swimsuits on and go out to the pool. We have many things to discuss." I said as I turned to look at Mel. Jessica understood. Mel looked confused.

"Mel you can borrow one of my suits." Jess said as she rummaged through her dresser.

"I'll go put my suit on meet me in my room." I said and went back down to my room.

I put on my bikini and pulled my hair up in a ponytail. Jess and Mel were at my door when I finished pulling up my hair. "Jess, please lead the way." I said. She looked at me for a moment then nodded. I needed Melody in front of me until we were outside.

I stopped by the study door and knocked. Mr. Tuttle opened the door. Mr. Thompson was sitting behind the desk. "We're going to go swim and cool off for a while." I said with the best acting of my life.

"That's fine. Please don't swim too long you have school in the morning." Mr. Thompson replied.

I smiled at him. "We will be good." I promised then went to the pool to meet up with Jess and Melody.

When I got to the pool they were standing beside the pool watching me. "Melody, please don't freak out, but your world is about to be turned upside down."

"That's an understatement! So, she finally gets to know?" Jess asked.

"Yes, we are being sent on a mission. She needs to know besides I think she already suspects something is going on." I said as I looked at her.

"I always feel like there is one big secret and I'm the only one who doesn't know it." Mel explained as her face fell.

"That's exactly what it is! Every single one of us has been kept in the dark our entire lives. We aren't supposed to learn the truth until we turn eighteen, but you two have been chosen to help me." I turned my back to Melody.

"You got a tattoo!" she exclaimed.

"It's not a tattoo. Feel it. It's raised." Jess said. Mel's fingers ran over the mark on my back.

"What the hell is it?" Mel said.

"Sarah is our warrior chicky and is meant to protect all of us." Jess said quickly.

"You're our what?" Mel asked confused.

"Please get in the pool. They need to think we've been out here swimming then I will explain." We all jumped in the pool then swam close to each other.

"We're going to get powers!" Jess squealed.

I rolled my eyes at Jess. "We belong to a very secretive society that has powers way beyond anything a normal human has seen or imagined. When you're eighteen you get the taste of your powers then you get the full strength when you're nineteen. Only when this happens do you become a full member of our society. Your powers are passed through your parents to you. You will get either your mother's or your father's." I explained quickly.

"But you have to stay a virgin until your nineteen to get the damn powers!" Jess pouted and rolled her eyes.

"Um, okay." Mel said drawing out the word okay. "Is this a new joke you're pulling over on me?" she said.

"Show her Sarah!" Jess said.

"I have been chosen as the Bellatrix which is Latin for female warrior. The powers associated with this are extra. Just like you, I don't know what passed down power I will get. My Bellatrix powers are control over air, fire and I can speak with our ancestors. More accurately they use my body to speak with our people."

"And she glows like a glow stick when she's talking to them, or she's engulfed in flames. It's very freaky." Jess added quickly.

"Yes, but Jess's dad has the scariest power I have ever seen and I have seen some freaky crap." I added.

"First show me what you can do then tell me about everyone's powers." Mel said sounding a little more convinced.

I summoned the air and rose myself out of the water. "I control the air so I can move stuff around or create wind storms." I sent a gust of air at them then created a small funnel cloud above the pool.

I summoned the fire and became engulfed in the beautiful blue flame that I was beginning to love. I no longer feared it. "I control fire as well. I can light candles or fireplaces. That's how I started, or I can throw fire balls." I created a blue ball of fire in my hand and threw it at the funnel cloud above the pool.

"Holy crap!" Mel exclaimed.

"Make me fly again. That was cool." Jess said.

I laughed and brought both of them into the air with me. I extinguished the blue flame before we joined hands and spun around in a circle. We giggled and laughed as we tried to dance in the air.

"Okay, we need to discuss the mission." I said as I dropped us back into the pool.

"Let me get this straight, the ancestors chose you to be some kind of warrior and they speak through you. Are they who give us our powers?"

"Correct about everything." I said. "I left the room earlier because they needed to speak to me. I didn't want you to see me glowing and talking to myself. You two need to come with me on a secret mission so I am allowed to reveal stuff to you. But we don't have time for more questions right now. You will need to trust me for now."

They both nodded at me. I relayed everything the ancestors had said. "Why are we going to meet my mom?" Jess asked cautiously.

"I don't know, but the ancestors are not mean or cruel. I have to believe it's something good." I assured her. She nodded at me but she still looked worried.

"Why the secrecy? What do you mean dangerous?" Mel asked looking between Jess and I.

"Will it be like last time we were in England?" Jess said looking petrified.

"Mel, there are people who are trying to kill the fledglings. That's what we're called when we don't have our full powers. Leaving our town without an Elder or Protector is very dangerous. I don't understand how they do it, but they are able to track us and find us easily. They seemed to know about Jessica before we knew who she was. Our secrecy is the only thing that is going to keep us safe."

When we finished discussing the details of what we needed to do, not do, bring and not bring we got out of the pool and dried off. "Are we ready for this?" I asked them. They nodded.

"Ok." I said.

We walked into the gym and transformed our faces. "Hey Mel, can I find you a boyfriend at Sarah's party?" Jess teased as we walked into the kitchen.

"Mel likes the shy and quiet ones." I teased back as I got the cookie jar out for us. We sat down at the island wrapped in our towels.

We watched the study door open, and the men came into the kitchen.

"The quiet ones are normally the most romantic!" Jess said performing a perfect swooning action.

"When did you ever date a shy guy?" I asked.

The men grabbed glasses of water and a few cookies doing their best job at pretending they weren't listening.

"Exactly my point; you like boys chasing you. You would never go after a shy guy yourself!" Mel added.

Jess looked offended. "I'm not that evil. I've given plenty of shy guys a chance!" she huffed.

"Name one." Mel and I said in unison. Mel and I laughed.

"Carson." She said with a humph.

"One you dated more than one date." I clarified. She brought her finger to her mouth and started biting the tip of it while she concentrated.

"See, you can't name even one. You don't give any of them a fair chance. You just like the game." I said.

"The game is fun, but I believe in love at first site. I'll know the right one when I meet him." Jess retorted and stuck her tongue out at us.

"I believe in lust at first sight, like Sarah's TV installer. Boy was he hot. But I don't think love works that way. Love needs time." Mel said.

"I agree." I said.

"Ladies it is getting late." Mr. Thompson finally said.

We all walked down the hallway to get ready for bed. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Tuttle were following us. "You two go on into my room. I need a glass of water." I said as we were climbing the stairs.

I ran back to the kitchen then turned behind me to make sure I was not followed. I grabbed a glass and slammed the cupboard door then I turned on the faucet. I glanced back down the hall before I climbed up on the counter. I quietly opened the cabinet above the refrigerator and took down the old tin can. I pulled out the cash and stuffed it in my swimsuit bottoms. I quickly put the can away making sure it was in exactly the same position then quietly closed the door before I got down from the counter. I rewrapped the towel around me and grabbed the glass of water. Mr. Thompson was waiting for me on the stairs.

I smiled at him. "Goodnight Mr. Thompson." I said as I walked past him to my room.

He followed up behind me then leaned his head into my room. "Goodnight Ladies." He said before he closed our door. Jessica was down in her room getting ready for bed only Melody was in my room.

When he closed the door I listened with my ear pressed to the door for the sound of his closing door. I raced over to my closet and pulled out my old blue backpack. I pulled the wad of cash from my bikini bottoms and dumped it into the backpack. I grabbed my wallet and pulled out my credit card. I put the card on my vanity then put the wallet in my backpack. We can't be tracked and credit cards are too easy to trace. If I don't have it with me then I won't be tempted into using it. I rummaged through my drawers and found my passport then tossed it in as well.

Melody brought our toothbrushes, the box of Vivarin, a hair brush, clean tee shirts and a change of underwear for both us then tossed them in. I shoved the backpack under my bed. I pulled out the gray and white cloaks I had hanging in my closet then hung them on the back of my bedroom door.

Melody and I quickly put on clean underwear and a bra before we put on jeans and a tank top. We each put a zip up sweatshirt, a pair of socks and our tennis shoes under my bed.

