Delinquent Camp

Chapter Nineteen

            Nineteen

        “Have you heard of anyone ever getting out of Safe Haven?” I ask Ember curiously, as I distractedly shade in a part of Mellissa’s hair.

            She groans as she places her head in her arms on the art room table. “There was this one guy, I think his name was Dean, who one day just decided to walk out of the camp and down the dirt road.”

            I stop drawing and raise my eyebrows at her. “Did he make it?”

            “Make it where?”

            I roll my eyes and smack her shoulder, waking her up. Ever since she woke up late last night, she was too rested to sleep and insisted Melody and I stay up with her and tell her what happened. It turns out, she didn’t get to see Scarlett at all and doesn’t remember taking any drugs. In fact, she thinks some guy drugged her while she passed out at a party.

            “Out of Haven and I don’t know, into a town or something,” I shrug, keeping my voice low. Across the room, Rhyson refuses to look at me and so does Danny. I think Rhyson doesn’t want to look at Ember, and Danny just plain hates me.

            “I’ve heard two different stories,” she says, closing her eyes. “One is that Dean got eaten my coyotes when he fell asleep on the side of the road.”

            “And the other?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.

            “He got picked up by a car and hitchhiked into a nearby town. But this apparently happened like, eight years ago. So I can’t verify if it’s true or not.”

            I start to wonder if I ever could make it out of here. Believe it or not, I would come back. But I need to talk to Scarlett and that involves sneaking out.

            “Has anyone stolen a car or anything to get out?” I ask curiously. Ember opens her eyes and glares at me.

            “Well aren’t you just a bucket full of questions today.”     

            “You must really like buckets,” I mutter quietly. “At least I’m not pestering you about you incident.”

            She groans and turns her head until she’s facing the desk and I can’t see her eyes. “I heard the cars have tracking devices on them so that they can find the kids easily. I’ve seen a kid steal a car once, but he didn’t make it far. Then again, he stole it at ten in the morning.”

            I start to make up a plan in my head. If I can get someone who knows how to hotwire a car and pick a lock, then the rest is pretty much simple. Well, simple if I make it out of the parking lot.

            “Do you know where the hospital Scarlett is staying at is?”