Into the Shadows (5 page)

“You must be crazy. Do you think I am going to pay
you millions for a list of names? This meeting is over!” Senator
Stevens rose clumsily from his chair, holding the flash drive out
to him.

“Senator, I guarantee you that I am perfectly sane.
And yes, you will pay.” Lin snapped his fingers and one of his
large guards jumped forward, coming to his boss’ side. He mumbled
some instructions in Chinese and the guard was released, striding
over to the small group and snatching a surprised Martin by the
shoulder. He half-dragged Martin across the deck, presenting him to
his master.

“The receipt, young man?” Lin held out his hand
expectantly.

Martin hurriedly produced an envelope from his
pocket, handing it over to Lin’s perfectly manicured hands.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,
Senator Stevens,” he said, raising himself slowly out of his chair.
“Chen will show you out.”

The man stepped forward, gesturing for the group to
follow him. Chen lead them back to the side of the large yacht,
where they clambered, one by one, back onto the less impressive
vessel.

Senator Stevens’ yacht departed and moved quietly
through the now-dark water, making its way back to the glittering
lights of Miami.

The Senator resumed his position in the leather
chair next to the window and was absentmindedly clinking the ice in
his glass once again. Noticing the glass was empty; he reached for
the decanter, but realized that it too, was empty.

“Martin.” He was waving the decanter in the air. “Go
get this filled up for me. And Maggie, sugar, why don’t you load up
this drive and see what we’ve got.”

“Yes sir!” they both answered simultaneously,
rushing to appease him.

Martin hurriedly left the room while Margaret pulled
a chair and table next to the Senator. She set a sleek laptop on
the table and opened it, settling herself into the chair. She
plugged the small drive into the laptop and began to open the
files.

“Well, sir, it looks like the lists are broken down
by state. Oh, and here, also Washington, D.C.,” she said, pointing
out the list of folders on the screen. “What exactly are we looking
for then?”

“I am very much hoping you will be able to help me
figure that out, Miss Maggie,” he drawled, patting her hand. Maggie
smiled uncomfortably. “Well, go ahead and open that Washington,
D.C. file. We know a lot of people there. Maybe it’ll give us a
clue.”

Margaret clicked on the folder and up popped a
document.

The first name on the list read:

Ackemann, Martin

102 W. 9
TH
Street

Washington, D.C., 20013

Married: NoAge: 29

Employer: Assistant to U.S. Senator
Wendell Stevens

Ability: Mind Reader

“What does this mean, sir?” Margaret’s brows
furrowed in confusion.

Senator Stevens said nothing, his jaw dropped
slightly in a stunned silence. At that moment, the door opened and
Martin came into the room, carrying the newly filled decanter and a
tray topped with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

“Felipe just finished these. He thought we could use
some chocolate.” He set the decanter and the tray of cookies gently
down on the table, failing to notice the other two staring at him
intently, eyes wide. He looked up and jumped back a little.

“What’s going on?” he asked cautiously, his hand
nervously toying with his loosened necktie. “Why are you staring at
me like that?”

“Because, Martin, you’re the first name on this list
that I just received from my associate. He said the people on this
list might know something about the Righteous Front that could help
us. Judging by the ability listed here on this sheet — Mind Reader
— it appears you know way more about a lot of things than we could
have ever expected. But first we need to know whose side you’re on.
Well, Martin?” They continued to stare at him, now sitting slightly
forward in their chairs peering through the thick tension in the
air.

Martin instantly paled, looking as if he might be
sick.

“Sir, I…uh…I can explain,” he stuttered.

“I certainly hope so.” The Senator smiled smugly,
relaxing back into his chair, but not before grabbing a cookie from
the tray and taking a big bite.

The gym was decorated with Christmas trees
and large, wrapped presents. Snowflakes hung from the ceiling along
with clear twinkle lights. There was a dusting of fake snow on the
ground. A large reindeer with a glowing nose stood in a small grove
of evergreens in a corner. A snowman, along with Santa and his
sleigh were displayed in another.

