Between Worlds (The Wall Series #1)

Chapter 12

Anna came over just as Heather and I finished our breakfast. My uncle had left for work. I sometimes wanted to ask him more about his job, but right now, there were more important things to do.

The three of us, like yesterday, sat cross-legged on my bed, as if we were going to use an Ouija board to summon spirits. I told them everything that had happened the previous night.

"But how?" Heather demanded. "How did the colonel barge into your room?"

I sighed. "My guess is as good as yours."

"Amy," Anna said. "So what are we going to do? I don't want to work for the colonel, and I'm sure you don't, either."

"I've thought of something," I told them, and took a deep breath, rubbing my forehead with my palm. "It's pretty evident that we can't get out of this one. But we know that the colonel needs the password, just as much as I do, right?"

"Right," Heather agreed.

"So I'm assuming," I said, "that the "work" he wants us to do is to help him figure out the password. If that's the case, working for him may not be as bad as we think. If we're closer to the colonel we'll have a better lead at the password than if we just sit at home guessing."

"Amy, do you have any idea how risky this is?" Anna warned. "How are we going to escape once we know the password? And what if we get caught? How are we going to find your father when we get to the other world, anyway?"

"Well," I answered, "for how we're going to escape? We're going to need some internal help, which I'll elaborate on later. As for if we get caught, that's not something we can really get around. You know, take a huge risk for a huge reward. It's not going to be easy. We have to get along with them and do whatever proves necessary for the situation. And I think the internal help I was talking about could help me my father, too."

"Wait a minute," Heather chimed in. "By internal help, you mean—"

"Someone who works for the colonel," Anna finished.

Heather turned to Anna. "The first person I thought of when you said that was Mileva."

"No, not Mileva," I told her. "She's too loyal. It should be someone who's ready for our purpose."

"And we can only find this person once we get there," Anna concluded.

I nodded, pretending to be impressed. "Wow Anna, you're keeping up, for like, the first time!" She rolled her eyes.

"And one last thing," I said. "Maybe...I could talk to the colonel...about you guys."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"To...I don't know, relieve you from working. And Heather, too."

They both began protesting at the same time, so I interrupted, "Look guys, I got you both into this mess. Maybe you don't need to—"

Anna crossed her arms. "Okay, first of all, I'm a hundred percent sure the colonel isn't going to allow that. And second, even if he did, I'd never let you go on this suicide mission alone. You're going to need all the help you can get. And that includes us."

"Definitely," Heather chimed in. "And I know you'd do the same for us."

You're not alone, they meant.

It was reassuring to have friends who I could rely on. Always. I teared up a little. Taking a deep breath, I said, "But what will you guys tell your parents?"

"We'll make something up," Anna told me.

"What could you possibly make up that will excuse you from leaving your house out of the blue at the end of semester?" I asked.