Hunted (Parallel Series, Book 3) (Parallel Trilogy)

by Christine Kersey

  I finished on the treadmill and walked toward the elliptical machine, looking at the other kids as I went. That’s when I saw Amy in the warm-up area. She was by herself and seemed very focused on what she was doing. A boy walked past her and said something to her. It must not have been nice because she glanced at him and frowned, and after he walked away I saw her wipe at her eyes. My big-sister instinct kicked in and I wanted to stand up for her, but how could I without giving myself away?

  I started on the elliptical machine, but watched for Amy and eventually saw her go to the row of treadmills where I’d just finished. She was in front of me and to the right, so I was able to keep an eye on her. And sure enough, it didn’t take long for Austin to come harass her. He stopped next to her and she shrank from him—clearly she was familiar with his bullying tactics—but he just laughed.

  From where I stood I could hear most of what he said and I cringed as I listened to him speak. I also turned on the camera.

  “You think you’re so cool,” he taunted. “Because your sister is the famous Morgan Campbell. Well, I knew your sister and she was as much of a loser as you are. In fact I’m not sure who is more of a loser—you or her.”

  Amy didn’t respond and kept running on the treadmill, and I was proud of her for ignoring him. Then he reached over to the controls and sped up the treadmill. I gasped as Amy seemed to lose her footing and almost fell, but she regained her balance.

  “You need to go faster, you pathetic loser,” Austin sneered.

  It was all I could do not to run over to him and claw his eyes out. It had been horrendous when I’d been the target of his punishments when I was here before, but watching my little sister suffer, and not be able to do anything about it, was pure torture.

  It didn’t take long for Amy to begin panting harder.

  “What do you think of your sister, huh?” Austin yelled. “Look what she’s making you go through.”

  His words cut to the very heart of me and hot tears rushed into my eyes. I used my towel to dry them, but couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scene playing out in front of me. I noticed other kids were watching too and began to understand why Amy felt like a freak. No one cared about her. They only cared that she was there as a stand-in for me.

  I wondered if part of Austin’s anger came from the fact that Alyx had left and I wasn’t there to take her place like he’d wanted. Did he have a special girlfriend now or was he forced to be alone? Or did Alyx’s claim of pregnancy scare him off from having a girlfriend—at least for a while?

  When Amy didn’t respond to Austin’s question, he yelled even more. “Can’t you see that your sister doesn’t care about you at all? Why else would she let you be here for her? She’s a coward. How can you stand her? Look what she’s making you go through. What kind of a person is she?”

  Amy placed her feet on the sides of the treadmill belt, stopping her jogging, and turned to Austin. With fury clear in her eyes, she yelled, “I hate her, I hate her, I hate her.”

  My heart dropped and all the blood drained from my face. She hates me. Of course she does. I would hate me too.

  Then I saw Austin grin and I knew his goal was to turn her against me. “I hate her too, Amy. You know she stole my key card from me and got me in trouble. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”

  My eyes briefly widened. He’d gotten in trouble because Billy and I had used his key card to escape. The thought made me happy.

  Amy glared at Austin and yelled just as loud as before, “I hate you too.”

  As quickly as Austin’s grin had appeared, it was wiped off his face. His eyes narrowed, then he looked over his shoulder and gestured with his head. That’s when I saw Hansen walking toward Amy, a lazy smile on his face, and I flashed back to the night only a few weeks before when I’d driven a small knife into his back. It was the night of our escape and Hansen had pinned Billy to the ground. I hadn’t known what to do to help Billy, but then I’d seen the small knife on the grass. I’d picked it up and aimed for Hansen’s neck but he’d moved at the last moment and I’d stabbed him in the back instead. That was when he’d said, “I. Will. Kill. You.”

  Now, as I watched him approach Amy, I wanted to scream at her to run. But as I looked at her expression, I knew this wasn’t the first time she’d met Hansen. She looked terrified.

