“You said we would’ve both been dead if it weren’t for me,” he said. “Doesn’t that mean you owe me a favor? Is there no way I could leave the tower-zone for an hour or two? That’s all I need. Please.”

Sakura scratched the back of her head.

“Aw, geez,” she said. “Okay, I think there’s something we can do. I’ll have to blindfold you as this passage is top secret and you’ll have ninety minutes tops. By that point, people will start asking questions and we’ll both be in big trouble. Any chance of you being a climber will be over if they catch us. So ninety minutes, got it?”

Max nodded his head.

“Thank you, Sakura.”

“Don’t mention it.”

* * *

Mr. Grimes sat in his office, smoking a cigar and drinking a glass of whiskey.

He was celebrating.

Celebrating getting rid of that little cockroach, Useless.

That boy had always been a nuisance. Always asking questions all the time, watching the group home manager with his irritating nosiness. Then there was his damn disability that meant regulators showed up to check on the group home’s condition more often.

The stupid brat had always been more trouble than he was worth.

He took a long sip of his drink and contemplated how glad he was to be rid of the boy.

He placed his glass down and pulled his feet off the desk. He opened up his laptop and went to an online electronics store.

Now that Useless and his damn nosiness was gone and less inspectors would be coming by, he could finally proceed with his long-wished for plan.

He scrolled through the different small security cameras available on the electronic store.

He grinned. He’d be able to set these cameras up in the girls’ room and in the showers too.

He couldn’t wait to see the girls.

And then there were the profits to think about too. He could sell the footage on the underground market. Probably make a small fortune. People would pay top dollar for this sort of thing.

Mr. Grimes licked his lips, unable to decide what he was more excited for: the footage or the money.

He already had a few pictures he’d snapped on his own, the old-fashioned way when no one was looking. He opened the folder on his computer where he stored them all. Yet when he clicked on the folder, he found none of the pictures inside. The folder was empty.

What!? Where were they!?

CRASH!

Something in the corner of the room fell to the floor, shattering to pieces.

Mr. Grimes’ head perked up.

“What was that?” he said, looking forward.

He thought he saw something flicker in the shadows in the corner.

He stood up.

“Who’s there?”

A figure was cloaked in darkness. Stepping halfway out of the shadows was a face he recognized.

Red hair. Blue eyes.