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"The Mysterious Woman in Room Three" is a young adult serial novel by Aya de León, which tells the story of two undocumented girls in Florida who uncovered a kidnapping conspiracy to prevent important climate legislation. This is the sixth and final part. 

Part 1: Exposure Part 2: Alliance Part 3: Planning Part 4: Undercover Part 5: Escape

When I stood behind the senator in the wheelchair, I could not look up and see Mr. Howell glaringly above my head. My hand relaxes on the handle. Shall we let him take her away? I can't even look up at any of my friends.

That's why I saw the moment Senator Samuelson woke up and sat up. "Who is this person?" she asked in a wheelchair.

I can't talk. I can't even open my mouth

"Mr. Howell," Davyn said. "He is a teacher in our school."

"Mr. Howell," she said contemptuously, and I haven't seen it in her yet. "You are useless in journalism these days. These brave young people are risking their lives for a bigger cause. One that will affect all of mankind. And all you can think of is yourself. I was kidnapped, and how many jailed I was. For a week. As far as I am concerned, you continue to hinder my escape to freedom. So leave us alone. And I will not accuse him as an accessory after kidnapping, conspiracy, and God knows what else happened."

"Senator—" Mr. Howell said, but she interrupted him.

"I don't know what the law imposes on teachers using confidential information to allow students to manipulate their obedience, but I assure you that this will not be a good thing. If anyone should be worried about the legal proceedings here, it should be you, sir."

Although she was a weak old lady, she did not blink. Mr. Howell swallowed and walked away.

The moment we passed by Mr. Howell, the senator's eyes dropped.

"Your carpool is waiting," Heidi said on the earbuds. "Blue Prius. Should I tell her where to send you?"

My heart is still beating my ribs, but I try to cheer myself up. "Miami Airport," I said softly. "And make sure there will be a doctor. The senator is really weak."

"Are we all going?" Davyn asked. "Should we look back to Heidi?"

"No," I said. "The senator needs to go directly to the airport."

"Can I interview her on the road?" Davyn asked. "If she wants to."

"Of course," I said. "Amandys, can you tell Davion all the background? I'll go back to Heidi."

"If there are any problems, we will redouble our efforts," Amandys said in Spanish.

I squeezed her hand, then they squeezed into the back seat of the Prius, and then accelerated to leave.

"These brave young people risk their lives for a bigger cause. One that will affect all mankind. And all you can think of is yourself."

I pushed an empty wheelchair and jogged back to Shady Orchards. Davyn signs and ends the call to all of us. He needs to use his cell phone to record his interview with the senator.

My name is Heidi. "Hey, girl," I said. "You are amazing! The sunrise pulled it down."

She said: "I thought of a lot from what I could hear." "What happened?"

I began to tell her. When I suddenly heard her yelling from the background, I was already at the part where I tried to push the Senator across the grass.

Feeling a tight internal organs, I started to run towards the high-end facilities and quickly pushed the wheelchair down the paved path.

"I told you," a woman's voice said in Spanish. "The patient is there."

"How did these lights go out?" another female voice asked sharply.

I couldn't hear the moment they turned on the light in the room, only the sound of two women panting.

"Who are you?" One of the demands of a female voice in English. It is louder than before. I don't know if she is near the phone or yelling.

"I want to call the police," one of the women said.

"No," the other said. "We have been working with a specific official. I have his card. We need to call him directly."

I think of the policeman Amandys saw on the first day. A treacherous policeman involved in a conspiracy.

There is no sunrise, the lawn is now empty. I broke through the door of Shady Orchards.

This time, I don't even want to be invisible. I left the wheelchair in the door without slowing down.

"Hey!" someone shouted behind me.

I just ignored them, ran to the hallway, and took out the key to room three from my pocket.

"This is a private facility," the voice behind me shouted. "you can not--"

I opened the door with the key and then locked it behind me. Two nurses stood on either side of Heidi, holding her arms. Heidi's body was completely limp, as if fainted. Did they calm her down?

She winked at me. The next thing I knew was that she stood tall and pushed the nurse away from her with her elbow. If she was standing at first, she might not be able to do it, but nurses are accustomed to keeping her weight, and when she stands up, they lose their balance.

She was still holding the monitor on her finger, and when she twisted her finger away, she put it up to unlock it. I don't know if she pointed it out to them on purpose.

I opened the door, and Heidi burst into tears behind me.

On the way out, we ran into the man standing behind me—he turned out to be a security guard—and we basically knocked him down.

