Always Be Prepared
Prologue
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost, THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
"Sydney, it's me. Listen, this is going to sound insane, but I just found Provacillium in the bathroom and I think that... I think that... uh, okay, just think about it. I think that the double is Fran…"
Sydney, making sure that her face didn't show anything was amiss, slowly hung up her phone. Smiling, she dug her spoon into the cold container of coffee ice cream she had been eating. Holding it out, she offered it to the woman claiming to be her friend.
"Want some?" she asked, smiling as if nothing was wrong.
"Sure," Allison said, and the rest is history.
But, what if? What if Allison had caught the trap and avoided it? What would have happened?
"Want some?" she asked, smiling as if nothing was wrong.
Allison looked up. "You know I don't like coffee ice cream," she replied.
"Oh. Yeah." Sydney said. Slipping the spoon into her mouth, she savored the frozen goodness. "I've got to go pack," Sydney stated, capping the ice cream and putting it in the freezer. "Vaughn and I are going to Santa Barbara."
"On a mission" Allison asked.
Sydney smiled a genuine smile. "Actually, no it's not for work. We're going together."
"Wow, that's a pretty big step."
"I know, but I'm looking forward to it." Sydney walked into her room and opened her suitcase. As Sydney did that, Allison silently grabbed her gun. She knew that the ice cream had been a test. A test that she'd passed, but she didn't know if Sydney trusted her. Hiding it, she walked over to Sydney's door and saw her folding clothes.
"Have a good trip," Allison said with a smile.
"Thanks," Sydney said, smiling back.
As Allison turned to leave, the smile melted away. When Sydney saw Francie turn her back, she quickly packed her gun into the suitcase. Vaughn had told her about how he got his call name, "Boyscout."
The words that are repeated by so many young kids now repeated over in her mind: always be prepared.
...TBC...