Jess gently knocked then came into my room as we were starting to write our note. "Did they see you?" Mel whispered as she took the cloak from Jess's hands and hung it with the other two.

"No, their doors are closed." she whispered back.

I pulled out the backpack and opened it for her to toss her stuff in. "This is all the cash I have." She said as she tossed a few hundred in.

"It will work." I whispered.

She tossed in her wallet then placed her credit card with mine and Melody's. She placed her hot pink phone on the vanity beside my aqua blue phone and Melody's red phone. We were making it obvious to Mr. Thompson and Mr. Tuttle we were planning on not being followed.

I sat down at the vanity and wrote our goodbye letter. We refused to admit to ourselves or each other that this was more than a temporary goodbye. But somehow we said enough in the letter to clear our conscience.

"I'll explain our complicated relationship later." I whispered to Melody as she read the letter and added her own message.

"You better." She warned in a whisper.

Erik,

Please forgive me my Love, but you cannot know what we are doing. The ancestors have sent us on a mission that must be done by only the three of us. I know being a protector and keeping me safe is engrained in your very soul, but please do not try to look for us. If you look for us, then they will know we have left the safety of your arms. For our safety and for our very lives please keep our absence a secret. We will not be using any society resources and will be using aliases throughout most of our trip. As you can see we are not planning on leaving an easily followed trail.

If we are not back by Friday we will have failed and you can send every resource you have after us. You will know if we are in danger and I need you.

I won't tell you not to worry, because I know you will. Have faith that the ancestors will guide us through this journey and return us safely home. I love you and I will be back in your arms soon.

Love Sarah.

P.S. This is Melody and if the worse happens tell my mom I love her and I'm so mad that I was the last to know about our society. Also tell her that she is my best friend.

P.S.S. This is Jessica. If we don't make it back tell my dad he is the best dad in the world and thank him for helping my mom the best way he knew how. He'll know what to say to my mom.

When we finished the letter we climbed into bed and turned out the lights. We held each other's hands and listened silently to the sounds of an old house settling. We couldn't and wouldn't sleep. An alarm clock is too loud and our nerves had us wide awake. I heard the pounding of my own heart as I worried about our trip, and how this was going to kill Erik. If anything happened to us he would blame himself until the day he died.

***

At 2:50am we quietly climbed out of bed. Melody helped me make my bed in a quick and messy fashion. Jessica placed our credit cards, phones and the letter in the middle of the bed.

We put on our socks, shoes and sweatshirts then gave each other a big hug to help motivate ourselves and calm our nerves. We were scared as hell. We knew what happened last time we were in England and only our own actions would keep us safe.

I handed Jess her black cloak, Mel my white cloak and I took the gray cloak. The symbolism of the cloak colors was not lost on me. Jessica was the extreme wild child. Melody was the quiet conservative. I am the one that brought us together. We put our cloaks on then covered our heads. I picked up the backpack and we all nodded. This was it. No turning back now.

I opened my bedroom door and said a silent thank you for the new door that did not squeak. I think it was the only door in the house that did not make noise. I tiptoed into the hallway first as I held my breath. There was no light or sound coming from either of their rooms. I signaled for them to follow me. At the bottom of the stairs, I stopped us again. I looked down the hallway to ensure they were not working late and about to catch us. There were no lights and everyone was in bed. We went to the front door where I deactivated the alarm and opened the door. I watched the stairwell as I held the door for them. I was a little surprised we made it this far. As I watched the stairwell, I realized I was expecting to get caught. I wanted to get caught. I wanted an excuse for Erik to come with us, but that was not going to happen.

We walked through the circular drive way towards the wooded area on the other side of the driveway. When we got to the edge of the driveway I turned back around towards the house. I lowered my hood and looked directly at our security camera. I raised my hand to my lips and blew him a kiss then I placed my hand to my heart. I wiped a small tear from my eye before I pulled the hood back up and caught up to Jessica and Melody.

I led them by moonlight through the woods of my property avoiding our hidden security trip wires, heat sensors and cameras. When we came to my favorite clearing I looked up at the clear night sky. It was a perfect night for stargazing; a perfect night to sit on my log and wish upon a star. We moved quickly and did not slow down. We had a lot of ground to cover before dawn.

