It had been only twelve hours since Ella and Izzy had placed the bombs that had killed an unknown number of people. The reality of her actions and her subsequent fainting spell had left Ella’s mind whirling. Her head pounded. She was almost certainly concussed. Waking up in the back of a speeding car did nothing to help her disorientation.
After Ella fainted, Izzy dragged her to a car owned by one of the rioters who agreed to drive them away from the explosions. Ella had drifted in and out of consciousness for the whole ride. They had been dropped off near a series of abandoned buildings in the old working-class district.
They needed some time to collect themselves. After taking stock of their options, they would start sorting out the mess they made. That steely determination quickly faded as the reality of their situation set in. They were doomed like a man sentenced to execution. There was no talking their way out of what they had done. They were trapped just about dead center in a country that had suddenly become hostile. They had become the fox that was surrounded by one thousand miles of hounds in every direction.
Ella began to sob. It was not the pretty form of crying seen in movies. Tears streamed from her eyes as if they were the source of the world’s oceans. Snot fell from her nose in large drips that covered her filthy turtleneck. Her mascara which she had spent nearly an hour perfecting streaked from her eyes to partway down her cheek. Her lips were either quivering or drooling depending on the moment. Ella’s only apt description was messy.
The two-woman hid out in a green one-story home whose outside overgrowth covered what resided inside. The room in which they sat was bare. Its wooden flooring was in the process of rotting away. The one window which faced the road was covered by thick bushes and was smashed in. The only noise to punctuate Ella’s sobs was the occasional muscle car or police vehicle hunting for them.
Ella spent her time in a mix of hysterical crying and dry heaving. Her mind seesawed between what had just happened and what came next. Every time she got close to coming to terms with what she had done, the images of what had happened to those officers flashed through her mind. Her fingers played with a shiny gold ring. It had been pulled from the finger of the officer she blew up. Each time she looked at it, her sobbing would intensify.
Izzy strutted around the room. She moved between a dead calm and bouts of silent sobbing. She was in the same position as Ella. Izzy’s life was over. they had unknowingly walked into a trap to kill scores of people. They were murderers plain and simple. Whether the people killed deserved it or not they would never know. Any dreams Izzy had of following her mother’s footsteps were surely smashed. Ella lost in her self-pity was oblivious to Izzy’s pain.
A siren spun up and lights bathed the room and yard outside in red and blue. Izzy dropped like a ninja onto all fours, and Ella clasped a hand over her mouth. Ella’s tears of sadness were replaced with tears of fear as her eyes went wide. The sound of an engine revving and the screeching of tires gave both girls a wave of relief. The officer wasn’t after them.
What did they do now? The question plagued both women as they sat together on the filthy floor. It was only a matter of time before the authorities figured out who had laid the bombs. The Children of Liberty’s attack had been methodically planned and orchestrated to perfection. The authorities would never believe the two girls hadn’t been in on the conspiracy. Their vengeance would be swift and merciless.
Ella’s mind felt broken. Like a ticking watch stuck at the same hour. She replayed the night over and over in her mind. If she had only stayed home or gotten there too late, then she wouldn’t be shackled with the pain and guilt. Her mind, which was normally her strongest asset, was suddenly useless. A fading adrenaline rush mixed with her steadily increasing anxiety, left her body weak and shaking.
Ella looked back down at the golden ring. It was the same make she had slid on her fiancé's finger three months earlier. A new wave of guilt washed over her. The officer and civilian deaths on her hands were hard enough to stomach. Knowing she had destroyed the life of the one person she cared for more than anyone else broke her soul.
Her fiancé had no idea that his life was about to be upturned forever. Tears continued to stream from Ella’s eyes. She looked up, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. After nearly two hours of crying, Ella did not know how she still had tears left to shed.
Ella wiped away the streaks of liquid still pouring from her eyes. In doing so she spread the mascara lines into a light haze that covered most of her upper cheek and lower eyelid. It gave her a ghastly appearance and made her look ten times sicker than she already appeared.
A hand laid onto her arm and gave a tight squeeze. Ella turned her head to look at Izzy. The young woman’s angled face was puffy and swollen. The effects of the tear gas had yet to fully dissipate. Her eyes were swollen and red. She too had been crying. A fact that made Ella feel a little less alone.
