The Prior

POV: Belle Watson

I adjust myself against the dirt, keeping my eyes shut. I’m not ready to wake up yet. We’re stuck here forever, I’m sure. Thankfully, the night seems to have chilled off the area. I wake up, comfortable. Not too hot. Not at all cold. I feel myself drifting back into a slumber, but a voice startles me awake.

“Oh my god.”

I open my eyes sharply. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Woods. Like always. Wait. There’s no dirt walls to the ditch. I scramble to sit up and glance over at Cass.

“We moved?” I whisper. I don’t even think she heard me. Elliot sits up across from us too, smiling.

“Belle, do you have the paper?” he says, grinning. I fish it out of my pocket. The worn paper, creased in every direction. My eyes glance down past 1934.

Portage, Pennsylvania: The Sonman Mine explosion will occur on July 15, 1940. It is currently July 14, 1940. Please ensure that this explosion does not occur. All 63 men must be saved.

Cass has now moved over to Elliot, whispering something in his ear. He fiddles with something in his pocket. They make it so obvious. I wish they would just be honest with me. I’m hungrily curious. I know that they’re purposefully defying the missions. I know that Elliot has some kind of phone or walkie-talkie that prevents them from talking openly about it. I know that Cass isn’t really a diplomat. I know that Max was in the dark, until recently. I’m not stupid. I’ve spent my entire life with a politician father. I know the game. And, they’re sloppy. They think I’m not paying attention, but I am. I always have been. Max wakes up soon. Cass whispers to him, too. I don’t interrupt the secrecy, but I do try my best to eavesdrop.

I somewhat hear Cass tell Max that “one or all of those men must be Congressionalists” and that “we’re going to interrogate them, then let them die.” Eventually, Elliot says that we should walk towards the mining town. After just a couple of minutes, I see a clearing in the woods. There’s a stark new scene in front of me. Houses, buildings, a full town. A gust of wind chills my spine. Cass passes me and starts to approach the town. I catch up to her and cautiously look back at Max and Elliot.

“What’s the real plan?” I ask her. My heart is beating out of my chest. I simultaneously feel unstoppable and like I’m about to be pummeled down. I catch a sharp inhale, but she turns towards me, emotionless.

“We’ll get all the men out or try to stop the explosion. We need to figure out what causes it,” she says, calmly. I side-eye her. After a glance back to ensure the recorder’s distance, I take a deep breath. Turning back to Cass, my heart pumps so hard that I’m sure she can hear it beating.

“No, the real plan. Not the one for the recorder,” I clarify. A slight flash of panic appears on her face, but she quickly returns to the poker face.

Squinting, she says, “What?”

I glance back once more, towards Elliot and the dangerous pocket. He’s a good distance away. We continue to march down the hill, closer and closer to the town.

“What is your real plan? Cass, I’m not deaf or oblivious. I’ve gathered that we’re no longer solving the missions because the group who sent us to do them is bad. Just, please, for my sake, fill me in so I don’t mess everything up,” I exasperated. She scans my face, almost stopping dead in her tracks. She, too, glances back to Elliot and Max after a second. They are catching up quickly. Ice cold fingers attach themselves to my elbow. She hauls me forward, getting ahead of the boys. There’s almost a smile on her face. Aggressive eye contact further causes shivers in my body.

“When we get out of here, out of this, back to whatever, you’re joining the CIA,” she says, her smirk only growing, “Good job, kid.” I find myself smiling too, as if her pride in my erases all the lying they did. “Anyway, we’re going to wait until the absolute last second and shout at them to get out. Claim for the recorders that we didn’t realize it was happening so soon.”

I nod along as she speaks, “Wow, okay.”

“And, also, later, I have a bunch of questions for you. We’re trying to get to the bottom of why we were picked,” Cass says.

Thumping footsteps approach from behind us. Elliot smiles walking up to us. His presence relieves my anxiety a bit. Cass can be intimidating. She drops my elbow, as he whispers something into her ear. She whispers back, this one I can hear.

