Post by Lindsey on Jul 15, 2007 15:49:18 GMT -5
Okay, here's the latest chapter. Sorry it took me so long to finish this/get this up...this last week has been crazy for me! Hope you all enjoy it--leave comments! 
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Apolo sat down next to his father, discreetly handing him the note. Grace stood awkwardly at the edge of the table with Jake, wondering what to do next.
The more Apolo talked with Yuki, the more Grace was itching to know what the letter said. The reporter switch in her had turned on, and that meant she had to know what was going on. The fact that Apolo had refused to say anything to them and that he’d specifically warned her to not say anything about it only piqued her interest more.
Jake nudged Grace with his elbow. “What do you think is up?”
Grace shook her head. “I haven’t the foggiest idea. But I think he’ll tell us soon.”
“I’m, like, still shaking,” Jake tried to laugh. “I’ve never been held at gunpoint before.”
“Yeah,” Grace nodded. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah,” Jake shrugged. “It’s just a little…”
“Okay, guys—” Apolo interrupted them, standing up and coming over. “Let’s go outside.”
The four of them—Apolo, Yuki, Jake, and Grace—met outside a few moments later. It was almost completely dark now, and Grace had to squint to see Apolo’s face in the shadows. What she saw was absolutely no expression.
Apolo opened the letter slowly and cleared his throat as if he was going to start reading to them. His eyes darted to Grace’s and back to the letter, and then back to hers again, where they rested. Grace’s eyebrows wrinkled.
What’s he thinking?
He folded up the letter. “I don’t have to read this in order for you to know what it says. I’ve gotten stuff like this before. Every time it’s been serious, been nervewracking. But this time… it involves more than just me. It’s a threat against my dad, too.”
Grace suddenly felt her knees go weak.
“What kind of threat, Apolo?” she heard Jake asking.
“A death threat,” Apolo said simply.
Grace involuntarily sucked in her breath. A death threat. A thousand things flew threw her head, but none of them seemed to congeal into normal thoughts.
“The best policy under these situations is to keep things quiet,” Apolo said, looking to Yuki, who was nodding in agreement. “But this time, it has to stay quiet. If we publicize this at all, we’re dead. Literally.” He laughed, but it was obvious he wasn’t joking. “This says if the police or the press are contacted at all, they’ll take ‘immediate action,’ whatever that means. I don’t want to find out.”
“Why are they threatening to kill you?” Grace managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.
Apolo raised an eyebrow. “It’s more complicated than just a reason to want to kill me. Whoever these people are—and of course, we don’t know who they are—they’re involved in short track somehow and don’t want me to race…at all. If I do, they’ll do…whatever…and if that’s not enough to stop me, they’ll hurt Dad instead.”
Everyone was silent for a minute, and Grace’s mind took it all in. Now that her initial shock was over, she felt a sudden urge to whip out a notebook and take down everything Apolo said. This would be the biggest story Seattle had seen in years. Forget the embezzlement scandal. She could see the headline now—“Hometown Olympian receives death threat”—and her name in the byline. That would make stupid Mark believe she was for real. The realization of what she was thinking sunk in, and she felt ashamed for her thoughts. How stupid, Grace, she chastised herself. This is serious. Apolo could be in danger. What a time to be thinking about your job.
“What a mess.” Jake turned his back to the group and he swore softly. When he turned back around, he was hanging his head and shaking it like he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Apolo’s eyes were locked on Grace and vice versa. Grace saw that warning look in his eyes again and she had to question it.
“What are you looking at me like that for?”
“I’ve never had to deal with anyone like you before, and I’m just not sure--”
Grace’s eyes flashed and something struck her inside. “Deal with anyone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll talk later,” Apolo responded.
That burned Grace, but she held her tongue. Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? But the thing that upset her the most was that Apolo was worrying she might do exactly what she had just considered doing—going to the press with the story.
