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Philadelphia

April 2013

   Slade Sanders had begun to wonder how long she’d been sitting here. It’s had to have been at least an hour. She always hated it when they do this. The chair she was sitting on was, of course, uncomfortable. It was like one of those “interrogation chairs”. One leg was off balance so every time she moved, it teetered back and forth but it was the only chair in the room.

Maybe she should stand. Where the hell was William? She had called him yesterday when they summoned her here. She stood up, stretching her legs and began pacing around the room.

   The space was devoid of any color, simple slate, grey, walls that were barren of anything. A wide, double door on the south end of the room and the single door on the north end was all there was, that and the lovely chair.

   Her lawyer was late again. Maybe he wasn’t late. They might be holding him up on purpose, they tend to do that. She would probably have to go this alone, nothing new there. This was the second time this month she had been summoned by The Council. It was the same last month and the month before that, fucking annoying. She was sure this was mostly a nuisance tactic. They might also be hope she would say something incriminating. Council security took her watch and phone when she was admitted to the sanctuary. She had no way of contacting anyone. The isolation was intentional. The Council’s tactics were laughable. She would laugh if she weren’t so pissed off.

   She didn’t have to wait much longer. She heard one of the doors open on the south end of the room. She turned her head to see Mrs. Mallory enter through the doorway. 

“They will see you now miss.” 

She had to walk past Mrs. Mallory when she went through the doorway. How old was Mrs. Mallory, 100, 105?

Mrs. Mallory was old when she was young. She has no ill will for her. The woman is a legend, surviving the inner workings of The Council as long as she has.

   “What mood are they in today ma’am?”

Mrs. Mallory was known do what she could to help those who had been summoned before The Council. The old woman shrugged her stooped shoulders.

“Average I would say. Callie and Burma were a little short but the rest are business as usual.”

Before she entered the inner sanctuary she checked herself in the mirror, conveniently stationed a few feet from the door.  Everyone who is called before The Council must be dressed in all black, head to toe black. Considering how often she has been called here, this was like a uniform for her. Everything was in place, time to face the firing squad. The door opened when she stepped up to it and closed on its own once she crossed the threshold.

   The inner sanctuary is nothing formal. It actually looks like someone’s home; seriously, the inside of someone’s house. It’s the most off putting thing. There was a sofa set, something very pedestrian, end tables, floral carpets with matching curtains covering the heavily glazed windows. The council members even kept pictures of their family members on the shelves. There was a small fireplace off to the left. The smell of smoke and burning wood was evident in the room.

   All five Council members were present. She stood in front of the door and waited for them to acknowledge her presence. The room was divided in half. A large throw carpet covered the floor. Direct center was a long, wooden coffee table. On her side, a single chair and on the other were five more. Beyond that was the rest of the “living room”.  A Council member was seated in a chair on the farthest left and the others were stationed around the room. This was another type of Council tactic, divide and conquer. They each have their own individual talents. One starts up and the others join in, most of the time it seems downright rehearsed.  

   The one sitting in the chair was Chief Preston, Cypress Preston. The oldest member of The Council and the most experienced, it earns him the title of Chief and the power to break a tie, in the event of one. He was also a hard ass. She doubted he ever really listened to her. He looked up from his papers just enough to motion for her to sit.

   Head up, shoulders back, she glided across the room and lowered herself into the chair with as much ease as she could muster.  Several seconds went past before he addressed her.

“Miss Sanders, there are more questions we need to ask you concerning your absence.”

   “Yes, Chief Preston, ask whatever you like.”

The old bat had a way of barely acknowledging her even when he was speaking directly to her.  He cleared his throat.

“During your recent absence, The Council, and our agents made numerous inquiries. No one knew anything about it. Can you explain that?”

   “I didn’t tell anyone anything. That is perfectly within my right.  It was a last minute sort of thing.”

One of The Council members took the furthest seat on the right.  Judge Burma, Karri Burma learned forward and kept her gaze leveled on her. She knew what the woman was doing and prepared herself for it.

“You did not feel the need to tell anyone in your family about leaving”, Chief Preston continued.

“Correct, Chief Preston, last I checked there was nothing illegal about that.” The old man shuffled his papers again,

“And you found nothing wrong with that?”

She glanced at Judge Burma, the woman’s steely gaze remained. It was supposed to intimidate her and break her will, supposed to. 

“No, nothing at all Chief Preston.”

   Another judge stepped forward to claim their seat.  Judge Callie, Oak Callie, The Mole Man.

A tiny man, with no visible hair and glasses that were the thickest she had ever seen.  Even with the glasses she doubted the poor bastard could see his hand in front of his face.  He took his seat next Chief Preston and started sniffing. 

   Chief Preston continued, “Once again, Miss Sanders, for our official record, where were you for twenty months.”  Twenty months? Was she really gone for only twenty months? It felt like years. She remembered it feeling like years.

   “I decided to travel Chief Preston, to see the world. It was on a whim.” 

A fourth judge took their seat. Judge Wolfe, Hawthorn Wolfe is like a shadow come to life. She wondered if he even sure the man had a body under that heavy black cape.

 With long black hair that was past his waist and a blue-black complexion, he really did look like a talking shadow.  God he’s creepy and she didn’t feel bad about thinking that.     

“Where did you go on your travels Miss Sanders?” Judge Wolfe had a voice like velvet. It was rich and buttery and quite deceiving. Judge Wolfe was the most dangerous one.  Supposedly, he’s the one that comes up with all the “suitable discipline” for convicted offenders.

   “Oh, here and there Judge Wolfe.”

She wasn’t giving them anymore information. They (The Council and herself) had been doing this dance for the past four months. They weren’t getting anywhere and they knew it. It was a game they both knew very well. The exciting part is that The Council doesn’t know that she knows the game well and what they don’t know is hurting them.

   The last judge did not sit. Now that she thinks of it, she’s never seen this woman sit. She’s never really seen her up close either. Judge Kousa, Willow Kousa stayed in the corner at the far end of the room. Petite, Korean and silent, she’s also never heard the woman speak a word. Judge Kousa is The Council’s head spy-master.  The Council has an amazing spy network, even she can admit that. Judge Kousa is a puppet master and the woman has sight, she does see many things.

   “What did you do during your travels Miss Sanders?” Chief Preston attempted to keep up the interrogation. She shrugged her shoulders. 

“A lot of sightseeing Chief Preston did a lot of shopping, studied architecture, normal stuff.”

   “Did you make any new friends?” Judge Callie was making an effort.  The question gave her pause.  It also made her somewhat angry which made her angry at the mole rat for asking.  She let an emotional smile creep across her face.

“Yes, Judge Callie, I did make some friends. Thank you for asking.”

   Their round of obnoxious questions continued for a while longer, led by Chief Preston and Judge Wolfe.  What they were really doing was asking her the same questions over and over again looking for her to deviate in any way. They wanted something they could hang on her on, quite literally. She would never, ever give them the satisfaction.