“Belle knows,” she says. Elliot glances over to me, then back at Cass. Cass’s smile returns and she speaks out loud, “All on her own too. Smart girl.”

I worry about the recorder. That conversation ought to sound suspicious, right? Cass and Elliot don’t seem worried. Instead, rather, they approach a miner.

“Hi, what kind of mining do you do here? I’m looking for a job,” Elliot says, confidently. The miner wipes his hands on his pants before shaking Elliot’s hand.

“I’m Jack. I’ll walk you to the mine manager’s office,” he says. I carefully follow behind Elliot and Cass, wondering if they want Max and I to follow.

We end up in a carving inside the mountain –– not an office at all. The man stands against the rock wall, smoking a cigar. He dismisses our miner guide.

“I’m Eli, my brother and I are looking for work,” Elliot says. Cass holds Elliot’s bicep.

The mine manager slowly breathes out cigar smoke. He tilts his head and looks at me. Cass turns her head just enough to look at me too.

“What’s that girl here for?” he spits, ignoring Elliot and Max’s request. I curl my toes inside my shoes. Did I mess up? Was I supposed to wait outside?

“Belle, helps my wife, Caroline, with the kids. She’ll be at the home with my wife. We’re just getting her familiar with the area, in case we need her to run errands,” Elliot explains, calmly. I still think I messed up. The mine manager takes another slow puff of his cigar.

“Can you and your brother lift 100 pounds?” he asks. Elliot nods. The man does not reply. Instead, he uses his cigar as a pointing stick, towards a large sack. I try to get a better look at it, but I can’t tell what’s inside. Cass drops Elliot’s arm and he walks over to the sack. He grips the top of the sack with his right hand and places his left under the belly of the sack. Easily, it seems, he curls it to his chest. He puts it down and Max walks over. I almost get nervous for him. I can see his hands shaking. He grips the bag, just as Elliot did. Cass returns to her position on Elliot’s arm, gently rubbing it.

“Do you think he can?” she mutters. Elliot glances at her.

“I didn’t think I could,” he says. Using his legs, Max squats and pushes up, raising his body and the sack into the air. I hold my breath as his knees pop into place. He gently sets it down, smiling. Thank god.

“Hired,” The man says, “You start tomorrow. 5am.”

We walk out of the cave, as the sun sets into the horizon. Max grumbles about it being night time already. We must’ve landed late in the afternoon.

“I think this is a good spot for us to sleep,” Elliot says, randomly, in the middle of the street. In fact, in the worst possible place we could sleep. I look around, to make sure I’m not missing something,

“Yeah, I’m getting tired. Let’s just set up camp here,” Cass says. I look over at Max, but he makes no comment towards me. And then I realized it. It’s fake, for the recorder. Elliot reaches into his pocket and stops it.

“Good,” he says, “We need to go into the woods and talk. I think there may be listeners anywhere nearby.”

Cass starts walking, “I agree.”

In front of me, they talk. She smiles, he laughs. He grazes her hand with his, but doesn’t explicitly grab it. These are the kind of gestures that I dream of. A soft hand craving my touch. Sunset smiles and laughs. Making peace with a horrible situation because you have each other. I dream of love.

I think of my boyfriend back home. I’ve already decided, when this is all over, I’m breaking up with him. I need to find someone who loves me like Elliot loves Cass. I need to explore my sexuality. I need to experience happiness.

We get to the woods. There, Max builds us a fire. We all sit side by side. I’m between Max and Cass. Elliot sits next to Cass, on the end. The blaze of the fire warms my face.

“So, we all know now?” Max says, glancing at me. I nod.

Cass smiles and gently pulls me towards her into a hug, “I think she’s known longer than you, Max,” she teases. He scoffs into a smile. Cass releases the hug.

“Now, we need to interrogate you,” she says. My heart skips a beat until the fire reflects a smile into her face. “So, Belle, why do you think you’re here? Do you have any guesses? You’re our mystery,” she asks.

