Free The Recruiters by Dara Nelson

creepy when one of the Elders links with me,” I said.
    “ You don’t seem to find it creepy when I do it,” Matt smiled.
    “ Well, duh,” I said as I went to his open arms.
    Carlos walked in then, holding the coffee and bag of food way out in front of him. “Ugh, this stinks,” he said as he set it on the table then he totally forgot what he was thinking as Stacy stood up from the couch, walked toward him, sat down at the table and began eating.
    “ So what’s the plan?” she said
    “ We leave tomorrow morning,” Matt said as he looked down at me.
    “ Tomorrow morning?” I said, my heart racing, my mind thinking ‘are we really going to do this?’
    He nodded. “Yep,” he smiled. I nodded, then closed my eyes and tried to find my courage.
    “ That soon, huh?” Stacy said with a mouthful of food. “I need to go to my apartment to pack first, okay? I need my own clothes because, no offense, Sarah, but you have a totally un-sexy wardrobe.”
    I smiled at her. “No offense taken, Stacy. Besides,” I said as I winked at Matt, “Matt might appreciate it if you helped educate me a bit.”
    She and I left after she finished her food, leaving the guys behind to make flight and boat arrangements. Of course, Carlos had tried to come. “Are you sure you don’t need my help?” he had pleaded.
    I placed my hand on his chest, “Down boy, relax, we’ll be back in thirty minutes,” I smiled at him, then turned and went out the door with Stacy. We spent twenty minutes at her place, packing the tiniest undergarments and bikinis that I had ever seen. I held one up, “This wouldn’t even cover Barbie’s butt,” I said.
    “ Really, Sarah. You have got to relax, there’s nothing wrong with feeling sexy,” she said.
    “ Sexy, yes,” I said. “Feeling naked in public, I’m not so sure about.”
    She rolled her eyes at me and continued packing. We stopped by the grocery store on the way home to get a few things for her lunch and dinner. She went to put the food away as I headed down the hall to pack my own things. “That was thirty-FIVE minutes,” Carlos said as I passed him. I was chuckling when I got to my room, but that laughter vanished instantly when I looked through the door.
    Matt was sitting on the end of the bed, staring straight ahead, completely motionless. I froze. My mind reached out to Carlos, ‘Quick, I need you,’ and he was by my side in an instant. I whispered to him, “Can you tell if it’s them?”
    He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again, “No, it’s not.”
    I took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. “Okay,” I said then I turned and pushed him backwards down the hall so we wouldn’t disturb Matt. “Who is he talking to?” I said.
    “ Gee Sarah, maybe I shouldn’t tell you,” he grinned. “Maybe he has a little sumpin-sumpin on the side.”
    I didn’t say a word. I just stared at him with my arms across my chest, and waited.
    “ Yeah, yeah, I know. That comment is pretty ridiculous in light of the fact that you two are completely addicted to each other. He’s just asking the others to make excuses and then meet us at Aaron’s. He’s telling them that we have something to talk to them about.”
    “ How many others Carlos?” I said.
    “ A lot Sarah,” he said. “I felt Bahiti in there, and Omoruyi, Michael, Billy, Anne, Stephen, Maggie, Trent, Miguel, Gabriel, Lizzie and they will pass the word to their trusted friends.”
    “ Wow,” I said as both relief and worry filled my heart at the same time. I turned and headed back down the hall
    “ You’re welcome,” Carlos called after me.
    “ Thanks,” I whispered, I didn’t want to startle Matt if he was still concentrating, but he was packing when I walked into the room.
    “ Any luck?” I said.
    He raised his eyebrow at me. He knew I was too new at this to try to sneak into his mind while he was communicating with others. If I had, he would have noticed. He smiled then as he realized what