up.”
They were quiet, and I was gripped by the fear that they were moving on without me. In a panic, I lifted my head to see over the log.
My mouth fell open.
Rebecca Lansing was sitting on the generator, wearing a big blue canvas coat. Her bare legs were wrapped around a guard’s hips—the soldier with the sandy hair. The nearly handsome guard who had approved of her line this morning. He had one hand shoved through her messed blond hair, the other on her bare thigh. Their lips were smashed against each other with a frenzied passion.
Part of me knew this was a dream. There was no possible way in the history of the human race that prude, holy Rebecca, my roommate, my Student Assistant, was getting it on with a soldier. On school grounds. In the middle of the night.
Anger scored through me. Rosa was in the shack being punished while Rebecca was screwing some guy on the generator. My hands balled into fists. My jaw clenched. And if reason hadn’t completely abandoned me earlier, it did then.
Before I knew it, I was standing.
“What was—”
I wasn’t surprised to be blinded by the flashlight. It caught me right in the face, blacking out the people behind it. I threw up a hand to guard my eyes and marched forward blindly around the log, over the branches and debris.
“Who is that?” I heard Rebecca say. And then, “Oh, my God.”
The guard cursed. Sean, she had called him. He detached himself from Rebecca and lunged forward toward me. I almost wanted him to reach me. All I saw when I looked at him was his stony face as he’d dragged Rosa away.
“Stop it!” Rebecca hopped down off the generator and jumped in front of him. “Ember, what are you doing here?” I hated that perky little voice.
“You liar !” I growled.
“What? How long have you been here?”
“Long enough, Becca. ” My words, though raspy, flew out like water from a busted pipe.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Oh, really ?”
“I thought you said she was asleep!” Banks nearly shouted.
“Shut up, Sean!” she snapped. When he didn’t answer, she grabbed my sleeve and tried to jerk me toward the facility. “Come on, we’re going back.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I’m done listening to you.”
“You have to come. The next guard will be coming through in a few minutes. You get caught, you’re done for. Get it?”
“Just me? I don’t think so,” I said, in a voice that sounded like mine but far bolder. Everything about me seemed disconnected. My skin was ice cold, but the blood running beneath was hot. My organs all felt like separate fragmented pieces. It took great effort to breathe the frigid air. I did not feel like myself at all.
“You think they care that Sean and I are out here?” she said, waving her arms in frustration. “You think they haven’t done the same thing? They watch each other’s backs, okay? They’ll punish you for telling on him.”
“Maybe they will,” I agreed, and felt my resentment kick up another notch. “And maybe the guards don’t care, but I’m sure Ms. Brock would love to hear how her shining star is sneaking around with one of the soldiers.”
Banks looked at her, his face twisting with panic—with real emotion. Then he stared at me, terror melting into desperation.
“She’ll never believe you,” he said to me.
“Maybe not. But they’ll watch her, won’t they? They’ll have a guard by our room, making sure she doesn’t try anything, and—” In all honesty, I didn’t know what Ms. Brock would do, but Sean’s darkening look told me I’d hit the mark.
“You can’t tell her … Miller, right? Becca’s out in three months. You have to give her that long.”
“Let me handle this, Sean,” she said.
I was taken aback by his burst of chivalry. Was he really trying to protect her? I crossed my arms over my chest. Maybe they weren’t all as dead inside as they seemed.
Well, maybe some of them weren’t, anyway.
“You … you can’t
They were quiet, and I was gripped by the fear that they were moving on without me. In a panic, I lifted my head to see over the log.
My mouth fell open.
Rebecca Lansing was sitting on the generator, wearing a big blue canvas coat. Her bare legs were wrapped around a guard’s hips—the soldier with the sandy hair. The nearly handsome guard who had approved of her line this morning. He had one hand shoved through her messed blond hair, the other on her bare thigh. Their lips were smashed against each other with a frenzied passion.
Part of me knew this was a dream. There was no possible way in the history of the human race that prude, holy Rebecca, my roommate, my Student Assistant, was getting it on with a soldier. On school grounds. In the middle of the night.
Anger scored through me. Rosa was in the shack being punished while Rebecca was screwing some guy on the generator. My hands balled into fists. My jaw clenched. And if reason hadn’t completely abandoned me earlier, it did then.
Before I knew it, I was standing.
“What was—”
I wasn’t surprised to be blinded by the flashlight. It caught me right in the face, blacking out the people behind it. I threw up a hand to guard my eyes and marched forward blindly around the log, over the branches and debris.
“Who is that?” I heard Rebecca say. And then, “Oh, my God.”
The guard cursed. Sean, she had called him. He detached himself from Rebecca and lunged forward toward me. I almost wanted him to reach me. All I saw when I looked at him was his stony face as he’d dragged Rosa away.
“Stop it!” Rebecca hopped down off the generator and jumped in front of him. “Ember, what are you doing here?” I hated that perky little voice.
“You liar !” I growled.
“What? How long have you been here?”
“Long enough, Becca. ” My words, though raspy, flew out like water from a busted pipe.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Oh, really ?”
“I thought you said she was asleep!” Banks nearly shouted.
“Shut up, Sean!” she snapped. When he didn’t answer, she grabbed my sleeve and tried to jerk me toward the facility. “Come on, we’re going back.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I’m done listening to you.”
“You have to come. The next guard will be coming through in a few minutes. You get caught, you’re done for. Get it?”
“Just me? I don’t think so,” I said, in a voice that sounded like mine but far bolder. Everything about me seemed disconnected. My skin was ice cold, but the blood running beneath was hot. My organs all felt like separate fragmented pieces. It took great effort to breathe the frigid air. I did not feel like myself at all.
“You think they care that Sean and I are out here?” she said, waving her arms in frustration. “You think they haven’t done the same thing? They watch each other’s backs, okay? They’ll punish you for telling on him.”
“Maybe they will,” I agreed, and felt my resentment kick up another notch. “And maybe the guards don’t care, but I’m sure Ms. Brock would love to hear how her shining star is sneaking around with one of the soldiers.”
Banks looked at her, his face twisting with panic—with real emotion. Then he stared at me, terror melting into desperation.
“She’ll never believe you,” he said to me.
“Maybe not. But they’ll watch her, won’t they? They’ll have a guard by our room, making sure she doesn’t try anything, and—” In all honesty, I didn’t know what Ms. Brock would do, but Sean’s darkening look told me I’d hit the mark.
“You can’t tell her … Miller, right? Becca’s out in three months. You have to give her that long.”
“Let me handle this, Sean,” she said.
I was taken aback by his burst of chivalry. Was he really trying to protect her? I crossed my arms over my chest. Maybe they weren’t all as dead inside as they seemed.
Well, maybe some of them weren’t, anyway.
“You … you can’t
Similar Books
