Chapter 13

Cursing to herself, Alessandra went after Kayla. Calling Kayla's name, Aless searched the sun-spotted woods. How could Kay move so fast? She knew that Kayla had run on the track team freshman and sophomore year of secondary school, but it had been two years since then. Panting Aless looked around and eventually she slowed to a walk.

Her body ached from the sudden exertion she had put it through. She had been locked up for so long that the exercise was more strenuous than it should have been even with her daily Pakido practice. Hunching over, Aless tried to catch her breath, and, after a few minutes, she straightened back up, looking around again. Damn Kayla. Walking on, Aless tried to find some trace of Kay, anything that would tell Aless what direction Kay went. Aless had taken only a year of forest scouts and she didn't remember much. Other than that, she didn't have much experience with the wilderness.

Looking behind her, Aless saw that she was leaving distinct tracks. Her boots were so heavy they left deep marks in the soft earth. Kay had the same boots on. She had to have left tracks too.

Squinting in the bright light, Alessandra searched the ground for any boot prints. It took her a few minutes and then Kay's prints appeared. They headed to Aless's right. Taking a deep calming breath, Aless headed down the trail to her right, following Kay's boot marks. Aless was going to kill Kay as soon as she found her. They were wasting precious time and it was all Kay's fault. She was mortified by how rude Kayla had been and could not even understand where it was coming from.

Aless was so focused on the tracks she barely noticed the change of the scenery or the fact that she was walking downhill. The woods changed slowly thinned until Aless found herself standing next to a clay packed-road. Taking a few minutes to ease the stitch forming in her side, Aless wiped her brow as she started sweating under the high suns. Curses she didn't even know flew through Alessandra's mind.

Across the road was more trees, though they thinned into high prairie grass. If it was Aless, she would keep going through the grass to avoid people. Even though they were technically allowed over seventy hours to run, Aless doubted the slavers would play fair. Moreover, Aless couldn't believe that Dominic didn't have the local towns and roads being watched. Crossing the road, Aless took a deep, calming breath. The ground was very rocky. Turning to look at the clay-packed road, it was easy to see how smooth and well-worn it was. It would be the easier route to travel by. Mentally groaning, Aless just knew that Kayla had taken the road. While Aless appreciated that it would be an easier walk for her too, she couldn't suppress the deep twisting knot in her gut that said taking the road would be bad.

Adjust the straps on her shoulders, Aless mentally tossed a cat's eye in her mind. The pupil side of the stone appeared face up in her mind. Left it is, she thought. It was a stupid thing to image, she knew, for it was just her mind deciding on something she had already chosen, but it made her feel better. Trudging down the road to her left, Aless prayed to the Deity that she would find Kayla before anyone else.

Yet it never seemed that the Deity was on Aless's side. After close to an hour of walking, Aless came across either a small town or a shopping outlet. She couldn't tell which since the stores looked dated and worn and there was no one around to signal either way. Walking slowly by the first building on her right, Aless squinted into the windows. The store, a convenience store by the looks, sat full of supplies, but closed. There were no store hours posted either. Unsure if this was a blessing or curse, Aless moved down the stone sidewalk that had begun as the first store. There was a small alley way between the first and second store with a third store directly across the street. The second store too was close and Aless guessed the one across the street was too since there were no lights on.

Aless debated calling Kayla's name again, but something about this area made the skin on the back of her neck prickle. It was like she was in a ghost town. Passing another alley way, Aless looked down it. Nothing but a few trash cans. Reaching the end of the row of buildings, Aless glanced half-heartedly into the last store window and almost had a heart attack when she saw a woman looking back at her.

Gasping, Aless tripped backwards then blushed as the woman gasped too, rushing towards the door.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" the woman said soon as the door to the store was open.

The woman's voice was musical, and gentle. It instantly reminded Aless of actresses from the old classic movies her mother liked. Extremely delicate and feminine. Blushing, Aless nodded.

"I am! Sorry!" Aless tried to laugh it off. "I just was startled to see anyone since all the other stores are closed."

"Well, it is Sidero, sweetie. Most people are at temple," the woman said seriously. "I normally wouldn't be here either, except I had a delivery coming today."

Sidero. It was the last day of the week. The holy day. That was good to know. At least now, Aless could have a grasp on what day of the week it was.

"Uh, this is going to seem like a weird question," Aless laughed uncomfortably. "But could you tell me the date? I have been backpacking for the last week and kind of lost track of time."

She gestured to her backpack and grinned with false chagrin.

