by Aella Black
And what was that all about?
Wolf’s angry face surfaced in my memory. The way he’d cornered me between the shelves. He’d accused me of researching escape tactics. Admitted that he had, too. Said if anyone deserved to find a way out of here, it was him.
“If you’re trying to get out, and I am too, why don’t we just work together?”
Dummy! I’d practically confirmed what I was planning to do.
Wolf must have tipped someone off. There was no other explanation. Did that mean the guards would be watching me more closely? Would that vigilance extend to my friends? I groaned inwardly. This could make planning even more difficult, and we’d barely just begun as it was.
I looked around the cafeteria until I spied Wolf with his pack. When he saw my gaze land on him, his lips curled into a smirk. He had said something. Jerk.
During rec time, I felt like there were several sets of eyes always on me. It could be I was paranoid, though. Either way, I had to be careful. Which was especially unfortunate since I still needed to talk to Cathy.
When she and Birdie walked outside, I followed behind. Birdie struck up a conversation with a cluster of little birds perched at the top of the cement wall. Ironic. We were the birds in cages, while they were free to come and go.
“Cathy,” I said, walking up to her. “Could I talk to you for a sec?” I looked back at the guards who were stationed out here. One watched me carefully. I was going to have to make this look as natural as possible. “Can I teach you the art of grass weaving?”
Cathy’s eyebrows shot up and then she looked down at the ground. “Grass weaving? I didn’t even know that was a thing.”
“Yup, I’ll show you.” We both dropped to the ground and sat cross-legged in the grass. I plucked a few blades, keeping my voice at barely a whisper. “I want out.”
She froze, letting the blades tumble between her fingers. Her eyes met mine, frightened.
I resisted the urge to look back at the guards. “Don’t you?”
Her eyes flickered over my shoulder, and I reached for her hand, squeezing it. I hoped it was enough of a warning for her.
“That would be dangerous.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief to hear her in my head. It was much safer than talking out loud, particularly since the guards couldn’t read her lips if she wasn’t moving them. I nodded. “It would, but if we worked together—you, me, Xander, Birdie, Tex, Cal, Woody, maybe some others—we can do it.”
She picked up the blades of grass she’d dropped and twisted them together. “You don’t really know how to weave grass, do you?” she wondered out loud.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Cathy smiled. “So, do you have a plan?”
“Working on it. But there’s one important element that we need—you.”
Her eyes lit with curiosity. “Oh yeah?”
I nodded. “Xander and I would relay information to you, and you’d telepathically transfer it to the others. It’s safer that way.”
“Who’s in on this?”
“Just Xander, for now. And you, if you’re willing.”
She continued to twirl the grass. “I don’t know…” she whispered.
“I understand if you don’t want to. Xander will, too.” I leaned in a little closer to her. “But we can’t do this if we don’t have you on board.”
She bit her lip. “What if we’re caught?”
“It’s a risk. But it would be worth it. Don’t you want to get out of here?” I asked her again.
“I couldn’t go home. Where would we go?” Hearing this made me so sad. I didn’t know Cathy’s story, but there was definitely a recurring theme around here.
“Anywhere that’s safe,” I whispered. “And we’ll stick together.” I hoped that would happen anyway. I couldn’t imagine not seeing any of these guys ever again.
My head jerked forward when something—or rather, someone—hit it from behind. Tears formed in my eyes immediately. “Don’t tear up the grass!”
I didn’t need to turn around to know that voice belonged to Luther. And I had no intention of letting him see me cry.
Cathy’s eyes were saucers. “Sorry,” I muttered.
He snorted, and then I listened while he walked away. I turned to Cathy, a clear question in my eyes: Are you in?
After a deep breath, she finally answered. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
24
Testing day arrived way too soon.
Time was flying by faster now. Maybe Xander had something to do with that. Or perhaps it was the ever-growing idea of escape. But neither of those could eclipse the fear and uncertainty that permeated the breakfast table the morning of the tests.
Xander picked up on it instantly. “It’s really that bad?” he asked those of us who were gathered. We all nodded and continued picking at our food.
Though maybe it wouldn’t be for him. He had super strength. What would they do, make him bench-press a car? That wouldn’t be so bad. Then again, I’d avoided gyms like the plague, so what did I know?
I wished I knew what they had in store for me today. Would they kill me again? Dr. Venn seemed pretty obsessed with my wake-up time. What if, this time, I actually didn’t wake? And if—no, when—I did, were they planning on doing it over and over until my time met with their sinister satisfaction?
I stared at the plate of pancakes and eggs, my stomach roiling at the various violent ways they could inflict death upon me. A hand touched mine under the table, and I jumped.
Xander pulled away, flushing. “Sorry,” he muttered. “You look really pale.”
I forced a small smile. “Oh, you know. Just trying to figure out how they’ll kill me this time.” I was going for nonchalant, but the words fell like ash from my mouth, dry and flaky.
He reached for my hand again. This time he didn’t let go. A tiny thrill cut through my nerves. “Maybe I should talk to the warden,” he said.
“You can try,” Woody said, his words laden with sarcasm. “Then maybe we’ll all get a break from testing.”
