Tarnished by Kate Jarvik Birch Page B

Missy said. “Tony is driving to New York this morning to pick up two new girls that another market doesn’t need anymore and he said he’d give us a ride.”
    “But we just got here.”
    “This is good,” Missy said. She sounded annoyed. “You know, you could stand to be a little bit more grateful.”
    “I am grateful.”
    I just didn’t want to leave before I had a chance to go get that gun. A gun was power. And that was exactly what we needed.
    She set down her bowl with a thud . “Oh, give me a break. You don’t even know what to be grateful for,” she said. “You’re completely clueless.”
    She stood and walked over to her bag, snatching out her old clothes.
    “Then tell me.” I followed close behind. My hands shook at my sides. “You refuse to share anything with me, and then you act like I should be able to read your mind. Like I should just know . Well, I’m sorry that I’m not as worldly as you, Missy, but you aren’t protecting me by keeping things a secret.”
    “Trust me, you’d rather not know.”
    “I know it’s not as bad as you’re making it seem,” I said.
    “How do you—?” She reared around to face me, her eyes narrowing. “You went down there, didn’t you? What did you see?”
    I took a step away from her. “I saw a job.”
    “What? Tell me what you saw?”
    “I saw a girl posing. A man was drawing her…nude.”
    Missy laughed darkly and rubbed a hand over her face. “Oh, there’s far more to the black markets than just that.”
    “You don’t have to try to protect me,” I said. “I can pull my weight around here. I’m not stupid.”
    “Stop fighting me on this, Ella!” she snapped. “This is the last we’re going to talk about it. No jobs! Got it? You ask again and I’m gone.” She finished tugging on her tights and pulled her shirt over her head. When she finally looked back at me, the fight had drained from her eyes. “Grab something to eat. We’ll leave in half an hour. I don’t want to miss this ride.”

Chapter Seven
     
    T he back of the box truck was even darker than the inside of the train car. Once the door slid shut, we were encased in darkness. There were two empty seats up front with the driver, but obviously we weren’t passengers. Even as free agents, we were still considered property, objects that needed to be transported from one place to another. We could have been boxes of napkins or crates full of shirts, something to be used up and discarded. It’s not like those objects would want to look out the window. It’s not like those objects might like to see the way the trees rush past or to feel the warmth of the afternoon sun.
    Luckily, the hard bottom of the truck had been lined with a few folded blankets. Missy shuffled around next to me in the dark, repositioning herself. She sighed and I imagined the way she was lying on her back with her arms folded gently across her chest as if she was simply lounging on the grass in the sun.
    The engine flared to life underneath us, and the truck jerked forward and bumped down the alleyway, swaying back and forth as it pulled out onto the street.
    There were so many questions that I still wanted to ask Missy, but I knew better than to speak right now. She was angry. Angry that I’d been careless sneaking around the market. Angry that I’d burst the protective bubble she’d tried to place around me. Angry that she couldn’t dictate which parts of the world I chose to see.
    And I was angry, too. I’d allowed Missy to take my power away, but I wasn’t going to stand for it anymore. I’d lost the gun, but I wouldn’t let something like that slip through my fingers again.
    I tilted my head back and let my thoughts drift, instead, to Penn. It was easier to think about him, even if it was painful. I’d gotten used to pushing those thoughts away, but now all I wanted was to fall into them.
    When I let myself think of him, the smell of earth and leaves and water rushed over me, as if the memory