The Secret Beneath The Waves

Chapter 16: The Windy City

I'm from "The Windy City" and I looove it. Comment where you're from down below!

*Picture of Adri at top of the page

Chapter Sixteen - The Windy City

"I'm not doing it." Oliver crossed his hands stubbornly over his chest like a child. Which, considering he was still dressed like a billboard, made him stretch out his hands stiffly, like he wanted a hug. Shawn snorted, "For once Oliver is right, you know. We technically would not still be under his employment, so why do we even have to listen to him?" Tony nodded once, staring morosely at his glass of water, swishing the ice cubes with his straw. "You know Andrew is still paying us right?" Spencer reasoned. Andrew would have be a complete idiot to think that they wouldn't go find another research group otherwise. Oliver perked up, "I'll do it." Tony rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Why not?" Shawn sulked but mumbled a yes.

The next day was spent packing up everything still in their bubbles, posters, clothes, dishes, everything but the furniture and rug in the "living room." The entire boat was silent, everyone rushing around trying to find things last minute. Andrew walked around stiffly, surveying everyone. You could tell that he was relieved that most of us where going. Everybody except the emergency wing was going. They had to do their own improvements. Andrew stopped by Adri's room, where Spencer and Lily where scanning under the couch for lost things. "Remember to stay together" he said sternly, before strutting off somewhere else. At about three pm, Tony, Spencer, Adri, Shawn and Oliver were standing at the entrance to the boat. A plank was being stretched out, and they walked across. Spencer kept looking at her phone, checking for the location of the driver. Ten minutes later they piled into an SUV, which sped off to Queens, and their flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

With a wait time of about two hours before their flight to Chicago, the group wandered through the airport. Tony walked up to her. " Doesn't it seem weird to you?" he questioned. Spencer turned to him, the terminal a few feet away. "What do you mean?" Tony shrugged, shouldering his backpack. "Do you honestly think that Andrew cares that much about if this whole thing happens again?" he raised his eyebrows. Spencer was silent as she began dragging her suitcase once again to the terminal. "IIt is a little odd." she admitted. And she knew what he was getting at. Andrew wanted Adri to be safe. She realized. He wanted them to be with her. But then, why didn't he make her stay on the boat. She probably refused. She grinned, and Adri cast her an inquiring look. Finding a group of seats among the modest crowd, they once again resumed their peaceful silence. Oliver resigned himself to reading a book. Shawn stuck a pair of earbuds in, Tony stared at the ground, tapping his foot nonstop. Adri fell asleep. Spencer pulled out a book herself, reading to pass the next ninety minutes aimlessly staring at the words on the page.

After what felt like years, but was really mere minutes, a high pitched voice sounded over the loudspeaker, reminding her of a girl she had met once in California. Shaking Adri awake, the group stood up, boarding passes in hand, and made their way to the already forming line. Oliver looked slightly pale, his hazel eyes looked alarmed. When he caught her stare, he dismissed it with a quick shake of his head I'm fine. Once on, they put their luggage securely in the overhead carriers and made their way to their seat. Tony sat in the middle row, middle seat, with Spencer and Shawn on his sides. In the next row over, Oliver sat on the outer seat, Adri in the middle and an elderly man with a bushy, curly mustache leaning against the window. His head almost entirely swallowed up in a newspaper.

"Please fasten your seatbelts. We may be facing a bit of turbulence in the air, but no need for alarm." the same sickly sweet voice spoke over the loudspeaker. She proceeded to rattle of the name of the pilot, food orders and other things. The flight would take three to four hours at the most.

He minute the plane started moving, Shawn dozed off and Oliver's face turned an even paler shade of white. He looked like an ivory Greek statue at this point. He gripped the armrest like a lifeline. "I don't get it" Tony confessed. "Why didn't you just go back to your parents house? That was my plan." his eyebrows creased, guessing he might have stepped on a touchy subject. Spencer was silent for a second. "My family trained me to become a scientist." she confided. "They wanted me to go to an Ivy League school. It was my one goal in life." she gave him a small smile, which he returned. "I was so stressed about it, that ultimately I didn't even show them the rejection letter. I was too embarrassed." she let out a shaky breath, before she knew it his hand was on her shoulder, in a comforting way. She smiled gratefully. "My father probably got to know about it. I lost contact with them about a year ago. They might still be in Chicago. Anyways, I enrolled in a Aquatic Research school in Michigan, and stayed in the student dorms until working for Andrew. The letter from my mom stopped coming about a year ago." she hugged her arms, and they were both silent, save Shawn's snores. Tony didn't apologize, which Spencer was happy for. She was sick of people saying "I'm sorry" when they were in no way at fault. It was stupid, and it was only a way for them to feel better about themselves, by saying sorry to feel like they had helped. In fact, Tony didn't say anything at all. They both dwelled on their own thoughts, until Oliver stood up in a hurry, making his way down the aisle. The elderly man stared at Oliver's retreating figure, his pencil hovering in the air over the Sudoku. Adri stared at the newspaper, before saying "Cleopatra." The man was marginally stunned, before nodding, burrowing his head back in the puzzle.

"I think that your parents won't mind." Tony said. Spencer had almost forgotten about the conversation. She sent him another grateful smile, and laid her head on his shoulder, praying he wouldn't throw up like Oliver. "You have arrived at O'Hare International Airport." the sugary voce came again. The plane touched down and they got off, collecting their baggage before waiting for their taxi.

Chicago brought a sense of nostalgia and dread to Spencer. Nostalgia as she passed the familiar trains, running all over the city, busy pedestrians and hot dog vendors. Dread as she wished her parents had left the city. Chicago was like New York, except...cleaner. Not as busy, but still a bustling city. They arrived at their apartment. "You three will be in the apartment across from ours" Spencer gestured to the boys. Nodding, they made their way to the front desk, buying rooms for the next two months.

"I am not moving for the next week" came Adri's muffled voice as she collapsed into one of the bedrooms. Spencer grinned, before making her way to the other, one, setting her luggage down at the foot of the bed. The apartment was large enough for them not to be cramped, but still cozy. As you entered the doorway, a breakfast table was on your left, a kitchen on the right. Further on was a the living room straight ahead, with bathrooms and bedrooms on the left, dining room on the right. A sizable television was mounted to the living room wall, and Spencer fell back into the corner couch, clicking through the channels.

A knock on the mahogany door alerted her of Tony. "We're in desperate need of food" he confessed sheepishly. Know any nearby supermarkets?"