Elias sat down on the cold pantry floor next to her. They stayed there for an hour, saying nothing. The cans stayed unorganized.
She went pale. "I don't remember it."
"What's my name?" she called.
She closed her eyes. Her lips moved silently. When she opened them again, she was shaking. "I... there was a river. A blue door. Someone calling me... something with three syllables. I—" She stopped. Pressed her hand to her chest. "My heart is racing. That's not permitted without a medical waiver." live with a slave
She stared at him. The silver cuff on her wrist began to beep—a low, warning tone. The House Monitors had heard the forbidden word: escape . Elias sat down on the cold pantry floor next to her
He'd chosen to keep her for thirty days, just to see. She went pale