AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The clothes from our afternoon shopping spree had been delivered by courier. They were here, waiting for me.
“I just need a soda. I’m a little thirsty, that’s all.”
We walked through the door. “How about a glass of wine, instead?”
He sauntered to the refreshment counter where there was a display of wines. They weren’t the same labels we had at home, but I didn’t expect an independent movie theater to carry hundred-dollar bottles.
He handed me a glass of red after paying for two glasses. “I think this will help you enjoy the movie.”
I nodded, greedy for the wine. I needed something relaxing coursing through my veins rather than nervous adrenaline.
“Let’s find our seats.” He led me into the theater.
It reminded me of one of the theaters I used to go to as a child. The walls were draped in heavy burgundy velvet. It had a way of feeling lush and outdated at the same time. There were only three other couples in the theater. I didn’t know if that was enough, or too many.
We sat a few rows from the door. The theater didn’t have grand stadium seating. The chairs were worn and squeaked when we sat. I hoped the movie was interesting enough that no one noticed we were about to slip out.
I gripped the plastic cup my wine was sold in. There might be a little more courage if I could get to the bottom of the cup. Something that would quell the uneasiness about tonight.
“What if someone notices?” I whispered as Vaughn draped his arm over the back of the seat.
“No one cares,” he answered. “We’ll be back soon.”
What we were about to do was the first real step to breaking free. Up until now it had all been words, not action. We had imagined the hypothetical. Pondered the fantasy of independence. It was happening quickly.
The lights faded and the screen was black. A woman appeared on the screen holding a gun. She pointed the barrel at the camera. It sent chills down my spine. I couldn’t look away, though. There was something in her eyes. Something haunting about how she looked right at us.
Vaughn tapped my knee. I knew that was my cue to follow him, but the gun loomed in front of us. I was afraid to move, as if the actress knew we were undertaking the impossible. If she saw us, would it go off?”
He tapped again. “Babe,” he whispered.
I flinched and scooted over his seat and into the aisle. Within seconds we were out of the dark theater and jogging down a set of stairs.
It smelled musty and felt cold under the theater. Vaughn knocked on a door at the bottom of the staircase. I imagined this was how speakeasies operated in the 1920s, but without the stale scent.
The door whipped open. “Come in.”
“Thanks,” Vaughn answered, pushing me ahead of him.
“Sheldon this is Kate.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled at a guy who couldn’t be over the age of twenty. His goatee was unruly. He wore thin-rimmed glasses and a faded Captain America T-shirt. This was the skilled coder we were trusting with our lives?
“Yeah, yeah.” His head bobbed without making eye contact.
I ventured into the studio. There were multiple cameras set up on tripods. The packages were piled together near his desk.
I looked at Vaughn. There was nothing menacing about Sheldon, but I didn’t get why he was the one.
“There’s a bathroom through there.” Vaughn pointed. “Pick anything you want and change. Quickly,” he added. “We’re on a tight schedule tonight.”
I didn’t want Sheldon to hear me. I tugged Vaugh’s elbow, drawing his ear closer. “How is this going to work? There’s nothing down here.” The walls were a drab gray concrete.
“Don’t worry. He’ll handle that part. He just needs you and the background is easy.”
“Oh. All right.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected. Maybe those cheesy backdrops we used to stand in front of when Garrett and I went on trips to the aquarium or the zoo. We’d pose and pretend there were actual lions chasing us, or that we were in a tank with sharks. Down here it was cinder blocks and computer screens. It was hard to believe Agent Kenneth would see a picture of me and buy into a tropical vacation, but I trusted Vaughn. If Sheldon was his guy, then he was my guy too.
