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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.”
“No,” she says immediately, although her voice wavers, and her gaze keeps flicking to the tunnel.
“Go!” I insist, sagging against the door, which is now completely under water. My mind spins wildly, my heart smashing against my ribcage as I do the same, throwing myself at the iron bars.
I’m trapped. I’m trapped. I’m trapped. The words swirl around my skull, a mantra of panic. This is my worst nightmare. Trapped in a cage. A cage that’s slowly filling with water. Think, Summer. Desperation will only get you killed.
Thrusting my arm through the bars, I reach around the door and grab the lock. It’s solid, so I can’t break it, and there’s no key to be found . . .
I yank it anyway. A zip of electricity shocks my fingers.
Ow. What the Fae?
I reach for the lock again . . . only to discover it’s somehow been broken.
How did that happen?
Not one to dwell on the unimportant, I smash into the door with my shoulder, popping it open. Mack’s face softens with relief, and then we both grab a lungful of air and dive, swimming toward the closest opening.
Nebulous orbs of gold light our path, revealing a seven-foot wide tunnel. River grass sways at the bottom and tickles my arms. The precious air in our lungs bubbles out of our lips and tinkles faintly in the water.
Because I was forced to exert energy breaking out of the cage—assholes!—my lungs burn and ache almost immediately. Where are the oxygen reeds? Not sure what I’m supposed to be looking for, I follow Mack’s lead, trying super hard not to panic because I’m underwater. Without a plan.
Seconds away from drowning.
Just when my chest feels like it will explode, she points to something nestled in the grass below. Two wooden flute-looking things sit inside a shell. She grabs one and hands me the other. Her dark hair floats around her face like a muddy cloud. Then she brings the reed to her lips and nods for me to do the same.
The moment the reed touches my lips, I drag in oxygen.
I can breathe again. The feeling is wonderful. Clamping the reed between my teeth, I take two more breaths and then we keep going, swimming hard toward a pinpoint of light in the distance.
Every time my reed starts to lose oxygen, we discover two more planted below. I can’t imagine what it’s like in the tunnels where five or six people are fighting for these lifesaving devices.
Everything about this infuriates me, but I focus on swimming and conserving my energy. My outrage can come later.
