Page 29 of The Reformatory

The bubble of hope—Robert’s growing certainty that it was Blue—burst. Redbone gave Robert a look that seemed to wish he’d never let him sit at his table or acted like his friend.

Robert’s breath puffed out of his mouth in panicked clouds. His lungs were bound tight by cold and a thought worse than Cleo: What if the ghost of the boy stabbed with the knife was on the other side of the door, unseen, ready to walk in and make himself known? Maybe a ghost could yank down the bar to lock the door. And maybe the ghost hadn’t liked what Blue had said: If you’re dead, stay dead. Maybe the ghost was still mad he’d gotten stabbed.

“It wasn’t me who stabbed you,” Robert whispered loudly enough for a haint to hear.

Redbone and Troy started pounding again, and this time Robert joined them, thumping against metal so cold that it snatched at his skin. But Robert didn’t feel it; his fists were as numb as the rest of him. He tasted the terror of the boys in the fire, their voices clear in his mind again. Is that smoke? Who locked the door?

“Leave me alone,” Robert whispered. “It wasn’t me.”

“We know it wasn’t y-you,” Redbone said. “The door l-locks from the outside.”

Robert pounded until perspiration sprang and froze on his brow. He was winded; his lungs hated the cold. He stopped, bent over, propping himself at his knees with his palms that were ringing and raw with pain. His heartbeat shook his body.

No one was answering. No one was coming. Would they survive an hour? Thirty minutes? He scanned the shelves for blankets or clothing, but of course there were none. Not even a burlap bag in sight, and there were plenty on the other side of the door.

“We gotta keep moving,” Robert said. “To warm up.”

Troy let out an animal wail of despair. “I don’t wanna die in here!”

Redbone ignored Robert. Tired of using his fist, he kicked the door with the sole of his shoe. “Open this damn door! I mean it!”

The laughing sounded so soft, so far away, that Robert thought he’d imagined it. Was it the ghost taunting them? Redbone stopped kicking; he’d heard it too.

“Blue?” Redbone said. He said his friend’s name like a prayer. The laughter again, more loudly.

“ ‘I don’t wanna die in here!’ ” Blue teased, muffled on the other side of the door. He laughed again. Robert’s body sagged with relief.

Troy was senseless, talking in a circle, still crying. “Please, please, please, please.”

“Just open it, Blue.” Redbone’s voice was calm as a sunny sky. He stroked the door.

“You promise you won’t lick me?” Blue said.

Redbone smacked the door with his palm. “I promise I won’t do nothin’—just open it ’fore we all miss curfew! I oughta choke you.”

“You ain’t right doin’ that!” Troy screamed. “You ain’t s’posed to be here!”

“And Troy won’t lick me either?” Blue said.

“Troy won’t touch you,” Redbone promised. But Troy’s fists were clenched. Blue was satisfied. He fumbled with the latch, struggling.

“Ain’t so easy the other way, huh, shrimp?” Redbone said. “Hurry up!”

Just when Robert started to think maybe Blue wouldn’t get the latch open without help from an adult—and whatever new heartache that might bring—the bar scraped against the metal like a fingernail on a chalkboard. With all of them pushing, the door opened right away.

Robert ran far from the freezer to the pantry doorway leading back to the kitchen. He would have gone farther into the kitchen, but he didn’t like how the kitchen was so dark now, full of shadows. Troy’s arms pinwheeled as he tried to lunge at Blue, but he was off-balance and missed by a mile. Blue darted behind Redbone, giggling. Redbone pinned Troy to hold him still. Troy was shaking with rage.

Blue was so small that Robert probably could whup him on his own, but he didn’t have a taste for it. He was just grateful to be out of the terrible cold so he wouldn’t learn what it felt like to freeze to death. He still couldn’t feel his ears. He wriggled his fingers and swatted at his earlobes to try to bring back the stinging.

The pantry clock said it was only seven twenty-one, not seven thirty yet. They hadn’t missed curfew. Mama and God must be looking out for him for sure.

“None of y’all can take a joke?” Blue said. “I would’ve let you out!”

“Do it again and see what happens,” Redbone said.

“Yeah, see what happens!” Troy was still trapped by Redbone’s grip. He swung so wild, his fists were nowhere near Blue. “We’re not scared of you! You don’t scare me none!”

Troy finally settled down, so they rushed through hanging up their hats and aprons and turning off the pantry lights. Robert felt lucky when he remembered the tie he’d left hanging on the peg; he’d been promised a beating if he lost it. Why had he let himself get distracted? He’d known better than to go into the freezer—he’d known it. He would never ignore his own good sense again. And now they might be late! And even if they weren’t late, how could he sleep wondering if Warden Haddock might come?