Okay, chapter four. Took me long enough I know. Anyway enjoy!
By the end of that day they had started to figure out their plan. And so the preparations began. Unfortunately there wasn't much for her to do until the Gala. They had gotten her a uniform for the staff in the gift shop. That would be her way in since a guard probably wouldn't go for a five foot one, fifteen year old janitor.
Her dress was stuffed in a backpack she would take in with her then ditch.
She sat in the front of the van next to Riley as they pulled up across the street from the building.
"Rachel, why don't you stay in the van with Riley." Ben said as he put on his tool belt.
She sighed. "I already told you, if I go with you you will seem much less likely to be up to something. Considering you told Abigail I'm your daughter."
He sighed "Okay fine, you go in first, I'll head in a few minutes after you."
"Okeydokey." She said. Grabbing her backpack she jumped out and headed towards the back entrance.
The guard gave her an odd look as she approached.
"I'm here to take over for someones whose working the gift shop tonight. Some family emergency. I'm new. Wasn't supposed to start till next week so I don't have a badge..."
The guard looked her over and scrutinised her uniform before waving her in.
She went through security and headed right to the women's bathroom. She quickly changed into her dress and tossed the backpack and uniform into the trash can.
"You in?" Riley asked.
"Yea." She let her hair down and ran a brush through it. "I'm heading to the ball room now. Is Ben on his way?"
"Yup, he just went past the guard."
The ballroom was chock full of stuffy people making boring small talk.
"Samantha?"
Uh oh, she hadn't planned on seeing Abigail so soon.
Abigail walked up to her in her dark blue ballgown.
"I didn't think you were invited. Is your father here?"
"He made a last minute donation. Hes around her somewhere."
"A young girl like you shouldn't be standing against a wall." Abigail waved over a young boy about her age. "Johnathan this is Samantha Brown. Why don't you two find something to talk about."
"Is she hooking you up with someone?" Riley asked
She laughed nervously and shook Johnathan's hand. Abigail bailed and left them alone.
He wasn't bad looking thankfully. Short brown hair. Green eyes. And apparently he had a good face wash cause he was pimple free.
"So what does your father do?" He asked.
Nice first question, not the usual, 'what school do you go to?'"
"Hes a..historian." She said looking around for Ben.
The conversation continued on the same boring path for about another ten minutes before Ben finally interrupted.
"There you are." He said as he walked up. "Whose this?"
"Oh this is Johnathan. You probably want me to join in your small talk right, dad?" She hinted. She didn't want to spend one more moment talking politics with Johnathan.
"Yes we better make the rounds." He said and put his arm around her should and, thankfully, led her away.
"Thank you, he is one of the most boring teenage boys I have ever met. It certainly took you long enough to get here. Lets just get going shall we?"
Ben grabbed a couple of glasses of champagne and the two walked over to where Dr. Chase stood.
"For you."
"Oh Mr. Brown, Samantha." The took a glass.
"Dr. Chase."
"Is that that hot girl? How does she look?" Riley said in her ear. She just rolled her eyes. Men.
"Thank you for you wonderful gift by the way." Abigail said.
"Oh you did get it?" Ben said, sounding quite relieved.
"He was worried." Rachel added, swiping a strand of hair off of her face.
"I couldn't accept something like that normally, but I really want it."
Sounds like me if someone offered me Joe Flanigan. She thought.
"Come on Romeo get out of there." Riley mumbled. He was getting more and more nervous.
"Samantha, did you and Johnathan get along well?" Abigail asked her.
"Um yes...until dad saw us a freaked out. He still likes to think I'm five." She said and playfully slapped him on the arm. Darn it she needed to plan these things out better, Abigail was already suspicious of them.
Everyone laughed in that ridiculous laugh that everyone does at these types of things.
"I have been wondering though, what the engraving indicated on the pipe that Bigfoot took."
Just then Dr. Herbert walked up to them with two glasses in his hands.
"Hi, there you go." He said, going to hand her a glass only to see that she already had one.
"Oh Dr. Herbert this is Mr. Brown and his daughter Samantha." She told him. Dr. Herbert was eyeing Ben.
"Who's the stiff?" Riley asked. Nobody was answering him in this part, poor guy. He was probably going crazy.
"Here why don't you let me take that, so you can take that off his hands." Ben said, taking the glass carefully by the bottom.
"A toast yeah? To high treason. That's what these men were doing when they signed the declaration. Had we lost the war, they would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered, and oh my personal favorite, had their entrails cut out and burned."
She cringed at the last one. If they did get caught after a speech like that he might be able to go for the insanity plea.
"So here's to the men who did was was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right. What they knew was right."
Geeze that look he gave her, was he just asking for her to have them arrested right here and now?And then he goes and drowns the glass and it all makes sense.
"I'm sorry, I think my dad has had a bit to much to drink. Good night." She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away. Down the hall towards the bathrooms he dumped the remaining drink into the fountain and, looking rather 'spy on important mission' walked into the bathroom.
She waited patiently outside, she could hear Ben say that it was working, of course she already knew that it would so she wasn't worried. Then she looked to her right and saw Johnathan and he was looking around, hopefully not for her. Unfortunately she hadn't seen any other teenage girls her age at the party.
She quickly ducked behind a table and hoped he wouldn't see her. Then a pair of black dress shoes came into view and she knew she was caught. Until she looked up that is. She had forgotten how fast Ben got the fingerprints and the black shoes belonged to him.
"Why are you ducking behind a table?" He asked.
She got up and brushed down her skirt. "I was hiding from Johnathan."
"I thought all girls thought about at your age were boys."
She laughed. "Yes well I care about personality as well as looks and he only has one of those attributes. So did you get it?"
"Yeah." he held up his thumb. "Now, you stay here, I'll go in and get the declaration and meet you by the gift shop."
She grabbed his sleeve. "Oh no you don't, (a) If I stay here I'll have to see Johnathan again. (b) If I don't see Johnathan I'll run into Abigail and I don't think I can use the 'hes around here somewhere' excuse again, and (c)...well I don't really have one but I'm coming either way." She stared him down...well not really down when hes really tall and shes only five one but she had a pretty good glare and he finally broke and pulled her along after him into the elevator.
Ok, a little short I know, but I'm working on it. Sorry it took so long to do, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I was really busy planning my party. That and my inspiration was running a bit low. So anyway, hopefully won't be too long until I finish the next chapter. Thanks for reading and don't forget the quaint little review button.