"Nothing."
"Your whole demeanor changed."
"It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" he asks, unconvinced.
"Yes."
He eyes me with a sidelong glance until we arrive at the shack. I thank him like I usually do but this time, after ascertaining that we're alone, I give him a fast hug. He clings to me but I lightly push him back before someone sees us.
"What was that hug for?" he asks, his eyes steadily on me and a smile in his voice.
"I wanted to tell you how much your friendship has meant to me."
"Why tell me now?" he asks suspiciously.
"Better late than never."
Before opening the door to the slave quarters I say, "Bye, Miguel."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Frida."
No, you won't, I tell him in my head as I step in the shack. A quick plan had formed in my head. I didn't tell Miguel about it because he had once stopped me from leaving Paradise Village. I'm certain he'd do it again.
I'm going to escape tonight.
Chapter Fifteen
"Don't be scared, Little One," I whisper to Haley. "You're a brave girl. You don't need me to be brave."
I have to prepare her without actually telling her that I'm leaving.
"You're getting married next week, right?"
"I'm sorry. I can't take you with me."
Tears form in her eyes. "I'll be very sad."
"Promise me you'll be brave."
She eyes me with falling tears.
"Promise me you'll be brave," I repeat with more firmness.
"Okay," she says in a small voice. "I promise."
I force myself to stay awake as hours pass by. It actually isn't that difficult even when I sleep deprived from the day before. I think about my life in Paradise Village and my fury keeps me alert.
Faces of dead girls and boys visit me. Jana's eyes cry out to me. The Mister's discipline club menaces me. Bledsoe's confession to Smythee about all of us being mere pawns in their games makes every liquid in me boil.
Total garbage.
Garbage, garbage, garbage.
All being crammed into us.
Grinder's even crazier antics. Son of the Great Master. Please!!! The changing of birthdays. The sadistic head-wives. Girls set against one another. Bullying each other. Hating one another.
The status quo murders.
Putting us to death when we turn thirty.
Killing us when the Elders decide we're not good enough to be alive.
Paradise for them. Hell for us.
I wait until Haley and everyone else in the slave quarters is fast asleep. I have no doubts about what I'm about to do. I'm tired of waiting for something to happen. I'll go after my freedom even if I die trying.
I quietly grab my boomerang, put it under my shirt, and start sneaking outside. The night is dark with not even a full moon to help me. It's a half one but I tell myself that I can't think about that. I'll have to find my way one way or another. The air is crisp and cool but not cold. At least I have that going for me.
Paradise Village is so quiet at this time of night. The only ones awake are the guards on the main road. I have to make sure I don't make any noise that might alert them since sound travels fast in such a small place.
"Where are you going?" a voice startles me in the dark. I turn around with a shaking heart to find Helga behind me.
"I'm going to the outhouse," I state quickly.
"Really?" she asks sarcastically.
"Yes."
"You're lying."
"Why would I be lying about going to the outhouse?" I make my voice sound indignant.
"Where are you going, Monica?" she questions with a stern voice.
"I already told you."
"Where are you really going?"
"How many times can I repeat myself?"
She plops down on a boulder and motions me to do the same. "Sit," she commands, patting the area next to her.
I have no choice but to do as she tells me.
"Do you know how dangerous it is in the jungle?" she snaps.
"I know."
"Do you?"
"I'm going to the outhouse and not--"
"Let's stop the pretences," she snarls. "Do you know how I got the scars on my face?"
"The dogs."
"But do you know why they bit me?"
"No."
"I was trying to escape."
I look at her with surprise. "Really?"
"I didn't get very far when the dogs had at me. The only reason they didn't tear me to pieces was that the Elders stopped them."
This is the first time I hear any of this. And I'm also surprised that the Elders had stopped the violence. Usually hey revel in it.
"They thought it would be a good way to have a living reminder of what the dogs can do," she mutters an answer as if reading the questions in my mind.
Helga's face served to scare most people in Paradise Village from the dogs. Their twisted scheme had worked.
"I guess you're not necessarily afraid of the dogs since they don't seem to want to bite you," she continues.
I nod.
"Don't be so secure about that, Monica. If the Elders order them to, they might just make mincemeat out of you."
"I'm not scared," I state.
"Don't be a fool."
"I'm not a fool," I snap.
"You are if you think you can leave here in one piece. Even if the dogs don't get you, the Elders will. That is if the landmines don't get you first."
"Did you think of that before you tried to escape?"
She swallows hard. "Yes."
'Then why did you do it anyway?"
"I was desperate."
"So am I," I assert.
"Desperation isn't a good adviser."
"Nor is cowardice."
"Monica, you know I can't let you go," she states.
"Just go back inside and pretend you never same me, Helga. Do it for the memory of the desperate girl you once were."
"You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you escape."
Chapter Sixteen
"Helga, please let me go," I plead.
"You'll die out there. I don't want that on my conscious."
"You don't even like me."
"Yes, I do."