We rushed down the corridor and out the front door. Heidi took off the hospital gown and let it fall behind her. The two of us ran into the street, but the security guard was behind us.

"How can we get rid of him?" I asked. "Can you call another carpool?"

We ran to the bus stop. This defender is not as good as ours, so he is almost a block behind us.

Heidi has taken out her key and is opening the lock.

"Take this," she said, and handed me the U-shaped lock in two parts: an opened U-shaped lock with a key hanging on the other end.

I know how two people ride a bicycle. We used to do this all the time when I was in Santo Domingo. We have a bicycle at home, and my cousin and I always had to double the rotation when we were young.

I sit on the seat and balance my feet with the bolts on the rear wheel.

Heidi stood on the pedal. But she has less experience in riding others, and she has not found her focus. She started slowly and the bicycle shook.

I looked back and saw that the security guard was chasing us.

The street has a slight uphill slope, which is not enough for you to notice when walking, but enough to notice when riding a bicycle-especially when riding with two people. Heidi is strong, but it is difficult for her to keep up with the rhythm.

The security guard was about the length of a car behind us. He reached out and took something out of his pocket. radio? Who does he want to call? A cell phone? Will he call that bad policeman? But then I realized it was a taser! He wants to molest us?

Heidi started to speed up the pedal, but he speeded up and almost caught up with us. He put the Taser in front of him, his arm stretched out to me from the air. But before he could do it, I threw the U part of the U-shaped lock into his Taser's hand, and he cried, and Taser flew out of his hand into the street.

Traffic stops on the other side of the intersection, but the lights will change soon. He must decide between saving his precious Taser and catching us.

He frowned at me, and I held up the other half of the U-lock like a weapon. I don't know if this is the reason why he changed his mind, but he gave us a name that I will not repeat, and then ran to the street to retrieve his taser.

Heidi finally picked up speed, and then we started to move, leaving him in a hurry.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "But you need a new lock."

I was frozen in the seat. Now everyone knows that we have no documents. What will happen now? Senator Samuelson threatened Mr. Howell, hoping that this would prevent him from filing charges with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But I didn't even have a chance to contact Heidi or Davion.

My eyes have been fixed on the back of the seat in front of me-a cream-colored artificial leather. I sit on one end of the Prius's back seat, and Davion is on the other end. The senator sits among us, thin and small; she is almost like a child.

She sat with her eyes closed, but opened her eyes briefly to make a call using Davion's phone. There was a mess in his mind, and I couldn't listen to her at all. The effort seemed to exhaust her, and then she fell again.

We rode in silence for a while, and I could feel the panic rising. Did I ruin everything in my family? I think I might start screaming. The blood was pounding in my ears. I need to get out of this car. Run to tell mom. Make a plan to go to another city. Elsewhere, Juan Carlos will never find us. Maybe we need to change our name. But we are now driving on the highway. I couldn't get out. I bit on the scream, and tears started to fall. All panic. All the anger and regret that I put my family in danger flowed out of my eyes.

Davyn crossed the Senator's knee and took my hand. For some reason, it only made me cry harder. But after a few highway exits, the tears stopped. Suddenly, a long tremor passed through my body, and I could feel my body relax a bit. I no longer feel that I need to jump out of the car. I don’t know what the future of my family will be, but I’m sitting next to a U.S. senator I rescued, who is voting for the Green New Deal. She calls us heroes.

Davyn squeezed my hand, I wiped my eyes and looked up. His cell phone is dead.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think we should start," he said gently. "It has nothing to do with you?"

Again, I can only nod my head.

He put a gentle hand on the shoulder of the old woman. "Senator Samuelson," Daviden said softly. "Do you think you are qualified to answer a few questions?"

"Yes," she just whispered. "I believe so."

I found a few bottles of water in my carpool pocket, so I took out one to her. She took a few sips.

Then, question by question, Davion recorded her story. I found myself asking questions too. And help fill in a few gaps in the story.

Finally, the senator wept a little. "If it weren't for this lady, I really don't know what I would do."

I held her hand. "Please tell me your name?" she asked me. "I want to make sure to give credit when it expires."

I shook my head. "Can you-?" I pointed to Davion's tape recorder, unable to think of English words.

"Is it because you broke the law?" the senator asked.

"I don't—" I said. "Please!" I want to tell them that I want to remain anonymous. But when I am scared like this, my brain cannot manage that level of English.

"I understand," the senator said.

We are driving into the airport. Davien guided the driver to the area where the private jet waited for the senator.

When the Prius asked us to get out of the car, the senator walked out and hugged a young woman in her 20s. Then they took the older woman into a makeshift medical tent.

