Free Perfect by Pauline C. Harris Page A

you in.” She said it frankly,
with no hint of sarcasm or pity.
    Before I could even comprehend what Yvonne
had just said, Michael was on his feet, glaring at her. “No,” he
said firmly, meeting Yvonne’s gaze.
    “You didn’t let me finish.” She spat at him
with so much venom in her voice, I was amazed that Michael didn’t
step away. He only met her eyes coolly, standing his ground.
    My blood froze in my veins. Yvonne wanted to
turn me in. I couldn’t say I was surprised. I had known this was
coming, but I was still angry and scared.
    “Drew, it’s not what you think,” Yvonne said,
turning back to me.
    I looked up.
    “I want to turn you in, but only to gain
advantage with the creators. Their computers still aren’t working
and all perfections and alterations have been completely put on
hold. Once you’ve been there a few days, I’ll get you out again,”
she said this as if she were explaining to me the rules of a board
game. Her voice was startlingly calm, as if it wasn’t my life at
stake, but just the chances of losing a game.
    I stared at her incredulously. “Yvonne!” I
said, shocked. “How could you ask me to do this?”
    Her expression hardened. “I’m not exactly
asking.”
    I swallowed.
    “No!” Jessica cut in. “You can’t do this to
Drew!”
    Yvonne glared daggers at her.
    “I won’t let you take her,” Michael said,
stepping forward to stand by my side.
    Yvonne narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh?” she
asked, her voice dangerously low.
    Michael narrowed his eyes back at her.
    “Whether any of you like it or not, tomorrow
I’m taking Drew to the Institution. And there’s nothing you can do
to stop me,” she snapped as she looked back at me. “I’m hoping I
won’t need to physically force you there, but that you’ll go
because you know that otherwise, I could always just give away your
tracking device.”
    I gritted my teeth and nodded.
    Yvonne gave me a cold smile. “Good.” She
stood from the bed. “I’ll be here tomorrow.” She turned to
leave.
    “What?” Michael stared after her
incredulously. “No!” But Yvonne was already out the door. He turned
to me. “We can’t let her do this to you.”
    I shook my head. “Don’t worry,” I said,
trying to be calm. “Everything will be fine.” But even I wasn’t
sure if I believed that.
    “No, it won’t,” Michael replied firmly. “I’m not going to let her do this.” His fists were clenched at
his sides.
    I stood to meet his gaze. “No,” I said just
as firmly. “You need to. Otherwise, you and Jessica will get hurt,
and I can’t let that happen.”
    Michael threw his hands in the air. “But I
can’t let you get hurt!”
    “Michael, I’ll be fine,” I said.
    “We could run away from the hotel,” he kept
pressing.
    “No!” I exclaimed, exasperated also now.
“Yvonne has my tracking device.”
    Michael ran his fingers through his hair,
looking stressed. He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.
Jessica looked over at me. “Drew, what if something happens?” she
asked quietly.
    I lowered my gaze. “Everything will be fine.
I’ll be okay.”
    The room was silent.
    That night I prayed to God that He would help
me the next day. I prayed that He would help Yvonne to keep her
word, even though I knew the odds were against me. I prayed that I
would be strong enough to deal with whatever came my way if Yvonne
didn’t stay true to her word. I prayed that Jessica and Michael
would stay put and not put their lives in jeopardy for my sake. I
prayed that the creators would never find Jessica and Michael if I
had to stay at the Institution. I prayed that my prayers would be
answered.
     

Chapter Thirteen
     
    There was a knock on
the door at exactly nine o’clock the next morning. As we turned
toward the sound, my stomach flipped with anticipation. I slowly
got up from my seat and walked toward it. Michael reached out to
grab my hand, temporarily stopping me. “Please. Let’s run away now,
before