Max raises his finger in the air, “Wait, why does she not get threatened with a knife? I about shit my pants for 4 hours. And you’re just asking her?”

“She’s 16, Max,” Cass says, “but, for the record, Elliot was threatened with a knife and a gun. Proceed, Belle.” Elliot laughs behind her. She leans back onto him.

“Well, my father is the Vice President, and I overheard a conversation,” I say. Cass makes a face at me, her eyebrows furrowed.

“What conversation?” Max chips in.

I close my eyes, taking myself back to the day of the conversation.

—--

I walk into the West Wing, because my father is supposed to be having lunch with me. His primary staffer told me that he’s in a meeting with the President’s Chief of Staff. I walk towards the Chief of Staff’s office. I hear my father shout,

“You are absolutely not using my child!!” I freeze in place. I’m his only child. They’re talking about me. I press myself against the wall. But, after a moment, I figure that playing on my phone would be best. If another staffer walks by or my father leaves the meeting, they won’t be suspicious. I do, however, creep closer to the door.

“This is not a choice, Mr. Vice President. You claim to be loyal to the cause. This will surely prove it,” The woman––the Chief of Staff––says. What cause? What involves me?

“I just don’t understand how she would be of any use. This seems like a punishment, more than anything else,” My father says. I hear footsteps creeping down the hall. I quickly open Candy Crush and play. The steps turn before the end of the hallway, thankfully. My heart races.

“We already have the other three individuals picked out. One, our enforcement officer, has a soft spot for kids. We feel that it’s essential for a teenager to be chosen. It’ll ensure he stays on track, to protect her,” she explains.

—--

Cass glances back at Elliot. She leans into him, his hands around her waist.

“Wow,” he mutters, “I’m sorry that you got stuck here because of me.”

—--

I contemplate what they’re talking about. Enforcement officer? I rack my brain. What could that be about? Is this a secret service thing? Are they like putting me into some other kind of custody?

“Pick a different teenager. There’s millions of them,” My father argues. I hear the clicking of high heels across the room. My throat closes as they approach the door. Are they leaving? The heels stop.

“I wasn’t finished,” she says, “Not only will she be with an excellent FBI agent, who as I mentioned, will do everything to protect her, but there will be two others. A woman, an amazing negotiator, one of your diplomats, will also be sent. She needs another woman for support. Namely, she needs someone trustworthy. This diplomat has many enemies, per our records, but anyone can trust a cute, chubby-cheeked 16-year old.”

I hear a grumble sound coming from my father, “Go on.”

“Lastly, she’ll be with a second man. He’s a forensic scientist and solved that little schistosomiasis episode we had in Massachuttes. He’ll be essential for administering the disease in the later decades. By then, I’m hoping our enforcer will get everyone on board. I expect her and the scientist to bond, because our enforcer is being specifically instructed to focus on the diplomat. It’s necessary to have an even number. Her personality will function well with everyone else’s’, namely the scientists’. And, of course, your/her bloodline will be protected. Logistically, being a black woman can help the team gain trust from slaves and avoid being identified as police,” she finishes. I feel like I’m going to throw up. Am I being sold as a slave? I dart down the hallway, back towards the main receptionist and throw up in the first bathroom I stumble into.

—-

I wipe a small tear from my eye, as everyone else stares at me in silence.

“I’m so sorry, Belle,” Max says. I glance over at him, briefly. He leans on his legs, curled up with them to his face.

I laugh, despite the tears, “Well, after hearing that, I was certain they were going to sell me as a sex slave or something, so this is significantly better.”

Cass looks at me with puppy dog eyes.

“Okay, continue the interrogation,” I say, trying to get everyone’s pity-stare off of me. Cass sits up straighter, Elliot’s arms still around her.

“What do you mean, when you say that they needed Max for a mission?” Cass asks.

I shrug, “I don’t think we’ve made it there yet.”

