Imprisoned by Christine Kersey Read Free Book Online

lunch and work.
    I woke up suddenly and looked at the clock on Alyx’s dresser. It was five minutes past twelve.
    “Crap!” I was late for lunch.
    Hurrying to the elevator, I waved my card in front of the reader and waited for the elevator to arrive. Five minutes later I was sliding my tray along the rails, wondering what I was allowed to eat. Famished after scrubbing bathrooms for hours that morning, I really hoped it would be something filling. I still had two and a half hours of work to do after lunch and I needed something to give me energy.
    When the lady behind the counter handed me my food, I was sharply disappointed. A slab of liver, brown rice, canned vegetables and another power bar. I wondered if the power bars were served with every meal. At the end of the row I chose a container of skim milk, then turned toward the room, searching for Alyx.
    “Over here, Morgan,” Alyx called out, waving to me from the table where we’d had breakfast.
    Relieved to have someone to eat with, I wound my way through the tables. When I reached her, I saw it was the same group of people who had been there that morning. There was an empty seat next to Billy.
    “I see you survived your first morning,” he said as he reached over to the chair next to him and pulled it out for me.
    I set my tray on the table and sat down. “Barely. I don’t think my back has ever been so sore.”
    “We’ve all been there,” Alyx said, smiling.
    “What do you guys do for your work assignments?” I asked, curious.
    “I work in the laundry,” one of the girls who had been there that morning said. I remembered her name was Cassidy.
    “I was promoted to kitchen duty a couple of weeks ago,” the other girl said. “I got to help prepare that lovely meal you’re eating now.” She paused. “I’m Piper, by the way.”
    “I’m Morgan.” I paused as I opened the utensil package and found a plastic knife and fork. “What’s your job, Alyx?”
    “I work in the gym. I have to make sure there are clean towels available, stuff like that.”
    I imagined that job and hated my job even more. “What about you, Billy?”
    “I work outside. Pull weeds. Crap like that.”
    “Oh.” That seemed like a good job for someone like me, someone who wanted a way to escape. “How did you get that job?”
    “Why? Do you think it would be better than scrubbing toilets?”
    “Well, I’ve always liked working in the yard,” I lied. In fact, I hated pulling weeds. It always made my back ache and my hands get dirty. But if it would help me get out of this place, it would be worth it.
    “Huh. Well, you can request a job. But there’s no guarantee that you’ll get it. Especially if someone who’s been here longer is already waiting.”
    That figures. “How do I request it?”
    “You can talk to your supervisor and see if he’ll put in the request for you. You have to get a reference from him anyway. No one wants to take on a slacker.”
    Suddenly glad I’d worked hard that morning, I decided even though I hated my job, I’d work my hardest to impress Kyle. Then he’d have to give me a good reference. As I ate my lunch, forcing down the liver, I half-listened to the others chatting and fantasized about working outside and slipping away when no one was looking. Then I glanced at the other people in the room, wondering who was there because of weight issues and who was there for punishment, like me. And what awful thing had they done to get them sent to Camp Willowmoss?
    “Are you gonna eat that?” Billy pointed to my half-eaten liver.
    I glanced at him and realized I must have been lost in thought. “Yes, as a matter of a fact, I am.” Stabbing my fork into the meat, I carved off a bite and put it in my mouth. Even though I didn’t really like it, I was hungry enough to eat it. When I looked back at Billy, he was smirking at me, but I noticed his plate was clean. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. “Do they give you extra food if you