The City Of Death

Before Skye Disappeared- Part Two

"That makes sense," the Messenger said, and Skye reached for her bag hanging on a hook by the door.

"Did the Invalid pay you for your service?" she asked, digging around for some money.

"They paid me part of it, but before I could ask for the full amount, he stumbled off," he answered, and she sighed. Never send an Invalid to do a Citizen's job. They were valuable at times, but clearly, the people sending the message hadn't thought this through. Or, maybe they had. Sending an Invalid that was an obvious junkie would be better for hiding their tracks. That way, if anyone asked questions, Skye could use the excuse it was the drugs talking. She pulled out the proper amount, with a little extra to get on the Messenger's good side so he wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Keep the spare. You did well tonight," Skye told him, and he gripped the money with a smile on his face. He took off down the stairs, ready to get back out on the street to see if he could find another paying customer. At this time of night, the chances of that were low. That was another reason she threw in a little extra. Night Messengers needed to make money, too, but they were given the hard shift due to their inexperience and/or poor performance.

When he was gone, she shut the door softly and looked at the clock. 12:30. She had an hour and a half to get to the spot she needed to be at. She hadn't been at the meeting spot in months, not since before Macy had started school. She'd sent a message out that she had to be there to help Macy adjust and she wouldn't be available for some time. Skye hadn't told them that she was available again, but she guessed they were getting antsy. They needed to see her.

But how was she to see them now? When Macy was just a tiny thing, Skye'd taken her along. She couldn't leave an infant alone and knew how to keep her quiet. But things had gotten harder when Macy'd gotten older. She couldn't come along anymore. Toddlers questioned and repeated everything and Skye didn't want her blurting out anything she'd seen or heard to the wrong people. Usually, the Messenger who delivered the message would stay behind for a few hours to keep an eye on Macy and Skye would pay them handsomely for their work. She couldn't do that this time.

But maybe Macy was old enough to be by herself for just an hour or two. She knew how to get to the bathroom by herself and she could even get a glass of water alone if she wanted one. She was so damn smart and she was developing the independence to match. She could be alone for an hour. And if she asked questions, Skye would come up with some excuse. She grabbed some paper from the kitchen table and hastily scrawled a note onto it.

Be back soon. Love you. Skye wanted to say more, but Macy's class had just started learning how to read and write the week before. Macy was advanced enough that she could read those five words with no problem. As quietly as she could, she opened Macy's door and taped the note on it. She wanted to go over and give her sister a kiss, but she couldn't do that without taking the chance she'd wake up. Then again, maybe she'd be better off actually telling Macy what was going on.

But then she ran into the problem of Macy telling someone that Skye'd taken off in the middle of the night. Skye couldn't tell her sister anything until she knew that the four-year-old would keep the secret. Maybe she could give her a small secret, something that wouldn't hurt anyone, and see if the secret would be kept. If it was, Skye was free to tell Macy more. If it wasn't, then she'd know not to spill anything.

Once the note was secure, Skye grabbed her keys and exited the apartment. She always got to the spot early, and this night was no exception. She locked the door, went down the stairs, and took to the street. She'd have to be careful to make sure no one saw her. At this time of night, though, that wasn't likely. As she began to run, she kept her excuse straight in her head. If anyone asked, she was just going on a run to help her sleep. And as a Newscaster, she had to watch her figure. Running helped her maintain it. It was an exercise program and a built-in excuse all in one.