Students were heading towards the dance floor. Girls
were dressed in elegant floor length dresses in rich colors of
velvet, some with long white gloves. The boys sported freshly
pressed shirts and pants, with festive holiday ties.

Paivi looked around, taking in the scene before her.
It truly was a ‘Winter Wonderland,’ as the banner that hung on the
DJ booth stated. Someone had come up behind her and put a hand on
her arm. She turned to find Jason standing there, a smile on his
cheery face. She looked down to see his tie, where a line of elves
were doing a Rockette-style kick line under Christmas lights, which
were lit up by a small battery pack behind the tie. It was
extremely cheesy, but somehow he made it look cool.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, looking out at
the dance floor as the DJ put on a slow song.

“Sure.”

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her
close. She put hers around his neck and rested her head on his
shoulder. As happy as she should have been, she suddenly felt
extremely sad. Her eyes prickled with tears and she closed them
tight. A few escaped, rolling down her cheeks. She hugged him
closer and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

She awoke wiping her face, her cheeks wet. It had
become no secret that she liked Jason, but he had a girlfriend. And
the Christmas dance was still months away. She was excited to see
he was her date, but why would it end in tears? It made no sense.
Being with Jason was nothing to be sad about.

A lovely smell wafted underneath her bedroom door.
Paivi felt her stomach growl and rolled over. The alarm clock on
her nightstand read 10:12.

Ahh, she thought, I LOVE Saturdays!

She kicked off her down comforter and gave a loud
yawn and a stretch, pulling herself out of bed.

Down in the kitchen she found Torsten eating a large
plate of waffles doused in syrup. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were
manning the waffle iron.

“I love waffles!” she exclaimed, pulling her chair
up to the kitchen table.

“Me too!” Torsten spoke through a mouthful.

“How did float building for the Homecoming Parade go
last night?” inquired Mr. Anderson, trying to get a waffle off the
iron without burning his fingers.

“It was great! You should see our float! The theme
is ‘St. Andrew goes to Hollywood.’ We used chicken wire to make the
Hollywood hills, that’s why my hands are all scratched up.” She
showed her hands that were full of long red marks. “On the hills we
are going to put ‘SAHS’ instead of ‘Hollywood.’ And then there is a
huge shark, like Jaws, that comes out of the middle of the field
and he has a Dundee Warrior in its’ mouth, all covered with fake
blood. On the side it says ‘Chomp the Warriors.’ It’s really
cool!”

“It sounds kind of dumb,” said Torsten as he dumped
half a bottle of syrup on what was left of his waffles.

“Oh shut up!” She threw a crumpled napkin across the
table at him and hit him square in the head. “You’re just jealous
because you’re still in eighth grade, you baby.”

“More waffles are ready!” Mrs. Anderson brought a
steaming plate to the table.

Paivi and Torsten both reached across the table,
forks at the ready. Paivi gave Torsten a quick poke in the hand
with her fork and then used it to spear two fluffy waffles.

“Owww! Mom! She totally stabbed me with her fork!”
He pulled his hand back, rubbing it.

“Well, Tor, quit hogging all of the waffles! Serves
you right!” laughed Mr. Anderson, bringing his own plate to the
table. “So when is this Homecoming Dance that my little girl is
going to?”

“Oooo, do you have a date? Did you find someone tall
enough to dance with?” teased Torsten.

“No, dummy, if you don’t have a boyfriend, you just
go with your friends. I’m going with Michaela, Crystal and Aimee.
Jenn and Paulina both have boyfriends so they are going with them.
But I think we all want to go to dinner together at Armando’s
before the dance.”

“Sooo…,” Torsten was trying to sound casual, “Aimee
doesn’t have a date then?”

“Why? Do you want to go with her? Oh wait, oh that’s
right, eighth graders aren’t allowed!” she laughed.

“Well,” interrupted her mother, “I wouldn’t make too
much fun of my baby boy. Next year he’ll be joining you at school.
Then he can go everywhere you can, so get used to it!”

Mrs. Anderson patted his head and gave him a big
hug. Torsten hugged her back and stuck his tongue out at Paivi.

