Norma shrugged. “I don’t know.” She crumpled up the empty Pixy Stix straw and threw it back in the bag. “Maybe.”
Then Sage remembered that Marla had said residents couldn’t see a doctor unless they were bleeding or dying—sometimes not even then. And Tina said the same thing. Not to mention Sage had seen enough injuries and illnesses to know that the residents rarely got medical attention. Slowly but surely, her heart sank again. It had been impossible to get anyone to listen to her about anything; how would she ever get someone to look for a scar? She looked at Norma again—poor, broken Norma who couldn’t understand her own dreadful predicament.
“Okay,” Sage said. “But even though you had that operation, you can’t let Wayne bring you in here anymore. It’s not right.”
“I told you to stop it,” Norma said. “I’m his girlfriend now, not you.” Her voice was getting louder and louder. “So just stop it.”
Sage held up her hands. “Okay, okay,” she said. “Be quiet or you’ll get us in trouble.”
“Then quit making me mad,” Norma hissed.
“I’m not trying to make you mad. But if you don’t tell someone what Wayne is doing, I will.”
With that, Norma’s eyes went wild and she bared her teeth. “You promised you wouldn’t tell! You pinky swore!”
“I know,” Sage said. “And I’m sorry, but I can’t let him get away with it. Someone needs to stop him.”
“So you lied again,” Norma said, practically breathing fire. “And now you want to break another promise. But no one will listen to you!”
Norma was probably right, but Sage had to try. She started to say Marla might listen, but stopped. She’d seen that trapped-animal look in Norma’s eyes before, the day she smashed the wooden chair and cut her wrist, when she looked ready to die to defend herself. To avoid an argument—or worse—Sage dropped the subject and reached for the doorknob. They needed to go back to the ward. Then she remembered the keys.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But why don’t we make a deal? I won’t tell anyone about you and Wayne if you give me Marla’s keys.”
“What?” Norma said, her eyes huge. “Why do you want the keys? To leave me again? I told you they don’t work on outside doors.”
“No, that’s not it,” Sage said. “I—”
Before she could finish, Norma shoved her backward with both hands, knocking her off her feet. Sage hit the shelves behind her, the wood smashing into her spine and shoulder blades like a row of sledgehammers. The serving trays on the shelves rattled and fell, clattering across the floor. Norma froze for a second, eyes wide with fear, then ran out of the supply room. Sage scrambled to her feet and chased after her.
Out in the hall, Norma slipped through the double doors and disappeared. With a growing sense of horror, Sage realized Norma could lock her in the seclusion hall. And if she got caught, someone might think she escaped from one of the rooms. She raced to the double doors and pulled on one of the handles. Her shoulders dropped in relief: Norma had forgotten to lock the doors behind her. But she could still lock Sage out of the ward. And if Nurse Vic or Marla caught her out there alone, they’d think she was trying to escape again. She scurried to the end of the hall and peered down the main corridor. It was empty. And Norma was nowhere to be seen. She started around the corner, then stopped, turned around, and pressed her back against the wall, breathing hard.
No one but Norma knew she was out there, and she’d probably locked her out of the ward by now. If Sage went in the other direction, maybe she’d find a way out. She looked left and right, trying to decide which way to go. To the left was the nurses’ station, the dayroom, and the door to the tunnels. To the right—who knew what she’d find? Maybe an open window, an unlocked door, or another way into the tunnels. She leaned against the wall again, trying to decide if it was worth the risk.
“What are you doing?” someone said in her ear, making her jump.
It was Norma.
“Jesus Christ,” Sage said, one hand over her racing heart. “You scared the shit out of me.”
Norma stared at her with furious eyes. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “And if you try running away again, I’ll get Nurse Vic. If you tell on me, I’ll tell on you.”
Sage’s stomach fell. Suddenly she had to choose between protecting Norma and a chance at escape. But there was no guarantee she’d find a way out. The only guarantee was that Norma would tell on her if she tried. “I was looking for you, that’s all.” She started down the main hall. “Let’s get back before someone notices we’re gone.”
Norma scoffed and moved around her, bumping her shoulder like a bully in school, then hurried toward the corridor leading to their ward. Sage followed, her heart still in her throat. When they reached Ward D, Norma turned at the door to face her.
“You should be careful,” she whispered. “Or I’ll tell Nurse Vic and Wayne you’re not taking your pills.”
“But I am,” Sage said.
“No, you’re not. You’re lying again. I saw you breaking them on the floor and spreading them under the couch.”
Before Sage could respond, Norma unlocked the door and slipped back inside Ward D. Sage took a deep breath and followed, immediately dropping to her knees. By some miracle, Marla was still sleeping and Norma was able to return her keys without incident.
After Sage crawled back into bed, she stayed awake half the night trying to figure out if Wayne might know where Rosemary was or what happened to her. She tried to remember how he’d acted when he first saw her—she’d been near hysteria, so she couldn’t be completely sure if her memories were accurate. She thought he’d seemed surprised, but not necessarily shocked, which probably meant he hadn’t kidnapped or killed Rosemary. But he still might know where she had gone. Then she had another thought, and her heart pounded harder: Unless he knew she was Rosemary’s twin because he knew where Rosemary was, and as long as Sage was there, he wouldn’t be caught or get in trouble for whatever he’d done. Her mind reeled with the possibility.
When she finally fell into an exhausted sleep, her dreams were nightmarish and frantic—running through endless halls calling for Rosemary, knowing she’d never find her. Rosemary in the corner of their bedroom at home, crying and laughing and screaming. Rosemary sitting on a rock next to a tree, her hair hanging over her face, and when Sage brushed back Rosemary’s hair to talk to her, it was Tina, her skin marled and scarred.
Long before dawn, Sage was startled awake by a high-pitched shriek and hysterical crying.
CHAPTER 9
While Sage waited in line for her pills the next morning, she kept an eye on the dayroom door, hoping Eddie would be the janitor again instead of the man with the orthopedic shoes. When Eddie emerged a few minutes later pushing a mop and bucket, she said a silent prayer of thanks. At least he hadn’t gotten in trouble for speaking to her, and now that he was back, maybe they’d get a chance to talk. At the nurses’ station, Nurse Vic had returned to dole out the daily meds. More than anything Sage wanted to tell her about Wayne—what he’d done to Rosemary, and what he was doing to Norma. But if something became of it, Norma would tell Nurse Vic and Marla that she wasn’t taking her pills. At the same time, the thought of him getting away with everything made her ill. And who knew how many other girls and women he’d assaulted? Maybe Sage could tell Nurse Vic about him without mentioning specific details, like the location of the secret room or Norma’s involvement. If Sage could get her to listen at all. Earlier she’d thought about saying something to Marla, but Norma had been watching her like a hawk in the ward.