Free Pigment by Renee Topper Page B

knew them better. She can’t call them brothers and sisters. Those terms would be too strong and too religious. While they clearly believe in their mission, they have different gods and they have color.
    Lalique, a tall athletic young man of 18 will be the decoy. He’ll draw the attention of security and lure as many of the guards as possible away from the stage.
    Karim and Lamar, cousins who look like twins, will fend off the few remaining security guards or anyone who might try to intervene, while Rhadi, Aliya and Shaey storm the target at center stage.
    Lamar asks in a voice, seemingly too deep for his small frame, “Who is the target?”
    Rhadi leans forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees, his hands almost clasped in prayer with his index fingers gently tapping his plump lips. “That’s why we came all the way out here, so you could see him with your own eyes. Look, casually, one at a time. Three o’clock.”
    Lamar looks first and turns back to high-five Rhadi “Yes.” Rhadi takes his hand down with a cover smile, “discretely.”
    Lamar, “I know man, but that’s Luamke!” Surprised by the high rank and notoriety, the rest of the team looks together to spot Magistrate Luamke. Thankfully, Luamke is far enough away at the bar and so much consumed by his conversation that he doesn’t notice all the eyes on him.
    Rhadi pulls their attention back to their circle. “That’s right and we need to keep it quiet if we are going to pull this through. Understand?” Lamar sits back in his seat, getting it. “We will get him for you, Aliya, and everyone with your condition.” His sympathy… his pity, echoes in Aliya’s mind. Even here, in this moment, singled out. Even though its meant in support, and even though its for her cause, it is still isolating, stiflingly so. “Be in your places on time tomorrow morning.” He adds, “in all white.”
    The others leave but Rhadi and Aliya remain. She didn’t turn when the others did. Meeting here isn’t the smartest idea. They are far too conspicuous a group. It’s not a typical hangout for a bunch of college kids. They look displaced. But now, her back to Luamke, she turns slightly to see him on the edge of the wide rim of her hat. She studies him thoroughly while Rhadi tells her why he’s been chosen. “Magistrate Luamke is one of the most corrupt officials in Tanzania. His deals with the private foreign corporations lack any transparency. While he himself gets richer and fatter, the people he should be helping have become skeletons, his pawns. Those in his district who have been arrested for crimes against albino people, have never been tried, not one hunter or witch doctor has been tried, let alone prosecuted. But it’s worse than this. He is somehow profiting from the albino trade, if he himself is not responsible for it.
    At this, she looks back at Rhadi. “But is it true? Is there proof?”
    Rhadi insists, “I believe he is guilty. But even if I don’t have hard evidence to put in your hands right now, he is worth making an example of, to get the attention we need from the media.” Rhadi continues, “But you’re not sure, Aliya. Only you can decide this. You’re nervous. We all are. But we can’t back down now. After all the planning...You out of all of us...If we do this without you, it doesn’t mean half as much. I know it’s hard. Don’t you trust me?”
    Aliya rebuts, her pre-law and debate classes rising to the moment, “That’s not fair.”
    “Nothing’s fair, but you need to decide now. Are you in or out? Cause if you’re out, we need to call it off.”
    “Call it off? Why?”
    “We can’t put everyone at risk. We have it planned for six people. If you are out, we need to call it off and plan something else for another time.”
    Aliya is troubled by this new condition and pressure. Put everyone at risk? Look at where we are! She thinks. Rhadi continues to sway her as she puts her focus back on her study.
    Luamke is black as