by Aella Black
Xander smiled. “It’s possible. If you can rise from the dead, anything can happen.”
22
The rest of the day flew by faster than usual. It’s possible Xander’s presence had something to do with that.
But it wasn’t all fun and games. More than once I caught him glaring at Wolf, practically taunting him to try something. I reminded him that was just an invitation for trouble—trouble we didn’t need.
After dinner, I returned to the cell, exhausted, and curled up on my bed. Running my hand along the small stack of books I’d collected, I thought about our plan. Already, we’d identified a few inmates with potentially useful powers. The only concern was whether they could be trusted. We hadn’t even approached our friends about this yet. They’d been here longer than either of us, so I hoped they could give us a better read on the situation.
My fingers identified a particularly good YA fantasy book by its distinct embossed cover. I’d detected a common thread in all the stories I’d been reading: the hero never gave up. I’d have to keep that it mind when we hit the inevitable speed bumps in our plan.
Rocky joined me a short while later. We still had a few hours before lights-out, and I considered whether I should ask her to join our cause. She would make an excellent addition to the team. Her wrestling abilities—not to mention her supernatural ones—actually might make her the most important member.
When she came out of the bathroom, Rocky stood in the center of the room and stared at me. I frowned. Had something happened in the cafeteria after I left?
I waited, since something was obviously on her mind. When the echoes of the last cell on our block being locked faded away, she crossed her arms. “Get up.”
I raised my brows. “What?”
“Up! Do you want to learn to fight or not?”
Oh yeah. With my mind focused on plans to escape, I’d almost forgotten about her offer to train me. Scrambling to my feet, I peeked between the bars into the hall. “Won’t we get in trouble?”
“If someone hears us and comes to investigate, we’ll just say we got into an argument.” Smart. “Worse they can do is separate us. I doubt they’d go to the trouble, though.” Valid point.
I crossed my arms over my body, suddenly self-conscious. “Okay. Where do we start?”
“Well, first you’ve got to improve your posture.” Rocky grabbed my arms, prying them apart and forcing them to my sides. Then she pushed my shoulders back and bopped the bottom of my chin. “Stand straight, shoulders back, chin up. Imagine you’re a puppet and there’s a string attached here.” She dug a finger into the top of my skull.
I ducked away. “Ow!”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ll experience more pain than that by the time I’m done with you. Come on, stand up.”
I’d never met a drill sergeant—never wanted to, either. I imagined this was exactly the way they sounded. But if we were going to war, there was no one better to whip me in shape.
Straightening my spine, I tried to visualize the puppet string thing. Rocky nodded. “Unlock your knees. That’s the quickest way for you to end up flat on the floor. Shake out your arms. You want to be loose. Fluid. We’ll focus on your firm stance after that.”
“I’m supposed to be loose and firm?” I asked, swinging my arms. “How?”
“Just do as I say. We’ll get to that.”
For the next five minutes, she had me shaking out my joints and rolling my neck and shoulders. Then she taught me how to take a firm stance, planting my feet a hip’s length apart and bending at the knees.
“I thought you were a wrestler,” I said. “Is this what wrestlers do?”
“It’s basic fighting stance,” she said. “Now pay attention.”
Rocky instructed me how to pivot and throw a punch. “You’re stiffening up,” she barked. “Remember to stay loose.”
I relaxed my entire body and threw a punch at her palm. She sighed. “Not that loose. That was weak. Get some power behind that punch. Firm up your stance!”
Though it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, Rocky was turning out to be a tough taskmaster. I punched at her palms again and again, a sweat breaking out on my forehead. If I was already wearing myself out after a few punches, how was I supposed to survive a fight?
I punched her one more time, then she froze, looking toward the hallway. “Someone’s coming,” she hissed.
I heard it, too—footsteps.
We each collapsed onto our beds. I pulled open a book to a random page and held it in front of my face. The footsteps stopped outside our cell, and my heart leapt into my throat.