"Ya, sure. It is the sixteenth day of the Second Sun Month."

Stomach clenching, Aless maintained her sheepish smile. The Second Sun Month. That meant she and Kayla had been missing for over six months. Everyone probably thought they were dead. If she could only get to a phone and call someone to let them know she was okay.

"One more question," Aless asked. "Do you have a phone I could use?"

"You don't have cell phone?" the woman laughed incredulously. "I thought all young girls had cellphones these days."

"Naw, I didn't take it with me when I decided to backpacking. I wanted a break from…it all."

Aless waved her hands in big circle, rolling her eyes. Nodding the woman seemed to understand. Waving her inside, the woman held the door as Aless entered the cute shop. Standing next to the woman, Aless felt vanilla and cinnamon tickling her nose. It was a warm, homey smell. Aless wondered if it was the woman's perfume or if the woman had been baking. Once inside, Aless blinked against the change in lighting. The store, while not dark, was not as well light as the bright suns outside. Adjusting to the change, Aless saw that she was standing in a small clothing boutique. Around her were cute and beautiful dresses, skirts, and tops. They were all a bit dated fashion wise, but still very elegant. Again, Aless was reminded of the old movies her mom liked.

"My mom would have loved this store," Aless said out loud accidently.

Covering her mouth, Aless grimaced at herself.

"Thank you," the woman smiled at Aless.

She was a really gorgeous woman. Standing half-head taller than Aless, the woman was slim, but in a healthy, trim way. Her hair, bleach blonde and silky, was styled into classic finger curls, which complimented her delicate bone structure. It was as if the woman had stepped out of a classic movie or was a life-size doll.

"Many young girls don't appreciate classic fashion anymore. They are all into flashy not classy," the woman said, her voice tinted with bitterness.

"I don't think I can pull off a lot of these styles just because of my body type," Aless admitted. "But they are beautiful. My mom loved classic styles and movies."

"Your mother sounds like she was a classy woman," the woman said kindly, picking up on Aless's use of the past tense.

Falling silent, Aless thought about her mom for a long moment. The woman watched her with sharp, observant eyes. Finally, Aless cleared her throat.

"Anyways, phone?" Aless said.

"This way, sweetie."

Leading Aless to the back of the store, the woman walked fluidly as if she was gliding. It was mesmerizing to watch.

"I am Gertrude by the way," she said as she walked.

"Catherine," Aless lied, falling back to the name her father annoyingly called her.

"Catherine, huh?" Gertrude repeated, her back to Aless.

Stopping where the hallway opened into a back entryway, Gertrude gestured to an old screen phone that was built into the wall.

"It's a video line," she said apologetically. "Cell signals don't really work around here. Not enough signal."

"That's okay," Aless said, inwardly grateful she had a few numbers memorized.

"Let me get it going for you."

Tapping the screen, Gertrude fiddled with the old screen as it flickered and activated. After a moment, she began to frown. A buzzing noise admitted from the phone's screen.

"Sugar biscuits," Gertrude grumbled. "I am sorry, sweetie. The line seems to be down. This piece of junk is always doing this. My husband will be over in about an hour. Would you mind waiting? He is very good at fixing it."

The idea of sitting still for that long made Aless edgy, but the possibility of reaching her dad, or Danny, or anyone really outweighed her nerves.

"I don't want to be bother to you, especially on Sidero," Aless said earnestly.

"Oh, it is not bother. I have to wait for the delivery anyways. It would be nice to have company. This old building makes all kinds of creeks and noises when I am alone in it."

"Sure, then. I appreciate it."

"Follow me, we have a small kitchen in the next room. We should at least be comfortable."

Following Gertrude again, Aless was grateful to sit down. Her feet and legs were already aching. She was crazy tired and worried. Aless couldn't help but wonder were Kay was and if she would catch up with her.

Once she was sitting, Aless watched Gertrude fuss around the kitchen, brewing a pot of tea. With the water boiled, Gertrude place the tea pot on the center of the table and Aless began to smell the gentle aroma of a sweet, flower tea. Her mother has called it an infusion tea.

"That smells wonderful," Aless said.

"Thank you. It is one of my favorites. Very good for tired muscles and you seem very tired," Gertrude eyed Aless knowingly.

"Backpacking takes a lot out of you," Aless said nonchalantly. "Plus…"

Hesitating, Aless wasn't sure how far to push her lie.

"Plus, my friend and I got into a fight and she ran off. It's actually why I'm down this way, which is the total opposite direction of our car."

