Free State of Chaos (Collapse Series) by Summer Lane

Sophia sighs. “What happened to them? Are we the only country affected by this?”
    “That’s a good question,” I admit. “I would think one of our allies would come help us out…but not even our own military can help us, so maybe that’s a stupid question.” I stop and look up at Harry, who’s watching me with a curious expression. “What?”
    “Nothing.” A small smile appears on his face. “You’re just very good at figuring things out, that’s all.”
    “Do I get an A for effort?”
    “Sure.”
    “Do you ever think about escaping?” Sophia whispers suddenly.
    Harry and I stiffen at the mention of the “e-word.” That’s a trigger word. Instant death. I lower my voice. “Um, heck yeah. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t.”
    “It can’t be done, can it?” she stares off through the trees, her gaze stopping at the barbed wire fencing. “We really are…
stuck
.”
    “Nah.” I nudge her shoulder. “I’m willing to give it the old college try at some point, aren’t you?”
    “I don’t want to end up dead.”
    “She’s got a valid point,” Harry says.
    “We’ll end up dead either way,” I point out. “Either we’ll be worked to death or we’ll die escaping. One of these days…” I trail off, knowing it’s wiser to keep my mouth shut. Just because the idea of escaping is an attractive thoughtdoesn’t mean I should go blabbing about it. You never know who you can trust, especially in a place like this. It’s like high school on super steroids. Backstabbers, cliques, and nasty teachers all thrown into the same crummy mix. Only the penalty for messing up is a lot worse than suspension.
    It’s sudden death.
    Fun times, right?
    At the end of the day when our work is finally done, the guards round us up and march us back into the school compound. But instead of heading towards the cafeteria like we
always
do, we stop in what used to be the outdoor cafeteria. Now it’s just a bunch of dead grass. A wilted, hand painted banner is falling off the far wall. It says,
Walk for a Cure
. I swallow. Reminders of normalcy are everywhere.
    And then there’s
this
.
    Kamaneva is waiting patiently in the center of the courtyard, watching the prisoners file in.
    “One of you has been stealing from me,” she states.
    The lump in my throat turns into a baseball. I can feel Sophia tensing up beside me, so I put a hand on her wrist. I stare straight ahead, motionless. Afraid to give myself away with just the slightest twitch of a facial muscle.
    “I don’t know which one of you it is,” she goes on, taking a few calculating steps, “but when I
do
find out, do you know what the punishment is for stealing from me?”
    Nobody answers. We all know. Execution.
    Game over.
    If I were wearing boots, I’d be shaking in them. Instead all I can do is stand and tremble in my cheap gladiator sandals from a trash bin, avoiding eye contact. Eating oranges have been keeping Sophia and I just a little healthier and stronger than the rest of the women in our group, and if Kamaneva ever notices that, she just might catch on. But right now, the two of us look pretty disheveled and unhealthy despite our efforts. That happens when you haven’t had a bath in weeks and you’re wearing thrift store reject clothes covered in dirt and filth.
    Kamaneva studies the group. Her eyes eventually fall on me – like always. I stare at the wall. I will myself to remain emotionless. Just one wrong move and I’m toast. After a nerve-racking five seconds, she moves her gaze to the next person in line. I release a small breath. Sophia squeezes my hand.
    By the time we make it into the cafeteria, my knees are almost knocking together because I’m trembling so badly. I sit down with Sophia at our spot in the corner. Harry approaches us. “What was that all about?” he wonders. “Was that really necessary on Kamaneva’s part?”
    “She’s just trying to scare us,” I say.
    Harry doesn’t know that Sophia and I