We arrived today in the new city. My friend is filled with relief, but I am apprehensive. We gave an inventory of our skills, but the way the men are looking at us, I have a feeling what we are capable of does not matter to them.
—The diary of Megan Jean
The men formed a gauntlet and Mia kept her chin up as she walked through them, trying her hardest to fake the self-confidence Flo possessed. Agent Barker opened the door to the building and Mia hustled inside. She prepared for the worst, but once she entered her jaw dropped open.
Mia was standing in a large blue room. There were matching brown couches set up with a television set hanging from the wall. On the opposite side were a few tables and some bookshelves, filled with board games as well as books. The room had a very warm feeling. Any comfort Mia felt quickly vanished when Agent Barker walked in front of her. She heard the footsteps of the other RAG agents walking behind her, but none of them entered the space.
“Surprised?” Agent Barker asked.
“This is a nice space,” Albin said. He started walking toward the tables in the back, touching the couches as he moved.
“We are not the barbaric society your people make us out to be,” Agent Barker said.
“Impressive,” Flo said. “But let us see the rest of the facility. Where is our guide?”
“You’re looking at him,” Agent Barker said. “I am more than familiar with the layout of this place. About once or twice a month I come and entertain the boys. They love me here.”
Something was missing. Mia could tell. She closed her eyes and envisioned the youth home in France. There were drawings all over the walls and scuff marks on the floor from children’s shoes. This place looked untouched.
“How many people live here?” Mia asked.
“This is one of our larger accommodations,” Agent Barker said. “One hundred children, six teachers, and two principals.”
“Principals?” Albin asked.
“The teachers are all unwed women,” Agent Barker said. “The principals are the men in charge of their care. Every youth home has at least one teacher per twenty-five students. Follow me and we can continue our tour.”
Agent Barker pushed open a swinging door toward the back of the room. Albin followed, trailed by Flo and then Mia. She heard footsteps behind her but didn’t look to see if it was her boys or more RAG agents. She assumed a mix of the two.
The next room was a decent-size kitchen. There was a large island with stools surrounding it and pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. An industrial-size fridge and freezer were against the walls along with a large stove and double oven. Cooking had once been Mia’s main passion and this was one of the finest kitchens she had ever come across. Agent Barker opened the fridge and walked inside.
Mia glanced at Flo and Albin. Both wore casual expressions of approval. Mia continued to look around the room and saw three of the men were accompanying them. She only recognized one, Andrew. He was looking upward at the ceiling and she noticed his heavy breathing. Mia felt her heart jump. She could read Andrew too well and he was trying his hardest to keep whatever he was feeling bottled up. He wouldn’t look at her and Mia didn’t want to draw any attention to him. She wanted to tell him it was okay and to focus on the future, not the sham of the orphanage Agent Barker was presenting. The man stepped out of the cooler with his hands full of food.
“I wanted to give you an example of how the young men eat,” he said. “As you can see we offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. I am certain you noticed but the climate around here can’t support farming. We have fresh food delivered to them twice a week.”
He tossed an apple at Mia. Her reflexes were on edge and she caught it with ease.
“Take a bite,” he said.
Mia didn’t want to play his game, but she forced herself to focus on what really mattered: getting through this and on to the next phase. She hoped Andrew was thinking the same way. Mia bit into the fruit. The flavors exploded in her mouth and Agent Barker’s smug smile returned to his face.
“Let’s visit the sleeping quarters,” he said.
He walked out of the kitchen with Flo and Albin following. Mia wanted to wait for Andrew, do anything she could to give him some reassurance, but it wasn’t worth blowing their cover. Instead, she continued out of the kitchen and back into the main room. Agent Barker walked to the other side and opened a closed door. The group walked down a hallway. He stopped and entered another room on his left.
“I don’t want to spend a lot of time here,” he said. “This is one of our four bathrooms. All of them are identical. Each boy has a personal cabinet to hold his belongings. Then there are five shower stalls and ten toilets.”
Mia stuck her head in the room. It was a pale green color and the lighting was warm. She glanced at the giant vanity that spread across the long wall that included four sinks. The bathroom looked like it was meant for girls more than boys.
When she pulled out of the room she used the opportunity to glance at Andrew. He was staring straight ahead. Mia didn’t think he was looking at anything. The brown orbs of his eyes looked empty, like his mind was taking him somewhere else. She felt a hand on her arm and whipped her head forward. Flo was lightly touching her.
“You will have much to talk about with your friends,” Flo said. “Once we are back in France of course.”
Mia nodded. She hoped Flo was the only one who had noticed her checking up on Andrew. Agent Barker shut the door and continued down the hall. He passed many other rooms, opting not to open them up. He stopped at the last door on his left and swung it open. Albin led the way and the group walked inside.
There were three bunk beds taking up the wall space with three matching chests of drawers. An open closet took up the rest of the wall. Mia noticed dress pants, shirts, and ties hanging.
“Six boys to a room,” he said. “As you can see there is plenty of space for them. Only dress clothes allowed in the closets.”
“Why do they need dress clothes?” Mia asked.
“We have some formal events,” Agent Barker said. “Our young men are quite cultured.”
“Is this your newest home?” Albin asked.
“Not at all,” Agent Barker said. “The youth homes across the country are all similar. Men, wouldn’t you agree?”
The two unknown RAG agents nodded their heads. Andrew remained motionless.
“I know you’re American,” Agent Barker said to Andrew. “You weren’t feeding our foreign friends lies about your living situation, were you?”
Mia watched Andrew. She wanted to will him to speak. He had to know they all knew this was a façade.
“This is identical to my experience as a youth,” Andrew said.
Mia turned back toward Agent Barker. The man continued to smile at Andrew. Mia was sure Andrew wasn’t about to break eye contact with him.
“May I use the restroom before we leave?” Mia asked.
“Of course,” Agent Barker said. He slowly broke eye contact with Andrew and looked toward Albin. “I think you have seen enough to get the idea. We have a lot of driving ahead of us. Agent Quillian will wait outside the restroom for you.”
Agent Barker led the group back out of the room. When they passed the bathroom Mia went inside. She made a break for the sink first and poured cold water on her face. She breathed heavily and looked in the mirror. Mia was relieved and proud Andrew had managed to keep his cool for the most part. Only a few more days and they would arrive at the capital and be finished with the charade. She was certain the group could hang on until then.