All the other students were now off the bus, staring at the three through the windows. 

• Continued from Chapter 1

Five Hours Earlier

They had stopped screaming, but like a mini football offense, Evelyn, Isabella and Sarafina were now huddled tightly in the back of the bus, shaking, mumbling something.

The teachers were near the front of the bus, literally and figuratively besides themselves without a solution, in a far looser huddle of confusion. Many had ideas, courses of action, excuses, reasons, and none of them were any good.

“Are those my Hillsdale girls?”

Evelyn, Isabella and Sarafina suddenly stopped trembling and stood silent. They slowly relaxed upwards and turned to the front of the bus. The teachers were all shaking hands, fawning over their Congresswoman. 

But Dr. Margaret Chase was eying Evelyn, Isabella and Sarafina through the foul gaggle. Her devilishly whimsical smile was somehow only seen by the trio, saying, all will be fine, let me just get through this embarassing mess. At least a few of them voted for me, I assume.

“Patrick,” Dr. Chase called over the congressional page. “Why don’t you take the lot of them into the main gallery and start the tour?”

“Of course, Congresswoman Chase.” Patrick obeyed like most wannabes did in this town, hoping the selling of their soul would one day reap the rewards. The odds were not in their favor, as Dr. Chase like to think, being a huge “Hunger Games” fan. 

She often thought DC as disgusting as the Capital from Panem. Bloated and false in everything inside and out. Were their decrees, petty arguments, and failures to act – that effected billions of lives -any different from the fictional fight to the death “games”? The elected “leaders” sat above the dog eat dog world, seemingly impervious to the minutiae while millions daied daily from “alternative facts”, bad choices and a few intentionally evil acts in service of political power.

Dr. Chase was determined to fix things from the inside, but daily feared she was becoming everything she hates. You had to play the game to win it, a lesson she learned very early. Those that didn’t were gone before the voters could throw them out.

Patrick lead the herd of students up the Capital steps, with the teachers following behind, suddenly remembering their mandate to not lose any of their charges. Clifford Beasley, a math teacher from Hillsdale High, turned back, realizing he almost forgot some of his own.

“You run along. I will get the girls cleaned up and rejoin the swarm in no time,” Dr. Chase waved him along, and happy to be free from chaperoning those nightmares, Beasley caught up to the unruly horde. 

“Gifted and talent my….” Dr. Chase pretended to self censor for the girl’s sake with a chuckle. Hundreds of the best test scores in her state – in the country – but together just cattle that, for all they know, could be heading to the slaughter house.

“Well, now, as for you three, let’s  see about getting you something cold to drink, and a cool room to relax.”

Evelyn, Isabella and Sarafina timidly followed Dr. Chase and her staffer to a side entrance. 

“Congresswoman” All three shouted at once. Stopping, afraid to enter.

“We have to tell you something,” Isabella was starting to piece together the past hour of emotions,  visions, out right pain, into a coherent future – their fate – their destiny. That’s how it always worked. Evelyn and Sarafina had their heightened senses – a chaotic mess of information, a series of visions and feelings – and Isabella was the conduit, the funnel, the puzzle master.

“Something horrible is about to…”

“I know, Isabella. I know. Quickly now, don’t dawdle, there’s not much time. Follow me inside before it’s too late”

• To be continued… Chapter 3: Four Hours Earlier