Petra’s Truck
“I know, we keep changing who is where, but I think I came out on the better end. These seats are nice.” Amber said from the passenger seat.
“That’s ok. As much as I like Violet, our music tastes are…different.” Petra tried to be a little delicate, since she was basically badmouthing Amber’s daughter.
“Ain’t that the truth! There was a year where all she listened to was a mix of Gregorian chants and Japanese drums! She loved the high-end headphones she got for her birthday, but they were really presents for me!”
“Since I wasn’t in the planning meeting for today, how are things looking?” Petra asked.
“With Garen’s discovery yesterday, and the half a day lost with the fallout, he’s feeling seriously behind schedule, not that he let it show too much before Kara put him back in his place.”
“It’s weird how those two act with each other. I thought Garen was in charge, but it seems like Kara is doing a lot of the steering and keeping things on track.” Petra said.
“There’s definitely more to those two than meets the eye, for sure.”
“I heard Nolan say something about seeing the two of them sleeping together.” Petra said conspiratorially.
“Well, yeah, they are in Ivar’s camper together on this little jaunt we are taking.”
“No, this was back at Chance’s. He said he saw Kara in bed naked with Garen.”
Amber just shook her head before she answered. “Adult people playing adult games. Even if he walked in and caught them boinking on the dining room table, it’s none of our business until it is.” Amber grinned at Petra before she continued.
“Speaking of ‘none of our business’, how are Jennifer and Jonas doing? I haven’t had a chance to talk with them for more than five minutes, and you spend the most time with them.”
“They’re doing fine. What all do we need to do for the poor girl in our backseat?” Petra blurted, turning to look at where the older girl was laid out in sleeping bags and blankets on the back seat.
Amber smiled at Petra’s hurried topic change, along with the unconscious blush to her face. Given the obvious opening to bitch about Jonas being clueless to her advances like the last time the subject came up, and Petra dodged the topic in a hurry. This might be a good thing.
“I’ll mostly take care of her. That’s why I’m in here with you, and why Jennifer is in with the other two and Hanna. Lots and lots of tiny meals and slowly try to build up their strength again.”
“Jennifer will be good at that. She’ll keep Hanna entertained, too.”
Amber just shook her head. She already had to warn Hanna about Jennifer, especially how Hanna resembled one of Jennifer’s favorite animated characters. She also noted, not for the first time, the warmth in Petra’s voice when she was talking about Jennifer.
Amber glanced around and spied the flashcards sticking out of a slot in the console.
“I see you and Violet have been practicing.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. If it comes to it, and we have to go in, we will be ready.” Petra’s voice turned to serious determination.
“I know you will. I have faith in you, but It’s a real shit sandwich of an idea Violet came up with. My daughter? Brilliant but too bold by a long way. I hate that I can’t find enough technical flaws to convince her out of it, or you for that matter. That’s why those of us in on the plan are trying to come up with every advantage, every last bit of training we can do to give you two the best shot of coming through the other side unscathed.”
“I know, and trust me, it scares me shitless just thinking about it, but Violet’s right. It’s probably the only way we can know who the bad guys are and who is just stuck or trapped in a bad situation.”
“So how has the practice going?”
“We know are details pretty good already and haven’t been stumped by any of the first three sets of cards.”
“Good.” Amber wasn’t sure if this was the right time for the next questions, but she had plenty of time while they drove to talk. It would help her not dwell on poor Megan’s condition as much.
“I know you said the physical aspect wouldn’t be a problem when we first started this process. Now that you are hip deep in the plan, are there going to be any issues? Do you still think you can pull it off?”
Petra winced, just a little before she answered.
“The…well…Yeah, I can do it. Part of the thing that will help sell it will be finding the right type of clothes to sell it easier.”
Amber could feel some of the hurt still under the surface. She knew there was some struggling deep in Petra she was pushing through. This also told Amber how important Petra thought Violet’s plan was. Time to put at least a half smile on her face.
“So, what does Jonas think of the plan now that you two are together?”
“WHAT? Did he tell you? Or was it Jennifer? I bet it was Jennifer! We weren’t going to tell anyone! We don’t know what to call it! Which of them told you?”
Amber smiled at her. “You did. Just now.”
“Oh…” Petra didn’t know what to say. That much was obvious.
“So, I know part of the thing was to not let him see you act the ‘little girl’ but you should at least talk to him about it, since he will find out sooner or later, especially if we have to go through with it.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want him to see me as…”
“As what? A brave woman playing a part? Give him a little more credit. Besides, he might have a little more insight to help pull it off. Look at most the teens on television shows. They are played by twenty-somethings.”
“I know, I just don’t want him to turn into someone like my mother’s boyfriends.”
Now it was Amber’s turn to cringe. When they talked before, she was finally able to get Petra to spill about why she thought she could pull it off, and why. Amber was cursed with an active imagination and her years of training let her paint a far too vivid picture in her head. She could see poor Petra as a kid, watching her mother playing into some boyfriend’s ‘little girl’ fetish. From what Petra told her, those were the type of boyfriends her mother ended up with, and why she was scared of Jonas seeing her like that.
“Better to talk to him about it. I’m not saying he should watch you practice or anything, just you should let him know about it beforehand, so he doesn’t find out from somebody else.”
“You’re right. I know that, but I wouldn’t know how to even bring it up.”
“Tell you what. How about a compromise. Once we get there and get settled a bit, I can bring it up so you can talk to him about it. That way we can get it out in the open in a controlled manner, instead of a surprise sort of thing.”
“OK.”
Amber smiled again. “So, tell me how you got him to pull his head out of his ass and when?”