“So this girl that attacked you,” Nats asks, thankfully changing the subject. “You couldn’t get a read on her?”
“No, not really.” I admit. “I mean, I think she’s legit but then again people aren’t really my thing, you know?”
“Yeah, we know.” Vin says emphatically.
I throw the non-shirt at his face.
“How’s Breanne doing?” Nats asks.
“She seems alright.” Vin tells her gently. “Caroline’s really taken her in.”
“Caroline really takes in a lot of people.” I say brightly. “Right, Vin?”
“I knew it.” He smiles. “I knew you were dirty. I just had to wait and have faith.”
“So you think she’s okay?” Nats presses.
“Yeah, I think she’s great. Places like this, they really do work for some people. Breanne is one of them. She’s happier here than she ever was at The Hive.”
“And you’re not worried about going back and having to tell Marlow you lost a dime?”
“What’s a dime?” I ask.
Vin looks at me pointedly. “You remember what I told you about currency?”
“Yeah.”
“Breanne is a dime. A tenner.”
“What, like ten dollars?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you serious?!” I cry, feeling massively insulted on Breanne’s behalf. “That’s insane. She’s beautiful.”
“Not really.” Nats says evenly. “She’s pretty, sure, but that’s not all that matters. Personality plays a big part and she’s sweet but she’s not much else.”
I want to ask Nats what she is. If she’s a dime as well, though I can’t believe she would be, not as smart as she is. But I’m worried it’d be offensive to ask. I’m also blown away by the fact that Vin labeled me a hundred dollar bill. What is it about me that sets me so high?
I look up to find him watching me, his eyes amused. He knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“You flattered yet, Kitten?”
I can feel myself starting to blush so I change the subject. “Who’s Marlow?”
The amusement in Vin’s eyes vanishes. “Marlow is the King of The Hive.”
“He’s basically Vin’s boss’s boss’s boss.”
“Wait,” I say, looking to Vin. “You’re that high up in The Hive?”
“You’re surprised?”
“I thought you were a Stable Boy.”
“I told you, I’m The Stable Boy.”
“I don’t know what the difference is? Is there one?”
“It means he’s a big deal.” Nats explains. “He’s kind of like the gang’s banker. So going back without Breanne is going to be like losing money. It doesn’t look good.”
“What will happen to you?” I ask him quietly.
He smirks. “You worried about me?”
“Maybe a little. What will happen?”
“Nothing.” he says coolly, looking at Nats. “Cause we’re gonna tell them she’s dead.”
Nats nods solemnly in agreement.
“That seems extreme.” I tell him. “Can’t you tell him she doesn’t want to come back?”
“No. She belongs to the gang. Time, effort and resources have gone into her.”
“What? Like food and water? She owes her life for that?”
“Food, water, shelter, soap, clothing and medicine. The women in the stables are the healthiest people in The Hive and these days that doesn’t come cheap.”
“If you’re so high ranking how are you okay with losing her?”
“Because I’m the one who would have to deal with her if we took her back. It’s fine for the King to want to keep all of his women at any cost, but the reality falls on me. I’d have to work with a woman who’s been to the other side and loved it. Can you imagine what a nightmare it would be to get her working again after she’s lived like this?”
I look at Nats. “But you’re okay with it? You’ll go back?”
She grins. “I don’t like cages any more than you do. But Breanne is good with them. Especially gilded ones.”
“But aren’t you owned by The Hive? Isn’t that a cage?”
“Nats has paid her debts in full and she keeps it that way.” Vin tells me. “She can walk at any time. She’s free.”
“And you choose to stay?”
“Where else would I go?” she asks softly, yawning. “Alright, kids, I’m going to work. Find a way to get us out of here, would you?”
“You got it, Nats.”
“Later.” I call, watching her walk away.
“You’re already healthy.” Vin says, watching me with a sly smile. “You’d be out of debt and free in no time.”
I groan. “Give it a rest. What are we gonna do about getting out of here? You got a plan yet?”
“You need to keep sewing or join the laundry crew.” he says, turning serious. “We need more clothes than they’ll ever give us at one time. It doesn’t have to be sweaters and jackets, but we need layers at least.”
I glance at the balled up material of my almost child’s shirt and shake my head. “I think I’d better switch to laundry.”
“I think you should stay where you are.”
“Why?”
“Because of the girl.”
“I don’t know what her deal is, though. I seem to know more than she does and that’s assuming she’s not a spy. What if she’s working for Caroline and her crew? What if everything she says and does is a test?”
“Then you better not fail.”
I glower at him. “That’s not helpful at all. What does that even mean?”
“Look, you’re smart, Kitten.” he says, scratching his head lazily. “You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll make friends with her.”
“Good. You need to start playing in all their reindeer games or you’re going to end up an outcast. That looks more suspicious than anything.”
I scowl at him. “Are you quoting Christmas songs at me?”
“It’s that time of year.” he says with a smile.
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
He chuckles. “Not a fan of Christmas?”
“No. I hate it.”
“What if I promise to get you something pretty this year? Something shiny? Will that get you in the holiday spirit?”
“Just don’t get me a Cabbage Patch doll and we’re all good.”
“Deal.”
Chapter Fourteen
The next day I take one for the team; I tell Melissa I’ve found my calling in the sewing room. She’s genuinely excited, smiling at me like I just told her I found Jesus when what I’ve actually committed to is learning to make socks. Have you ever made a sock? From scratch? Don’t, it sucks. But it guarantees me time with my future best friend, Lexy, so I do it.
“You have to pull the thread through tightly but not so tightly that it snaps or bunches the material.” Lexy drones.
“We think a Pod was overrun with Risen because the population exploded over night.” I tell her quietly, touching the sock as though I’m examining it. As though I give a crap about it. “One day there was barely a zombie in sight, the next it was like the old days. A fallen Pod is the only thing that makes sense.”
I listen to the sound of her breathing evenly but I watch as her hands stumble with her work. “It could have been one of your gangs.”
“Not possible. There’s only one gang in the area big enough and it’s still intact. Also, there were children.”
“You don’t have children on the outside?”
“Some of the gangs do, the ones who keep women, but not this many. Why aren’t there children here?”
“This Pod was abandoned for a while. We just reclaimed it. They selected groups of us from other Pods to come and build this new one up again. It was a lot of hard work with long hours and tough labor. And there are so many Risen here. It’s too dangerous for children.”