The young woman walked up to us and wiped her eyes. She wore a neat suit and her hair was tied into a bun. "The senator told me that you two are responsible for rescuing her," she said. "I don't know how we can thank you. I can't speak now, but this is my business card. I am her personal assistant." She handed the card to both of us and turned to me. "The senator explained that in the next few days or weeks, you may need some support. Please, if you have any needs, please let me know."

"We need to take a ride home," I said. "Back to Proctor."

"It's done," she said. "I will let one of our drivers take you there."

"Thank you," Davyn said. "And we also need a reporter we can trust."

She nodded. "Let me see who I can call," she said. "I'll give you a text message."

They exchanged numbers, and the two of us stood there waiting for the driver.

Davyn turned to me. "I'm sorry to involve Mr. Howell."

"It's not your fault," I said. "The final decision is mine. I know I'm in danger because I don't have credentials," I whispered. Hearing myself saying these words in English, it feels like I ended my bad luck in some way.

David Ang shook his head. "That only shows that you are braver than I thought."

I shook my head again. "When you don't have a certificate, it's like..." I searched for English words. "Life is a series of impossible choices. I can't let them hurt an old lady just because I'm afraid. But if my name is leaked out, I'm not safe."

"I understand," Davyn said. "I am really sorry."

"I'm sorry," a black man in a dark suit approached us. "Do you two need to ride back to Proctor?"

"Where are you going in town?" the man asked.

"Meet at your house?" I asked.

He nodded and told the man the address.

The two of us were sitting in the back seats of the senator's huge SUV. Now that she has joined the Green New Deal, I hope she will start using more fuel-efficient cars.

"Nothing will happen," Davion said to me, and he squeezed my hand. I squeeze back.

I want him to let go, but he insists, and I insist.

I use my free hand to text Mariluna and Heidi, and we will meet there.

At the same time, Davien received a text message from the senator's assistant with the name of a reporter from the Miami Herald. He called and they started talking.

My phone rang, and Mariluna told a story about rescuing Heidi and using a bicycle lock to hit the security guard to prevent electric shocks.

When we were only a few blocks away from Davion's house, he asked the driver to let us out of the car.

"Why isn't it yours?" I asked when we got off the cart.

"I want to ask you something," he said. "in private."

"Okay," I said. "Speak slowly."

He did better than speaking slowly. He speaks in Spanish. "Yo quiero included you in the article I'm writing. Porque What you did is very important. El articulo no will be complete without your contribution. Podemos is trying to protect you, tell the truth?"

"Yes," I said. "We can find a way."

"One more thing," he said. "My mother is a lawyer. She is not good at immigration law, but maybe... Maybe she can help?"

"Yes," I said. "We need all the help we can get."

For the rest of the day, our story is breaking news. The senator confirmed that in the sunrise movement video on the Internet, a woman was toppled from a high-end Orlando facility. It was indeed the kidnapped senator who was being rescued.

Davien began to work with a reporter from the New York Times to write an article on the kidnapping incident. It will include Davion’s exclusive interview with the senator and photos of our four teenagers.

Davien personally took this photo with his iPhone. Mariluna and I wear hats, sunglasses and headscarves on their faces. Nothing can identify us, except Mariluna has a hand-painted shirt, she said she has never worn it in real life because it is a work of art.

In the article, the senator thanked the young people and the sunrise movement. She said she did what she said, and she said nothing to Mr. Howell. But Davyn didn't. He said his name. From his news teacher to Republican Senator Martin Miller. Media reports stated that Miller had been taken away by the FBI for questioning.

"They might let him go without charging," Heidi said.

"Yes, but Senator Samuelson will make sure they investigate," Davien said. "I bet they will find some concrete evidence linking him to crime."

Later that night, when Davion's mother came home, she sat with Mariluna and I. She asked us one dollar each because it made her our official lawyer.

Each of us explained our situation and she asked if we wanted to tell our mother. She suggested that we do this, but we all said that we want to wait a bit and see what happens. We shared the phone number of the Senator’s assistant so she has it, just in case.

The next day-Monday-Samuelson rose in the Senate to deliver a speech for the Green New Deal.

"I will not only become a supporter of the Green New Deal, but also a supporter of immigration reform. In addition to all the other contributions that immigrants have made to our country, these two young women may have really saved the planet."

Hearing what she said, she felt a little relieved, but she still didn't tell Mami.

This is so strange. The next day after that—Tuesday—we went to school as usual. Davion and Heidi received a lot of attention, but Mariluna and I just sat with her friends as usual.