  He held his baton in one hand and gently whacked it against the palm of his other hand as he stopped next to the treadmill where Amy’s feet straddled the moving belt. “It is inappropriate to speak to any of the staff in the manner you’ve spoken to Mr. Templeton.”

  I’d never heard Austin’s last name before—it was weird to hear him called that. I’d always thought of him as Mr. Muscles.

  “You need to apologize.” Hansen’s voice was completely calm.

  Amy looked between Hansen and Austin, then she looked at me. My heart pounded as our eyes met. It was almost like she was asking me to do something, but I had no idea what to do.

  “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” Hansen said, then he hit the back of her leg with his baton.

  Amy obviously hadn’t expected the blow because the leg that Hansen hit collapsed beneath her and she almost fell onto the moving belt, but managed to grip the arms of the treadmill to keep from falling. Crying now, she pulled herself back up, then grabbed her injured leg with one hand as she set her foot on the side of the treadmill to avoid the moving belt.

  Without thinking, I slowed my pace on the elliptical machine and grimaced in sympathy. Oh how I wished I had the courage to do something to help my sister. But I’d only arrived that day. There was no way Jack and Dani would get us out now, and if I blew my cover, it would all be over.

  “Apologize, loser,” Hansen shouted loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

  Sobbing now, Amy looked at the people nearest her, then looked at Austin. “I’m sorry.”

  Austin grinned, evidently loving the control he had over every person in the room.

  “What are you sorry for?” Hansen asked.

  Amy hiccuped between sobs and looked at Austin. “That I said I hate you.”

  “You make sure and show the proper respect to the staff members here, Amy,” Hansen said. “Understood?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Now get back on the treadmill and run for twenty minutes.”

  She did as she was told and the two men walked away. I increased my pace on the elliptical machine, terrified they would stop by me next. They passed near me, but were talking and laughing in low voices and didn’t seem to notice me. When I looked back at Amy, her shoulders shook and I knew she must be crying with every step she took.

  I turned off the camera in my glasses, wondering if this was the kind of thing Dani and Jack were looking for. Abuse of those of us in Camp Willowmoss seemed like a pretty significant issue that might change the minds of some of the people outside. At least I hoped so. As I continued my workout, I kept an eye on Amy and saw her get off the treadmill and move on to the weight machine.

  I imagined telling her who I really was, but her reaction was as yet unclear. Would she throw her arms around me in relief that I was okay? Or would she yell to Hansen—or any other Enforcer who was nearby—that it was me and that now she could be released? Would she be more than happy to turn me in—the sister that she hated? Or would she be thrilled to have an ally and a friend who she would work with side by side to get the evidence Jack and Dani wanted, and then be freed by people she’d never met?

  As much as I wanted to tell her I was there to help her, I was afraid of how she would react. Without doubt she hated me right now, but if she spoke to me face to face, would she change her mind? Eventually I would have to find out because how could I help her escape without revealing myself? It seemed she trusted no one, which made me doubt she’d leave this place in an escape/rescue without having some prior knowledge.

  I decided my next move would be to befriend her—if she’d let me.

  Chapter Nineteen<
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  When I finished my workout Amy was still doing hers. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to approach her in the gym—not with Austin around—so I went back to my room and showered. Next, I started on the assignment Mrs. Needham had given me—a three page paper telling how I could be a better student. I wrote what I figured she’d want to hear, then it was time to go to my nutritional counseling class.

  The class was held on the classroom floor and we met at the same time Mrs. Reynolds’ counseling group had met when I’d been here before. I arrived a few minutes before the class started and as I walked toward the room I passed the classroom where Billy and I had met with Mrs. Reynolds. Curious to see if anyone from before was there, I peeked through the door. Half of the seats were occupied, and to my surprise Amy was among the attendees. Her face was pale and she looked incredibly sad. My heart ached to see her like that.

