“Without the outside guards around, we could probably get all the kids out without the Circle noticing, as long as we’re quiet and avoid the hallways near the ballroom. But the maids… that won’t be so easy.”
I was afraid she might say something like that.
The vague worry had been scratching at the back of my mind for a while now. What if one or more of the maids were like my old therapist, Angela Fitzgibbons, and actually sided with the Circle? They wouldn’t help us. In fact, they’d march right down to the ballroom and tell them all exactly what we were doing as soon as Emily informed them of our plan. Then we’d all be screwed.
I voiced this concern to Emily before she could say anything else. She shook her head emphatically. “No, it’s not like that. We all hate them. We hate being here. I remember Angela; she was still living here and going to college when I first arrived. She left soon after, and they seemed to actually let her go free, but it wasn’t real freedom. No way.” She pursed her lips and shook her head again. “She was a freak, you know. She really believed in them. The rest of us… we’d rather die than give in to them like that. And they knew that about us, so we were never allowed to leave like her. The only way anyone else ever left here was….” She trailed off and made a slicing gesture across her throat.
A pang of nausea hit me. “What’s the issue with convincing everyone to get out, then?” I asked.
“Well, you want to get us all out without them noticing, but I don’t think that will be possible. The food already went out, so that’s okay, but there always needs to be at least one maid circulating around the ballroom with drinks when they have events like this. Usually two or three. So if there’s suddenly no maids to be seen, they’ll get suspicious and one of them will start looking around to see what’s happening. And it will take at least half an hour to sneak everyone outside without being loud. That’s long enough for them to notice something is up. So… at least one of the maids has to stay behind in the ballroom and not get rescued, or it won’t work.” She let out a long sigh.
“Oh.” I swept my hand over my outfit. “We already figured that might be the case. That’s one of the reasons I’m dressed like this. I’m their serving maid for tonight, while the rest of you get yourselves out. Alex can talk to me via this device in my ear, so I’ll know when to make a quiet exit.”
Alex looked at me proudly, and Emily’s eyes widened. “You’re just going to go in there by yourself? They’ll know you don’t belong, surely.”
“It’s a risk we have to take. Like you said, they’ll notice if there isn’t at least one maid going around the room offering drinks and so on. And I have a feeling they’re too caught up in their own issues to even notice that I’m not really one of the maids here.”
“William thinks the Heartbreaker is one of them,” Alex added by way of explanation. “That’s why he threw the party tonight and made them all attend. He’ll be too nervous to notice Celeste doesn’t belong—we hope—and the others will probably just think she’s a new girl here.”
Emily’s eyes widened, and she clasped my hands in hers. “If they catch you, and your plan goes wrong, they’ll….” Her breath seemed to catch in her throat for a second. “Why are you doing this? You don’t even know us, and you’re risking so much.”
I steeled my jaw. “Like I said, I know what my father did. He almost sold me into this place. I was lucky to escape that life; you and the others weren’t so lucky. I feel like I owe it to you to help in any way I can,” I said. “And I owe it to those kids who died because of this place. Like Lina.”
“I see.” Emily’s eyes misted over, and she swallowed hard. Then she snapped into action. “Okay. The other maids will be back from serving the food any minute now. We can talk to them first and get them on board,” she said hurriedly, looking at Alex. “And Celeste,” she went on, turning back to me. She gestured toward the service cart. “The Old Fashioned cocktails on top are for anyone who wants them. Don’t ask—just walk around slowly with the cart and wait for people to take them. There’s also a bottle of Lagavulin on the second tier, and that’s for William. There’s other spirits and liqueurs on the same tier too, for anyone else who asks. Clean glasses are on the third tier.”
I nodded. “What else do I need to know?”
“If you see someone with an empty glass, take it and put it on the very bottom tier,” she said, motioning to the bottom of the cart. “Don’t ask; they get mad when you speak to them. If they want something from you, don’t worry, they’ll ask you.” She tilted her head to the side. “Well, demand, more like it. We’re their slaves, essentially. But don’t give them any attitude. That will give you away more than anything else. Just keep a totally blank face, and don’t meet anyone’s eyes.”
“Okay. What if one of them wants to….” I averted my eyes and hoped she caught my drift.
She gave me a tight smile. “Don’t worry. Maids are too ‘old’ for them, for the most part. Only the guards are interested in us, and they won’t try to feel you up or force you to do anything at a party. They’ll just stand around leering.”
“Good,” Alex said with a grim twist to his lips. “If anyone does try to touch you, I’ll—”
I put a finger on his lips. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
He took me aside for a second. “Are you sure you can handle going into the ballroom?” he asked, one hand tenderly stroking my face.
I took a deep breath. “Never been surer of anything in my life.”
The adrenaline was still flying through me like wildfire, and I could practically feel those ornate ballroom doors beckoning me, drawing me to them like a magnet.
I was so ready.