When we got far enough away from the cameras I turned our direction towards the new iron fencing covering the front of the house. "The fence will electrocute you. Do not touch it." I warned them as we approached it. "I don't see anyone coming, ready to fly?" I asked them as I looked up and down the road.

"Yeah, it looks clear." said Mel.

"Ready." said Jess.

I lifted us over the fence and landed us on the other side of the roadway in the safety of the trees. Our neighbors did not have fencing so we could walk along the edge of the road way in the safety of the woods. I was surprised how many times we had to hide from cars.

"Don't people ever sleep?" I complained.

"Seriously, what else is there to do in this town at this hour?" Jess added.

"My mom always works really late." Mel added.

"She's working late, but not on design work. She's been at my house in the middle of the night a few times." I said.

"What for?" Mel asked.

"You're mom is an Elder so she is one of the leaders. Don't ever get her mad! The look she gets when she goes into her Elder mode is scary as hell." I told her.

"My mom? Seriously?" Mel asked disbelieving.

"Trust me Mel." I said.

"What is my mom's power?"

"She is a truth seer. She sees what is real. When I do a partial summons she can see the spirits of the ancestors around me when no one else can. Think of her as a human lie detector. She knows when people are lying, but she also sees their moods. She calls it looking at people's auras since she doesn't have a better way of describing it." I explained.

"Well shit, that's how she always knew I was lying to her!" Mel exclaimed.

"That would suck to live with a human lie detector." Jess said.

"Hey you guys said Jess's dad's power is scary. What does he do?"

Jess and I glanced at each other not even knowing how to explain it. "It looked like an enormous black cloud filled with lightning bolts crackling through it. It provided a barrier between us and the bad guys. The guys chasing us wouldn't enter it. It was probably one hundred yards wide and fifty feet high. It was frightening." Jess explained.

"What else have you seen?" Mel added.

"Well not everyone has shared their powers with me. But Tony has a nifty little trick. He can touch you and make you forget the last ten minutes and it knocks you out for a good two hours. He sort of used it on you twice when we were in Mexico." I said softly trying to hide behind Jess.

"What?" Mel exclaimed.

"We had two attempts on my life while we were there and you weren't supposed to know we existed. So your mom had Tony erase the traumatic events." I left it general. I didn't want to tell her she almost died and I sure as hell didn't want to tell her that her mom ordered me to kill a man. Those are two things a girl does not need to know.

"I guess I am grateful for that. I can do without scary memories." Mel said.

I smiled at her. "Mr. Thompson can read your mind, erase memories and flat-out manipulate your mind in general but he has to touch you and it hurts like hell. He has read my mind before."

"Freaky, what else?" she said completely thrilled with the ideas.

"I have seen a guy control lightning, who I call Mr. Sparky. I've seen a guy who can control your body like you're a puppet. I nicknamed him the Puppet Master. I've seen a guy who is able to turn off or interfere with all electronics. You know turn security feeds to static and get through an alarm system without ever tripping anything."

"Wow." Jess whispered. "I don't think I'll ask how you met them."

"Well Mr. Black controls people. I was never explained very much about him but from my own experience and watching Derrick he can connect with you and then use you for his own evil perverted doings. After he grabbed me that first day he started coming into my head and that day that Derrick got physical with me in the hallway, it wasn't really him. Mr. Black was speaking to me through Derrick. It scared the crap out of me."

"Holy Shit!" Mel exclaimed. "I knew people acted weird around him, but I never would have guessed he had mind control over them. What happened to him?"

"Last I heard he was locked away in one of our dungeons." I answered.

They both looked a little more frightened and their faces went a little paler. It was scary as hell to know what sorts of powers the bad guys had. It wasn't a reassuring thought, but it prepared you. This isn't the same world they grew up in, and bad guys didn't wield knives or guns. They wielded powers that could kill you from a distance and be explained away as anything other than murder. We haven't seen half the powers that are out there.

It took us a little over an hour to make it to Melody's house. Melody let us in and deactivated the alarm system. "Don't turn on any lights." I reminded her.

"Wait here and I'll go find everything." She replied back then disappeared up the stairs.