“We have to run.” Izzy’s words came out horse but determined. “We can’t hide, at least not for long. The authorities will eventually find out who we are and come for us.”
Izzy’s face which before was slightly illuminated by the light of the moon was cast in shadow.
“We have to give up our lives here and flee, start over.” Ella knew Izzy was right. Her mind fought the idea but there was no getting around it. If they stayed, they would at best face lifelong prison and at worst… Well, she didn’t want to think about the worst. Ella’s mind returned to her fiancé. He had to be warned. He was in as much danger as they were and he was ignorant to all of it.
“We have to warn Sam. He’s the only person the authorities can trace to me. If we leave him behind, he won’t be safe.” Ella paused to keep her emotions in check. Fighting back the tears she continued.
“He’ll be questioned and then tortured to death.” Ella’s voice was raw and came out in a half squeak half-whisper. The certainty of her statement came as a surprise.
One day ago, she never would have believed the state was seriously capable of extreme violence and potential torture. It had been so easy to hear of the government's atrocities and discount them as done to people who deserved it or made up altogether. But to see the way they treated the protesters changed something in Ella. The old man who had fallen to the water cannon and nearly died left a simmering rage in Ella’s gut that no amount of fear could quench.
Ella could not see Izzy’s reaction to her words as she stood still her face cloaked in shadow. Neither girl moved as Izzy processed what to do.
“Are you sure he won’t turn us in when he finds out what we’ve done? You said he worked for a government agency. He might trade us to keep his normal life.” A truth rang in Izzy’s words, and if Sam had been a random stranger or just her boyfriend she might have agreed. But Sam was her fiancé. The love of her life. He would never turn them in.
“No,” Ella responded, “Sam’s our best shot of coming up with a plan out of this mess.”
Ella didn’t know much about Sam’s past. He said little about it. The one thing she was daily reminded of was his incessant planning. He was prepared for any situation. Ella even suspected he was prepared to go on the run. A fact that would no doubt help. Izzy stood and gave Ella a nod. If she had any further reservations, she did not share them.
“Okay, we need to get back to your place.” Izzy’s tone was still wary. “We are going to have to walk, at least until we get somewhere less suspicious.” Ella couldn’t disagree. Two women walking out of the abandoned district caked in filth and with semi-tattered clothes would look suspicious.
“Hopefully we can catch a ride,” Izzy said with a sigh, “or it's going to be a long night.”
Six hours later, Ella noted that it was indeed a long night. They had walked all the way back to her place. They had not found a ride the whole trek. Not a single car passed them on their way. Ella couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad sign.
As they reached their duplex the sun was on the rise. It steadily climbed higher into the sky. With each passing step, the color of the world changed. From a dull black to a vibrant blue the sky shifted. It passed through its deep red and landed on orange as they approached the stoop.
Ella’s legs ached. She was sure she had nearly twisted an ankle at least twice in her knee-high boots. Her whole body showed signs of extreme fatigue. Izzy looked no better. They would have reminded any passerby of two lost and beaten strays.
Ella stood on the stoop her hand ready to knock on the old oak door. She brought it forward but stopped just before hitting the tarnished sun-bleached wood. Her gut churned. That little seed of doubt Izzy had placed, wormed in her mind. She hesitated for only a second before she took a deep breath and knocked. No answer came. Her patience was thin and she knocked again. This time with her whole fist. She heard no movement.
Was her fiancé still asleep? She pictured him lying in bed naked snoring away as he packed away nearly thirteen hours of sleep. The deadbolt suddenly turned and clicked. The sound was like the final death nail in a coffin. There was no going back. The door lifted and swung inwards with a noisy creak. Its hinges squeaked loudly which only added to Ella’s feeling of foreboding.
Her fiancé Sam stood in the doorway. His face was as handsome as ever. His sharp jawline was hard-set with only a small bit of black stubble adorning it. His short dark hair was wild and had yet to be styled into its signature point. He looked perfectly normal, except for his chestnut eyes. They appeared different somehow, colder in a way.
A well of emotions hit Ella as she looked upon Sam. Apprehension, love, and the feeling of finally being safe flooded her mind. She had to hold back tears that threatened to break free from her bloodshot eyes. She even started to feel a little dizzy until she noted that she had yet to take a breath. Her clothes were torn and rugged. Her entire body was covered in filth and most of her face was swollen. Every muscle in her body ached and standing was an unbearable chore.
