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"There’s not I’irl And I’ as I left hi there on the sidewalk I rounded the corner at the alley, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible, and when I reached the back entrance and stepped into the familiar kitchen, I i out in a rush

I hadn’t realized that I’d been so stiff in his presence, practically stonelike

Or that I’d been holding my breath almost the entire tiht felt like they were coht in my bed, my body jolted froelina’s body start, and then her fingers were digging into hts, toas the sirens continued to blare from the streets outside

An attack, I was slow to realize The city was under attack These were not the sirens of a drill

My bedrooain

My fatherelina off the bed and stuffing her into her own coat

There was no tied into the sleeves of my jacket

"Take your sister down into the mine shafts" My father’s voice was brisk, no-nonsense

My mother handedas I stepped intowith us?"

My father dropped to his knees and tied elina’s hair She kissed us both, tears in her eyes

"No, we’ll stay here, in case the troops come If your mother and I are here, maybe they’ll believe that it’s just the two of us, that we live alone" He stood as he finished,for you and your sister"

His words didn’t make sense to me, but none of this did Why would the troops be interested in us at all, with or without our parents? Why would they bother searching for two girls, children who’d escaped into the night?

I shook o without them, but couldn’t find my voice