Counterfeit ✓

Chapter 9

BY NOW, MILA knew the tent ceiling by heart. After Elody's banishment, the expression haunted her mind every time she closed her eyes. Swallowing, she turned onto her other side, counted to ten, and inhaled and exhaled slowly.

When she still lived with her parents, they taught her the technique to keep calm. At the beginning of the takeover by the guards, Mila often couldn't sleep and anxiety attacks dominated her nights. Her father then often sang a song while her mother rubbed her back.

A tear rolled down her cheeks. She missed her parents, her entire family. Life wasn't inviting in the city and yet she missed it. She missed the warm words, the gestures that made her feel at home.

Drying the tears, Mila thought again of Elody. The girl roamed alone in the forest with only wolves around her, there was even a possibility that the wild animals had eaten her as a meal. At those thoughts, her stomach reacted strongly, as if to signal it didn't seem like the right time.

Mila squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to forget about Elody. The choice was made. There was no turning back from these terrible moments. She focused on Amy's breathing. After rescuing her from prison, Stephen agreed to let Amy sleep in the same tent.

"You can't sleep, can you?" Amy's voice pierced the still night. "No worries. Me neither."

"Why are you awake?"

"I'm not home."

"Same."

Amy laughed. "Don't believe you. You blame yourself for killing Elody."

Even in a dark tent in the middle of the night, Amy knew she was lying. Mila needed to work on new techniques to hide the truth. Turning around, she clicked the light on the side of her bed. A warm glow radiated. Amy stared at her.

"You have a point," Mila whispered. "What if I am the person who killed her?"

Shaking her head, Amy replied, "Your actions didn't cause her death. You saved her."

"How did I save her? I sent her to the wolves."

"Do you know how they kill people here?"

Pause.

"Death by a thousand cuts," Amy explained. "You at least gave Elody a chance to survive. It's easier to beat wolves than someone who stabs you a thousand times."

For a second, Mila didn't know what to think. She hoped death in the camp would be painless, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even the guards in the city ensured a quick death. Mila bit her lip, not understanding that Stephen could be so gruesome.

Mila demanded, "Distract me."

"Oliver is a true leader. He listens to people, values their opinion, and never makes decisions that only benefit him, on the contrary, he even makes choices that push him back."

"Do you miss him?"

Amy looked away. "Yes. Terrible. He was my best friend. Someone I trusted 100 percent."

"What does your camp look like?"

"We live in tree houses that surround a campfire. Every evening, we gather and discuss the plans for the next day. Look at the division of tasks together."

"It feels like a dream."

"We make the most of it."

"What about the boy? He suddenly disappeared after-"

Mila didn't finish her sentence. She suddenly realized that the murdered boy was a friend of Amy's and that she had unwittingly talked about his death. Amy met her gaze again, a reassuring smile playing on her lips.