when wete best buds.?
This was news to Scott and John, who exchanged a long glance.
Nmm,?Scott said, drumming his finger thoughtfully against his cheek. Tounds like youte put in some valuable work there. It might put a different complexion on things e
But how would James handle the escape without Dave??John asked. Cave was the advanced driver and the only one big enough to wear your uniform during the escape.?
it a good driver,?James said. ć…™auren can navigate and the roads over here are nice and straight.?
Hour driving didnt seem so great to me the other afternoon,?Scott said bluntly.
ite been able to drive for nearly a year and thate the only accident Ite ever had. Well ?Except, right at the beginning when I nearly killed some womane dog.?
Ictually,?John nodded, Cespite James?idiotic little adventure the other afternoon, he did score top marks on his intermediate driving course. But theree still no way he can get out of here disguised as a hack.?
Scott rested an elbow on the desk and waggled his finger at James. Ttand up a minute, James. How tall are you??
I hundred and sixty-two centimetres,?James said, as he climbed out of his chair.
Scott looked baffled. Lhate that in American money??
John smiled. Ibout five feet two inches. Have you got any men that small??
Rot men, I havent. But wete an equal opportunity employer and theree a young lady on our cellblock whoe about James?size.?
John broke into a smile. Could you alter the staff rota so that shee on duty the night of the escape??
Scott nodded. That shouldnt be too tough. We might have to make a few adjustments to the plan, but this is definitely doable.?
To wete back in business??John asked.
i cant see why not,?Scott said. Is long as James is sure hee up to it.?
20. TIME
Of course It up to it. The words glided out easily enough. The mission was saved, and James felt like a hero as Scott grasped his hand and shook it robustly.
Reality dawned as James passed down the stairs and out of the education block. The sun was brutal and the mountains of barbed wire lining the prison compound shimmered in the heat. The same light caught the powerful torsos of the predators scouring the yard and the guns cradled by the hacks on the cellblock roof.
James felt smaller than one of the grains of sand under his canvas shoe, as he looked around and realised what het got himself into: a thirteen-year-old boy, alone against a black-hearted machine built to contain the nastiest people on the planet. For an instant, he considered running back to the office and telling John het changed his mind. He stopped walking, took a deep breath and ran his tongue around his dry mouth.
James thought about the moment het pulled the trigger on the guy in Miami, scared out of his mind. It had been a terrible experience, but he could draw strength from it now.
He thought back to his training, all the seemingly impossible things het achieved when the instructors pushed him through the pain barrier. Whenever a trainee was on the point of giving up, Mr Speaks used to scream in their ear: This is tough, but cherubs are tougher. James had got so sick of the phrase he thought het never want to hear it again, but now the words felt like a comfort.
He whispered it under his breath as he started walking again. This is tough, but cherubs are tougher.?
*
The exercise yard was at its most comfortable in the hour before the inmates were locked down for the night. The sun was low and a gentle breeze made the heat almost tolerable. James sat with Curtis near the chin-up bars, while Elwood and the others prowled for some unfortunate whot failed to deliver his commissary package to Kirche bunk earlier in the day.
The two boys had been talking for an hour, sitting in the sand, trading stories and getting friendly with each other.
To, you shot three people dead and tried to blow your own brains out,?James said, giving Curtis a shocked look, as if this was news to him. if It met you in the street, It never have booked you for anything other than a totally straight kid.?
Curtis smiled, clearly pleased to have somebody brighter than Elwood and Kirch to talk to. Le were always moving around when I was growing up. Canada, Mexico, even South Africa for a while. It was cool, just me and my mom together, but we had some close scrapes with the