"Hey Yamila," Mariluna said. "Can you talk about things other than your boyfriend today? It looks like we are at a historic moment, do you know?"

"Yes," Karida said. "I'm reading an article about the Green New Deal, which is really great. I might join Heidi's group."

Later, Davyn asked me to go to the news classroom after school. I told Mary Luna that I would check with him before going to her house.

When I walked into the room, I felt a little shy. This was the first time I was alone with him after taking a ride from the airport.

When I walked in, he was intently typing on his laptop. The little braid on his head pointed at me. He looked up and smiled.

I walked to his table and put my backpack on the chair.

"So," I asked. "How is this going?"

He put an envelope on the table in front of me. "This is for you," he said.

I opened it as a check to "cash" several thousand dollars. I uttered a dirty word in Spanish, and I am glad he didn't understand it.

"What is this... money?" I asked.

"Look for the Senator's bonus," he said.

"But we all did it together," I said.

"Then share it with others," he said.

"How about you?" I asked.

"I don't need it," Davion said. "As a high school student, I saw a story on the front page of The New York Times. They gave me an internship this summer. You basically made my career. Please accept the money."

He looked at me with big brown eyes. I am worried that we will get into trouble in some way, but I am also thinking about what my mother and I can do with the money. We can definitely buy that apartment in the Mariluna building, can't we?

"Okay," I said. "But we don't have a bank account."

"Do you need cash?" he asked.

"It may be a money order," I said. "Maybe the landlord. Can you wait for me to get all the information?"

"Of course," he said. "Take as long as you like."

I took a photo of the check and returned it to him.

"So," I asked, changing the subject. "What are u doing?"

"I'm interviewing Heidi to learn about her plan for the new student environmental club," he said. "Obviously, they will gather together after school tomorrow to celebrate the passage of the Green New Deal."

"I will be there," I said.

"Yes," he said. "I think I want to go too. I heard all the cool kids will be there."

I smile. "We will," I said. "See you there then."

"Apart from all the other contributions that immigrants have made to our country, these two young women may have really saved the planet."

Just before Mary Luna's dinner time that night, her phone rang several times.

"Aren't you going to get that?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said.

I flipped through the phone. It says "Caribbean Airlines". I raised my head and met Marina's eyes.

"At least you won't answer the call?"

Marina's gaze shifted from me to her aunt.

"Titi," she said. "Amandis and I went downstairs to do the laundry."

The two of us jogged to the laundry room. Mariluna quickly dials the Caribbean Airlines phone number for video chat.

Next I learned that a girl with short hair and bright brown eyes was grinning from the phone, looking directly at Mariluna. Mary Luna is coming back with a smile.

Then she introduced to us. "Amandys," she said. "This is my girlfriend, Luz."

"It's nice to meet you," Luz said. "Are you the girl in the newspaper photo?"

"Yes," I said. "Mariluna told you about that picture?"

"She texted me with no title or any content," Luz said. "But I recognized Lulu's shirt. I made it for her."

"Don't start with me," Mariluna said.

"We are all Lulu," Luz said. "Ruth and Luna."

"Wow," I said. "That's so cute."

"So you are Amandys," Luz said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I know very little about you," I said. "Until today, she doesn't even let me know your name and that you are an artist."

Luce smiled. "Lulu is a very privacy-conscious person," she said. "I respect this."

"Me too," I said. "I'm glad she believes that I will let me see you."

"In the summer, I look forward to seeing you," she said.

"Me too," I said. "Maybe Lulu will let you know more of our friends by then."

"I hope so," she said.

Since we are finally alone, I took a moment to tell her the bonus money Davion will give us. She screamed loudly, and another tenant who was washing clothes gave us a dirty look.

Mariluna covered her mouth with her hand and jumped up and down.

"I know what I am going to do," she said. "Most of it will be handed over to Ma Ma for help."

"What else?" I asked.

"Buy a ticket to Puerto Rico to Luz for Christmas!"

As if in response to this idea, Marina's phone lit up.

"Caribbean Airlines" sent the "New York Times" cover photo and expressions.

"Can you text me that picture?" I asked. "It's not an emoji, it's just a picture."

"I want to show it to my mother tonight," I said.

"You want to tell her?" Mariluna asked.

I nodded, thinking of the money Davion had provided. I will not tell Mariluna about possible apartments. I don't want to live up to her expectations.

Later that night, when my mother and I walked back from Mariluna's, she told me of the dramatic incident that took place in the high-end facility.

