Imperfect Freedom

Seventeen

The next night Elle and I can't leave to go to the CD though because an unexpected change of plans forces us into having a rest night. A group of girls try to get out into the night and snatch some food from the kitchen, but the Matron found them and they got a box on the ears (whatever that meant: Elle's words, not mine). There was no doubt if it has been any other teacher, the girls would have found themselves in black clothes the day they turned 10 but the matron wasn't very strict when it came to punishment.

But even so, after a brief meeting in her room we agree not to head down tonight, despite me wanting to know whether Sorrel was okay. Elle teases me a little, saying I like like him, but I frown at her and tell her it would be impossible to like like him because I don't even know him. She keeps teasing though and finally I retreat back to my room where I fall into a sleep of sorts, although I am woken up less than an hour later.

I stand up and go to the bathroom then try to go back to sleep but fail and end up getting up and pulling out a book and a flashlight to read. It was one of the ones from the CD, an old one about some detective that has fly hair clips. The last one I borrowed from Elle, the hunger games, was good but a lot of it didn't make sense. I liked this one better because it was a whole lot easier to read and still pretty good. I am just up to a part where she is trapped in a villains lair when one of the other girls bedside light turns on and I hastily turn off the flashlight and close the book. But it's too late. She's seen the book.

"What's that?" She asks and I sigh in relief as I realise it was just Emma, not Drew. Emma was nice. She used to be my friend but then Drew made everyone hate me.

"It's nothing. Just.. my maths textbook. I was studying it." I reply hesitantly.

"If it's a maths textbook why did you shut it so quickly." Emma queries and I frown at her. She had that know it all look on her face, one eyebrow raised questioningly, but not accusingly.

"I- it's nothing Emma." I say, frowning. She nods and moves closer to me.

"Really? If it's nothing you'll let me see." She says and before I realise what she's doing she snatches the book out of my hands.

"Hey! Give it back." I exclaim quietly.

She frowns as she reads the title.

"What is it?" she asks and I sigh.

"It's a book."

Thankfully, she doesn't ask where I got it from, she just opens it and starts reading.

And keeps reading.

And keeps reading.

"Listen, Emma, can you please not tell anyone? These- this book is my life." I tell her after a few minutes. For a moment I worry she's going to question my slip up but instead she just nods.

"I have no plan to do so." She says, then just keeps reading. For a whole I tensely just wait by her but then I realise she isn't about to run outside and dob on me to the matron, so I lie back down and fall back to sleep.

About 2 hours layers I'm waken again, this time by Emma with a face of excitement.

"I finished." She whispers to me. I sit up and take the book he holds in her hand as she beams at me. "It has an epic ending."

I give her a frown. "Well don't tell me. I haven't read it yet."

She nods and blushes. "Oh, right." For a moment we both just sit there awkwardly, then, hesitantly, she asks, "do you have any others?" and a grin breaks across my face.

I slide out of bed and walk over to my closet. Hidden underneath the white shorts and shirts, I pull out two other books by the same person.

"Here. Have one of these. But next time, don't read it so quickly. Read a little each night after everyone's in bed, or the matron will notice."