"In the animal kingdom, one of the keys to survival is to outwit your enemies. And when you're surrounded by carnivores, one of the best strategies is to fade into the background and disappear."
– Neil deGrasse Tyson
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The street seemed deserted. While the snow was still falling lightly, the car continued to slide across the border leaving International Falls far behind. Nadja began to feel relieved. Now the only problem is, what should she do with Gabriel next?
"Mama …."
She heard the little girl calling for her mother and started to wake up. It all happened just as they arrived in front of a motel where Nadja could choose to tidy up Gabe who was still covered in blood. The car entered the yard and Nadja parked in one corner, near the entrance to the lobby. She looked back.
"You were the one who saved me earlier?" Gabe asked with slightly squinted eyes.
Nadja nodded, but then realized it was dark and Gabe couldn't possibly see the movement of her head.
"Yes, I'm Nadja," she said in a flat voice.
"But why did you take me? Are you one of the bad guys who killed my family?" Gabe asked quickly and prepared to raise her hand to launch fire.
"Not! I was sent by someone to save you," replied Nadja no less quickly. She didn't want any misunderstandings to occur. She had seen how the little girl let out fire from her hands!
"Prove it!" demanded Gabe in a sharp voice.
"The necklace hanging around your neck belongs to Ben. He also asked me to take you away from home, so you don't become the next victim!" said Nadja, getting annoyed. She had no experience talking to small children. For her, the little girl in front of her was very ungrateful and accusatory. Gabe fingered her neck and pulled out the gold necklace with the cross pendant.
"Why did you take me away? I have to see if mama is still alive or not!" Again, the girl nagged and demanded Nadja bring her back to her house.
"No one is still alive! All your family is dead! Now, if you still want to breathe, the option is to be quiet and follow all my orders!" cried Nadja, starting to lose her temper. Gabe suddenly sobbed and Nadja growled in annoyance.
"Hhgrh!" Anger was starting to overwhelm her. Nadja never liked children. To her, they were troublesome creatures and very whiny.
"You are so mean! Mama isn't dead!!!" shouted Gabe in a voice that was a scream. Nadja doesn't care. She immediately got out of the car to book a room. There was a man standing outside smoking a cigarette.
"Everything is alright?" asked the man as he poked his head in trying to look at the car. Gabe's cries can be heard clearly.
"Yes, my daughter is not very happy at this moment," Nadja answered carelessly, and her face still looked annoyed. The man stubbed out the cigarette and laughed.
"I need a room," Nadja asked who then saw that the uniformed man was the receptionist. The two of them entered the lobby.
"The hardest thing about being a parent is when your child cries, right?" said the man and gave the key to Nadja. The woman did not reply, nor did she respond, her face was expressionless.
"I need your ID," he said. Nadja grabbed her wallet and took out her passport. She still didn't respond to the man's words.
"Wow, you're on vacation? Your accent sounds very fluent. I don't recognize you are from…" The man reads the ID. "Serbia…. Wow, it's far away," he continued, typing something on his computer. Nadja smiled perfunctorily and returned a flat face.
"European women are very serious and don't like to joke around, don't they? I wonder what if they get angry?" joked the man who was attracted by Nadja's very beautiful and charming face. Nadja took back her badge and put it away quickly.
"We pointed a gun and then your head was gone," Nadja replied and then turned away from the very noisy and talkative receptionist. The man was stunned and suddenly pale.
"Have a good time..." he replied softly while stroking his neck.
Nadja returned to the car and Gabe was still sobbing.
"You are a mute girl who can't speak, so don't even open your mouth!" said Nadja, opening the car door. Gabe was still silent, not moving. Nadja sighed, trying to be patient.
"If you choose to sleep in the car, don't blame me if not only murderers will harm you, but also child rapists!" threatened Nadja without feeling.
Gabe looks at Nadja with hatred but is forced to follow her orders. They walked briskly towards the room at the end. Once inside, Nadja threw down her bag and took out Gabe's change of clothes.
"Take a shower and change your clothes. We must continue our journey as soon as possible!" Nadja ordered while taking out her laptop and checking the email. Gabe grabbed her shirt and without speaking she entered the bathroom.
Still no email from Fidelis. Where should she take this child to? Gabe doesn't have any identity! What if the police stop them and end up getting suspicious? Even Nadja might be accused of kidnapping a child! She shouldn't have complied with such a ridiculously uncoordinated request!
Annoyed, she closed the laptop and tidied up again. This was much more difficult than the previous killing task. Nadja only needs to prepare a bullet and shoot it in the head or chest. Finished.
"Here is your jacket and sweater. Put it on quickly, we have to get going!" said Nadja, who had just finished changing clothes and taking a shower. Both are clean and ready to continue the journey.
Gabe was still busy wiping her tears that occasionally flowed. Nadja closed her mouth tightly.
'When will this child's tears run out,' she grumbled.
After paying for the inn and returning the keys, they slid back and parted the dark night. It was snowing and the wipers were still working fine, but her mind was so frantic, and she wasn't ready for any further plans. Nadja cursed in her heart because Fidelis had not yet told her anything yet till this second.
***
They had been driving for more than a few hours. There is no conversation between the two. Gabe also stayed awake and stared at the road through the car window. Nadja let her sit in the back to avoid talking. Don't know how many times she checked her email, but no message came.
As soon as entering the city of Ericsburg and exiting highway 53, a police car was seen approaching from behind. It's two o'clock in the morning. There weren't many vehicles passing by, and their SUV pick-up was probably the only foreign car passing by. For a town as small as this, the sheriff would easily recognize a car with an unfamiliar license plate.
Nadja pulled the car over as soon as the repeated beeps sounded, a sign that she had to stop. Instantly her mind was filled with various reasons but nothing yet felt right.
"Again, you're mute and can't talk," Nadja insisted to Gabe before opening the car window. A short stocky middle-aged sheriff approached and nodded respectfully while holding his hat.
"Good evening, Madam. Can you show me your ID and driver's license?" asked the policeman. Luckily there was a small scratch mark on Nadja's cheek and, suddenly, she now had a pretty brilliant plan.
"Good evening, Sheriff," Nadja replied without hiding her foreign accent. The sheriff read with a flashlight and looked at Nadja intently.
"Where are you headed, Ma'am? It's too late to visit tourist attractions, isn't it?" asked the officer. Nadja understood what he meant. Maybe because she was a Serbian citizen, he thought Nadja was a tourist.
"I-I have to visit my family and find a place to stay. Maybe tomorrow we will go to the airport," Nadja replied, pretending to be nervous.
"Any problems? Maybe we can help?" the sheriff asked, shining his flashlight on the seat in the back. Nadja looked down.
"She's my daughter," replied Nadja, still not revealing the problem that had been planned in her head. The play has been going well so far.
"Your child looks unwell? What's going on, really?" the sheriff asked again and was starting to look suspicious.
The officer made a face that urged her to answer immediately. What if Gabe doesn't cooperate and disobeys her orders? Killing two officers was not difficult, but Nadja really didn't want to get into trouble. She wanted to quickly end the first task and embrace her freedom peacefully.
"Ma'am, what's the matter?" the sheriff asked again. Nadja began to think hard, about the next step she must take!