Cass asks for the paper and we look at it together. 1961: From the sky, you will receive injections. These are necessary vaccines to ensure population safety during an upcoming flu pandemic. Please administer to the intramuscular site throughout the Boston area. See injection site diagram below.

“Is that the next mission?” Elliot asks. I nod.

She gasps, reading it outloud. Elliot shakes his head, burying his head in his hands. Cass turns back to him and gently touches his knee.

“This is all my fault,” he whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear him. She squeezes his knee and sits next to him.

“It’s not, Elliot. They would’ve just picked somebody else,” she whispers back, nuzzling her head into his neck briefly. He runs his hands down his face and looks up.

He stares off into the distance, silent. Cass looks at him, equally silent.

“I just don’t understand. What is the goal? Why are we here?” Max mutters. Elliot doesn’t even elicit a response. He continues to stare into space.

“I think we need to be more aggressive. We need to start hunting Congressionalists. We need to kill them off,” Cass suggests. No one responds immediately.

After several minutes, Max pipes up, “Let’s start with tomorrow. Let ’em all die in the mine. Maybe we can even let Elliot wander around and pretend to scare people out of the mine. And the three of us say that there’s a secret Congerssionalist meeting.”

Cass nods, “I like the way you think.”

I look back over to Elliot. He continues to stare off aimlessly into space. Cass runs her hand up and down his arm, silently consoling him.

“Maybe we should go to sleep,” I suggest. Max agrees and the two of us rotate towards the other side of the fire, sprawling out for space. I cautiously watch Elliot and Cass. He hasn’t spoken in a while.

She gently taps the side of his face, “Hey, what’s going on?”

He ignores her, stuck in a trance, almost. She rotates in front of him, but he stares right through her. She grips his chin with both of her hands.

“Elliot,” she says, louder. He quickly pushes away from her and looks around at the area in the woods, panting heavily. She freezes, just looking at him. He slows his breathing, looking back towards her direction. What’s wrong with him?

“Sorry, what did you say?” he asks, at last. She gently grabs his wrist in her right hand and touches his cheek in her left. I realize that I’m absorbed in the moment. Too absorbed, actually, but I continue to stare.

Her eyebrows raised, she says, “What’s going on?”

He hitches his breath, “I don’t know.”

In response to this, she pulls him into a hug. His arms fly around her, one resting across her shoulder blades, the other crossing over her lower back and hitching at her hip bone. I notice his chest shaking. Crying. Suddenly, I feel so guilty for spying on such an intimate moment. I lean back down on the ground and close my eyes, imagining that maybe, somewhere, there is someone who will love and hold me like that.

I wake up in the morning, after everyone else. The three of them sit around the now extinguished fire. I glance at Elliot, who smiles at me. I feel guilty for spying all over again.

We eventually walk to the town. Elliot separates from the rest of us. He walks around, warning ‘people’ of the mine. He talks to small children, horses and trees––all for the recorder. Meanwhile, Max, Cass and I walk towards the mine itself. Cass steals some paper from the manager’s office while he’s out. On them, we write: Congressionalist meeting 10:20 am, Sonman ‘E’ Mine.

Max gathers the scraps of paper and divides them between us. We agree to focus on speaking to adult men, but invite them to bring interested wives. I stayed with Cass, since the mine manager didn’t like seeing me alone. Max, though, separated from us.

Cass puts on a fake, pageant smile. The first group of men she approaches are young miners smoking near the mine bathroom. They immediately stop talking as she gets close.

“Hi, boys,” she says, her voice raspy and drawn. They all smile at her, quite inappropriately. This must be her plan. One of the men starts to talk to her, but she cuts him off before I even realize what he was trying to say.

I stay back, as she saunters closer, “Are you boys Congressionalists?” They glance at each other. Uh oh. Was that too direct?

The one who started to talk opens his mouth again, “Depends who’s askin’... you or your sheriff husband?”

I squeeze my side in fear. I glance from Cass to the men to Cass to the men. Finally, she fluffs her hair.

