Chapter 35. Juliet, the Model
Juliet, the Model
PRESENT DAY
Juliet had never felt an awe as profound as the one that filled her watching the streets of Downtown LA flood with protestors.
The blocks were alive with people, the turnout exceeding even her wildest dreams. Either more people hated Gabriel Knox than Juliet had realized, or dangling Scout’s name in the press had created more of an impact than she’d anticipated.
In one of the textbooks she’d used to pass her GED, Juliet had read about Romantic poets in the nineteenth century and their concept of the sublime: a feeling of terrifying wonder, usually in reaction to something vast that made you feel small.
That was the only word for what Juliet felt watching the rally begin from her perch on the top floor of the Downtown DoubleTree Hotel.
History was vast, and she was only the smallest part of it.
But even small roles could be important. Luca had promised her that.
Juliet checked the time on her watch. She’d been careful to leave her phone at home as instructed. The big hand struck the hour she’d been waiting for.
By the time she made it down the elevator and into the streets, Juliet had stuffed her slicked-back red hair into a black baseball cap and arranged dark sunglasses and a hoodie to hide most of her face. She’d gotten the idea from Scout, actually, from the disguises Scout used to avoid the press.
But no one paid attention to Juliet as she wove around groups of friends, careful to avoid calling attention to herself.
It was thrilling to soak up the electric anticipation in the air.
The gathering crowd was mostly women, as Luca had expected.
The Green Lions stood for everything from wealth redistribution to radical health-care reform, but Luca had told Juliet over one of their planning sessions that for some reason, it was always women who flocked to them, who were willing to stand up first.
Everywhere, protestors were filming, phones flipped for selfies or held high to capture the size of the crowds.
Juliet dodged the screens, keeping her head low.
After fifteen fraught minutes, people became scarce, and that was when she caught sight of the Knox Aeronautics Tower, constructed out of a flashy sandstone that made it stand out among the other skyscrapers.
Glancing left and right, she swiped the badge Luca had given her through the electronic reader.
The locks on the front doors released with a cool click. This was it. Juliet would cement her place in history. Even small players could change the world.
She shifted her backpack higher and stepped inside.