Night Security

Chess

(Three Weeks after last chapter)

"What do you mean you're quitting?!" I yell at Larry.

"Night guard doesn't pay well. You know that," he states with a shrug.

"Who cares about the damn pay?!" I yell again.

"Will you quit yelling at me?" He stops and opens the door to the museum.

"No. I won't. Because You need this museum and they need you!" I yell.

"I've already discussed it with McPhee. Next week is my last. And plus, they'll have you," he says, hushed.

"Me?!" I ask with a laugh. "They trust you. I'm just the smart one, but they trust you. You brought them together," I point my finger in his face. He pushes my hand out of his face.

"I need the money," He simply says. I scoff and walk off to the office to clock in. I go through the beginning night not speaking to Larry and shooting him angry looks. Once everyone is up and about, I avoid Larry as much as possible. I sit at the desk and stare off into nothing. Angrily, I tap my finger on the desk.

"Are you alright, Kamilah?" a familiar voice speaks up. I just smile and look at Ahkmenrah.

"Yeah, I'm alright," I say, stretching my arms in front of me.

"What is this?" He asks, coming around the side of counter.

"Chess," I simply say. He looks at it, studying the pieces. "It's a game," I explain.

"Can you show me how?" He asks.

"Of course," I chuckle and begin resetting the pieces from the game I played against myself. I then begin to pick up each piece and explain how they move. "Every piece here are the pawns. They can move two spaces on the first move, but one after that. They can only take out pieces on their diagonal. We then have the rooks. They can moves sideways or forward and back in one direction until they met another piece. The knights can move in any one-two combination in the shape of the letter L. Bishops move diagonally on their color, black and white. Queens can move any direction any number of spaces. The king can only move one square in any direction," I explain. He listens carefully. "The goal is to take out the other person's King. The queen is the most important piece on the board," I state.

"If the goal is to keep your king, how is the queen the most important?" he asks.

"A king isn't a king without a queen," I simply state. He still seems confused. "The queen is the most powerful piece on the board," I elaborate.

"Okay," he nods, understanding.

"It is tradition that white makes the first move, so I'll go ahead and go first," I move the pawn in front of the king forward one space. He moves the pawn in front of his right bishop up one. I move my kingside knight in front of the king. He moves his pawn up one more. I repeat my first two moves on the queenside while Ahkmenrah just moves more pawns. The game goes on for quite a while. "Check," I say with a smile. He moves his pawn in front of his king.

"Checkmate," he smiles. My face falls and I examine the board.

"I'll be damned," I laugh. "Good game," I nod. I hear clapping around us and I notice a small group of people have gathered around. "Who's next?" I ask. Columbus raises his hand and Ahkmenrah stands form the chair he was in and moves behind me, watching the game. Halfway through the game, Ahkmenrah puts his hands on my shoulders. I play three more games, winning two of them, before stepping away from the board so others can play.

I step away from the group when my phone rings. "Hello?" I ask, making my ay tp the steps.

"Hello. This is Officer Santiago from NYPD. We regret to inform you that your neighbor reported suspicious activity at your place of residence. Upon arriving, we found that there were signs of forced entry and we suspect a burglary-" I cut the male officer off.

"I am so sorry to do this, but I am currently at work. Can you just tell me what I need to do?" I ask.

"If you could comprise a detailed list of all the missing items, we will have our team work on the case. I suggest contacting your insurance provider," he says.

"I'll bring it up around 3 pm tomorrow," I state.

"Lovely. Have a nice night," he says before hanging up. I sigh and bury my face in my hands.

"Is everything alright, my dear?" Teddy asks from above Texas.

"A break in at my house. I have no idea what they stole," I laugh a stressed laugh.

"Give us a minute?" He turns to Sacagawea, She nods and climbs off the horse.

"Come with me," he extends his hand down. I grab it and climb atop the horse.

"You looked upset earlier. Are you doing alright?" He asks as we ride into an empty hall.

"Larry's quitting. Again," he sigh.

"Yes, yes. He told me just an hour ago. He hasn't told anyone else," Teddy replies.

"We need him here. He needs us," I state.

"He'll come to notice it sooner or later," Teddy remarks. We stay silent for a moment before I speak up again.

"So, how's it been with Sacagawea?" I ask with a smile.

"Swimmingly. She's just lovely," he laughs.

"What about you?" he asks.

"Oh no. My love life in nonexistent," I explain.

"Ahkmenrah?" he asks.

"No. It's not like that. I'm sure he doesn't feel that way," I say.

"My God, woman! Do you not see the way he looks at you?" He asks.

"What?" I ask back.

"I haven't seen someone light up as much as he does when he sees you," he laughs.

"You've got it wrong, Teddy," I smile. He turns he head towards me and shoots me a knowing look.

"I'm never wrong," he simply says.