Listed: Book One of The Listed Trilogy

Chapter Fifteen

Hacking

"What the?" I can't even finish my sentence, I'm so astonished. I'm not looking at Lavender's information. I'm staring at the research study of a poisonous plant! But why would I be lead here? He told me that her information would be here. So why is this folder full of plant information? Maybe I took out the wrong folder.

I run towards the cabinet, and rip out another folder. I open it, but find another similar drawing of a plant. I tear out every folder in the draw, but all of them have a plant picture inside it. I breathe heavily, looking around the room.

"But why would he-" I stop myself when I remember something. That one moment he seemed sane, when he looked me in the eyes. He was fine. He was feeding me lies. He lead me here on purpose.

I look up to the vent on the ceiling, and I know that there's no way I could jump that high. I look around, desperately hoping there's another way to escape. I tear through cabinets and folders, look under the table, flip the table over. I find nothing, and I feel like I'm about faint. I can't just run out the door, can I? It's better than waiting here, where they know where I am. I run to the door, and into the hall.

I sprint down the hall, wishing I knew where the heck I am. I take a turn, and find myself running down a familiar hall.

"Yes!" I whisper to myself. I run down the hall, and take another turn. I run down the hall until I come to the place I want to be.

I walk slowly down the hall containing the Facility doors. I see Facility 1, and Facility 3 next to it. I come to Facility 5 next to Facility 3, and open the door a crack. I look through the crack, and see several empty beds, but I hear the sound of a keyboard clicking. I open the door a little bit more, and poke my head in. I see Laila sitting alone at her desk, typing something on her keyboard.

I silently walk in, and I carefully close the door behind me. I look around the room for cameras, and find one in the corner to my right. I walk up to it, and I'm about to destroy it, when I notice something different about it, but I don't know what it is at first. Then I know what it is. The camera isn't on.

I turn to look at Laila, and I see what she's doing for the first time. She's typing in codes. She's hacking into the system.

"Laila, are you doing what I think you're doing?" I ask her, taking a step forward. She jumps, and turns her head around to look at me. Her dark brown eyes widen, and she stands up.

"Athena?" she asks, and takes a step closer to me. I nod, close to tears. She runs towards me, and gives me a huge hug. I hug back, squeezing her tight.

"I've missed you so much." I whisper into her ear, a single tear slipping down my cheek and making a spot of her uniform dark.

"Me too." she says, and then lets me go. She takes a step back, looking me up and down, and I shift uncomfortably. "Where have you been?" she asks. I shake my head.

"It's a long story, but I have a plan to get out of here." I say. A confused look comes onto her face.

"You mean, escape? But why?" she asks.

"The government is lying to us." I say, hoping with all of my heart that she'll believe me.

"What?" she looks stunned, but doubtful.

"My sister is here, locked up in a cell, basically driven insane. My mother was from the unknown country, called Canada. General Babcock lived in my town! The government killed my parents because they told Harper, my sister, the truth about the government. And to make sure Harper never told me the truth they..." I trail off, unsure how to tell my best and only friend that I'm not, and never will be, normal.