Captives (26 page)

It didn’t take long to reach the Venetian Room. Outside, the building was nothing more than a narrow white storefront with a flashing marquee, but once inside, the place looked like an Old concrete warehouse. It was dark, and red and blue lights rotated in bands across the walls and the high ceiling. The music was loud and thrummed through Shaylinn’s body straight to her heart. The floor was filled with little round tables, and they all looked full.

Shaylinn followed Ewan and Mia to a table in the very front, where a handsome young man with slick yellow hair was waiting. He kissed
Mia on both cheeks and they spoke, and though the music was too loud for Shaylinn to hear what they said, Mia giggled and touched the man’s arm, then pointed at Shaylinn. The man smiled and, before Shaylinn knew what was happening, he was kissing both her cheeks as well. He smelled good, and she enjoyed the way the scent lingered even after he moved away.

He and Mia sat beside each other at the front of the table. Shaylinn sat in back beside Ewan. He scooted his chair close as if he might put his arm around her again. She leaned on the table in the opposite direction so he couldn’t reach her.

A waitress came and took drink orders. Shaylinn didn’t know what to order, so she shook her head. Then the show began.

The music seemed to wash over her, the notes alternatively fading and coming in strong as the band played. The lights danced and swayed and changed colors, all perfectly timed with the music. Then suddenly, everyone was looking up.

A man hung from the ceiling, wearing only black underwear. And a woman! She wore a white bra and flimsy white skirt. The man swung from a metal bar by the backs of his knees, then the tops of his feet, his arms and legs bulging with muscles. The woman tangled herself in yards of shiny red fabric, twisting and splitting and dropping right over the tables but never falling.

The music changed, and dancers ran out onto the stage, wild and stomping. Women wore black bras and fishnet stockings. Some had mustaches and some had clown noses. Men tumbled across the stage in their underwear, twisting their bodies and rolling together as if they were one person. More performers danced from ropes and strips of fabric, metal rings and squares, sometimes in pairs. Lightning flashed and flashed, white and red. The music thumped.

Shaylinn couldn’t blink.

It seemed to go on forever, yet when it ended, Shaylinn felt like it had barely begun. It had been mesmerizing … and it made her feel wild and giddy inside.

The silence brought by the end of the show was somewhat odd.
Shaylinn focused on those around her and was shocked to see Mia and Rand kissing more than each other’s cheeks. Their faces seemed glued together. Shaylinn stared until she realized she was staring, then she looked away only to find Ewan watching her with a hungry look in his eyes. She jumped and pulled her curls towards the front of her face so he couldn’t see her.

She was suddenly cold and wanted to go back. She leaned across the table and poked her friend. “Mia,” she said. “Mia!”

Mia and Rand’s lips broke apart, and they both turned to look at Shaylinn.

“I’m ready to go,” she said.

Mia scowled. “I’m not.”

Shaylinn stood. “Well, I am, Mia. Let’s go. Now!” Shaylinn couldn’t explain the confusion she felt. She only knew she needed to leave. And she wasn’t going to let Mia bully her into staying.

Mia’s eyes sprang wide, and with that Shaylinn felt strong. “I’m sorry,” Mia told Rand. “My friend isn’t feeling well.”

“Tap me when you get home?” he asked.

“Of course.”

Shaylinn suffered through one more Mia and Rand face-sucking episode before she managed to drag Mia away. Ewan followed her like Mason’s dog sometimes had, and Shaylinn kept Mia between them as a buffer, even once they entered the car. She didn’t like the look in his eyes.

They drove back in silence.

Ewan escorted them into the harem building through the regular entrance. They passed through the revolving door, walked across the orange and blue lobby, went up the elevator to five, and walked down the red and black carpet to the golden door engraved with the creepy cat-bird-woman. There they stopped. Shaylinn pressed her fist against the door. Nothing happened.

“Why didn’t it open?” she asked Ewan.

“It only opens for staff,” he said. “But touching it rings the bell, so someone will come.”

“Well, thank you for bringing us back,” Shaylinn said.

