Trapped in the Mayan Tattoo Read Online Free Page B

Benson.”
    “Where have you
been?”
    “Veracruz with my
parents.”
    “Alright, Tina!
You can do this!” Miss Shoe gave Tina a brief hug.
    “Aren’t you coming
with me?”
    “Afraid not. 
You’re on your own.  Go straight home. Your father’s waiting for you. You can
find your way home without me. Aside from me and your dad, trust no one. Here’s
my card. Call me when you get there.”
    Miss Shoe gave her
a business card that said “Fred’s Boots Incorporated”. Tina looked at it and
started laughing, the first time she had laughed in weeks.
    “I know. It’s like
a joke. After you and your dad get moved to your new location, go to this
address.” She gave Tina another business card. “This place will be near your
new home. They’re expecting you. They will know you’ve been through physical
and psychological abuse and will help you heal. Well, this is it, Christina
Rosita. You’ve got a new identity, a passport, and contact information. Take
the Gateway Pedestrian Standard. The sign says a 15-minute wait. Make it work.”
    Tina nodded,
placed the cards in her handbag and opened the car door.
    “Bye, Miss Shoe!
Sorry I called you what I did. I can’t thank you enough,” Tina said. Tears
filled her eyes. She gave Miss Shoe a brief hug and then took another deep
cleansing breath.
    “Go now!” Miss
Shoe said urgently.
     Tina briefly
smiled as she closed the car door and then walked up to get in the pedestrian
line at the border crossing.
    Suddenly, shots
fired. Tina and the other people in line were hustled into a small lobby.
Customs officials locked the doors and motioned for the travelers to duck down.
Guards drew their guns. Before someone pushed her down, Tina managed one quick
look out the window and struggled to see more. Then she ducked down and closed
her eyes but could not shut out what she had seen.

 
     
FIVE
     
    Abbi couldn’t
sleep. Sometime, well after midnight, she heard Lowell arrive. The Pelletiers
all went downstairs to greet him. Abbi wanted to, but figured this was the
Pelletier’s private family matter. Besides, it had been a year or so since she
had seen Lowell and it was not like they had stayed in touch. To go downstairs
might be seen as an intrusion. She waited for things to quiet down, for Louise
to return to the lower bunk. It seemed to take hours.
    During the wait,
she heard bits of the conversation. Lowell was going on an internship soon. He
sounded excited. Abbi felt happy for him. His first job might be in Washington
D.C. with someone named Mrs. Hightower. She couldn’t catch all that he said,
but it sounded intriguing, even adventurous, to Abbi.
    Louise finally
returned to the bedroom while the parents helped Lowell bring his things in
from the car and take them to Lowell’s room in the basement. Later, after
everyone settled down for the night, Abbi tried to relax her body, starting
with her feet.
    Feet, relax. Go to
sleep. Ankles, relax. Go to sleep. Legs, relax. Go to sleep. It was useless.
    Her whole body
felt tingly, and she knew a warning would be coming from a long distance away. When
this happened, every ounce of her body acted as a receptor. Abbi used to think
it was normal, that every kid had these experiences. But now, she thought maybe
it wasn’t so normal. Or maybe people just don’t discuss it. She stayed in bed,
waiting for the vision to take shape, knowing it would.
    She tossed. Sleep
eluded her. Rest would not come
    Louise moaned. Finally
she said, “Abbi, what is it with you? I need to get some sleep!”
    Abbi curled up in
the fetal position, hoping that this would bring her comfort.  Laying there in
a tight ball, she reflected on her parents and tried to formulate a plan to reach
them.
    Could the
Pelletiers help? Probably not. They weren’t cut out of the same cloth as her
family.
    Over the past two years,
Abbi had seen a pattern in Louise, and the Pelletier parents, a blueprint for
the predictable routine of their lives. At first she saw