This was being recorded, and he couldn’t worry about it right now, but they were clearly having a serious discussion. Carol was telling him what she wanted to do, and Mr. Sorenson was weaseling himself out of anything that sounded like he might be discovered. They’d been doing it since Sang had gone to bed.
Mr. Sorenson was still not willing to admit the truth.
Sean leaned forward, not enough to be seen by the window, but just enough to see Owen looking to him.
Thumbs-up from Sean. Thumbs-up from Owen.
Seemed like the time was now.
Sean put the phone against his chest, slinking back into the shadows while Owen put the word out to Kota.
Within a minute, Max ran through the yard. The golden retriever followed a sharp bright red light through to the bushes in front of the Sorenson house and barked the whole way. He sniffed the ground, continuing to bark and chase the laser.
Sean checked the video feed. Jimmy was up instantly, coming to the window to look out.
Sean held his breath, waiting.
Luckily, he never opened the window, only looking out, trying to get a view of the dog.
Max continued barking into the bushes, scratching at pats of dirt. Kota shifted the laser to point at the porch steps, dragging Max along with it.
Good dog.
“Some dog in the yard,” Jimmy said. He was so close it was easy to hear him. “Don’t worry. I’ll go check it out.”
Good Jimmy.
Sean changed the feed to the foyer, where Carol was already approaching to open the door.
Owen moved to the window the moment Jimmy left the room. He slid it open quietly, angling himself in first.
Sean followed, putting the phone away in his pocket. It would buzz to alert him when Jimmy or anyone else came upstairs.
Sang appeared small in the bed, eyes wide, face reddish. She waved her hand silently in a shooing motion. She used sign language, “Go away. They’ll come back.”
Sean smiled reassuringly, holding a finger to his mouth and shaking his head. Didn’t she know them by now? They were Academy. They weren’t here by chance, but by design.
Owen went to the door quickly, ensuring it was closed. He picked a shirt out of the closet, folded it tightly, and wedged it at the bottom of the door.
It’d stop it from opening just long enough for them to hide, or escape.
Afterward, he disappeared into the attic space to retrieve any electronic devices they might have left, including the hidden laptop everyone had been using. He knelt just inside, loading a book bag.
Sean ignored him and went for the bed, to Sang. He emptied a pocket of a blood pressure cuff, showing it to her.
The look on her face was startling, a mix of terror and yet understanding why they were there.
He had to ensure she was healthy.
The depth in her eyes was killing him. They were doing it this way because they weren’t bringing her along. They were asking her to stay put.
The sigh she pushed out expressed her frustration.
She continued to glance at the door but rolled up her sleeve and presented her arm.
Sean checked her blood pressure. He counted her pulse. Her temperature was normal for her—a little low, but normal.
As he did a few other things, he bent in, kissing her forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “We’ll fix it.”
Her eyes watered.
Her pulse quickened.
She pointed to herself and continued to frown.
She thought she’d failed somehow and blamed herself.
Sean bit his lip to prevent himself from saying anything. He couldn’t. They had to work quietly.
How could they leave her here?
His lips trembled, and then he pulled his phone out.
He handed it to her.
“Hang on to this,” he whispered. “Hide it.”
She took it in her hands, pressing it to her chest, over her heart.
“Don’t lose it,” he said. She needed to be able to reach out to them. Victor could switch out his data for something fresh.
Getting caught with a second one would be risky, but she needed a direct line, just in case.
The dog outside barked repeatedly.
Kota’s voice was heard, apologizing for letting his dog escape and cause such a commotion.
Owen reappeared, book bag in hand. He eased it onto his back and slipped across the floor to the bed.
He gazed longingly at her, the concern etched hard into his face. He passed her a notebook and pen, and made motions for her to hide it under her pillow.
She nodded, seeming to understand this much more than Sean. Why would she want that?
Owen placed a hand on Sean’s shoulder and tilted his head toward the window. Time to go.
Sean signed to her. “There’s a camera in there.” He motioned to the vent not too far from where the bed was. “If you need help and you can’t use the phone, write something on paper and show it to the camera.” That was the only use he could think of for the paper. It also prevented her from using the phone if it was too risky, while still letting her get messages across.
She nodded, shoving Sean’s phone and the notebook under her pillow. If she was going to be forced to live in this bubble again, she’d at least be able to communicate.
Carol’s voice was drifting up to them, saying goodbye to Kota.
Sang’s face paled even more, and she urged them both out. “Don’t get caught,” she signed.
Sean almost wished she would faint again. Right now. Unconscious was enough of an excuse to drag her out of there.
Only Sean didn’t get up. He couldn’t get himself to. He couldn’t leave her. To Carol? To be stuck here again?
This felt like the same mistakes all over again.
Owen nudged him in the arm. It wasn’t going to do much good if they were caught here.
He stood up, heading to the window.
He slowed, twisting around to look at her.
She bit her lip. Her hand positioned itself again over her chest.
His heart couldn’t take it. He needed to tell her something. Anything to help her to know they weren’t leaving her behind.
So he held his hand up, with pinkie, forefinger and thumb out.
I love you.
Her eyebrow went up, with a slight head shake. She didn’t know that one.
Damn.
Footsteps echoed down in the foyer, and a couple sounded like they were on the stairs.
He’d have to tell her later.
He was still angling himself out when the door started to open, slowed by the shirt by the door.
The window closed just as Jimmy entered.
They waited, side by side along one side of the window, in the dark, listening just in case Jimmy might have noticed anything and asked too many questions or called for his mother.
When it seemed clear, they moved over the roof, slowly crawling back.
The entire journey back through the dark, and Sean ground his teeth, his hands making fists.
She wasn’t dying.
She was actually pretty safe, and she’d get some sleep tonight.
But she was far from okay.
The Notebook
SANG
––––––––
I sat in the bed with nothing to do but hope Jimmy went to sleep.
Shortly after Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green left my bedroom, Jimmy returned, excited by the appearance of Max, and talked about the idea of getting a dog.
He placed the cot closer to my bed and fluffed the pillow. Eventually he settled into the cot. “How did you sleep in this thing? Feels stiff.”