Behind the Mask Page 5

“He’s an ass to me most of the time, so excuse me for being skeptical. And, for the record, I’m still mad at you for not telling me.”

  Nora looked down. “I understand. But can we try to have a nice time?”

  For the rest of lunch, Savannah carefully avoided the topics of animal rights, Haley, and Nick. One uncomfortable topic was all she could handle.

  * * * * *

  Savannah woke up early on her last day in South Carolina. Previous attempts throughout the week to get her family to understand her devotion to the cause had proved futile. Armed with her activist DVDs, she approached her family at the breakfast table. “Good morning,” she said.

  Her mother, father, and brother were each in different stages of eating breakfast. Her brother had started his second plate of bacon, eggs, and toast.

  “Want some Wilber?” Hunter taunted as he waved a piece of bacon in the air. The children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, had been Savannah’s favorite story growing up. She loved the small pig in the book named Wilber.

  Savannah made an effort to not behave like so many of the angry radical vegans she had met in the animal rights movement. It was getting increasingly difficult to remain civil when Hunter was antagonizing her daily.

  Savannah ignored Hunter and smiled at her parents. “Anyone up for watching some DVDs with me today?” She tried showing the DVDs to Nora earlier in the week, but Nora had refused to watch.

  Through a mouthful of food, Hunter said, “I’ll watch them with you if I can have snacks. How about some pork rinds or chicken wings?”

  “Screw you, Hunter.”

  “Savannah! That’s enough,” her mother scolded.

  “Tell him to leave me alone.”

  “Hunter, show your sister some respect,” her father added.

  “Thank you, Dad,” Savannah said.

  Savannah’s father put down his coffee mug and faced his daughter. “Savannah, while we respect your decision not to eat meat, you need to respect our choices as well.”

  “If you and Mother would watch my DVDs, you would both understand why I’m so passionate about the movement.”

  “Your mother and I both understand what happens at slaughter houses. We choose to eat meat products, and I am sorry if that upsets you, but neither one of us want to watch your DVDs. Those damn DVDs are one-sided propaganda. You’re too young and naïve to understand that your new friends are taking advantage of your innocence.”

  Savannah pushed away from table, her chair scraping the floor.

  “Don’t you want some breakfast?” her mother asked.

  “I’m not hungry.” Savannah stormed off. She went to her room and ripped her cell phone from the charger. She dialed Nick’s number. He hardly ever answered his phone, but miraculously he answered on the second ring.

  “Hello,” Nick said.

  “Thank goodness you answered. I needed to hear a friendly voice.”

  “Guess your visit isn’t going well.”

  “I’m ready to be back in LA. My family is getting on my nerves. Especially my asshole brother.”

  “You’ll be back tomorrow. Just ignore your brother until you leave.”

  Savannah flopped on her bed. Tears streamed down her face. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, babe.”

  “My parents aren’t supportive.”

  “Did you expect them to be?”

  “I don’t know what I expected, Nick. I didn’t expect them to be so closed-minded. I’m glad that Haley and I are looking for an apartment for this summer. I don’t want to move back here over summer break. I can’t stand the thought of living with these people ever again.”

  “Have you mentioned staying in LA to your parents?”

  “Hell no. I have to either find an internship or a job before I can broach the subject with them or they’ll freak.”

  “Probably better to have that conversation over the phone once you get your shit together,” Nick offered. “What do you have planned for your last night?”

  “Mother is fixing a special dinner tonight. Nora is coming over too. It should be nice unless I kill my brother. He’s such a shit.”

  “Hang in there. Tomorrow you’ll be home and I’ll take you out for a nice vegan dinner.”

  “Good, because I’m starving here. Nick, when I get home, I want to have a discussion about becoming more involved.”

  “Involved in what?” Nick asked.

  “The movement. I want to be more involved in the movement. I’m ready.”

  “Let’s not discuss this over the phone. We’ll talk about it when you get home.”

  “Promise?”

  “Of course. Enjoy your last night with your family. Try not to kill your brother.”

  “I’ll try. Thanks for listening to me vent.”

  “Anytime.”

  Savannah waited to hear the click of Nick’s phone.

  * * * * *

  Hunter arrived with Nora a couple of hours before dinner. Savannah had made some snacks, and the trio was sitting in the Carolina room eating hummus and tortilla chips when she noticed the uncomfortable glances being exchanged between her brother and Nora. Savannah’s mother and father joined the group and made polite chitchat. The tension grew, and finally Savannah couldn’t stand it any longer. “What?” she asked. “Just say what’s on your minds.”

  Her mother started the conversation. “Savannah, we’re worried about you. You’ve changed so much in such a short period of time, and we’re all concerned.”

  “Oh my God, is this an intervention of some kind?” Savannah asked. “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m a vegan, not a drug addict, for God’s sake.”

  “It’s not just the vegan thing,” Hunter bluntly stated. “It’s a combination of your strange new friends, the animal rights bullshit, and the weird dude you’re dating.”

  Savannah took a deep breath and tried to control her anger. “Look, Hunter, I appreciate the protective brother routine, but you don’t know Nick.”

  “How well do you know him, Savannah?” Hunter asked.

  “Mind your own damn business!”

  “That’s not fair,” Nora said. “Your brother loves you and is concerned about you. We all are.”

  Savannah turned her anger toward her parents. “So this nice little family get-together was merely a ploy to schedule an intervention. Thanks a lot. Well, I don’t need an intervention, and I don’t need any of you. I’m doing fine on my own.”

  “Sure you are,” Hunter said. “You’re doing fine spending Mom and Dad’s hard-earned money to traipse all over LA with a bunch of weird hippies, eating sprouts and trying to save the world one pig at a time. Then you come here spouting your rhetoric and trying to get everyone to watch your propaganda DVDs. Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?”

  Savannah felt her cheeks flush. She clenched her fists. Tears welled up in her eyes. Do not cry, she told herself. She wanted her family to see her as strong and confident, not weak and emotional.

  “Enough, Hunter!” Savannah’s father turned to face her, his only daughter. “This is not how we wanted to approach this topic with you, Savannah. We all love you very much, but you’re not using good sense. You accept what these crazy people tell you hook, line, and sinker, and you don’t take the time to think for yourself. You need to give up all this animal rights crap and concentrate on your studies. I’m paying a ton of money for you to attend that liberal school, so you can at least bring home decent grades.”

  Savannah’s mother interrupted and tried to de-escalate the situation. “Savannah, your father and I are extremely proud of you. You’ve grown into a beautiful, confident young lady, but we worry that some of your new friends don’t share your beliefs and values. You’re trying so hard to—”

  “You didn’t let me finish, Rebecca.” Savannah’s father seethed at the slight
to his authority. He took a breath before continuing, “Savannah, we do love you, and we’ll support you no matter what you choose in life, but be careful with these people. Don’t let them talk you into doing anything you don’t want to do.”

  “These people?” Savannah yelled. “These people are my friends and my family now. They watch over me and care about me. They support me and don’t judge me like you all are doing.”

  “Oh, come on,” screamed Hunter. “They support you only if you eat what they tell you to eat, believe what they believe, and do exactly what they tell you to do. Where is the freethinker who left here four months ago?”

  Savannah’s mother sat alone on the love seat trembling; tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “Shut the fuck up, Hunter!” Savannah screamed. “You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Besides, you’re one to talk. Why don’t you just go back to the brainwash center you call The Citadel. You have no room to talk about freethinking, Mister Regulation Uniform and Perfect Hospital Bed Corners. You live in a world where everybody looks the same, dresses the same, acts the same, thinks the same. You probably all share one brain behind those stone walls; so don’t ever talk to me about being a freethinker. I’m the only person in this family who’s not afraid to think outside of Southern ways. I want to thank all four of you for one thing. You’ve made my future clear. I now know where I want to be and who I want to be with. So thank you for that. I can’t wait to get on that plane tomorrow.”

  Savannah ran out of the room before her tears could betray her. Her last words still lingered in the air, even after she slammed her bedroom door.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Alexis

  February 2011

  After almost nine months in LA, Lexie finally managed to make a few friends in the animal rights community. She volunteered at the animal shelter and handed out pamphlets about factory farming in front of the local grocery stores. Facebook was a great source for finding out about protests and other events in the area. She enrolled in a class at Santa Monica College to give validity to her alias. The security culture of the underground movement caused paranoia among its members, so Lexie had to know her alias background as well as she knew her real background.

  Lexie called Kate en route to a demonstration. Kate answered in a chipper tone.

  “You’re in a good mood,” Lexie said.

  “It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, and I don’t have to work. Oh no, Lexie, are you working this morning? Do I need to come to work?”

  “Relax, I’m going to a demonstration. No big deal.”

  “Where’s the demonstration?” Kate asked.

  “It’s downtown. I found it online. Have you ever heard about the mass slaughter of dolphins that takes place each year at the Taiji Cove in Japan?” Lexie didn’t give Kate a chance to answer. “It’s a government-sanctioned, barbaric slaughter. I can’t believe this goes on, and I can’t believe that I never knew about it. It’s horrific.”

  “You got yourself all worked up,” Kate said.

  “It’s hard not to be worked up. Each year, between September and March, some 20,000 dolphins, porpoises, and small whales are killed in this bloody cove. The Japanese government claims that the slaughter is part of a cultural tradition, but according to investigators, the whole massacre is commercially driven. Many of the dolphins are sold to amusement parks. So, the poor creatures end up in captivity, on the food market, or simply left injured to die. The practice is fucking unbelievable!”

  “Whoa, girl. Take a breath,” Kate said.

  “I was up most of the night doing research.”

  Kate laughed. “It sounds like you’ve had a few too many cups of coffee this morning.”

  “Yeah, I might have surpassed recommended caffeine levels,” Lexie said.

  “You think?” Kate quipped.

  “I’m hoping to meet some new people. I’ll call you when I get home.”

  “Be careful, and call me if you need anything.”

