cookies.”
“You’re right,” I said.
“Of course I am.” He shot me a sly smile. “Like I said, I thought you were different from the rest of the Flock. Any one of them would have done it without blinking an eye. And wouldn’t feel bad about it afterward. Like you do.”
We dug without speaking for a while, the thwacking sounds from the shovels ringing through the trees.
“You want to hear another reason how I know you’re not a murderer?” Gabriel whispered.
The gate squeaked, heralding Grizz’s entrance. He trudged forward dragging a shovel behind him.
I nodded, stealing a quick glance at Grizz.
Gabriel leaned toward me. “Because, Mia, I’m a murderer.”
Chapter Six
When I entered the dining hall through the swinging kitchen doors the next morning the talking stopped. I heard the tinny sound of silverware clanking against plates. The squeaking ceiling fans hanging from the rafters. Birds shrieking outside the open windows. But no one spoke. I grabbed a large gray bin from the cart and scanned the long tables for dirty plates. Backs stiffened as I passed. I reached between Enrique and Angél, both reeking of fish, and they gave me a wide berth, as if I were the one who stank.
Across the table from me, Juanita collected the breadbaskets. She grinned in thanks as Enrique stacked baskets and handed them to her. I tried to catch her gaze but she turned away the moment our eyes met. And she wasn’t the only one. A stack of dirty plates was shoved in my direction. When I looked down to thank Suzanne, she twisted in her seat and I kindly thanked the back of her head. I threw the plates in the bin and took bitter satisfaction at her startled wince.
Speaking out against the Reverend was like speaking out against God Himself. The Flock would outcast me for my heresy until the Reverend told them I was to be forgiven. I wasn’t expecting that commandment to be handed down any time soon.
Mama sat with Max at the end of the next table. Jin Sang was seated next to Bae John. His dark eyes were like hers, but his caramel-colored hair sometimes caused me to wonder about his father. I collected the plates at the edge of the table and Max glanced up, stealing a smile at me while Mama whispered to Jin Sang. Jin Sang’s small arms reached out and hugged Mama, giving her a consoling pat on the back. Hiding her face from me until I walked away.
I took a deep, calming breath and trudged to the corner of the dining hall with the bin full of dishes and slid it on the cart. My eyes stung, lids heavy with exhaustion. I was beginning to feel every movement of my muscles in my arms and back, the hours of shoveling until dawn taking their toll.
“Agatha needs you in the kitchen,” Juanita said from behind me, her words cold and flat.
I nodded over my shoulder at her but didn’t try to meet her eyes again. I rolled the cart through the dining hall. In that minefield of disregard, I felt the weight of a solitary gaze on me. Gabriel tracked my progress to the kitchen. He sat with the rest of the boys from his cottage, next to the empty space once occupied by Octavio. The end of his hair was wet and curled around his face and neck, like he’d showered. He didn’t smile. Didn’t nod. Simply watched me, as if flipping a decision over in his head.
What had he meant—he was a murderer? Once Grizz had returned to the graveyard, we couldn’t talk anymore. I’d spent the rest of the time wondering and stealing glances at Gabriel as he worked. If what he’d said was true though, and he was a murderer, wouldn’t he be in prison? That’s how they punished people in the outside world, wasn’t it?
I backed through the swinging doors to the kitchen, towing the cart along. Aliyah and Bridgette mechanically scraped out large frying pans over the trash cans. Dina pulled the buffet servers from the service line. Without even turning their heads, they seemed to sense my presence and immediately tensed.
“Mia,” Agatha snapped.
“You’re right,” I said.
“Of course I am.” He shot me a sly smile. “Like I said, I thought you were different from the rest of the Flock. Any one of them would have done it without blinking an eye. And wouldn’t feel bad about it afterward. Like you do.”
We dug without speaking for a while, the thwacking sounds from the shovels ringing through the trees.
“You want to hear another reason how I know you’re not a murderer?” Gabriel whispered.
The gate squeaked, heralding Grizz’s entrance. He trudged forward dragging a shovel behind him.
I nodded, stealing a quick glance at Grizz.
Gabriel leaned toward me. “Because, Mia, I’m a murderer.”
Chapter Six
When I entered the dining hall through the swinging kitchen doors the next morning the talking stopped. I heard the tinny sound of silverware clanking against plates. The squeaking ceiling fans hanging from the rafters. Birds shrieking outside the open windows. But no one spoke. I grabbed a large gray bin from the cart and scanned the long tables for dirty plates. Backs stiffened as I passed. I reached between Enrique and Angél, both reeking of fish, and they gave me a wide berth, as if I were the one who stank.
Across the table from me, Juanita collected the breadbaskets. She grinned in thanks as Enrique stacked baskets and handed them to her. I tried to catch her gaze but she turned away the moment our eyes met. And she wasn’t the only one. A stack of dirty plates was shoved in my direction. When I looked down to thank Suzanne, she twisted in her seat and I kindly thanked the back of her head. I threw the plates in the bin and took bitter satisfaction at her startled wince.
Speaking out against the Reverend was like speaking out against God Himself. The Flock would outcast me for my heresy until the Reverend told them I was to be forgiven. I wasn’t expecting that commandment to be handed down any time soon.
Mama sat with Max at the end of the next table. Jin Sang was seated next to Bae John. His dark eyes were like hers, but his caramel-colored hair sometimes caused me to wonder about his father. I collected the plates at the edge of the table and Max glanced up, stealing a smile at me while Mama whispered to Jin Sang. Jin Sang’s small arms reached out and hugged Mama, giving her a consoling pat on the back. Hiding her face from me until I walked away.
I took a deep, calming breath and trudged to the corner of the dining hall with the bin full of dishes and slid it on the cart. My eyes stung, lids heavy with exhaustion. I was beginning to feel every movement of my muscles in my arms and back, the hours of shoveling until dawn taking their toll.
“Agatha needs you in the kitchen,” Juanita said from behind me, her words cold and flat.
I nodded over my shoulder at her but didn’t try to meet her eyes again. I rolled the cart through the dining hall. In that minefield of disregard, I felt the weight of a solitary gaze on me. Gabriel tracked my progress to the kitchen. He sat with the rest of the boys from his cottage, next to the empty space once occupied by Octavio. The end of his hair was wet and curled around his face and neck, like he’d showered. He didn’t smile. Didn’t nod. Simply watched me, as if flipping a decision over in his head.
What had he meant—he was a murderer? Once Grizz had returned to the graveyard, we couldn’t talk anymore. I’d spent the rest of the time wondering and stealing glances at Gabriel as he worked. If what he’d said was true though, and he was a murderer, wouldn’t he be in prison? That’s how they punished people in the outside world, wasn’t it?
I backed through the swinging doors to the kitchen, towing the cart along. Aliyah and Bridgette mechanically scraped out large frying pans over the trash cans. Dina pulled the buffet servers from the service line. Without even turning their heads, they seemed to sense my presence and immediately tensed.
“Mia,” Agatha snapped.
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