Burning Willow

XVIII

I pushed back my seat, instantly hearing a groan of disapproval.

"C'mon!" I said in annoyance. "You have so much room!"

"Yeah, Chase." Said Daniel. "It's not every day you get to travel in a private jet." He looked at me and his eyes narrowed. "I mean, for you obviously--"

"Save it." I said. "I've only travelled by plane thrice in my whole life, let alone on a private jet."

Chief Inspector Anderson looked up from his laptop. "We're almost here anyways, quit arguing."

Maya looked out the window. "Where do you think we're going?" Her fingers rested on the glass.

"Well, according to our current direction and a two hour flight time, I would say somewhere between Charleston and Savannah." Daniel said like it was no big deal.

We all turned to him, eyes as wide as saucers. I think my mouth hung open too.

"Oh, you meant rhetorically." Daniel said to Maya.

"Sometimes, even I forget how smart you are." Said the chief.

"Is he right though?"

The chief pursed his lips. "Yes. In a few minutes we'll be landing on a remote space fifty miles from Charleston."

Chase snickered. "You could have picked any place and you chose yee-haw country?"

"With all due respect Carter, my job isn't to keep you happy, it's to keep you safe."

I watched the plane land from the the window. Fields everywhere, with a few barns scattered here and there. I think I even saw a cow.

"We'll be living here?" Asked Maya. "For the next two weeks?"

"Ofcourse not, we thought it best that  you remain undetected, but also low-key. And in a place like this where people might ask questions, a better option is to have you stay in town."

"Like a city?"

The doors opened, and the only steward on board wished us a pleasant evening as we stepped out.

The first thing I noticed was the heat. Well the sun wasn't exactly shining, but compared to the winter back home, this was a lot more pleasant.

I looked around. It wasn't an airport. Or if it was... it had been abandoned a long time ago. The only thing still standing was the runway.

He chief guided us to a lone car that stood in the corner. A guy was leaning against the hood.

"Meet Officer Jordan. He's in charge of you for the next two weeks."

He was young, in his early thirties. Curly brown hair. Tall.

"He's going to take you into town, get you settled in. Your luggage will arrive an hour after you do. Any questions?"

Chase took off his jacket. Daniel shook his head.

"Well, I should get going then." He gave us a stern look. "I trust you know what to do if something goes wrong?"

"Call you immediately." Chase looked bored.

"And?"

"Stay out of trouble."

"Good." He said. "But you'll be safe here."

Officer Jordan nodded. "Into the car now, kids."

Chase sat in the front, with the rest of us at the back. Maya sat in the middle while Daniel and I took either side.