this below-ground space that must be well insulated and was hopefully far enough away from the others in the house. Still, she needed to get out of there. And she wanted to get out of there. Despite that she now knew the skeleton was nothing but an old teaching tool, she still felt shaken and anxious. As rattled as the bones that had just sprung from the gloom and fallen over her.
With an intake of musty air, she turned back toward that light. She made it across the large room, glancing behind her every few steps, and when she rounded another tall pile of storage boxes, she saw that a single bulb hung from the rafters of what was a sort of hallway off the main open area with rooms on either side. More storage? And at the end of the hallway, she saw a wooden door with a thin sliver of daylight showing beneath. Relief filtered through her. Sunshine. A way out.
As she tiptoed quietly past an open door, the light reached inside the room to reveal three desks all in a row, and a chalkboard at the front. It looked like a classroom—the desks small and childlike—but for who?
A loud rustling sound made Kandace halt abruptly as she sucked in a startled breath. The sound had come from the room just past the small classroom. Slowly, tentatively, she stepped forward, soundless on the concrete floor. She heard more rustling and the squeak of what sounded like bedsprings. Her eyes rose to that door at the end of the hall. Should she make a mad dash for it? No, that might catch the attention of whomever was inside the room just ahead of her, whereas if she peeked inside and saw that the person making the noises was turned away, or occupied with some task or another, she could quietly sneak by.
Kandace took in a big breath, mustering all her courage and leaned around the frame. Inside the room, a boy sat hunched over on a bed, headphones over his ears, books spread out around him, as he wrote on a notebook on his lap. Kandace slowly let her breath out, pressing her lips together in indecision. He only looked to be a kid, thirteen, maybe fourteen, tall but skinny, from what she could tell in his sitting position. Slight but for his height, with the smooth skin of a young teen who hadn’t yet sprouted his first whisker. She didn’t think he necessarily posed a physical threat if push came to shove. But who was he and would he call someone who was a threat? Would he scream when he saw her so that Jasper the hellhound came running?
Perhaps she should make a break for the door, hope it was easy to fling open and escape before he’d even gotten a good look at her face? They all wore the same uniform and had the same God-awful short, shaggy haircut, even if he came out of the room and saw her from the back, would he really be able to identify her later? Yes, if it’s already been noticed that you’re missing.
As though he sensed her presence, the boy’s head came up, his gaze clashing with hers, eyes widening with surprise. He ripped the headphones off and leaped to his feet. Kandace drew back, glancing once at the exterior door and then back at him.
As they stared at each other, Kandace saw not only the surprise in his gaze, but fear as well. Her shoulders lowered and she raised her hand as though attempting to calm a frightened animal. “It’s okay. I’m just . . . lost.” She inclined her head toward the door. “I see an exit, so I’ll just—”
“You’re not supposed to be down here.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ll be in trouble if I’m caught. Don’t say you saw me, okay?” She tilted her head, giving him her most flirtatious smile, but she could feel that it fell flat. She didn’t exactly feel like a girl who could convince anyone of anything using her feminine wiles at the moment—even a boy in the throes of puberty.
Vanity will not be tolerated.
Oh yes, they’d stripped her of that, no doubt there.
He narrowed his eyes at her, appearing torn. “I’m supposed to tell if I see one of you in a place where you shouldn’t be.”
One of you. She nodded. “I get it, and I’d ordinarily never ask someone to be dishonest, but . . . I’m really not