“Okay, but killing someone is a different kind of torture,” Xander said, frowning. “It’s beyond unethical.”
“Thanks,” I said. “But I don’t think he’ll listen. He knows what happens to me. To all of us,” I said, glancing around the table.
No one made eye contact as they pushed food around their plates. Birdie looked as petrified as she had before every breakfast prior to testing. I had no doubt I looked the same.
Xander shook his head and looked down at his tray of food. As if he couldn’t stand to see the fear and hopelessness one more second. “It’s wrong,” he said.
“Everything about this place is wrong.” I took a deep, shuddering breath. He squeezed my hand. And though it was true, every testing day was its own form of torture, this right here made it just a bit better.
As breakfast ended and we made our way out of the cafeteria, Xander touched my shoulder. Gesturing to the nearby restrooms, he led me to a little alcove between the two doors where a water fountain should be. When we stopped, he turned to me and asked, “Are you going to be okay?”
His genuine concern stole my breath, and my heart stuttered in my chest.
No. I wasn’t. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if I was going to die—or if I’d wake up. The unknowns were killing me before the doctor had her chance.
It could have been the pent-up stress needing a release, but his gentle words made my throat constrict and tears prick my eyes. I tried to laugh it off. “Yeah, just another day at the office.” But it was so choked and fake that even I cringed.
Xander looked deeper into my eyes, brows furrowing in concern.
I heaved a sigh. “I mean, what can I do? They’ll drag me there, regardless. Believe me, I know.”
That was the wrong thing to say. “They dragged you?” he said, his anger barely below the surface.
“Well, carried is more like it,” I said quickly. And because I didn’t want
him to think I was a pathetic prima donna, I stupidly continued. “I couldn’t walk because he’d tased me.”
“They tased you?”
I regretted telling him immediately. Xander looked like he was going to put a fist-sized hole in the wall which would most likely land him in hot water. Not that anyone had done it before to find out.
But instead of using his super strength to harm an innocent wall, he pulled me into a tender hug instead.
My entire body froze, my heart right along with it.
Xander Aldrich was hugging me. A part of me squealed in typical teen-girl fashion, and another part still screamed in fear of what I was facing today. Yet another part of me wanted to break down because I couldn’t remember the last time someone had given me a hug like this. Certainly not my mother—she wasn’t the cuddly type. And Dad, he would give what comfort he could, but it usually involved a firm pat on the shoulder or the back.
I melted into the hug, wrapping my arms around Xander’s solid body and absorbing his warmth. If time decided to stop, right now would be fantastic. Even if only for a moment, I felt safe and secure and cared for, and it felt incredible.
A barely-there tremble before he pulled away made me wonder if Xander had needed the hug as much as I did. He gave me a small smile. “Good luck,” he said. “I’ll be here when it’s over.”
“Thanks.” My voice cracked a tiny bit. “Good luck to you, too.”
He held my gaze a moment longer and then walked with me to my cell. It felt a little like a date. And though I could dwell on just how sad that was, I chose to enjoy the moment instead.
When I walked into the cell, Rocky stood in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, her eyebrows raised. I smiled. She didn’t. But she did look every bit like the parent in this faux dating scenario. Until she opened her mouth.
“Time to train.”
I looked at her incredulously. “What? But—”
“Not a good time? You’d rather mope around waiting for them to collect you for testing?”
She had a point. Might as well get my mind off what was coming. Like it or not, it would come.
“Okay, I’ll go to the bathroom while they lock up.”
She nodded her head, as if granting me permission. I bit back a laugh. It wouldn’t be wise to piss off my trainer before we began.
Rocky didn’t waste a second. “Show me your stance,” she said the moment I walked out of the restroom.
I did as she demanded, and she clicked her tongue at what she saw. “Spread your feet a little wider. Bend those knees. How many times do I have to tell you?”
We’d been practicing but evidently not enough. No matter how many times I assumed my stance, it was never correct.
Gritting my teeth, I tried again—this time it was right—and held up my fists. “I’m ready,” I said.
“Not bad.” It was the closest she’d come to a compliment. I’d take it.
She held up her pillow for me to punch. They started as weak as ever but grew progressively stronger. The more I punched, the better I felt. This was exactly what I needed.
Rocky chucked the pillow at my face. “Stop stealing my stuff!” she growled as a guard passed our cell.
He grunted. “No fighting.” Then he moved on without so much as a pause. A smile twitched at the corners of Rocky’s mouth.
“Way to be quick on your feet,” I said, picking up her pillow from the ground. My reflexes obviously weren’t as agile.
“Always.” She bounced on her toes and raised her fisted hands in a perfect imitation of a boxer. Glancing at the clock, she stopped. “We probably should quit for now, though. They’ll come for me soon.”
We sank onto our beds and, like clockwork, Rocky was led out of our cell within minutes.
I was alone.
The warm fuzzies I felt from Xander’s hug and the exhilaration of Rocky’s training fled me all at once as my fears came flooding back. Worse-case scenarios swept through my mind. What if they tried sawing me in half? Extracted my still-beating heart? Sliced open my skull to study my brain?
