Page 62 of Innocence
“There’s an airstrip to the right of that beach.” She pointed off at some sand in the distance. “If you hurry, you might make it before Bernard leaves to pick up supplies.”
Why would she help me? And more importantly, if there was a way home, why was she still here?
“How come you haven’t left?”
She lifted her arm, displaying a black band around her wrist. “Tracking device.”
That made sense, I guess.
I looked off in the direction she pointed and blew out a huff of air. Even if I wanted to go… My hand lifted to touch the collar around my neck.
“I can’t leave the top floor.”
“You can use the path.” She nodded at a lit up trail behind an iron gate. “The sensors don’t reach that far.”
Unsure, my gaze shifted between her and the gate.
This seemed too easy. Then again, she did have a tracking device on. So, maybe she’d tried to escape before? And who would know better which ways not to go, than someone who tried and failed?
I walked over to the gate and lifted the latch. The trail on the other side wound down a hill into the darkness. As I stared at the stones making up the pathway, an uneasy feeling settled in my gut.
This was too easy.
“Why are you helping me?” I asked, looking over my shoulder.
The blonde sauntered up and gave me a quick scan. “Because you don’t belong here.”
One could argue the same about her. Now that she was in the light, I could see how truly beautiful she was. Full golden curls, bright eyes, and a shapely figure. The kind of girl who posed for magazines. Even her manicured hands were flawless.
“Go on,” she coxed, “Bernard leaves in forty-five minutes.”
That wasn’t a long time to make it all the way over there, but I had to try. This might be my only chance. It was too bad she couldn’t come with me. I didn’t feel right leaving her here.
Glancing down at the black band around her wrist, I tipped my head at the writing etched in the middle.
Ciara #15.
Was that her name? Or did it mean something else?
“Ugh. You’re so indecisive. I don’t know what he sees in you.”
I saw the change in her too late. Before I could react to the sneer on her face, she reached out and shoved me through the gate.
Sharp stabs of electricity shot into my neck and rocketed down my spine, bringing me to my knees. I gasped, clutching at the ground to crawl across the threshold of pain. But the gate was closed.
My body seized, crumpling on the ground as agony coursed through my veins. Ciara was on the other side of the iron bars, smiling down at me.
“Why?” I croaked, and cried out when another round of sparks tore through me.
“Like I said,” she tipped her head and lifted a brow, “you don’t belong here.”
A second later, she was gone.
I don’t know how long I lay there, twitching on the ground. It could’ve been a minute, or an hour. I could taste the salt from my tears on my lips, but I couldn’t feel them.
The only thing I could sense was the pain pouring through my system and bleeding into my vision. I stared up at the fading night sky and saw Angie’s face. She was crying, asking me why I’d left her.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
