Lone Girl (The Wolfling Saga) (25 page)

“And what did he say?”

Lacey thought hard, trying to remember. “He said ‘Sometimes you can love someone so much it hurts to be with them. Love can change who you are and who they are. And when the person you love risks their life for you, you’ll do anything to keep them safe, even if it means never seeing them again.’ Do you think that’s true?”

I was silent for several moments before I found my voice. “
You remember all that?” I asked in disbelief, my voice was hoarse.

Lacey nodded and tossed her stick aside. “I
remember everything people say. I hope someone loves me that much one day.”

I couldn’t control it; tears welled in my eyes and I hastily brushed them away with the sleeve of my coat.

Lacey noticed and smiled. “It’s okay,” she said, “When Professor Colt finds a cure I’ll be able to find someone, too. Then we can go on double-dates.”

I
laughed and nodded, sniffing back further tears as Lacey wrapped both arms around my shoulders and gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back, feeling strangely comforted by the innocent embrace of a nine year old girl.

“Deal,” I muttered, resting my chin on her shoulder.

When I entered the cafeteria for lunch Tom was seated in a far corner; the other patients giving him a wide berth. He was accompanied by an orderly. I immediately noticed that Tom looked more pale and sickly, with dark circles under his eyes. I raced over to him, receiving curious glances from onlookers. Tom looked up as I approached and his face broke into a weak smile, only to be replaced with alarm a moment later.

“What are you still doing here?” he
scolded, standing up. “I told you to leave-”

I embraced Tom tightly, wrapping my arms around his neck, cutting him off mid-sentence. The orderly did not try to separate us. Tom wrapped his arms around me, pulling me flush against his body. I buried my face into his chest and I felt him nestle into the crook of my neck.

We held each other for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually Tom pulled away and held me at an arm’s length, studying me. “You are … so, so foolish,” he breathed and I nodded in agreement.

“We’re leaving – together,” I promised.

Tom scoffed. “They’ll never let me leave, Rose. Not with the advances they’re making in accelerated cell repair.”

“I’ll find a way.”

“The only way I’m leaving here is in a coffin,” he said, a slight smirk playing his lips.

“Don’t joke about that,” I said, alarmed. “I’m going to stay here as long as it takes to get you out.”

“Don’t,” he shook his head. “Go home. Go to college, get a job, get married and have kids with some normal, boring
guy who worships you.”

I shook my head.

“Why are you so stubborn?” he asked, tucking a tendril of hair behind my ear.

I went onto my toes and pressed my lips to Tom’s
in a lingering kiss. He returned the affection, but it did not last long.

“C’mon Stone, half an hour for lunch is over.” The orderly took Tom gently by the forearm.

“They make me eat dinner at five-thirty,” he muttered before he was carted away. I watched him go, my legs shaking.

I needed to find a way out before they killed Tom.

~

Five-thirty could not come quick enough. I arrived early to the cafeteria for supper, finding it almost completely deserted apart from a handful of people, including Lacey, who sat with a young boy
that looked the same age. I grabbed a tray and piled it full of food, barely paying attention to what I put on it, before taking the same seat Tom had used earlier at the back of the room.

The time for Tom to arrive passed and soon the cafeteria was filled with the other patients who laughed and talked loudly, each of them ignoring me; with the exception of Lacey who looked my way and waved. I waved back, but my mind was occupied. Where was Tom?

I waited so long that the others finished their dinner, lingered to chat with each other and then left, leaving me alone once more.

Tom never c
ame for dinner.

Closing my eyes I pressed my forehead against the table
. It was well past eight o’clock at night when I decided to give up and go back to my room, hopefully to try again in the morning. That was, until Lacey skidded to a half in front of me in the corridor.

“Hey, what’s up?” I said, unable to inject cheeriness into my tone.

“Hey. I saw you looking lonely at dinner, so I thought visiting your boyfriend would cheer you up,” she said, smiling brightly.

“Yeah, thanks kid, but it’s not that easy,” I said, looking down the corridor and wondering if the child was allowed to be wandering around the facility alone at this time. “Shouldn’t you be in bed or something?”

Lacey put her hands on her hips. “You just need to know your way around.”

“And you know your way around?” I asked, smirking.

“Better than anyone. I grew up here.”

I furrowed my brow. “How long have you been here exactly?”

“Nine years,” she smiled. “Since I was a week old. That’s what Professor Colt says, anyway.”

I placed my hand upon Lacey’s shoulder and tried to keep my voice steady, despite the fact that I was overwhelmed with sadness for this child that had never known a life outside of the facility. Worse yet, she’d never known a life as a normal child; She’d had this affliction her entire life.
“Look, maybe you should go back to your room. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

She pouted. “Don’t you want this?” Lacey asked, pulling a swipe-card out of her jumper’s front pocket.

I stared at her. “Is that a key pass?”

She nodded and thrust it into my hands. “
Yeah.”

“Where’d you get it?” I asked
, but my question was answered for me when I saw the name on the card. ‘Bernadette Goul’.

“I stole it from my teacher
while she was in the pool.” Lacey grinned mischievously. “Now you can visit your boyfriend. But don’t tell Misses Goul, okay? I don’t want to get in trouble again. You’d better hide it before someone sees.”

“Thank you so much Lacey. You have no idea what this means to me,” I said
, stuffing the card into my jacket before swooping upon the child and embracing her.
Now I can get Tom out of here,
I thought.

Lacey chuckled. “I like you, Rose.”

