Total pages in book: 222
Estimated words: 210715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1054(@200wpm)___ 843(@250wpm)___ 702(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 210715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1054(@200wpm)___ 843(@250wpm)___ 702(@300wpm)
I turned to the girl and held my finger to my lips.
Her eyes widened.
She was a pretty girl with round eyes somewhere between blue and green and braided hair on the darker end of blond. Swirls of old bruises covered her face, no longer purple, but a sickly greenish yellow. She was maybe five foot six or five foot seven, and strong, not fragile. I had gone to high school with girls just like her. They played volleyball and ran track.
I kept my gaze on her, moved to the first latrine, and gently knocked on the board next to the hole. Solid.
She watched me.
Second hole. Solid.
Third. Hollow.
The girl blinked.
I motioned her over with my hand. She dragged the bucket over and began slowly pouring the bloody water into the hole, blocking me from the guard’s view. I bent, trying to find the edges of the board. It wasn’t hard since I had a helpful cluster of nails to guide me.
Neither she nor I would fit. The rest of the girls were too young. It would have to be the boy.
“What’s behind there?” she whispered.
“A hole that leads to Derog’s back door.”
The board was nailed well. I’d need a pry bar, which I didn’t have. No, breaking it was our only chance. It looked thin enough.
“Does the guard ever come into the bathroom?”
“Only when he has to go,” she whispered.
We needed to do it now. The longer we waited, the higher the risk that Derog would ship one of the kids out during the night.
“What’s your name?”
“Clover.”
“Are you good at kicking?”
She glanced at the board and nodded.
“Get the boy,” I told her.
She walked over to the sink. I followed her. We stood side by side.
“Kaiden, bring me the girls’ laundry.”
He didn’t respond.
“Kaiden!”
“Do what she says,” the guard growled.
Kaiden slid off his bunk, went over to the wicker basket in the corner, picked it up, and carried it to us, looking like he wanted to punch somebody.
“Bring it over here,” she told him, pointing at a spot between us.
He set the basket down with a sour look on his face.
“Don’t react,” I whispered.
He glanced at me.
“Show me your left hand.”
He glanced at Clover. She made big eyes at him. He showed me his left palm. Good. He knew right from left.
“The last latrine by the wall has a hole behind the board,” I murmured. “I’m going to make some noise. When I scream, Clover will kick the board. You’ll crawl into the hole. There is a loose stone at the end. Push it open and crawl out into a tunnel. Turn left and run until you find a door. Open it. Nod if you understand.”
He nodded.
“Remember, turn left. If you see the stairs, you’re going the wrong way, straight to Derog. Open the door and come right back. If they notice you are gone, they might kill the lot of us. You’ll have to be very fast. Do you understand?”
He nodded again.
I washed my hands under the water. There was a child’s blood under my fingernails. I shook my hands, wiped them on my dress, turned, and walked into the room. My heart was beating so fast, it actually hurt a little.
I needed to draw attention, and then I would need to hold it for at least three to four minutes.
I crossed the room and stood in front of the guard. This was a stupid plan. I would regret this.
I stared.
The guard looked at me.
I stared some more. Most people didn’t like to be stared at.
“What the fuck are you looking at?”
I stared.
“Are you fucking deaf?”
I stared.
He kicked the trunk out of the way, jumped to his feet, and started toward me. Well, that was easier than I thought.
“So, you’re gonna eyeball me now? Is that it?”
I opened my mouth.
“What?” he demanded.
“Shit smear,” I told him.
“What?”
I sucked in a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs. I was loud and scared beyond all reason, and my body delivered all the decibels I had in me.
The guard backhanded me across the face. The hit burned like he’d scalded me. I rocked back and stumbled. Something hot and salty wet my lips. Blood, this time my own.
“Shut the fuck up.”
The small kids burst into tears. I hadn’t heard the board breaking. There was no telling if they’d managed it, but it was too late to stop now.
“Shit smear!” I told him.
He grabbed me by the neck and squeezed all of the air out. Panic hit me. I wanted to claw at his hands, but I had to hang there, limp, instead.
The world was turning dark.
The upstairs door swung open, and Derog marched into the room, followed by a thickset guy who looked like he crushed bricks with his forehead for a living.
The guard let go of me and backed away with his hands in the air.