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Back The Lost Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. Acknowledgments
  47. About the Author
  48. A Sneak Peek of You Will Be Mine
  49. 1
  50. Back Cover

I want it so badly, I can taste it. When I think of escape, I can smell corn growing in fields around town, and I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. It’s June now, still summer. My parents will be taking some time off soon, the same as every year. We don’t go anywhere because they don’t have much spare cash, but we do have a staycation, doing something fun each day like trips to the beach, a theme park, or a museum.

But they won’t be doing any of that now. They’ll be spending every second looking for me.

Hazel folds her arms. Her lips are pursed the way they are when she’s silently protesting something. It was the same look she had in school when the principal tried to implement a uniform like the private schools in the area, or when her parents told her they wouldn’t allow her to go to my house if she hadn’t finished her homework.

She doesn’t think the doors will be unlocked, but she’s not going to say it in case it works.

Theo picks up on the negativity and frowns at her. It’s so hard to be around people who have already given up.

“Everyone eat up,” Theo says gruffly.

He’s had enough, too. Theo and I are more alike than the others.

What’s the point in fighting so hard to free people who already think we’re dead?

The rest of the meal is silent, and no one wants to stay up after dinner, so we get ready for bed early. When I climb into my top bunk, I let myself cry through the creepy bedtime music played through the metallic speakers.

16

I wake up after a rough night’s sleep with a renewed determination. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Hazel has checked out and how Lucie doesn’t seem to believe there is any hope. I don’t believe there is, either, and last night I was getting closer to falling apart.

But at least I still have fight in me. Theo has his again, too. Hazel and Lucie are done. Kevin and Priya aren’t proactive, but at least they’re trying to be positive. At one point during the night, I got so frustrated I almost woke them up to yell.

I’m glad I kept myself in check, though, because that would have added to their hopelessness.

There’s no chance of me going back to sleep, so I get out of bed and tiptoe past the others. Hazel is still sleeping peacefully on the bunk below mine. I don’t know how she can sleep after deciding that she’s going to die in here. I certainly wouldn’t be able to.

So much damn negativity!