The Stars Among Us

Chapter 10

ELAINE

     When I woke up, I saw Echo’s all sweaty and exhausted. I'm guessing that she just got back from her morning run. I got up, made up my bed, said hello to Echo, and took a shower. It was seven in the morning and it's cloudy outside. So it's rather cold and dark.

     When I was done with my shower, it was Echo’s turn to shower. I picked out my clothes. A flexible one and a jacket. I packed up lights, batteries, two small blades, med kits, water and a recorder. Just in case we heard something and want to hand it over to the police.

     We all met up at the cafeteria to eat breakfast. And as always we sat at the back of the room near a big window. Wini likes it when it's raining because she likes to watch the water fall down on the window. And now it's the perfect time to do it because it rains pretty heavily, with thunder and lightning. But, I must admit. It’s the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen when it rains.

     Grayson’s the driver again. Because he knows the way and we don't have a map. It's a small town near the coast. Wini said she had been there, the beaches are beautiful at dawn. We stopped at the gas station twice because we wanted to fill in the gas for our trip home, and the second was to buy something to eat.

     Wini and Echo were asleep in the middle seat, when Grayson said we'd already made it to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The place is beautiful, lots of wind and I can hear the sound of waves crashing to the shore.
     “This place is beautiful” I said.
     “Yes, it is,” he replied.
     “You alright?” He sounded weird.
     “Sure. I'm fine. It's just this place is the one place that Vesper wants to go with us next year’s summer,” he started saying.
     “Really? We can still go if this mission is a success!” I beamed with hope.

            We were still driving through the town, I actually had no idea where we’re going. But after a while, Grayson finally stopped the car outside a big building.
     “Here’s what we’re going to deal with,” Grayson said.
     “They’re inside a seafood company?” I asked.
     “Maybe it's the least unexpected place in case they get caught?”
     “Pretty smart. Wini, Echo, wake up!” I called out, shaking their legs. “You should see the place we’re trying to break in.”
     “What?” Wini mumbled.
     “This is the building we’re going to break in,” I said louder.
Wini and Echo looked out of the window. Wini looked up and down at the building. Then, Grayson started driving again.
     “Wait, where are we going?” I asked.
     “We don't have anywhere to park the car. If we just leave it at the side of the road they will be suspicious, don't you think?”
     “What are we going to do?”
     “Find the motel and park it there, then walk back here.”
     “What if we needed to run away?” Wini asked.
     “We’ll steal a car there,” Grayson answered like it was a piece of cake.

     We finally found a motel to park our car. We were just getting ready at the parking lot, Echo and Wini were playing ‘sword fighting’ with their blades, Grayson’s in the bathroom, and I was preparing my mind. The escape plan, if everything is not going according to plan, what we’re going to say if we get caught, and what to do after, if the mission was a success.
     “Here,” Grayson said. I turned around to see him lean on the car, holding a green apple, “I stole an apple for you, eat up!” Then he tossed the apple into the air and expected me to catch in. Gladly, I caught it. I'm trying to ignore the fact that he said he stole the apple. Not bought but stole.
     “Stole?” I asked, taking a bite into the apple,
     “I;m practising for later.”
     “But we’re not going to steal anything in there.”
     “Yes, we are. We’re going to steal Vesper from his psychotic brother.”
     “Wow, your first official crime. I’ll cheer to that.”
     “Echo, Wini! Come here for a second,” he called. “Change your outfits into these clothes.” He gave each one of us a long sleeve black hoodie, with black pants and a pair of gloves. “You’re going to wear that. I did some research earlier, asking around and they said the building is dark, cold, and smelly. And here’s a mask, we don't want to get caught if one of us gagged because of the smell of fishes”
     “Why black clothes?” Wini asked.
     “Because like he said, Wini. The inside of the building is dark, we’re going to be hiding in the shadows.”
     “Ohhh, alright. So, when are we going?”
     “Now.”