“I allowed you to keep your name, and you lie to me?”

“I’m not lying, sir.”

“Oh, really?” He walked around the fence and yanked me out of the shadows by my rust-colored hair. Don’t wince, Alana, I told myself. It didn’t work. I winced. He laughed scornfully and held me a foot off the ground, by my hair. My scalp ached for weeks after that. She looked up and her eyes widened. My face relaxed and I smirked, swinging my size sevens behind me, hitting right on target. He released my rusty spirals and I leapt over the fence…. I don’t remember how. I unhooked the leash from her collar and made a run for it, signaling her to follow me. She was a good two inches taller than me, and quite a bit stronger, and way faster. She grabbed me by the sleeve of my jacket and pulled me along, eventually letting go because I’d caught up and could keep pace.

We stopped right outside the city, panting like dogs. She had that fearful look in her eyes again.

“What if they look for me?”

“I got a place you can hide.”