Chapter 36
The route back to the apartment was more dangerous during the day, as the streets were more crowded than at night.
A few people glanced her way as she traversed through the alleys of downtown Andloor.
Fortunately, none of them bothered to ask her questions or go beyond anything other than a curious glance.
Esmie made sure to keep her ballcap low, and the sunglasses she kept in her jacket pocket on the way to Deepika’s, firmly on her face.
The purple scarf Samson gifted her, snuggly wrapped around her neck.
Esmie’s thoughts traveled back to her time with Samson.
How could he have had such a hold on her emotions from the small amount of time they spent together?
Their connection went deeper than just physical attraction, although he was the most handsome man she had ever encountered.
Leaving without answering his question nagged her.
Not being able to explore those feelings more with him would be something that would haunt her the rest of her life, if she got out of this alive.
Leaving without answering his question nagged at her.
Even if they couldn’t be together, she could have at least let him know, she longed to be with him as he did with her.
A car beeped when she darted out into the street in front of it.
She waved an apology at the driver who only shook his head as he sped on.
It was a close call. She needed to be more aware of her surroundings.
Picking up speed, she jogged down the empty alleys.
If people were present, she slowed to a brisk walk, pretending to be in a hurry like the businesspeople closer to The Bodega and The Plaza.
Thinking of The Plaza, the Genetronetics building popped into view over the buildings surrounding it.
Not long after, Esmie arrived at the alleyway leading toward the back of the parking garage.
She paused, staring down the now familiar alley, wondering if she should try to listen in on some more conversations.
It could be beneficial if there were any last-minute changes or gossip.
Shaking her head she decided to obey Deepika’s suggestion and went another block away from Genetronetics avoiding the garage altogether.
Going to the party tonight was already dangerous.
She didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
Jogging the rest of the way to make up the time, she arrived at the apartment as the sun set.
Another shower would be in order to rinse off the sweat gathered from the long walk.
Before she could get ready, she needed to create the fake badge.
Searching the rooms, she found some white cardboard, cardstock and other items to create the badge from.
When she finished, she held it up in the air, checking the files on the computer to ensure it was replicated as close as possible to the real thing.
Satisfied, she ascended the stairs to get ready.
The quiet of the house was odd after being in a full apartment.
Left with only her thoughts to wander back to her loved ones, she wondered if Mamá knew Esmie wasn’t being treated for purple glass and was instead on the run.
What would she say? Would she blame Esmie?
Had Leo and Samson figured out she wasn’t with Mamá?
They had a lot going on and Samson seemed to have his own agenda separate from Leo’s.
She had wanted to ask him more about that, but unfortunately their time had been short.
Shaking her head clear of those lingering resentments, she stared at herself in the mirror, dressed with full makeup on and hair done.
What she saw took her breath away. The purple and gold dress accented against her dark tan skin and matched the purple shimmering around her eyes.
Her dark soft curls were side-parted, with the left shorter part, pinned up with a gold comb she found, while the rest cascaded down her bare right shoulder.
Deepika had thought of everything again.
A pair of gold slippers were under the dress.
How she would arrive was another thing she forgot to prepare for.
She couldn’t take a car. It would be too obvious, and she had no money.
The flats would be perfect for walking or running if needed as they snugged on her feet without slipping off easily.
The dress even had pockets! Perfect to hide her fake badge and other items.
Although her nerves were roiling up her stomach, Esmie still made herself a sandwich, using the left-over pork, and sopa de salchichón to keep her warm.
The party would have food, but she didn’t want to be distracted with an empty stomach and miss out on any of the meetings.
Esmie packed up the remains of what she couldn’t eat, setting it aside for later.
Then she put on her lipstick, wrapped the purple scarf around her shoulders, which matched perfectly with the dress, and tied on the mask, ensuring it fit snug on her face and wouldn’t move to reveal anything.
One more glance in the mirror, Esmie thanked Elohim for Deepika. She had done a fabulous job.
It was well into the evening when Esmie snuck out of the apartment.
She wanted to give herself time for the party to start before entering.
The meetings wouldn’t happen until later and the less time she had to wait around the better.
Every street remained silent, and Esmie took advantage of the dark alleys linking her to The Plaza.
She couldn’t go through the parking garage as that would appear too suspicious.
Everyone was required to walk through the front.
She would have to go around it and walk the street to enter one of the many sidewalks within The Plaza.
The Plaza was a big square with intersecting sidewalks and green space in between.
Currently, it was brightly lit in beautiful colors.
Along with the lamp posts, tall, thin, cylindrical neon lights, spaced out between the lamps, lined all the sidewalks leading to Genetronetics.
They blinked their welcome, almost blinding against the pearl white of the sidewalks.
Esmie took a breath, then pushed herself forward from the shadows of the street, into the light of the sidewalk.
