“I see Elsewhere didn’t starve the feistiness out of you,” said Celia. “Come on, Lennox. I don’t have all day.”
Reluctantly Knox followed Celia through another passageway, one I’d never gotten around to exploring. I’d had my own way around Somerset, and any passage Knox knew about, at the time, had been practically worthless to me. But it must have been useful to the Blackcoats; on our way up the stairs and through the creaking attic, we ran into four more members of the rebellion, and each offered me a flash of a smile and a greeting.
“Down you go,” said Goulding as he opened the trapdoor for me. I lowered myself into Knox’s old closet, wrinkling my nose at the scent of dirty clothes. In the living room of his suite, I plopped down on the leather couch, toeing off my boots and stretching my legs as if I had every intention of staying put for a nice, long nap. Goulding, however, lingered near the door, his stance square like a trained soldier’s. Apparently I wasn’t the only one settling in for the afternoon.
“Is this your first baby?” I said, and he nodded.
“Just got married last year.”
“Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?” I said. He didn’t look much older than me, and the thought of having a kid sometime in the next five years was terrifying. If I even survived that long.
“We’re hoping to be surprised,” he said gruffly.
“Congratulations,” I said with a smile I genuinely meant. It was jarring to hear other people’s lives were continuing almost exactly as they had been before the rebellion—even for other Blackcoats—but of course they were. The entire world hadn’t stopped just because I’d been Masked and thrown into Elsewhere. And at least it wasn’t all death and darkness. Goulding’s expression didn’t change, however, and I lay down, too afraid of falling asleep to actually close my eyes. If he was going to stay, then I had to come up with a way out of here, and fast.
There were no vents large enough for me to crawl through in the bathroom or the bedroom—I’d looked months ago, just in case. The only vent I could get through was the one directly above Knox’s desk, a few feet away from where Goulding stood. And I highly doubted Goulding would be willing to let me leave right in front of him.
“Do you know how long Celia’s going to talk to Knox?” I said idly, and Goulding shook his head. “Am I allowed to walk around, or do I need to stick to this suite?”
He managed an apologetic look, at least. “Celia’s orders.”
“Knox runs the Blackcoats, too, you know,” I muttered.
“You report to Knox, I report to Celia.”
I made a face and sat up. “I do not report to Knox. I don’t report to anyone.”
“My mistake, Miss Hart.”
Collapsing back on the couch, I huffed. “Doe. My last name’s Doe.” It was the same last name given to all the Extras and orphans in my group home, though now that I knew who my biological parents were, I supposed my last name really was Hart. Or would be, if I decided to take it.
That was a decision best left for another time, when the entire war wasn’t riding on me bypassing Goulding and retrieving the file. I eventually curled up on my side, facing away from him, and forced my breathing to remain steady, hoping if he thought I was asleep, he would slip away. No such luck. He couldn’t stand guard over me indefinitely, though. Eventually he would have to use the bathroom, or his shift would end, and he would go home to his wife and unborn baby. Nothing lasted forever, although by the time he finally did move, it felt like hours had passed.
“What?” A crackle of static burst through the silence of the room, and I twisted around. Goulding pressed his earpiece and ducked his head, as if that would stop me from hearing everything he said. “In broad daylight? How longdo we have?”
Suddenly an earsplitting siren began to wail, and I jumped off the sofa and pulled my boots back on, fear coursing through me. “What the hell’s going on?”
“You need to come with me,” said Goulding, and he crossed the room before I could tie my laces. Taking my elbow, he half guided, half dragged me to the door and shoved it open.
“You need to tell me exactly what’s going on,” I said, trying to yank my arm from him. His grip tightened, and we darted down the hallway toward the stairwell.
“Somerset is under attack. The government is retaliat—”
Suddenly a deafening blast ripped through the manor, and the ceiling gave way, raining fiery debris over us. A block of cement landed squarely on my foot, and I yelped as I felt the bones snap. Goulding shoved me back toward Knox’s suite, and I took off running as fast as I could, doing my best to ignore the pain.
I shouted Goulding’s name as I ran, but if I had any voice, the ringing in my ears drowned it out. When I reached Knox’s door, I pushed it open and whirled around, ready to grab Goulding and pull him in.