“Girls, get up. We hit the road in thirty minutes.”
Sarah roused her daughters with a soft voice. She herself had been awake for more than an hour, packing their things and arranging for a breakfast to go. She heard moans and groans coming from the bedroom and smiled.
“One of you can use the shower in my bathroom,” she called out. “It’ll be quicker.”
Two minutes later Alison opened the bedroom door carrying her towel and clothes. She went into her mother’s room and Sarah soon heard the water running. She peeked in on Alexa and satisfied herself that the girl was also getting ready. Sending a quick update text to Samuel, she waited for the girls to appear.
They both stepped out of their respective rooms at the same time. Sarah hid her smile. It never ceased to amaze her how synced the twins were.
“I want to get my hair cut,” Alison commented to the room at large.
“What?” Alexa responded.
“I want to get my hair cut,” Alison repeated. She fluffed her shoulder-length hair. “Short. A boy’s cut. This longer hair is too much trouble. Besides, a wig can always provide the long hair. And a boy’s cut will offer different disguise options and be easier to care for.”
Sarah didn’t comment. She figured this was coming from a place inside Alison that was still raw from yesterday’s experience. With her smaller slim figure, a short haircut would allow Alison to pass as a young boy. That idea offered several possibilities in the world they were preparing for. Besides, she could always grow it back out if or when she changed her mind.
“It will take us most of the day to get to our destination. We can make an appointment for tomorrow if you like. That will give you the day to reconsider.”
Alison looked at her mother with gratitude. “I won’t reconsider. Do you know a place you can call?”
“Yes. I’ll take care of it. Now go double check you haven’t left anything in your room. We can pick up our breakfast on our way out. I ordered us egg and sausage sandwiches.”
The girls went back into their room. Sarah could hear them talking and she assumed it was about the haircut. Her assumption was confirmed when the voices increased in volume and tone.
“I won’t do it!” Alexa shouted, stepping out of the bedroom.
“You don’t have to!” Alison shouted back as she followed.
“Girls! Girls! Enough!” Sarah raised her own voice to get their attention. “We can discuss this later when we’re on the road, not that anything really needs discussing.” She looked at Alexa’s pout. “It’s your sister’s decision to make.”
“But—”
“No buts. You have everything?” She looked at each one in turn, getting a nod from both. “Then let’s go.”
She opened the door of the suite and stepped into the hallway. Remembering yesterday’s consequences of failing to verify that the girls were following, she waited for them before moving to the elevators.
Twenty minutes later, settled in the car and munching on a breakfast sandwich, Alison asked her mom where they were going. When her mother responded, Alison groaned.
“But that’s hours away!”
“Seven to be exact. Actually more, since we’ll need to stop for gas and bathroom breaks. There are maps and background materials on the seat. Might as well spend your time productively and start studying them. We’ll take turns driving so you can gain more experience and give me a break.”
The twins looked at each other and decided acquiescence would be the best approach. They reached for the materials and were soon absorbed in their reading. Sarah hid her smile as she merged into the fast lane on the highway.
It was mid-evening when Sarah turned into the parking garage of their hotel, located in the city center. Traffic was moderate and the girls looked about with interest. Several shops and cafes were within walking distance of their hotel and although neither said anything, both wondered if they were going to eat out or get something in their room. As if their mother read their minds she asked if they had a preference.
“Let’s stay in. We can eat somewhere else tomorrow. Or even one of the restaurants in the hotel. But I just want to kick back and relax.” Alison chimed in with her opinion before Alexa could speak.
Sarah found an open parking space and they were soon at the lobby desk getting their room keys. Their suite was on the seventh floor. Sarah opened the door and stepped in first doing a cursory sweep of the area by habit. Not seeing any threats, she moved so the girls could follow her in.
The suite contained two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, a small general living area and a kitchenette. The colors were muted blues and grays, with a splash of maroon here and there to break up the monotony. Alexa quickly peeked in each room, claiming one. Sarah smiled, knowing Alexa had chosen the larger of the two rooms. She was fine with that. After all, there were two of them and only one of her.
“Let’s get settled, then we’ll see what the room service menu offers,” she told the girls as she took her bag into her room.
Later, after they’d satisfied their hunger, Sarah looked at her daughters. They’d either been driving or engrossed in the materials she’d given them for most of the ride, so she hadn’t had an opportunity to delve deeper into their experience from the day before. She decided to do so now.
“Let’s talk about yesterday,” she started.
“Do we really have to?” Alison asked. “We already told you what happened.”
“You told me the big stuff. We need to delve into the details. I know it was traumatic. As hard as this is for you, I can’t let you bury all of this somewhere deep inside when it might pop out at the most inconvenient of times. It could literally put you in a life-or-death situation. Let’s approach it as a mission debriefing and pull out the important lessons. Trust me, when we’re finished, you’ll thank me for this.”
Not convinced, but recognizing their mother wasn’t going to let the subject go, they began their more detailed recitation of the events. Starting with their exiting of the building and not seeing their mother, they went through the entire chain of events, answering the questions posed to them. It took almost two hours before Sarah was convinced she’d gotten everything of value from the girls.
“Let’s take a break. Then I want to go through it one more time, but this time I’ll offer my analysis of your actions. I’ll highlight where you excelled and offer suggestions on how you could have improved.”
As the girls groaned, she said a little sharper than she meant to, “This is important. You’ve just had a real-life lesson of a major risk that women, especially young women like yourselves, must face when in the field. While it’s true that males are trafficked, their numbers are not nearly as large as females. I don’t need to tell you that you were lucky. Very lucky. Had you not been successful in getting away, it’s likely we may never have seen you two again.”
