“Yes, bunk beds!” I hear Molly’s young voice squeal.
“Bunk beds?” I ask in a questioning tone, and I can see the confusion on Zavy and Essie’s faces as well. How could we live on the same island as this city, and yet know a completely different lifestyle?
I claim the top bed of the set that’s closest to the door, and then Kimberly comes around and gives us extra pillows and blankets since she has taken the dirty ones from our backpacks. I take my bag from the hook and double-check to make sure nothing else was taken. The clothes from the bunker that I had cleaned yesterday are still folded and tucked at the bottom of the bag. I find that my photograph, gold coin, and Codian’s necklace are still hidden away in the secret inside pocket of the bag. The rations from the bunker are still tied together in the front pouch with the cental-straw packed neatly on top. I exhale with relief, knowing nothing else in my bag has been taken. I know Cinder’s intentions were good, but these are the only belongings I have in this world.
We all climb up into our bunks and Kimberly flips off the light. She cracks the door just enough so a single sliver of light stretches across the floor. My eyelids start to get heavy and I can feel myself falling into a deep sleep, my exhaustion taking over. I remind myself to stay awake because Alexander will come for me soon I assume. All of the other girls in the room have already fallen asleep and just as I’m about to as well I hear hushed voices approach my door. My eyes shoot open and I think it’s Alexander, but the harshness in the voice tells me it’s not. It’s Mio and Leo, and it sounds like they are making their way down our hall.
“We’ve got a serious problem, Leo,” I hear Mio whisper and continue, “Not only did Paylon see us come through the tunnel, but he used his gift and I’m sure the alarm they have this city under notified the officers. Now, we saw him run back into the forest, but there’s no telling what he’s going to do.”
“We could all be in danger,” Leo whispers, fear creeping into his voice.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it sooner, I didn’t want to worry the kids or Kimberly,” Mio apologizes and continues, “Cooper’s pretty confident he got him deep enough, but Paylon might have still gotten the word out about our arrival.”
“They know don’t they?” Leo asks, and I’m confused by what he could mean. Who knows? What do they know?
“They have to know. If it were anyone else they’d just let them go,” Mio says flatly.
“All right. I’ll stay up and keep watch in case someone finds us,” Leo responds. “You should get some sleep. You have a long journey tomorrow.”
“Leo, I think you and Kimberly need to come with us. We might make it through the night without them finding us, but they’ll track every inch of those tunnels until they find it leads to you,” Mio says desperation creeping in his voice.
“You know I can’t possibly ask Kimberly to do that. You know she already has a hard enough time letting them stay here. She never wanted any of this,” Leo says in a small, weak voice.
They are quiet for a second until Mio finally says, “You better hope they don’t connect this place to that tunnel.”
“We’ll be fine Mio.” The brothers don’t say anything else, and after a second I hear their footsteps lead into separate directions, and that’s when my fatigue pulls me into a deep sleep.
Chapter 22
There’s a soft tap on my shoulder and my eyelids flicker open. A pair of dark green eyes are looking back at me in the dark of the room. Alexander. Right, I was supposed to stay awake and meet with him. Without exchanging any words I quietly get up and leave my bed. I wait until we are out in the hall to make any sound. Alexander starts to head toward the front of the house and I grab his arm, stopping him.
“We can’t go up there,” I whisper, remembering what I had overheard between Mio and Leo before fatigue pulled me under. “Leo is staying up tonight to keep watch. Here,” I say and guide him back, deeper into the house. After I had showered I remember passing a room that looked like a sitting area. It takes me a minute to find my way back to it, but when I do I’m surprised to find it full of books. I see a small switch next to the door and when I flip it on the room ignites in a blinding white light. It’s a small and dark wooden room. Books line the shelves that circle the entire room. There are couches and tables spread throughout the room. On the far wall is a wooden door that leads to another room, but I’m not sure where. Alexander and I click the door behind us and make sure no one else is in the room before speaking.
“How did you know to come here?” I ask him in a shocked whisper, finally getting out the words that I’ve been thinking since I saw him chained to the floor of Leo’s storage room.
“That’s actually what I wanted