After a few more minutes of talking, the group decided to call it a night. They needed some time to think about what had just happened and what they were going to do next, Yuki had decided. Grace didn’t wait for Apolo and walked on ahead. She heard his footsteps behind her.
“Grace, wait up,” Apolo called out to her.
“What for? Why would you want to bother with anyone like me?”
“You didn’t let me finish, Grace,” he said, catching up with her and stepping in front of her to try to stop her.
Grace stopped and looked at him. “Apolo, when I agreed to be friends with you, I didn’t expect to be caught up in something like this. The least you could do is treat me with a little respect.”
“Respect? What? What are you talking about?”
“You’re, like, singling me out as if I’ve done something wrong already!” Grace shot back. “Are you worried I’d write up a front-page story on you or something?” she blurted. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she hoped he didn’t really suspect that she’d thought about it.
“If this was just about me, I wouldn’t be so on edge,” Apolo responded. “But with my dad involved, I can’t have you doing anything that would endanger him.”
Grace shook her head, resentment building up inside her. As much as she wanted to write a story about this, she knew Apolo was right. People’s lives were at stake. But that’s all the more reason to raise awareness about this! she argued with herself internally. It’s the people who let these kinds of things go on in obscurity who are really in danger.
“I know you care about your dad, and I care about you both, too,” Grace finally said. “But they can’t have this kind of control over you. You have to let the police know, and if word of this gets out, you’ll probably be safer, actually. With so many people watching you—police and press and whatnot—how could whoever this is possibly get access to either of you?”
Apolo stared at her. “What are you talking about? Grace, do you not get that these people mean business? No fooling around here. Having some big story published in the newspaper isn’t going to make it safer for me, and the police are just going to mess things up even more if they get involved. I’m just going to wait it out and see what happens.”
“Indefinitely?”
Apolo swallowed but said nothing. Grace could see the muscle in his jaw tightening again.
“Are you being serious? You’re going to actually comply with them?” Grace shut her eyes for a second and then looked back up at him. “Apolo, are you willing to give up your passion in life, your entire skating career for something like this? It never stopped you before. Why would it stop you now?”
He still remained silent, his brown eyes looking into hers with something she couldn’t really make out.
“Whatever, Apolo,” she said, side-stepping him and walking past him. “I thought you were stronger than that,” she said softly. She knew he’d heard her.
Grace’s fingers fumbled with her keys as she stood in front of the newspaper building, still dressed in her evening clothes. She finally found the right key and shoved it into the lock. It was almost midnight, and she could only see a few lights burning in the windows of the tall building.
The security guard stood up when she walked through the door, but he recognized her and nodded. “Got some big story to write up?” he asked as she walked past him to the elevator.
“Something like that,” she mumbled, attempting to disguise the anxiety that was taking over her.
“That’s a pretty fancy dress to work in,” he laughed at her, but she ignored him and stepped into the elevator as it opened.
As she rode up to her floor, the quietness and emptiness inside the elevator swallowed her up, her own thoughts sounding too loud in her ears. What am I doing here? was the loudest of her thoughts, echoing and re-echoing in her mind.
Grace got off the elevator and walked into the newsroom. A few reporters were still sitting at their desks—the lights were off in the main room, but their desk lamps and computer screens provided enough illumination for her to see who they were—Eddie, Karen, and Jack—probably the best reporters the paper had. So this is why they’re so successful, Grace thought. They’re here until the wee hours of the morning every night. What a life. And now I have the chance to be one of them.
A few moments later, she was sitting at her own desk, flipping on her desk lamp. She turned her computer on, but even when it was finished booting up, she was still staring at it blankly, again wondering what in the world she was about to do. Her elbows propped up on her desk, she let her head fall into her hands. Her shoulders shook for only a moment and then she lifted her head, biting her lip.
Trust yourself, Grace. You know what to do.
Grace nodded, as if that would give her any more confidence. Somehow, though, it did give her some reassurance, and in a matter of seconds, her fingers were flying across the keyboard.