"It's pretty." Jess whispered as she looked inside the living room.

"It was the inspiration for my bedroom." I whispered back.

Melody came back downstairs five minutes later carrying another backpack.

"I have three thousand in cash and my passport. How much cash do we have now?" Mel asked as she pulled out three wigs from her mom's collection. The only reason Gezabelle would want to cover up her gorgeous hair would be to hide her identity like we were doing.

I quickly pulled out the cash in my backpack and counted it. "There is forty-eight hundred here, so we have seventy-eight hundred. That should be enough for bus, taxi and plane tickets. Plane tickets will be around six thousand. How much will the taxi ride to New York cost?" I asked then I put on a light brown short wig cut in a blunt bob style. Jessica already put on a medium length dark brown wig cut into chunky layers and Mel put on a black wig that had bangs and was stick straight it was a very harsh look on her.

"Definitely not your style Mel!" Jess commented as she reached over and straightened Mel's wig.

"Well at least I won't be recognized easily. Um, I would guess several hundred for the taxi ride. No more than five." Mel said.

We removed our cloaks and rolled them into little balls before stuffing them into our backpacks.

"Are we ready?" I asked.

"Come here let me fix your wig. You have a piece of stray hair sticking out." Mel said then proceeded to shove my stray hair up under the wig. "Perfect. Let's go."

We left out the backdoor grabbing a few bottles of water as we walked through the kitchen. We crawled under the hedges at the edge of her yard. The hedges lined the backyard providing a natural fence. Behind the hedges was a large open meadow with several houses backing up to it. There was less chance of being seen here than out on the street, but we were still in the open. Plus cutting through the meadow provided a shortcut back to town. We sprinted through the meadow and watched for lights in any of the windows. It was still full dark but the moon was full and low on the horizon. It was easy to see our way through the meadow, but it also meant there was a chance someone could see us as well.

It felt much cooler outside without our cloaks on. I pulled the sleeves on my sweatshirt down to cover my hands and keep them warm. We were getting tired now. The running wore us out and the lack of sleep was catching up to us. Our breathing left little clouds in front of our faces as we huffed through town.

We arrived at the bus station by 5am just in time for the 5:15am bus. Jessica took cash and her fake id inside to buy three tickets to Hartford Connecticut while Mel and I waited outside. Hartford was much further south than our destination of Springfield Massachusetts. We planned on getting off early in Springfield to help with covering our tracks. The ancestors already had us going south-east before we turned and headed west towards New York.

There were a few other people standing outside waiting for the bus. Two men looked like cross-country travelers. They carried large oversized backpacks with metal framing and sleeping bags attached. They were looking over a map quietly discussing their best route to Nantucket. The tall one wanted to stop in the normal tourist trap towns along the way, while the shorter man wanted to stop at national parks along the way. Since they were standing in a touristy town in the middle of nowhere I guessed the tall man got his way most often. They were interesting to watch but weren't a danger to us.

I saw an elderly couple sitting on a bench on the other side of the door from us. They were dressed in their Sunday best. The small frail gentleman was in a dark tan suit and a matching hat. The woman was wearing a blue floral print dress and white sun hat. She sat with a matching white purse placed neatly in her lap. I could take a black and white snapshot of them and you would swear they were from another time. I was sure they were also not a threat.

The only person that left me unsure was a young man in jeans and a green jacket. He wasn't carrying a suitcase, backpack or anything else for that matter. Melody's eyes were also locked on him as he stood leaning against a post not too far from us. Jessica came out with the tickets and noticed us watching the man.

"Susan, I got our tickets, but the bus is running ten minutes late." She said as she handed me my ticket. We planned on not using our real names once we were around other people. We kept them similar to make it easier to remember; Susan for Sarah, Jennifer for Jessica and Megan for Melody.

"Thanks Jennifer." I replied.

"Megan, here's your ticket. They had a vending machine in there. Do you want the Twinkies, Donut Gems, or granola bar?" Jessica asked Mel.

"Twinkies please!" Mel said.

She tossed me the donuts and ate the granola bar. Mel passed around a bottle of water while we sat on the bench waiting for the bus. I fetched the Vivarin from the backpack and passed them a tablet.

