Alissa shoved the folded map deep into the back pocket of her worn jeans.
The rough denim scraped against her knuckles. She didn't pull her hand out immediately. She let her fingers press against the hard paper, anchoring the plan in her mind.
She turned away from the desk. The digital clock on the nightstand blinked 4:00 AM in harsh red numbers.
She walked to the bedroom door and pressed her ear against the thin wood.
The house was dead silent. Ainsley and Kristopher were fast asleep upstairs.
Alissa moved to the back door. She gripped the rusted brass handle, turning it with agonizing slowness to prevent the internal springs from squeaking.
She pushed the door open just enough to slip her thin body through.
A blast of freezing pre-dawn air hit her face. The wind whipped down her collar, raising sharp goosebumps along her pale arms.
She ignored the cold. She walked off the porch, her sneakers sinking slightly into the damp, soft earth.
She bypassed the main yard and headed straight for the small, hidden patch of corn at the very edge of the property line.
The stalks were dry and brittle. They rustled loudly in the wind.
Alissa reached out and grabbed the first ear of corn. She twisted her wrist sharply, snapping the thick stem.
The coarse, dry leaves sliced across the back of her hand. A thin line of blood welled up on her skin.
She didn't blink. She didn't stop.
She moved down the row in the dark, her hands working with mechanical efficiency. Snap. Twist. Pull.
She tossed the stunted ears of corn into a heavy, faded canvas bag she had found in the shed.
Within twenty minutes, she had stripped the entire patch.
She grabbed the thick rope handles of the canvas bag and lifted.
The dead weight hit her shoulders instantly. Her spine curved forward under the strain. Her atrophied biceps burned with a sudden, sharp fire.
She locked her jaw. She forced her lungs to take in a deep breath, expanding her ribcage, and adjusted her grip.
She dragged the heavy bag back toward the house. She stepped carefully over the porch floorboards, placing her feet only on the structural beams to avoid the loud creaks.
She slipped back inside, leaving the bag by the front door.
At exactly six o'clock, the sun began to bleed over the horizon.
Alissa stood on the concrete steps outside Mayor Clay's small, brick office building in the center of the Red Sorghum community.
The canvas bag rested heavily against her leg.
She reached up and ran her fingers violently through her hair, tangling the strands. She rubbed her eyes hard until the whites turned a bloodshot red. She let her shoulders slump forward, collapsing her chest cavity to make herself look even smaller.
The lock on the office door clicked.
Mayor Clay pulled the door open. He held a steaming white ceramic mug of coffee in his right hand.
He stepped out and nearly tripped over Alissa.
"Jesus!" Clay gasped, coffee sloshing over the rim of his mug and burning his thumb.
He stared down at the girl shivering on his steps.
Alissa immediately dropped her chin to her chest. Her hands gripped the hem of her oversized sweater, her knuckles turning stark white.
"Mayor Clay," Alissa whispered. Her voice shook violently. Her teeth chattered together.
Clay's annoyance vanished, replaced by a heavy wave of pity. He looked at her sunken cheeks and the dark, exhausted circles under her eyes.
"Alissa? What are you doing out here in the cold?" Clay asked, setting his mug down on the brick railing.
"I need to go to Crawford," Alissa stammered, forcing a single tear to spill over her lower lash line. "I need to see my brother, Rudy. I... I don't feel safe." She hugged her arms around herself, her small frame trembling. "I was going to walk to the highway to catch the early bus, but... I'm scared to go alone. It's so dark still."
She didn't elaborate. She let the silence hang, allowing Clay's mind to fill in the blanks with the town's rumors about Ainsley's cruelty.
Clay sighed heavily. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You can't walk that road by yourself, child. It's not safe," Clay said softly, his voice full of fatherly concern. He thought for a moment, tapping his chin. "Wait here."
Five minutes later, Clay returned, followed by an old farmer in a stained baseball cap. "This is Mr. Gable. He's taking his hay into the city market. He'll give you a ride right into town."
Alissa took it with both hands. Her fingers trembled as they brushed against his.
"Thank you, sir," she choked out, wiping her wet cheek with the back of her sleeve.
She turned around and walked out the door.
The moment the heavy wooden door clicked shut behind her, the trembling stopped.
Her spine snapped straight. The pathetic, watery look in her eyes evaporated, replaced by a cold, predatory focus.
She shoved the pass into her pocket, grabbed the heavy canvas bag, and walked toward the main highway.
At seven o'clock, a rusted Ford pickup truck loaded with dry hay pulled over onto the gravel shoulder.
The driver, an old farmer with deep wrinkles and a stained baseball cap, leaned over and popped the passenger door open.
Alissa climbed in, dragging the bag onto her lap.
The truck smelled of diesel fuel and wet dog. The heater blasted dry, hot air against her frozen legs.
"Headed to the city, girl?" the farmer grunted, putting the truck back into gear.
"Yes, sir," Alissa said quietly.
