Travis winked at a beleaguered Peggy, stepped into the elevator and thankfully watched the doors slide shut.
Reaching Katie’s room a few minutes later, he knocked and waited for her to answer. When the door opened just a crack, he saw only Katie’s eye staring out at him.
“Hi, uh, can we talk?” he asked.
“Um,” Katie hesitated and looked behind her. “Now is really not a good time. ”
Travis was a little surprised by this. “Oh, I just thought…I guess I’ll catch you later. ”
Katie opened the door a little wider. He caught site of her bare arm and shoulder. Keeping behind the door, she reached out and pulled him close and kissed him. “Later will be perfect. ”
“Don’t move so much,” Nerit’s voice said from the room.
Travis raised an eyebrow. Katie only gave him an enormous grin.
“It’s a secret,” she said.
Jenni came down the hall holding a plastic bag. Seeing Travis, she shoved it into her jacket and tried to look innocent.
“Hi, Travis,” she said, an impish expression on her face.
“Hey, Jenni,” he answered.
As soon as Jenni was close enough, Katie opened the door enough to let her squeeze through, then immediately closed it to a slim crack again.
“Okay, obviously you guys are up to something,” he said uneasily.
“Pretty much yeah,” Katie answered. “I’ll let you know what later. ”
Frowning just a tad, he backed away from the door. “Okay, then. ”
As the door closed, he turned and wandered down the hall feeling a little uneasy, but not really sure what was bothering him. He definitely did not give credence to Shane’s words. With Nerit there, he was sure nothing that Shane had accused the girls of was happening, but he hated how for a moment, he had felt a twinge of suspicion.
Striding down the hall, he shoved his hands into his jean pockets, his brow furrowed. The elevator doors opened. Shane stood in there with Philip.
“Turned you away, huh?” Shane smirked.
Travis didn’t answer and stepped into the elevator. He could literally feel Shane’s anger boiling behind his back.
“Things have got to change around here,” Shane said to Travis. “Or it’s all going to go to hell. ”
The door opened on Travis’ floor and he stepped out. He looked back at Shane. “It already has,” he answered.
The elevator doors shut and Travis walked on.
Chapter 11
1. The Characters Enter
The ballroom was alive with music, people, and the rich smell of food. The elderly had arrived first and were settled happily at a table in one corner, their weary bodies nestled into the plush velvet chairs.
Rosie’s dinner crew had laid out a fabulous buffet of chicken, wild rice, and assorted vegetables with big flaky biscuits and two different kinds of dessert. Someone had gone around collecting CDs. Music now played softly in the background.
Jason and Shelley made their way outside to meet up with the other teenagers and preteens. Gathering in t
he gazebo, they had hooked up a stereo to play music they wanted to hear and had lugged a cooler of soda out. One of the youngest of the group, Ricky, Shelley’s younger brother, was hunched down sipping cola and looking at an old magazine. Jason sat down on a pillow and Shelley sat down beside him.
All together, there were a dozen kids in the fort. They had learned to stick together amidst all the adults. It wasn’t easy at times. The adults were always so worried and scared they forgot the kids were just as anxious. They often tried to shield the kids from what was really going on, so the youngest of the survivors often had to find ways to glean information about what was going on.