  Then I thought, why is she there? She’s not a delinquent. But then I realized she was there in my stead. Of course they’d make her meet with the other criminals. I turned away from the classroom and walked toward my class. That’s when I saw Mrs. Reynolds walking toward me. I wanted to turn and run the other direction, but I knew that would be too obvious, so instead I calmly walked forward, not meeting her eyes.

  “Hannah,” she said as we got within a few feet of each other.

  Forced to acknowledge her, I stopped.

  “Are you following your schedule?”

  “Yes.” Did she really think I wouldn’t?

  “Good. Make sure that you do.” Then she continued on without another word.

  Relieved that she’d only asked me that one question, I hurried down the hall to my classroom, not wanting to run into anyone else that might harass me. The classroom where we met for nutritional counseling was really two classrooms with the curtain that separated the two rooms opened. There was space for a lot of kids there—probably everyone who wasn’t a criminal would be here.

  I quickly scanned the room—most of the seats were filled—and my gaze stuttered as it landed on Beth. She was talking to one of her friends, so fortunately she didn’t see me staring at her. I wondered if she was still bullying kids into giving her their power bars or if the presence of the Enforcers at meal times had put a stop to that.

  “Hannah,” a voice called out.

  I looked toward the sound and saw Emily motioning to me to come sit by her. Next to her were Taylor, Brittany, and Madison. But no Lori. I walked toward them, glad to have a group to sit with, then noticed there was only one seat available and hesitated.

  “Sit here,” Emily said, patting the empty seat, which was next to her.

  I didn’t want to get on Lori’s bad side by taking her seat. She was already mad at me for ignoring her at dinner. “What about Lori?”

  “She’s not in this class,” Emily said.

  “Oh.” Puzzled, I sat down, wondering where she could be. Then it occurred to me that she must be in the re-education class. She didn’t need to lose weight, so she obviously wasn’t here for that reason, so she must be here for punishment. “Where is she?” I hoped Emily could verify my assumption.

  “She meets down the hall.” Her voice dropped to a whisper and her eyebrows rose. “You know, with that other group.”

  “Why? What did she do?”

  “I don’t know.” She smiled. “But I’d sure like to.”

  Ah, I thought. This girl doesn’t seem to like the leader of our little group. Interesting.

  “Everyone rise for the pledge,” a man said from the front of the room.

  I stood with everyone else and said the words I hated, then we sat and he began his lecture about proper nutrition and developing good eating habits. I noticed that several Enforcers were stationed around the room—I guess to make sure we all behaved.

  When class was over I walked with Emily to the elevator. It was like after a meal—everyone waiting to get on the elevators at once. We were in the middle of the herd, waiting for our turn, when I heard a familiar voice call out—and not in a friendly way, “Is that you Amy? You look a little sad.”

  I turned to see who had spoken and saw Beth standing a few people away from Amy, a mean look on her face. My gaze went to Amy, who seemed to shrink in on herself. She ignored Beth, but I noticed the kids around Amy had backed away from her just enough to make her stand out.

  “Answer me when I’m talking to you, you little pig,” Beth shouted.

  I looked at the Enforcers who were standing on the edge of the crowd, but they either didn’t notice the commotion—and I didn’t know how they could miss it—or they didn’t care.

  Beth began moving toward Amy and I knew I couldn’t stand by this time and do nothing. As I took a step in Amy’s direction I felt a hand on my arm.

  “No, Hannah,” Emily urgently whispered.

  I yanked my arm away and pushed through the horde. “Hi, Amy.” My voice was loud and bright, like I hadn’t noticed Beth and her bullying.

  Amy jerked her head toward me, obviously startled. “Hi.” Then she quickly looked at the floor.

  “How’s your day going?” I tried to keep my voice conversational, like I’d just run into a friend in the halls after class, but I could hear Beth breathing heavily behind us.

  “Okay, I guess.”

  Amy spoke so softly that I barely heard her.

  “Get out of the way,” Beth muttered just behind me.