“How are you ladies tonight?”
It was Warden Will. Did he know what we were doing? If so, how?
I lowered my book, hoping I didn’t look as flushed as I felt.
He had his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were on me.
“About to sleep,” Rocky said, rolling over on her bed. “Don’t feel like talking, Big Guy.”
“Just thought I’d check in. I’m sorry about what happened with Wolf, Phoebe,” he said, glancing at the colorful collection of bruises on my neck.
He actually looked sorry, but still, it had happened on his watch. In his prison. His apologies meant nothing to me.
“He’ll be eighteen in a few months,” the warden continued, “and he won’t be a bother to you after that.”
A cold chill crawled up my spine. “Where will he go?” I asked quietly.
“I’m afraid that’s Top Secret. You’ll find out when you’re eighteen.” He gave me a gentle smile, then tipped his head forward. “Goodnight, ladies.”
When we could no longer hear his footsteps, Rocky muttered, “They kill us.”
I gripped the book closer to my chest. “Do you think so?”
“Mark my words,” she said. “They don’t tell us where we go. I don’t see anything on the news about supernaturals walking around free, do you? They use this time to test us, then dispose of us when our time’s up.” She punched her pillow. “Cowards. I’d like to hurt every last one of them.”
Maybe now was a good time to pitch the idea of escape to her.
Placing the book back on the ground, I sat up on my bed and turned to her. “If there’s a chance you could break out of here, would you do it?”
She eyed me, frowning. “You don’t think I haven’t tried?”
Considering she was still here, this surprised me. “What happened?” I asked.
Rocky sat up and leaned against the wall to face me. “Got caught, that’s what. They used to have some landscaping out in the rec yard. With rocks.” The side of her mouth hitched up in a half-smile. “I tucked a few in my jumpsuit, then acted sick. They sent a guard to escort me here, and I whipped out a rock, turned it to quartz, and tried to stab him with it.” She shrugged. “I was hoping to make a break for it.”
My eyes widened. No way she’d still be here if she injured a guard.
“My quartz-forming abilities aren’t exactly a sure thing. It’s why I’ve been reading every freakin’ National Geographic I could get my hands on.” Ah, it all made so much sense now. “See if I could learn something to help me get this under control.” She flicked her hands away from her like they disgusted her.
I wanted to point out that at least she had a power that’s somewhat useful. The little I knew of Rocky made me hold my tongue.
She continued. “I did manage to give the guy a bruise on his cheek before he tased me. Solitary for a week after that. No rec, no nothing. And they removed every rock in this prison.” Rocky smirked, as if inconveniencing the overlord and his evil henchmen was a victory in itself.
I’d have agreed with her if the price of her failed attempt might not have resulted in her death.
I let a breath escape my lips. “You got lucky they didn’t take you away like Hot Rod.”
“Nah. That wasn’t Hot Rod’s first time to try busting out of this joint.”
“Really? No one else mentioned that.�
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“I doubt they knew,” she said. “I was around when it happened, and I guess they decided to keep it quiet. I mean, the kid was just barely out of diapers.”
He was a little older than that, I thought, but didn’t bother verbalizing it.
“What would you do if you did?” I whispered. “Escaped, I mean.”
Rocky rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her hands tucked behind her head. “I don’t know. Maybe find a way to Alaska. I could hide out there.”
I tried to picture it. I didn’t know much about Alaska, except that it was still mostly wilderness, even after all this time. And it was cold. Really cold. I wasn’t sure how well I’d adapt to sub-zero temperatures. It made me wonder…
“Where are you from?” I asked her.
“Getting all personal now, are we?” But Rocky must not have been overly offended because she still responded. Sort of. “I’m from up north. Just not far enough.”
Okey-dokey.
My mind wandered to where I would go if I escaped. Home wasn’t an option. Too close to the SCC and their hidden-in-plain-sight prisons. North might very well be the best alternative.
