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“Who. Was. He. Lya?” My voice is cold, distant. I can feel myself retreating into my shell, trying to protect myself from the blow that’s about to hit me. My skin feels like it’s itchy all over, like poison is spreading through my veins.
“Greyson. It was Greyson. Lainey, I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t know. I never would have... I never would have allowed him into my life if I’d known.”
My head begins to feel foggy, clouds blurring my vision, and suddenly everything goes quiet. I can hear my heart beating and my own breaths gasping out, but that’s it. There are sounds around me, but they all feel so far away.
“Lainey! Lainey! Stay with me,please. Oh, god. Thiago, Rian, Zep! Get in here!” Lya sounds frantic, but her voice only filters through as a muffled whisper.
My body feels weightless, and I start to sway back and forth. Suddenly, everything goes black, and the only thing I see is the sweet face of the boy who was my first love, my first heartbreak, and the only person to ever squeeze my heart dry, leaving me for dead.
“Shhhh… It’s just me.” I’m abruptly awakened from my sleep, causing me to flinch with the sudden terror coursing through me. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I make out a dark figure standing before me, but thankfully I recognize his sweet, soothing voice, which instantly calms me.
Blinking a few more times to get my eyes to focus, I see Greyson holding his finger against his lips as he crouches down in front of me. He looks nervous and scared. There’s always a hint of fear inside of him any time we’re together, but this is different. I’m confused at what he’s doing here so late.
“What’s going on? Why are you here?” My voice sounds scratchy because I’m not fully alert. I rub my eyes to try and wake myself up.
“Get up, we have to go. We don’t have much time.” He squeezes my arm lightly, trying to pull me up from the mattress.
“Grey, please tell me what’s going on...” His nerves are seeping into me, causing me to panic now. What’s happening?
“Shhh, please Lainey. I’m going to get you out of here. I promised you I’d keep you safe and this is the only chance we’ve got.” He’s frantic, but obviously trying to play it cool for my sake.
“What? How?” I reach up and place my hand on his arm to try and calm him down. I hate seeing him like this. I push myself up to stand in front of him, but I’m unsure how this is even going to work. The way he’s nervously bobbing up and down has me concerned about whether there’s a solid plan. He turns around, bending down to pick something up, and I realize he’s brought me pants, a clean shirt, and shoes.
“Lainey, I’ll explain everything once we’re safe. Get dressed. Now.”
I know he’s not deliberately trying to be abrupt, but it’s making me even more nervous. “Okay, but what’s the plan? I need to know so I can at least be useful.” It’s true. I need to know exactly how he’s going to pull this off, so we won’t be slowed down by me. Whatever it is, I trust him.
“My father’s guards rotate every three hours, except the one in the shack who watches the gate. But that asshole falls asleep every night. Surprised my father hasn’t killed him yet, to be honest.”
The thought of Omega killing someone in cold blood sends a shudder down my spine. Every part of me knows he would enjoy it too much, and it’s terrifying.
“We’re going to slip through the building when they rotate shifts, which is in approximately five minutes.” He looks down at his watch. “Once we make it outside, we’ll go past the gate where I have one of my father’s cars waiting for us. Then we can find somewhere to go. I’m not sure where, but it’ll be far, far away from here. Fuck, I should have thought this out, but I had no time. I’ve been thinking about getting you out of here for a while, and tonight seemed like the perfect chance, so we just have to go with it.”
His father’s car? Greyson’s only a year older than me.
“What? Do you even know how to drive? How did you manage to get it here?” I’m trying to speak quietly to him, but it’s coming out as more of a panicked screech.
“Yeah, I know how to drive. My father taught me a couple of years ago.” He shrugs casually, like he’s not currently a thirteen-year-old and learning to drive that young is normal. If he learned a couple of years ago, that means he was only eleven when he learned. That sounds crazy to me. But I’m guessing nothing about his home life was normal.
“Uh, okay… You think this’ll work?” I say to Greyson’s back, since he’s turned around so I can get dressed. Looking at him, I can tell his shoulders are tense, and his back seems more straight than usual, almost rigid. Once I’m fully clothed, I tap him on the shoulder, letting him know he can turn back around.
“I don’t know, but I have to at least try for you.” He pulls me into a hug, kissing the top of my head since he’s already so much taller than me. Being wrapped in his arms is the only thing that brings me comfort. Everything in this world is messed up, but in this moment, he makes me forget the tragedy we’re living in.
“Alright, let’s do this,” he says, pulling back to look into my eyes one last time, before taking my hand to lead me outside the cell. We tiptoe down the long hallway of cages, pressing our backs as close to the bars as we can. We’re trying to make it through without drawing attention to ourselves.
None of the other girls make a sound as we pass them—some are asleep, the others just stare with longing and sadness in their eyes. I silently plead with them to keep quiet. I want to get them out of here too, more than anything, but I know that wouldn’t be possible. We’d all be caught with that many people.
The calm stillness of the warehouse puts me even more on edge. There’s a difference between when I’m in my cell and when I’m out here. Inside my cell—even though it’s hell—I can at least always be sure where someone will come from, because there’s only one way in or out. But out here, there’s no telling where the monsters are hiding, waiting to jump out.
The eerie feeling creeping into my skin keeps me from feeling hopeful about this situation. Greyson pulls me further until he abruptly stops, causing me to crash into his back. I let out a squeak at the sudden movement, and he looks back at me, gesturing with his finger over his lips for me to stay quiet.
Footsteps echo through the warehouse, growing closer and closer to us. Greyson puffs out his chest and braces himself for whoever it is approaching. Peeking around his shoulder, I see a large man with a gun rounding the corner.
“Sir, what are you doing here?” the man says in shock, but straightens his back in Greyson’s presence. It’s odd, the respect this grown man is showing a child.
“Am I not allowed to be in my own warehouse? Can I not check up on the merchandise?” Greyson’s tone is cold, detached, and very condescending. He might only be thirteen years old, but the way he’s acting now is like a grown man.
“Of course, sir. Umm, what are you doing with that one?” The guy peers behind Greyson and looks blankly at me.