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Apolo sat down next to his father, discreetly handing him the note. Grace stood awkwardly at the edge of the table with Jake, wondering what to do next.
The more Apolo talked with Yuki, the more Grace was itching to know what the letter said. The reporter switch in her had turned on, and that meant she had to know what was going on. The fact that Apolo had refused to say anything to them and that he’d specifically warned her to not say anything about it only piqued her interest more.
Jake nudged Grace with his elbow. “What do you think is up?”
Grace shook her head. “I haven’t the foggiest idea. But I think he’ll tell us soon.”
“I’m, like, still shaking,” Jake tried to laugh. “I’ve never been held at gunpoint before.”
“Yeah,” Grace nodded. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah,” Jake shrugged. “It’s just a little…”
“Okay, guys—” Apolo interrupted them, standing up and coming over. “Let’s go outside.”
The four of them—Apolo, Yuki, Jake, and Grace—met outside a few moments later. It was almost completely dark now, and Grace had to squint to see Apolo’s face in the shadows. What she saw was absolutely no expression.
Apolo opened the letter slowly and cleared his throat as if he was going to start reading to them. His eyes darted to Grace’s and back to the letter, and then back to hers again, where they rested. Grace’s eyebrows wrinkled.
What’s he thinking?
He folded up the letter. “I don’t have to read this in order for you to know what it says. I’ve gotten stuff like this before. Every time it’s been serious, been nervewracking. But this time… it involves more than just me. It’s a threat against my dad, too.”
Grace suddenly felt her knees go weak.
“What kind of threat, Apolo?” she heard Jake asking.
“A death threat,” Apolo said simply.
Grace involuntarily sucked in her breath. A death threat. A thousand things flew threw her head, but none of them seemed to congeal into normal thoughts.
“The best policy under these situations is to keep things quiet,” Apolo said, looking to Yuki, who was nodding in agreement. “But this time, it has to stay quiet. If we publicize this at all, we’re dead. Literally.” He laughed, but it was obvious he wasn’t joking. “This says if the police or the press are contacted at all, they’ll take ‘immediate action,’ whatever that means. I don’t want to find out.”
“Why are they threatening to kill you?” Grace managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.
Apolo raised an eyebrow. “It’s more complicated than just a reason to want to kill me. Whoever these people are—and of course, we don’t know who they are—they’re involved in short track somehow and don’t want me to race…at all. If I do, they’ll do…whatever…and if that’s not enough to stop me, they’ll hurt Dad instead.”
Everyone was silent for a minute, and Grace’s mind took it all in. Now that her initial shock was over, she felt a sudden urge to whip out a notebook and take down everything Apolo said. This would be the biggest story Seattle had seen in years. Forget the embezzlement scandal. She could see the headline now—“Hometown Olympian receives death threat”—and her name in the byline. That would make stupid Mark believe she was for real. The realization of what she was thinking sunk in, and she felt ashamed for her thoughts. How stupid, Grace, she chastised herself. This is serious. Apolo could be in danger. What a time to be thinking about your job.
“What a mess.” Jake turned his back to the group and he swore softly. When he turned back around, he was hanging his head and shaking it like he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Apolo’s eyes were locked on Grace and vice versa. Grace saw that warning look in his eyes again and she had to question it.
“What are you looking at me like that for?”
“I’ve never had to deal with anyone like you before, and I’m just not sure--”
Grace’s eyes flashed and something struck her inside. “Deal with anyone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll talk later,” Apolo responded.
That burned Grace, but she held her tongue. Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? But the thing that upset her the most was that Apolo was worrying she might do exactly what she had just considered doing—going to the press with the story.
After a few more minutes of talking, the group decided to call it a night. They needed some time to think about what had just happened and what they were going to do next, Yuki had decided. Grace didn’t wait for Apolo and walked on ahead. She heard his footsteps behind her.