"Not too long ago, you used to hate me," I remind her.
"Things are very messed up in this place. I thought I hated you, but I really didn't."
"Helga, I always knew you had a heart."
"I haven't always had one. I've only just grown a beating heart."
The change in her during the past few weeks was remarkable. She had even stopped calling Miguel names.
"I'm glad you're so different now."
She grimaces. "Don't spread it around or I won't be able to do my job."
"I won't."
"You've opened my eyes to a lot of things, Monica. I'm grateful to you."
"If you're so grateful, why won't you let me leave?"
"I already told you. It's too dangerous."
"I'll be okay," I assure her.
"You'll explode on a landmine before dawn."
"I won't."
"How will you prevent it? The jungle is booby trapped."
"I've figured out a way."
Helga eyes me carefully. "What way?"
I wonder if I should tell her. I have to convince her to let me go. "None of the dogs died in the jungle yesterday."
Her eyebrows shoot up. "You've figured it out," she says, surprised.
"You've figured it out too?"
"It's still very dangerous out there, Monica."
"I know what I have to do."
"I still can't let you go."
I let out an exasperated breath. "Helga--"
"I can't let you go until I give you something." She bounces off the boulder and heads for the outhouse. I don't know what to make of this. She re
turns a few minutes later with a black bag.
"What's that?" I ask.
"I've been collecting these for a while." When she opens the bag, I see a flashlight, a Swiss knife, matches, a notebook, and a water canteen in it. "I don't know why I tried to escape with nothing like you're doing now, but through the years I picked up things here and there."
"You were planning to escape?"
"Yes, but I haven't had the nerve to do it. I had more guts when I was younger. I guess I've seen too many deaths at the Elders' hands."
Then she tells me her story of when she was stolen from an orphanage. She had tried several times to run away to get to her father but never succeeded and guessed that the caretakers probably thought she had run away again. When she was brought to Paradise Village she promised herself she'd escape as soon as she could. Then she figured out what I had, but the dogs had gotten to her.
"Are you sure you want me to have this?" I ask her, pointing at the bag.
"I want you to have a fighting chance for all of us."
"Thanks, Helga."
"You'd better be leaving soon. They'll start looking for you when you don't show up for your surgery."
"Doctor Eckhold switched it to the evening."
"That may be to your benefit."
"I hope so," I state.
"Just a few tips. Water is priority," she says as she steps over to the wash basin and starts filling up the canteen. "Don't drink from still water no matter how thirsty you may be. Find running water. The notebook is something I compiled that has the right plants to eat and words of advice. You know how to read and write, right?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. Good luck," she says after she screws the lid back on the canteen, puts it in the black bag, and hands it to me.
I give her a huge hug. She squeezes back.
"Go now," she says, her voice shaky. "Don't forget about us after you reach your freedom."
"I'll never forget my friends here, Helga. Never."
Rushing away, I don't look back. I imagine she went back to the slave quarters.
My heart beats fast. My legs are energized. I'm free for the moment.
Chapter Seventeen
I don't use my flashlight until I'm well into the part of the jungle the Elders and Masters use for hunting. There are several reasons why I chose to start my journey here. I'm somewhat familiar with the path, I know it's not booby trapped, and I can get much further through this route than any other.
I'm surprised that the light the flashlight provides is decent, and that it has actual working batteries. I didn't know what to expect when Helga had given her supplies to me. Not that I didn't trust her. She could've already sounded the alarm if she had wanted. But I questioned her ability to get working batteries. Apparently, Helga is stealthier and more able than I had imagined.
I keep looking at the stars when my jittery nerves threaten to overwhelm me. Somewhere my mama could be looking at the same stars. If I do what I had told Haley to do--be brave--I have a chance at seeing my mama again. I keep telling myself that with every step I take.
She'll be so happy to see me.
She's never stopped looking for me. I just know it.
I spot an occasional deer, but it scampers away. I'm not sure what'll I'll do if I encounter a more dangerous animal. Out in the forbidden zone, I doubt that I'll see too may animals. They seem to sense it's dangerous there. I know this because there would be explosions often if say a bear would stumble in there. Explosions from the mine are pretty rare.
I take in a deep breath as I arrive at the cemetery. It's dark. Shadows of swaying tree branches show on the white grave stones. Spooky. Yes. But not as scary as the Elders I tell myself.
I meet up with Bledsoe's grave. He got special treatment, of course. His grave is different from anyone else's. He's got a statue of an angel sitting on his. How ironic! It's the other graves that deserve this type of marker. Evil people never know they're evil. How does a person justify stealing another person?
I always wondered that question. How do the Elders and the Masters sleep at night knowing what they've done? How do they not tell wrong from right? It babbles me.
I walk past Bledsoe because my stomach is beginning to twist. Even though he's not as bad as Grinder, he's still pretty evil. There's no two ways about it.