The west was ablaze from fires and crumbling from earthquakes. The eastern seaboard was either getting pummeled by hurricanes or it was flooded. There were lots of big cities that way to get lost in, but they all suffered from riots when things went poorly. And they always seemed to be going poorly lately. The south had all of those issues, plus it was so hot it was hardly habitable.
But, to my knowledge, Alaska didn’t have too many problems. If it did, at least there was plenty of space to move around. And most importantly, it was far, far away from here.
And Xander, where would he go? Surely he wouldn’t try to go back to his old life. Unless both of his parents developed a conscience, he would just end up right back here where he started. Or worse.
No, there was nothing for him back home. No friends. No football. No cheerleaders fawning over him. Honestly, it sucked more for him than me.
He’d had an amazing life and a bright future. Me? I hadn’t thought about what I would do since the day my dad left. I’d always wanted to be a scientist like him, to make the world a better place. But no dad, no money. No money, no college. My future was murky at best.
Which was why Alaska seemed as a good a place as any to go.
23
At breakfast, Woody sat next to me, his shoulder brushing mine. No one else was at the table yet. “Did you know Xander talks in his sleep?” he grumbled.
“How would I know that?” I took a bite of a dry cinnamon roll.
“I don’t know, you two seem pretty chummy.”
I swallowed my bite and shrugged. “So, what did he say?”
“Something about football practice. No surprise with a jock like him.”
“Xander’s not just some mindless jock.” I spotted the topic of our conversation entering the cafeteria, and he waved at me before joining the line. “He’s a good guy.”
Woody narrowed his eyes. “I got the impression you weren’t that close before he got here.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“So how do you know he’s not a creep? Or maybe you like him because he’s hot.” Woody emphasized the word with air quotes, his voice pitched an octave higher. It seemed Woody was extra moody today.
The rest of the group would be joining us any minute, so I spoke quickly. “Tell me this. Has he done something to make you think he’s not a good guy?”
I really wanted to know. You’d think someone in prison would appreciate the idea of innocent until proven guilty. But no, Woody huffed and took a huge bite of cinnamon roll. Which, of course, proved my point perfectly.
Whatever.
My objective today: corner Cathy and ask her to be the designated messenger. It wouldn’t matter what plan we came up with if she wasn’t on board. I watched as she and Birdie made their way through the line right behind Xander. It was good to see her back to her chatty self after yesterday’s fiasco with Oscar.
Xander smiled at me as he walked up to the table and sat in the seat opposite mine. “Morning.”
I smiled back at him. “Morning.” For one breathless moment, I couldn’t believe I was hanging out on a daily basis with the guy I’d been crushing on for years. I mean, it stunk royally that we were in prison, but I had to look at the perks. And this was a definite one.
Birdie and Cathy sat next to him, just as Tex and Cal walked into the cafeteria. Ever the lone wolf, Rocky had ditched us today in favor of a table to herself. She’d have probably laughed in my face if I’d asked to join her on her Alaskan adventure.
“I heard you had a rough night’s sleep,” I said to Xander.
He made a face. “Does anyone sleep well here?”
“Have any dreams?” I pressed, trying and failing to hide my smirk.
He threw an exasperated look in Woody’s direction. “You mean, other than the dream where I murdered my cellmate in his sleep?” Birdie and Cathy giggled. I nudged Woody with my elbow. He deserved that.
Xander continued. “But for real, I think I dreamed I was playing football.” Woody huffed an obvious ‘I told you so.’ “Not my best game, though. I turned into a giant and stepped on all my teammates by accident. Warden Will showed up and politely told me I had to go with him, but I couldn’t fit in the van. I think they were trying to stuff me in when I woke up.” Then, with a pointed look in Woody’s direction, he said, “Maybe he knows how it ends.”
Tex and Cal joined us. “Wolf is cracked, man.” Cal wasted no time biting into a slice of toast. “He wolfed out on his cellmate last night.”
I froze, the last of my cinnamon roll halfway to my mouth. “Why? What happened?”
