Page 24 of Knight Moves

I relaxed, leaning against the wall. “Yeah, everyone was. They want a baseline for our abilities, I guess. Were you alone for it? The rest of us had partners.”

“I was alone.”

Wow. I couldn’t imagine how scared she must have been. “I bet that sucked. What did you do when your driver got shot? Did you run toward the buildings or the woods?”

She frowned. “Neither.”

“What? Neither? Do you mind if I ask what youdiddo?”

“Sure. Once I saw my driver go down, I wiggled through the small opening between the front and back seat of the limo. I pried open the glove compartment and found a gun inside. I lay on my back across the front seat and waited until my attacker showed himself in the window. Then I shot him through the glass.”

My mouth dropped open. “You…shot him?”

“Absolutely. My dad always says, if you’re holding a gun, you’d better be ready to use it.”

“D-did you kill him?”

“Of course not. The gun shot blanks. But I passed the test.”

“Whoa. I bet. By the way, I’m Angel Sinclair. Frankie Chang is asleep in the bunk below me. We’re both from Maryland. You’re in the upper bunk, and below you is Kira Romanova from California. Did you say you were from Cairo?”

“No, I’m from Boston. My dad is the head of the FBI bureau there. I was visiting my grandmother in a small town not too far from Cairo. The plane got delayed, so that’s why I’m late.”

“Your grandparents are from Cairo?”

“Just my dad’s parents. My mom’s parents moved here thirty years ago from a small town called el-Kosheh.”

I held out a hand. “Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you, Hala.”

She shook it. “Likewise, Angel. I like your name, by the way. It’s nice to know I have an angel nearby.”

We each climbed up on our bunks, and after some tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep again. This time nothing woke me.

Chapter Fourteen

ANGEL SINCLAIR

The alarm on my cell phone went off at precisely 6:58 a.m. It had been set to vibrate only and tucked under my pillow so I didn’t wake anyone. The schedule said we’d receive a wake-up call at seven, but the way things were going, I didn’t want any more surprises.

At exactly seven, a male voice was piped into our room from two small speakers located in separate corners of the room.

“Good morning, candidates. It is oh seven hundred, and time to get your day started. Please dress in the clothes that have been provided for you and have been placed outside your door. Eat breakfast, and report to Room 101 for your orientation promptly at oh seven forty-five.”

Kira sat up and rolled her neck. She looked up, startled, when Hala started stirring above her. “Hey, did we get a new roommate last night?”

“We did,” I confirmed.

As Kira hopped out of bed, Hala sat up, yawning, her dark hair tousled. “I came in late last night and didn’t want to wake you by turning on the lights. I’m Hala Youseff. You must be Kira.”

Kira put her hands on her hips and studied Hala. “How did you know that?”

She tipped her head toward me. “Angel heard me come in last night. She filled me in on everyone.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I saw Kira flush. Embarrassed, maybe, that she’d slept through it.

I climbed down from my bunk. Frankie had the covers pulled over her head and wasn’t moving. I tapped her on the leg. “Rise and shine.”

Frankie gripped the covers tighter in case I tried to pull them off. “It can’t possibly be morning.” She peeked out from beneath the covers and saw Hala. Her eyes widened, and she sat up. “Oh, hello. Are you our new roommate?” After a big stretch, she climbed out of bed in her frog pajamas and waved at Hala cheerfully. “I’m Frankie. Nice to meet you.”

---