He glanced at me. “Sorry about that.”
“Not a problem.” I repeated the phrase Kevin used so often. I liked it.
Kevin chuckled from behind me. “Glad I’m rubbing off on you.”
“I find your speech amusing.” I grabbed a handle attached to the roof of the vehicle as Monty pulled out onto the road. I had seen many modern things, especially in Alak, but I had never imagined anything like the form of travel we were using.
“Is this how all your people travel?” Talen asked. It was nice that I was not the only one new to the experience.
Kevin answered, “Mostly, but we have mass transportation like buses and trains, too. And you’ll find out what planes are like pretty soon.”
“And boats,” I added. I had seen boats on the water, and Kevin did not seem unaccustomed to them.
“Interesting.” Talen stared out the window, and I did the same.
We passed many houses as large as Kevin’s, but we also went through areas that were not quite as nice. My hunch that Kevin was from a high family in his world seemed correct. Not everyone lived as he did. Monty turned several times, and I lost all sense of our direction.
“I have identification for everyone,” Monty said. “You need to take care to use only these names. If Kevin and I are taken in for questioning by the authorities, we will never make it back in time.”
I hadn’t considered such an event. “Why would you be questioned? Can you not travel freely here?”
“We can, but we’re missing persons,” Kevin said. “They’ve been expending resources searching for us, so we’d be in trouble if they found out we orchestrated it all. Plus Charlotte, Henry, and Liam are missing too. They’d want to know where to find them. They’d also want to make sure we didn’t hurt them or anything.”
I moved my pack to the side in order to make more room for my legs. “Oh. I suppose that makes sense. So the authorities are here for your protection as well as to keep the peace?”
Monty nodded. “In theory.”
“How far is the airport?” It was strange how quickly I got used to using such foreign terms. I had only heard the word for the first time that morning.
Monty fidgeted with a dial midway between our seats. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes. I timed it up so we’ll have just enough time to check in, get through security, and reach our gate. Any excess time in the airport is dangerous—especially so close to home.”
“Security?” Talen asked.
“You have to prove you aren’t carrying weapons or anything.”
“But I am carrying weapons.”
I turned just in time to see Talen pull out a knife.
“You can’t take that on the plane.” Kevin sat forward and rested a hand on the top of my seat.
Talen shifted in his seat. He still did not wear the seatbelt. “They would try to stop me? Surely I can overpower most men of your world.”
“Putting the number of men aside, we can’t draw attention to ourselves. It’s bad enough you look like you’re ready to paint a house, or you’re a member of a boy band.” Monty turned the car into a lot filled with cars and lined spaces.
Kevin laughed. “A boy band? I don’t know about that.”
“What is a boy band?” I asked.
“Nothing you need to know about.” Monty pulled into a space. “Get your game faces on.”
“Let’s do this.” Kevin opened his door and got out. Next, he opened my door and pointed to the buckle of the strap. “Just press that red button to release the belt.”
He was definitely enjoying his position of greater knowledge. I decided to let him for the moment, but he was not getting away with it for the whole trip. I grabbed my pack from the floor and climbed out of the car.
Monty placed a small flimsy card in my hand. “This is your ID. Show it to anyone who asks.”
I examined the card. “Mary?” Luckily, we used the same written language. Otherwise, I would have really been at a loss.
“It’s a common name here. Not like Brutus.” Kevin held up his card. “Where the hell did that come from?”
Monty smiled. “I didn’t pick the names.”
“Who are you?” Kevin craned his neck to peek at Monty’s card. “Marshall. Who’s Talen?”
“Bobby.” Monty got serious. “All right, that’s enough name talk. Get yours memorized, and let’s go.”
We crossed the paved lot and entered the building. Monty walked up to some sort of electronic box that shot out slips of paper.
He handed me one with the same name from the card. “This is your ticket.”
Monty led the way to what looked to be an endless line. For the first time, I really looked at the clothes people were wearing. Charlotte was right; my clothes would have stood out. Talen was getting a lot of attention—but not as much as Kevin. Two girls were openly ogling him. Really? In public?
I inched closer to Kevin.
He leaned down. “You doing all right, Mary?” His eyes twinkled.
“Yes, Brutus.”
“Oh, man! I love it. I sound like a villain from an eighties video game.”
“Video game?”
“I’ll show you sometime.”
“Okay.”
Eventually, we reached a high desk, and as Monty predicted, I was asked to show my ID.
The man at the desk smiled at me when he handed back the card. “Enjoy your trip, ma’am.”
“Thank you.”
Kevin placed his bag on a moving belt. He stepped through a small arch. I went next, and we each grabbed our packs from the other end of the belt. Monty joined us as we waited for Talen.
A man in uniform pointed at Talen. “Sir, please step over here.”
Talen stopped short. “Excuse me?”
“Sir, you’ve been selected for a more thorough search.”
“A more thorough search?”
“Yes. If you’d just raise your arms above your head.”
“Are you out of your wits? Why would I do that?”
Monty walked over to intervene. “Just do it, Bobby.”
Talen turned purple. “Not a chance. Why am I the only one who needs to?”
“Sir, I assure you it was a random selection.”
“Random?” Talen glared at the uniformed man. “Not likely.”
“Sir, would you please step to the side? You’re holding up the other passengers.”
“As I should. No one should be subjected to such treatment.”