February 17th 2017

Chapter 48
Their Game For Innocence

Finding the group again proved to be harder than they had anticipated, and neither of them was ready to give up and cash in their excuse by asking a guard to direct them. They'd been gone for the better part of an hour, the museum may have been big but it wasn't that big, even if they claimed they had been distracted by the art, which wouldn't have actually been so far from the truth. So they were just going to have to keep looking.

"There!" Lucas finally stopped and pointed, about a second before Maya stuck her hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Sure, give us away when we're almost home free," she scolded, pulling her hand away awkwardly. He wouldn't have known what to say, and he didn't try. "Come on," she whispered.

They made a cautious approach. They doubted every single person in the group would be fooled, but if any of their classmates claimed that they'd been gone, they could easily claim back that they'd been there all along. Maya might even have found a way to create confusion, saying their accusers were the ones who'd been away and were trying to pin it on them, but it would have degenerated quickly, so it would really be a last resort.

Besides, the only people they needed to make sure would not realize they had been gone were Melinda Friar and Katy Hart. From what they could see of them, they didn't look as though they were aware of their children's absence or in any way concerned. Asher and Dylan and Zay and Nadine were still doing their thing, and it was all the miracle they could need, and the only sign.

"Just hurry to the back, like we were, but no running," she told him before they went and did just that. Before long, they were in pace with the group. When one classmate here or there would look back in their direction and see them there, they couldn't hide the fact that they were a tiny bit anxious to see whether anyone would say anything. But they didn't, not a single one.

"Alright, everyone?" Lucas' mother's voice rose over them a moment later, and everyone came to a stop. "The bus will be leaving in ten minutes, so get to the restrooms now if you need them, we cannot be late." She clapped her hands twice, and near half the group hurried off, parting the way for the woman to see her son. "Oh my little honey Luke…" she made her way toward him – petrified – and Maya – stifling a laugh. "Honey, I am terribly sorry, I completely lost track of you, only I was having a talk with Dylan, you understand," she lowered her voice in a 'you know what I'm talking about' way, mindful of Maya's presence, not aware as to whether she knew the Orlandos' situation, though she also had this sense of apology in her look toward her son's friend that told them part of her conversation with Katy Hart had involved her husband and Maya's father being gone. Maya wondered if this meant she'd be getting the same from her that Dylan did. "Oh and then Asher was telling me so many interesting things about these works of art. Bright boy, that one."

"Don't worry about it, Mom," Lucas told her, and the woman moved off to supervise the group, just as Maya's mother found her way toward them.

"Well I didn't even see the time go," she told them. "I got to discussing the acting world with your Zay over there, and before I knew it, we were back here," she went on, with that excited tone in her voice she would get when she talked about 'her craft.' Maya had the truest aim when it came to distracting her mother, a skill she'd developed a while ago, although its uses hadn't always been of a noble nature, like it had been today, as far as she was concerned.

"It's okay, we had fun," she told her mother, tipping her head toward Lucas, who gave a nod. "It reminded me of when we'd go to museums when I was little," she added, and as expected it brought a smile to her mother.

"It did?" she asked, and if not for Mrs. Friar calling her over, Maya thought she might have hugged her right then and there. Instead, she left with words to Lucas. "By the way, your mom wouldn't stop going on about you back on the bus. She's a little intense, but then look who you're talking to. Now she wants us to 'do lunch.' How much is this going to cost me?"

"She'll do Chubbie's if you talk her into it," Lucas confessed, and Maya's mother looked thrilled at the prospect, moving off to join 'Mel.' When she was gone, Lucas looked like he'd breathed a sigh of relief big enough to vacate both lungs.

"So, all in all, good day?" Maya asked him. She didn't know how she felt about their mothers becoming friends, but it was better than any other alternative. In the end, they had all accomplished what they'd set out to do. All that remained would be the settling of some debts with their soldiers…

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners