One Wish Away (6 page)

“Ouch!”

A fist collides with my face. I shriek and scream. “Dad!”

“Lyra? What is going on? Lyra, is that you?”

“Dr. Altair, is this your daughter?” The Secretary's voice booms amongst the stars.

“Lyra? How did you…Why are you…?”

I want to run to him. To apologize for the horrible situation I've put him in. But all I can mange in my panicked state is to say, “Don't let him take me.” I sob and give one more twist, a pathetic attempt to free myself.

“Secretary Morgan, can we please take this to a conference room?” Dad asks.

“I think that's a wise decision.” A hand pushes me from behind. We walk past the Sombrero Galaxy and enter a conference room under the Milky Way.

Dad's eyes lock with mine and he moves over to me, placing both hands on the side of my face, wiping away the tears. His green eyes scrunch in puzzlement. I don't know what to tell him. I can't even remember what I was trying to accomplish anymore.

My father rises from the floor and looks at the Secretary. “Please unlock my daughter.”

Secretary Morgan tilts his head to the side and takes in a deep breath. “I'm not sure I can do that, Dr. Altair. What your daughter's seen can't get out to the public. We've talked about this.”

My breathing quickens; fear grips my throat. I throw my eyes at my father, begging him to help me, but I don't find strength there. Just sadness and defeat.

The door to the conference room flies open and Aunt Stephanie appears.

“Lyra! What in the heavens is going on?” she asks, rushing to my side and giving me a once over. Her hard gaze finds the Secretary. “Unlock my niece.”

“I was explaining to Dr. Altair I'm not sure I can do that. We've talked about it countless times, only those within SEAD, as well as myself, can ever know what goes on here.”

“I am the Director of SEAD,” she says defiantly. “Unlock her.”

My heart skips a beat at hearing my aunt's strong personality finally work for me. I watch as those around the room stand there, expressions unchanged.

“I'm sorry. I really am.” The Secretary moves to stand next to my family. Something twitches behind my eye when I realize the Secretary actually
does
look sorry. “But this is highly classified work. We can't let her go.”

My aunt's fists clench at the Secretary ignoring her authority, but she doesn't say anything else.

Don't stop fighting for me.

“I don't even know anything!” I scream. “All I saw was the cafeteria and the universe and the glass dome. But I don't even know what any of this does!” How do I get out of this? Nothing comes to me. No solution. Just mind-numbing panic.

“I'm sorry. If you're as intellectually gifted as your father, you'll piece it together. I have to ensure this information doesn't get out.” His determined eyes leave mine and find the guard who's holding my arm. “Take her to my car. I'll meet you there in a minute.”

“No! Please! Dad! Dad!” I scream so hard my voice cracks. I cry for my father like my life depends on it. Because it does. I'm only sixteen! My eyes roam, looking for my dad. Hoping this is the one time he'll notice me. Put me before anything else. Before whatever work he does here.

Through my panic I find him, almost hidden behind the movements of the security guards. Is this the last time I'll ever see him?

Dad's eyes close tight and my breath catches at the sound of his voice.

“Secretary Morgan, you can't take her away. She's my daughter.”

“I realize this, David. Which makes it difficult, but she can't have special privileges because her father works here. Do you know how many SEAD employees have children?”

“She overheard my conversation with you when I was in my home office.” My father gestures to the Secretary. Aunt Stephanie gasps.

“David,” she scolds.

“It's my fault.” Dad shrugs. “I should be the one punished, not her. I told her she had to keep quiet, not to go looking.” His eyes meet mine. I've never been so sorry in my life. I don't even know why this is such a big deal, but it is. That much I understand.

“I'm so sorry, Dad.”

The Secretary clears his throat. “That's unfortunate, but she knows too much.”

“We all know too much.” My aunt takes a step forward, arms on hips. A flitter of hope rises in my belly.

“But you work here. You sign a nondisclosure agreement that says you sacrifice your freedom if you divulge anything. Locked in maximum security forever,” the Secretary says in a tone that portrays his desire for this to be over.

