The door to interrogation had closed, and she had never seen him again. But later that evening when she had been sitting in her room, his voice had called again.
“Don’t forget. Kansas City,” he had said inside her head.
Covering her ears, she’d tried to block his intrusion. His frantic words were too much for her barrier, repeating over and over again, beating against her skull. On the verge of losing control of the façade she’d carefully constructed since she’d been a child, the incursion stopped, like a switch had been flipped.
Carefully concealed fear had kept the encounter secret, but curiosity had made her obsessed with him and his special ability. It’d beckoned her, like a flower to a bee.
On her quest to find answers, she’d stumbled across information her eyes were not meant to see—a plan that would lead to her and her siblings’ demise. Twenty-four hours after her discovery, she was walking down N. Michigan Ave.
Lost in thought, her barricade weak, Ellyssa didn’t detect the mumbled words as they entered her head at first. They floated in under the daydream of the unknown male. Blinking, she snapped from her self-induced hypnosis.
The female with the thin lips still walked behind her. Ellyssa could feel the mind she struggled to keep quiet. There was a leak, though. Hatred and jealousy floated in the undercurrents. Ellyssa waited for the floodgates to open.
Should I stop her now? No, I’ll wait to see if she turns toward the station, the female thought.
The female was a Kripolizei, one of the undercover detectives from her father’s center. Panic shot up Ellyssa’s spine and her gait faltered. She couldn’t afford to alert the detective. Forcing herself to relax, she resumed what she hoped was a casual pace.
Her father must have discovered the lies she concocted. Using her fingerprints and eye scan, Ellyssa had created a false identity and bank account to buy a train ticket. She had then programmed the computer to completely erase her old identity from the mainframe when she swiped the new card. Ellyssa had become nonexistent, and Vada Owen, the secretary, had been born.
Before she reached Himmler, Ellyssa made a hard left at the legal crosswalk, crossed N. Michigan Ave., turned right, and walked along the sidewalk of Hitler Park. The park would be empty. Caregivers wouldn’t bring young children for morning play until nine. Hoping the detour would throw the detective off her original plans, she entered the park via an obscured path. The trees closed around them.
Confusion emanated from the detective as she followed. “Excuse me, but the park is closed,” she said in impeccable German. She placed her hand on Ellyssa’s shoulder. “I believe you should come with me. Your name’s Ellyssa, is it not?”
At the detective’s touch, Ellyssa bristled. Reining in the response to break the detective’s hand, she stopped and faced her.
“My name is Detective Petersen. Dr. Hirch is worried about you.” She smiled a smile that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes and flashed a badge. “I think it’s best if I escort you back home.”
“Please, I would like to finish my walk first,” Ellyssa responded in English.
The detective frowned. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to come with me. Now.” She grasped Ellyssa by the upper arm.
Anger surged forth, wiping away any trepidation, but Ellyssa expressed nothing. She would not be returning to The Center.
She transferred her bag to the left hand and proceeded with the detective, but before they reached the edge of the pathway, she twisted, lifting her hand. Detective Petersen failed to respond as the messenger bag connected with her face. Grunting in pain, the detective covered her nose with her hands as she stumbled over an exposed root and fell.
Ellyssa watched as the side of the detective’s head smacked into the thick trunk of an elm. The Kripo dropped to her side and rolled over, groaning. Then she went quiet.
Kneeling, Ellyssa pressed her fingers against the detective’s carotid artery. The pulse was a little erratic, but strong. She moved the detective’s head to the side and assessed the injury. Blood oozed from a small gash.
Ellyssa stood and stepped over the detective, moving away from the path. Hidden within the trees, she set her bag down and removed blue coveralls and blunt-end scissors. She pulled the coveralls over her clothes and proceeded to snip off her long mane above the elastic band. Her hair fell loose. Running her fingers through the soft locks, she arranged it the best she could without the aid of a mirror. She picked up her bag and backtracked to the path. The detective was still out cold. Ellyssa dragged her behind a bush.
With caution, she left the park and proceeded to Himmler. The street lay empty before her. She kept her mind open, though, just in case. Nothing invoked suspicion as she neared Union Station. The hum of people’s thoughts loudly rang in her head. Ellyssa slid her mental wall into place, cutting off the continuous stream. She’d have to rely on her instincts.
Ellyssa faltered on the steps of the train station. The pictures she’d seen didn’t compare to the actual beauty. So much she had missed in her prison-style home.
Union Station had been completed in May 1925, way before The War. The Beaux-Arts style of architecture shouted the neoclassical movement of the era. The exterior had been constructed from Indian limestone and featured Tuscan columns and arches.
Wishing she had time to appreciate the fine details on her first visit to the city, she remained stone-face and continued moving before she attracted unwanted attention. She walked past the grand columns and entered the building.
The interior was even more beautiful than the outside. Ellyssa descended the steps into the Grand Hall. Pink Tennessee marble lined the floors, Corinthian columns reached the ceiling, and pilasters decorated the terracotta walls. Lifting her chin, she gazed at the vaulted skylight that rose over thirty meters above her head.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” said a male wearing a yellow smock. His dirty-blond bangs were gelled, exposing a broad forehead.
She stepped back. Her hand tensed around the strap of her bag as she quickly swept his mind before the barrage of images from the station patrons attacked her. The stranger was harmless.
He smiled. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Can I help you?”
Ellyssa returned his gesture of friendliness. “Yes, this is my first day,” she lied. “Can you point me in the direction of the janitorial closet?”
The male turned and pointed toward a set of signs. “If you turn right there and head down the stairs, directly to your left there will be a sign that says, ‘Employees Only’.”
“Thank you.” She began to walk away.
“Wait.”
Ellyssa’s shoulders clenched. Anger bubbled at her response. She had spent her life training, keeping emotions in check, her physical response unreadable, and now she was going to let some ordinary citizen get the best of her? She forced herself to relax while plastering another smile across her lips and facing him. “Yes.”
“Did you check in with the shift supervisor?”
“No, not yet.”
“I can walk with you and show you the office.”
The tension reached her jaw-line. “That would be fine,” she managed without clenching her teeth, “but do you think I can visit the facilities first, please?”
“They are on the way.” He extended a hand to the opposite set of stairs. “First day jitters?” he asked as she passed him.