She saw Sam’s eyes switch from her to Izzy. His placid face changed as well. Taking a slightly more pissed-off form. This was a rare occurrence. Ella knew she had to stop him from doing something stupid. Sam was about to step out toward Izzy when Ella moved herself in front. She placed a hand on Sam’s chest to block him from passing the door's threshold. Sam looked back at her. His anger mixed with mild surprise.
“Care to Explain what the Hell is going on?” The demand which took the form of a question bounced inside Ella’s head. She just stared back at him. Guilt and sadness oozing from her emerald eyes. Sam’s brows furrowed slightly his concerned look turned to one of mild annoyance.
This was a side of Sam Ella rarely saw. He was always so calm and collected even during their most intense fights. Somehow, she was always the emotional one. While his face stayed the same indifferent form it always wore when they argued. Why was he suddenly showing a hint of anger? She hadn’t done anything that he knew about yet.
The realization grated against the thin defenses Ella had built up over the past six hours. She immediately became defensive. The deeply buried memory of their fight surged forward with renewed vigor and all worry and fear dissipated in a cloud of anger. Was Sam interested in rehashing their argument here? Ella couldn’t keep the anger from plastering her face. Sam didn’t back down.
“EL, Explain!” His words emanated from a tight-lipped frown.
The demand was like fingernails on a chalkboard to Ella’s ears. Her temper flared but was immediately extinguished by her extreme fatigue. Her need to scream at him was instead portrayed by a complete emotional breakdown. Ella started to sob. Tears streamed from her eyes. Whatever liquid remained in her body poured like waterfalls from her eyes.
Ella’s whole body shook and she collapsed forward into Sam. She landed roughly on his chest. He held her arms up, but nothing more. Izzy had attempted to grab Ella to stop her fall. She stood awkwardly, hands roughly holding what remained of Ella’s coat.
Sam looked upon his collapsed fiancé, Ella could feel his stare. He stood there for a few seconds while Izzy released Ella’s coat and stepped back. Sam didn’t seem to notice. His attention was focused on Ella. Though Ella couldn’t see him as she clung to his chest, she could almost feel his mind whirling. He was thinking over something and a new wave of fear crushed Ella into further uncontrolled sobs. He was going to leave her. The thought drilled into her brain reaching into that primal fear of abandonment.
Finally, and without warning he grabbed her hard and pulled her into a hug. Ella’s body buckled under the intensity. It felt as if she was caught in a vice that would never let her go. It was exactly what she needed. Her face scrunched against his sturdy chest as he nuzzled in her hair. The battle that was going on his head had resolved itself in her favor. The fear that had gripped her only seconds before dissipated. “Whatever happened, I’m just glad you came back,” he whispered. With that phrase soothing her she let herself succumb to exhaustion and fell into sleep.
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Izzy stood there on the stoop hating every second of their embrace. How could Ella have become this pathetic? Falling into the arms of a man. Izzy’s hopes that the fiancé had been a ploy to make her feel bad were dashed the minute she looked at the two of them. Seeing the way Sam looked at Ella shattered the delusion. There was a softness in his eyes even with their hint of anger. A softness she had only seen come from love. She had seen it in her mom’s eyes whenever she visited her hospital bed.
She wanted to scream. Her delusion of a possible future with Ella had been shattered in the first two minutes of Ella’s interaction with Sam. Izzy was left feeling nothing but emptiness. She was truly alone again. The spark and potential rebirth of her relationship with Ella had given her hope for a future. She had vowed to forsake any new relationships after Ella. They just hurt too much and always went nowhere. Izzy felt like a fool for letting herself believe that maybe this old one had a chance of working again.
Izzy knew it wasn’t rational, and had tried to talk herself out of these feelings the whole walk over. She had failed. Despair and self-loathing soon replaced the emptiness. It always did. There was no escaping her own self-criticism.
Izzy's feelings of embarrassment crawled up from her neck and sealed in her reddening ears. She thought about walking away. She could escape on her own. Couldn’t she? Izzy had done nothing but think about how to escape her horrible situation. Every plan Izzy came up with had numerous flaws and relied heavily on luck. A trait she did not possess in the slightest. All her plans also relied on Ella. More people made watches and long drives easier.
