Eye in the Sky

We left the complex and he stole a jeep and drove to a gate. I made the guards think we were supposed to leave. We drove to Las Vegas and I made him give me all his money and forget who he was. I bought a bus ticket to Flagstaff and I ran out of money here. I tried to beg but the two men I asked wanted to do nasty things with me and the women just kept on walking. Then Lawson found me sitting on that bench in front of the grocery store. You know the rest."

The three men sat, stunned into silence. Her breath still caught in a little hiccup every few seconds and that was the only sound. She looked from one to another. "Are you still going to help me?" She began to sob again.

They started out of their thoughts all at once and began to speak.

"Of course we're going to help you, honey," Rawlins said.

Mike cut him off. "If we weren't before we are now."

"I'll never let those people take you back," Lawson swore. "That's the most horrible story I've ever heard." He squeezed her tightly. "We're going to keep you here with us and we'll never let anyone take you away, right Pops?"

"That's right, Lawson. I don't know how we're going to do it but we're going to find a way. The first thing we need to do is find a way to hide you on a more permanent basis. We need people to see you as just another girl among millions. Let's be thinking of a way to do that."

"I know part of something we could do, Pops, do you think there's any way to take Sawyer to the mall and get her some better clothes?" Lawson asked. "If she dresses like other girls she'll fit in better."

"Oh no, Lawson, I really don't need any more clothes. I love these Mr. Sloan. I don't want any more."

"Sawyer, I don't want you to call me Mr. Sloan. My name is Rawlins. Remember?"

"Yes I will, Mr., I mean, Rawlins."

"Good. I think I can arrange a private sale at the mall. What stores to you want to go to, Sawyer?"

"I don't want to go at all, and I don't know any stores. I'll go if Lawson wants me to go, but I don't know where. You've already done so much for me."

"We need to go to Buckle, Dillard's, Journeys and Old Navy. Oh yeah, and Foot Locker," Lawson said. "It makes us feel good about ourselves when we help people Sawyer. Don't worry about it."

"I'll call Peter Jacobs and make the arrangements," Rawlins said. "It's going to have to be at night after they close and you're going to have to steer clear of the theatre, but Jacobs owes me favors and I'll call one in. That's something easy, but I need to talk to you about something hard, Sawyer. You are in terrible danger. You know that don't you?"

She nodded. "I know if anyone finds out about me or those men find me I'll be in a lot of trouble."

"The problem is that those men are with the NSA. That's a pretty scary bunch over there. They would execute their own mother if someone gave them the order. They are smart and quick and they have their fingers into everything. We've got to think of a way for you to disappear and become someone else. You have any ideas, Mike?"

"Some. I know some people that specialize in that kind of thing. It usually involves going somewhere far away and taking on a new identity and it can only happen in the presence of a lot of money."

"We can't send Sawyer far away, Pop. We have to find a way to get her to disappear in plain sight. I won't let her be sent far away. We've got to be able to protect her here."

"Well, we've got a couple of things going for us. We have lots of money and we have Sawyer."

"What do you mean, Rawlins?" she asked. "What do you mean you have me?"

"Well, what's the use of being able to do something like that if you can't use it to help yourself? I think we can use it to get you a fresh start. If people around here think they've known you all your life, that's a pretty good cover."

"You know what?" Mike said. "Sawyer, how would you like to be my niece?"

"I don't understand," she said. "I wish I was your niece, Mike, but how could that be?"

"Thanks," he grinned at her. "Here's how I think it could go down. When you make people think things, is it permanent?"

"It is if I want it to be," she said.

"Well it so happens that I do have a niece," he said. "No one in Flagstaff has ever seen her. What if we got my guy to set you up as my niece? You could move here to stay with your old uncle; we could get you in school and get a few people to remember that you are my niece. It's perfect."

"Yes," Rawlins said, "until someone talks to your sister or your niece and mentions that you have another one in Flagstaff. Then the whole thing blows up."

"No it doesn't. Sawyer and I run down to Santa Fe, she convinces my sister that she has another kid and my niece has a new sister. That's why I wanted to know if it was permanent."

"I don't know," Sawyer was very dubious. "I don't like to make people think things. It feels wrong."

