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The car starts up and pulls away Still holding Beth’s hand, I look out the , seeing the white building of the clinic disappearing behind us The road we’re on is unpaved and bumpy, and the atmosphere in the car is tense The two htly, and I again get the sense that they’re afraid of soor someone
I wonder if it’s Julian Does he knohat happened? Is he even now on his way to the clinic? I stare out the ,It wasn’t supposed to be like this I should be going back to the island today, back to the placid life I’ve had for the past year It’s a life I crave noith a desperate intensity I want to lie in Julian’s embrace, to feel his touch and smell the warm, clean scent of his skin I want hi and everyone except hi the road, taking us further and further away from safety It’s hot inside, and I can smell the spicy odor of unwashedBeth see her, but we’re pressed too tightly together, so I just gently squeeze her hand instead Her fingers are limp and clammy in my palm
The ride seems to last forever, but it must be only about an hour, because the sun is still not all the way up in the sky e arrive at our destination It’s an airstrip in thethere It looks vaguelyus toward the plane I doto tear h she see them to practically carry her in
Inside, the plane is far from luxurious As I had suspected, the body of the plane isthe walls, instead of arranged into rows It’s the kind of plane I’ve seen inout of it with parachutes The men strap Beth anddown theins to roll, and then we’re airborne, the sun shining brightly in my eyes
Chapter 22
By the ti of thirst and desperately need to pee Sneaking a glance at Beth, I see that she’s in even worse disco on her face has turned into an ugly bruise, and her lips are crusted with blood With ive her a co pat on the arm
As soon as the plane touches down, they unbuckle us and drag us out of the plane with our hands still cuffed in front of us The leader approaches us, giving us a quick once-over before pointing toward a black SUV parked a few yards away He spits out some order at his men, and I understand it to mean that our journey is about to continue Before they can force us into the vehicle, however, I speak up "Hey," I say quietly, "I have to use the restroom"
Beth flashesmy attention on the leader I’m pretty sure I’d sooner die than piss own, as theat me, then jerks his thumb toward the bushes "Go, bitch," he says harshly "You have onethe un who follows own and squat to relievewith embarrass et into another hot, stuffy car This tih what appears to be soet to a nondescript warehouse-like building--our final destination--I’ry too, but that need is secondary to the thirst that’s consu, we are led toward twoin the corner My handcuffs are unlocked, but before I have a chance to rejoice, the saether behind , before wrapping a rope all around my body to secure me to the chair His touch onto hiis done to Beth, except that her handler seehly apart to tie theets even paler and her cracked lips treer, then turn away once the s instead
It seems that my initial impression was correct We’re inside so a maze in the middle Now that we’re securely tied to the chairs, thetable in the other corner
Beth and I finally have so care to keep my voice pitched low "Did they hurt you? Before I cahtening "Just s You shouldn’t have come out, Nora That was stupid"