Imprisoned (2 page)

“All done.” She placed a Band-Aid over the spot on my arm where she’d poked me.

“What was that?”

“Your chip.”

“My what?”

“Your chip. Everyone who stays here has to have one.”

“What does it do?” I asked with trepidation.

“Tracks your heart rate, measures your body fat, keeps track of your location.”

The first two didn’t sound so bad, but the idea that they would be tracking me sent a ripple of alarm coursing through my body. How could I escape if they kept track of my every move?

“Let’s check to see if it’s working, shall we?”

She sounded so happy, like this was all so normal. She went to her computer and typed something, then clicked on the screen. Staring at the monitor, she nodded. “All systems go.”

I rubbed my arm where she’d inserted the chip and felt a tiny bump, then wondered how I could get the chip out without them knowing.

Chapter Two

My gaze probed the exam room, seeking an instrument of some sort—maybe a scalpel that I could take to cut out the chip—but nothing was in view. Pain had always scared me, and I questioned if I could actually cut into my own arm, dig around, and pull out the chip.

“All set,” Dr. Bradley said, startling me out of my thoughts.

I stared at her, not sure what I was supposed to do.

“Kiera will be here in a moment to take you to your room. It’s getting late and you must be exhausted.”

I didn’t feel at all tired—too much anxiety flooded my body, making me wide awake.

Someone knocked at the door. Dr. Bradley opened it and a girl a little older than me walked in. The first thing I noticed was her hair. Short and spiky, it was dyed a vivid magenta.

“You must be Morgan.” She walked straight to me, a smile on her face.

I nodded, still feeling out of place and unsure of myself. Not to mention terrified. I set the cold compress on the exam table.

“I’m Kiera. I’m going to show you the ropes, explain the rules, stuff like that.”

I found her confidence comforting. She didn’t seem to hate me like the Enforcers and Tammy did. And she seemed genuinely nice, unlike Dr. Bradley, who had jammed a tracking chip in my arm without my permission.

I rubbed my arm in remembrance and I noticed Kiera watching me, a slight frown on her face.

“Grab your shoes, doll.” She motioned with her head toward my feet.

Obediently, I climbed off the table and put my shoes on my sock-covered feet.

Kiera turned to Dr. Bradley, who was stationed next to her monitor. “Okay if I take her now?”

“Yes, she’s all set.” Dr. Bradley handed a card to Kiera.

Kiera turned back to me. “Okay then. Let’s go.”

“Good luck, Morgan,” Dr. Bradley said.

I looked at her and she seemed earnest. “Thanks,” I muttered, wondering how many other people she’d chipped like animals.

Kiera opened the door and I followed her into the hall. The Enforcer who had brought me in was nowhere to be seen. In fact, I didn’t see anyone around.
I could run.
But then I remembered the chip in my arm. Kiera must have read my thoughts.

“Don’t even think about it. They’ll know right away.”

“What?” I asked, acting confused.

“I know what you’re thinking.” She paused. “It’s the same thing I thought when I first got here.”

Her admission shocked me. She seemed perfectly happy to be here—not like someone who would want to leave. “Do you have a chip too?”

She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “We all do.” We reached the end of the hall and she turned right, then stopped next to a bank of elevators.

I noticed there were no buttons to call the elevator. Rather there was just an electronic card reader.

Kiera waved a card in front of the reader. That’s when I noticed the lanyard around her neck where the card was attached. A moment later the elevator doors slid open silently and I followed her inside. Instead of buttons to press, there was a blank screen with a card reader beneath it. After Kiera waved her card in front of the reader, several numbers appeared on the screen, but the numbers seemed random: 3, 4, 6, 8, 9. She tapped the number six and the elevator doors slid closed.

“Why are some numbers missing?” I asked.

She reached into her pocket and held out the card Dr. Bradley had given her. “Your card will allow you to access the floors where you need to go, but none of the others. Even though I have more freedom than you, I’m still limited to what floors I can access.”

I took the card from her and examined it. Both sides were completely blank, just an unbroken canvas of blue.

