Hunted (26 page)

“Thanks for not telling her who I am,” I said.

Amy looked offended. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

“Not at all.” And I meant it. She was very savvy about this place. “I just mean…never mind.”

She smiled. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.” She paused. “But how did you get in here? How did you trick the eye scanner thing?”

I told her about meeting Jack and Dani and our plan to get information to share with the world. She wanted to see the glasses. I handed them over and she examined them, but couldn’t detect the camera. I told her how the plan was for them to come get the two of us out once they had the information they needed. I didn’t mention my deadline of November tenth. I told her that as soon as I’d seen the Enforcers taking her away, that was when I’d begun planning everything.
 

“So you’re doing all this for me?”

“Yes. Of course. You’re my sister.”

She smiled.

“But I don’t understand the deal Mom made that got you sent here.”

She laughed. “Oh, believe me. There was no deal. That’s just what they said, but they took me even though Mom begged them not to.”

I should have known Mom would never agree to any sort of deal.

“What’s going to happen after I get out? Am I going to have to be in hiding forever? Will they take Mom and put her in here?”

I didn’t want to think about that part of the plan because I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I didn’t see any reason to worry Amy. “I’m still working on that angle, but don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” Now I sounded like Jack and Dani when I kept asking what plan
they
had.

“Okay.” Amy obviously had complete trust in me, which made me feel even more responsible. She was quiet for a minute. “What if they find out who you really are during that lie-detector test?”

That was my worry too, but I didn’t want her to stress over it. “They can’t make me say anything, so I just won’t tell them.”

She nodded, accepting my reasoning without question.
 

“We should probably do our workout,” I said. “No sense in getting ourselves into trouble.”

“Yeah.” She stood. “I’ll come get you after I change.”

“Okay.” I went to my room and changed and a short time later the two of us arrived at the gym. We warmed up, then I got on an elliptical machine and Amy got on a stationary bicycle. It must have been Austin’s night off, because an Enforcer I’d never seen before was monitoring the kids working out.
 

After we finished our workouts we went back to our floor. As I showered and got ready to go the re-education class, I tried to control my anxiety. But as I thought about Amy and her reaction to knowing it was me, I felt better. The two of us went to the classroom floor together.

When we walked into the classroom I immediately saw that a table and chair had been placed in the front of the room. A blood pressure cuff sat on the table, along with a small metal box that had wires coming out of it. Attached to the wires were two thick straps.

The blood drained from my face. “Oh my gosh, Amy.”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “It will be okay.” Her voice was low. “Just don’t say anything you don’t want them to know.”

I squeezed back, then she let go and we sat down. A lot of the kids were already there and I could see the questioning looks on their faces. They had no idea what was going on, but every one of them looked worried. I almost wanted to scream
It’s not for you
, but I was so scared that I was virtually paralyzed. I stared at the floor, trying not to think about what was about to happen.

Lori walked in, which got my attention. Fresh anger displaced some of my terror, but when Mrs. Reynolds entered the room, a bright smile on her face, I forgot about Lori.

“Good evening,” she said.

No one spoke.

“All arise for the pledge.”

As we stood and recited the hated words, my gaze kept straying to the table and chair.

“Very good. You may sit.” She paused. “Now, I think you’ve all noticed the additional furniture in the room this evening.” She motioned to the table and chair. “One of you—and you know who you are—has agreed to undergo a polygraph test to refute an accusation.”

I’d never agreed to the test. She was making me do it.

“At the end of our session,” she continued, “that person will have her chance to prove the truth of her statement.”

I had to wait until the end?
My anxiety ratcheted up another notch.

“Now, let us begin. Last night Lori shared with us her despicable action that got her sent here.”

I looked at Lori, whose face had turned bright red. If all I had to worry about was being embarrassed, I’d be thrilled.

“What do you think about her behavior?” Mrs. Reynolds asked the group.

Amy’s hand shot up.

Mrs. Reynolds smiled. “Yes, Amy.”

“She was being completely selfish and totally ignored the meaning of the pledge.”

“Which is?”

