Freerunner

Chapter 7

The next day, I went into Alex's room and took one of the books from a hole in the wall. He was fast asleep, unaware of my presence. I raised the book above my head and then dropped it on him stomach. He jolted awake.

"Agh! What the-" he cried. He looked up at me and glared. "Was that really necessary?" He snapped. I laughed in response. "Most definitely. Anyway, I need a favour." Alex rubbed his stomach. "I don't know, Rose. That was a little uncalled for," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, don't be such baby! I just need a key for the cell next to the prisoners."

He stared. "Whatever for?" I tapped my foot impatiently. "There are these grates between the cells and I figured if I entered the adjacent one and slipped through it, I could get into their block without letting them out. Don't worry, if you saw the size of them, you'll know they won't fit through," I added quickly when he opened his mouth to argue. He shut it grudgingly and nodded. "Fine. I'll go look for it now but you have to go to school. If you skip, I'm not giving it to you."

I groaned. "You can't be serious..." However, the look on his face said otherwise.

All through school, I was praying Alex would find a key so my time in convent wouldn't go to waste. The nun was surprised at my silence but didn't comment. I reckoned she was suspicious of my behaviour rather than approving. She passed my desk often, hoping to catch me with something I shouldn't have or to see if there was some sort of prank in my line of sight. As I left the convent for lunch, I saw her check under my desk. I giggled at her tension.

In the mess hall, I took my normal place at the back. I ate slowly, waiting for Alex to arrive. After a while, I began to worry. What if he couldn't find a key? What if he'd been caught and was no longer allowed to work at the office? I didn't want him to have to go back to the convent. It was bad enough for me there. However, all my worries were quelled when he entered with a small smile on his face. I breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down. He took a bite out of his lunch before sliding a metal key attached to some cord across the table.

"This is a copy of the master key. I'm trusting you not to let them out of here. Just in case, I want you to wear it around your neck. They'll have a hard time taking it off you like that," he whispered. I nodded and slipped it over my head. Alex reached into his pockets and pulled out a pocket knife with several attachments. "You'll find it easier to remove the grates if you use this. Then you can also replace it before you leave. I know you're careful around sharps but that hunting knife blade makes me nervous." I smiled and ruffled his hair before putting it in my pocket. "You're awesome Alex, thank you!" I said gratefully. He grinned back. "Better get moving, those guys get out soon."

I dashed home and got changed. Afterwards, I made my way back to the prison block, ducking under the hole in the fence then scaling the wall once more. Making my way around to the south wall, I peered through the hole where the window was. No guards were about. I leapt through the hole and headed to the cell adjacent to the one that held the prisoners. I unlocked it and stepped inside. I clambered on top of one of the wooden benches that served as a bed and began unscrewing the grate. Once it was removed, I slid through the gap feet first. The hole was small, even for me so it was a bit of a tight squeeze. Still, I managed to get through and land on the bench inside, bending my knees on impact. Evidently, Ferris was standing against the wall and pushed me off the bench. I toppled forward, only just remembering to roll. Due to my late reaction, I hit my head mid-roll.

I sat up, holding my throbbing head.

"What the hell?" I snapped, turning to face the wall I had just come through. I heard Ferris' cruel laughter behind me. Which meant...