Free Red Skies (The Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters) by Kay Bratt Page B

to. Figure it out, just like we have to do.” Li Xi told her, then slid six of the trays across the counter toward her.
    An Ni looked around and saw the trash bin at the end of the counter. She opened it and thankfully, it was empty. She pulled the liner out of it, then tucked her six trays inside, tied a knot in the plastic, then threw it over her shoulder.
    Li Xi grinned at her. “Good idea. See—you can be smart if you just stop and think.”
    He opened a few more cupboards until he found a roll of bin liners. He pulled off a few and tossed them at the boys, taking one for himself. The boys scrambled to stuff their goods inside, then mimicking An Ni, tied knots and got ready to go.
    Li Xi led them to the window, then turned around. “This is easy—I’ve done it a million times. Just do what I do and don’t let go or jump until I tell you. But when it’s your turn to go, you gotta move fast. Don’t hesitate, or you’ll be sorry.”
    He climbed out the window, and she watched as, like a monkey, he maneuvered himself over to the other window, then back to the ladder, then all the way over until he stood on the connector again. One of the boys climbed out after him, then did the same.
    “Let An Ni go next, and when you hit the ground, tuck your legs and curl into a ball,” Li Xi called out, then pushed the first boy hard, sending him flying off the train and onto the ground. The boy rolled, and the bag of loot flew from his grip. But An Ni waited, and when he stopped rolling, he stood and held his arms up triumphantly.
    He was okay. But still—what if she wouldn’t be? She slunk back into the train car, unwilling to go next. The last boy looked at her, raising his eyebrows, then shook his head as he climbed out the window and disappeared.
    An Ni knew she’d be in trouble for disobeying, but she couldn’t stop the trembling that had come back to her. She was going to get hurt; she just knew it. Then who would take care of Xiao Mei? Or for that matter, who would take care of her? But ….if Li Xi had to climb back in the train to come after her—that would be worse.
    She went to the window. She first stopped and stuffed the lumpy, cold bag of plastic food trays under her shirt, then tucked the material into her pants as tight as she could. She needed both hands and didn’t know how the boys had done it while holding their stuff.
    She hesitated when she heard a door behind her. She turned and saw a man—the conductor by the looks of his uniform—coming down the aisle toward her.
    “What are you doing in here?” he demanded, stomping faster and coming closer. An Ni could see by the rage in his face that he wasn’t going to be lenient. Visions of the police and handcuffs swam before her eyes.
    She bolted to the window and put one leg out just as the man reached for her. She felt his fingers skim her hair, and she panicked. She saw Li Xi’s hand stretched out, but the man was so close she could smell the garlic on his breath, and she lunged away from him, hoping Li Xi would reach her and pull her to safety.
    The last thing she saw was the browns and greens of the swirling ground coming up to meet her much too quickly, then everything faded to black.

 
    Chapter Eight

    T he tree-lined street was narrow, but Mari was accustomed to dodging parked bicycles, pedicabs, and small vehicles. Other than the highways, most streets in China were just as crowded. But she smiled as, behind her, Max tripped more than a few times and let out a few well-known expletives during their trek. Finally they moved into the oldest part of the hutong, where more hazards awaited them in the thick tree roots that spotted the walkways.
    They eventually navigated to the main entrance of the hutong, obvious by the four huge characters engraved over an archway. Though they’d passed plenty of crumbling bricks and walkways, Mari was impressed to see the old doors that flanked the even older wall. A red sign bolted to the concrete was