Looks Can Deceive

Chapter 22

I wake Hanna up. I am happy to leave today. I have seen more people die then anyone should ever. It will be nice to go back to the food. And my bed. Oh my bed, I miss you so much. We decide to eat breakfast before we go. Just for some energy. And so we don't have to stop as much.

We walk to the mess hall. We order a large meal. The blondes are staring at our food, in envy. I eat slowly. I should be going faster. But in a way I am not ready to go. There is so much here that needs to be fixed, and I want to fix it. But I can't, and the faster I learn that the better.

I finish up my breakfast and head back to our room. I pack up, what little I brought to this place. My ankle still really hurts. But with medicine it is manageable. Which is good. I put everything into the backpack so does Hanna. I really want to know where she went last night. I will ask her later.

We go to the front door. There are 7 guards waiting. We tell them who we are. They let us out. Before we go, they tell us not to spread information about the Factory. Okay I am going to tell everyone and get killed for it. The secret is safe with me. For now.

We decide to walk back the same way we came. I am not sure this is the safest plan, because of last time. But Hanna assured me it is safe.

We walk an hour before I ask Hanna "Where did you go last night?

"To visit a friend I lived by growing up." She says

If that's all it was. Why couldn't she tell me? I wouldn't have cared. But her hiding it seemed weird. I will leave it alone, if she doesn't want me to know, then I won't know.

We walk for another 2 hours, then we reach the castle. There are a ton of people outside the doors. I want to keep walking, but Hanna drags me to see what is happening. The people are yelling. Hanna is crying. I still don't know what is happening. Are these people angry? No. They don't seem mad. More like sad. Then I hear and see.

The King has died.

Mitch is the King. The queen is being picked from our school.

In front of the doors is a memorial. Flowers, letters, and candles are placed. Hanna seems really upset. Well she knows Mitch, maybe she knows the King. I am afraid to ask her.

Hanna stays for a couple more minutes. Then we leave. We head home. Or what I have to call home. Because it is the only place I have now.

I am so tired. I can see the school now. But I am exhausted. Walking and not sleeping very well. I just want to go to bed. But we have a dinner tonight. A kind of 'welcome back' thing. But we have only been gone for 3 days.  

We reach the tunnel, after what seems days. I mean it was. We were gone for almost 48 hours. We walk through. I stop outside of the library. I wait for it to be really quiet. Before we walk back in. I open the door and the library is empty. Pretty normal.

I walk back to our room. The first thing I do is take a shower. I can basically see the dirt fall off of me. It feels good to be clean. Hanna takes a shower after me. It isn't time for dinner for a couple of hours. So I decide to take a nap.

When I wake up it is almost time for dinner. I get dressed in evening uniform and go to the mess hall. When I sit the food comes. Pork and potatoes. It tastes pretty good. Actually it tastes amazing compared to anything I had at the factory. I missed Bratten food.

I finish eating. Then headmistress O'Brien comes to speak.

"Welcome back girls!"

Ugh, we were gone for a weekend. Not a big deal. Why does she seem so happy to be back anyway. She just annoys me.

"Now I have some announcements." She continues "Firstly, the king has passed away."

Some look actually sad. Then others ask questions about Mitch. You have no chance girls he is picking Hanna.

"This does not affect Mitch coming, he will just come after winter break, and one of you will be the queen, not the princess." She says answering the girls questions.

"Now, math class has been canceled for a few days." Wait why? "As some of you know, Ms. Aceti has been sent to prison. She was secretly meeting a blonde man, and that is unacceptable."

She was sent to prison. Over the past month, I have gotten to like her. She liked someone that she liked for himself. Not because of hair color.

Will she tell on us? We have nothing on her anymore.