"I know, mother," I said.

"Have you read it?" she asked.

"No," I said. "I—I am one of these teenagers."

"What are you?" For a moment, a trace of anger flashed across her face. As if she was about to yell, she might even raise her hand to me. "I told you to leave those things alone."

"Mom," I said. "It's okay. It's better than no problem. We passed the Green New Deal."

"You can't get involved in the politics of this country," she said. "We need to focus on work and survival."

"I will get a lot of money," I said.

"Are there any rewards?" she asked. "You can't interact with the police or something like that. Amandis, I tell you, we may be deported."

"This is not from the police," I said. I explained where the money comes from. And how much it is.

Mom used the same curse words as mine.

"We can get that apartment," I said. "The senator knows it's me. She is proposing an immigration reform bill to help families like ours."

"Don't have hope," she said. "This country is really racist."

"I know," I said. "But if we can pass the Green New Deal, we can also pass other changes."

"Yes, Amandez," she said. "When you dream so big, I will be scared."

"I know," I said. "But you need to get used to it."

The next day, after school, I met Mariluna and her friends, Davion, Heidi, and more than 100 other children who participated in the environmental club at lunch.

Heidi stood in the square with the megaphone. "I just want to thank everyone for coming. First of all, I want to say that we are changing our name from'Environmental Club' to'Climate Justice Club'."

applause.

"Yes, we will continue to support campus cleanup and move towards zero waste, but now we need major solutions to the climate crisis at the policy level, not just individual actions such as recycling. The Green New Deal is a good start. But we need to further promote the end of dependence on fossil fuels, reduce the carbon footprint of the military, and ensure that no workers are left behind in the implementation process. I will use some of my reward funds to support the grassroots work of the frontline communities in Florida. We also We need to make sure that we look at climate justice internationally. To this end, I will invite a few speakers. The first is Mariluna Contreras from our own school."

The loudspeaker has a detachable microphone with a fancy cord. Heidi continued to lift the loudspeaker with one hand and the other hand holding the microphone of Mariluna.

"My family came here from Puerto Rico in 2018 because Hurricane Maria destroyed our family. It destroyed our apartment, and worst of all, it caused the death of my father. He was injured in the flood, He died later."

She is reading a paper, and her hands are shaking a little.

"We came to Florida as refugees with only clothes on our bodies, and our hearts were full of grief. But the worst part of coming to this country is that people looked at us with pity, as if something very regrettable had happened, but There is nothing they can do. After all, hurricanes are natural disasters. But Hurricane Maria is by no means a natural occurrence. Due to climate change, the water temperature is rising, the storm is getting stronger and the speed of movement is getting slower and slower. They hover over the island and cause exponential increase The destruction of the country. The combination of the climate crisis and the colonial crisis — the United States has colonized Puerto Rico for more than 120 years — left the island defenseless, and the then president offered little help.”

"He threw tissues at people," a young man in the crowd shouted.

"But it's not just the president," she said. "This is every president. Not just Puerto Rico, but the relationship between the United States and the entire Caribbean. From tourism to the military to the way companies use our environment and our workers. This is true throughout the southern hemisphere. Therefore, it is time to discuss the Green New Deal, not only for the United States, but for the entire world."

The crowd cheered and Mariluna returned the microphone to Heidi.

"Thank you!" she said. "Our next speaker is from the local sunrise movement..." She introduced the Pacific Islander girl who helped prevent Mr. Howell from returning to Shady Orchards.

When she talked about the impact of the climate crisis on her hometown, Mary Luna walked to me.

"How did I do it?" she whispered in Spanish.

"You are amazing," I said.

Davyn appeared on the other side of me. "So," he said. "Two weeks ago, did you think you would join the school's environmental club?"

"Climate Justice Club," Mariruna corrected him.

"No," I said. "Two weeks ago, I didn't have any friends. But now I know that this is my staff in the United States, and there is still a lot of work to be done and all of us are needed."

Interested in learning more? Read seven questions for the author: The mysterious woman in room three.

Aya de León teaches creative writing at the University of California, Berkeley. She wrote adult novels about climate justice and racial justice for Kensington Books: her award-winning series of Justice Liars, Spy in Struggle (now published) and Queen of City Prophecy (published in December). She is currently making the YA spy girl series and her body memoirs for teenagers, exploring the intersection of food, body image, race, and environment. Finally, her Justice Liar series has been selected as a TV show, and she is currently producing a pilot episode. Visit the author's website here.

well-done! Thank you for sharing this amazing story!

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