Faces, Names, and Memories (completed)

Chapter 24 - Plotting

As Kinnie had predicted yesterday, today is a meal day. We haven't had a physical examination in a while, but I'm not complaining.

Once we get our food, Tressa and I go over to sit with Spenzo, Cale, Tammie, Kinnie, Deen and Zuke towards the back of the room. We're quiet for a few seconds as we wait for the room to get chatty after the guards lock the door. They do, and the din of kids talking fills the room.

"So," Deen starts. "Anyone have any ideas?"

We look at each other silently.

"I'm loving the dead air," Kinnie comments. "Very encouraging."

"Well, how have people tried to get out of here before?" I want to know.

"Why do you need to know that? All of them failed," Zuke says, looking at me weirdly.

"Because, if we know what went wrong when they tried, we can avoid making the same mistakes," I say.

"Like that old saying, 'those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it,'" Kinnie adds.

"Well, I know one person tried to fake sick," Zuke says. "The guards called him out on it."

"Someone else tried making a break for it while we were in the hall," Tammie says. "The guards stopped them in seconds."

"A group of people once tried to sneak out through the vent shaft in the commons," Spenzo says. "They got stuck in the vents."

"I remember someone tried to pick the lock in the cells at night, they got electrocuted," Deen says.

"Someone tried to run for it while they were upstairs, but they were sick while they were running," Tressa says. "They didn't get very far."

"Scratch off trying to hop the fence during physical examination, too," Cale says.

"Some people also tried to escape by hiding in the bathroom when the guards came to check their room and then trying to attack them and run." Kinnie adds. "I have no idea why they thought that would work, considering the guards are 6/7 feet tall and about 3 times the size of every kid here."

So, on the list of ways we're not going to try to escape, we have pretty much everything I was thinking of, on the list of possible escape plans... we have absolutely nothing.

Wait, who says we just have to use one way? The guards will expect one thing, but they'll be unprepared if we use everything.

"Guys, I have an idea," I say slowly.

"Wait, Jade," Kinnie interrupts. "Before you start. I can't go with you guys."

"What? Kinnie, what do you mean you can't come with us?" Deen cries, in a whisper.

"I'm not like you guys, I'm not cut out for the whole on the run thing," Kinnie replies.

"But, Kinnie, if you stay here, and we go, you don't know what they're going to do to you. I guarantee that it'll be much worse for you if you don't come," Spenzo says.

"I can't, and, someone has to cover for you," Kinnie replies.

"You won't be covering anyone. They'll press you and torture you for information. And they won't stop till you crack," Cale says.

"I won't. If they do-" Kinnie begins.

"Not if, when." Cale cuts her off. Kinnie narrows her eyes at him.

"If they do, I can distract them. They'll focus so much on getting information out of me, that they'll lighten up their focus on searching for you," Kinnie says.

"You don't know that," Deen says.

"But, we can assume, why would they waste their time looking for you when they can just have me tell them," Kinnie replies. "Come on, I'd just slow you guys down. I'd be a liability."

"But, Kinnie, we're in this together. You know, for the long run. We can't just leave you here," Tammie says. "We're all liabilities."

"You're not leaving me, it's my choice." Kinnie says.

"But, Kinnie, you're my best friend," Tammie says, voice cracking.

Kinnie and Tammie look at each other for a few seconds. Kinnie turns her head away.

"I'm sorry, I'm not going with you guys," Kinnie says, I can tell from her tone that there would be no changing her mind. I look at Kinnie, not knowing what to say. Her staying would change the plan, but maybe it could help us. As for herself, I have no idea how this would end for her, but everyone else seems convinced that she would not fare well.

"Guys, I'm not coming either," Zuke says suddenly.

"You can't be serious," Deen replies.

"I'd be of better use to you here, where I can help Kinnie cover for you," Zuke says. "Or, maybe the two of us can be a distraction or something."

I frown deeply, but still don't comment.

"Zuke come on, you can't back out, too," Tammie says. "We're roomies."

"I'm sorry guys," He says.

No one else says anything.

"Anyone else wanna get cold feet while we're at it?" I say, a bit icily. Kinnie and Zuke look a bit uncomfortable, but no one else comes forward to back out.

"So, I had an idea for escaping," I begin, factoring Zuke and Kinnie not coming into the plan before I explain it. As I present my idea, the group seems to listen intently. After, they offer a few suggestions and add a few things. We spend the whole day, taking a break while the guards came in for meals, planning. Even though Kinnie and Zuke aren't escaping, they still had a big part. By the time the guards herd us back to our rooms, we were ready to put our plan into action the next group confinement day.

I sincerely hope we don't get busted for this, because if we do, there's no turning back.