When she arrived at the dorm, she noticed that the little bit of air-conditioning they were allowed made little difference. Maybe it was eighty-six inside. She clicked on a ceiling fan, hoping to move the hot, thick, stale air around.
Gabby sat on the bunk that served as her bed. The others were in town doing errands and chores. She didn’t know whether to cry or scream. Something did not feel right. Not at all. A knock at the door startled her. “It’s Liam. May I come in?”
Gabby got up slowly and walked toward the voice. Her hands were trembling. “Of course.” She grabbed the handle, hoping it wouldn’t slip out of her sweaty palms. When she opened the door, she noticed a sheepish look on Liam’s face.
“I want to apologize, Gabby. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I think I can trust you.”
“Is everything all right?” Gabby was getting nervous.
“Well, yes. But Noah thinks there has been a security breach. He’s concerned that someone is pirating our manuals, videos, and programs.” Liam gestured for both of them to take a seat. Gabby was still shaking.
“You don’t think I have anything to do with it?” Gabby sounded crushed.
“Oh, no. Not at all. I suppose it’s my fault. I forgot to mention your trip to Noah, so when he heard you had left in a taxi, he got suspicious.” Liam cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to worry about any of this.”
“But what about my mom? I need to speak with someone in my family.” Tears started streaming down Gabby’s face. She began to stutter. “I ... I ... am so ... so ... sorry.” She pulled a tissue from her hoodie and glanced down at her clothes. She wasn’t wearing her vastra.
Liam noticed, too. “Perhaps it seemed suspicious because you’re wearing civilian clothes.” He waited for an answer.
Gabby didn’t want to get her friend in trouble. Rachel had found a decent pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie on one of the back trails of the property. According to the rules, you had to turn over items that were out of the ordinary, including clothing. No one was allowed to have anything that was not part of the program or that hadn’t been approved. Even family photos were a no-no. Part of the teachings included releasing yourself from the past. Photos would only pull you back and off your path. Guitars were allowed only if you could play well. That went for anything.
There was a crafts cottage where members could make jewelry, paint, knit, crochet, decoupage, macramé. Liam thought it was good therapy. Noah thought it was a good source of revenue.
Gabby decided to take the fall for her friend and change the story a bit. She didn’t want to venture a guess as to how women’s clothing was out on the back trail, after all. “I found them under the table at the farmers’ market.” She looked up at Liam, hoping he would buy her story. “I kept them because I didn’t want to travel in my vastra.”
“I don’t have to tell you that it’s an infringement to have civilian clothes.”
There was that word again. Infringement. Gabby was beginning to feel like a felon. The events of the day had her very confused. And more than a little paranoid. The thought had occurred to her that she might have wandered into some kind of peculiar, mind-controlling prison. She tried to shake it off.
Speaking of paranoid, it appears perhaps Noah is also teetering on the edge.
Liam had always seemed to be the sincere one. He always greeted everyone with a smile and was always full of encouragement. Prodding people to move forward. Move up.
Gabby shook her head in resignation. “I truly apologize.” He still hadn’t answered her question about what to do about her mother. “Liam,” she said softly. “My mom? Please?” She looked deeply into his eyes, searching for that person she thought she had met just over six months ago. Maybe he wasn’t who she had imagined him to be. This would be the real test.
Liam looked around the room. “I am going to assign you to office duty as a backup assistant. Answering the phone is one of those duties.” He gave her a sly glance.
Gabby also looked around the room, and whispered, “So I would be answering your phone?” She was skeptical.
“Yes, the office phone. You will cover for Maxwell when he’s on break. That’s usually the same time I have lunch.” Liam was all but telling her—and assisting her—to call her mother.
Gabby was in total shock. Why would Liam do this for her? Maybe he felt guilty about what had happened earlier that day at the airport. He had admitted that it was his fault.
Liam laid out the ground rules. “You will have three minutes, so think about exactly what you want to say.”
“Well, what do I say? I assume I’m not going home?” Her voice was calm and matter-of-fact.
“I’m sorry. Not today. Maybe in a few weeks, after things are settled with Noah.” Liam patted her hand. He looked at his watch. “It’s time for Maxwell’s afternoon break. I’ll walk you up there and show you the ropes. It’s only a fifteen-minute break, so there won’t be any paperwork. Just be stationed at the desk. We’ll get you some light filing or mailings when you cover his lunch break. He gets an hour. From noon until one. That shouldn’t interfere with any of your classes. Right?”
She tried not to stutter this time. “No problem. Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” Liam smiled.
“What about my lunch? I don’t mean a break. Do I get to eat it at the desk?” She scrunched up her face.
Liam chuckled. “No. Sorry, no food at the desk. But you can have your lunch before or after. Fix it yourself when you have time.”
Gabby couldn’t believe this turn of events. “Sounds like a plan! Thank you!”
“Come on. We don’t want to keep Maxwell waiting. You have no idea how grumpy he can get if he doesn’t have his afternoon cookies.”
She was finally starting to feel like she could breathe normally again. It was as if she had been holding her breath for hours.
They walked to the main house in silence and climbed the stairs to the open hallway. At one end of the hall was Liam’s residence. It was a modest space, something akin to a small hotel suite. But not the Ritz-Carlton. More like a Court-yard Inn.
It had two rooms that formed an L. One area was where his queen-size bed and a low dresser stood. The other section had a small sofa and two club chairs. It was simple. Functional.
Private.
Chapter Seven
Present Day
Pinewood