“There ain’t no sheriff in this town. Just a woman to a man. Are ya?” she decides. The men glance at each other. They’re either obviously Congressionalists or obviously anti-Congressionalist.

The middle man, the shortest, youngest one says, “We are.”

Cass reaches into her apron pocket and pulls out one slip of paper. Silently, they take the paper and all three of them read it.

“We’ll be there,” he says, and with a wink, “You better be too, baby doll.”

She nods, winking back, “I’ll be speaking at the meeting, don’t worry.”

After speaking to at least 7 groups of miners, we stumble upon Max. He charismatically talks to an older gentleman. We watch him pass the paper and walk back over to Cass and I.

“T-minus 20 minutes until the meeting, T-minus 40 minutes until the explosion,” Cass says, looking at a large clock on a post.

Max nods, looking at the clock too, “I know they’re all Congressionalists, but don’t you feel the least bit guilty about this? Sending them all to their death, when they really could be saving them?” he glances at Cass, who nods, looking at the ground.

“Yeah,” she mutters, “Been at that point for about 4 years now, from my first CIA missions to killing Spainards in 1817…. It never gets easier.”

Max glances around us, towards the groups of miners, “They’re all so young.”

I feel something accumulating in my throat, choking me, almost. I muster out, “I just hope we’re doing the right thing.”

Max nods, solemnly, “Me too, Belle. I hope this is all worth it.”

Cass rubs her neck, “I promise it is. I promise. We’re going to make it back and there won’t be a crumble of democracy. But, I know how hard it is to look at that miner, who’s what? 18? 19? Younger than me. And, whole-heartedly believe he deserves to die. Honestly, he doesn’t… But, the cause is calling. We can’t leave any left behind.”

We pass out a few last minute papers, as a group. And, watch the masses pour into Cave ‘E’ right at 10:20. Nervously, we realize that maybe they’ll be too restless in 20 minutes. Elliot hangs back, by the woods, next to a tree, pleading for it not to go to the meeting.

“We need to go tell them to hang on, that it’ll start soon,” Cass exasperates, as men begin to complain.

Max shakes his head, “It explodes in 12 minutes, we’re going to have to make it fast.”

I look up towards the cave, the men are starting to sprawl.

“Max, you need to stay. You’re the speaker. Cass and I will run really quickly and tell them that you are on the way. They can look down and see you walking,” I suggest, feeling pressured for time. Cass nods.

“While we run up there, Max, run as far away as you can, so when they look back, you have time to be far away when it explodes,” Cass adds. Without warning, she grabs ahold of my wrist and starts sprinting up the mountain to the cave. The men quiet down as we approach the cave. Cass and I stand at the end, ready to run.

Cass clears her throat loudly, hushing any remaining conversations. I glance back. I can’t see the clock. How long were we running? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? We have to make this short.

“Apologies for the meeting running behind. Marvin, the speaker of this meeting is on his way,” she says, pointing to Max, who walks at least a mile from where the cave is.

One miner shouts, “What’s this even about? Our mine manager won’t be happy that we’re not mining.”

Cass glances back, I assume looking for the clock too. She takes a deep breath, “We have accumulated a large sum of money. We want you all to vote on what it should best be used for. We’re going into all Congressionalist communities and taking a poll. Marvin has the tools to administer it with him,” she explains. The men nod at her.

“We need to go,” I mutter at her. She nods, biting her lip.

“We are going to help Marvin with the supplies. See you in a couple of minutes,” she finalizes. We calmly walk out of sight before sprinting down the mountain.

Light flashes in front of my eyes. Orange. Red. Yellow. White. My feet come out from under me and a landing on my back completely knocks all the air out of my chest. With my chest in pain, I try to yell for help, but, at first, nothing comes out of my mouth. I try to glance around me: rocks, lots of rocks. My scream finally escapes my throat, making my ears feel like they’re filled with something. I try to itch out the blockage from my ear. I can’t move my legs. Or my left arm. I’m stuck. I need to find Cass. Is she ok?

