Page 250 of Fragments
Now that the building is split open, the wind is much louder. It’s all I can hear, covering the silence of tragedy. I check as many cells in the East as I can, finding a few more bodies that, thank God, aren’t Lex. But I’m not relieved, not in the slightest. Because I have no idea where he is, and this place is too fucking huge, too much of a mess to keep wandering through rubble looking for him.
The longer I spend in here, the more likely one of the Warden’s guys will find me. I need to get outside and use the signal. Maybe Lex had the same idea, and he’s out there waiting for me right now…
Let’s just hope I can find my stuff.
This is an epic disaster, but I need to keep moving. Velle told me he was stashing my things in Felix’s cell, which apparently is more of an actual bedroom. I guess Lem made it for him so that Felix could live more comfortably in this prison.
Clearly, it pays to be dating your prison doctor.
The only problem is that I don’t know where Felix’s room is. Scouring the halls, I push open doors, praying none of the East Wing doctors or the Warden’s new guards are in any of them, waiting to pop out and grab me. Most of these rooms are either locked, or the doors have been barricaded by rubble, but eventually I find one that’s ajar, and I peek inside.
I can’t see much, so I step in slowly, minding the stuff all over the floor. A shelf fell over, books scattered everywhere. Bending, I pick one up, reading the title.
“Beneficial Brainwashing, by Dr. Melvin Strange…” I murmur, tossing it back down.
The room looks kind of like a sparse dorm room, so I have to assume this is Darcey’s place. Rifling around, I search and search through the mess, slumping onto the floor to check under the bed. There’s a notebook with doodles all over the front cover…
Felix Love
Dr. & Mr. Love
Grinning, I push it aside.Yea, this is definitely Felix’s room. The little psycho is obsessed, it’s so cute.
Finally, my fingers brush over a strap, and I yank it out from under the bed. It’s my backpack.
Yes! Thank you, Velle.
My chest constricts.I hope he’s okay…
Being down here in the East for so long, away from Lex, has been torture. Theonlyreason I was able to keep breathing was Velle, Joy, and Rook sticking their necks out for me. Delivering messages between me and Lex, bringing me food and supplies, assuring me that this mess would get sorted out.
I appreciate their help so damn much, but nothing has beensorted. In fact, the future of Alabaster Pen is more uncertain now than ever before.
But one thing I know is that I’mgoingto find Lexington. It’s the only thing that matters. I need to find him so we can figure out what’s next… together.
Checking on my things, I find everything I need in the bag, just like Velle promised. So I make my way back out into the wreckage, heading for the giant hole in the prison that leads outside.
Cold rain showers over my skin as soon as I jog through the broken halls, stepping out into the night air. The winds are aggressive, but I can’t deny how good it feels to be outside, regardless of the fact that it’s winter and I’m in nothing but jumpsuit pants. I guess I’ve been away from seasons for so long that they changed, because I remember this time of year being much colder. It is cold, yes, but I feel like it’s actually warmer outside than it was in the prison.
Either way, I’m buzzing. The air is fresh and crisp, and the sounds of the ocean quixotic to my ears as I stumble across the wet ground, between trees, heading for the beach. I need open sky for my signal, but I should also stay a bit hidden, if possible, just in case someone else finds me before Lex.
At the edge of the woods, I drop to my knees in the sand, quickly pulling things out of my backpack. Huddling over it to make sure it doesn’t get wet, I arrange the mortars in a line. Then I tear off a piece of paper from my sketchpad, rolling it up. In the side pocket, I find the match Jasper gave me.
One fucking match… Unbelievable. Even Velle wouldn’t give me a lighter.
The thought makes me smile.Honestly, I don’t blame them.
But this’ll do.
Striking it inside the bag to protect it from the rain, I light the piece of paper. Then I take in a breath, using the flame to ignite the first mortar.
Please work… God, I hope it’s not too wet out here…
Thump!
It shoots up into the air, then pops, green bursts flying through the darkness. I gaze up at it in awe, grinning before lighting the next. It goes off, loud and brilliant.
Come on, Lex. I’m right here, baby…
