Story Wormholes: My Sister the Spy, Part 4
The man seems like the safer bet, so I leave my rose and head out the door. I make to the street just in time to see him turn the corner of the block.
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Join us as we help Mitchell save his sister, Olivia, from the dreaded Tejuristan embassy. She might be the spy, but this barber is going to have to step up and save the day. Mitchell has been walking around in front of the embassy to try to watch for signs of Olivia. After being accosted by the embassy’s guards, Michell’s been watching from the coffee shop across the street. Need to catch up? Read Part 1 here or find another part in the Table of Contents.
The man seems like the safer bet, so I leave my rose and head out the door. I make to the street just in time to see him turn the corner of the block. Hoping that the guards aren’t watching too closely, I follow after him. I try not to rush too much, after all I don’t want to look suspicious. I start to hum “Yankee Doodle” under my breath to keep my footsteps even.
I get to the corner and look for the man, but he’s disappeared! I keep humming as I cross the street. As soon as I am out of sight of the embassy, I break into a jog. The man can’t have gone far, so I can still catch up...hopefully. As I hurry along, I look left and right into every window, praying that my footsteps aren’t too loud.
As I come to the next cross-street, I look around and see the man’s head disappearing into the basement stairwell. It looks like one of the brick row houses that are on the opposite side of the block from the embassy. I pause for the count of ten then follow. I slow as I reach the building. There are windows into the basement, so I bend down pretending to tie my shoe so that I can get a look.
The room is cramped, with filing cabinets covering most of the walls, leaving just enough space for a couple of doors opposite the windows. There are four guards crowded around a folding table playing cards, but the tall thin man is nowhere to be seen.
Before I even have time to wonder what to do next, one of the doors opens and the thin man calls something out to the guards. In that brief flash I see Olivia, tied to a chair, in the room behind him! She seems to be largely unhurt, but my heart starts thumping fast just seeing her being held like that.
I quickly stand up so that I’m not seen and keep walking down the street. If Olivia is being held in a room at the back of this building, then maybe you could get to that room from the alley behind the embassy. I practically run to the alley and start looking into the tiny windows of the many houses’ basements. Most of them were dark at this late hour, but after accidentally spying in on a woman painting a rather ugly bowl of fruit and a muscle-bound man lifting weights, I finally find Olivia.
I can hear the thin man talking in Tejuristani and Olivia answering, but, of course, I can’t understand them. The man’s voice keeps rising in rising anger until finally I hear him smacking Olivia while screaming some question over and over. I loosen my tie, ready to fight if I can to protect my little sister. Olivia doesn’t answer him. I stay out of sight near the window until I hear the door slam.
I carefully peer in the window. There’s Olivia, her lip now bleeding and a bruise starting to bloom on her cheek. I tap on the window, and she looks up at me, her eyes wide with shock.
She glances over at the door, then whispers, “What are you doing here?”
I can barely hear her through the window, but I answer back in a similarly low tone, “I’m here to rescue you, of course.”
“Well, that’s sweet, but you’re an idiot. You’re going to get yourself killed!”
I give her a skeptical look. “I’m the one out here, and you’re the one tied to a chair. I think you’re the one we need to worry about.”
Olivia heaves a heavy sigh. “This is part of my job, Mitchell. I’ll be fine.”
“Please, let me help you. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I couldn’t live with myself if it did.”
Olivia considers this but then shakes her head, saying, “No, I’ve got to stay. They are planning something, but I don’t know what it is yet – they’re being too careful with what they say around me. But it’s something big and it’s something bad. If I stay, I might be able to help a lot of people. Please understand.”
I wonder what to do. It does sound like it is important for her to stay – lives could be at stake! I might even be able to help her...somehow.
On the other hand, this is my little sister we’re talking about. It’s my job to protect her, not the other way around. She probably would come with me if I insist, but is that the right thing to do?
What should I do?