Gone

CHAPTER 12

“How long do you think we have to stay out here?” Ricky said, watching as the beat-up Wilson football Brian tossed to him flew over his head.

“Agent Parker’s car is still there, right? So at least until it leaves, dummy,” Brian said, gesturing for the ball.

Ricky searched for the ball in the tall grass. It had been almost an hour, and here they still were, out in the back “yard.” It was no yard. It was a field you couldn’t see the end of. It was the size of Central Park-Manhattan, maybe. It had been cool at first, but now it was just like everything else out here in nowhere land. Extremely boring.

“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” Ricky said.

“Probably how this place is too visible for us, and they need to send us somewhere really remote,” Brian said.

“This sucks,” Ricky said as he finally found the ball. “Even with the delay, you know Mary Catherine is going to want us to do our schoolwork anyway. I wanted to catch Matlock. Now it’ll be over by the time we’re done.”

“No,” Brian said. “What really sucks is that you actually care if you miss a stupid, crappy eighties show about an old guy.”

Jane, sitting with her back to the car shed, dropped her book and jumped up and intercepted Ricky’s return pass right before Brian could catch it.

“It could be worse,” she said.

“Give me the ball,” Brian said.

“How the hell could it be worse, Jane?” Ricky continued. “New York had its downsides, but I had, like, friends, you know? Things I liked to do. Now I’m a hick. We don’t even go to school! I mean, if we had a washboard and a jug to blow into, we could start a band.”

“Give me the ball,” Brian insisted again.

Jane finally flicked it to him.

“He’s telling the truth, you know, Jane. Last week, I even busted Dad listening to country music. I’m starting to think there is no threat from that cartel guy. Maybe Dad’s just gone crazy and turned the whole lot of us into a bunch of crazy backwoods hicks.”

“But I thought you liked the animals, Ricky,” Jane said, ignoring Brian.

“For about five minutes,” Ricky said. “I’m going to be thirteen, Jane. Old MacDonald sitting on his stupid fence has lost his charm.”

“Exactly,” Brian said, overthrowing Ricky again by twenty yards. “It’s bad enough we’re living out here like doomsday preppers. Do we have to actually become farmers? In fact, I say we end this right now. If the peewees want to follow Mr. Cody around, more power to them. My days of waking at the crack of dawn and working for free are done.”

“You said it,” Ricky agreed, throwing the ball back to his brother. “Don’t they have child-labor laws in this state? Only problem is, how are we going to get out of it?”

“He’s right, Brian,” Jane said, intercepting the ball again. “Mary Catherine won’t sit still for that. You know how much she likes Mr. Cody.”

All three of them turned as they heard the rental car start. Agent Parker waved to them before getting in and pulling out. They stood in the field, waving back until they couldn’t see the car anymore.

“No! Come back! Take us with you!” Ricky said.

“Don’t worry, little brother. I have a plan,” Brian said, spinning the ball up in the air. “You just leave it to me.”