"Deal." Anne nodded, her hand outstretched. Pauli plopped the passports in her palm. A quick glance and she realized they were surprisingly good quality. Anne casually tucked the passports in her back pocket.
Pauli pulled a folded newspaper out of his back pocket and handed it to her. Anne pretended to read the roster. "Bet everything on Juan Carlos Vasquez to win in the third match."
"Whaaat? He's a bum! He couldn't beat my grandmother. He hasn't won a game in a decade!"
Anne crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for him to finish. "Do what you want then. Bet the favorite and pocket your $6 winnings. It's all the same to me." She turned to leave. Pauli grabbed at her arm to stop her. He dropped to the floor of the container like a bag of potatoes.
"Oops."
"Hey what happened?" Louie ran over and kneeled beside his uncle.
"I think he had a heart attack. Better get an ambulance." Anne fled the container and rushed to her car. "Blinky, put that thing away and get in!" Griffen barely had time to close the door before she hit the gas, the big wheels spinning wildly in the parking lot. It was the perfect time to leave Florida.
Rufus crept through the dark halls. His body tingled with excitement. He peaked around each corner, half expecting to be caught and hauled back to his room. The halls were deserted, he met no one. At the end of the last corridor he finally exhaled and zapped the lock on the door to the outside. The pushbar was warm to the touch, but undamaged.
His time here had not been wasted. He now had almost complete control over the electrical charges he blasted. Almost. There was that incident with the basketball when he meant to shoot at the hoop and exploded the ball instead, but, hey.
The hot, thick night air was in direct contrast to the artificial chilled air of his residence. Already sweating from the change in temperature, Rufus pushed the sleeves of his jacket up his forearms.
Quickly, Rufus made his way along the building, ducking around the bushes, careful to stay hidden in the shadows. Lucy was housed in the second building over and although she was certainly of more value than him, they didn't seem overly concerned with the security in her building.
He had just reached the door to Lucy's building when it swung outward, almost hitting him - an overhead light brilliantly illuminating the opening. Lucy stood bathed in light. She smiled, then stepped outside, a heavy backpack over her shoulders and Twiskers nestled in her arms. Rufus took the backpack and gently pulled her away from the building and into the shadowy bushes so the door would close. Darkness enveloped them.
"No problems?" He whispered.
Lucy smiled sweetly at him and shook her head. She loved when he acted all super-spy.
"Okay, let's get moving. Stay close and keep Twiskers quiet."
They made their way slowly across the yard careful to never step into the direct light. When they reached the locked gate Rufus pushed Lucy behind him. A quick look around the yard assured him they were alone. Sparks flew from his fingers, the lock dropped off. Lucy heard Rufus' sigh of relief. A tiny smile lifted her lips, but she didn't say anything.
Once outside the compound Rufus hesitated. This was as far as he'd ever gotten in his plans. Suddenly he was afraid he had endangered Lucy for no reason. They had no money and nowhere to go and no way to get there if they did. His shoulder's slumped. Lucy placed a gentle hand on his arm.
Anne screeched the big, black, official looking SUV to stop in front of the gate. The vehicle was still rocking when Griffin jumped out.
He threw himself at Rufus almost knocking the pair of them to the ground. Lucy laughed.
"I thought I'd never see you again." Griffin's voice broke. Rufus patted him on the back.
"I missed you too, buddy"
"Get a room, will you!"
"Georgie?" Everyone turned at once.
"In the flesh. Somebody give me a hand." Georgie pointed to his obviously heavy backpack. They all assumed the bulging canvas held many weighty snacks. Rufus pulled it off Georgie's back and swung it effortlessly over his shoulder adding it to his and Lucy's.
"My hero." Georgie batted his eyes.
"How'd you get out? " Rufus asked Georgie at the same time Georgie asked Griffin where he'd been hiding all this time.
They all started talking at once.
"Hey, guys, if you are done with homecoming, we better roll." Anne yelled from the driver's seat. She pushed the button to raise the hatchback.
" Right. We'll catch up on the road." Rufus looked over his shoulder, then started loading their stuff in the back of the SUV.
"Georgie, do you mind?" Rufus tilted his head toward the broken lock and open gate.
"Sure, no problem." It seemed that Rufus wasn't the only one who had spent the last 6 months improving. Without moving an inch, Georgie flicked his fingers, the gate swung shut and the lock floated back into the chain.
Rufus thanked him and slammed the hatchback closed. "Let's get this show on the road."
Georgie clamored into the front seat. Griffin and Rufus took the back, window seats with Lucy and Twiskers tucked safely between them.
"Seat belts, guys!" Anne hit the gas.