“You promised me a kiss,” Ewan said to Mia.

Eww. Shaylinn looked from Mia to Ewan and back to Mia.

Mia clicked her tongue and prodded Shaylinn’s arm. “Go on, Shaylinn.”

“Me?” Shaylinn backed against the door. “I didn’t promise to kiss anyone.”

Mia sighed. “The only reason Ewan agreed to take us out tonight was because you’d give him a good-night kiss. Do it so we can go inside.”

Shaylinn glared at Mia. “You had no right to promise that!”

Mia grabbed Shaylinn’s arm and squeezed. “You already ruined my night,” she said through gritted teeth. “Stop embarrassing me.”

Shaylinn pulled away. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Mia. Letting that Rand man kiss you in public like that. You don’t know hardly anything about him.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’m getting to know him.”

“The music was too loud for talking, so I doubt you learned anything except how well he kisses. You’re going to get hurt. My mama says a girl should protect her heart.”

“Like you with Omar?”

Shaylinn’s chest smoldered. “You don’t know anything about me.”

Mia smirked. “I know you’re always staring at Omar.”

“I am not!”

“Shut up,” Ewan yelled.

Shaylinn jumped and turned to face him.

“I’ll take my payment now.” He grabbed Shaylinn’s arms, pushed her against the wall, and forced his mouth onto hers.

He smelled stale and bitter at the same time, and he pressed so hard that Shaylinn’s own teeth cut into her lip. She turned her head to the side and screamed as loud and long as she could.

Ewan let go and glared at her. “What’s the matter with you?”

Shaylinn pulled off one of her shoes and threw it at Ewan’s head. “You’re a terrible—”

“Ow!” Ewan cowered under his arms.

“—rude, horrible, disgusting —!” She yanked off the other shoe and hit him with it.

“Stop it, you crazy femme!” He tried and failed to dodge her blows.

“Shaylinn, stop.” Mia grabbed Shaylinn’s arm and pulled her back. “Matron’s here.”

Sure enough, Matron stood in the doorway, looking at Shaylinn like she was a disobedient child.

T
he clink of iron woke Levi. Before he could gather his wits, his hands were bound behind him and he was dragged to his feet. From down the hall, he could hear rustling and a few grunts.

“Get off me, you dung-wielding rot face!”

Apparently Jordan was being moved as well.

The enforcers took them to a cell on the third floor, which had a huge TV screen on the wall opposite the entrance. A steel bench in the middle of the room faced the screen. They sat Levi and Jordan on the bench, side by side, and attached their restraints to metal loops on the back. A quick yank of the chain confirmed the bench was bolted to the floor.

A third enforcer ducked through the doorway. He had dark, frizzy hair, parted down the middle, which tangled with his bushy mustache and beard. His eyes were a freakish yellow. Even weirder, two coils of gold metal pointed out from each nostril like feelers on an insect. Medals and bars and fancy patches—including one that said
Otley —
covered his uniform. The number eight glowed on his cheek.

“Still like to get your cooperation voluntarily,” Otley said to Jordan.

“You’re not getting anything from us, you grizzly pukepile of a
man.” Jordan turned to Levi. “He’s the maggot who killed your father, Levi. I saw him do it.”

Levi turned his head slowly until he met Otley’s gaze. He attempted to stand, but his restraints were so short that his body jerked back to his seat. He set his jaw, fighting to hold back his anger, then closed his eyes and tried to breathe calmly like Jemma had taught him. Recite his verse:
Refrain from anger, and turn from wrath.
His breaths came short and hard, but with them some clarity surfaced. He was the village elder. He had to help his people.

“Something you want to say to me, rat?” Otley asked.

Levi opened his eyes. Took a deep breath.
Refrain from anger, and turn from wrath.
“Not … yet.”

Otley walked to the back of the room. “Wyndo: power. Play, pause.” The TV powered on, black at first, but slowly colored to reveal Jemma from the shoulders up, wearing a red dress and sitting in a kitchen, frozen and slightly fuzzy. On pause.

“Jemma,” Levi whispered.