"I admire your morals, Sawyer, but your life is on the line here. Mine too and Rawlins and Lawson. If we get caught helping you, they'll lock us up and throw away the key."

"I don't care, we're going to help her," Lawson said. "Right Pop?"

"Absolutely," Rawlins said. "I not only admire your morals, Sawyer, I'm going to insist on them. You have to make me a promise, honey."

"What do you want me to promise?" she asked.

"I want you to promise me that you won't read any of the three of us without our permission, ever. I want you to promise to never read anyone unless you feel like you are in danger in a last resort. I want you to promise that you'll never make any of us think something against our will. Will you do that?"

"Yes Rawlins, I will. I would do that anyway without you asking me to promise. I have to tell you that I've reached out to all of you before to make sure I could trust you. I didn't rummage around, but I did check and see if you were telling me the truth. I promise I won't ever do it again."

"Well, now that's settled what about my idea?" Mike asked.

"Let's sleep on it for a couple of days and see if we can come up with something better or how we might need to change it," Rawlins answered.

"You're a wise man, boss," Mike said.

Rawlins and Lawson left for home and Mike made popcorn and he and Sawyer put On the Waterfront in the DVD. Sawyer fell asleep during the third act and Mike carried her in and put her in her bed. She stirred as he put her on the bed and murmured "thanks Mike," and he covered her with a blanket and went to bed."

They got up the next morning and Sawyer helped Mike make waffles. "We really need buttermilk to do this right," he told her, "but they'll be good anyway. I noticed that Rawlins has this place stocked with some real Vermont maple syrup. You ever have real maple syrup?"

"No," she said. "What's maple syrup, Mike?"

"It's something delicious you put on pancakes or waffles," he said. "It's worth its weight in gold and we're going to eat it all."

Sawyer did think the maple syrup was delicious and she ate four waffles. "Careful there kid; where you putting all that anyway? You'll be fat as a toad in a month."

She laughed at the idea. "If you keep cooking like this, I might."

Sawyer ran on the treadmill and used the exercise machines. Mike left for an hour and came back with brown hair dye. "We've got to change the way you look, Sawyer. I love your hair the way it is but there's no way to hide unless we change that. We're going to change it and cut it. I'm sorry Sawyer, but that's got to be the way it is."

She was a little sad and a little excited at the idea. By the time they finished Sawyer was a stunning brunette with a pageboy haircut even with her jaw line.

Mike put down the scissors and brought a mirror for her to look at. "Well, kid, what do you think?"

"What do you think, Mike?"

"I think you'll break hearts all over the world. You're a beautiful girl Sawyer, never doubt it."

She laughed and hugged his neck. "Thank you for my beautiful new haircut, Mike."

"You're welcome. Hey, you want to go to Lawson's football game tonight? I'll sneak you in and then me and Lawson are going to take you to the mall. How does that sound?"

"I think it sounds kind of scary. I've never been to a football game before. Won't there be a lot of people there?"

"Yeah, but you'll be with your old uncle Mike and I'll take care of you. Maybe you can wear a hoody or something. I'll have to clear it with the boss, but I don't see why you have to stay cooped up in this apartment all the time. You need some sun and fresh air."

"Do you think we could go out on the balcony and sit in the sun?" she asked.

"I don't see why not. It looks warm out there but it's not. It's kind of chilly."

"I don't care," she said. "I need to feel the sun in my hair and the wind on my face. Mike, I'll bet I haven't spent two days' worth of time outside in my life. I never get tired of it."

"Well, we can't go out and frolic around, but we could go out and sit in the chairs. There's a wall around it and if you don't stand up, no one should see you. We can take a blanket in case you get cold."

"What about you, Uncle Mike?"

"Uncle Mike doesn't get cold. His skin is too thick."

They spent two hours sitting on the balcony and stayed so long that even Mike was red faced and rubbing his hands together when they came back. Sawyer's cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled. She looked gorgeous, Mike thought. The new brown hair color matched her tawny complexion perfectly and the cut only emphasized how healthy it was, silky and bouncing and full of body. When it swung forward or back it looked like it was in slow motion. He made a fire in the fireplace and they made s'mores as they warmed up.

"What's a s'more, Mike?" she had asked when he brought the subject up.

