someone saw us in this house. We don’t need them tracing us to the airport.”
“Okay.” Kevin opened one of the doors of the red vehicle for me.
I tried to act as if I had a clue what I was doing, but I had never been in such a contraption. I took a seat and waited for Kevin to close me in.
“You need your seatbelt.” He pointed to a strap attached to the inner wall of the car.
“Oh. I see.”
He must have noticed my confusion because he took the seatbelt and reached over me to snap it into some sort of buckle. His hand lingered on my lap as he pulled the strap slightly away from my body. He was evidently trying to adjust it.
I smiled, trying to hide my embarrassment. I had a hunch I would be feeling that emotion a lot that day. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” He closed the door, opened another in the back and got in to sit in the seat behind me. I did not need to look to know he was not providing the same service to Talen.
Monty started the vehicle, and loud music blared from all sides of me. Monty quickly turned it down.
He glanced at me. “Sorry about that.”
“Not a problem.” I repeated the phrase Kevin used so often. I liked it.
Kevin chuckled from behind me. “Glad I’m rubbing off on you.”
“I find your speech amusing.” I grabbed a handle attached to the roof of the vehicle as Monty pulled out onto the road. I had seen many modern things, especially in Alak, but I had never imagined anything like the form of travel we were using.
“Is this how all your people travel?” Talen asked. It was nice that I was not the only one new to the experience.
Kevin answered, “Mostly, but we have mass transportation like buses and trains, too. And you’ll find out what planes are like pretty soon.”
“And boats,” I added. I had seen boats on the water, and Kevin did not seem unaccustomed to them.
“Interesting.” Talen stared out the window, and I did the same.
We passed many houses as large as Kevin’s, but we also went through areas that were not quite as nice. My hunch that Kevin was from a high family in his world seemed correct. Not everyone lived as he did. Monty turned several times, and I lost all sense of our direction.
“I have identification for everyone,” Monty said. “You need to take care to use only these names. If Kevin and I are taken in for questioning by the authorities, we will never make it back in time.”
I hadn’t considered such an event. “Why would you be questioned? Can you not travel freely here?”
“We can, but we’re missing persons,” Kevin said. “They’ve been expending resources searching for us, so we’d be in trouble if they found out we orchestrated it all. Plus Charlotte, Henry, and Liam are missing too. They’d want to know where to find them. They’d also want to make sure we didn’t hurt them or anything.”
I moved my pack to the side in order to make more room for my legs. “Oh. I suppose that makes sense. So the authorities are here for your protection as well as to keep the peace?”
Monty nodded. “In theory.”
“How far is the airport?” It was strange how quickly I got used to using such foreign terms. I had only heard the word for the first time that morning.
Monty fidgeted with a dial midway between our seats. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes. I timed it up so we’ll have just enough time to check in, get through security, and reach our gate. Any excess time in the airport is dangerous—especially so close to home.”
“Security?” Talen asked.
“You have to prove you aren’t carrying weapons or anything.”
“But I am carrying weapons.”
I turned just in time to see Talen pull out a knife.
“You can’t take that on the plane.” Kevin sat forward and rested a hand on the top of my seat.
Talen shifted in his seat. He still did not wear the seatbelt. “They
“Okay.” Kevin opened one of the doors of the red vehicle for me.
I tried to act as if I had a clue what I was doing, but I had never been in such a contraption. I took a seat and waited for Kevin to close me in.
“You need your seatbelt.” He pointed to a strap attached to the inner wall of the car.
“Oh. I see.”
He must have noticed my confusion because he took the seatbelt and reached over me to snap it into some sort of buckle. His hand lingered on my lap as he pulled the strap slightly away from my body. He was evidently trying to adjust it.
I smiled, trying to hide my embarrassment. I had a hunch I would be feeling that emotion a lot that day. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” He closed the door, opened another in the back and got in to sit in the seat behind me. I did not need to look to know he was not providing the same service to Talen.
Monty started the vehicle, and loud music blared from all sides of me. Monty quickly turned it down.
He glanced at me. “Sorry about that.”
“Not a problem.” I repeated the phrase Kevin used so often. I liked it.
Kevin chuckled from behind me. “Glad I’m rubbing off on you.”
“I find your speech amusing.” I grabbed a handle attached to the roof of the vehicle as Monty pulled out onto the road. I had seen many modern things, especially in Alak, but I had never imagined anything like the form of travel we were using.
“Is this how all your people travel?” Talen asked. It was nice that I was not the only one new to the experience.
Kevin answered, “Mostly, but we have mass transportation like buses and trains, too. And you’ll find out what planes are like pretty soon.”
“And boats,” I added. I had seen boats on the water, and Kevin did not seem unaccustomed to them.
“Interesting.” Talen stared out the window, and I did the same.
We passed many houses as large as Kevin’s, but we also went through areas that were not quite as nice. My hunch that Kevin was from a high family in his world seemed correct. Not everyone lived as he did. Monty turned several times, and I lost all sense of our direction.
“I have identification for everyone,” Monty said. “You need to take care to use only these names. If Kevin and I are taken in for questioning by the authorities, we will never make it back in time.”
I hadn’t considered such an event. “Why would you be questioned? Can you not travel freely here?”
“We can, but we’re missing persons,” Kevin said. “They’ve been expending resources searching for us, so we’d be in trouble if they found out we orchestrated it all. Plus Charlotte, Henry, and Liam are missing too. They’d want to know where to find them. They’d also want to make sure we didn’t hurt them or anything.”
I moved my pack to the side in order to make more room for my legs. “Oh. I suppose that makes sense. So the authorities are here for your protection as well as to keep the peace?”
Monty nodded. “In theory.”
“How far is the airport?” It was strange how quickly I got used to using such foreign terms. I had only heard the word for the first time that morning.
Monty fidgeted with a dial midway between our seats. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes. I timed it up so we’ll have just enough time to check in, get through security, and reach our gate. Any excess time in the airport is dangerous—especially so close to home.”
“Security?” Talen asked.
“You have to prove you aren’t carrying weapons or anything.”
“But I am carrying weapons.”
I turned just in time to see Talen pull out a knife.
“You can’t take that on the plane.” Kevin sat forward and rested a hand on the top of my seat.
Talen shifted in his seat. He still did not wear the seatbelt. “They
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