* * *

The week of Homecoming had Paivi feeling like
she was caught in a whirlwind. Between Powder Puff, the Pep Rally,
the parade, and the big game on Friday night, Paivi was lucky to at
least keep up with her homework. Sleep, however, would have to
wait.

Before the dance on Saturday night, Paivi and her
friends gathered at Paulina’s house to take group photos before
heading out to dinner. Paivi towered above the group, as usual. She
wore a light pink cocktail dress, which came just above her knee,
along with fancy silver flip-flops instead of dress shoes. She
didn’t mind being taller than everyone, but she didn’t want to wear
heels and feel like a complete giant. Mrs. Anderson had curled her
long, blond hair into ringlets and stuck in a few of her
grandmother’s antique hairpins.

“Here’s your corsage, my lovely date,” Michaela said
as she pulled a box containing a flower from her purse. It was made
of delicate, tiny, pink roses with sweet smelling baby’s breath.
Being that they didn’t have dates, they agreed to buy each other
corsages. Paivi had gotten Michaela’s with red roses to match her
long, red, sequined dress.

Michaela twirled in front of Paivi, showing off her
look.

“Girl, you should be walking down the red carpet for
real!” Paivi said. She admired Michaela’s elaborate up-do. It
pained her to think that Michaela’s mother was missing her
daughter’s first high school dance.

Paivi grabbed Michaela’s arm and led her over to the
group of waiting girls. The cameras flashed as Paivi tried to keep
her smile frozen to her face. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin
their fun tonight.

* * *

“Mmmm, my stomach is going to explode,”
Michaela gasped as she and Paivi made their way to the decorated
entrance of the high school. She clutched her stomach with both
hands. “Must…not…eat…so much pasta next time!”

“Just because it was all-you-can-eat didn’t mean you
had to eat it all!” Paivi giggled and followed a red carpet through
the cafeteria to the doors of the gym. On either side were members
of Student Council with cameras, snapping pictures of the girls as
if they were famous movie stars. The school mascot, the Terrible
Tartan, was waiting to escort them down the aisle. Paivi giggled at
his short plaid kilt, which displayed the school colors of maroon
and cream. They entered through a large archway made of fake palm
trees and made their way across the floor to their friends.

Paivi saw Jason a few times in the crowd, but
avoided eye contact. She wasn’t sure if she was up to meeting his
girlfriend. Unfortunately, she could see he’d noticed her. There
was no avoiding it now.

“Hey, Paivi, I was just talking about you,” Jason
shouted to Paivi after he half-dragged a petite girl halfway across
the floor. “This is my girlfriend, Melissa.”

Paivi took the girl’s limp hand in hers and shook
it. Melissa produced a half smile, but said nothing.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Paivi said, attempting a
sincere smile, even though jealousy was slowly creeping through
her. She brushed it off as she waved goodbye. Her eyes followed
Jason as he walked away, his arm around Melissa. Next up was a slow
song, driving all of the non-couples from the dance floor.

“Let’s go get something to drink,” said Michaela,
hooking her arm through Paivi’s and pulling her off the floor. “I’m
parched!”

Paivi gave the dance floor a quick glance, spotting
Jason and Melissa, arms around each other, swaying to the music.
Their eyes were locked on each other. She wasn’t quite sure why she
felt the need to look; why torture herself more?

The girls headed out to the cafeteria, where tables
had been set up for refreshments.

Paivi was relieved to get a break from the hot gym.
They joined a line at the table where cookies were spread out on
silver trays. The group of students in front of them made their
selections and finally moved on.

Paivi glanced briefly over the table and something
caught her eye. She looked closer at the display. She blinked her
eyes, not sure if what she saw was real. It must be a coincidence.
The cookies were arranged on the table to spell out something she
recognized right away.

PAIVI

Michaela was chattering on about something that
Paivi didn’t hear.

She noticed and put her hand on her hip.

“Hey, P, you aren’t even listening to me!”

She started to pout and then noticed the strange
look on Paivi’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mick, do you notice anything about these cookies?”
she asked, still staring at them.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I
think they look good and I want to eat them all.”