“To put the good of others above oneself, of course. She didn’t care about anyone else, only about herself.”

“Very good.” Mrs. Reynolds smiled in obvious approval. “Which is why she was sentenced to spend time in Camp Willowmoss—to relearn the importance of putting the needs of others above her own.” She turned her gaze on Lori. “You’ve been here several weeks, Lori. What have you learned since arriving?”

Her cheeks and neck had red splotches and she twisted her hands in her lap. “I’ve learned that it’s better to think of others before myself.”

I had to hold back a snort. She may have learned that, but she certainly didn’t practice it.

“I’m glad to hear that, Lori,” Mrs. Reynolds said. Then she moved on to another topic.

About twenty minutes before we were scheduled to finish, two Enforcers walked in. My face paled as my heart rate skyrocketed. It was time.
 

“I see our helpers are here,” Mrs. Reynolds said, perfectly calm. Then she looked directly at me. “Hannah, please come to the front of the room.”

All eyes shot to me. When I looked at the others in the room the most dominant expression was one of relief. Relief that it wasn’t
them
being called up. I looked at Lori and saw a tiny smile on her face. But when I looked at Amy I saw nothing but compassion, which helped to calm me. I stood and walked to the front of the room, turning on the camera.

One of the Enforcers pointed to the chair. “Sit here.”

I did as instructed, trying to pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary.

He put two straps around my chest, the blood pressure cuff on my upper arm, and placed two small clips on two fingers. Then he and the other Enforcer moved to the wall, their stance watchful.

Mrs. Reynolds slid into the seat behind the table and turned to the room. “As many of you may know, a polygraph test will measure the body’s response to questions being asked. If Hannah tells the truth, the polygraph will record one type of response, and if she lies, it will record another.” She smiled at me. “We will begin.”

She tapped on a tablet computer, then looked at me. “Please answer with a yes or a no.” She paused. “Is your name Hannah Jacobs?”

I knew this should have been an easy question, but since I knew I would be lying, I wondered if the test results would be messed up.
Be Hannah, be Hannah, be Hannah
. “Yes.”

“Are you sixteen years old?”

That was easier. “Yes.”

“Is your roommate Lori?”

I was sure thoughts of her made my blood pressure spike, but I couldn’t help it. “Yes.”

She asked me some other innocuous questions, then she got to the point of the test. “Have you been doing your assigned job each day?”

“Yes.” I said the word with conviction.

“Have you ever cut your shift short?”

“No.” Again, no doubt.

“Have you done your job fully and completely?”

“Yes.” This was getting easier.

She became quiet as she examined the readout on her tablet. The squiggly lines meant nothing to me and I wondered what they told her.

“One last question.”

I was so glad this was almost over. It hadn’t been bad at all—as it had turned out, I’d really had nothing to worry about.

“Is your name really Morgan Campbell?”

The room erupted in chatter. My chest compressed with complete and utter terror as I realized this whole thing had just been a ruse to get to this one question. “No. No.” My voice was hardly audible over the chaos in the room as everyone spoke at once.

“Quiet!” Mrs. Reynolds stood and faced the room. “I will have silence.”

The noise in the room shut off as if she’d pressed the mute button. My gaze met Amy’s and she looked stricken. She mouthed the word
How?
I was wondering the same thing.

Mrs. Reynolds sat back down. “Let me ask you again.” I noticed the Enforcers moving in. “Are you Morgan Campbell?”

Amy leapt from her chair. “No! She’s Hannah. Hannah Jacobs.”

“Sit down, Amy,” Mrs. Reynolds said, her voice deadly calm. “I’ll deal with you in a moment.”

Amy sank into her chair, her look defeated.

Mrs. Reynolds looked at me, her eyebrows raised in question.

The Enforcers stood on either side of me, which didn’t help.
Be Hannah, be Hannah, be Hannah
. “No.”

Her eyes narrowed as she stared me down. Finally she said, “You’re lying.”

She hadn’t even looked at the readout on her tablet. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her face.