“Tomorrow they’ll put your picture on it.”

I nodded then slipped the card into my back pocket.

The elevator came to a gradual stop and the doors opened to reveal a small foyer. To the left and the right were hallways with doors every ten feet or so. It reminded me of a hotel, except I’d never been in a hotel where they checked you in under armed guard and then jammed a computer chip into your arm before they’d let you visit.

“You’ll be staying in room seven,” Kiera said as she took the hallway on the right. She stopped in front of a door with the number seven painted on it and knocked three times before opening the door.

Why is she knocking? I wondered. Is someone already inside?

“Alyx? Are you in there?” She paused, then walked into the darkened room. No one answered. She flipped on a light and I saw a room that looked very similar to the pictures my mom had shown me of a college dorm room—she’d been trying to motivate me to take some college prep classes and I guess she’d thought if she showed me the fun times I could have at college, I’d agree to take the classes. It
had
looked kind of fun in the pictures, but now that I stood in this room, all I wanted was to go home to my own room. I didn’t even mind sharing with Amy.

“That will be your bed.” Kiera pointed to a neatly made bed with a thin blanket and lumpy pillow.  “And you’ll use that desk and that closet.” She paused. “Your roommate is Alyx. Alexandra. She’ll probably be back soon.”

I stared at the empty closet. “I don’t have any clothes with me.”

“Your caseworker will ask your family to bring some things for you.”

My heart lifted at the thought of seeing my mom and I spun around, smiling. “When can I see my mom?”

Kiera frowned. “You won’t be able to see your family.”

Keen disappointment shot through me. “Why not?”

“Those are the rules.”

Frustration pushed my thoughts to my lips. “This whole thing is ridiculous, you know. I haven’t done anything wrong. I can’t believe I’m even here.”

Kiera’s face softened. “I know exactly how you feel, but you have to accept what’s happened.”

“Why? Why should I accept it? Why do
you
accept it?”

Kiera glanced over her shoulder as if she expected someone to be listening. For all I knew, people were listening to every word we spoke. “Look. I’d rather be at home too, okay? But I’m serving my time, just like you’re going to be. It’s better to just make the best of it.”

I looked at Kiera more closely. She was very slender. I wondered if she committed some “crime” too. She certainly didn’t look like she needed to lose any weight. “Why are you here?” I asked her.

Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. “This isn’t about me. What you need to focus on is following your regimen, following the rules, and doing your time.”

“My regimen? What regimen? What are the rules?”

“Your orientation is tomorrow. You’ll meet with your caseworker and he’ll go over all of that with you. Now, let me show you where the bathroom is and then I’ll let you get settled.”

She led me out of the room and down the hall to a community bathroom.

“The boys are on a different floor, so it’s just girls that use this bathroom. There are three other bathrooms like this on this floor, but this is the one you’ll use.” Kiera opened a drawer and took out a small toiletry bag. She opened it and I saw a new toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, comb, and shampoo. “This is complimentary, but if you need more it will come out of your budget.”

“My budget?”

She sighed. “Your caseworker will explain, but the short version is that you’ll be assigned a work assignment and some of the money you earn will cover the cost of supplies. In other words, these first supplies are free, but when you need more you’ll have to pay for them, so don’t waste anything.”

“Okay,” I murmured, feeling uncomfortable with all the rules I didn’t yet know. I liked to know what to expect and right now I felt very much in the dark.

“You can keep your personal items in here if you want,” Kiera said. “But most people like to keep them in their room.” She closed the toiletry bag and handed it to me, then she opened a cupboard which had two white, thin towels folded neatly. She took the top one from the stack and handed it to me. “After you shower, make sure to hang on to your towel. You only get a fresh one on Mondays.” She paused. “Any questions?”

I actually had a lot of questions, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to answer them, so I just shook my head.

“Okay. Let’s go back to your room and see if Alyx is there yet.”

This time when Kiera knocked, a voice called from inside. “Just a minute.”

A moment later the door opened and a girl about my age stood in the doorway. “Hi, Kiera.” Her gaze flicked to me before settling back on Kiera.

