“Yeah,” Gabriel said and tugged me toward the bathroom.
I knew what they were doing, but I didn’t understand it. North was the one who’d bitten me on the neck before, but then he might yell at Silas for taking the risk around Carol.
Victor made coffee for North. North and Silas sat on the bed, monitoring the laptop.
Gabriel kept the door to the bathroom open while he fixed my hair and makeup. We were mostly out of view as I sat on the counter and Gabriel tried out different makeup blends.
Silas and Victor talked with North, catching him up on what was happening while he was asleep.
“The trailer shouldn’t be a problem,” North said from the bedroom. “I’m more concerned about it getting broken into.”
“Who breaks into security trailers?” Gabriel asked. He held lipstick in his hand, squishing my cheeks so I’d pucker as he applied it in a thick layer around my mouth.
“Idiots do,” North said. “Luke would.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes and then finished my makeup. He tried to grin, but the grin transformed into a more horrified expression. He checked the photo again and then looked at me. “Does this look good to her? You look like a fucking... seventies prom queen?”
I couldn’t disagree with him. I didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror at all.
There was a boom and shake of the house. North appeared in the doorway. He must have jumped off the bed. He was followed shortly by Silas and Victor, trying to peek in.
North gazed at me, his eyes still tired but less so than earlier. He frowned at my face and then at the dress still hanging. “You should douse her in grease and ketchup,” he said. “Make her think twice about sending her to a diner in that outfit.”
Gabriel stared at me and then bobbed his head. “Hey, yeah...actually...” He grabbed a tissue box from under the counter, pulling out a few and holding them to my lips. He made a fishy face. “Do this to the tissue,” he said.
“You want me to kiss the tissue?” I asked.
He rolled his eyes and then reached around to give me a gentle chop on my head. “Very funny. I mean let’s make it look like your lipstick faded a lot.”
I did what he asked. The result was an odd look of the same color, just faded off in patches.
He waved the others out of the bathroom so I could put the dress on. When I had, and Gabriel opened the door again, the others were sitting on the bed.
“Now wipe your brow,” Gabriel said, heading to the bedroom door. “With your arm.”
It ended up getting makeup on the sleeve of the dress and my wrist.
He went out to the kitchen and brought back food supplies.
I felt bad about it, but he put small, excusable dollops of maple syrup, a splash from North’s coffee, and a little ketchup stain.
He finished, and the others and Gabriel examined the results.
North kept a disapproving scowl, but shrugged. “It’s a mess to me.”
“She looks like she does after a day at the diner,” Silas said. “Only the dress...and the makeup...”
Victor grumbled. “Can’t be comfortable.”
“Good for our purposes,” Gabriel said and then waved toward the back door. “Are we ready? Let’s go through the woods. Let’s get them used to you walking through there.”
I didn’t want them to get used to anything.
“I’ll walk with her,” Victor said.
Gabriel held open the door for me. “I’ll do it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be here later, or too busy with the installation at the diner.”
Gabriel sighed but relented.
Compromise was a little difficult when my time was extremely limited. This was going to take getting used to.
Victor threw the sweater back on, rolling the sleeves up.
Reluctantly, I said goodbye to the others. I kept Victor’s phone on me, and he and I proceeded outside to the back porch. The afternoon air in early January was cold unless you stood directly under the sun. The wind remained icy no matter where you were standing.
The pool was covered. We walked around it and behind the shed in the backyard. He went to the fence, opening the gate and holding it for me.
“Do you think it’s a good idea if I show up with you?” he asked. “To join the basketball game? Or just be known as a coworker at the diner?”
I thought about it as I crossed the bridge, and then turned around once I was on the path in the woods. There were fresh leaves that had been raked away from the path, piled around the trees trunks. I wondered who had the time to come through. “I don’t know. Is it a good idea to let everyone come by at once?” I asked.
“Hmmm, I don’t know. I may need to head over to the diner once the trailer gets here. I feel like I just got to see you, and now you have to go.”
“Hopefully it won’t always be like that.”
He jumped the bridge instead of walking over it, landing close to where I was standing. “Kota and Nathan get to play basketball and slack off.”
“I don’t think they want to.”
“Not my favorite sport, either,” he said.
Not really what I meant, but I think he knew that.
He threaded an arm through mine and held my hand as we walked. “I’m hoping tonight, I get to be the one to sneak up.”
“Just be careful,” I said.
We headed toward where the path met with my backyard. I hesitated, wishing I had more time with any of them and not really wanting to face Carol again.
When I stood there for more than a few minutes without moving, Victor nudged my arm.
“Not that I want you to go,” he said, “but don’t think too much on it now. Just think of it as an Academy operation. I mean, technically it is...”
I breathed out slowly through my lips. “It’s not like helping homeless kids out of a condemned building. Or delivering Thanksgiving dinner to poorer families.”
“It’s just because this is more personal,” he said. “Like when I need to deal with my dad.” His tone softened.
I gazed at him, feeling the makeup on my face and neck and totally not feeling like myself in any of it. I squeezed his hand gently. “Let’s get you out, Victor.”
He smirked. “Working on it. A little focused on you right now.”
It spurred me to try harder and to hurry. I didn’t want Victor having to put up with his father any longer than he needed to, but to focus on him, I had to fix my own situation.
At least he could get out for a week at a time.
He could also spend the night anywhere, and do most anything. He just had to show up sometimes and play a piano.
I wanted to get my situation over with. The faster I convinced Carol to let me go to private school, the faster I would get out of there.
Victor kissed my forehead and nudged me on. “Won’t be long, princess.”
I walked away and on toward the house. Part of my strength came from knowing Kota and Nathan lay ahead. The others were working to get everything situated.
Carol might have taken us by surprise, but now I was going in more prepared, more determined.
Missing
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