Page 129 of The Reformatory

Redbone looked away, flipping another page. “Hey, you know who Ming the Merciless reminds me of? Haddock. Right?”

Robert nodded. “Yeah. They’re the same.” He was going to say more, but he remembered Redbone was a haint and he felt unsure of what he should say. Had Redbone heard all of the nice things everyone said at his burial? But Robert didn’t think Redbone wanted to talk about that.

Redbone suddenly closed the comic and put it down on the mattress. He looked at Robert again, his expression serious. “It’s a big deal, what you’re gonna do,” Redbone said. “You’re gonna tell the whole world about this place. You’re gonna get it shut down.”

Robert nodded. “Yeah.”

“You scared?”

Robert started to shake his head, but that wasn’t the truth. “Kind of.”

Redbone grinned. “Well, that’s why I’m here: to tell you not to be scared. And one other thing… You’re not gonna like it, though.”

“What?”

Redbone sighed, ruffling the comic pages. He was suddenly wearing his work clothes, not his pajamas, but haints could change the way they looked easily. “It’s about Blue.”

“That little rat—” Robert started, but Redbone raised his hand to make him quiet.

“He’s not a rat,” Redbone said. “He’s like… Jack Johnson. He’s a fighter.” Robert studied Redbone closely, trying to see if he was really Blue in disguise, since that sounded more like something Blue would say, not Redbone. He went on: “You know how he said he’s your best friend now? It’s really true, Robert. He is. You need him to get into that office and you’ll need him after the dogs start chasing you. He’ll help you get away.”

“I’ll be gone before the dogs even know it,” Robert said.

Redbone sighed sadly. “No. You won’t. You better trust him. That’s what I came to say. Even if deep down you don’t want to, you have to trust Blue. What happened to me, that’s not Blue’s fault. Trust him like he’s your brother. Don’t fuss with him, Robert.”

“But I don’t need him,” Robert said. “You can help me now.”

Redbone shook his head. “Nah… I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Redbone pointed toward the window. “Just look. You’ll see.”

Robert followed Redbone’s pointing finger and looked toward the windows, where the light was starting to glow like morning. The brightness turned to a flare and—

Robert sat up in his bed with a gasp in the near-dark dormitory. Everything suddenly felt more solid, from his mattress to the sweaty clothes matted to his back. He knew before he even looked back at the foot of his bed that Redbone would be gone. The comic book was gone too. He patted the mattress and looked over the side of the bed to be sure.

Redbone had just been a dream. Robert’s chest heaved a few times as his body decided if he would cry again, but he didn’t. Redbone had come to visit his dream just like Blue had said!

“Okay,” Robert whispered just in case Redbone could hear him. “I promise.”

The daylight was so new that Robert calculated he still had at least half an hour before he had to get up. He needed his rest for the day ahead. Robert was even smiling a little as he turned on his side, away from the window, to try to go back to sleep.

Tomorrow night, he would not be in this bed. Tomorrow night, with Blue’s help, he would be gone.

35

Friday, 8:05 a.m.

Gloria recognized the sound of Ole Suzy’s chugging motor outside the house before she jumped out of bed. Mrs. Hamilton was always gone before eight in the morning, so Gloria knew she was the only one in the house. She’d been dying to call Miz Lottie because she hadn’t spoken to her yesterday, but she had heeded warnings not to use the phone and give away her location. She had barely slept because of her anxieties that Robbie’s escape might go wrong.

Miz Lottie stood on the front porch, ready to ring the doorbell, when Gloria flung the door open, making Mrs. Hamilton’s chimes sing frantically. Miz Lottie was dressed up in her pillbox hat again, no doubt to look nice for Mrs. Hamilton’s monied neighbors.

“Come in,” Gloria said before she could ask about the harried look in Miz Lottie’s eyes.

Miz Lottie only stepped in far enough to allow Gloria to close the door behind her. “Get packed up. Then lie down flat. Time to come back with me.”

“Did Uncle June cut the hole?” Gloria said.