Ahreed walked over the tarmac to the steps leading to the plane, the man Russell always by his side. As he rose on the stairs he looked back across the airport, across Sydney. He felt unsure that he would ever see the city again.
Inside the plane there were two corridors: the woman Kirstin led Ahreed down the right hand corridor, past a wall and into a seating area. It was very comfortable. The chairs were wide and there was a table between them with drinks and food. Ahreed had only been on a plane once before and it had simply been rows and rows of seats. He had never seen a plane like this.
The man Russell sat down opposite and Kirstin directed Ahreed to his seat, next to her.
Kirstin sat down, watching Ahreed and then glancing up at Russell, his eyes fixed on hers in a way that was a bit disturbing for her. She knew she had already told the boy too much. Russell was her superior and he told Kirstin with his eyes that he was concerned. Kirstin trusted her instincts. She was ASIO's most qualified Middle Eastern cultural specialist.
Ahreed sat back and glanced across the table in between Russell and Kirstin. He was hungry and thirsty, since leaving the King's School at such a time meant he had missed lunch.
"Go ahead," gestured the woman Kirstin, "Have something to eat."
Ahreed stretched out his arm and grabbed one of the rolls on the table between the seats.
Kirstin watched him, wondering about her description of events and whether or not it had impacted on the interview she knew was about to happen in Canberra. The boy needed to be ready for what he was about to face.
Russell leant back in his chair and closed his eyes.
After awhile, Kirstin leaned forward to Ahreed and asked, "Are you still scared of us?"
The boy was drinking a bottle of orange juice, and as Kirstin spoke he pulled it away from his mouth to answer. "I'm scared, yes, Miss Kirstin."
"What is it you are scared of, Ahreed?" Kirstin asked, continuing to move through her required set of conversation points with Ahreed. There was a list of questions she was required to ask the boy before his arrival at ASIO Headquarters in Canberra. She was not sure if Russell was listening in, as he remained silent and motionless with his eyes closed in the seat opposite.
Ahreed held the orange juice bottle in his hand, then answered, "I'm scared I am in some kind of trouble, Ms Kirstin."
"I hope not, Ahreed," replied the young ASIO agent, "But we'll see once we get to Canberra."
Ahreed put down the bottle of orange juice on the table. The plane seemed to be turning and he could feel the floor beneath him tilting. He did not understand what the woman Kirstin had just said to him. 'She hopes not', thought Ahreed, going back over her words in his mind. What would happen to him if he has truly made some terrible mistake?
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