Page 111 of Hidden Trial

She left quickly, almost forgetting to close the door in her haste.

Charlotte closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall.

“Who’s Will Fitler?” the waif beside her who’d stolen her bread asked.

“You speak English?”

“So?”

“Will was a friend.”

“It’s better he’s dead.”

“How can you say that?”

“Kelly’s a nasty piece of work. If he was alive to find her, he’d end up disappointed.”

“He wouldn’t. It was what he wanted more than anything.”

The girl shrugged. “You don’t know what this place does to a person. She’s not worth saving. None of us are.”

“That’s not true.”

“You’ll find out eventually.”

Arguing was pointless. The girl knew better than Charlotte what it was like to live under these conditions. “I didn’t know anyone in here could speak English.”

“I come from a wealthy family. We all learned English.”

“What’s your name?”

“Sabrina.”

“I’m Charlie.” Saying the name out loud made her feel closer to her sister but then brought pain.

“That’s a boy’s name.”

“My real name’s Charlotte. How old are you?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions for someone who’s going to spend the rest of their life chained up.”

“There’s not much else to do in here besides talk.”

Sabrina sneered. “Just wait. There’s a lot more they’ll be wanting you to do than talk. I turned nineteen sometime this week. I think.”

“How long have you been here?”

“No idea.”

“Months? Years?”

“I don’t think anyone lasts years. But it’s hard to keep track in here.”

“You aren’t scared?”

“I gave up being scared a while ago. It’s too exhausting to stay scared, and it’s pointless trying to be strong. So I chooseapatía.”

“Apathy? How can you remain indifferent when you’re treated this way?”

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