"Your friend?" Gertrude asked, plating a few cookies.

"Yes, Kay. I think that we just had too much time together so we got into a stupid fight and she ran off," Aless said.

Mixing truth with the lies made Aless feel better. Sitting across from Aless, Gertrude touched her wrist gently.

"You want to talk about it?" she asked kindly.

"It's stupid," Aless shook her head.

"I'm sure it isn't. What was the fight about?"

"A boy," Aless sighed.

Since this was true, Aless didn't feel bad telling Gertrude.

"Do you two like the same boy?"

"No…this guy wants to be my friend and Kay doesn't like."

"Why?"

"He isn't from here and his Mᴔjin is bad. At least, I think that is the reason, but Kay has never discriminated against people before like this."

"Could she know something about him that you don't?"

"No, we met him at the same time."

"Hmm."

Contemplating this, Gertrude poured the tea into two delicate teacups. The cups were paper thin with gold leaf and hand-painted irises. They were really works of art. Aless felt nervous about using such lovely cups.

"Pretty things are meant to be seen and used," Gertrude told, guessing why Aless was hesitating.

Nodding, Aless carefully picked up the cup and sipped the tea. It was sweet but had an underlying bitter bite. Watching her expressions, Gertrude broke a cookie in two and nibbled on one side.

"I am sure you and your friend will work it out," Gertrude said. "It is normal for girls to fight. And Kay is just a stubborn girl."

Chuckling, Aless nodded. Kay was that. They drank their tea in silence for a few minutes. Aless found herself yawning. Having finally sat down, her exhaustion was catching up to her. After the third yawn, Aless apologized to Gertrude.

"Don't worry," Gertrude smiled warmly. "I am sure you are exhausted after chasing Kayla all the way here. Just rest here. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Gertrude. You are so very kind. I really appreciate it," Aless said.

Her eyelids were so heavy. All she wanted to do was rest for bit. But would that be okay? Was it okay for her to rest in comfort when Kayla was still out there?

"It's okay, sweetie," Gertrude said, stroking Aless's hair as Aless rested her head on the table, her arms acting as pillow.

"You are really nice," Aless mumbled. "You remind me of my mom."

Eye closed, Aless didn't see the shocked expression on Gertrude's face. After pausing from shock, Gertrude resumed stroking Aless's hair as the girl fell asleep.

"Thank you, baby," Gertrude said, her voice wavering.

Sometime later, Aless woke up to someone grunting and cursing. Sitting up, Aless grimaced at the crick in her neck from sleeping with her head on the table. Glancing around, Aless didn't see Gertrude. Standing, Aless went back to the hallway in search of the woman. What she found instead was a large, gruff man standing in front of the video phone, a box of tools on the floor next to it. The man was bulky and tall. His hair was massive tangle of auburn with a scraggly beard covering half of his pox-marked face. Even from a distance, Aless could see scars on his hands and swollen knuckles from excessive joint popping and fights.

Was this man Gertrude's husband? Aless knew not to judge someone by their appearance, but she couldn't place him with the delicate, classy Gertrude. It just didn't make sense.

"Excuse me," Aless finally managed to say.

Snapping sharp, cold eyes to her, the man growled, "What?"

"I am sorry to bother you, but have you seen Gertrude?" Aless asked cautiously.

"She had to step out to deal with the delivery," he snapped.

"Oh, okay. Can I help?"

"Do you know anything about electronics?"

"No, but…"

"Then don't waste my time."

Cowed, Aless licked her lips and lowered her eyes. Giving the man the benefit of the doubt was becoming harder. He just seemed mean.

"I'll go look for Gertrude," Aless said softly.

"Whatever," the man growled, returning to his work.

Heading back towards the kitchen area, Aless saw that Gertrude still wasn't thee, so she continued towards the back door. There were several doors on the way, which Aless carefully opened to see if Gertrude was behind them. Aless didn't want to be a snoop, but she really wanted to find Gertrude. The idea of being alone with that man made Aless uncomfortable. It could just have been left over trauma from Dominic and his men, but Aless felt extremely anxious. None of the rooms held Gertrude. Yet the last door opened to a stairwell that went down. Poking her head into the stairwell, Aless listened. She could hear someone down there. Gertrude had been alone when Aless arrived, so Aless assumed she had to be hearing either Gertrude or the heating-air unit down there. Before going down the stairs though, Aless open the back door and looked around. There was no cars or delivery trucks. She saw a few boxes and a shed on the far side of the parking lot. That was it. No Gertrude. Convinced Gertrude had to be in the basement, Aless closed the back door and returned to the stairwell. Going down about a quarter of the way, Aless called the woman's name. Her voice reverberated back to her, but no other response came. Maybe Gertrude couldn't hear her.