Someone scoops me up, I try to see who it is. My eyes strain and I foggily make out the fact that it’s Elliot. I cough, it feels like rocks fly from deep in my chest out of my mouth.

“Where is Cass?” I cry, at last. He sounds like he’s crying too.

Huffing, he whimpers, “I don’t know, Belle. Max is looking for her. Right now, I’m going to take care of you the best that I can.”

He sets me down on the ground, in the woods, the gentle tap on the ground made my ears start ringing.

“Oh my god, Belle,” he mutters. I try to shake my head, but it only makes my newly found headache worse. “How bad does your leg hurt?” he asks.

I swallow. My leg? What about my head? I finally answer, “I don’t think it hurts at all. Why?”

“Your left, um, femur, I think, is sticking up straight. And, uh, your right foot, I don’t know how to say this, but it’s backwards,” he says, scanning me. I try to sit up and look at them, but so much blood rushes to my head that I fall back down. What does that mean? Am I paralyzed forever? I hear Elliot gasp. He touches the left side of my neck. I scream, involuntarily, at the pain of his touch. He apologizes profusely. I watch the clouds above me. Everything kind of swirls around me.

I hear Elliot scramble next to me, leaves crunching on the ground. But, this time I know better than to sit up and check. I hear quite a commotion, actually.

“Cassidy!” he says, relieved, “Are you ok?” she doesn’t answer. Instead, seconds later I see her face, leaning over me.

“Oh, Belle,” I hear her cry.

Max leans over me, covering his mouth with his hands. Cass starts bawling. I don’t understand. I’m literally fine. Maybe a broken bone, but I’m literally fine. And, whatever’s wrong with my neck. But, I’m fine.

I see Max comforting Cass. He holds her. Am I dying? Elliot squats over me, his brows furrowed and his eyes wide.

“Cassidy,” he cries, “What do I do?” In response, she merely chokes. Maybe she’s not ok? This must not be about me. I just have a broken bone.

She finally musters, “I don’t think there’s anything you can do, Elliot. If you pull it out, she might bleed to death. If you leave it in, it’ll get infected and…” she trails off, sobbing more. Horrifying cries come from someone’s mouth.

“Is she conscious?” Max butts in. They are talking about me. Bleed to death? Get infected?

I wince in pain, “Me? I’m fine.” This only makes Cass cry harder. “Am I not fine?” I ask. Cass completely buries herself into Max’s chest and they lean away, until I’m no longer able to see them. I’m not ok.

“We have to do something!” Elliot exclaims. I see him leaning over me, again. His eyes are wide, panicked. I’m going to die. Today.

“Let’s try to find a hospital. I will go ask around. Elliot, you and Cass can stay here. I’ll be back soon,” Max says.

Elliot agrees, but instead of staying put, he carries me down with Max. The movement makes my neck ache. Throbbing pain nearly pulses throughout my entire body. Every step wrecks my neck.

I’m placed on a bed of some sort. Or in a car, maybe.

“The nearest hospital is in Pittsburgh, we’re going to have to do it here. That’s too far to go,” A voice I don’t recognize says, “Don’t worry. I was a medic in the Great War.”

The man touches my neck. That must be what everyone is worried about. Pain scorches my entire body with his touch. I realize, now, that there must be something lodged in my neck. That can’t be good.

“I’m going to take it out,” The voice says. A horrifying series of sounds comes from the side of my neck: a grunt, tearing, gushing, Cass’s crying. I feel something new in my neck; it burns the muscles inside. I spread my eyes wide open in response to the pain and realize that they’ve been open. My vision is going. Everything is tinted with bright white. Death. I’m dying.

I need last words. My last words can’t be ’Am I not fine?’ My eyes dart back and forth, involuntarily as I think.

“I love you all,” I mumble, my lips not cooperating. More white takes over the remainder of my vision. My hearing goes next, Cass’s cries fading from my ears. I take one last Earthly breath and accept my fate. Goodbye.