Free Minds

Chapter 53.

"Is this a joke?" Talise frowned down at her state. "I look stupid. These humongous jeans have to be at least fifty years old."

"That's the best we could find to accommodate the leg brace," Camila tried to explain without flinching from Tali's pissed off behavior. "We have to cover as much as we can."

"You could've at least found something that didn't make my lower body parts look like a shapeless blob! Do you know how many hearts I've broken with my ass?"

   That was a question I never thought I'd hear anyone ask on the day of their...mission? No one was sure what to call it.

   Either way, Visitation Day had finally arrived. Today was the day Talise was going to effectuate our first real attempt at infiltrating Zavlon Academia. After two days spent going over the plan countless times, I wouldn't say we were totally ready. Although...judging by how I could still hear Camila and Rav's voices in my head, narrating what was going to happen over and over, it's maybe safe to say we were.

   Or maybe they'd just driven me insane.

   Dorian and Rav had gone out to pick up the van rented earlier for today while the rest of us left behind in the motel helped Tali into her leg brace and get ready in other areas.

"Why is the brace so heavy?" Talise asked, struggling to raise her metal clad right leg for emphasis.

"That's actually on purpose," I replied. "The heaviness would cause you to drag your feet more, which will make your 'leg problem' seem more legitimate."

"Huh," She simply said, staring at the material without an expression of frustration this time.

"Good thinking," Camila told me.

"It was actually Dorian's idea," I confessed. "He suggested it right before we started making the leg brace."

   And yet as a fellow partner in doing so, he wasn't even here. Not to sound paranoid or anything, but he seemed really eager to go pick up the van with Rav. Probably an excuse to not have any form of interaction with me.

   Like he'd been doing for the past two days.

   Wonder why.

   I woke up in his room the following morning two days ago to find an empty bed and the sounds of a running shower from the bathroom. It seemed that as long as I was around, he basically lived there now. I wasted no time packing up and exiting his room as fast as I could.

   Ever since then, it was impossible to recall having an actual conversation with Dorian. But maybe it was for the best. I was still yet to properly look him in the eye without the memories of that night rushing to my mind with energetic force.

"I'm pretty sure these are the jeans of my people's oppressors." Talise yanked on its sides with a scowl. "Can we at least do something about this? There's a hole in one of its pockets for goodness sake!"

"We need to reflect the underprivileged nature of Destiny Omaha. Besides, it's too late now," Camila said with her eyes glued to her phone. "Dorian and Rav are back with the van."

   My thoughts and gaze instantly shifted to Talise. The relaxed look she had on wasn't enough to suppress the sudden pangs I experienced in my gut.

   This was it.

***

   By the time we were ready to drop Talise off a few feet away from Zavlon, all the necessary preparations were made.

   The ones our anxieties were merciful to not let us forget anyway.

   We'd picked out one of the abandoned skyscraper construction sites some miles away from the school to carry out our operation, synced the cameras and communication systems tech with Camila and Rav's devices and hidden them in the spots created in the leg brace.