Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman Read Free Book Online Page A

that?” I asked.
    “Look, I’ve been here for ages and I’ve followed this guard for months. He sleeps from one o’clock till three. You think I’d risk it if I thought we’d get nabbed? I’m on Level Six.”
    “Darlings, we’re getting off to a bad start. Can we just begin?”
    “I feel like we oughta have some kinda ‘Hear ye, hear ye’ announcement,” Cassie said. “To make it all official.”
    “I see your point,” V agreed. “Ladies, welcome to our new, what is it, a club? A clique?”
    “Oh, let’s call it a club,” Martha said excitedly.
    “A divinely fabulous…” Bebe said.
    “Ultra-exclusive,” I interrupted.
    “Club,” Martha crowed.
    “Of the cuckoos!” Cassie added.
    “Okay then. Welcome to the Divinely Fabulous Ultra-Exclusive Club of the Cuckoos,” V said. “Now,it’s time to get serious. After a year and half I’ve discovered ways to get around many of Red Rock’s rules. I hate this place, and I’ll do anything to fight it. I consider it my revolution from within.”
    V, Bebe, and Cassie went on to explain to Martha and me, among other things, how to sneak out letters by giving them to a sympathetic soon-to-be graduate or a trustworthy Level Fiver or Sixer before a town break. Failing that, one or two of the food-service guys could usually be trusted to smuggle a letter out.
    “But you better check with us before you give a letter to anyone,” V warned. “Red Rock gives the staff bonuses if they rat us out, but they also pay them crap the rest of the time, so some of the guys would rather stick it to them than earn twenty bucks for being a stool pigeon.”
    “Plus, I guarantee that after you’ve been here a while, you’ll be able to get letters from non-family.” Cassie gave me a reassuring wink.
    “How?” I asked incredulously. “They read everything.”
    “Brit, darling, listen and learn,” Bebe said. “You just have the person pretend to be your mother or brother or whoever. They read our outgoing mail, butthey only skim the incoming stuff and if it says ‘Love, Mom and Dad,’ they’ll buy it. They are so pathetically lazy, thank goodness.”
    “This is true, but you have to be careful and make sure to speak in code. Because if the letter gets tagged, you’re screwed,” V warned.
    “What’s the code?” I asked.
    “Do you guys hear something?” Martha asked.
    We all froze. “I swore I heard a voice,” Martha whispered. V put her fingers to her lips. We all went silent. The only sound was our breathing and a clock ticking in the hall. I held my breath for extra insurance. I didn’t want to get caught now that I was finally making friends.
    After five minutes of silence, V went out for a look and saw the guard snoring away. “False alarm. We’re fine.”
    “I’m sorry, I just thought…” Martha said.
    “No, it’s good to be vigilant.” V gave Martha a reassuring nod.
    “Can you get back to this code thing?” I asked, thinking of a person I’d like to get mail from.
    “Right. Here’s what we’ve done, and it’s worked so far,” V instructed us. “Discussions about the conditions at Red Rock should be veiled as worries about the health of Grandma, Grandpa, or Aunt Josephine or whoever. Declarations of affection or love from friends or boyfriends should be made through gushy descriptions of nice weather. Of course, the first contraband letter you mail should explain all the basic rules. After that it’s up to you to come up with your own code. It’s all a big wink-wink nudge-nudge thing. You’ll know what you guys are talking about. Bebe has even managed to have some mail sex with her pool boy, all in code, and he doesn’t speak English.”
    “His name is Pedro and yes he does,” Bebe shot back.
    “But don’t get complacent, and don’t get too clever or cute. You never know when they might single out a letter. That Clayton is smart, and if she smells a rat your goose is cooked.”
    “Ain’t that a mixed metaphor?” Cassie