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After running the kids through the tunnels, Kara ushered them up the ladder into the primary safe house where she made up the guest bedroom for them. Kara hung a thick blanket over the bedroom window. She hauled in a TV set, placed it on a rickety dresser, and plugged it in. The TV was old and had a rabbit ear antenna, which she bent this way and that. After monkeying around with the antenna while turning the knob selector through the channels, she finally found decent reception on a channel showing a Jimmy Neutron cartoon narrated in Urdu. The kids hopped up on the bed and appeared entertained.
“Call for me if you need anything. Remember, my name is Kara.”
Jawhara smiled at Kara, but without looking away from the TV the boy asked, “Why are we here?” His tone was staid, like an adult had asked the question.
Kara hadn’t anticipated the question but finally replied, “I will be taking care of you today. Your father said you could have a sleepover at this farmhouse. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
The girl nodded. The boy didn’t pay either his sister or Kara any further attention.
“I’ll bring you some snacks in a little bit,” Kara said, as she locked the door from the inside and closed it securely.
Kara walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch. Since early morning, this was the first opportunity she’d had to decompress. The stress of the mission drained her both physically and mentally. She was unaware how exhausted she was until she fell into a light yet restorative sleep.