Superior

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Delaney

"Girls in one van, boys in the other," Charisma ordered airily. She and her goons had marched us out of the principal's office, leaving Mr. Kastner and Lizzy quaking in their boots, and out to the parking lot. The two gray vans I'd seen before were still there, their engines idling as they waited on the curb. Without a word, the men began to move, leading the guys around the back of one van, and Abby and I to the rear of another one.

The trunk opened on its own, and we were forced inside. Right before my face was driven into the musty-smelling carpet, I caught Charisma's eye and she flashed me a predatory smile. Then the trunk was slammed shut, and we were plunged into blackness.

I didn't move for a while, instead choosing to stay sprawled across the floor. I heard Abby moving around but couldn't see her; the darkness was too absolute. That was alright with me. The last thing I wanted was Abby, with her snide comments and spiteful attitude, to see me panicking.

I couldn't believe how quickly events had turned around on us. Just the night before, I was feeling great, and totally confident that we were doing the right thing. Now, I was on the way to who-knows-where with a vicious Superior who probably ate Losers like me for breakfast. Not to mention that my so-called best friend had betrayed me.

My hands turned to fists and I seethed as I thought of Lizzy, and the way she'd pointed at me, ratted me out to Charisma, left me at the mercy of the corrupt, defective government. I'd known she was angry with me, but I hadn't expected something like that from her. I hadn't expected her to do something that would make me hate her so completely.

Dimly, I heard the sound of a door slamming. Seconds later, the rev of the engine echoed through the space, causing the vehicle to shake slightly. I pulled myself into a sitting position just as the van began to move, bouncing along the street with erratic jolts.

I think reality hit right about then. The enormity of the situation suddenly became clear, and I felt sick. Chills crawled up and down my spine as I tried to swallow the bile that was inching its way up my throat.

Abby had been quiet for a while, so I wasn't sure where in the van she was. When her voice piped up in the darkness, it startled me.

"Where do you think we're going?" she asked roughly.

I shrugged, though she couldn't see me. "The Capitol, probably."

She was silent for a moment, and I could picture her raising her eyebrows. "That's all the way across the country."

"Yeah," I murmured. "Yeah, it is." I tried to pretend like that was no big deal, but it was hard. I'd hardly been out of my own city, much less out of state and across the country. The idea of it was extremely daunting.

"Well, this should be fun. Never been to the Capitol before."

I laughed, but it was forced. The van continued to bounce along, and for a while, neither of us spoke. Eventually, though, I had to ask. "What do you think they'll do to us?" I asked meekly.

Abby's response was delayed, and preceded by a heavy sigh. "I don't know," she said at last. "I guess we'll find out, though, won't we?"

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About twenty minutes of suffocating silence later, the van rolled to a stop. I straightened up, rubbing my eyes but still seeing darkness. Abby yawned from somewhere to my right.