Izzy quickly weighed her options and decided that she was unlikely to be able to come up with a better plan for only herself. Three minds together were surely better than hers alone. She would stay for now. She could always leave if she couldn’t handle the happy couple anymore.
Sam suddenly picked up Ella who Izzy noted was sound asleep. He Carried her princess-style through the door.
“You can come in.” Sam’s tone was even and his voice was deep. His deminer had lost all its earlier testiness. Izzy had seen something flash in his eyes when he had looked at her. It had sent a shiver down her spine. The look was pure untamed aggression. It lasted only a moment, but it was as clear as day.
Izzy stepped through the threshold and attempted to close the old wooden door behind her. It didn’t quite fit into place. “You’re going to have to shoulder it closed,” came Sam's voice from the top of the stairs. Had he heard her struggling with the door or had he assumed she was incapable of closing it? Men she thought with a scoff. With a grunt, she rammed the door shut.
Izzy turned and took in her surroundings. The entrance room was nice. A single light hung from the ceiling and cast a light bright enough to be the sun across the small windowless space. She stood on a welcome mat that looked to be created by hand. Its lettering was blocky and poorly laid out, but the mat looked like it had seen its fair share of shoe wipes. It may be ugly but it looked to function well enough.
A hallway extended from the entrance room toward an opening that luckily contained some natural light. The hallway then split into an open living room and kitchen to the right. A large staircase resided on the left. The staircase went up and then curved right to reach the top floor.
The whole of the bottom floor was painted a light gray. A few abstract paintings hung in the hallway. Each was weirder than the last. Izzy knew those paintings were Ella’s idea. The thought that made Izzy chuckle to herself. Ella always had abhorrent taste in art. Izzy slid off her sneakers and set them haphazardly next to the line of perfectly straight pairs of shoes.
The inside of the duplex was relatively modern. Even if it was approaching fifty years of age. The outside had all the hallmarks of an early twenty-first-century home. Its dark gray plastic paneling was designed to look like wood. The black tar-shingled roof and the ancient yellowing garage door both dated the home. The sidewalk had also been a mess.
The living room which was the largest in the half house continued in the same light gray as the hallway. A large pale cream sofa sat against the far wall. A love seat, the same color and style as the sofa, sat right in front of a large open window in the back. The sunlight of the early morning flooded in from outside, lighting the whole room in a bright orange haze. A large TV sat on the wall. Its dormant red light was ever vigilant, waiting for the command to blink and bring the thin box above to life.
Izzy turned her head toward the kitchen. Its open concept integrated perfectly into the living room. An old fridge and stove sat next to each other, like old drinking buddies. They looked worse for wear. The countertops were made of dark black granite that had probably been placed with the house. A lone dining table resided on the far edge just where the cabinets ended. Looking past the table she noticed another smaller hallway. On the left was a bathroom on the right was a washer and dryer. At the end of the hall was a white door which led to the garage.
Izzy stood on the separation between the kitchen and living room, where the white carpet turned to wood panel flooring. She didn’t know what to do besides wait for Sam or Ella to come back. She felt awkward and was about to turn and leave when Sam stalked down the stairs. He carried Ella’s knee-high boots in his hands. His sharp jawline remained rigid and his face gave no hints at his mood. Just as Izzy was about to speak, he disappeared down the hallway. He returned a few seconds later lacking Ella’s boots.
“So, you’re Sam?” the question was given with a tone that conveyed more of a realization.
“That would be me,” Sam said with a slight shrug, “I’m Sam Grau, feel free to have a seat by the way.” He gestured to the pale cream sofa.
Izzy made no move to sit but folded her arms across her chest. “Is Ella, okay?” Izzy asked unable to hide her concern any longer.
“She is fine, just sleeping. All her injuries appeared superficial and I did not see any deep wounds anywhere. Her dirt and grime made it difficult to tell but I am certain she’ll be up and feeling better in a few hours.” Sam’s attitude did not change as he spoke. He said everything with a level of interest Izzy expected from a thoroughly bored child.
Izzy visibly relaxed. Her tense muscles loosened and she let her arms fall by her side. She noticed Sam’s eyes on her. Their chestnut hue focused in. He scanned her like a robot, taking in every detail. Her feeling of relaxation vanished and her whole body straightened.