“Lyra does too,” Dad explains in a calm voice, looking everywhere in the room but at the Secretary. “She's our newest intern.”

“As of when?”

My father's eyes fly up at Morgan's question.

“Right now.” Dad's gaze meets mine and he takes in a big breath. “Or I quit.”

“Do they hurt?” Dad asks, gesturing to the cuts and bruises around my wrists, the ones I keep mindlessly circling as I pretend to watch TV.

“A little,” I mumble and look up at him sitting on the couch. “My eye is worse.” That security guard had a really strong fist.

We didn't talk the whole way home. Dad announced he was taking a half-day, as if he had a cold he was going to try to get over. But before we left the building he rushed me to HR to sign the paperwork to be SEAD's newest intern.

As I signed on the dotted line my father explained that only those who worked for SEAD, or within the government, could know the details about the projects. The contract bound the employee to secrecy and sentenced you to life in prison if that confidentiality was broken. It was the only way to save me from what I had done.

Considering my dream was to work there someday, you'd think I'd be more excited.

To be completely honest, I'm surprised it worked.

My dad threatening to quit surprised everyone, really. Dad assured me they could never continue his projects without him. He was too valuable.

“I'm really sorry, Dad,” the words tumble out and fresh tears form in my eyes. “I'm really sorry.”

“Come here, kiddo.” He gestures to the spot on the couch and I curl into his shoulder, rest my hand on his stomach. I haven't been here since… God, I'm not sure I've ever been here, tucked into his side. I give him a squeeze, which gets him talking again.

“After you overheard my conversation with the Secretary that night, I knew we were in trouble.” He's silent for a few seconds and then says, “I knew you wouldn't listen.”

The knife of guilt gets pushed deeper.

“I just had to know why you were so…scared,” I say into his stomach.

“I was scared because I saw the look in your eyes. It was the look your mother had when she was in her ‘investigative' mode. When she wouldn't take no for an answer.”

I
hate
when he compares me to her. There's
nothing
about her that I want to inherit. But, I guess, after today, I deserve it.

Dad moves away from me and rests his elbow on the arm of the couch, his cheek in his hand. “You probably want to know all about Spica now.”

I lift my eyebrows, my curiosity piqued and my guilt hiding behind it.

“We'll discuss it at work tomorrow.”

The doorbell rings and we look at each other, clear neither of us are expecting guests. My muscles tighten at the thought that perhaps I'm not out of the clear. Maybe the Secretary found a loophole and he's taking me to jail.

Dad answers the door and when his shoulders relax I know it's going to be okay.

“Darren. So nice of you to stop by. Lyra's right in here.”

It's going to be better than okay.

*

Darren flops down on my bed. “From now on,
I'm
the one who makes all the plans if we're going to break a million different laws.” He's trying to smile, but his eyes never leave my bruised face.

I didn't tell anyone Darren was part of my “sneak into SEAD” plan. When I didn't return before the tour was done, Darren told the Visitor Center employees that our Dad had picked me up because I was sick.

“How was the rest of the field trip?” I smirk, but it hurts my face to do that.

“Miserable. The girl next to me slapped
my
knee because it was jittering too much.
That's
how nervous I was.” His eyes graze my wrists and then come back to my face. “And it looks like I had every reason to be.”

I envision another girl touching Darren's knee. For whatever reason that is what I'm most focused on.

Darren clears his throat. “So how was the rest of your field trip? Your text said ‘come over'. That wasn't terribly helpful.”

I force my gaze away from his knee. “Um…well…I'm not in jail,” I say slowly.

“What?” Darren pops up on his knees.

I probably shouldn't say everything that comes into my head.

Sliding onto the bed, I clutch my pillow to my chest. Though I'm not looking at him, I feel Darren staring at me.

“Dad is working on something with the Secretary of Defense,” I whisper to my comforter.

“Did you say the Secretary of Defense?”

