Copper Veins(34)

“It probably just feels like a week,” Max said at one point. “We haven’t gone through all the food and water, so it really hasn’t been all that long.” I looked toward the bubbler and small wooden bookshelf. There was still plenty left of everything, not that we’d really been in a mood to chow down. And as cookies and crackers went, these were pretty horrendous.

“Why cookies?” Sadie wondered, echoing my own thoughts. “Why leave us sweets, or anything at all?”

“Simple.” Max leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he replied. “They want us for something, so they don’t want us to drop from dehydration or malnourishment. But they also don’t want us to be at our peak, which is why they left us all that refined crap. No proteins, no fats, no real food.” He rubbed his eyes before he continued. “After they’d kept me like this for a week, they let me into an exercise yard, telling me that they wanted me to get out into the fresh air, stretch my legs. Acted like they cared, like they were trying to help me.”

I shuddered. “Do you think they’re watching us?” I asked. “I don’t feel any metal, but…”

“They’re watching,” Max said sharply, with a look to match. I understood—don’t say anything you don’t want overheard. Which meant I wasn’t going to ask my next question—if we went outside, what were the chances one of us could dreamwalk?

“I hope we get outside soon,” I said, stretching my neck from side to side. “I miss the sun.”

“They’ll probably wait until it’s raining,” Max muttered.

Even that would have been an improvement.

We languished in that cell, dozing and pacing, until we heard footsteps coming down the hall. We’d been in this forgotten hole for so long I hadn’t noticed the total lack of sounds from the other side of the door, having just assumed that it was soundproofed. Then a key scraped against the lock.

Max was on his feet in an instant, putting himself between me and Sadie and whoever this newcomer was, feet planted and fists clenched. Then the door swung open, and my jaw dropped.

In the doorway stood Jerome Polonsky.

“Come on,” Jerome whispered. “We don’t have much time!”

“Where are you taking us?” Max demanded. “Another Institute?”

“I’m getting you out of here.”

Max frowned. “Define ‘out.’”

Jerome hissed, “‘Out,’ as in not a prisoner. Here or anywhere.”

If anything was more amazing than Jerome appearing at our cell door, it was the knowledge that he was organizing our prison break. “Seriously?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Jerome replied. “I’m a rather high-ranking member of the resistance, you know.”

I sort of knew that, being that I’d seen him nod deferentially at my father, and heard Dad’s admission that Jerome was on our side. Still, this was all a bit too convenient.

“If you’re lying, I’ll kill you,” Max said.

“If I was lying, why would I be here alone?” Jerome countered. “Why would they send one Peacekeeper to escort three Elementals?”

I hated to admit it, but that made sense. Not to mention, it’s not like we had any other options lined up. Max eyed him for another moment, then he waved me and Sadie forward.

“Let’s get out of here,” Max said.

And we went. Jerome held the cell door as we filed into the hall, carefully locking it behind him. “The plan was to leave you guys in isolation for a week,” he muttered. “Hopefully they haven’t sped things up.”

“How long have we been here?” I asked.

Jerome fixed me with his brown eyes. “Three days. Now, let’s go!”

Jerome grabbed my elbow and shoved me before him, but I hardly knew where my feet were taking me. All I could think about was Micah not having any idea where I was for all this time… and Mom not knowing where her children or her husband were. Three days was a long, long time when your loved ones were gone.

“How far are we from the lake?” I whispered.

“Patriot Pond?” Jerome asked, referring to Moose Lake by its postwar name. “Pretty far. Walking, at least two days, maybe more.”

Sounds of marching came from the far end of the corridor. We flattened ourselves against the wall, not moving or even breathing until the company passed us by. Once the sounds faded into the distance, Jerome crept forward and looked up and down the corridor. After ensuring it was clear, he waved us forward. Slowly, silently, we followed him down the corridor until we reached a nondescript door, though this one was plastic instead of wood. Jerome pulled out a massive key ring and searched for the key he needed. The plastic components made clacking sounds loud enough to wake the fricken’ dead. When he finally found the right key, he unlocked the door and we stepped into a garage.