Even at this time of night The Plaza gleamed in brilliance.
Emerald grass glowed between the white sidewalk, bending in a uniform undulation almost like waves on the ocean.
Spaced out within the grass space, sat black metal benches, tables, and the greenest trees Esmie had ever seen, which burst with thick foliage in stark contrast to the thinning fall colors of the trees in the other parts of Andloor.
They swayed in an imaginary breeze before Esmie realized they nor the grass were real. What about this place was real?
Genetronetics towered above her, blue glass sparkling in the light.
Its front fa?ade boasted large plasmas embedded into its structure displaying a long ad showcasing their innovative technology and the medical advancements they were known for.
Eventually Esmie rounded the skyscraper and caught up to a crowd of people at the front entrance, decorated with an archway of blue lights mixed with white orchids that dangled above her. It was lavish to say the least.
The crowd thinned out as she bustled behind them, arriving at the entrance.
Security guards lined the door, asking for names.
After checking the list, each employee would swipe their badge against the panels in the doors, then walk through metal detectors.
Genetronetics wasn’t playing when it wanted this place exclusive.
As Esmie approached, a bored security guard with broad shoulders, glared down over a tablet at her.
“Name?”
“Karina Ramos.” Esmie had decided to use a fake name just in case someone recognized her on the list. Even though she had practiced several times, it still stumbled across her lips, unfamiliar to her tongue.
The bored security guard didn’t even notice.
He placed the tablet close to her face to capture her voice, then the tablet beeped and blinked.
He pointed toward the doorway. “Badge yourself in before entering. Make sure you don’t have any type of weapons on you before going through the metal detectors, otherwise you will have to return them to your car before entering.
Have a good night.” The hurried speech matched his bored expression.
Esmie didn’t even have a chance to answer before he yelled “Next!” in her ear.
Esmie moved forward, swiping her fake badge, while using her powers to override the system.
Despite the chilly night, her hands were sweaty.
The badging system replied with a loud single blare and flashed red.
She had been ready to go through the little lift gate blocking her from entering when she realized it hadn’t allowed her access.
Her cheeks flamed, while she quickly repeated the motion as she had seen all the other employees do.
One of the guards stared at her warily. She shot him an embarrassed smile, trying again.
Why weren’t her powers working on the system?
Panic shot through her. What if they rigged it so powers wouldn’t work here?
Would they know about her type of powers?
Leo and Samson said they didn’t know what powers came with purple glass.
They couldn’t possibly know, could they?
One of the guards ambled up to her clearly agitated. Esmie held her breath.
“Dumb thing has been acting up all night. Did the same thing to another worker. Hold your badge on there for more than a few seconds until it flashes green.” The guard folded his arms on his chest as he waited.
Esmie nodded, forcing herself to slow her breathing.
She placed the badge against the panel, using both hands.
One to hold it in place and the other so she could hide herself using her power to manipulate the system.
Hopefully the guard wouldn’t notice and having her hand closer would give her better access.
A bead of sweat crawled down her back as she waited for the green beep to go through.
After a few moments, it finally beeped green with a cool female voice saying, “Welcome to Genetronetics Karina Ramos”.
“Going to have to talk to the technicians about that,” the guard said to one of his collogues. The lift gate opened allowing her through, and once out of sight of the guards, Esmie pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the sweat off her neck and dab her face.
Another set of glass doors greeted her. A/C and loud music greeted Esmie as she entered the lobby of Genetronetics.
She tried not to gape at the expanse above her.
It was similar to the Law Enforcement Division lobby except a million times more elaborate.
The circular open space above her, disappeared as it revealed floor upon floor of large displays showcasing fireworks going off and “Congratulations Genetronetics Team!” emblazoned across them.
Then it would list the expected events of the evening.
A bank of eight elevators sat at the far side of the lobby, their golden exteriors mirroring the bright light display.
Tall round tables were set up all around the lobby, enough to fit four people with varying cups and plates in different stages of being half eaten or drank.
Every employee was dressed sharp, their masks in place.
A dance floor took up the middle with a DJ on the far side in a booth on a platform calling out different employees.
He must also work here. Several feet to the right of him, the hour devours buffet and drink station had a long line of people picking through the items while chatting.
Esmie decided to go there first and grab something to hold so no one would see her hands shaking.
Avoiding the dance floor, she went around the tables to the left, hoping to stay hidden in the shadows under the overhang of the above floors.
Before she could get to the DJ, a large hand grabbed her elbow and yanked her backward toward a pillar in the corner, further into the shadows.
The shock of the action caught her off guard before realizing too late what was happening.
She tried to jerk her arm away, but the grip tightened, pulling her against a firm body as a face closed in against her ear.
“Esmie, how did you get in here?” A male voice hissed in her ear.