Taking the stairs to the bottom, Aless followed the hallway that the stair ended in. It was surprisingly long. Finally, the hallway ended a door. Knocking, Aless didn't want to surprise or intrude on Gertrude. Still no response. Opening the door, Aless called Gertrude's name again, her voice trailing off.

Behind the door lay a room that was larger than the store above them. Inside the room were sight rows of tables with ten people sitting side by side. Each person looked back at Aless, their eyes hollow and tired. Their hands never stopped working though as they sowed a variety of clothes. Stepping into the room, Aless was dumfounded. What was going on? Seeing she was a stranger, half of the people returned their gaze to their work. A few stared at Aless with hopeful desperation. Others appeared terrified. Going to the near tables, Aless saw that the people, a mix of women, men, and children, were all thin with dry, rough hands. Reaching the nearest child, Aless crouched next the little boy…or was it a girl. It was hard to tell from the child's clothes and messy hair.

"Are you okay?" Aless asked.

The child stared at her with wide eyes, but the child clearly didn't understand her. S/he just stared, his/her hands no longer sowing. The woman next the child nudged him/her, snapping the child back to reality. Quickly averting his/her gaze the child went back to work. When the child adjusted in his/her seat, Aless heard the awfully familiar sound of metal links clinking together. Ducking her head under the table, Aless saw to her disgust chains bolted into the floor that attached to thick bands around the people's ankles.

"Oh Deity," she said breathlessly.

It was an illegal sweatshop. These people were all slaves…like her. Oh no! Aless had to tell Gertrude…no, Gertrude had to know about this. Of all the stupid Three-Eye Cąȶ tricks! How did Aless stumble into another slave ring on the first day she was finally free of one? The Deity really had to hate her.

"I am going to go for help," Aless told the people near her.

They shook their heads, their eyes growing wide. Aless knew she just needed to sneak back upstairs and out the back door while Gertrude's husband was busy fixing the phone and Gertrude was somewhere else.

"Don't worry. It will be okay. I will find help and come back for you all," Aless promised.

Still the people looked at her with terror in their eyes. The child near Aless reached out to her but stopped.

"What is wrong?" Aless asked.

Pain exploded in the back of Aless's skull as something heavy smashed into it. Collapsing, Aless saw stars before a second blow turned everything black.

"What were you thinking?" Gertrude's voice hissed somewhere in the blackness.

Aless stirred, wincing as her head throbbed.

"She saw the worked," a gruff voice said. "I had to stop her."

"So you smashed the back of her skull? You really are a dumb beast!"

"What would you have done then, princess?"

"We have all kinds of drugs around to knock people out gently. You could have dosed a rag and covered her nose and mouth. You could have given her an injection or a pill. There were so many ways to do it, but once again you acted like a brute! This is why I am in charge of everything."

"I am sorry that I lack your finesse, but at least I didn't leave some strange girl in the shop unattended."

"She was sleeping. How was I to know you couldn't watch a sleeping girl for ten minutes without me?"

Nausea swept through Aless. Leaning forward, Aless wanted to place her head between her knees but found that she couldn't move more than a few inches. Something tight wrapped around her torso and shoulders as well as each of her legs. Damn the Deity! She was tied up. Keeping her eyes closed, Aless tried to push back the throbbing pain in her head and listen.

"Why didn't you give her more sleeping pills like you did to that other girl?" the man retorted. "The one you stuck in the shed?"

"Other girl?" Aless thought. "Were they talking about Kay? Was Kay here too?"

"This girl is different. Aless is more delicate. She is like my baby."

Aless. What? How did they know her real name? It wasn't like she had an ID on her that they could get her name from. Had Kayla told them? That was most likely but still…

"Your baby is dead, Gertrude. She has been dead for over ten years," the man snarled.

The sound of hand slapping something echoed through the air. Aless stiffened. Silence pounded around her as badly as her head pounded.

"Don't you ever speak that way to me again," Gertrude said softly, her voice making Aless involuntarily shiver.

There was something about the woman's tone that made Aless think of Dominic. The woman was insane, dangerously insane.

"Now go clean up that damn mess you made and get the phone working. We have to call that man and let him know she is here."