"Good God, Sawyer. Those people that raised you deserve to be melted in hell. They never let you make a s'more?"

"No Mike, but I really want to make one," she said.

Mike checked the pantry and they had graham crackers and marshmallows, but no chocolate bars. "Hold up a minute while I run over to the newsstand."

He was back in five minutes with chocolate bars. "Well, I'm still forgetting something," he said. He went outside, tore two branches off a pear tree and brought them in.

"Here, take my pocket knife and trim off all the little branches and leaves. When you get done sharpen the little end into a point."

Sawyer took the knife and did as he asked while he laid out the supplies. He laid out graham crackers and broke the chocolate bars to fit the crackers. "Now, the secret is to put your marshmallow on the stick and toast it over the fire. Make it a nice coffee brown color but don't let it catch on fire. Well, some people like that, but I don't."

Sawyer impaled her marshmallow but her first attempt was a failure as it she got it too close to the fire and it burst into flames. Mike quickly blew it out, but pronounced it ruined. Sawyer ate it anyway. "I'm sorry Mike, but I love ruined marshmallows."

Mike shrugged. "No accounting for tastes. Try another and don't get it so close to the fire."

This time she managed to keep it from catching on fire and Mike approved its toastiness. "Now, put it on top of the chocolate, put on another piece of graham cracker and squeeze."

The gooey insides of the marshmallow oozed out and Mike raised his s'more and said, "Eat up, kid."

Sawyer bit into the s'more and a look of bliss passed over her features. "Mike, this is very good. I love it, but can I catch the next marshmallow on fire? This is delicious but I like the burnt ones better."

"Look Sawyer, you can do whatever you want. It's a free country, or at least I thought it was till I met you. If you like burnt marshmallows, that's what you like. Knock yourself out."

Sawyer didn't understand the expression but she burnt the next two marshmallows for s'mores and then burnt four more to eat by themselves.

"Hey Sawyer, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, Mike. It's a free country, knock yourself out."

He laughed. "How does it feel when you do your thing? I mean, what do you do?"

"It's hard to describe, Mike. It's sort of like reaching out with your hand and touching someone except I can do it with something inside my head. Mostly I just feel emotions." She reached out her hand and touched his arm.

"If I don't push, it's just like this. I just feel your arm and I can tell it's Mike. But if I concentrate," she ran her fingers along his arm, "I can feel muscles and a scar there. That's like feeling what people are thinking."

She lifted his arm and put it around her shoulders. "If I really concentrate I can do something like that. I can push the thought where I want it to go. But to do that I have to get inside private places where people don't want me to go to and it feels like I'm assaulting them. To feel what people are thinking is like reading someone's letter when you know they don't want you to. It's like you're betraying their confidence and they don't even know it. It's not a good thing, Mike, and I wish I didn't have it."

"Now I disagree with that, kid. I know one thing, you're good, and since that's true everything about you is good. I don't know how you turned out so good with the way you were raised, but you did. It's a miracle. It's like God reached down and made a rose grow in the sewer. I can't believe it's an accident. I don't know what you're supposed to do with it, but I know it's a gift and you have it for a reason. Some people are good and some are evil and some are just taking up space, but I'd bet my life you're one of the good ones. I am betting my life on that. I don't like many people Sawyer, but I like you."

"I like you too Mike and I'm sorry I got all of you in a place where you might get in trouble. I never meant for any of this to happen. I was just running away and then I met Lawson and things started happening."

"I know. Don't worry about it Sawyer. I've always been ready to fight for a good cause. Helping kids that have been tortured is high on my list. Now, let's talk about a shopping list. What do you think you might need or want?"

By the time they were through with the shopping list, it was 6:30 and time to leave for the football game. She was hungry again but Mike had promised that if she would wait he would feed her. He had red and gold face paint and he painted her face for her as a disguise in the team colors. They admired the paint in the mirror.

"You look like a real savage there Sawyer," Mike told her. "There will be a lot of kids there painted up like you." Lawson's team was the Eagles and Sawyer knew what an eagle was.

Mike pulled the van up to the door and she ran out and hopped inside.

Chapter Three

Sawyer was very nervous about the crowd that was gathered at the football stadium. She had never seen such a large group of people in one place. Mike held her little hand in his and led her to the gate. They stood in line for a little while and then Mike paid for admission and took her to the concession stand. They bought hot dogs, pretzels with cheese and cokes and found a seat behind the student section.

