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The trembling beneath my feet stills as the floor stops moving. Water begins to fill the space, lapping at my socks. It’s surprisingly warm. The stagnant odor fills my nose and turns my stomach.
“So how do we make sure we get a breathing device?” I ask, my eyes glued to the brackish water now swirling around my calves. Now my knees . . . my thighs . . .
The cavern is filling fast.
“Swim like hell?” She gives a nervous laugh. “Everyone knows the shortest route is that tunnel”—she nods to her left—“so we just need to be the first ones inside.”
Already, a crowd blocks that door, waiting to be first. Frowning, I scan our surroundings. A small cavern hardly larger than our cage greets me. I can just barely make out the tops of the tunnels. They must be low to the ground because they’re already underwater. Golden light flickers from each entrance, brightening the water enough to highlight its clarity.
At least there’s light to guide us. It could be worse.
Silver linings and all.
“Which one is the longest tunnel?” I ask.
She raises an eyebrow and nods behind me. “The one directly at your back. But no one takes that one . . .”
“And you’re a good swimmer?” I ask as water reaches my armpits. My long hair swirls around my body, and I regret not pulling it up out of my face before we came.
She winks. “State champion two years running.”
For some reason, that’s not surprising. I grin. “Good, then let’s take the long tunnel.”
Her eyes narrow as she works out my thinking. “It won’t be crowded . . . so we won’t have to fight for oxygen reeds.”
“Exactly. And we’re both excellent swimmers, so the extra distance won’t make that much difference.”
Her eyes light up. “Genius.”
We wade together to the door nearest the unpopular tunnel. Just as I suspected, we’re the only ones. Although I also suspect everyone is avoiding me.
When the water reaches so high I can’t touch the bottom, the cage doors spring open and swing out, and everyone surges through the doors to a tunnel.
Go time.
I dive for the door—
But right before I slip out, the pretty girl who laughed at me earlier slams into the door from the outside, the clang of metal on metal loud inside the chamber. She sneers at me. “Your kind doesn’t belong here.”
Aw hell no.
I lunge for another door but two other boys are working with her and they’ve locked them. All of them.
Murder. I would murder them with my bare hands if I could get out.
“Good luck with that, Trailer Park!” the girl calls out before diving under the water.
14
I’m so screwed. I grab the handle to the closest door just as Mack’s head pops up from the water.
“What are you waiting—” Her eyes go huge as she takes in the doors. “They’re all locked?”
I nod, gritting my teeth to keep from freaking out.
“Did Reina do this? That bitch! I’ll kill her.”
“It’s okay,” I lie, shoving with all my might on the iron door. “Go without me.”