Heavy footsteps thundered away from Aless. Pressing her eyes closed, she just knew that Gertrude would come to her next. Aless didn't want to see the woman. She didn't want to look or talk to her. If she pretended to still be knocked out…

A cool, smooth hand cradled Aless's face. The hand's thumb stroked her cheek.

"Aless, sweetie, I know you are awake," Gertrude said from in front of Aless.

Trying to swallow her suddenly parched throat, Aless opened her eyes to look at Gertrude. It was unfair, Aless decided, that sick people didn't look as ugly or crazy as they were on the inside. Gertrude stared down at Aless, her eyes two pools of lilac, warm and comforting. She stroked Aless's hair as Sydney had done, gently and lovingly.

"How are you feeling?" Gertrude asked.

"F..fine," Aless stammered.

"No, you aren't," Gertrude sighed, sitting on a stool next to her. "That brute hurt you, didn't he? I am so sorry, sweetie."

Pulling a bowl off the floor, Gertrude wrung out a towel that was sitting it. Ever so carefully, Gertrude dabbed at the back of Aless's head. Wincing, Aless bit her lip against the stinging touch of the clothe.

"I know it hurts," Gertrude said softly. "But I need to clean and disinfect it. Please beat with me, Aless."

Staying silent, Aless let the woman clean her injury. After a while, her head did feel a bit better, especially after Gertrude dabbed some willow gel on it.

"He got your pretty hair all full of blood," Gertrude said with a gentle frown.

Standing, Gertrude disappeared and reappeared with a fresh bowl and some bottles. Before Aless could say anything, Gertrude began to gently wet Aless's hair. Delicately, like a mother washing her child's hair, Gertrude shampooed and rinsed Aless's hair. Too terrified to even speak, Aless waited, her nerves on edge. What was wrong with this woman?

Towel drying her hair, Gertrude smiled.

"You know my baby looked just like you," Gertrude finally said as she gently massaged leave-in conditioner into Aless's hair. "Same pretty blonde hair and deep skin. Her father was from Alku, you know those big islands near Nᵫlgᵫn."

Aless did know what she was talking about. Alku was where the slave buyer Hammond Apeulika was from. It wasn't a very large country. It consisted of seven decent size islands and was known as a paradise. Some even believed the islands were where man-kind first originated.

"He was a good man," Gertrude said softy.

Her tone was the same as Aless's when Aless spoke of her mother. For moment, Aless could feel Gertrude's pain.

"But he was weak," Gertrude continued, her voice bitter.

Clearing her throat, Gertrude tossed the damp towel away and pulled out a brush. She tenderly ran it through Aless's hair. Maintaining her silence, Aless listened carefully. It was a few minutes before Gertrude talked again.

"My baby would be about your age," Gertrude said softly.

Unable to stop herself, Aless asked, "What happened to her?"

"There was an accident," Gertrude said.

Both fell silent.

"My mom got sick," Aless said, wanting to comfort Gertrude and may be form a bond that would help free her.

"How old were you?"

"Seven."

"So young…."

Aless had nothing to add, so she fell silent again. Gertrude put down the brush and ran her fingers through Aless's hair. She had always imagined her daughter would have long hair like this.

"Why are you doing this?" Aless whispered at length.

"Doing what?"

"Why are you keeping me tied up?"

Taking a deep breath, Gertrude sat on the stool next to Aless. She cupped Aless's cheek again and seemed to be giving the question a lot of thought.

"Because I have to," she finally said. "You were a naughty girl and went somewhere you shouldn't. You saw something you shouldn't. We can't have you running off and telling people."

"But you already knew who I was, didn't you?"

Blushing a gentle periwinkle Gertrude appeared embarrassed.

"I did," Gertrude agreed. "Or at least I thought it was you. I couldn't be positive. I didn't know for sure until you answered to your name. You really shouldn't have lied about your name either, sweetie. It is not right to lie."

Bristling, Aless couldn't believe this woman was lecturing her about lying.

"I had to lie because I didn't know if I could trust you and I was right. You must be working for Dominic or one of the other slavers."

"You can trust me, Aless," Gertrude said desperately. "I won't let anything bad happen to you!"

"You have me tied to a chair and you are holding me for someone who is going to come and take me as a slave."

"I can stop that! I can. I can tell that man that we didn't find you. That you haven't appeared. It was only a small chance you would end up here anyways."

Narrowing her eyes, Aless smirked at the woman, who stared at her with such earnest that it made her mad.

"I thought lying was bad," Aless said.

"It is, but, if it will protect you, I will lie to that man. You can stay here and be my baby."

"I am eighteen, Gertrude. I am not a baby."

