“Are you going to stand there asking questions, or do you want to go? There’s no time to waste.”
She grabbed a shirt from her dresser and held it up. “Dark enough?”
“No, not your uniform. Yes, wear your boots.” He turned around, giving her privacy. “Hurry.”
She’d never dressed so quickly in her life. “Done.”
“Here. Put this on.”
It was a black wool cap just like the one he was wearing, and she understood what he wanted right away. While he watched, she rolled her blond hair into a bun then tucked all the ends under the hat.
“Good?”
He smiled. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
He didn’t need to tell her that everything depended on keeping quietand moving fast, so she bit her tongue. She trusted Gus. Even more so, now that he was a fully trained agent. He snuck around for a living. Still, her pulse thumped like a bass drum in her ears as he led the way down the pitch-black corridor. She stuck to him like a second skin, every hair on her body raised, her fingertips skimming the wall for reference. The hinges on the exit door barely made a sound when he pushed it open. When they stepped out into the chill of the night, Dot paused on the doorstop, shivering. She didn’t think she’d ever been out this late in her life. It felt almost dreamlike.
He leaned in close so he could keep his voice down. “You okay?”
It struck her that because of the moon, the night was brighter outside than in. She could see his face clearly; the blue of his eyes looked grey. She nodded, willing herself to stop shaking.
“It’s a bit of a walk. If we go fast, you’ll warm up. Just hang on to me.”
He took her hand and led her along the dormitory wall, staying hidden as much as possible. It occurred to her that she didn’t need to hold his hand, and that they might be able to run a little faster if she didn’t, but it was reassuring being connected to him. When she slipped on a little dip in the grass, he swooped in, an arm around her waist for balance.
“You all right?”
“I’m fine. This is crazy, Gus. What are we doing?”
She saw his grin through the darkness. “We’re on an adventure. I know that’s not usually your thing, but in this case—”
A dog barked in the distance, and Gus was instantly alert. He grabbed her hand again, and they sprinted across the field toward a line of trees blocking the starry sky. They didn’t slow until they were into the thick of the forest, then he let go so she could better navigate the twisted twigs and weeds at their feet. He was a dark figure to follow, but every now and then he paused to make sure she was still with him. She was. During her training she’d become agile and strong, and she trusted her own abilities.
She couldn’t tell how long they walked, maybe a half hour of winding through the trees before they began to thin. The flat grey line of a road materialized before them.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Thornton Road.”
Remembering her driver’s words that first day, she looked both ways. “We have to make sure no one sees us. Can’t let anyone find the camp.”
“True. We’re all right. I checked. How’d you know that?”
She told him about her driver. “He said if there was anybody in view, he’d keep on driving.”
Gus went to a large pile of branches on the side of the road and started throwing them to the side. Just like in their childhood days, she copied him without question. Then she caught a glimpse of metal beneath, and she almost laughed. He’d hidden a car. Seeing it, she cleared the brush off even faster.
Gus turned, watching her pitch the heavy branches.
“What?”
“No more Dot the Dormouse for you.”
She warmed all the way through. The Wrens had changed her. Camp X even more. Dot never wanted to be that person again.
“After all the training I’ve had since Conestoga, I should hope not,” she replied. “Where did you get the car?”
He wiggled his eyebrows like he had when they were kids. “I have my ways. Get in.”
