Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) (10 page)

“Chuck?
Did you say that you’re heading to the airport? Are you going there right now?”

“Yeah,
as soon as my wife can get a move on,” he grumbled.

“I was
actually headed to the airport, too, as a matter of fact, but my car won’t
start. Do you think your wife would mind if I came along for the ride? I’d be
happy to chip in gas money.”

“You are
more than welcome to join us, my dear. Your company would be like a breath of
fresh air.”

“Really?
You’re a lifesaver! Thank you so much. Let me just run and grab my bag, and
I’ll be right back.”

Sarah
popped her head into the kitchen, to find Julie. She informed her friend that
she was having car problems and that she was going to borrow a friend’s car to
drive to Fort Lewis. Then she grabbed her duffel bag out of the backseat and
rejoined Chuck and Bonnie.

“I’m so
excited to have another woman to talk to,” Bonnie began as they drove out of the
parking lot. “I never get to have a real conversation with Mr. Excitement over
here.” She indicated her husband, who pretended not to hear and kept his eyes
trained on the road.

“Well, I
for one am happy to have
pleasant
company for the drive,” Chuck said.
“Thank you for joining us, Sarah.”

Sarah
sighed and smiled to herself. It would to be a
long
drive to the
airport, but she was thankful that luck had come her way and she had a ride.
Now, hopefully with more luck, she would find Eddie and his friends before the
kidnappers found her.

Grace
was acutely aware of the rhythmic rain as it played a somber beat on the black
umbrella overhead. It was held by her boyfriend, Derek, who had remained by her
side as a solid support since the loss of her grandfather. On her opposite
side, stood her mother and younger brother, Ethan, who had remained still as a
statue throughout the solemn proceedings.

As the
rocketing vibrations of the rifle salute filled the air, Grace observed her
grandmother who stood proud and silent as she watched the servicemen. Even
through the rain, she could see her grandmother’s weakened aura. A plagued
sense of heartache warned that her grandmother might not be around much longer.
If there had been any doubt, her diminished aura was proof. She had heard tales
of broken hearts, stories of spouses who passed away soon after the loss of the
other spouse. Grace feared that this might be the case with her grandmother.

She
focused her attention on her father and uncle. Dressed in their military blues,
they stepped forward, in the wet grass, to pay tribute. Following in their
father’s footsteps, they had both made a lifetime career in the Army.

A tear
reached the corner of her eye as she watched the expressionless faces of her father
and uncle momentarily falter, but then, they regained their composure and
continued on, each exact step carefully measured. Their movements were precise
and mechanical as they carefully folded the flag.

Grace
knew the task was emotionally daunting for her father, and she was proud of him
for his bravery. He had recently returned from an overseas tour of duty, and it
occurred to her that standing up in uniform for his father’s funeral, to
present the folded flag to his mother, was perhaps more difficult than standing
up in uniform to face the enemy.

When her
mother wandered away from the group to meet her father, Grace realized that the
service was over. She watched her father rest his head on her mother’s shoulder
and her mother whisper something in his ear. Then they held each other in a
tight embrace.

Her
brother, Ethan, who was eleven, huddled close to seek refuge under Derek’s
umbrella. She tucked him in close, and they stood in silence while they waited
for their parents and watched mourners slowly leave the gravesite. A true
gentleman at heart, Derek held the umbrella so that she and her brother would
stay dry while he sacrificed himself to the saturating effects of the
interminable rain. She felt a weak smile emerge as she watched the water pour off
of his hair and then was overcome with guilt. Derek was a wonderful guy; she
should be happy that they were together, and yet…she couldn’t ignore the fact
that she thought of him more as a brother than a boyfriend.

The
approach of her parents stalled the progression of her thought process. She
would have to dwell on her relationship later.

“Everyone
is heading back to Grandma’s house,” her mother said. “I guess we should
probably get over there so we can greet them when they arrive. Are you going to
join us, Derek?”

Derek,
who stood almost a half foot taller than Grace’s height of five foot nine,
looked down at Grace and smiled as he placed an arm around her shoulder. “I
would love to join your family. Thank you,” he replied, to her mother. “I can’t
stay too late, though. I still have to pack for the band trip, tomorrow.”