“Yeah.” I finally get the courage to bring my eyes to his.

“Do you know what?”

“Not yet. But I will tomorrow. When I go to work.”

Darren's mouth goes a bit slack. He looks away, brows scrunched. Then looks back at me. “You work for SEAD now?”

I nod and swallow hard. When I don't say anything for a few seconds, Darren slides next to me and without thinking I lay my head on his shoulder. His arm wraps around me.

“You're scaring me, Lyra.”

“Everything's fine now,” I assure him, hating that I'm adding myself to the list of things he has to worry about. “Things were dicey, but my dad fixed everything. The catch is I have to work for SEAD as an intern.”

“Fine.” Darren growls around the word. “I'm sorry if I'm not convinced.” He tries to move away from me, but I hold onto him, tight. I really need him right now. He doesn't fight it, in fact, he moves closer and leans back so we're resting against the headboard.

I need to convince him things will be all right. That the worst of this is over.

“The SEAD building is beyond amazing, Darren. There's a replica of the universe. I mean, an exact replica.” I close my eyes and envision the room. “The Sombrero Galaxy.” I reach my hand out, as if I could touch it now. “It was right there in my hands.”

My outstretched hand becomes warm and when I open my eyes, I find that my fingers are surrounded by Darren's.

“Just be careful, Lyra.
Please
be careful.”

I turn my head so I can see him. His eyes search mine. I search his. The safety and comfort in this touch, in his face. I can't get this anywhere else

“I will,” I whisper. I hear my breathing over my words. My eyes drift to his lips, open slightly. His hand grips mine harder, yet not too hard. He moves his head just a tiny bit and I snap out of whatever trance I was in, breaking the connection between us.

“We should see if there's anything new about the missing star on the news,” I say, even though that's not even close to what I've been thinking about for the past few minutes.

“Yeah. Good idea.”

I get up, feeling cold, and grab my remote. Turning on the news, I stand in the middle of my room for a few seconds, looking at Darren out of the corner of my eye.

He's staring at me, worry lines creasing his forehead. What am I doing to him? Why did I bring him into this? Whatever
this
is?

“Astronomers around the world are still puzzled by the missing star,” the lady reporter says. “They have no explanation and are searching the night skies for answers.”

“Will you get those answers tomorrow?” Darren asks and I finally feel safe to actually look at him again.

A large gust of air leaves my lips. “I think so.”

I don't want to think about this. I don't want to speculate. I don't want to make Darren more worried than he already is.

I drop down to my knees and crawl over to my movie collection. I pull out
Tron
and stick it in my DVD player. Without looking at Darren, I move across my bed and back to his shoulder. He's frozen for a few seconds, and then eventually his arm rests around me again.

Darren's breathing lulls me into a state where I'm watching, yet not watching, the movie. I'm wondering what I'm going to learn tomorrow.

Above everything else, I don't ever want Darren to let go of me.

My eyes slowly open and I catch a glimpse of my clock on the other side of the bed.

6:58.

We'll be leaving for my first day of work in less than an hour. Even though it's a Saturday. I poke the stomach of the person I'm laying on.

“You should probably go,” I whisper. Darren hasn't spent the night in at least two years. When we started high school, our parents nixed our sleepovers.

I wonder why my Dad didn't come up here to tell him to go home?

“Shoot.” Darren sits up quick, throwing my head with him. He grabs his cell off the table and flips it open. “Yep, Mom's freaking out.” He looks at me. “I have to go.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go.” I wave him away and brush my messy hair out of my face as I get up to change.

After I close my closet door, I sift through my clothing. Most days I ponder, at least for a second, whether or not to wear something other than my usual: flannel shirt and baggy jeans. But the usual always wins. It's comfortable. And it's me.

“Wow, something real classy for your first day of work,” Darren says as I emerge.

“Says the guy who always wears a beanie.” I raise my eyebrow and gesture to his unruly black hair, set free by the missing hat which is hiding somewhere in the bed.