Tested

Chapter Thirteen

“Humans only, baby.”

“But if they can help—”

“Seriously,” Mae said. “Don’t let anyone hear you say that shit. The soldiers will kick you right out of here.”

Dace saved me from saying anything else by calling my name. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you to your space.”

I waved at the girls and followed him, but they strolled after us.

“Making friends?” Dace asked.

“They seem… nice.”

He grinned. “You’ll settle in. Before you know it, this crap will be over anyhow.”

“You really believe that?”

He looked at me. “No, I was just trying to reassure you.” When he laughed, I grinned back. “Who knows? Maybe these things will be kicked out of the country before we know it. Maybe they’ll form a different kind of shitty government with rules nobody wants to follow. What difference does it make?” He stopped and pointed at a door. “That’s you. See you around, Jess.”

I thanked him and stepped into a room that had once been some kind of supply room. There was a mattress and a bunch of blankets on the floor. Dad was sitting there with his head in his hands. I shut the door, but I could still hear Beth begging Dace to take her outside some night.

“At least we’re safe here,” I said.

Dad shook his head. “They wanted to put us in cells. In an actual prison block. Like everyone else, he said.”

“The girls told me it’s a juvenile detention centre, Dad. It’s not a prison.”

“It’s a place they can lock us in at night. This was a mistake. I don’t trust them.”

“Give them a chance, Dad.”

“They want to keep us locked in. They don’t want us to have weapons. This is like a prison camp.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, dumping my bag on the floor. “They’ll protect us.”

“And if he comes? If he gets in?”

“Then we lock ourselves in one of those cells and wait for morning. Seriously, Dad, there are too many soldiers here to worry about anything getting in.”

“Didn’t you hear what they said about the prisoners? That doesn’t ring any alarm bells?”

“We all do what we have to in order to survive. You keep telling me that.”

He sighed. “We’ll stay for a day or two, and then we’ll leave.”

Mae knocked on our door and offered to show us to the shower rooms. I cleaned up in the room set aside for women, suddenly more conscious of how bad I stank after meeting teenage girls with hair that was at least styled.

When I went back to our new room, I used my bag as a pillow and let Dad have the mattress. I thought I would never get to sleep, but the lights all shut off automatically, and I couldn’t stay awake for long. 

***

 The next morning, I awoke before Dad and followed the smell of food. I found the canteen and spotted Mae sitting alone.

“Hey,” I said. “Mind if I sit with you?”

She nodded. “I’m just shocked you’re up. Won’t see Beth until this afternoon, probably. Go and help yourself. There’s plenty to go around.”

I strolled up to the counters. The food was basic but edible, and my stomach craved more than soup. The room was half full, but few people were talking. Most pushed food around their plates, looking depressed. There was no comraderie, and I thought of Bruce and the others with a pang.