“What are you doing with my sister?” Jordan yelled.

Otley’s cheeks balled up in a smirk. “Wyndo: play.”

Levi’s chest heaved, his anger growing again, but the screen moved, and Jemma spoke.

“I’m sorry I got myself into this. You were right. Levi. About everything. I miss you. The food is good, though.” She chuckled as if making a lame joke. “Please do what they say. I’m afraid of what will happen if you don’t. I love you.”

“Wyndo: pause,” Otley said.

The screen stopped on Jemma’s face, misty eyes wide, lips frowning slightly.

Levi could hardly breathe. “You threatened her?”

“Someone else would like a word. Wyndo: play.”

The screen went black a moment before showing Naomi in the same kitchen. The angle of the recording, her tight blue dress, or the way she held her hands over her huge belly made her look like she might explode.

“No!” Jordan stood, arching his body backward and pulling at his bonds. His face reddened, veins popped out on his neck.

“Jordan? Baby? I’m so sorry this has happened.”

Jordan wilted at Naomi’s voice and fell back to his seat. “No, baby, no.”

“They’re treating me well. But I don’t want to be here anymore. Some of them scare me. I’m scared for our baby.” Naomi started crying.

Jordan moaned, and it slowly morphed into another scream of rage.

“Wyndo: stop,” Otley said. The TV went black.

“Put her back!” Jordan yelled. “Please!”

“Naomi is correct,” Otley said. “We’re currently treating them all very well. But that ends if you continue to cause problems. You both must become Safe Lands nationals, obey our laws, or your women will be killed.” Otley looked to Jordan. “We’ll wait until your baby is born before killing her, of course. This is nonnegotiable. You have a few minutes to decide.”

With that, Otley and the enforcers left the room.

“We have to do what they say.” Jordan’s voice was small.

Levi felt like his brain was going to explode.
Refrain from anger. Refrain from anger.

“Levi! Say something,” Jordan said.

“I’m thinking!” What Jemma had said didn’t make sense. “What was I right about? And why would she apologize? This wasn’t her fault.”

“You think they faked those movies?”

“I don’t know. But being stuck in this prison isn’t getting us anywhere.” Levi leaned close to Jordan. “So let’s play along, like Mason. And we make a plan to get out of this place. Good?”

Jordan sniffled. “Mad good.”

Levi and Jordan were taken for a medical examination, after which enforcers escorted them to the Donation Center. Which, from Levi’s
perspective, was wishful thinking on Otley’s end. Jordan lost control again, broke a door, and ended up restrained, but for some reason the enforcers released him when they reached the Registration Department. They had their pictures taken, chose last names—Levi Justin and Jordan Harvey, after their fathers—and were instructed to sit at glass desks and task test.

“What’s a task test for?” Levi asked Dallin, who worked in Registration.

“And why’s your hair look like a bumblebee’s butt?” Jordan asked.

“Task testing determines what task you will perform in the Safe Lands,” Dallin said. “And I’m updating my hairstyle tomorrow—the yellow and black is so yesterday. I should really get HairTags.”

Tapping one letter at a time, Levi entered his name into the glass computer. Dallin walked back to his desk.

“Hey,” Levi whispered, “just don’t forget how much we both like to clean things.”

Jordan looked his way, eyebrows raised. “Clean fish?”

“Clean up messes. I saw a guy in the park. Said that cleaning people get to go more places than enforcers.”

“I got you,” Jordan said. “Cleaning is my favorite.”

“No talking!” Dallin said, then muttered something about crazy outsiders.

Levi answered the questions carefully, trying to guess which selections might result in a cleaning placement. He wondered how Jordan was faring. His friend wasn’t very methodical.

Nearly an hour had passed when Jordan pushed back from his desk. “Ha! Beat you!”

Levi leaned over and read the words off Jordan’s desk:
Task test complete. Please report to your test director.

“All done?” Dallin asked.

“Yeah.” Jordan swaggered to Dallin’s desk.

Levi continued to answer questions, watching Jordan and Dallin between each answer, wanting to be done too. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before his test ended.