12.
Heels clapping loudly behind her, Lily ran into the security building after a big yellow bus picked up Diana and headed off base in a small caravan. Lily briefly felt bad for her sister-in-law, and then she headed into the building after being informed at the gate that she was being waited on for the past forty minutes.
Her blue eyes scanned the doors for the one she was looking for.
The guard at the door had given her directions.
He also spoke pretty good bad English with a really heavy Russian accent: she kinda understood him.
If that counted.
When she came to the end of a hall, a dead end, she chewed on her lip and paused.
She was lost.
Just how big was the building?
Muttering under her breath she decided to backtrack.
She backpedaled right into someone who grabbed her arm. Lily turned, screamed, and swung at the man with a tender hand, hitting him with a well-placed right hook.
It was then she saw his face, his BDUs and heard him swearing.
"Jeff! I'm sorry," she cried, rushing to her older brothers side as he rubbed his chin.
"Honestly I am, I didn't realize it was you!"
In the moment it took him to recover and look down at his little sister, he was glad she carried such a wallop in her punch. He forced a smile, "I'm fine. Come with me you're late."
She covered her face with her hands and then took his outstretched elbow, allowing him to escort her down the maze of halls and closed doors. Along the way she wondered just how she was supposed to find her way with the directions the guard had given her.
He had missed four crucial steps in his directions.
Her grip on the rough fabric of his sleeve tightened when Sanderson came to a stop at a door, before he pushed it open he glanced down at her, "Are you all right."
Naturally she nodded.
He reached down and tilted her delicate chin up thus making her meet his gaze. Making her be honest.
Quietly she whispered, "I'm a little nervous."
Seeing the fear and apprehension in his sisters eyes and knowing her husband had already given his statement again, and left after looking at pictures and such: Lily would be on her own, kinda.
"Lily, I'll be with you for the whole thing. The investigators won't attack you, they won't ambush you or anything. They just want to talk. You're the only victim to survive a attack and what you tell them is of great importance."
She nodded that she understood.
He then added, "When we step in there I am not your brother. I am your husband's commanding officer. If they think there is any sort of conflict of interest they will as me to leave. Ok?"
Again she nodded that she understood.
A little later…
Diana climbed off the school bus with her near black sunglasses on, her third Red Bull in hand, and her purse over her shoulder after singing a rousing chorus of Cher hits for the thirty minute bus ride.
She was ready for a nap, or to kill someone.
The hot summer sun beating down on her as the dozens and dozens of Army Brats climbed from the busses only fueled her exhaustion.
"Mrs. Diana Sanderson?"
Diana turned to see a Park Ranger of about twenty years of age. Relief filled her, she downed the rest of her Red Bull, "Great! Your here, here are the kids, I'll be on the bus asleep. Do you need my cell phone number?"
The Ranger laughed and she wanted to punch him.
"No ma'am, they were right, you are funny. All our guides are busy today but here is a map of the Gorge."
Diana looked at the map.
With all its trails and whatnot it could have been a roadmap. She narrowed her eyes and saw warnings about dangerous wildlife and steep trails.
She also noticed the advisory about wandering off away from the group.
The Ranger walked off.
Diana then looked back at the group of almost forty kids, all-waiting for her commands. All of them between the ages of 8 and 16. All waiting for the Colonels Wife to lead the way.
There were two young wives who had come to help, they were busy chattering amongst themselves.
Diana looked upwards and then asked, "Who has to go to the bathroom?"
Half the hands went up.
She then asked, "Who here is hungry?"
The majority of the hands went up.
Muttering thoughtfully to herself, she looked at the map and asked, "Who wants to hike all the way to the bottom of the gorge?"
Every last hand went up.
"Of course you do…who here has candy?"
No one moved.
She the rephrased the question, "The first three people to give me candy and some sort of soda gets to hold the map and lead the way."
Most the hands went up.
