Lest I make you waait any more, here we go:
The Place Between - Part 3
The whirlwind trip that Cassie endured ended abruptly. Though the experience was comparable to being sucked up in a tornado, Cassie was neither dizzy or harmed. She found her self once more in that odd interrogation room/kitchen.
"Whoa," was all she could say after the rush. "Did I just apparate?" The Harry Potter method of traveling to places was not exactly what Cassie had experienced and no splicing was ever likely to occur, but she had indeed been transported from the cool world above to the Place Between.
Realizing that the room had changed since her last visit, the feeling of a pit began to fill her stomach. There was no chair and no desk. The only light emanating in was from that hall that led to places unknown to Cassie. The feeling of being watched by a hundreds eyes remained, but it felt different somehow than before. Like she wasn't expected and had surprised the eyes. "Um...am I early?"
Indeed it was that no one had been expecting her for several hours. Cassie was unaware that she had unintentionally inspired a bit of chaos in the Place Between as people scrambled to prepare for the meeting that was not anticipated for several hours yet.
Cassie's original point of contact, Martin, was ripped from an entirely different meeting and was immediately escorted to the president's hall.
"This was not wholly unexpected," the president of the Place Between said coldly to Martin the second they were left alone in her dimly lit office. She stood with her proud back to him, facing the live picture of Cassie. President Andrea watched Cassie call "hello" awkwardly on the screen of fog that was comparable to a projection of a live security camera. "Telling a teen to come at the beginning of her school day may not have been the best of your decisions, Martin." She turned to face him. Her white hair and crisp, dark eyes made her a beautiful, but intimidating figure.
Martin sighed. He indeed should have expected this to happen as indeed teens were the same everywhere. However, Martin was not the type that liked to be proven wrong so easily; he believed he could counter this unfortunate situation with a point of his own. "That is true, but with all due respect, Madam President, this only proves the importance of her meeting with Edgar. The rules of our world must be made clear to her as soon as possible...clearly."
The President was as sharp and prepared for any type of comeback, "Clearly an oversight on your part to have missed explaining the imperative nature of keeping out cozy neighborhood safe through her. If anyone at that school becomes in the least bit suspicious...it could spell out the end of us."
The president took a seat, never loosing her regal appearance or composure. She sighed, knowing that she should trust Martin's judgement, but the ever constant reminders of mistakes long past were enough to keep her ever vigilant. "Martin, I know I do not need to tell you these things,, but do not take anything for granted. This is a golden opportunity for our community, of that there is no doubt, but the potential pitfalls for us and her are likely far greater than any of us could imagine and far worse than anything we've seen before."
Martin nodded once. He needed no reminding, but he decided to make a drastic change in the original plans for introducing Cassie to be threats that abounded for them. "With your permission, Madame President, I would like to take Cassandra to ground zero tonight."
That was a grand proposition, but it did not come without risks. Considering briefly how to effectively and safely see this request through while simultaneously weighing any other option that came to mind, President Andrea decided that this really was the best way. With one slow nod, the president said, "Very well, but," she leaned forward upon her desk to stress, "Do not let her off the designated paths. Any wrong move and they will know we are here. And you know as well as I do that if they suspect so much as a whisper of ours has come to pass through those grounds they will come." A large ring on her middle right hand finger began to glow. Tapping it twice, across the face of the smooth black stone, she read the message, "Edgar Gude is ready to meet with the girl. Waiting for Martin."
"You had better go to Cassie," the president advised. "Mr. Gude is ready and waiting."
"Very well," Martin said with a nod of his head. "I will check back in with you later, Madame President." He bowed his head respectfully and then moved toward the door.
"Let me know the minute before you leave and the moment that you return," Madame President demanded. "Focus on preparing Cassandra for tonight. I will personally take care of the security detail. Aside from protecting ourselves, we must do everything in our power to ensure that girll does not get hurt."
Stoutly nodding his head, Martin could not have agreed more.
~*~*~
Where will Cassie, Martin, and this Mr. Gude be going? Who do the people in the place between fear and why?
Looks like you'll have to come back to find out for yourselves right here on The Weekly Read!
Your humble author,
S. Faxon
No comments:
Post a Comment