“Grace, wait up,” Apolo called out to her.
“What for? Why would you want to bother with anyone like me?”
“You didn’t let me finish, Grace,” he said, catching up with her and stepping in front of her to try to stop her.
Grace stopped and looked at him. “Apolo, when I agreed to be friends with you, I didn’t expect to be caught up in something like this. The least you could do is treat me with a little respect.”
“Respect? What? What are you talking about?”
“You’re, like, singling me out as if I’ve done something wrong already!” Grace shot back. “Are you worried I’d write up a front-page story on you or something?” she blurted. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she hoped he didn’t really suspect that she’d thought about it.
“If this was just about me, I wouldn’t be so on edge,” Apolo responded. “But with my dad involved, I can’t have you doing anything that would endanger him.”
Grace shook her head, resentment building up inside her. As much as she wanted to write a story about this, she knew Apolo was right. People’s lives were at stake. But that’s all the more reason to raise awareness about this! she argued with herself internally. It’s the people who let these kinds of things go on in obscurity who are really in danger.
“I know you care about your dad, and I care about you both, too,” Grace finally said. “But they can’t have this kind of control over you. You have to let the police know, and if word of this gets out, you’ll probably be safer, actually. With so many people watching you—police and press and whatnot—how could whoever this is possibly get access to either of you?”
Apolo stared at her. “What are you talking about? Grace, do you not get that these people mean business? No fooling around here. Having some big story published in the newspaper isn’t going to make it safer for me, and the police are just going to mess things up even more if they get involved. I’m just going to wait it out and see what happens.”
“Indefinitely?”
Apolo swallowed but said nothing. Grace could see the muscle in his jaw tightening again.
“Are you being serious? You’re going to actually comply with them?” Grace shut her eyes for a second and then looked back up at him. “Apolo, are you willing to give up your passion in life, your entire skating career for something like this? It never stopped you before. Why would it stop you now?”
He still remained silent, his brown eyes looking into hers with something she couldn’t really make out.
“Whatever, Apolo,” she said, side-stepping him and walking past him. “I thought you were stronger than that,” she said softly. She knew he’d heard her.
* * *
Grace’s fingers fumbled with her keys as she stood in front of the newspaper building, still dressed in her evening clothes. She finally found the right key and shoved it into the lock. It was almost midnight, and she could only see a few lights burning in the windows of the tall building.
The security guard stood up when she walked through the door, but he recognized her and nodded. “Got some big story to write up?” he asked as she walked past him to the elevator.
“Something like that,” she mumbled, attempting to disguise the anxiety that was taking over her.
“That’s a pretty fancy dress to work in,” he laughed at her, but she ignored him and stepped into the elevator as it opened.
As she rode up to her floor, the quietness and emptiness inside the elevator swallowed her up, her own thoughts sounding too loud in her ears. What am I doing here? was the loudest of her thoughts, echoing and re-echoing in her mind.
Grace got off the elevator and walked into the newsroom. A few reporters were still sitting at their desks—the lights were off in the main room, but their desk lamps and computer screens provided enough illumination for her to see who they were—Eddie, Karen, and Jack—probably the best reporters the paper had. So this is why they’re so successful, Grace thought. They’re here until the wee hours of the morning every night. What a life. And now I have the chance to be one of them.
A few moments later, she was sitting at her own desk, flipping on her desk lamp. She turned her computer on, but even when it was finished booting up, she was still staring at it blankly, again wondering what in the world she was about to do. Her elbows propped up on her desk, she let her head fall into her hands. Her shoulders shook for only a moment and then she lifted her head, biting her lip.
Trust yourself, Grace. You know what to do.
Grace nodded, as if that would give her any more confidence. Somehow, though, it did give her some reassurance, and in a matter of seconds, her fingers were flying across the keyboard.
Wow! Cliffhanger much? lol This was another great chapter! Wow! You have rendered me practically speechless (and that doesn't happen much...) ;D
;D