My heart wants to suffocate me when I see Jana's grave. She's next to Smythee. I silently promise her that I will try to get some kind of justice for her. I'll use every shred of energy, smarts, and abilities I have to get myself out of Paradise Village and bring the authorities here. I can't let the Elders do to Haley what they did to me.
No! Never!
I'd like to pick her some wildflowers but if I put them on her grave, they'll know for certain it was me and that I came down this road. But who am I fooling? The dogs will probably find me. Of course, Miguel will know I came this way because he can track me. Hopefully I'll be long gone by the time he realizes I'm gone.
I tell myself to hurry along. I need to put as much distance as I can between Paradise Village and me. I guess I'm just procrastinating because when I get to the marker sticks signaling where the landmines start, I pause a few minutes.
What if I'm wrong?
What if my assumptions get me killed?
Maybe I should turn back and forget this half baked idea.
No! No matter how insecure I'm feeling right now, I can't go back to Paradise Village. My life there flashes before my eyes. The past, the present, the future. Having to Marry the Mister. Putting up with Grinder's increasing insanity.
Uugggg!!!
I need to keep going. I have to see this through even if it means my life. Getting on my hands and knees, I start crawling slowly and carefully.
Please let this work, I keep saying in a litany.
Forcing myself to continue when I move past the markers, I listen for the click of a landmine being set off. That's what Miguel has told me happens.
No click!
Crawl, crawl, crawl.
No explosion.
I take a deep breath. I hadn't realized that I had stopped breathing until my lungs demanded air.
Crawl, crawl, crawl.
Inching forward.
Still no clicking sound.
I think this is working. What Helga and I had figured out was that the dogs don't set off the landmines. They should but they don't. It occurred to me that the landmines are probably rigged so that the dogs can't set them off. So if I crawl, I probably won't set them off either. Apparently it's working.
It's a tedious endeavor, but the important thing is that I'm moving forward and away from Paradise Village. As I had guessed, I don't see any animals along the way. It may be because it's still dark, but I'm almost positive that the real reason is because they sense landmines.
After about an hour, I feel excruciatingly thirsty. I drink some water from the canteen but make sure I limit myself. I don't know when I'll be able to procure more of the lifesaving liquid. I start crawling again. My knees, back, and practically every part of me starts aching.
It's okay.
I won't stop no matter how much it hurts.
I won't stop until someone kills me.
A sound reverberates in my ears. A swooshing sound. Running water. A stream! I'll be able to get water. My mouth is as dry as dust, and I can taste dirt in my mouth. Dawn is breaking and the darkness is leaving. I move towards the stream. It's not a large one, but who cares? It's got running water and that's what's important right now. I cup my hands and fill them with the lifesaving liquid. It's delicious. Drinking the last of the water in my canteen, I promptly fill it up again.
I'm very well aware that I should boil this water for health reasons. I have matches, but I don't have a pot. I'll just have to risk it. After all, this whole escape is a huge risk.
When I hear a strange sound
over the noisy flow of the stream, I force myself not to panic. It's at a distance. Looking around, I find my salvation. I crawl to the nearest tall tree and climb until the branches cover me.
The sound gets louder. Someone or something is definitely coming.
Chapter Eighteen
I can't see through the branches in front of me. I don't dare move them. Sweat forms on my brow and starts gliding down my face. I grab my boomerang from underneath my shirt. Remembering my black bag, I quickly look at my right shoulder where it hangs from a black strap. I hadn't left anything on the ground.
"You might as well get down from there," the voice states.
When I ignore it, the owner of the voice steps under the tree and peers up. "Frida, get down from there."
Frowning I scramble down. I'm furious that Miguel found me so fast. How did he know I was gone? Doesn't he sleep? When I make it to the ground, I automatically get on all fours. Miguel peers down at me with sternness.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asks, puzzled.
"Escaping," I say nonchalantly.
"You're going to get yourself killed."
"I've been fine so far."
"You've been lucky."
"I've figured out the mines," I state with an angry undertone.
"Frida, let's just go back."
"I'm not going," I snap.
"Stop being unreasonable. We have to return to Paradise Village."
I glare at him. "I already told you that I'm not going back."
"Frida, please listen to reason."
"How did you know I had escaped?" I question with curiosity.
"You were acting strange last night and then you asked about the dogs. I didn't put two and two together until much later. I sneaked into the destiny-bride quarters and found you were gone. Then I came after you."
"You shouldn't have," I snap.
"Frida, I--"
A thought occurs to me. "You already had figured out that the landmines wouldn't kill the dogs, right?"
"Frida, the mines are still dangerous. You can't crawl all the way to safety."
Another thought pops in my head. This one is more infuriating than the last one and with more sharp edges. "Miguel, why are you standing up? Why aren't you crawling with me?"
His face looks uncomfortable. "Uh . . . uh . . ."
"You know something that I don't," I snap.
"Frida, let's just please get back to Paradise Village," he says with a small voice.
"You go back. I'm going on as planned," I state as I crawl forward. Until I know why he's still standing up, I'm not getting off the ground.