The door shuts and locks again.
My confidence shakes but it doesn’t shatter. Ethan warned me this might happen, and even if I hate that we’re not together, it doesn’t mean Thomas wins in the end.
Be smart.
Get him talking.
Find a weapon.
I repeat this simple list to myself over and over, hoping it will help me find the strength to handle what’s next.
Rules for disappearing
by Witness Protection prisoner #18A7R04M:
Don’t make eye contact or strike up conversations with random people….
New rule by Anna Boyd:
Random people may not be so random after all.
feel like I’ve been asleep for days. I have vague memories of downing more water and crawling to the bathroom, but that’s it. My body is disgusting, my hair greasy, my breath foul, and every move I make hurts like hell. Teeny’s twisted up at my side, but springs to life after I stretch around.
She sits up quickly and asks, “Are you awake now?” Her voice sounds panicked.
“I think so. How long have I been out?”
“A whole day, I think. I only know that the room got really dark and then not so dark. We got more food. I ate without you.” Her head hangs.
I pull her in close. “I’m glad you did.”
She buries her face into my shoulder. “I didn’t think you were ever gonna wake up.”
“I’m better now.” A small lie. I feel like I could sleep for a week more. But I’m starving too and that right now is overriding the urge to crawl back underneath the sheet. And Teeny’s pitiful face.
“What’s there to eat?” I ask.
Teeny pops up and runs across the room. There is now a small card table full of snacks, fruit, bread, and soft drinks. It’s almost a ridiculous amount of food for just Teeny and me.
The small ice chest is tucked underneath the table. Teeny fixes me a plate with a banana, a honey bun, and a handful of grapes. “Did Thomas or the guy in the mask bring all this food in?” I ask with a mouth full of grapes.
“The guy in the mask. And he brought me some books.”
This is freaking me out. Who in the hell is the dude in the mask and why is he going out of his way to be so accommodating?
Teeny sinks back down on the mattress with a sudoku book while I check out the shuttered window where a draft of cool air blows in from the outside. It’s an odd shape, arched on top, and no glass—just the old wood shutter tucked back in the wall. The space is small; I can barely fit in front of it. The latch is locked with a small brass padlock.
Squinting through the crack I see another building. We’re only about three or four stories up and the building across from the window is yellow. Bright yellow. But the position of the window doesn’t allow me to see what’s below it.
The sound of a lock turning makes us both jump.
Vader sticks his black ski-masked face inside. “You’re awake.”
No kidding.
Neither of us says anything to him. He steps inside and glances toward the food.
“Do you need anything?” It’s a nice enough question but delivered in the same sharp tone he used earlier.