“Can I help you with something?” Sam said nothing as he continued to stare at her. As Izzy prepared herself for a fight Sam turned away. He moved to sit on the same sofa he had so recently offered Izzy. Izzy remained where she was uncertain of what to do next.
“You got a name stranger?” Sam’s tone was slightly chilled.
“Isabella Lamante. I go by Izzy for short.” Izzy started to eye Sam the same way he had eyed her. She couldn’t glean much from him and found it to be a colossal waste of time, not to mention awkward. If he noticed her stares, he didn’t acknowledge it. He sat in silence and seemed to be thinking about his next question.
Finally, after a few agonizing seconds, he asked, “What happened to you two?”
“I think it's best if Ella tells you that,” Izzy said with a shrug of her shoulders, “Not really my place.” Sam’s face downturned slightly and that aggression she had seen earlier renewed. A shot of adrenaline spiked through her system. She felt like prey caught by a predator.
“How do you know Ella?” Sam’s question came out in the same tone as his previous question but Izzy still felt tension in the air.
“Ella and I are friends from college. Well, more than friends really. I think I would be considered her ex.” Izzy was being cheeky and she knew it. Sam didn’t scare her and he wouldn’t do anything to her in his own house.
Sam froze at the last sentence. He stared at the dark black screen of the TV for what felt like an age. He stared at it so long that Izzy thought he might be a robot after all. Then as if he suddenly rebooted. He turned to her and stuck out his hand.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Ellas is a friend of mine.”
His tone gave no hint that her taunting had affected him. Izzy felt even more defeated than earlier as she took hold of his hand and gave a firm shake. Sam’s grip was strong but not painful. They shook three times before releasing each other. His intensity had diminished and he was back to his normal bored expression. Sam was one of the oddest people Izzy had ever met.
She struggled to see what Ella liked about him besides the superficial things. He seemed entirely boring and uninterested in the world. She doubted he had an ounce of passion in him. The memory of Sam picking up Ella and carrying her to bed flashed through her mind. Okay, maybe he’s got a bit of passion Izzy thought.
Izzy was tired of standing. She looked for a good place to sit. The pale cream loveseat looked as good a spot as any. She made her way over and sat. It was surprisingly comfortable as the cushion molded around her body. After she was settled, she noticed Sam looking at her again. She was about to tell him to stop when he spoke. “What do you do for work?” The question caught Izzy off guard. She wasn’t expecting polite conversation from the creep. She hesitated to answer.
“I work at Caru-star. You know the coffee shop. I’m a barista.” Why she thought she needed to explain that Caru-star was a coffee shop was beyond her. She had worked there for the past couple of years to help pay bills and get through school.
“You working there to pay for school?” His question was perfectly timed to match her internal thoughts as if he was reading her mind. Izzy sat in shocked silence for a second before responding with a head nod. “I figured,” Sam said, “It would be tough to live off a barista’s income alone in this economy.”
“What are you majoring in?” Sam asked. How did he know she lived alone?
“Um, I’m majoring in nursing.” Her voice was a little shaky as her mind struggled to piece together how he seemed to know so much about her. She settled on lucky guessing.
Sam and Izzy continued to talk for the next half an hour. Sam asked questions and Izzy answered. She wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt comfortable enough to talk to Sam, let alone with such openness. It was as if his whole personality changed into a socially competent conversationalist.
His attention to detail and complete focus on her made her feel like he wanted to know more about her, not just speak in polite conversation. Sam meandered the conversation through her campus life, to her goals and aspirations. She was so lost in the conversation that she forgot none of it mattered anymore. It would soon be a fond but distant memory.
Izzy even started to ask some questions of her own. She asked about his job. He was a low-level government administrator. He oversaw much of the permitting for the city, along with inspecting homes for code violations. He complained about the short staffing and mediocre pay. He even told a story about a particularly grumpy lady who ended up hitting him with a broom while he inspected her property. The story left Izzy giggling.
Soon an hour of pleasant conversation passed. Izzy’s mood had surprisingly improved even if the shadow of doom clung to her like a bad smell. It wasn’t until Sam stopped the conversation to make some coffee that Izzy remembered the totality of the situation. Her face drooped from a content smile to a pained frown. Sam seemed to notice as he brought two cups of coffee in. He had left hers black asking if she wanted any creamer. She refused and took the cup from his hand. They sat in silence for a second each sipping their cup of energy.