“I thought I heard something,” Xander mused.
“Yeah, man,” Cal said, his mouth full of food. “Guess they got into some kind of fight. Wolf’s got his own cell from now on.”
“Probably why he did it,” Woody muttered.
“Is the other guy okay?” I asked.
Cal took a lazy sip of his milk. “Yeah, bought himself a beatdown, that’s all.”
Xander shook his head. “Why don’t they send him to Lansing? He’s clearly dangerous.”
Tex glanced around lowered his voice. “Not sure if it’s true, but I’ve heard Wolf is kind of like a narc here.”
“Great,” I mumbled. That was going to make it difficult—if not impossible—to trust others with our plans. Wolf had a way of instilling fear around here, and I could see someone telling him to get on his good side. Information like that might even earn them a place in his pack.
Xander sipped his chocolate milk and then set it down. “If you weren’t all locked up, what would you do with your power?” Wow, that was quite the subject change. Not that Wolf was my favorite topic of conversation or anything.
Birdie’s face brightened. “I’d travel the world and talk to all the wild birds and help save them.”
I was floored. Never would I have thought of doing good in the world with a gift like that. Now I just felt selfish.
“Maybe take to the casinos and try my luck at gambling,” Tex said with a sideways smile. With his chess skills, I had no doubt Texas could wipe the floor in poker.
“I’d use my party trick to impress chicks,” Cal said. “I might even get invited to late-night shows. I’d be famous.” His response didn’t surprise me in the slightest.
Cathy scrunched up her nose. “Girls wouldn’t be impressed by that,” she said.
“Au contraire, my friend. The chicks would totally dig me,” Cal said. “What would you do with your telepathic yip yap?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I might find a practical use for it one day.”
One day may come sooner than you think.
Woody stared at his empty tray. “I’d probably make something. Have a shop, sell my work.” He shrugged a shoulder, still not looking anyone in the eye.
I imagined Wood
y working solo somewhere, coaxing wood to bend and twist in intricate ways. He was an artist. I could see that. It certainly fit his temperamental nature. “That’s cool,” I said. “I’d buy something from you.”
His mouth twitched into the tiniest of smiles.
All eyes turned on me. I shrugged. “I’d still avoid dying.”
Chuckles all around. “Don’t blame ya there,” Tex said.
“If I had your power, I’d try everything,” Cal said. “Skydiving, rock climbing, base jumping… I’d do it all.”
Yeah, that was so not me. I finished off my juice. “It’s still not fun to die. Even if you know you’ll come back. Especially when you’re not sure you’ll come back.”
Xander’s gaze was locked on me, an unnamed emotion in eyes. I held his stare, unable to look away, until Tex’s voice cut in. “What about you, Chief?” he asked Xander. “What would you do with your power?”
“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I’ve been hiding it for so long, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. It’s not like I could compete in sports. It wouldn’t be fair. Probably just continue my life like normal.”
Hearing him say those words caused a pang in my chest. “Normal” in Xander’s world didn’t include me. Would he just throw away the time spent here so easily? I hoped that wasn’t the case. I hoped—
“Incoming.”
Cathy’s warning gave me a jolt, and Wolf immediately came to mind. When I turned around in my seat, I felt relieved to see it was Oscar approaching our table. Relieved, right up to the moment he stood directly in front of me and crossed his arms, not a hint of his smile on his lips.
“Phoenix. You need to return all the books you’ve taken from the library today. This is your only warning.”
I frowned. “No one said anything about due dates.” Not that I’d asked. But he didn’t need to know that. And why just me?
“There are now. Return them or rec privileges will be taken away.” He turned and strode away before I could ask if I was allowed to check out more.
Frustration bubbled inside me. Oscar acted horribly to Cathy yesterday, and now he was singling me out. I wasn’t sure what had happened between our conversation in the medical ward and him snapping our heads off at the library, but it wasn’t good. For him, or for us.