Good morning friends and readers!
Welcome back to Monday with Story Orgy. Ready to see what happens next?
This week we're going to have an ABUNDANCE of Mum's the Word posts to get caught up...
Welcome back to Monday with Story Orgy. Ready to see what happens next?
This week we're going to have an ABUNDANCE of Mum's the Word posts to get caught up...
Mum's the Word
Chapter
Ten
Oct
5: It was the smallest of regrets.
“Are you sure we should be doing this?”
Izzy hovered behind Owen, shifting nervously from foot to foot. “What if
someone sees us?”
The parking lots were empty, the hedges
dark lines hiding the campus. Anyone could walk by… walk right up to
them. They wouldn’t even have to get too close in the bright moonlight to
identify Izzy and Owen.
“Why not?” Owen wiggled the heavy exterior
door.
That’s all it took to open it, thanks to
the strategically placed square of duct tape on the strike plate that Owen had
used to tape the latch down.
“Because… law and order are necessary for
the successful function of society.”
“Fine.” Owen nodded. “I get it. You wait
here and I’ll go see if I can find anything.”
Izzy didn’t even bother glancing around to
see if anyone was watching them. “Absolutely not. We stick together.” He
repeated the words he’d said that afternoon, but in the light of the full moon,
with a chill fall breeze ruffling his too long hair… and in the midst of
breaking and entering, it sounded desperate.
A trill of laughter and a high pitched
shriek from the left finalized his decision. He scurried after Owen, letting
the door close behind him.
Momentum carried him forward, tumbling
into Owen, who caught him. The flashlight he’d had in his hand clattered to the
ground. “Sh.” Owen put a finger to his lips, silencing Izzy’s instinctive
apology.
Immediately his imagination kicked into
overdrive. Heart racing, Izzy strained his ears to hear whatever had triggered
Owen’s warning. All he heard was the pounding of his own heart… the heavy
panting breaths his rapid entrance had caused. “What did you--” His whisper was
cut off by Owen’s finger on his lips.
“Sh.” Owen leaned forward, bathing Izzy in
his closeness. “There’s someone here who’s not supposed to be.”
Brushing away the seductive influence of
whatever Walmart shower gel Owen had selected this week, Izzy focused on a
kernel of anger, blowing it into a full-fledged flame to ward off his fear.
“Very funny. Haha. It’s us. We’re not supposed to be here.”
“That’s--”
“Well, we’re here now.” He pushed ahead,
bending to pick up the flashlight Owen had dropped. Poised halfway between the
ground and standing he froze. The beam of the light caught on something…
glinted off something. About twenty feet down the hall.
“Owen?” he whispered. “Give me your hand.”
Obligingly Owen's hand closed on his
shoulder and he felt a moment of relief. That touch was familiar. But if Owen
was here… Taking a deep breath for courage and feeling his stomach lurch in
protest...Izzy continued his upward path.
The glint disappeared.
The beam of light picked up a lean line of
something.
Legs. Pants.
Glinted off a bit of metal
Belt buckle.
Outlined a shirt.
Dark with buttons.
“Who is that?” Izzy whispered to Owen.
“I don’t know.” Owen whispered back.
“Why is he just standing there? Can’t he
see us?”
“Or hear us?” Owen added. “Why whisper?
There’s no way that person doesn’t know we know they’re here. And--”
“Very good. As you say.” The professor’s
voice preceded a burst of light that blinded Izzy.
Fortunately the man’s foreign accent was
easily identifiable. “What are you doing here Professor Gregoire?” He asked,
rubbing his eyes. Not that it helped clear his vision.
“I might ask you the same thing Izzy.”
“We wanted to keep working tonight.” Owen
squeezed Izzy’s shoulder hard, and Izzy bit his lip. “It’s going much slower
than we thought.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. In fact, as Owen
would no doubt point out, it was very much the truth. They just weren’t here to
work to further the professor’s goals.
“And I thought I told you--”
“That you weren’t available tonight.” Owen
finished smoothly. “Did your plans fall through?”
Gregoire’s eyes narrowed to thin slits and
his lips tightened. “Just so. Since my plans… as you say, fell through. I
thought I’d come and put in a few hours of work. I found reference to a wooden
cigar store Indian, and thought it might make for an interesting display on the
history of tobacco in the new world.”
“A cigar store Indian is pretty big.”
Owen, satisfied apparently that Izzy was going to keep quiet, let go his grip
on his shoulder. “It’s a good thing we came by. We can help you move it.”
The professor’s expression darkened. His
gaze traveled from Izzy to Owen to the door behind them.
Was he going to ask how they’d gotten in?
“Yes. Unfortunately, the documents I
located didn’t specify the location of the artifact other than to say that it
was stored in the C wing.”
“That explains that then,” Owen nodded.
“We didn’t get to that one yet. It’s over here.” He grabbed the flashlight from
Izzy and aimed it down the hall. “Let’s get started. Izzy and I’ll check the
rooms on the right, you take the ones on the left and we’ll have the cigar
store Indian before you know it.”
“I only have one set of keys.” Gregoire
rattled the key chain.
“Then we’ll have to work together.”
Izzy followed Owen to hall c, and Gregoire
met them there, a sour expression on his face. Had he thought the professor
handsome? It seemed impossible now. It was with the smallest regret that he let
the professor student fantasy fade.
“You two--”
“Good thing we showed up, huh?” Owen
overrode the professor just as he had Izzy earlier. “This will go so much more
quickly.”
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