Chapter 2

Dwight D. Eisenhower High School was a typical American high school, Emily Mancini noted. The main difference from her old one was that this one was located in LA, instead of Long Island. No one knew where Emily had come from. If the question came up, she said she was from Chicago. She didn't say much to the other kids. Some thought she was stuck up. Others figured she was shy, and left her alone. Emily had been warned by the Feds to say nothing about her past, other than what was in the cover story her family had been given.

Emily reflected on the past few weeks, after her family had packed their clothing and very few belongings and were driven away in the van. They had stayed in a hotel for a few days, where they were coached on their new identities. The family was no longer the Milano family, but the Mancini family. They were told to keep their real names and to assume a surname with the same beginning letter as their former names to make the transition easier. They were told that they would be going to Los Angeles. There was less chance of them being located across the country. They were given California driver's licenses. Bill and Carol were given new credit cards, and bank accounts were set up for them. They would recieve an allowance for a few months until Bill found a job. Running an Italian restaurant was out of the question. If Boticelli's boys ever got wind that Bill and his family were in LA, that would be the first place they'd look. Once the family had learned the rules, and were established in their new identities, it was time to leave. Instead of flying directly from New York to LA, they took an indirect route. They flew from New York to Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, Santa Fe, Phoenix, Portland, LA. By the time their plane arrived at LAX, they were exhausted. The family were picked up at LAX by an FBI Agent in the LA branch, and driven to their new apartment. Emily hated it immediately. It was a stark contrast to the nice home they had left in Long Island, and she hoped to spend as little time as possible in it. The trouble was, she wasn't allowed to participate in extra curricular activities, and had to come home right after school.

Emily was lost in her thoughts and looking down at the ground as she rounded the corner. She made as little eye contact with the other students as possible. Emily kept walking and all of a sudden ......OOOOFF!! She had collided with another student. It was a girl with blonde hair, blue/green eyes, and a slender build.

"Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry!" said the girl.

"It's Ok, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"I'm Sarah Munroe. Everyone calls me Sal."

"Emily Mancini."

"Are you new here?"

Emily had been cautioned about giving out too much information. "Yeah, I just started here. This is my first day here."

"I'd be happy to show you around."

"That's OK. I can find stuff."

Sal thought the refusal was a little strange, but didn't push it. "What's your next class?"

"English."

"Mine too. I'm in room 102, where's yours? "

Emily consulted her schedule. "I'm in room 102 as well."

"Come on, I'll show you where it is."

Emily couldn't politely refuse, so she let Sal lead her to her English class. Sal introduced her to some of the kids as the teacher came in. The teacher presented her lesson for the day. As soon as class was over, Emily was out the door. Sal watched her go, then shrugged. If Emily didn't want to be friends, it was OK with her. She was just trying to be helpful.

Bill pounded the pavement in hopes of finding a job. He couldn't believe that a few weeks ago, he had been running his own restaurant. Now he had to look for work. All because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He consulted the want ads in his hand. His next stop was a Whataburger diner. Bill found the Whataburger, filled out an application, and a few minutes later had a job as a fry cook. How humiliating. At least it was a job, though, and he didn't have to rely on the Feds to support him and his family.

Not long after the Milano family had gone into hiding, Tony Boticelli was visited by his boys, Francesco Bruno and Claudio Falcone, in prison. They were his most trusted associates, the only ones who could be counted on to do the job right. Well, they did goof with the molotov cocktail, and didn't kill the family, but they did scare them. Shortly after Bill and his family went into hiding, Francesco and Claudio sent out feelers through Long Island. They found out that Bill had not been to the restaurant since the murder. It was now being run by his second in command, Lucas DeAngelis. They had questioned Lucas, who had no idea of Bill's whereabouts. Bill had phoned him the day after the bombing, and told him that he would not be returning to work for quite some time. He was going to take his family on a sabbatical, and was not sure when they would return. Lucas thought there was something strange about that, but went along with it. Bill had given him free reign to run the restaurant as he saw fit as long as it was up to Bill's standards.

Francesco and Claudio went by the Milano house and found it empty with a "For Sale" sign in front of it. Their curiousity piqued, they went to Emily's school. They posed as Emily's uncles and said they were there to take her out because of a family emergency. The secretary looked Emily's name up on the computer, and saw that she hadn't been in school lately. There was no record of a transfer to another school, nor an excuse for an extended absence. Francesco and Claudio were pretty sure the family had gone underground, and dreaded telling Tony what they had found out.