The man in the green jacket kept his back to us and occasionally tilted his head like he was listening to the conversations around him. I didn't trust him. He could be a perfectly nice normal human man, but I wasn't going to let my guard down on the bus.

We were the last ones on the bus when it finally arrived. It was actually only two minutes late, so in my book that was on time. The man in the green jacket sat in the very back of the bus. The bus was only about half full of people. We found seats about four rows back. Close enough to the driver to not get messed with, yet far enough back where the driver would not memorize our faces.

Melody decided to kill the time by asking me about Erik. "So Susan, when did you and George start having a thing together? Tell me everything or I'll hurt you." she warned.

I flushed. "It's complicated. It happened slowly and it has not been easy. We both have tempers and push each other's buttons like you wouldn't believe." I laughed.

"You enjoy pushing his buttons!" Jess said.

I laughed, "Yes, I do. It is entertaining watching how wound up I can get him."

"But how did it build into love?" Mel asked.

"He was always there to pick me up when I was scared, hurt, or everything was just too much to process. Slowly I started trusting him and relying on him. He makes the world disappear when I'm in his arms. But our relationship is not normal or easy. We've been up and down many times."

"But you two sound good together, why would you guys ever call it off?" Mel asked

"For one I am younger than him and it makes him uncomfortable at times. But, they keep their distance for a reason. It's harder for them to do their jobs. That was one of the reasons we cooled off for a while, but it was harder staying away." I tried to explain.

"Are you two back together again?" Mel asked.

"I think we are together for good now. No more interference from others!" I said with a little attitude.

"Interference from whom? Why would anyone care as long as they were home-grown?" Jess asked.

"Apparently Jessy could read us and told on us. Our parents forbade George from seeing me. Jessy disagreed with them even though she told on us. She thinks we are good for each other, but the parents out ruled her. George did what he was told, so he pushed me away and tried to convince me he never really loved me. I told him he was lying to both of us. I knew better. He put up a wall between us treated me like any other person off the street. It was extremely painful and heartbreaking. Once in a while I could see through his façade and see the pain our separation was causing him as well." I explained in our bizarre lingo.

"But how did you two get back together!" Mel asked.

"I started having nightmares after I got scared a few times. Old locked away memories started unraveling and things got worse. I started having really bad night terrors! He used to be the one to calm me when things got out of control, but without him they grew worse. Eventually they got too bad and he had to come rescue me. After that he went back to his parents and told them to go to hell. His grandparents approve of us which is all that really matters."

"I'm glad George came to his senses and told his parents off. People should be free to date who they like. But seriously, Jessy ratted you out?" Mel asked outraged.

"Yes, she butts her nose in all the time for the parents. Apparently it's her job. You know the whole, I don't believe that person or they are up to no good; that kind of thing! She did vote for us to stay together, but no one else did." I acted like a normal teenager bitching about a tattler.

"Tell me about the juicy stuff!" Jess asked.

"Jennifer, you would want to hear about that!" I rolled my eyes at her. "He has never crossed the line!" I said sternly. "He has way more will power than I do. When he kisses me, my knees go week, I lose my breath and I am consumed by the passion in our kiss. I wrap myself around him and lock him tight against me. I never want to let go of him. Honestly he really is a gentleman! When I need his arms around me in order to fall asleep he always lies on top of the blankets while I lay under them."

"I don't believe you two haven't done anything other than make out." Jess said.

"There is always a barrier like a blanket or fully clothed between us. But, that doesn't stop of us from having fun. His touch and his kisses drive me insane. His kisses on my neck send shivers down my spine and his breath on my ear sends my stomach flip-flopping. When his fingers trace my face and collarbone, I practically lose it. He loves knowing he's the only man to ever kiss me or get that kind of reaction out of me. He enjoys teasing me and prevents me from riling him up often. He knows our limits better than I do and won't let me push them."

"You guys have will power!" Jess said stunned.

"I'm so jealous of you right now! I want a man in my life damn it!" Mel pouted.

"Ah, Megan you'll find one, but he just has to be from our home town. Your mom would never approve of someone who wasn't from home. Besides, you're too young to give up on that idea." I hugged her and made her smile for me.

