Zoo (26 page)

“
Well, thank you. I really
appreciate it.” I clutch the book to my chest as Cat bows. He
closes the door behind him. It clicks as the lock
engages.

***

I hate this book!

I’ve been reading in dim candlelight for
what seems like hours, and this Emma chick is completely clueless.
She’s obsessing over this stupid Frank Churchill guy when she
should be with Mr. Knightley. She’s so blind! And truth be told,
she’s a lot like me.

I let the book flop on the bed as I pluck a
purple grape from what’s left of my lunch. I can’t lie that it’s
delicious, but the grape and the book are only helping me to pass
the time until my next opportunity to escape. I haven’t forgotten
about Kale or Victoria or ultimately leaving this whole place.
Unfortunately for me, I can’t even make a plan. I don’t know my way
around this place or what the best way out would be. I need to find
out.

I roll off the bed, straighten my fluffy
dress, and then I bang on the thick wooden door. Seconds later, I
step back as someone unlocks my prison cell. It’s Cat again. “Do
you think I could go for a walk outside? I’m starting to feel a
little queasy from being locked up in this dark room. I think I
need some fresh air and sunlight. I don’t care how many guards have
to come with us. I just need to get out of this room. Please,” I
beg him.

He starts to huff and look around for
someone else to intervene, but it’s just the two of us. I give him
my best sad face. “Please,” I say again.

“
I suppose so, M’Lady.
Guards!” He calls down the hallway. His voice echoes off the cold,
stone walls.

Two men wearing brown
leather pants and thin chain mail that covers their beige peasant
tops appear from the stairwell. They have their swords drawn, ready
for action. But there’s no action here. They holster their
swords.
No, wait. That’s not right. They .
. . Umm . . .
They put their swords back
in their holders and bow to Cat when they realize there’s no
danger.
Re-sheath? Whatever . .
.

One of them respectfully asks Cat, “How may
we be of service, sir?”

Hmm. Sir. Must be a pretty important
servant.

Cat gestures toward me as he replies, “The
Lady would like to take a walk outside. We need escorts.”

“
As you wish, sir.” The
man bows and waits for us to lead the way down the
hallway.

We leave the large building and enter the
courtyard that I remember passing through when I arrived. It’s
large and there are farm animals in little pens and women attending
to them. There are children pretending to sword fight with sticks.
The men are all standing guard somewhere and looking very
alert.

I try to memorize my surroundings without
being too obvious. There are no doors that I can magically escape
through. There’s only the front gate. Unless I suddenly sprout
wings and fly Kale and myself out of here, it doesn’t look
good.

People bow to me as I
approach them and whisper to each other once I’ve passed. They’re
most likely talking about the huge handprint on my cheek. I’m sure
James left a mark. I hate him! Really, what was I thinking when I
had such a huge crush on him? I guess I was only thinking;
wow, that guy’s hot
.

Above us, a flying train filled with gawking
people floats by. It pauses, watching the goings-on of the castle.
Then it shifts and moves to the far side of the courtyard, perhaps
being attracted to the man who has slipped in horse manure.

Cat is slowly walking
ahead of me.
The late afternoon sun casts
a rosy tint on his white downy hair, and as if on cue, he starts to
hum a lullaby . . . a lullaby that I know very well.

MEOW

Cat is humming the lullaby that Auntie
Josephine used to sing to me every night in those last weeks.
Surely this couldn’t be…

“
Edward?” I whisper, as I
step beside him.

He stops at the sound of the name. I follow
suit, as do the guards that are following us. We are all at a
standstill. “I haven’t heard that name in a very long time,” he
says. “How did you obtain this knowledge?”

“
Before I came here,
Josephine Derby was in the enclosure next door to me. She sometimes
sang that lullaby to me at night. She thinks you’re dead,” I answer
him, my heart aching for the broken couple.

Cat starts to shuffle forward again. He
whispers so the guards won’t overhear. “I loved her very much, but
I suppose it wasn’t enough. I regret so much.” He changes
directions and starts heading back to the building where my room
resides. :(

I have to get this back on track. I’m not
ready to go back inside yet. “I know she loved you very much too.
She talked about you a lot. She misses you. She sings your favorite
songs to the public almost everyday.”

He snorts. “She was always
performing for
them
. It drove me mad. Literally.”

“
Maybe that’s her way of
making it through each day.” It’s no use. We are already heading
back up the stairs, back to my prison within a prison. Before he
locks me away, I ask him, “How is Kale? Please tell me
something.”

“
That’ll be all guards.”
He shoos the two men away. They descend the stairs, boots pounding
on the steps as they go.

When they are out of earshot, he turns back
to me. “He’s not well, but he could be worse. James has him chained
up in the dungeon. He has a large cut over his eye, and his lip is
swollen. I’ve taken water to him several times against the King’s
wishes. I’ve always been a bit softhearted.” His smile is gentle
when he tells me, “He’s asked after you. I told him you were well
to keep his spirits up.”

“
Does he know what they
have planned for him?”

“
He does. He’s accepted
his fate. He knows that you will be taken care of after it’s
over.”

I’m such a
girl
. My hands fly up to cover my mouth,
and I shake my head as I start to cry.

“
Now, now. Things aren’t
always as they seem. Just be patient. The time is near. Sleep well,
M’Lady.” Cat shuts the door, leaving me with the little
riddle.

Why can’t people just say what they mean?
How am I supposed to interpret that?

I throw myself onto the bed. I don’t bother
with my dress, but I loosen my hair and eventually work the tight
braid out. Waves of hair fall over my shoulders. My scalp aches but
feels good at the same time.

I lie on my back and stare at the ceiling,
trying to come up with a plan to get to Kale. Even if I can’t get
us out of here, I can at least try to get to him to tell him I love
him one last time.