“That’s
right. That is tomorrow, isn’t it?” her father replied. “With everything that’s
happened this past week, I forgot all about it.” He turned to his daughter.
“Grace, honey, are you sure you don’t want to go? Your ticket is already paid
for, and a trip might be just the escape you need.”

“No,
Dad, I just don’t think I could put my heart into playing, right now. It is a
competition after all, and I don’t think I would be a very good addition to the
band. They probably wouldn’t appreciate it, if I started crying during the
competition.”

“Are you
sure? It might be a good distraction for you. And if anything, your friends
will be there. Derek will be there.”

“That’s
right,” Derek said. With his arm still around her, he gave her a squeeze. “The
competition will only take up a small part of our time. We also get to spend a
day at Disney World, and you can just lay out by the pool at the hotel if you
want to.”

“I don’t
know.” Grace hesitated. “I just…I don’t think I’m ready for any sort of
vacation. It seems like it would be wrong.”

“Grandpa
would want you to go to the competition,” her mother said. “He loved to hear
you play the violin.”

“I know
he did.” A lone tear fell from her eye and dripped down the side of her nose.

“Well,
look. We’re all getting soaked and people are going to start wondering where we
are,” her father said. “Let’s head over to Grandma’s house, and we can talk
more about it there. If anything, Grace, I say you should sleep on it. You have
your ticket, after all, and things might seem brighter tomorrow. If you wake up
in the morning and change your mind, I’ll drive you to the airport, myself.
Will you agree to at least sleep on it?”

“I don’t
think I’ll change my mind, Dad, but yeah, I’ll sleep on it. Okay?”

Her
father relinquished the shelter of her mother’s umbrella and swept Grace into a
warm embrace. “I love you, honey.”

“I love
you too, Dad.”

*****

Grace
awoke with a start and glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. She
closed her eyes against her waking reality and tried to regain a hold on the
dream she had been immersed in. She had been driving somewhere with three other
people. Although she couldn’t recall their names, she could still clearly see
their faces, and she could still feel the strong emotion and bond they had
shared. A feeling of anxiety swept over her as she remembered that someone had
pursued their every move, and they had needed to get away.

She
tossed and turned in an attempt to recapture sleep, but sleep didn’t want to be
found. Frustrated, she looked at the clock. It was three-thirty. Just as she
closed her eyes again and pulled the blankets in close, her internal voice
spoke.
You need to go to the airport
.

I’m
not going on the band trip
, she silently argued.

Get
up and get ready
,
the voice nagged.
Pack your bags, and go to the airport. It will all make
sense in time
.

Grace
opened her eyes, stared at the ceiling, and shook her head. None of it made
sense, but she had learned long ago to always follow her intuition. It might
not make sense, but she also knew that if she didn’t listen to her internal
voice, she would somehow regret it.

She
closed her eyes once again; immediately, sleep seemed a more attractive option
than getting up to go to the airport. Eventually, however, her conscience got
the better of her. If her internal voice said that she should go to the
airport, she needed to listen.

Regretful
to leave the comforts of her pillow and down comforter, she sat up and swung
her legs over the side of the bed. She forced her tired eyes open and blinked
in confusion as she looked around the room. She was no longer in her bedroom,
but rather a bright sunroom filled with lush, green potted plants and several
bird cages with brightly colored parrots.

She
shook her head and closed her eyes, certain that she must be hallucinating, but
when she opened her eyes again, she saw that the sunroom remained and she
wasn’t alone. Her companions from her dream were there. They sat on white
wicker sofas, across from her. A guy with sandy, brown hair stood behind a girl
with long, black hair. His back was to her as he talked to one of the birds, so
she couldn’t see his face. The group laughed when the parrot responded to him.

When
another girl laughed, Grace realized that, beside her on the wicker sofa, sat a
young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. She had shoulder-length
auburn hair and striking, crystal green eyes. Even though Grace didn’t
recognize her, the knowledge suddenly hit her that they were friends. She
closed her eyes in concentration, in an attempt to recall her name. When she
opened her eyes a moment later, the girl had disappeared, and the bright red
numbers on her clock stared at her. It was four o’clock.

