Page 57 of Raven

“How do you get outside?”

“If I have time, I take the rock at the very en’, where the’s a hole. And I do the seagull kaw-kaw. Or I jus’ leave it by the hole. They get it.”

“You understand that you jeopardize your safety, right?”

He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t look at me.

“You know you also let down Kai and Callie and Maddy, who care about you and brought you here so you can be safe, right?”

He swallows hard but doesn’t raise his head. His little fingers fidget with his short pockets, and his chest shakes in a tiny sob.

“Do you want to go back, Sonny? To Port Mrei? Because I can take you there. You can stay there if that’s what you want.”

His eyes snap at me, teary, pleading, and so full of hurt that I feel like the biggest scumbag threatening him.

“No,” he says almost in a whisper. “Bu’ my friends there. They don’ have food.”

Fucking dammit!

I study Ayana, majestically resting on a slope covered in lush greenery and patches of flowers, the infinity pools with their waterfalls peacefully spilling off the cliffs. It’s not the kid’s fault he ended up on the privileged side while his friends live behind a condemned warehouse.

“Sorry,” he whispers, wiping the falling tear with his hand.

“Okay. Here’s what we are going to do.”

I try to sound as calm and friendly as possible. I tell him I must tell Archer because it’s a security issue. I have to tell Kai and Callie because they need to have another talk with him.

“You can’t go to town anymore, understood?” I say more sternly.

His face falls. “Can I come with you? Jus’ sometime? To bring ‘em something?”

I exhale through my lips and get up. “I will talk to Archer about it and see what we can do. But you are not to leave Ayana without permission. Okay?”

He nods.

“Come on.”

He follows me obediently across the beach as I glance at his Aquaman backpack. “How many burgers can you fit in this thing?”

He gives me a thievish look as he skips, trying to keep up with me.

I force a smile. “I’m curious. How many?”

“Ten. I can’t get more than tha’, usually. Bu’ also shirts and stuff.”

Clothes… For friends…

“How many of them are there?” And just to get him to relax, I ask, “Tell me about Garrick and the others.”

And then the little shithead talks. Once he starts, he is spilling all his logistical secrets, and I make mental notes, wondering how feeble the idea of security on this island is. And also the idea of normalcy when over a dozen kids are willing to sneak through the highly secured area to get food.

22

RAVEN

“Burgers?” Archer asks with genuine surprise.

“Yes. And clothes,” I say. “And he sneaks out via speedboats or in work trucks.”

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