Free Dissidence by Jamie Canosa

rson they were paired with. T hen again, it didn’t exactly end well for her , so I’m not sure whose point I would be making. The rest of me is completely disgusted by the entire story. To use pairing as a punishment. I t’s appalling.
    “I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say. I have a few choice words concerning the whole situation, but this is probably not the time and definitely not the place for them. Words have already gotten all of us into enough trouble.
    “Everyone’s got a s tory.” She sounds almost casual . “Now get some sleep, Kiddo, tomorrow’s going to be another long day.”
    ***
    They continue to roll on , one long day after another. Two straight weeks’ worth of them. E ach one exactly the same as the one before. It’s almost mind numbing in its redundancy , and I think that’s the point , because if you don’t think about it, then you just accept things the way they are. Acceptance, however, has never been one of my strong suits. In fact, that’s sort of what landed me here in t he first place. How ironic then that it will also be what gets me out.
    As days continue to tick by, I start watching the guards. I watch them all day, every day, every chance I get. I note their schedules, their routines, thei r socializations, their habits— all of it. After a few days, one thing starts to become abundantly clear. They’re way too comfortable in their own skins. For all of their weapons and patrols, none of them really believes for a second that anyone would be brazen enough to actually try and escape. And that peeves me to no end.
    “I don’t understan d why they’re so damn confident. I t’s not like we’re all sticking around because of their A-plus personalities.”
    “Maybe it’s the food. I , for one , would hate to turn my back on such fine cuisine.” Connor grimaces into his bowl of green mush that tastes somewhere between what I imagine earwax and paste taste like.
    A very unladylike snort escapes me and Connor grins from ear to ear, clearly amused with his own comedic abilities.
    “Somehow , I don’t think that’s it.” Lori dangles her spoon over her bowl and we all watch with rapt, morbid fascination as the green sludge drips off the tip and falls back into the dish with an audible plop. “I think the real deterrent they’re counting on to keep us in this place is . . . what would we do if we did get out? Where do we go then? It’s not like we’re rolling in options here.”
    The three of us are sitting away from the others along an open edge of the pavilion in the dark shadows of the night. It’s always dark here. I haven’t seen the sun in weeks. We’re up before it rises and working the mines until long after it sets. We don’t have much time left before the guards chase us back to the dorms for the night , and then any hope of privacy will be lost. Before that happens , I need to get Connor and Lori up to speed with a plan that’s begun to take root in my vitamin D deprived brain.
    “We could disappear into the woods.”
    “Okay, let’s say that doesn’t sound completely insane. When would you make this great escape? The dorms are locked , and you can’t be considering trying to sneak out of the mines while everyone’s down there working.”
    “I’m not. I would go during mealtime.”
    “Mealtime?” That got her attention.
    “It’s when we’re the leas t guarded by far. Look around. W hat’s to stop us from slipping away right now? All we would need is a distraction. ”
    “What kind of distraction?” I’ve got Connor’s attention too.
    With a slight nod toward the back cor ner of the pavilion, I indicate the queen of Sheba, as I’ve come to call her. She’s the only fema le guard positioned in the camp and I’ve noticed all of the others falling all over themselves to talk to her. Even now they’re fawning over her. Psssh . . . men.
    The guards monitor mealtimes on a rotating schedule, and I’ve seen her in here every third