It had
all been another dream—another dream that had seemed all too real. No time to
dwell on it though. If she was going to make it to the airport on time, she
would have to leave by five-thirty. She had less than two hours to shower and
pack. She argued with herself that she wanted to go back to sleep but she knew
it wasn’t going to happen. As much as she didn’t want to go on the band trip
and celebrate with a group of cheerful teenagers, she knew that she was headed
to the airport to meet them, though for the life of her, she had no idea why.

*****

As she
made the long hike toward her terminal, Grace’s hesitation to go on the band
trip continued to nag at her. She felt like she was dragging her feet, awaiting
any excuse not to go. With two hours before her flight’s scheduled departure,
she decided that, rather than going directly to meet Derek and the rest of her
classmates, she would stop at a restaurant to get breakfast.

Seated
at a tall, round table, she watched travelers hustle by. Some struggled with
suitcases and strollers; others wandered slowly to pass the time before their
flight’s departure. Then her thoughts wandered to her present situation. She
couldn’t let go of the feeling that her presence at the airport had nothing to
do with a band trip. She wished that her internal voice, the one that had so
vehemently urged her out of bed during the wee hours of the morning, would turn
itself back on and tell her what to do. It remained silent, however. So she sat
and waited, waited for…for some sort of an answer that would explain everything.

Overcome
with a sudden urge to turn around, goose bumps rose on her arms the moment
Grace swiveled in her chair and noticed the woman in line. She couldn’t see her
face, but she didn’t have to. The shoulder-length auburn hair said it all. It
was the woman from her dream.

Twisted
sideways in her chair, Grace’s gaze remained transfixed to the woman as she
walked through the line, paid for her food, and then followed an older man and
woman to a table.

The
woman took a bite of her food and appeared to listen to the older couple in
conversation. And then, as though she'd sensed a watchful eye, she looked up
and met Grace’s stare. They held eye contact for a moment, and then she turned
her attention back to her companions.

Grace
pretended to return her attention to her apple-raisin oatmeal, while she
carefully watched the woman out of the corner of her eye. Twice, she noticed
that the auburn-haired woman looked her way, but Grace pretended not to notice.

When the
woman stood and walked toward the restroom, across from the restaurant, Grace
recognized her opportunity. It was now or never. She didn’t want to follow too
closely but she also wanted to ensure that she got her chance to talk to her.
She hadn’t planned what to say but knew that she would have to say something;
their simultaneous presence at the airport was no mere coincidence.

Feeling
much like a stalker, Grace stood in front of a mirror and pretended to fuss
with her long, blond hair while she waited for the woman to exit the stall. It
was with luck that she chose to wash her hands at the sink next to Grace.

Grace
turned to introduce herself and was taken aback when the woman spoke first.
“Um, this might sound strange,” she said, “but I think you might know some
friends of mine. Is your name Grace?”

Stunned,
Grace froze, momentarily speechless. She must have appeared disconcerted
because the woman immediately followed up with, “I’m so sorry! It was a silly
idea.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought that
you might have been Grace, but of course you aren’t. I’m so sorry!”

Obviously
embarrassed, the auburn-haired woman turned to walk away. Grace regained her
composure and called out, “Wait! Don’t go. My name
is
Grace.”

She
swiveled on her heel and stared, unblinking. After an awkward moment of
silence, she said, “You’re Grace? I mean…really? I thought you might have been,
but then, I thought I was just delusional.”

“I know
you,” Grace told her. “I mean, I don’t know you, but I’ve seen you before.
Please don’t think I’m crazy. I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just
going to say it. I had a dream last night, and you were in it…That sounds
crazy, doesn’t it?”

The
woman shook her head. “Not so crazy…no. No more crazy than a voice in my head
telling me that you were Grace. I’ve heard a lot of crazy things lately, and I
think I’m just starting to believe them. I met some interesting people
yesterday. They told me that they were on their way to find a girl named Grace,
in Salt Lake. Then, when I saw you back there in the restaurant, a voice in my
head told me that you were the girl they were looking for. So no, I don’t think
you sound crazy at all. If anything, I’m probably the one who sounds crazy.”

With
raised eyebrows, Grace slowly shook her head. “Wait, there are people looking
for me? Who?”