“Did I hallucinate this whole thing?” I said out loud. There had to be a sensible explanation. They whacked me out with drugs, and I found a mouse after I tore up my room. The silly thing had played dead, and I dreamt I’d brought her back to life with some kind of crazy tech inside my arms.
And yet, this creature, with her white fur and brown spots, was identical to Peterson’s. It had to be the same mouse. I sighed and remembered the candy bar at my waist. “Don’t bite, okay?” As I placed her on one knee and unwrapped the chocolate, I bit off a chunk and chewed, then wondered if she was hungry too after dying and being reanimated.
I tore off a piece and fed it to her. She grasped the small chunk in her dainty pink claws and nibbled. “Good chocolate, huh? You like that?” Tiny white whiskers twitched as she ate. I could see why Peterson would get used to having her around. With a finger, I petted her smooth fur.
Then I heard footsteps in the hall. Peterson on a round?
I wrapped the mouse inside the aluminum candy wrapper and slid it into my pocket, then scurried to the door just as Peterson’s face came into view. “Hey. It’s urgent.” My voice cracked.
He halted but remained several feet away. “What?” he grunted with narrowed eyes.
“Come closer.”
“I’m forbidden to talk to you or get close to your cell.”
“It’s your mouse.”
He frowned.
“She’s alive.” I crouched and slid the warm, wrapper-enshrouded mouse through the food slot, her tiny face peering out from one end.
Through the window, Peterson glowered. Then he did a double-take. As he bent down, I couldn’t see what was happening outside the thick door.
Seconds later, he appeared in the window, cupping the mouse close to his cheek. She snuggled against him, and his ochre eyes gleamed huge and watery. “How did…? But she was dead. I don’t—is it really her?”
I pressed my palms against the door and whispered, “She came to life in my hands.”
Peterson stared at her. “Hey, Frida. You gave me a scare.” He met my gaze. “Thank you. She’s my pet. My only companion. Some days she’s my only reason for getting out of bed.”
“I’m not sure how it happened, but—”
“Strange things happen here. Just look at me.” He glanced around the hallway. “How can I repay you?” he whispered.
I thought for a moment. “A knife.”
From outside in the hall came a low buzzing. Peterson stole a final glance at me, then strode away. Seconds later, a camera drone cruised by. They had tightened up on security.
Fifteen
“You lost the privilege to leave your room. Now I come to you.”
I glared at Dr. Kenmore, fists clenched and pulse racing. He’d surprised me this morning. Peterson had entered and cuffed my hands behind my back as usual, but instead of escorting me through the hallway, he held me there until Kenmore strolled in and took a seat on my bed. Then Peterson stepped away to guard the door, wielding his stun baton.
Dr. K pulled out a tablet. Without a glance, he asked, “How are you feeling today?”
“Like shit.”
“Explain.” He crossed his legs, still not glancing up from his screen.
“I feel like shit because you’re keeping me holed up against my will. You belong in jail, creep.”
He sighed. “I see. More of this nonsense.” He jotted a note onto the tablet.
I shrugged and fidgeted with my cuffs. Peterson had squeezed them tighter than usual. Earlier, I had scanned his pockets, searching for the mouse, but saw no sign. If he was smart, he wouldn’t risk Kenmore finding the creature again.
“When good girls cooperate, good girls get rewarded for their behavior.” Kenmore raised his eyebrows and finally glanced my way.
I smirked, throwing as much sarcasm into it as possible.
“Unfortunately, your book will be confiscated. Have fun staring at the wall.”
“I will.”
“If you behave, you can get an even better reward. How would you like to go outdoors, see the sun, take a walk? This can be arranged if you answer my questions. Like a good girl.”
My eyes watered. Daylight. How long had it been since I’d breathed fresh air? But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. I hated him with all my heart. But the thought of traveling outside… God, that would be nice.
Kenmore cleared his throat. “Shall we begin again? How are you feeling today?”
Talk, cooperate, a voice inside my head said, but I ignored it. “Screw you.”
He exhaled. “So, it’s come to this. Peterson.” He motioned to the guard.
Peterson stretched his arm, aiming the charged stunner at me. I didn’t register it fast enough—my body stiffened like a board and pain charged through every nerve. Frantic, I wanted to dodge but couldn’t move my limbs. I tried to scream, but nothing came out.
The floor rushed up to meet me, but Peterson wrapped one of his large, hairy hands around my arm to stop me from falling. He'd only shocked me for a few seconds, but it had been long enough to leave me surprised and gasping for breath. Gently, he lowered me to the ground where I groaned and coughed.
Dr. K yawned and stretched his arms overhead. “We can stay at this all day. Peterson has plenty of juice left in his stunner.”
Feeling exhaustion all over, I crawled to the wall and leaned against it, glowering at him.
“Let’s begin, shall we?” Kenmore adjusted his glasses. “Have you noticed anything unusual in your body these last twenty-four hours?”
Where do I start, Doc? It just so happens possessed bugs are roaming inside me, and they resurrected a dead rodent. But other than that, nothing strange. I glanced at Peterson. “Yes.”
Dr. K leaned forward. “Go on.”
“My arms.”
“What about them?”
“They tingled. My skin was itchy.”
He scribbled on his screen. “When?”
“Yesterday.”
He rose and approached me. I tensed.
“Stand up. Peterson, help her.”
I shifted my feet under me. My instincts said to kick, to flee, but I shuddered at the thought of another jolt through my body. Peterson’s hairy