They sat across from Tony in the visitor's room. A clear glass screen was in between them. They had to communicate with the phones. Francesco was first. Tony picked up the phone. "What did you find out?"

Francesco hesitated for a moment. "We can't find Milano or any of his family."

"And why not?"

"Milano hasn't been to the restaurant since the murder. His house is empty with a "For Sale" sign on it. There is no record of his daughter at her high school. "

"Dig deeper! They had to have gone somewhere."

Claudio took the phone. "Boss, we think they're in hiding. We will try to flush them out. If they're in New York, we will find them."

"And if they're not in New York?"

"We will look harder."

Emily found her bus and climbed aboard. She sat by herself. She was trying to keep a low profile. Someone sat in the seat next to her. Emily looked up.

"Hi, " Sal said.

"Hi."

"Look, Emily, is something troubling you?"

Emily didn't want to be rude, but her family's safety was at stake. "Really, nothing's wrong. Please leave me alone." She turned to look out the window.

Sal was surprised and hurt. As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything to Emily but try to be a friend. "Ok, if that's the way you want it..." The girls continued the rest of the ride in silence.

Emily stormed into the apartment. She angrily slammed the door behind her. Her mother was waiting for her.

"Hi, honey, how was school?"

"Terrible!" Emily stomped off into her room. She threw her books onto her desk and herself onto her bed. She burst into tears. There was a knock at the door.

"Honey, can I come in?" Carol asked. Emiy cried harder. "I know this is rough on you, honey. It's hard on all of us. All we can do is wait until the case goes to trial, and then we can go home."

"Mom, I could've made a friend today, but the Feds told me to use caution."

"That doesn't mean you can't make friends. As long as you don't tell them much about yourself, you'll be OK."

"But, mom, friends tell each other EVERYTHING! I really wish I could call or write to my friends in New York."

"Well, you can't. Now, why don't you tell me about your day and help me get dinner?"

"There isn't much to tell, " Emily said as she slid off her bed and went into the kitchen with her mother.

Bill came in just as dinner was being put on the table. "Hi, girls. How is everyone?" He tried to be cheerful. Emily gave him a dirty look and then went to her room. Bill watched her go. '"What's with her?"

"Hi, honey," Carol said as she gave him a kiss. "She is homesick, and misses her friends. She's scared to make friends here, because she is worried that she will jeopardize our safety."

"I'll call Agent Samuelson, and see what he says. Maybe he'll have an update for us, and we won't have to be here much longer."

"That would be wonderful." Carol finished putting the last of the dishes on the table. Bill picked up the phone. He looked at the number taped to the underside, and dialed it.

"Hello, Samuelson. Bill Mancini here."

"Hello, Mr. Mancini. How are you doing?"

"I found a job today. Not a terrific one, but a job. Mr. Samuelson, the reason I am calling...." Bill hesitated for a moment.

"Yes? Are you having any trouble?"

"Well, it's about my daughter. Can you come over so we can talk?" Bill was hesitant about giving information over the phone.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Both men hung up.

"Is he coming?" Carol asked. At Bill's nod, she decided to set another plate.

Dinner was underway in the Mancini house. Agent Samuelson whole heartedly enjoyed the lasange dinner Carol had prepared.

"This is great, Carol!"

"Thank you."

Emily sat in silence as the adults around her ate and conversed.

"So, Bill, tell me about your job," Samuelson took another helping of lasange.

"It's not much. It's in a diner called Whataburger."

"I love that place! I'll be sure to stop by often."

Emily looked at Samuelson's waistline and said nothing. From the looks of him, he ate at Whataburger often. She looked away and looked down at her own plate.

"Emily, is something troubling you?" Samuelson asked gently. He had two daughters of his own, and could tell when something was bothering them.

Emily looked at her plate for a moment before answering. "I'm having a hard time fitting in. The kids think I'm stuck up because I don't get involved in activities. I'm afraid to get close to anyone, for fear I will let something slip. I don't talk much, because of my accent. I really hate it here, and I wish we could go home!" Emily jumped up from her chair and ran into her room. She slammed the door. The three adults looked at each other in silence.

"It's been this way ever since we had to move," Carol said.

"She's lonely, and she wants friends. Only she is afraid of putting us in danger," Bill added.

Samuelson leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. "I don't see a problem with Emily making friends, as long as she uses caution. She knows the rules, and can be trusted not to break them."

Emily listened through the open crack of her door. She might give friendship another try tomorrow.