Requiem for a Mouse by Jamie Wang Read Free Book Online Page A

leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. “There’s a lot of weird stuff going on right now that we don’t get. We won’t get it by talking about it either, so let’s talk about the things we do get.”
    “I never thought I would see the day…” Flower reflected everyone’s thoughts.
    Bolt was the first to laugh. One by one, they all broke out into a chorus of laughter.
    “Fine,” Sasha said. “Let’s talk about drops—” she took a deep breath “— but before we get into it, I have to tell you guys something. Do you remember the contract we signed when becoming Mice?”
    “You mean the one we all definitely read?” Prince said with a lopsided grin.
    “Well... there was something I didn’t tell you. We get fired after failing five drops in a row. Right now, we’re at four.”
    Three jaws dropped. A mouse couldn’t sneak by in that silence.

PRINCE
     
    Fire coursed through Prince’s chest. “You didn’t think we had a right to know?” He had trouble keeping his voice down. “Since, you know, everything we’ve ever worked toward is at stake.”
    “We were doing so well it never mattered,” Sasha replied sheepishly. “Until now,” she tacked on muttering.
    “So this next drop decides it all.” Even Maverick’s voice quivered. “We either end as the only Mice to complete their contract or nothing.”
    Sasha nodded, more of a twitch of her head anything else.
    “Why didn’t you tell us from the start?” Prince asked.
    Sasha nibbled her lower lip. “I wanted us to finish drops for better reasons.”
    “And that’s supposed to mean what exactly?”
    “A lot of Mice slack off. Some even take the medicine and sell it to Hawks. I wanted to make sure we were doing drops for the right reasons. To save lives.”
    “What are we? A fairytale band of orphaned angels? If we get fired, we don’t eat!”
    For once, it was Sasha who couldn’t make eye contact.
    “What are we going to do?” Bolt asked.
    “We finish the drop,” Maverick answered. “No matter what.”
    “And how are we supposed to do that?” Prince shouted.
    Maverick gave him an empty stare.
    “Knives.” A whisper, barely audible even in the silence.
    It took Prince a second to realize that it had been Bolt who said it.
    “If we can’t run, the only alternative is to fight,” Bolt said. With every word, his gaze dropped further to the ground. He pulled out a knife, its tip charred black, and dropped it in front of him.
    “No.” Sasha’s voice was resolute. There was nothing left of the sheepish girl from just a few minutes ago. She glared at Bolt with a look they all knew too well. There was no fighting her. “Do you plan on stacking bodies until we win? I won’t let you.”
    Bolt shrank away from Sasha’s stare. “But we can’t lose,” Bolt muttered.
    “Killing is for Lions and Hawks. We’re Mice and Mice don’t kill.”
    Bolt pressed his lips together. “Alright,” he said. “Forget I said—”
    “Is dying for Mice then?” Prince asked. He thought back to his encounter with John. Without a knife, he wouldn’t have made it out alive. “We’re the only Mice I’ve ever heard of going on drops unarmed and we can’t fail the next one.”
    “So you’ll just cut every Hawk that gets in your way?”
    “Better than losing everything. Better than getting cut.”
    Sasha crossed her arms. “I’d rather take a few scars than become killers.”
    Prince stole a quick glance toward Sasha’s scar. I won’t let you . Before that scar, he may have conceded, but now, he glared at her with embers in his eyes. “And if the alternative is being killed?”
    She returned his glare in kind.
    “There was another murder last week,” Maverick said. The sudden change in topic surprised everyone. “Another Hawk. People are calling him The Slasher. My point is, the city’s dangerous. We need to be able to defend ourselves.”
    “No. We’ve already made it this far. We can do one more.” Sasha’s voice