"There's nothing as good as a stadium hot dog," Mike told her. He had put mustard, catsup and relish on both, and Sawyer thought it was delicious. The band was playing a bad brass version of Black Sabbath's Iron Man, and the crowd stood and roared as the team took the field. Sawyer stood and cheered along with the crowd and her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Which one is Lawson?" she asked.

"He's number 76. See, he's walking out with number three to the middle of the field."

"Why is he going out there?" Sawyer asked.

"He's one of the two team captains," Mike explained. "He goes out there and the other team sends out their captains. The officials toss a coin in the air and Lawson and the other team's captain try to guess which side it will land on. The one that guesses it right gets to decide whether they want the ball first or which side of the field they want. Lawson always guesses tails."

The Eagles won the toss and elected to defend. Lawson lined up at right defensive end in a wide nine. The offense lined up with a tight end on his side. The quarter back took the snap and it was a counter to the strong side. Lawson blew up the tight end and swallowed up the half-back for a yard loss.

The second play was a dive that gained two yards leaving the offense with 3rd and long.

The quarterback lined up in the shotgun and when the ball was snapped Lawson made a speed-rush around the outside. His right arm exploded into the chest of the tackle, driving him to the inside and he had a clear line to the left handed quarterback.

The quarterback raised his hand to throw and Lawson's shoulder exploded into the small of his back. Lawson crushed him to the turf as the ball came free and a blitzing linebacker covered it. The ball belonged to the Eagles. The quarterback had to be helped off the field and didn't return. At half-time, Rawlins joined them and took Sawyer away to buy popcorn. They got root beer in team cups and Sawyer got one for Mike too. When the last second ticked off the clock, the final score was 42-7. The Eagles had won easily. Lawson caught one touchdown.

Lawson and Coach Weathers stood on the sideline talking to a reporter. "How were you able to hold them to seven points, Coach?"

"Well, this young man is a game plan wrecker," Coach Weathers said. "Teams watch film on us and they know they can't run to his side. They've avoided that for three years. They don't even try anymore. They run away from him and he still chases them down. We don't have to worry about them running to one side of the field, so they have to go to the other. We stack that and so they have to throw. If the quarterback doesn't get the ball out of his hand in two seconds he knows he's going to get crushed. He feels Lawson coming and that makes him nervous and he makes bad throws. They come out every week and double and triple team him and that leaves our other guys free to make tackles. There's not a tackle in the state he can't beat.

"Tell us about the touchdown, Lawson," the reporter turned to Lawson.

"It was a fade route to the back corner of the end zone," Lawson told him. "Craig threw up a jump ball and since I'm five inches taller than their linebacker I just went up and got it."

Lawson was distracted. He was looking around the stadium at the departing fans, searching for a big burly figure accompanied by a little petite one.

"Is that it coach? I'm supposed to meet someone."

Weathers laughed. "Take off Lawson. I'll field the rest of the questions."

"I think he's got a hot date," the reporter laughed.

Lawson saw what he was looking for up by the fence. He was very tired but he jogged up the hill carrying his helmet.

Mike gave him a high five. "Hell of a game, Lawson. How many tackles you have?"

"12 solo and 19 total, three sacks too."

Lawson turned to Sawyer. "I'd hug you, but I'm soaked."

Lawson's uniform was a shade darker than anyone else's, soaked with sweat and steam was rising off of him in the cold night air. He squeezed the tail of his uniform and sweat ran out in a stream.

"Go take a shower and meet us at the van," Mike laughed.

"I'll talk to Pop a second and I'll be there in 15," Lawson jogged away to where his father was talking to Weathers. They embraced, spoke a few words and Lawson went to the locker room.

When he got to the van, he was clean and had on jeans and a polo with a team hoody. He climbed in the back seat and Sawyer was sitting there too.

"Guess I'm chauffeur tonight," Mike said. "There's some face cream stuff back there and tissues so you can get that makeup off."

Lawson pulled back her hood. "Sawyer, what have you done to your hair?" he exclaimed!

"Do you like it?" She shook her head and it swirled out in a fan.