help.”
SIX
Although Emily’s plan is good, some of the details could have used a little more thought. The dress, clearly my least favorite part, works like a charm. In it I’m just another decorative sheep girl waiting for the festival and I’m able to walk down the streets without really being noticed. I practice my fake smile and my hair flip when I see a couple soldiers and they just wave me on, no recognition in their eyes. So, getting to the building that holds Dane’s office is a breeze. It’s how I’m going to get into his office that’s a problem.
It’s full dark now, but the front door of the building is lit up and two guards flank the door. No matter how nice my dress is or how much I bat my eyelashes, I’m not going to get past them. Based on what Emily told me though, Dane’s office is toward the back and it has a window.
I slink around the back of the building. Wonderful. Emily’s information would have been really helpful if that window weren’t about six feet off the ground and just slightly out of my reach. The brick won’t give me enough handholds to climb it and even jumping still leaves the windowsill beyond the grip of my fingers.
Good thing I know how to climb a tree. One of the outreaching branches of the poplar tree growing near the corner of the building looks like it might be perfect for this task. Cursing the stupid dress, I wrap my legs around the trunk and use my arms to pull myself up until I can grab the lowest branch. My inner thighs are scraped all to hell, but I make it up until I’m resting at the branch I saw from below.
It’s still a bit of a leap from the branch to the windowsill, but at least the window’s open. The branch creaks under me as I shimmy further out from the trunk and send out a silent plea that the branch will hold. The fall wouldn’t kill me, but it wouldn’t be very pleasant either. I rise into a crouch, my thigh muscles straining to hold my balance.
When I push off, there’s a loud crack and my leap starts a few inches lower than it should have as the branch falls. I make it across, my shoulders protesting as I hang down against the outer wall, my fingers scrabbling for purchase on the window sill. My biceps shake and my knuckles whiten around the ledge. Slowly raising my body, I collapse into the room, lying on my back for a moment while my breath comes back to me.
I stand, rolling my shoulders and clenching and unclenching my fingers a few times. Shaking my limbs gently loosens my muscles and gets me back on track.
Moonlight filters in through the window, giving me just enough light to work with. I start with Dane’s desk. There’s nothing on top of it, but it has plenty of drawers. The first one opens with a slight click. At least it’s unlocked. Of course, that drawer is not the one with the keys. The next drawer down is also unlocked and so is the third. No keys in any of them. The wide drawer in the center, however, resists my attempts to open it. Great. I need a key to find the keys. Maybe he keeps it nearby.
My fingers trace the underside of the drawer. Come on. Just one bit of luck this evening would be nice. A rough edge brushes against my index finger. It’s tape, and my fingers quickly determine that it’s holding a small key to the bottom of the drawer. Yes! I crouch down, twist my body so I’m facing the ceiling and crawl under the desk, picking at the tape with my fingernail.
The door swings open and the overhead light turns on, freezing me in place. How far does the front of the desk come down? Am I visible from the other side? Turning my head to check, any movement really, would only draw attention to myself if the desk does not extend all the way to the floor. I know this, but I still have to fight the urge to look.
My rocketing heartbeat is loud in my ears and my raised arms are starting to shake. Don’t move. Just breathe.
“Nothing here Daniel,” calls out a voice from the
SIX
Although Emily’s plan is good, some of the details could have used a little more thought. The dress, clearly my least favorite part, works like a charm. In it I’m just another decorative sheep girl waiting for the festival and I’m able to walk down the streets without really being noticed. I practice my fake smile and my hair flip when I see a couple soldiers and they just wave me on, no recognition in their eyes. So, getting to the building that holds Dane’s office is a breeze. It’s how I’m going to get into his office that’s a problem.
It’s full dark now, but the front door of the building is lit up and two guards flank the door. No matter how nice my dress is or how much I bat my eyelashes, I’m not going to get past them. Based on what Emily told me though, Dane’s office is toward the back and it has a window.
I slink around the back of the building. Wonderful. Emily’s information would have been really helpful if that window weren’t about six feet off the ground and just slightly out of my reach. The brick won’t give me enough handholds to climb it and even jumping still leaves the windowsill beyond the grip of my fingers.
Good thing I know how to climb a tree. One of the outreaching branches of the poplar tree growing near the corner of the building looks like it might be perfect for this task. Cursing the stupid dress, I wrap my legs around the trunk and use my arms to pull myself up until I can grab the lowest branch. My inner thighs are scraped all to hell, but I make it up until I’m resting at the branch I saw from below.
It’s still a bit of a leap from the branch to the windowsill, but at least the window’s open. The branch creaks under me as I shimmy further out from the trunk and send out a silent plea that the branch will hold. The fall wouldn’t kill me, but it wouldn’t be very pleasant either. I rise into a crouch, my thigh muscles straining to hold my balance.
When I push off, there’s a loud crack and my leap starts a few inches lower than it should have as the branch falls. I make it across, my shoulders protesting as I hang down against the outer wall, my fingers scrabbling for purchase on the window sill. My biceps shake and my knuckles whiten around the ledge. Slowly raising my body, I collapse into the room, lying on my back for a moment while my breath comes back to me.
I stand, rolling my shoulders and clenching and unclenching my fingers a few times. Shaking my limbs gently loosens my muscles and gets me back on track.
Moonlight filters in through the window, giving me just enough light to work with. I start with Dane’s desk. There’s nothing on top of it, but it has plenty of drawers. The first one opens with a slight click. At least it’s unlocked. Of course, that drawer is not the one with the keys. The next drawer down is also unlocked and so is the third. No keys in any of them. The wide drawer in the center, however, resists my attempts to open it. Great. I need a key to find the keys. Maybe he keeps it nearby.
My fingers trace the underside of the drawer. Come on. Just one bit of luck this evening would be nice. A rough edge brushes against my index finger. It’s tape, and my fingers quickly determine that it’s holding a small key to the bottom of the drawer. Yes! I crouch down, twist my body so I’m facing the ceiling and crawl under the desk, picking at the tape with my fingernail.
The door swings open and the overhead light turns on, freezing me in place. How far does the front of the desk come down? Am I visible from the other side? Turning my head to check, any movement really, would only draw attention to myself if the desk does not extend all the way to the floor. I know this, but I still have to fight the urge to look.
My rocketing heartbeat is loud in my ears and my raised arms are starting to shake. Don’t move. Just breathe.
“Nothing here Daniel,” calls out a voice from the
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