“So,” Sam said, “What really happened to you two last night? I have a guess and it isn’t good.”
Izzy looked at Sam and then back at her cup. She didn’t really want to be the one to tell Sam about their situation seeing as it unintentionally included him. However, making him wait for Ella to wake up felt equally unfair.
She decided to recount the events of the night from her perspective. She started with the meeting where she ran into Ella. She left out the part about Ella and her argument and subsequent makeup. She mentioned the riot and the brutality of it all. Ending with the bombing and their hideout in an abandoned home.
Sam took it all in without a change in posture or expression. He just continued to sip his coffee only ever interrupting to ask clarifying questions. When she got to the end Sam set down his mug and stared at the blank TV screen. He started to maneuver his hands around his ring finger. He was playing with a golden wedding band. Sliding it around his finger in an involuntary tick. He was mulling over their situation, which was obvious to Izzy. But what exactly he was thinking left her panicked and tense.
“It’s certainly worse than I thought,” he said at last. The golden ring continued to spin around his finger as if it symbolized his brain turning their problem through his head.
“You two were directly involved in the killing of three hundred police officers and the injuring of a number of civilians.” Sam did not mince words and the truth of their damage left Izzy’s stomach doing summersaults.
A creak from upstairs alerted them both that Ella had woken. The sound of footsteps down the steps confirmed it to be true. On the fifth step, the rhythm of stomps vanished into a massive thud. Sam's head turned with a speed that reminded Izzy of an owl’s head on a swivel.
A light cry came from the corner of the stairs. Ella had fallen. She must have missed the step. Izzy couldn’t help but snort. It shouldn’t have been funny, but in such a tense environment Izzy could only laugh. Even Sam gave a small smile. Ella had always possessed the uncanny ability to make people smile and laugh even if it wasn’t intentional. Ella appeared at the bottom of the stairs still trying to blink the sleep from her eyes. She was rubbing her butt.
“I smelled coffee.” Her statement made an already funny situation that much funnier.
Sam let out a small chuckle as he handed her his half-full mug and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll go make another cup. Have this for now.”
Ella greedily took the mug and started to chug. She came and sat down next to Izzy. Ella’s hair was a tattered mess and her body was still filthy but she was the most beautiful creature Izzy had ever seen. Izzy had to look away to keep from staring.
Sam soon rejoined them and fought Ella to exchange cups. It was like watching a feral cat lose its meal. Once she had the other mug though Ella was back to being content. Sam sat on the sofa eyeing the two girls.
“Izzy filled me in on our situation.”
Izzy’s heart fluttered the pit that had been churning her stomach for the past two hours suddenly vanished. Sam had just agreed not to turn them in. Even though he hadn’t said it explicitly she knew he was in to help them escape.
Ella perked up out of her dreary state. She looked at Sam with horror.
“I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of it to happen. I didn’t know. If I did, I would have never gone.” Ella talked a million miles a minute. Words spewed from her like an arcade game dispensing tickets. She said them with such agony that Izzy thought she might break down into sobs again.
Sam stood from his sofa and walked over to Ella. Crouching in front of her he grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly.
“I’m not worried about that now. What’s done is done. It's time for us to figure out what comes next. All of us.” Sam looked over at Izzy when he said the last sentence. Izzy was scowling. Unable to hide her dislike of the current cutesy situation.
Had Sam’s little stunt been done by any other couple she would have died from a romantic overload. All it left her thinking about, however, was how to avoid vomiting. Sam paid her no mind. A fact that ticked off Izzy even more.
Ella nodded and wiped a single tear from her face before hugging him tightly. Sam held her tightly as they embraced together on the floor.
Izzy didn’t like to be a third wheel. The realization that she was stuck with them for who knew how long, turned her mood sour.
After a two-year-long hug (twenty seconds in reality) the two love birds separated. Each returned to their separate couches. Ella stared at Sam who started to spin his ring again. She smiled with a knowing look. Ella turned toward Izzy her smile growing wider.
“He’s got a plan. I can see it turning in his mind.”
Izzy looked at Sam who looked rather bored as if he was daydreaming. His eyes almost seemed glazed over then in an instant they refocused and a smile crossed his recently expressionless face. Sam looked at both girls. Each stared back as their anticipation built.
“I’ve got it,” Sam said his eyes unable to contain his pride, “Here’s the plan.”