Page 88 of Fractured
She surveys the room and says, “You need a mini fridge, a laptop from IT, and some books.” She looks back at me and smiles. “How long do you think we have before they figure you’re gone and come busting down my door? Because they will know I stole you using that crate.”
She bites her lip and smiles wide, hunching her shoulders as if this is the best thing in the world.
I write on the box and show her.
I love you, but you scare me sometimes. This is serious. You know they’re going to kill us, right? You know, not the, oh you’re in trouble kind of kill you, like we both get bullets.
Anna turns to look at me, the smile disappearing from her face.
“I know this is serious, Isabella. And I know I put a target on my back by doing this. But you’re my best friend, and he’s an asshole. I can take care of myself. Besides, let them come; they won’t find you. I promise.”
I believe her. If anyone could save me and get me out of here, it would be her and Helen. I write on the box and hand it to her again.
Okay, let’s go shopping. This place is full of stuff just lying around in dusty corners. But first, I need to take off all these clothes. I have every pair of underwear that I own on me.
“See, you’re so smart. I’m rubbing off on you. I’ll step out, you change and throw everything in that box, and then we’re going to go shopping. Let’s go make this the best shittest dorm room ever.”
And that’s what we do. We spent the next few hours stealing from here and there pictures to hang on the wall and an assortment of books for me to read. Anna even stole a hot plate from the chem lab. We hook up an old landline phone so she can call me from the lab in case anything happens. It surprised me that it even worked. We have not used this room for storage in ages.
I’ll be stuck in my room mostly during the day because people will work and come in and out. But in the evenings, I’ll be able to meander around in certain areas without being caught by security. She somehow managed to get herself a second tag, so if I needed to go anywhere, I could just use her tag to get through security areas. Professor Daniels has already canceled my credentials and using my tag would raise suspicions.
I’m in my room hanging up a picture. When Anna comes around the corner with her giant duffle bag, I smile at her, and she hands me a notepad and a pen out of her purse.
Anna puts her hands on her hips and looks around my makeshift dorm, and smiles.
“God, I might just move in here. This is looking great.” We high five each other.
“I got you a present,” she says. She bends over and digs in her purse and pulls out a night-light.
“I know you hate the dark. It’s going to be dark down here after we close. I brought you a flashlight, so you can make your way to the washroom.” She pulls out some milk, a few sandwiches, and a few chocolate bars, shoving them in the little fridge.
“I raided the vending machine. Sorry, it’s not soup, but at least it’s something. But for tonight, I’d stay hidden. Alexander will need a card to get into this area, but Sebastian is a crafty fucker, and if anyone could get in here, it would be him. Besides, the museum doesn’t close till after eight, so they might come snooping around.”
I write.
I can’t thank you enough for risking this for me, Anna. I owe you my life. Without you, I’d still be stuck in that room waiting to die. He will kill me. I’m sure of it this time. If what he said is true, the organization will not let this go unpunished. Whatever those papers are, you can’t steal and threaten a high-ranking member and not suffer the consequences.
She reads it and looks up at me.
“They won’t find you, not now or ever. If Danny was a douchebag and was doing the exact same thing to me, you wouldn’t risk your life to get me out of there?”
I give the box back to her and she reads it.
Of course, I would.
“Then don’t worry about it. I want you to be safe and happy. To have the life that you deserve, not one that is dictated to you by Mr. Asshole.”
I hug her tightly and kiss her cheek.
She hugs me and steps back. “I hate to leave you, but I’ve got to clock out. It’s almost six. I told Professor Daniels that for the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be coming in and putting in extra hours on the fresco. So, it won’t look weird if I show up in the middle of the night or after hours so if you’re tagged, it will look like I was in that area. I can’t call you from my cell phone because they’re probably onto me now. I can only use the landline from work. I’ll write my passwords down for my channels so you can at least watch a movie here. Don’t log on or use any of your shit. Nerd Alert probably has a trace on that too.”
I nod at her, and she takes my hand. Sebastian is Nerd Alert. I can still see his eyes looking at me, filled with hatred and pity. He was the closest thing I had to a friend. Carlos was like a big brother, but he is loyal to Alexander and so he should be. But the way he just walked out, like I was nothing, still kills me.
“We’re going to have to be very careful for the next little while, Izzy. They’re going to be watching me, and Danny’s going to be asking me questions. But I’ll get back to you. Besides, we have workdays to see each other, right?” She writes her info on the pad and hands it out to me.
I smile at her, and she smiles back as she backs out the door.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you later tonight if I can. I’m going to make sure I’m not followed. Lock the door as soon as I leave. It should be safe down here this weekend. No one’s working. But I’ll be back. Try to rest; you’re safe now. I love you.” She kisses my cheek.
