Free WAR: Intrusion by Vanessa Kier

strained her patience. Now she could focus completely on setting up the clinic’s table and helping her students set up their displays on the adjoining table. The women glowed with pride and excitement once their exhibit was in place and they all gathered for a group photo.
    At a quarter to eight, forty-five minutes later than scheduled, the drums sounded to announce the beginning of the festival. Helen and the women joined the crowd that had formed on the athletic field to listen to the welcoming message from the regional governor. He was flanked by two bodyguards, standard practice for government officials even before the rebels had come onto the scene. The other speakers for the morning sat in a line at the back of the stage awaiting their turn at the microphone.
    As the governor droned on, turning his greeting into a political speech, Helen’s attention wandered. She studied the crowd, then did a double-take when she spotted Lachlan talking with Dr. Rene LaSalle at the edge of the jungle bordering the field. Their relaxed body language spoke to a comfortable relationship. Well, she supposed if Lachlan had been working in the region long, it made sense that he would know Dr. LaSalle. Still, Helen felt a spurt of envy. Except for when he’d kissed her, Lachlan had never been that relaxed with her. She wasn’t entirely certain he even liked her.
    A moment later, Dr. LaSalle clapped Lachlan on the shoulder, then walked away while Lachlan simply melted into the crowd. She made a mental note to check in with Dr. LaSalle before the grand opening. A doctor who traveled the region giving aid to those who most needed it, the half-Cameroonian, half-French doctor was something of a legend in West Africa, acclaimed for putting his own life at risk to help those in war zones. He had also offered to help Layla’s Foundation find a West African doctor to replace Helen, assuming they met their funding goal. Helen wanted to know if Dr. LaSalle had found a suitable candidate yet. It would strengthen her pitch this afternoon to the donors if she could promise that the clinic would soon be completely staffed by locals.
    After several more dignitaries spoke, Kwesi, his brother David and the other tribal chiefs in the region stepped onto the stage followed by several villagers carrying the boxes of MP3 players.
    “Now I wish to invite the children to come forward and receive a very special gift,” the regional governor announced. While the children made their way through the crowd, he continued, “This gift has been offered by a very generous local businessman. To our great sorrow, Mr. Natchaba was unable to break away from his business in order to join us here today. He asked me to tell you that he needs no thanks other than to see the children of this region receive the rewards they so justly deserve.”
    Once Kwesi and the others had passed out the small cartons of MP3 players, David led the children in a song of thanks. They received enthusiastic applause and Helen’s heart swelled to see the huge smiles on the children’s faces as they left the stage.
    “Now we will have an opening dance. Please welcome—”
    Boom!
    Helen flinched away from the burst of light and sound. To her left, a child screamed in terror and pain and a woman gave an answering howl of agony.
    What was going on? What had exploded? As Helen hurried to see if anyone had been hurt, she searched the crowd for familiar faces. Was everyone in her group okay? She’d last seen the women at the far edge of the field, close to their booth, but the rest of the villagers were interspersed with the rest of the crowd.
    The people nearest the explosion were running away, making it difficult for Helen to make forward progress. She pushed past a woman carrying a terrified toddler, then spotted Kwesi walking toward her with his son, Martin, and his father. Oblivious to the fear on his father’s face, Martin proudly held the MP3 player up for his father to see. Kwesi nodded