“Get. On. Your. Knees,” Saint growled dangerously.
I gritted my teeth, knowing I had no choice as I forced myself down before them, my calves pressing against the hard floor. My neck flared with heat and I half expected food to be thrown on me again, but as I stared defiantly up at Saint, he just smirked.
“This is how I want you every morning, outside The Temple at six am,” he demanded and excited chattering filled the air.
I had to bite my tongue on the insults that were dancing through my mind as I nodded my agreement.
Saint grinned as he beckoned me back to my feet and I was more than happy to comply.
“Now, go sit down,” he directed, pointing over at the Unspeakables.
“My pleasure.” I gave him a mock curtesy, lifting my skirt almost high enough to flash my panties before hurrying away to the table, somehow getting away with that.
I dropped down in the same spot I’d filled all week and the Unspeakables stared at me with wide eyes.
Freeloader patted my arm and Bait gave me a sad sort of smile. They didn’t need to mention the fact that the Night Keepers owned me now. Even more so than they were owned. But I was never, in all my fucking life, gonna end up looking like these beat down Barrys.
I ordered my breakfast – my choices consisting of plain porridge or a fruit bowl. So I opted for the fruit and just thanked my lucky stars that grapes and bananas hadn’t been stolen from me along with pizza. Oh hell no, did I just express gratitude for what the royal fuckwits deigned to offer me?
Anger rolled through my chest and I slammed my phone down more firmly than was necessary, making every one of the Unspeakables jump. And that made me even madder, because they must have been like me once. I mean sure, maybe not all of them. Some looked like they’d been hiding from their own shadows for most of their lives, but Punch didn’t. Punch looked like he’d once been a machine of a guy who didn’t need to take shit from anybody. But there he was down the table, throwing cursory glances over at the Night Keepers while he spooned porridge into his mouth with a look like he was chewing cardboard.
And Deepthroat had the look of a prom queen who’d had her crown broken into pieces and stabbed into her gut. She must have been one of the popular girls once, breezing through life without a care. Now, her mascara was slightly smeared and her eyes reddened like she’d been dabbing tears from them not long ago. It made me angry for her, for all of them.
“You’re so lucky, Sneak,” Freeloader said to the redheaded girl beside her with a look of longing.
“Yeah, I wish my parents could come for me,” Bait said with a heavy sigh.
My ears pricked up as I looked to Sneak, my heart slowing for several beats. “You’re leaving?” I asked and she looked to me with a shy nod, tucking a lock of crimson hair behind her ear.
“My mom’s taking a few days off work to drive all the way from San Francisco,” she said, her eyes shining with tears of joy. “She won’t be coming ‘til next week, but when she arrives, I’m gonna be free.”
The Unspeakables gazed at her in desperation and my breathing hitched as a plan clicked together in my mind.
“Would she give me a ride out of here into the nearest town?” I asked her in a whispered tone and everyone stared at me in surprise.
Sneak frowned. “Well yeah, I’m sure she could take you to Murkwell. But the guards won’t let anyone out unless their own parents come for them.”
“I know that.” I drummed my fingers on the table as I tried to work out the kinks in my plan. “But if I can get past them, she’ll take me?” I hung on her next words, the possibility of escaping this place filling me with so much hope, I almost whooped with joy. But this plan had to be seriously covert. In fact…I glared around at the Unspeakables ringing the table in suspicion. I was gonna have to make sure none of them told on me like good little underdogs.
“Yeah of course. I’ll help anyone who wants to go,” Sneak said, a small smile tugging at her mouth.
“Great,” I practically squealed. “Who’s with me then?” I demanded of the rest of the table and they all shrank back into their seats like they wanted to turn to vapour. Squits looked like he was about to live up to his name again. But Bait was frowning like he was considering it.
“Bait?” I pressed and he glanced at me then over to the Night Keepers, worry flashing through his gaze.
“I dunno…”
“Come on.” I reached out to rest a hand on his and he glanced up again in surprise. He smiled awkwardly, pulling his hand free and running it down the back of his neck.
“Well…okay. I’ll do it. I can head to my sister’s place in Oakville,” he breathed and a grin tugged at my mouth, my heart pounding with excitement.
I pointed around at the rest of the table with a glare. “If anyone rats us out, I will gut you. Freaking gut you. Like a tuna. Or a seabass. Got it?” I used my firmest tone, but kept my voice low so no one could hear me beyond our table. The fact that it had been shoved to one corner of the room was actually coming in handy now.
“Got it,” they all agreed and some of them even shared smiles like they were thrilled by the idea of me and Bait getting one over on the Night Keepers.
“Right, we just need a distraction to get the guards out of our way,” I whispered, my brows pulling together as I tried to think of something that could work, adrenaline thrumming through my veins.
“Well, um…” Punch started and I looked up, my lips parting.
“Don’t hold out on me Punch,” I said, my hands curling into fists.
He swiped his napkin up to dab his forehead, breathing heavily. “Well I…I have some firecrackers in my room from my old pranking days.”
I slammed my hand down on the table again and everyone leapt in their seats. “That’s what I’m talking about Punch. You fucking legend. Can you bring them to me?”
A small smile tugged at his lips and he nodded slowly. “Okay, I can do that. When?”
I chewed my lip as I thought about it. I had no idea when the Night Keepers were gonna call me to their side so I had to be flexible. “Give me your number. I’ll text you a time and place when it’s safe.”
“Okay.” He nodded quickly, reaching into his pocket, tapping something on the screen then passing it down the table to me.
I copied his number onto my phone as victory sang in my veins. I was gonna screw the Night Keepers over so hard. I’d be free of this place by next week. And those fuckers would wake up looking for me outside their precious Temple the day after my escape only to find no one waiting there on their knees. Just my laughter calling to them on the wind. Note to self: get Saint’s phone number so I can ring him and laugh manically down his ear until his head blows up with his defeat.
I sat back in my seat and bathed in the glow of the Unspeakables all sharing grins. I could feel how much they wanted to see a blow struck against their masters. And I was more than happy to deliver it.
I was going to run to my dad’s house in the Elmwood Forest, find a way to contact him then run off into the sunset with him like Thelma and Louise. Except we weren’t gonna die like they did, we were going to find a way to clear his name and then we were gonna fucking live.