Nausea hit me with full force. I curled up on my bed and tried desperately to push those thoughts away. I wished I could pull my book out from inside my pillowcase, but I didn’t want to risk the guard discovering I’d disobeyed a direct order.
I didn’t care what they said. Sun Tzu was not going back to the library. No one would miss him anyway.
“Phoenix. You’re up.”
No. Not Luther. Anyone but him.
I pushed up but couldn’t manage to make it to my feet. Luther stood on the other side of my cell. He scowled at me. “Let’s go, let’s go! Can’t delay the inevitable, you know.” Then he chuckled like his little rhyme was the cleverest thing he’d ever said.
I moved slowly off the bed and stepped outside the cell. Every muscle in my body screamed for me to run—well, except for my stomach. It wanted me to lie back down.
Eyeing the taser in Luther’s hand, I took step after wooden step toward my destination.
When we reached the top of the stairs, he led me to a familiar door. They’d killed me last time I was here, and they were going to do it again.
I turned to Luther. “Please,” I begged. “Don’t make me go in there.”
He snorted. “Want me to use this?” he said, brandishing his taser like the weapon it was.
I couldn’t help myself. Desperation made me a completely different person. I gripped Luther’s arm. “Please. I can’t do this. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll skip rec time for the rest of the month. Please—”
He shook me off and pushed me away, disgust twisting his face. I didn’t blame him. I was disgusted with myself. “Get in there now,” he ordered and pushed open the door.
Dr. Venn sat serenely typing away at her computer. Next to her was a chair, though not the one I’d sat in before. No, this one I’d only ever seen in pictures.
Terror seized my body from top to bottom. Luther pushed me inside the room, slamming the door behind us. I heard the lock turn, and a whimper escaped me.
An electric chair. No no no…
I twisted, flinging myself toward the door, but Luther caught my arm and dragged me further into the room. “Let me go!” I screamed, trying to rip myself free.
“Good morning, Phoebe,” Dr. Venn said, still staring at her computer screen. As if this were a normal, everyday checkup. I could kill her—
Luther shoved me into the chair and strapped down my arms, followed by my legs. My breaths came out in sharp pants. Could I survive this? And even if I did, would the electricity leave me paralyzed? Or worse, brain dead?
Dr. Venn rolled her chair over to me. “I’m going to check your vitals,” she said, wrapping the cuffs of the blood pressure monitor around my arm. It squeezed, and I realized how badly I was shaking. She frowned. “Blood pressure’s high. You need to take some calming breaths, Phoebe. Everything is fine.”
“Everything is not fine!” I spat. “You’re going to electrocute me!”
“If you can survive lethal injection, you should survive this,” Dr. Venn said. “We just want to monitor how fast your organs regenerate.”
“What if I can’t come back from this?” I screeched. “What if it fries my brain?”
“All data indicates that you should recover well,” Dr. Venn said. “There’s no need to panic.”
Was she crazy? Not only did I have every reason to panic, but seriously, how much data could they possibly have to make her sound so sure of herself? The woman was obviously a sociopath.
Dr. Venn continued with pre-test ritual, noting that my heart rate was elevated. You think? Normally, blood samples don’t bother me—a product of having cancer as a child—but this time it made me feel like I was going to throw up. I almost wished I would. Perhaps if the evil doctor was covered in vomit. she might postpone this horror for another day.
A day that would never come.
Xander and I still hadn’t told the others about our plans, b
ut it couldn’t wait any longer. We had to get out of here. Phoenix or not, I wasn’t sure I’d survive if we didn’t.
“Please don’t do this,” I croaked.
Dr. Venn jotted down a few notes, then reached up and lowered the headpiece over my forehead. The metal was cold against my damp skin. I shivered and tried again. “I’m begging you.”
She ignored my pleas. “This should be a fairly quick death. There may be some pain initially, but it won’t last long.”
Pure panic tore through me. I struggled, twisting and turning, trying to maneuver my way out. Of this head piece. This chair. This room. This prison. I wanted out.
A scream ripped through my throat. “Stop! Please!”
Dr. Venn held up a switchboard. My fate was literally in her hands.
I screamed again. I didn’t want to die. Not like this.
Her fingers touched the switch.
Suddenly, a loud crash sounded, and Dr. Venn dropped the switchboard. It fell to the floor with a clatter.
But I wasn’t looking at that. Not when Xander stood in front of me, breathing hard, the door in splinters behind him.
25
He bolted toward me, and Luther sprang into action, tasing him.
Xander fell to his knees, shuddering. Several guards rushed into the room, followed by a few doctors. The guards surrounded Xander, ready to drag him out of the room. Incredibly, he leapt back to his feet. Grabbing the nearest guard, he threw him across the room. “Let her go!” he yelled at Dr. Venn.
I could barely take my eyes off Xander, but the evil doctor’s yelp drew my attention. She now stood, eyes wide, mouth gaping open.
Pushing past the other guards, Xander reached out for me and ripped off the head piece, snapping it in two like it was nothing. Then he broke my bands, freeing my arms and legs, and scooped me out of the chair. He set me on the ground with more care than I thought possible under the circumstances, and then he turned back to the chair. He proceeded to smash it with his fists until it no longer resembled a chair.
