Page 77 of The Harbinger

The kitten walked back my way but stopped just out of reach, licking his damp paw. “Seriously?” Crawling on my belly, I pulled myself beneath the bed, grabbed him around the belly, then dragged him out.

“That’s better.” I sniffled, wrapped him in the towel, and held him to my chest, kissing his tiny head as he meowed. “It’s okay. We’ll be okay.”

I sat for what felt like hours, holding him as I calmed down from my near mental breakdown, thankful I had someone to hold on to. Standing, I placed him on my bed, his tiny frame no longer shaking. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” I grabbed the box I should’ve left in the greenhouse and headed back outside, filling it with dirt from a pile behind the greenhouse.

Once I had a healthy layer on the bottom, I brought it into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, slicing a hole in the side big enough for Alfredo to slip into, then stared at the sharp edge.

I had a weapon. My chest inflated.

The first time I’d ever had something that could protect me, except for Dr. Sergei’s scissors, and I didn’t want to give it up. I took a deep breath and leaned to the left, looking out the doorway to see if anyone was around, then shoved the knife under the dirt before darting towards the stairs and paused.

Sacha’s office door was open. He never left it open and was always thorough about locking it behind him, especially if I were around, his narrow gaze a silent warning.

“Sacha?” I put the box beside the door and stepped inside the dim room. “Sacha?” The silence in the room swirled around me, and I peeked out, looking down the hall both ways, then grabbed the box and shut the door with me inside.

My heart pounded as I rushed to his desk and opened the laptop. “Shit.” The Window’s screen blinked at me with the universal box requiring a password, the keyboard in Cyrillic. Of course it would be.

I looked around the room, blowing out a breath, and closed the lid, the laptop not a viable option, then ran my hands over the drawers, each one locked and unmoving.

Where would he put information on me if he had any? The room was dark, with bulky curtains hanging to the floor and a thick gold rope holding them in place. Along the wall was a case of liquor, something I’d never seen him partake in, and on the other side was a cabinet drawer.

My feet hit the floor running towards the cabinet.

Please let it be unlocked.

I jerked at the top drawer, but it refused to budge. With each drawer I tried, my hope dwindled until I reached the very last one. Gritting my teeth, I pulled, but this time it responded with a shrill, metallic screeching.

“Yahtzee.”Or was it Bingo?

My excitement rampaged when I glanced inside, spotting a single passport. I grabbed it and the documents behind it and ripped off the rubber band. My heart faltered.

It’s mine? But, I never posed for this. How did he get a picture of me?

I rubbed my finger over the name written in Cyrillic with the English lettering below. Mia Primack. That’s the same name he’d given the hospital… Was that my last name? Had he figured out who I was? I glanced at the door and unfolded the papers strapped behind it. A green document written in Cyrillic with a few English numbers being the only discernible thing I could read.A birth certificate, maybe?

Faint footsteps clacked through the hall, and my heart shot against my breastbone. I clamped my teeth shut and pinched my lips until the pain was unbearable. My heart raced as I folded the document, returned the rubber band to its place, and closed the drawer with small squeaks between pauses.

The steps moved away from the door, and I exhaled, my blood rushing away from my cheeks.

I’ve got to get out of here.

Grabbing my box with the hidden knife, I cracked open the door and peeked down the hall. When the coast was clear, I darted up the stairs, my skin slick with sweat, my blood flooded with adrenaline.

“Alfredo, I have something for you.” I slipped into my room and closed the door with my hip, spotting the empty towel lying across the bed where I’d left him. “Where did you go now?”

Chapter 18

Mia

Left.

Right.

Left.

Breathe.

Left.