The Adventure of Fel

chapter six

       When I wake up, it's to Pippa shaking my arm. 

       "Come on," she says hoarsely. "He says it's time to go." She slides past me and heads to the front of the plane. I unbuckle my seatbelt and join her, feeling like nothing happening right now is real. 

       I step off the plane and blink lazily around me, trying to wake up. It's still dark, so we can't have been traveling for long. And there are a lot of buildings around me, so we must be in the City. Though why do all the other buildings look so short? Why does the sky look so close? I rub my eyes and open them again. I gasp. In my exhausted state, it took me approximately two minutes to realize I'm on top of a freaking building. 

       "Let's go." I turn around. The security guard is standing next to Pippa, thankfully not touching her but close enough that I feel wary. 

       "Where are we?" I ask. 

       "The Burr Center of Peace and War," he replies curtly. He's still wearing those annoying black sunglasses so that all I can see is my own image being reflected back at me. I hold what I imagine to be his gaze for a few seconds before dropping my eyes and turning back to Pippa. I try to assess her as we walk, following the guard through a door in the ground and down some steep metal stairs. Her shoulders are still slumped in defeat, but her eyes aren't dead anymore - just sad and watery. I almost miss the buttons. 

       "Is it true?" I whisper to her. "Are you from the Kingdoms?"

       "Yes," she whispers back, eyes on her feet. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I've never lied about where I'm from before, but once the Council passed that law, I felt like I needed to. I guess I'm not good enough at hiding my accent, though." 

       I blink. I hadn't even noticed she was speaking differently, a testament to how sleep-deprived I am. But it's true. Her voice is higher-pitched, her tongue rolling with the Kingdoms accent. I reach over and take her hand. We reach the end of the steps and the guard unlocks a heavy silver door for us, leading us into a room with tall ceilings and lots of glinting gold furnishings. I feel like I'm in a museum. 

       There are rows of desks up and down the floor with a professionally-dressed person at each one; ringing phones and  the click-clack of high heels fill my ears. It smells like tea and coffee as well as cleaning solution. Pippa doesn't look up once. 

        "Does Ivy know?" I ask as we make our way across the room. A couple people look up, and one woman gives us a sad smile. I hold my head high. We don't need her sympathy. 

       "Yes," Pippa says. "I knew her before the Council passed the law. We were making plans to visit my family together, you know. During Summer solstice. She's my best friend, and now I'll never see her again..." her voice cracks and I wrap my arm around her shoulders. I'm not sure what to say as we follow the guard out of the room and into a red-carpeted hallway. She's still crying as we enter a small, dimly-lit office with a large brown desk, two gray chairs facing it. 

       "Sit," he says. "And wait. I'm locking you in, so don't even think about trying anything." In a moment of pure rage, I stick my tongue out at him. Immediately after I feel stupid and immature, but then I hear Pippa give a small laugh and smile triumphantly. The door closes. We're alone. 

       The room is dark, so I turn on the lamp situated on the desk. I wonder who we're going to be talking to. I imagine a man similar to the guard with those awful glasses. Or a strict woman with her hair in a tight bun, similar to the one Ivy would wear to dance practice. Pippa is hunched over in her seat in a way that can't be good for her back. 

       "Tell me about the Kingdoms," I say quietly. Pippa sniffs but doesn't lift her head. She stays silent, and I can hear her shaky breathing. I'm worried I said the wrong thing. It's silent, except for the sundial ticking in the corner of the room. I time my breath to the ticks. In, out. In, out. In, out.