The dungeon . . . I
think
the dungeon is
below
this
building. I saw a guard go down a stairwell on the first
floor when we came back in. It’s the only place that seems
appropriate for a dungeon, unless it’s under the
gatehouse.

Tomorrow I will try again. I will make a run
for it after breakfast or try to pick the lock to my door with
something that I’ve snuck back with me. Something. I will do
something tomorrow when I see an opportunity.

And isn’t tomorrow the Keepers’ routine
check? I wonder if they do that here.

I fall asleep while
reading
Emma
and
dream of Mr. Knightley, although, he looks like Kale in my mind. He
calls me “Princess” and walks with me through never-ending gardens,
until it all fades away and there’s only me in a black void,
struggling to find the light again.

***

Once again, I am forced to eat breakfast
with the King and James. I smile at all the right times and thank
the King for his hospitality. I even tell him that I can’t wait for
our wedding tomorrow. All the while, I’m sliding my butter knife up
the sleeve of my pale blue gown.

The King says, “The Keepers do in fact come
today. They show up in hordes, appearing out of walls and trees and
then disappearing as quickly as they come. They will run checks on
all the people and animals, and then they’ll leave food in various
locations throughout the enclosure. Tomorrow will be a huge trading
day,” he tells me.

I nod politely as I run through different
escape scenarios. I figure the trading means there will be fewer
guards tomorrow—and now I have a butter knife to battle my way out
of here.

He tells us, “I owe the Red Temple two
chickens and a pig in exchange for your wedding gown. Apparently,
they have the best seamstress around. Our wedding will be in the
evening after the trades take place.”

“
I can’t wait,” I say with
a smile.

After the meal is over, the King asks Cat to
return me to my room. He’s done stuffing his face and tells me he
needs to attend to some kingly duties. Cat is quiet and shifty
today, like he knows something but won’t spill the beans. He winks
at me as he shuts the door, locking me up.

I slide my butter knife out of my sleeve and
lay it on the bed. I need to be patient, but I’m so antsy to see
Kale. I need to get us out of here. I pace the room. I stop to read
the book once again, but can’t concentrate. I start to pace again
from one wall to the other—back and forth—again and again.

All of a sudden, I notice the Keeper
standing in the corner of the room watching me. He’s holding a
scanner that is presumably taking in my biometrics. I wait for him
to finish and leave. He doesn’t. Instead, he starts walking toward
me.

I back away from him and grab the butter
knife off of the bed. I hold it out in front of me to warn him
away. Then he does the most peculiar thing. He takes off the hood
of his white suit and drops it to the floor.

I open my mouth to scream when I see who it
is.

THE MYSTERY KEEPER

It’s him!
It’s the guy that would always watch me and tap
his watch.
He’s here! He’s a
Keeper!
And as I said, I open my mouth to
scream, but he rushes across the room before much of anything
escapes my lungs. He covers my mouth with his hand, and with his
other hand, he knocks my knife to the ground. I cringe, waiting for
his Keeper suit to shock me. It doesn’t.

I struggle against him as those familiar
eyes search mine. “Shh!” he whispers. “Emma, stop it. Emma.
Stop.”

How the hell does he know my name? The
Keepers don’t know us. We’re just animals to them. What’s going
on?

“
I’m here to help you.
It’s almost time. Please listen to me,” he begs.

I calm my breathing and
myself. I stop fighting him. Maybe he’s telling the truth. Maybe
he
can
help me.
Help us.

“
Good. Now, listen
carefully. Tomorrow is trade day. It’s also the day that the Rebels
will rise up. There will be a war here tomorrow. Do you understand?
Most of the captives here know about it, but not all. The King does
not, because he likes it here. So don’t speak to anyone here about
it, except Cat. He will help you. Some of the Keepers are involved,
and the protestors you saw before will be helping.” He pauses for a
breath. His eyes are urgent and his body is tense.

“
I don’t understand.” I
say confused.

“
There are a lot of people
that know this is wrong—putting people in a zoo—but no matter how
hard we fight the global laws, we haven’t been able to change them.
So tomorrow we are going to break the glass domes . . . hundreds of
them . . . all over the world. We’re going to free everyone who
wants to be free. And your statement on the glass wall helped speed
things along. The public wasn’t really sure that the captives
weren’t okay with being in there. The public is told that you chose
this fate over death. But the true word spread quickly.”

“
Okay, but where are all
these people going to go? Most of them won’t be able to function in
your society, if it’s anything like what I think it is. Where will
they live? What will they eat?”
What the
hell is wrong with me?
This is exactly
what I’ve wanted to happen, but the reality of it scares
me.

He answers me, “Most will do just fine. They
will blend in. You’ve seen how people dress in today’s world. Well,
it’s not just the way they dress. They take it to the extreme and
live as the people of that era and culture lived. They’ll find
people like them. They’ll be okay. Anyways, these people can be
whoever they want to be. And as far as food and homes, we have a
plan for that. It’s already in place. Each person will be given a
new identity. We are inserting identity chips today during our
rounds.”

He pulls out a small device that looks like
a futuristic mini-gun. On the end is a small needle. In his other
hand he holds tiny black dots the size of a grain of salt. “These
will be implanted into the index finger of their right hand. It
holds a new identity, an account number with credits, and an
address for a living pod. This has been a long time in the making.
We have saved and planned for decades.”

“
Why are you helping me?”
I ask him. “And why do I recognize you? Why did Kale recognize
you?”

“
I won’t be giving you an
injection. Or Kale.” He ignores my questions and puts the identity
injection back in his pocket.

“
Why? I want to leave.
Please help me. Please help us!” I start to panic.

“
I’m sending you back to
your old life. Both of you.”