“Alyx, this is your new roommate. Her name’s Morgan.”

A smile briefly lifted the corners of her mouth. “Hi.” She wore sweats and a tank top and her face was flushed, as if she’d just finished working out.

“Hey,” I replied.

Kiera turned to me. “Stick with Alyx and someone will come and get you after breakfast so you can meet with your caseworker.” She looked at Alyx. “See ya.” Then she walked down the hall toward the elevators.

As I watched her go, a feeling of panic swelled within me. I was just starting to get used to Kiera and her funky hair and confident manner. Now she was leaving me with a complete stranger who would be sharing my living space with me.

Chapter Three

“Are you coming in or what?” Alyx stood in the doorway watching me watch Kiera disappear down the hall.

I turned toward her. “Yeah.”

She held the door open and I walked in, my toiletry bag and towel in my hands. I set them on a shelf in my closet and frowned at the pathetic emptiness of the space. I hoped Mom would be able to bring some of my things soon. I wondered if there was any way for me to see her.

“Let’s get one thing straight right away,” Alyx said.

I spun around to look at my new roommate, surprised at the hostility in her voice.

“I’m set to leave this hell-hole in three weeks and I don’t want anything to screw that up.”

My gaze travelled up and down her body. She looked like she was in great shape. I wondered what she’d looked like when she’d first arrived.

“Yes, I know I look good now.” She’d obviously noticed me looking at her. “I just reached my goal weight and once I’ve maintained that weight for three weeks, I’m out of here.”

“I don’t understand how I could screw that up for you.”

“I know you just got here and you haven’t heard all the crap rules yet, but here’s a newsflash for you. If you mess up, it’s on me too.”

“What do you mean?”

“What does it sound like? They treat roommates like they’re the same person. If you’re late for work, our
room
gets docked, not just you. If you skip a workout, it goes against me too. Get it?”

“But why?”

“Why do you think? So that we’ll make sure no one slacks. No one wants to be held accountable for someone else’s mistakes. They figure one roommate will push the other to do what she’s supposed to so that the
innocent
roommate doesn’t get punished for the slacker being stupid.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah, except it sucks for people like me. They always put the newbies with someone who’s going to be leaving soon so that the short timer will make sure the newbie follows the rules.”

Even though I felt bad for her, I really didn’t give a rat’s behind if she had to stay here for the rest of her life. The only thing I cared about was getting out of here and getting back to the tunnel and then if all went as I hoped, back to my real life.

“You’re not going to cause me any trouble, are you?” she asked.

“Why do you ask that?” I wondered if she was somehow able to read my mind.

She gestured to my face. “You tried to run, didn’t you?”

I touched my swollen lip and flinched. It was still very tender.

“There’s no point in trying to run, now that they’ve chipped you.”

My hand moved from my mouth to the tiny lump in my arm and I frowned.

She nodded. “It sucks, I know.” The hostility in her voice had lessened.

“How long have you been here?”

“Four months, one week, and three days.” She smiled. “Not that I’m counting.”

I smiled back, glad she was being more friendly. I didn’t know if I could take having a roommate who hated me. Even though I planned to escape in time to reach the tunnel, I was realistic enough to know it might take a little time and it would be useful to have someone on my side who knew the ropes. Maybe she could help me speed up the learning curve enough so that I could find a way to escape before it was too late.

“Well, I’m beat,” she said. “Breakfast is at seven, so if you want to shower beforehand, you should plan to get up early.”

I glanced at the clothes I wore. “I don’t have any pajamas or clean clothes.”

Her eyebrows went up. “That sucks.”

I stared at her. I didn’t know what I’d expected her to say, but that wasn’t it.

“Look, I can go find Kiera and see if she can find you loaners.”

Loaners weren’t my first choice, but I didn’t know what else I could do. “Thanks.”

Alyx sighed. “I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later she came back. Kiera was right behind her and had some clothes in her hands.

“Sorry, Morgan,” Kiera said. “I should have told you I was getting you something to wear until your family brings you clothes from home.” She handed me the clothes.