Midnight Rose (completed)

Chapter 27

When the elevator door opened, my dad was waiting. I couldn't contain my joy as I bounced to him.

"He's alive, Dad. Elijah's alive." I jumped into his open arms.

He squeezed me tightly and whispered, "I know."

I pulled away quickly, unsure if I should be happy or angry.

"What do you mean you knew? How could you—" He slapped his hand over my mouth and glared at me urgently and then looked to the corner of the room where there was a camera. I nodded, letting him know I understood. He let go and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me outside.

"Where's Polly?" I shielded my eyes from the sun.

"She had to go back to the main building. Let's take a walk."

He led me down the path between buildings and then off the path around a very large and tall Douglas fir. My dad sat down at the base of the trunk facing away from the facility down into the valley.

"What are we doing here?" I sat next to him.

"There are cameras everywhere. Inside and out. During my time here, I discovered this was a dead zone for surveillance. The only dead zone. We can talk openly here. Just keep it to a low hum." He winked.

"Why would it matter that you knew he was alive?"

"It doesn't in the grand scheme of things, but it could make members suspicious of who is feeding me information."

"I get that, but you saw how much I was hurting?"

He hugged me into his side. "And I hated it, but I took solace knowing you wouldn't be in pain for long. It was just too big of a risk. I'm sorry, Peanut."

I played with my laces. "I know."

"Sometimes lying is a necessary evil to keep our loved ones safe."

"Do you know about the charm and the tribunal meeting?"

"I just learned of it. Unfortunately, I was the last to know. The council runs on an eighty percent majority vote, which equates to ten of the twelve members. They had enough to move forward without me. Polly filled me in."

"Doesn't that make you angry?"

He sighed. "Yes and no. I knew how The Order worked when I accepted my council position. If it were another member, I would have done as they had."

"What's going to happen?" I tapped my foot nervously.

"It's intimidating only because all the council members will be there, including me, only we'll be shrouded in darkness to keep our identities hidden. You will be asked a series of questions, you'll answer them, and then be excused."

I knew my dad wouldn't lie to me, so I felt better about it. "I don't know anything about the charm, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be."

"Where did you get it? I don't remember us buying it for you?"

"Remember when we visited Grandpa when I was six, and Mom took me on the bus through downtown? It was my first time on a bus."

"Of course, I remember. You were so excited when you told me."

"What I didn't tell you was that an older lady who was knitting on the bus stopped me just after Mom got off the bus and put it in my hand. She was so sweet and insisted I have it. I was so little I didn't think anything of it. I tucked it in my pocket and forgot about it until we got home that night. I put it in my jewelry box and that was it."