The girls got very quiet. Each was thinking of the scenario from their parents’ viewpoint and realized that as traumatic as the experience was for them, their parents had also experienced trauma. Alison stood and looked at both her mother and twin.
“I remember seeing a vending machine in the hall. You want me to get you a soda or something?”
They both nodded and told her their choices. Alison smiled as she held her hand out to her mother.
“Got cash?”
Sarah snorted as she reached into her pocket and pulled out some bills. As Alison left to retrieve the drinks, Sarah turned to Alexa.
“How’s the shoulder?”
“Sore, but I can move it.”
“Well, don’t overdo it. Stretch it gently from time to time, but don’t put any weighted stress on it. You want some ice for it?”
“Nah, no ice. And I’ll be careful.” Alexa paused, then continued, “Mom, what would really have happened to us if we hadn’t gotten away?”
“Perhaps we should wait for Alison to discuss that?”
“I don’t think it matters. She doesn’t seem to be concerned about it. She’s just focusing on the success part of escaping. The guys were big. That fact that we were able to get away from them seems to feed an excitement or something in her. Like she thinks she has some kind of superpower.”
Sarah got quiet as she absorbed that comment. Getting up, she went to sit by Alexa. Placing her hand on her daughter’s knee she gently squeezed.
“I think she’s more affected than you give her credit for. I think the sudden desire to cut her hair ties into all this. Let’s wait for her to return, then I’ll share what knowledge I have about the trafficking industry and what happens to those who are taken. It’s not a pretty story. Sure you’re up for it?”
Alexa kept her eyes lowered but nodded her head. Sarah gave her knee another squeeze then returned to her chair. Alison entered the room with the drinks and a small snack-bag of popcorn, taking a moment to secure the door chain.
Ten minutes later, Sarah guided them through one more telling of the events giving them the feedback she’d promised. She then went into greater detail regarding the human trafficking industry. She hadn’t lied to Alexa. It wasn’t a pretty story.
“Mom, how do you know all this?” Alison asked.
“One of my assignments involved this topic. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?” Sarah’s tone invited no further questions.
“Then can I ask another question? Different topic?” Alexa broke the silence.
“Of course.”
“Why were we spending all that time on rooftops observing the city streets?”
Sarah chuckled. “When you’re in an airplane looking down, things appear a lot different from when you’re on the ground, right? It’s hard to get oriented, yes? Landmarks look different, assuming you can even pick them out.”
“Duh!” both girls answered together. Sarah gave them a look but didn’t comment.
“The same is true when you’re above the street. Learning to observe and see subtle clues takes practice. Most wouldn’t even think about such a thing since they’re not often exposed to the scenario. And even when they are, they’re only thinking about how beautiful the view is or something superficial like that. In our line of work, being able to really see what’s there is critical. Several times I had people planted. They were watchers. If you’d really been looking, you would have noticed them. They weren’t moving or participating in the normal pedestrian movements. Although I knew they would be there, I never knew where they would station themselves. But I always saw them. Even when they wore disguises to throw me off. Since you never mentioned them when I asked you what you saw, I assume you never saw them. You need to be able to see them. It could be the difference between mission success or failure.”
“Okay, I get that. But how does that skill differ for us versus Ben or Caleb?” Alison asked.
“It doesn’t.”
The twins exchanged a look. Turning to their mother they said in unison, “We’re confused.”
Sarah laughed. “Not all your training with me is male versus female. Skills are skills, and you girls need to build skills that vary from what you did at the farm. Metropolitan areas are quite different, as you have learned. Even more different are cities outside of this country.”
“We’re going abroad?” Alexa asked.
“At some point. Not at this time.”
“Then let me ask this. Why the parties?” Alison jumped in.
“Now that piece is male versus female training. Did you notice how people looked at you when you entered the room?”
“People? You mean men? They looked at us like we were pieces of meat on display at the local butcher.” Alison’s voice was full of scorn.
“Exactly,” her mother replied. “And I’m glad you were aware of that. Of course, not all men react that way, but those are few and far between. Most will immediately size you up in terms of how easily they can get you into bed with them. This is especially true of the crowds you will mostly be circulating in as part of your profession. You must learn the art of creating mystery. Be the flame which draws the moths, while sending the message that if they get too close, they’ll burn. Men are moths. The flame attracts them. They know the danger but pursue the flame anyway. Understanding this, and using it to your advantage, will offer you access to places you’d ordinarily never be allowed to enter. And such access often provides the opportunity to complete a mission.”
“Sounds complicated. And dangerous. I have no plans for every man who devours me with his eyes to get that close. It’s gross.” Alexa grimaced.
Sarah chuckled. “It is a dangerous game to play. And I’m very happy to hear your opinion about not letting men get that close. We’ll talk more about this. It’s important. Now I think we’ve done enough for tonight. Let’s get some rest. If you still want that haircut, Alison, your appointment is at ten tomorrow morning. There’s a shop here in the hotel. I’ve booked you with someone I’ve used in the past. He’s very good.”
“Thanks, Mom. I do still want it.”
The girls stood and, as they headed for their room, each stopped and gave their mother a kiss on her cheek. Alexa leaned in close and whispered an ‘I love you’ in her mother’s ear.
When they closed their door, Sarah stood and, after checking that the doors and windows were secure, went to her own room. Once in bed, she dialed Samuel’s number.