“We have a sample of your DNA and it is an
exact
match with Morgan Campbell’s.”

My shoulders slumped. I’d been caught. They’d known all along. My gaze went to Lori and I saw several emotions play across her face, but when our eyes met, the most powerful emotion I saw was satisfaction. My forehead creased as I tried to understand why she would feel that way. Was it because she was stuck in here and hadn’t liked the idea that I’d been free? Or was it just the base meanness she’d always exhibited?

My analysis of Lori came to an abrupt end when one of the Enforcers grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me out of the chair. The other twisted my arms behind my back and snapped handcuffs onto my wrists. I wondered how long they’d known—had it been from the first day or had they only discovered it? But what did it even matter? They knew. I was screwed.

Amy flew from her chair and flung herself against me. “I won’t let them take you, Morgan. I won’t.”

Hot tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks at my little sister’s devotion. She was taking a big risk by stepping forward—it just didn’t happen here—but she was doing it for me. “It will be okay, Amy,” I murmured into her hair, although I knew as clearly as I knew that she loved me that it would
not
be okay.

“Back off,” one of the Enforcers demanded, then he forcibly pulled her away from me and shoved her toward the rest of the group, who watched in morbid fascination at the scene unfolding before them.
 

She refused to sit in her chair, standing where she’d stopped. I wiped my cheeks on my shoulders—as best as I could with my arms behind my back—and gave her what I hoped was an encouraging smile. My only hope was that Jack and Dani were able to download the video I was recording and that they would come rescue me immediately. But would they? Would they be willing to reveal themselves for me? Had they gotten enough information to help their cause? I turned to Mrs. Reynolds. “You’ll let my sister go now, right?”

She smiled in her fake way. “Of course. She was only here because you weren’t. So now she’ll be free to go.”

That, at least, was a consolation. “When? When will you release her?”

“Tomorrow morning. At the same time you’re transferred.”

“Transferred?”

“That’s right. To a more secure facility.”

How could Jack and Dani rescue me if I wasn’t here? Would they know where I was? Would this completely change their plans? My heart pounded. Today was October thirty-first—Happy Halloween, the trick was on me—which meant I only had ten days before I had to get to the tunnel. If I was late, I would not be able to get back to my world. I vividly recalled the trip Billy and I had made, and the intense disappointment I’d felt when it had turned out I was still in this awful world. I simply
had
to succeed. But it would be difficult, if not impossible, if I was locked up in a completely different place.
 

As I felt my hopes slipping away, my knees buckled and I started to collapse. The Enforcer who held onto my arm tightened his grip, then lowered me to the chair. They’d already cuffed me—I wasn’t going anywhere.

“You may all be dismissed,” Mrs. Reynolds said to the group.

They stood there for a minute, evidently still in shock by what had just taken place. Amy stared at me, her face contorted with sadness.

“Go!” One of the Enforcers said, and the group shuffled toward the door. Even Amy was forced along, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

I was left alone with Mrs. Reynolds and the two Enforcers—my worst nightmare come true.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Stand up, Morgan.” It was weird to hear my real name used—I’d gotten used to being called Hannah in the last few days. With their help, I stood, my legs unsteady.

They led me out of the room and toward the elevators—Mrs. Reynolds stayed behind. All the other kids had cleared out by now so no one was around to stare, which was a small mercy. I was sure the news of my presence was racing around Camp Willowmoss at that very moment.
 

One of the men waved his card in front of the reader and a moment later the elevator doors opened and they nudged me so I’d move inside. He chose the first floor, which surprised and terrified me. The only time I’d been on that floor was when I’d arrived. I didn’t know what else was down there. Were they taking me to the other facility
now
? It was after nine o’clock. Wasn’t it kind of late? And Mrs. Reynolds had said I would be transferred in the morning.

Moments later we arrived on the first floor and the Enforcers walked me to an area I’d never been to. We stopped in front of a windowless door and one of the Enforcers waved his card in front of a reader. I heard a distinctive
click
. He opened the door, removed my handcuffs, and shoved me inside. Then the door slammed closed behind me.