Then my father’s eyes fell on my mother. “How come you’re not dressed yet, darling? I just got a text from Sofia. Everyone’s waiting for us.”
“I’ll be quick,” she said. I could see she had been so absorbed in getting me ready that she had forgotten about herself.
My mom went to the bathroom, leaving my father and me alone.
“Come with me while we wait,” he said.
He led me out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. On the counter were three small silver guns. He picked one up. “You remember how to use one of these?”
“Yup,” I said.
“Okay.” He made sure the safety catch was on before handing it to me. “On the inside of your jacket you’ll find a secret pocket. Put the gun in there and keep it there at all times… As your mother and I have told you, anything could happen.”
As we arrived in the clearing, my eyes shot straight to my four fellow new recruits, Arwen, Grace, Brock and Heath. They smiled at me as I made my way over to them.
“Hey.” I waved, arriving at their side.
“Sleepyhead.” Grace smirked, a teasing spark in her turquoise eyes.
“I was held up, okay?” I said, raising my hands in surrender.
“You look pretty,” Arwen complimented me.
“You do, too,” I replied, and it was not an empty complement. Arwen, with her chestnut-brown hair, eyes the color of light oak and caramel skin, had a natural, exotic beauty that shone through whatever she was wearing.
“And how awesome do I look?” Brock suggested, raising his dark brows, his green eyes traveling from one of us to the other.
Arwen giggled.
I nudged Brock in the shoulder. “Your head is big enough.”
“Will everyone please stand still now.” My uncle Derek’s voice boomed through the clearing. “We’re doing a final count.”
We fell silent and waited until he’d finished. Then it was time for all of us to head to the huge black submarine—a submarine that had been granted to us by the US government.
“Catch you guys later,” I murmured as I made my way toward Kyle. The two of us boarded the vessel. We headed to the control room and took seats. If they would let me navigate this one, it would be the largest that I’d ever had experience with. I watched intently as Kyle began preparing the controls. Although my dad was as expert as Kyle, being a vampire, he was useful for things other than navigating the sub.
“We’re all in.” Ben’s voice came from somewhere in the back of the submarine.
Then there came a grinding of metal, the closing of the hatch.
“All right,” Kyle said. “Let’s go.”
I was too busy watching what Kyle was doing to notice when my uncle Derek and my mother entered the room.
“When will we find out what exactly we’re heading toward?” I wondered aloud.
“Fowler’s usual way of doing things,” Derek muttered as he took a seat.
We fixed our eyes straight ahead on the dark waters as we passed through the island’s boundary.
About an hour into the journey, Kyle let me sit in his seat and I took over navigating. It really wasn’t that much more difficult than smaller subs I’d had experience with. I was in control for several hours with only occasional help from Kyle. As we began approaching the Northern Mariana Islands, I took a break.
Leaving the control room, I stopped by the galley to pick up a glass of orange juice and then headed to the main chamber where most of the passenger seats were.
I spotted my gang of friends in the corner and headed over to them. They were all snacking on their packed lunches… or breakfasts, as the case might be. I rummaged in my backpack for a granola bar before taking a seat next to Arwen.
“It’s so weird to finally be on a mission,” Grace said, as she munched on a peanut-butter cookie. “Kind of nerve-racking too…” I could not blame her for feeling nervous. As much as she wanted to be here, she would actually be leaving the submarine, unlike me.
“I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about,” Heath said in his deep baritone voice.
Grace stopped chewing, and I couldn’t miss the adorable blush that crept to her cheeks. It was no secret to anyone that she had a crush on Heath. She was one of many girls on the island who had fallen for his rugged good looks.
“What makes you say that?” she asked in a small voice.
“I’ve seen you in training,” Heath said, a smile reaching his navy-blue eyes.
“Back in a minute,” Brock muttered. He put down his sandwich and stood up. I guessed he was going to use the bathroom, but to my shock, before he walked away, he placed a kiss against Arwen’s cheek.
I widened my eyes, gaping at Arwen as Brock left.
“What?” I stammered. “Since when have you two been…?”
Arwen bit her lower lip. “Since, uh… yesterday actually. He asked me out after math class.”
Well, that explained why she had not told me yet. Their going out was not entirely unexpected though. I’d observed them giving each other the eye for a while at school.
Then a grin split my face. I looked around to see if I could spot Corrine or Ibrahim, but they didn’t appear to be in the room. “Does your mom know you’ve hooked up with Kiev’s son yet?” I asked Arwen.
She half scowled, half grinned at me. “No, not yet.”
I chuckled. “Please do invite me round for dinner when you plan to tell her.”