Free Vitro by Jessica Khoury Page A

footholds where the water had eaten away the rock. The downside of this was that the rock was rough and left his hands scraped and bleeding. But he wasn’t going to chance approaching the building from the north or east, through the trees, because he would be too easily spotted in the strengthening light.
    When he reached the top of the bluff, he hauled himself onto the grass and kept low; the hotel was about a football field’s length away, and the land between was open except for the odd palm tree. Off to his right, on a grassy, flat patch of land, sat a dark helicopter. He recognized it as one of the only aircraft that ever left Guam for Skin Island.
    He faced the double glass doors that led into the center of the building; they opened onto a covered verandah surrounded by hibiscus plants. A guard leaned on a sculpted column, smoking and reading a magazine. He didn’t have a rifle, but Jim did see a handgun strapped to his side. Not very vigilant, but all the same, Jim couldn’t just slip past him.
    If Sophie was nearby, there was no sign of her. Maybe one of the other doors would be open, or a window. He could go around the side of the building, out of the guard’s line of view, find another way in. Just as he was about to make a dash for cover, the doors opened and he froze. It was another guard; they must have been changing shifts. Jim took the opportunity to run across the edge of the bluff until the corner of the first wing came between him and the front doors. He waited ten seconds, then sprinted to the wall. The first three windows he passed were locked, and the first door. He started to go on, but suddenly the door swung open and he was sure he’d be seen. But he still flattened himself against the wall, by the hinged side of the door, so that as it opened it came between him and the person walking out. They shoved the door so wide that it nearly crushed him, and he had to suck in his breath to avoid being hit.
    There was a tiny alcove to his right, where the building bent inward before branching out into the next wing. Jim slipped inside just as the person at the door emerged; it was a girl with a mass of curly brown hair and she was followed by two other kids, both of them boys. They all looked to be sixteen or so, and were dressed in identical khakis and white polos, like a gospel choir.
    “C’mon,” said the girl. “Before they do the morning rounds.”
“They’ll go looking for us,” said one of the boys, a gingerhaired, gangly fellow with a flashlight in his hand.
“Won’t matter. We’ll be clear across the island by then. Hurry, or we might lose him.”
They walked right past Jim, but the morning was still dark enough that he was hidden by shadow.
“Think he’s still hanging around?” asked the second boy. “What kind of idiot would come here?”
They’re looking for me. The feeling of unease he’d had all night doubled. Had they seen his plane land? Had Sophie’s mom sent them, or Sophie herself? He didn’t think it would be on Sophie’s behalf, to tell him she’d decided to stay on Skin Island and he could go home. They were taking too much care not to be seen by the guards; whatever their agenda was, it didn’t seem to coincide with the doctors’.
And what were a bunch of teenagers doing here anyway? He knew the facility had to do with medical research or something like it. Were they patients? Test subjects?
The door was swinging shut. The trio were still in sight, heading away from the front of the building and toward the trees, but their backs were to Jim. He stepped out of the alcove and lunged at the door, managing to get the tips of his fingers on the handle before it shut. He glanced back, heart missing a beat, but they hadn’t noticed him. Still, there was no time to relax in relief. He slipped into the building and softly shut the door. It locked behind him.
Well, now what? He couldn’t very well wander up and down the halls, calling Sophie’s name. At least it was