  Lexie deleted the call from her call log and went over her backstory in her head. She started thinking about the training she received in the FBI’s undercover school. The FBI was the best in the world when it came to undercover certification. As part of the training, prospective undercover agents received classroom instruction during the daylight hours. In order to make the training more realistic, experienced FBI undercover agents were brought in from the field to portray criminals during evening training scenarios. Instructors selected different students each evening to operate as undercover agents. Students in the group not selected as undercover agents were tasked with secondary roles: surveillance or backup.

  Lexie had learned the importance of supporting an undercover operation as well as participating as the undercover agent. The instructor running the scenario gave the team a quick rundown of the scenario and who the undercover was supposed to meet. Inevitably, the instructor left out important details, in an added effort to simulate real-life situations and add to the stress level of the undercover. Scenarios ranged from conducting a drug deal in a motorcycle gang clubhouse to attending a formal cocktail party to gain counter-terrorism intelligence. It was the responsibility of the team and the undercover to know the elements of the crime and come up with a logical backstory for the undercover. The backstory was referred to as a legend. It included the undercover’s alias, date of birth, address, employer, and most importantly, how the undercover knew the other players in the scenario. Students were thrust into various scenarios with only their made-up backstory and their ability to talk. Needless to say, things often went south. Training ran into the early morning hours. Sleep deprivation techniques were used to make the training scenarios seem more real. Students were purposely kept awake following the late-night scenarios to socialize with instructors and experienced undercover agents. Lexie figured out early that she and the other students were not only being judged by their performances, but also by how well they worked a room during social interactions. Undercover work predominantly involved talking to people and building relationships.

  Lost in thought, Lexie nearly missed her turn. She took a breath, parked the car, and located the other demonstrators.

  Lexie remembered Kate’s advice to find a friendly face and talk to that person. Savannah Riley not only had a friendly face, but she also had a Southern accent. Lexie, being from the South herself, used that commonality to approach Savannah.

  “Where are you from?” Lexie asked.

  Savannah smiled. “South Carolina, and you?”

  “Alabama, originally, but now I live in Venice Beach. I had to ask, because I haven’t met many Southerners since I’ve moved here,” Lexie added.

  “Me either,” Savannah said.

  “I’m Lexie.” She extended her hand to Savannah.

  “Oh hi. I’m Savannah.” Shaking Lexie’s hand, she continued, “That’s my roommate over there with the bullhorn. Her name is Haley.”

  Bingo, Lexie thought. She recognized Haley from one of the photos the FBI analyst showed her. “Nice to meet you, Savannah.”

  The two chatted off and on during the course of the demonstration. LAPD arrived as expected and dispersed the crowd. Lexie was surprised when Savannah approached her after the demonstration.

  “Hey, Lexie, do you wanna go with me and Haley to the Veggie Grill for a snack?”

  “That sounds like fun. I’d love to go.”

  “Great,” said Savannah. “Do you know where it is?”

  “The one in Santa Monica?” Lexie asked.

  “Yeah, that’s the one. If you don’t know where it is, you can follow us.”

  En route to the restaurant, Lexie called Kate, putting the call on speakerphone. Kate answered on the first ring.

  “Hello, Lexie.”

  “Wow, you’re quick answering your phone.”

  “Only when you’re gallivanting about.
How was the demonstration?”

  “Great. I can’t really talk, because I’m following a couple of girls over to the Veggie Grill in Santa Monica. I don’t want them to see me talking on the phone.”

  “Nice.”

  “Can you write down a license plate number for me?”

  Lexie could hear Kate shuffling around on the other end.

  “I’m ready to copy.”

  “They’re driving a newer-model, red Toyota Prius, South Carolina plate number delta yankee sierra one two seven.”

  “I got it.”

  “Oh, and Kate, the passenger in the car is that Haley girl from the photograph I saw in the office.”

  “Even better. Do you want me to come out to cover you?”

  “No, I’m fine. We’re just going to hang out at the grill. I’ll call you when I’m clear.”

  “Sounds good. And Lexie, be yourself. You’ll do great.”

  When Lexie arrived at the restaurant, she quickly claimed the seat next to Savannah at a long table. As they sat, more people from the demonstration joined them but casually ignored her. When a group of men with tough-looking animal rights and anarchist tattoos walked in, Haley left the table and raced over to their leader—or who Lexie assumed was their leader. He looked the most hard-core. Lexie could feel him staring at her while he whispered to Haley. When Lexie looked up from the table, the men had been seated at a table on the other side of the restaurant, and Haley was walking towards her. “Where are you from, Lexie?” Haley asked.

  “Alabama.”

  “What part?”

  “Mobile. Have you ever been there?”

  “No,” replied Haley. “What are you doing in California?”

  Lexie could see where the questions were going. Haley was drilling her on her background. Good, Lexie thought. Bring it on.

  “Just hanging out and going to school.”

  “Where do you go to school?” Haley continued.

  “Santa Monica College. What about you?”

  Before Haley could answer, Savannah chimed in.

  “Haley and I both go to USC.”

  Haley gave Savannah a sour look, but Savannah was oblivious. Lexie definitely caught the suspicious vibe.