All Eyes on Me

Chapter 6

Maci couldn't believe how her day turned out. Just two hours ago, she and April were enjoying a working lunch in their hotel room when harsh footfalls, booming voices, and multiple raps on their door startled them.

April, being the confident one that she was, was "absolutely certain" that this was some kind of mistake, so she was ready to give the LAPD a piece of her mind. When she opened the door, they simply barreled on in to their hotel suite, asking their names. Yes, they were Maci and April, but they had no idea what this was about.

April had just about thrown a fit, demanding to know why they had to be escorted from their hotel. "What the hell is going on?!"

"We will tell you once we're in a more secure location," one of the uniformed officers said.

April pouted, but didn't ask again. Maci, on the other hand, wasn't wanting to speak at all. She was terribly confused, not to mention a little shell-shocked. They were put into a black car, complete with black tinted windows. Maci felt like she'd put a blindfold over her eyes. It was weird to be blanketed in darkness. She was drawn out of her nerves when someone -- she assumed the person in charge of whatever the hell this was -- spoke to them.

"My name is Lydia Bell. I am the Special Agent in Charge of Witness Protection and Safety at the LAPD. You two have been placed with me and my team at the request of not only the Harrowbrook Police Department, but both the Chattanooga Correctional Facility and the Clarksville County Jail."

If she weren't already sitting down, Maci was sure she would've fallen over. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw April open her mouth not once, but twice, before closing it both times. She was rarely left speechless, so Maci knew the gravity of the situation.

"This is because Trent Walker has escaped prison custody. He attacked the two guards who were transporting him from Clarksville to Chattanooga, and is currently in the wind. The prison contacted HPD, who have been talking to us regarding the matter, which is why you're in our hands right now."

"I'm sorry, what?" Maci blankly asked.

"I'm sorry, but it is true. Trent is a fugitive, and we believe that you could be in danger because of it. That's why we're taking you both back to Tennessee."

"Why can't we just stay here?" April had asked. "We still have a whole month left of our program!"

"We don't know if Trent knows of your current location. If he did, and you were left here unprotected, well, I'm sure I don't need to explain the rest. That was a risk everyone believed we should not take," Agent Bell had responded.

And about an hour or so later, Maci and April were sitting on a privatized plane from LAX to Nashville. Maci couldn't stop bouncing her feet, and April couldn't stop complaining about a multitude of things, from the air quality to the lack of snack selection. They were two annoyed peas in a very uncomfortable pod.

Her annoyance skyrocketed when she came face to face with the last person she expected: her ex-boyfriend. Yes, they were on civil terms, but under no circumstance was she ready to be stuck with him 24/7. At least that's what she assumed Evan and Ben were there for: witness protection.

"Evan?" Maci stammered, not really a question but a remark of disbelief.

By contrast, April all but launched herself into Ben's arms with a huge hello.

"Hi Maci."

She gave him a tiny wave, accompanied by a grimace. Well, shit.

Ben and April had finally extracted themselves from each other to get serious about things. "Alright ladies, let's go." His head tilted over to an unmarked car down a ways on the landing strip. Maci and April tucked their bags into their sides. They were only allowed to grab any irreplaceable items from their hotel room before they were whisked away. They both had grabbed their laptops, April had grabbed her one of a kind vintage dress, and Maci grabbed her makeup bag (she couldn't get some of the products again as they were discontinued).