Black Rose

Chapter 24

Valerie

I walked back into my cell, feeling both relieved and angry. After all, I managed to give Kate the note but I was also annoyed that she came to visit in the first place. She had wanted to help me but she hurt me instead.

I found Hope sitting on the bed, looking down at her hands.

"Did I miss anything?" I asked rhetorically. I knew, of course, that I had not missed anything.

Hope snorted. "Nope. But I want to thank you for telling me about my sister. I never would have known."

I smiled, something I had not done since I arrived at the jail. "No problem," I replied.

Nighttime was quickly approaching. Suddenly, an announcement rang out over a loudspeaker. "Lights out in 10...9...8..." the voice boomed. Hope and I scrambled to our beds before the countdown ended and we were plunged into darkness.

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I awoke with a start. I kept hearing a scratching noise, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. The sound continued so I crept over to Hope's bed to wake her. I was becoming rather terrified as the noise persisted.

I patted Hope's bed, although I couldn't feel anyone there. I reached forward towards the wall, but accidentally fell forward. If the scratching didn't wake her, I knew my clumsiness would.

To my astonishment, I landed on her pillow and bunched-up blanket. Was this the kind of trick they did in the movies?

"Hope?" I whispered. I didn't want to raise my voice and risk an officer or another inmate hearing me.

Just as suddenly as it started, the scratching stopped.

I tried to adjust my eyes to the dark, but I don't think it was physically possible. Slowly, the scratching started up again.

Within the silence of the cell, I heard someone whisper, "I'm under the bed."

I was quick to assume it was Hope, but I still didn't rush to check under the bed. As if she could read my thoughts, the voice said, "It's Hope. Now would you get down here and help me?"

I reluctantly ducked under the bed, only to find Hope chipping away at a hole in the wall.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, grabbing the crowbar that she handed me.

"I'm getting us out of here. Beyond this wall is a hallway that will lead to a door marked 'Emergency Fire Exit'. I had someone disable the alarm already so we'll exit easily. I have a car waiting outside," Hope explained.

I nodded dumbly, but realizing she couldn't see me, I replied, "Okay. Sounds like a plan."

By now, Hope had made a hole large enough to crawl through. I could see the hallway past the hole.

"Let's go," Hope said, crawling through. She reached the hallway and pressed herself against the wall.

I followed suit. I squeezed myself through the hole and emerged in the hallway. We inched along the wall, making sure to keep ourselves in the shadows. A few emergency lights had been turned on but we managed to remain hidden.

Finally, we reached the exit. Hope quietly pulled on the handle to open the door. I cringed, ready for the alarm to start blaring. Instead, it swung open easily and silently. We slipped outside, all the while keeping an eye out for any guards.

Up ahead, I spotted a black sedan waiting with its engine running.

This seemed too easy. I felt like any minute now, we would be caught. My heart was pumping and adrenaline was coursing through my veins.

Hope gestured to the car and made a run for it. She jumped inside, leaving the car door open for me.

I hesitated. This didn't feel right. Jailbreaks could not have been this simple. But there was a car, waiting to take me away. I had to get out of here.

I sprinted to the car and hopped inside, not thinking twice. The car sped away, heading towards the road. It wasn't until we were a full ten minutes away until I could catch my breath and keep my energy at bay.

I glanced at the driver. He was focused on the road ahead, not checking on us at all. When we stopped at a red light, the driver turned around to look at us.

"I'm taking you girls to SLF, my spy organization. Valerie, I know you're familiar with it," the driver smirked.

My heart stopped when I saw his face. It was Jack, the man who had intruded into my house and attempted to kidnap me.

"I need to get out of here," I whispered urgently to Hope.

Hope glanced at me strangely. "Why? He's only trying to help us," she whispered back.

"You don't understand. He tried to kidnap me and--" I began to explain before Hope interrupted.

"Stop, Valerie. You're just being paranoid. Jack is here to help us, not hurt us," she repeated. When I opened my mouth to continue, she put a finger to her lips. "No. He is the master. He knows what to do."

The master? What is she talking about?

We drove for a bit longer before Hope shot me an eerie smile. "We're almost there. We are close to the master's headquarters."

"What are you talking about?" I hissed.

I had so many questions. Was Hope a pawn in kidnapping me? Why does she call Jack the master?

Hope was silent the rest of the ride. We reached the headquarters in five minutes. I did not understand why Jack turned around and gave Hope a high five. I became even more perplexed when he said, "Good job. Your mission was successful."

Suddenly, it dawned on me. How had I not thought of this? I now realized that Hope and Jack had used me. Hope had lured me into this trap of escaping the jail. Even though I escaped, that didn't mean I was free.

Jack had finally gotten his wish: to recruit me to his spy organization.

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Author's Note

Plot twist! So tell me what you think of this chapter in the comments. I'm really excited about it.