When we reached Springfield every passenger had to unload for a bus inspection. We hung around the station standing just behind the other passengers to make it look like we were re-boarding the bus. The man in the green jacket stood in front of us again.

I looked at my watch and my heart ached with sadness. Erik would be finding our note about now. He would be furious and yelling. He would be angry with me and the ancestors for not trusting him. Kevin would be talking him down and making sure he didn't do anything stupid. I prayed and hoped that eventually he would listen to reason. He had to listen he would never put my life in danger. He will argue every point against my wishes of not looking for us, but he would come to the right decision on his own.

He will be beside himself for a few days. He won't know what to do and it will drive him mad while he waits for our return. He will probably take out his frustration, anger and fear on the punching bag. I know he will be very hurt by my actions even if I'm doing what I am told. Logically he will understand, but emotionally he will be hurt. I'm hurting him more than I ever have before. He's hurt me plenty doing what was needed for the council, but I have never done it to him. I don't know how well he will handle this.

Jess came over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "He'll forgive you. He loves you." She whispered in my ear. I gave her a weak smile and leaned my head into her.

Finally we watched as people started to board the bus. We moved with the crowd allowing people to pass us in line. Eventually we watched the man in the green jacket board the bus. We stood by the door of the bus as the driver did one last call. He took his seat then looked at us. I shook my head to the driver. He closed the door and drove away. We stood watching the bus drive away. We didn't want anyone to get back off the bus.

We walked several blocks away from the bus station before we called for a taxi to pick us up. It only took ten minutes for the taxi to arrive.

"How much for you to take us to JFK airport in New York?" I asked.

"You want to take a taxi to New York?" the guy asked startled.

"Yes, how much?" I asked.

"Um, $250." The guy guessed.

"I'll give you $500 if you don't run the meter and keep anything about us or our destination a secret." I asked.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" he asked wearily eyeing us with suspicion.

"We're not in trouble, but my family is refusing to let me marry my boyfriend. I want to be an actress in Hollywood and he wants to start a band. He's so good." Jess explained then swooned on line. "I'm meeting him at JFK then we're going to fly off together and live in LA." She was a great actress and knew how to make men do what she wanted. She acted all sweet and innocent and the drivers face softened then he smiled at us.

"Who am I to stand in your way? You think you're in love well then good luck to you. Hop in; you've got yourself a deal." He said.

We climbed in and watched as he turned off his meter. It would be a long drive! We past the time by talking about Jessica's pretend fiancé and what she should do first when she got to LA. It was a fun game and kept the driver from thinking we were anything other than three dumb girls running off to LA to throw our lives away.

Luckily for us we picked a driver who liked to speed. He was probably ready to get three chatty girls out of his cab as quickly as possible. Plus we were a fast $500 and if he hurried he could still get back to Springfield before the evening commute. The three of us slept off and on taking turns staying awake. We didn't want to wake up and find a big surprise waiting for us.

We stayed tight together as we bought our plane tickets and made our way through security. The ancestors are good, I'll give them that. They had everything timed perfectly. We arrived to JFK at 10:00am and there was a plane preparing to leave at 10:40am. We barely made it through security in time to catch the plane. We were the last ones to board the plane.

Melody and Jessica kept staring at me when we got seated on the plane and waited for the plane to taxi to the runway. "What?" I finally asked.

"How did they do that? How did they know when this plane was leaving? What if the bus or the taxi broke down?" Jessica asked.

"Or what if we got stuck in normal traffic jams and not fly right through the city?" Mel added.

"Honestly I don't know. There is very little I know." I told them, but they gave me their disbelieving looks. "I swear to you guys, I don't know. I am as blind about this as you are. I must have trust and faith in what they ask me to do."

They seemed to believe me because they leaned back and relaxed in their seats. We were all tired and needed to sleep. We were glad we were in a safe spot so we could finally sleep. There isn't much the bad guys can do while we are on the plane unless they want to take down the whole plane. Somehow I think they want to remain a little more anonymous! Headlines that read, "166 killed in mysterious plane crash" aren't what any secret society, good or bad, want people to read.