"Children will always be their mama's babies no matter how old they are."

Stroking her hair, Gertrude gave Aless a look of such motherly affection that it made her simultaneously sick, angry, and sad. Before Aless could weigh the consequences of what she was saying, Aless blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"You are not my mother," Aless hissed.

Recoiling, Gertrude's eyes darkened. Standing abruptly and so fast that it knocked the stool backwards, Gertrude hissed back as if she had been grievously wounded. Hand curling into fists, Gertrude shuddered as she breathed heavily.

"Fine," she hissed venomously. "Fine!"

In a flash, Gertrude pulled out a knife from the folds of her clothes and slashed through Aless's bindings. The woman moved so quickly and efficiently that Aless's breath caught. With one hand, Gertrude grabbed Aless by the bicep and dragged her out the room. Yelling, Aless struggled but couldn't break the woman's grip. Despite her trim frame, Gertrude was incredibly strong. Dragging her down the hallway, Gertrude growled and hissed at Aless.

"Fine!" she screeched. "You want to act that way then fine! See how you manage without me being nice! You selfish brat!"

Protesting, Aless tried to dig her heels in, but Gertrude was much stronger than her. When Aless tried to use her free hand to pry Gertrude's fingers off her arm, Gertrude slapped her hard enough to make Aless's teeth ache. Thoroughly stunned, Aless couldn't manage another reaction until it was too late.

Pulling Aless outside, Gertrude stormed to the shed on the far side of the dirt parking lot. Dusk had settled in and everything was dark shades of green and gray. Fear kicked in at the sight of the solid, locked shed. Resisting again, Aless told Gertrude to stop and let her go. Gertrude did not listen. Instead, she slapped Aless again, stunning her before violently throwing Aless into the shed. With a loud slam, Gertrude shut the shed door and locked it with a padlock.

It was dark inside and Aless stood still for a moment. Gertrude was still leaning against the locked door. Aless couldn't see it, but Gertrude stood there, silently crying. Softly, she spoke to Aless before walking away.

"I'm sorry, baby," Gertrude sobbed then she was gone.

"What the hell!" Aless said out loud, totally confused.

Were all the people in this world crazy?

"That's what I said," a meek voice piped up.

Turning on the spot, Aless saw a figure sitting behind her.

"Kay?" she inquired, squinting in the dark.

"Yeah."

"You stupid bitch!" Alessandra screamed. "Look what you have gotten us into! What is your problem? We could have been miles away! Safe! You are the most selfish idiot!"

"I know!" Kayla sobbed. "I'm sorry!"

"You're damn right you're sorry! We are going to die here at the best! They are holding us for someone!"

"What? How do you know that?"

"She said some man asked her to hold us. Do you realize that means she works with someone in the hunt! At the best that is a slaver and at worst that is Dominic!"

"I'm sorry!"

Kayla was sobbing so hard, she started to hiccup. Aless shook her head as her hands ran through her hair, wincing when she touched her sticky wound. She had a headache from being smashed over the head. Her eyes didn't feel like the fit her skull and her cheek burned from being slapped. Kayla's crying was only making her feel worse.

"Shut up, Kayla," Alessandra mumbled.

She rubbed her temples.

"I have to think."

Hiccupping, Kay tried to control herself. She felt horrible. She was hungry and she hurt. The crazy woman at the house had smacked her around and she was embarrassed that Aless had come to her rescue again.

"Have you looked around the shed for any loose boards? Any cracks in the walls? Anything?"

"No."

"What have you been doing?"

"I…nothing."

"Deity, Kay."

"I didn't think about it! We aren't all as smart and perfect as you!"

"Grow up, Kay!"

Grumbling, Aless looked around for about an hour for any little opening or loose boards that she could pry loose to escape. There was nothing that significant. Her head was pounding. Her vision a little fuzzy. Was she having a migraine or was it a concussion from the blow?

"Aless…" Kay whimpered.

"Yes?"

"I'm scared."

"I know…"

Aless sat down and Kayla crawled over to her lap. Lying her head down in Alessandra's lap, Kayla shook for a little while and tried to relax. Aless stroked her friend's hair. She shushed her friend as she also tried to relax.

"It's okay, Kay. Try to sleep. I'll think of something. Just give me a little time."

"I am sorry," Kayla whispered.

"I know, Kay. It's okay. We'll be okay. I'm here."

Kayla let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. Aless looked around again and again, praying for some way out of the damn shed. If only Danny had taught her how to escape more than cuffs.