Naomi Grim (8 page)

We pulled up to a large box-shaped
building. Gattica had rows and rows of windows covered with metal. This would
probably be the last time I would see the outside world before my execution.

We got out of the carriage.
I walked between Dunningham and Doyle. Two guards with rifles stood at attention.
They nodded at Dunningham and opened the gate. A fifty-foot walkway ran from
there to the building. I tried to walk as slowly as possible, inhaling as much
fresh air as I could, but Doyle dragged me along.

Another rifle-wielding guard
stood at the door of the building. He greeted Dunningham and then opened the
door for him. The three of us stopped at the front counter, where a large woman
in a black-collared shirt and black pants stood. She wore a gold name tag that
read
Kora
. "Hello, Mr. Dunningham, Mr. Doyle. What do we have
here?"

"This is Naomi,"
Dunningham answered. "The one we've been looking for."

The woman nodded and glared
at me. "Is she going in the women's holding cell?"

Dunningham shook his head.
"Solitary confinement. She may partake in meals with the rest of the
population, but other than that, she is to be in her cell alone, where she may
think about her unfortunate actions. She's a Forager, but don't worry. She
won't be here long enough to cause any trouble. Just three days."

The woman nodded.
"Sure, Mr. Dunningham. I can take it from here."

Finally, Doyle released his
tight grip on my arm and the two of them left.

"This way," Kora
ordered.

I followed her behind the
counter and to a little room off to the side. Another guard stood still by a
back wall, like a mannequin. The room was small and unpainted, just gray cement
bricks, a large metal cabinet and a bench attached to the wall.
"Sit," she said, pointing to the bench, so I sat. Kora opened the top
drawer and pawed through it. She stopped and looked at me. "Hmmm, I've
never had a female as young as you, so we're going to have to make due. Your
gown might be a little too big." She tossed me a black garment.
"You'll take a shower with the detergent we've provided. Make sure you
wash and then put that on. You got ten minutes."

I took the garment and went
into the tiny bathroom. Removing my necklace with the scythe charm, I hoped
they wouldn't take it away from me. I stripped and then stepped into the
shower.

At first I was thankful for
a shower, but then I realized the water was ice cold. I bathed quickly, using
the funny-smelling soap as I had been instructed. I lathered my hair with it
and then rinsed it out. The water soaked through my bandage that needed to be
changed anyway, but I doubted that anyone would do that for me.

I turned the water off and
then stepped out onto the cold gray tile. A shot of coolness soared through my
body. I longed for the warmth of my comforter. I grabbed a dingy-looking towel
from the pile that sat in a corner, unfolded. I wondered if they had been used
before and if so, if they had been washed. Probably not.

I dried off, rubbed the
towel on my hair, and then grabbed the garment Kora had given me. She had a lot
of nerve calling it a gown. It was more like a huge T-shirt. It was rough and
itchy like sackcloth. I put my necklace back on, tucking it into the
"gown" so as not to draw attention to it.

Gathering my own clothes, I
exited the bathroom. Kora stood there with a garbage bag. A guard stood behind
her. She opened the bag and I put my clothes inside. She handed the bag to the
guard, who left the room.

"Where is he taking
it?" I asked.

"To burn it," Kora
answered curtly.

I thought about my nice
leather boots he was about to destroy. "What about shoes?" I asked,
looking down at my bare feet.

"Prisoners in Gattica
don't wear shoes, princess."

"Underwear?"

Kora frowned. "Well,
weren't you wearing underwear when you came?"

"Yeah but—" Who
takes a shower and then puts back on their dirty underwear?

Kora sighed and went back to
the large metal cabinet. She dug through a drawer and then handed me a pair of
shorts. "That's the best I can do."

I put the shorts on
underneath my gown. They were a little too big, and I hoped they wouldn't fall
around my ankles as I walked. I would be constantly holding them up, but it was
better than going bare-bottomed.

"You're all set. Razi
will take you to your cell."

Razi was huge. He motioned
for me to follow him. He didn't bother to grab me, probably figuring there was
no way I could escape even if I tried.

We went to an elevator. Razi
touched a button and we waited for the rusted metal doors to part. I took a
good look at Razi. He was 6’8” easy, with tan skin, a bald head, and a neck thick
like a tree stump. The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside first and Razi
stepped in behind me. There were ten floors to Gattica. The button for the
sixth floor was lit. It was a slow, silent ride up.

Once the doors parted,
reality set in. We stepped into a hallway filled with rows and rows of cells.
Most of them, I knew, were occupied by my people—Foragers.

We walked by cells filled
with men.  As we passed the cells, men yelled things and made animal noises at
me. I ignored them, wondering where I was going. We stopped at the very end of
the hallway. There was a metal door with a small window. I wouldn't have an
open cell like the others. I was going to be kept in a closed-in room.

Razi took a large ring
filled with keys from his pocket. He groaned as he flipped through them to find
the one for that particular door. Finally he unlocked the door and it swung
open inward. Inside was pitch black. Razi reached in and turned on the light
switch at the side of the door. A light bulb in the center of the ceiling
flickered on and off, as if trying to make up its mind. Finally it stayed on,
casting dimness and shadows over the tiny room. There was nothing in the room
except for an uncomfortable-looking cot and a toilet. Razi closed the door
behind me. I jumped at the finality of the clank—the key locking the door. I
turned around and looked at my cell. Before I knew it, tears were running down
my cheeks. Then I reminded myself that this would only be for three days, but
that made me cry even harder.

Dinnertime had been long
over when I arrived, so I would have to wait for breakfast to eat. I was tired
of being hungry. I felt for the Foragers and the people of Litropolis, who'd dealt
with hunger their entire lives.

Guards walked through the
halls yelling, "Lights out!" I turned my light off and curled up on
the cot. It hurt my body, and there wasn't even a pillow to rest my head on nor
a blanket to cover myself with. I thought about my comfortable bed at home and
how I would never sleep there again. I prepared myself for a restless night.

Forcing myself to close my
eyes. I heard the murmur of snoring coming from the outside cells. I envied
their ability to fall asleep. I wasn't sure what time it was. If I had to guess,
I would say it was about two or three o'clock in the morning when I heard a
knock on the door of my cell. I rose from my cot and went to the door. No one
was there. I figured it had just been a guard passing by so I turned back
toward my cot.

"Naomi," called a
gravelly voice.

I turned. I knew that voice.
"Dunstan? You got your cloak back." I remembered the last time I'd
seen it; it had been in the hands of Doyle. I wondered how he had gotten it to
Dunstan without Dunningham noticing.

"Are you okay?"

"For now. They're going
to kill me in three days."

"Don't worry, my dear.
Everything is going according to plan. Your execution will be the perfect
distraction."