A Hidden World

Jess

Clair tugs my hand and indicates that I follow. She taps a girl's shoulder, "Jess, how are you doing?" Jess turns. She is the girl I threw across the dorm room.

I say, "Hello Jess. It is nice to meet you properly. I hope I did not hurt you." Jess is in total shock. A wave of fear flashes in her eyes.

Clair grabs her hand. "Jess, I need your help." Clair firmly wraps her hand in Jess' and drags her to her suite. She points to a wall in her living room. "This wall isn't right. What am I missing? You always seemed to make our dorm look good. I'm the only one who lives in this suite. I've a guest bedroom if you want to sleep over, how about tonight?"

Jess replies, "Clair, I'm in jail."

Clair smiles, "No you're not. Tammy made me understand a lot today. You can go back to our dorms. When you get there, you'll find a rescuer in each dorm room twenty four hours a day. That rescuer is there for everyone in that dorm. If you have a question, ask them. They'll get an answer for you."

Jess looks confused and replies, "Is this real? If you're teasing or dosing me, I'll get you, rescuer or not."

I shake my head, "This is not a prank. Clair inspired a movement today to help orphans. Some things we uncovered made us furious. So angry in fact, a bunch of people who should be taking care of orphans were arrested."

Clair nods, "You've been in our dorm longest. You could help us nail these monsters and tell us what we need to do to get things how they should be."

Sharon enters carrying a little one. "Clair, can my niece use your bathroom? It's an emergency."

Sharon carries the little one down Clair's hall toward a washroom. Jess stares at where Sharon vanished. She turns and looks at me, then at Clair. "This is for real! You're not fibbing. Do you know about the missing girls?"

I reply, "Yes, we are going to get them tomorrow. I only hope we are not too late. We want to make sure we get them all back. We are going to get them all at once. Those monsters do not know we are coming for them."

Jess's expression keeps changing, until finally a crooked grin grows on her face. Her eyes begin to well with tears, "Who do I talk to about getting our dorms fixed? The way they place orphans in dorms needs to change."

Clair replies, "Follow us, Jess. We've a couple of friends who can help."

An hour later, Kathy pulls me aside. "Go peek into our office."

Our office is full. On one side, Jess and a collection of orphans are talking about life in orphan areas. Opposite them is a mixture of rescuers, security, our staff, and some I do not recognize. They are taking notes and asking questions. I look across to Kathy. She smiles and gives me a thumb up.

I crawl into bed just before midnight. There is a lot of noise from the outside hallway. I am instantly asleep.