I laughed and gave her one last squeeze. “I like you too, kid.”

Standing up straight I looked around to make sure no one was in the vicinity. Most of the doctors, scientists and patients had retreated to their respective quarters. The only staff I could see
was the cleaners who were busy buffing the floors.

I dashed
along the corridors towards the solitary rooms. Lacey tiptoed silently behind me, peeking into rooms and telling me which way to go. I didn’t know my way around yet.

Arriving in
the familiar corridor I began to check all the rooms. However, the one Tom had been previously confined to was empty. He wasn’t in any of the others either.

“He’s not here,” I said, turning to Lacey when we reached the end of the corridor. “Where would he be?”

Lacey frowned and put her hands on her hips. “He might be with Professor Colt or Doctor Kent, but that means-”

“Shh!” I hissed, holding out a hand. I strained my ears, listening hard. Yes, I could definitely hear multiple sets of feet
and it grew closer every second. “Someone’s coming.”

“In here,” Lacey said, pulling me into an empty cell and closing the door, leaving it ajar by an inch. We listened intently as the footsteps drew closer. 

Feeling brave, I peeked through the small window in the door just in time to see a group of three across the hall. Tom stood between two men dressed in white lab coats. They opened the door to his cell he walked inside. I heard the beep of the swipe-card and the sliding of the bolts as Tom was locked inside.

The two staff left, chatting between themselves and when their footsteps died away Lacey and I slipped out of the room and dashed across the hall.

Peeking through Tom’s window I saw he had his back to the door, bent over the sink in his room. He appeared to be vomiting. I pulled the swipe-card from my jacket and held it against the sensor. The light turned from red to green and the bolts slid out of the door. I pushed the handle and stepped inside.

Tom didn’t turn around. “You’ve almost bled me dry,” he said weakly, spitting into the sink. “Haven’t you tortured me enough for one day?”

“Not nearly enough,” I said, stepping inside.

Tom spun around and I gasped. He looked awful.

“Rose? Lacey?” His eyes darted between us. “What – what are you doing here? How did you get in?”

I showed Tom the swipe card before stuffing it back into my jacket. “I’ve come to get you.”

“What’s the matter with him? Is he sick?” Lacey asked, looking up at me.

“Yeah, he’s really sick,” I said. “Listen, Lacey, you’ve got to get out of here. Go back to your room. Don’
t tell anyone that we were here, okay?”

“But I want to stay with you and look after Mr Stone,” she said, her large brown eyes looking at me imploringly.

“You can do something for me, Lacey,” Tom said, forcing a smile as he sat down on the edge of his bed. “It’ll be sure to make me feel better.”

“What?” she said eagerly.

“You know how I love to read?” Tom asked and Lacey nodded eagerly. “If you find a good book for me to read I’m sure that will make me feel better.”

“Pride and pre-pred-
prejudice
?” she asked, looking at me with a grin.

Tom laughed weakly. “Sure.
That sounds perfect.”

“I’ll get it from the library now!”
she gasped excitedly before dashing back down the hall.

I watched her leave before turning back to Tom. “You’re good with kids,” I said.

“Yeah, I always wanted-” Tom’s sentence was cut short as he grimaced in pain, collapsing upon the bed.

“Tom!” I gasped, hurrying over to him and kneeling beside the bed. “What’s wrong? What can I do?” 

“I’m alright,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I just-” He stopped talking and pushed me out of the way as he jumped up and vomited in the sink again.

“Oh, god, we have to get you out of here.”

“I don’t think I’m in good enough health for escaping,” he said. He was shaking violently as he leaned over the basin. I felt helpless as I looked at him.

“I’ll
– I’ll carry you, or-”

Tom laughed as he grabbed a toothbrush from the sink and squeezed a dollop of toothpaste onto the bristles. He ran it under the tap for a moment before stuffing the brush into his mouth and cleaning his teeth vigorously. “I don’t fink so,” he said through the foaming toothpaste.

“Please. They’re going to end up killing you!” I said as he spat the toothpaste out and drank from the tap.

“
I’ll be fine,” he waved it aside before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “Will you … will you just lay down with me for a while? They won’t check on me for another hour.”

He hobbled back to the bed and
collapsed upon it before grasping my hand and pulling me down with him.

“Now isn’t the best time for a nap, Tom,” I said reluctantly.

“Just for a minute … until the sickness passes,” he mumbled, curling an arm around me. 

I couldn’t help myself; I buried my face into his chest and allowed him to cradle me in his arms. He sm
elled sterile, like a hospital; his usual enticing scent was almost gone.

As he held me Tom stroked my hair, running his fingers through the tendrils, his
cool, minty breath washing over me.

“I missed you,” he
whispered, kissing the top of my head.

“
Me too,” I said, toying with a loose thread on his sweater. “It’s been awful without you.”

“You have no idea … how hard it was for me to leave … that day at the factory.” Tom spoke in short, sharp bursts as though he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs.

I tensed. I didn’t want to think about the day he’d left me. The memory still stung.

“Don’t talk about that,” I mumbled
, wrapping a leg around Tom’s torso and pulling myself flush against him.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” he mumbled. “The guilt.”

“Don’t.”

“I almost went back … that day. I almost turned around and … caved.”

I clutched a handful of his sweater in my fist. “Stop. You were trying to do the right thing. I get it.”

“If I’d gone back you wouldn’t have
been in that accident. You wouldn’t have been in a coma.”

“What’s done is done.”

“Please tell me you forgive me, Rose,” he said, his voice strained.