  I turned my head and smiled, like I didn’t realize I was supposed to be scared. “Were you talking to me?” Then I turned so I was facing her fully. “Hi. I’m Hannah. What’s your name?”

  Surprise clear on her face, her mouth hung open in an unflattering manner. “Beth,” she finally said.

  “Hi, Beth.” I noticed the kids nearby watching the exchange.

  She blinked, then frowned. “You’re new, aren’t you?”

  “Yep.” I grinned. “Today’s my first day.”

  Her frown deepened. “Then I’ll cut you some slack. This once.”

  I put on a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Beth,” one of her lackey’s called. “The elevator’s here.”

  She squinted at me. “Just watch yourself.” Then she walked toward an open elevator and got on.

  “She’s not very friendly, is she?” I said to Amy, who looked at me from the corner of her eye.

  Her lips briefly turned upward, but she still kept her gaze toward the floor. “Thank you.”

  Kids moved past us toward the elevators. “Not everyone is mean, you know.” I lowered my voice. “Some people are here to help.”

  “You’re blocking traffic,” an Enforcer said behind me and shoved me forward.

  Amy walked away from me and got on the open elevator and I wasn’t sure if she had heard my last statement. I tried to follow her onboard, but the same Enforcer put his baton in the way, preventing me from getting on.

  “Get the next one,” he said.

  There was plenty of room on the one Amy had boarded, so I wasn’t sure why he wouldn’t let me get on too—unless he’d seen me interfering with Beth’s bullying and he didn’t like it.

  I took another elevator to my floor and headed straight to my room. I had an hour until light’s out, but thought I might go to bed early. It had been a long day and I was beat. I waved my card in front of the card reader next to my door, then opened the door and frowned. Lori was lying on her bed, one hand behind her head.

  When I walked in and closed the door, she glared at me. “What is it with you?”

  I really didn’t feel like dealing with her, but knew I didn’t have a choice. What was I supposed to do instead, go to the gym where Austin—and maybe Hansen—were? No way. “What’s wrong?”

  “Are you trying to get on everyone’s bad side?”

  I sat on my bed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Although I had an idea.

  “That girl you were talking to? Beth?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yo
u don’t want to get on her bad side.”

  I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

  Lori sat up. “What’s so funny?”

  “Does she have a good side?”

  Lori rolled her eyes. “I guess you’ll never find out now.”

  “She just seems like a bully.” I looked straight at her. “I hate bullies.”

  Lori narrowed her eyes, like she knew I was trying to tell her something, but didn’t quite get it. “What you don’t seem to get is that if you make her an enemy, I become her enemy too.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, idiot.” She turned away and fluffed her pillow, then looked at me. “You might not care about having people hate you, but I do care.”

  “Why?”

  She recoiled, like the thought offended her. “Look, I know you just got here and everything, but if you don’t want your time here to be any worse than it has to be, you’ll try to make as many friends as you can.” She smiled. “Look at me for example. I have lots of friends here. Those girls who sit at the table with us really like me.”

  I wondered what she would say if I told her that wasn’t strictly true, but decided she’d have to find that out for herself. Instead I nodded. “Okay.” Then I stood and went to my closet and picked up a pair of pajamas. “I’m going to bed. I’m super tired.”

  “Whatever. I have homework.”

  I didn’t take my glasses off until I was ready to climb into bed. I didn’t know how much they helped my disguise, but when I wore them, I felt like they provided a thin layer of protection against being discovered.

  When I woke up the next morning I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, my heart pounding as I thought about getting on the scale and having the retinal scanner record my identity. Would the contacts I wore really work? Or would the machine be too smart and know I was really Morgan Campbell, wanted criminal?

  I threw back the covers—Lori was still in bed—grabbed my things, and went down the hall to the bathroom. At least Beth wasn’t on this floor so I knew I wouldn’t have to face her. I wasn’t sure if Amy was on my floor or the other girls’ floor.