She didn't speak again. She stared out the dirty window as the flat, brown fields blurred past.
She closed her eyes and visualized Rudy. She remembered his weak chin, his expensive suits, his desperate need to be respected by the upper management at the mill.
She mapped out his psychological pressure points.
An hour later, the landscape changed. The open sky was choked by thick, gray smog. The low hum of the highway was replaced by the deafening roar of industrial machinery.
The truck rattled into the outskirts of Crawford.
Alissa asked the farmer to drop her off near the old cannery, a few blocks away from the city center. She knew a busy intersection would expose her to unwanted attention, and her tactical mind demanded a quiet, shadowy insertion point.
She stepped out onto the cracked pavement. The air tasted metallic and sour.
She gripped her bag and walked quickly, keeping her head down to avoid the gaze of two police officers standing near a diner.
She navigated through a narrow, trash-filled alleyway that smelled strongly of rotting fish and stagnant water.
She followed the original Alissa's vague memories until she reached a large, concrete underpass.
This was the underground market. It was a chaotic maze of folding tables, shouting vendors, and wary customers looking for cheap, untaxed goods.
Alissa found an empty spot near a concrete pillar.
She dropped the canvas bag onto the ground and rolled down the sides, exposing the fresh, yellow ears of country corn.
The bright color stood out sharply against the gray, damp concrete.
Within minutes, a woman stopped in front of her.
Agnes Dover wore a tailored wool coat and a string of real pearls. Her nose was wrinkled in deep disgust at the smell of the market, but her eyes were locked on the corn.
Agnes reached down and picked up an ear, inspecting it critically.
"This is small," Agnes said, her voice dripping with city arrogance. "I'll give you five dollars for the whole bag."
Alissa didn't argue.
She slowly wrapped her thin arms around her stomach. She bent forward slightly, letting out a weak, painful gasp.
"Please, ma'am," Alissa whispered, her voice so frail it barely carried over the noise of the market. "I need the money for my medicine. My chest hurts so bad."
She coughed, a dry, rattling sound that came deep from her lungs.
A heavy silence fell over the immediate area.
The butcher at the next table stopped chopping meat. He glared at Agnes. A woman selling used clothes shook her head in disgust.
The invisible weight of public judgment crashed down on Agnes's shoulders.
Agnes's face flushed a dark, embarrassed red. She looked around at the hostile stares.
She aggressively unclasped her leather purse. She pulled out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and threw it onto the canvas bag.
"Fine. Keep the change," Agnes snapped, grabbing the handles of the bag and practically running away.
Alissa's hand shot out. She snatched the warm twenty-dollar bill.
She bowed her head repeatedly to the empty space where Agnes had stood.
"Thank you, bless you," she chanted softly.
She turned and melted instantly into the thick crowd.
She walked until she found a dead-end alley behind a brick bakery.
She leaned against the wall and pulled the money from her bra. She counted the bills.
Thirty-seven dollars and twenty-five cents.
She stared at the wrinkled paper. Her stomach cramped with hunger. This wasn't enough. A bus ticket out of state cost fifty. Food and a cheap motel would drain the rest in two days.
She shoved the money back into her bra. The fabric pressed tight against her ribs.
She walked to a public spigot at the edge of the alley, meant for washing down the market stalls. The heavy iron fixture was coated in grime, but she didn't care.
She turned the rusted knob. Freezing water sputtered out. She splashed it over her face, scrubbing away the dried tear tracks and the dust from the road.
She stood up straight. Her eyes were sharp, reflecting the gray light like polished steel.
She looked up at the sky. A thick plume of black smoke billowed from a massive brick chimney a few blocks away.
The Crawford Textile Mill.
She walked toward the smoke. She moved with purpose, her eyes scanning the street corners for security cameras, noting the blind spots behind dumpsters and parked delivery trucks.
By noon, she stood across the street from the massive iron gates of the mill.
The ground beneath her feet vibrated from the sheer power of the looms inside. Hundreds of workers in blue uniforms poured out of the gates for the shift change.
Two large security guards stood by the entrance, their hands resting near their batons.
Alissa hid behind a rusted newspaper stand.
A sleek, silver sedan turned the corner. The paint was flawless, reflecting the harsh midday sun.
The car pulled into a reserved VIP parking spot right next to the main gate.
The driver's door opened.
Audrey Mercer stepped out. She wore an expensive beige trench coat and sharp, black stilettos. Her blonde hair was styled perfectly. She held a pristine, insulated lunchbox in her manicured hand.
Alissa stared at Audrey's arrogant, lifted chin.
A memory ripped through Alissa's brain. The original Alissa, crying on the floor, while Audrey and Rudy forged the signature on the mother's insurance check.
Alissa's heart rate slowed to a steady, rhythmic beat.
She reached up and grabbed the collar of her oversized sweater. She yanked it hard, stretching the fabric so it hung loosely off her frail shoulder.
She crouched down and pressed her palm into a muddy puddle near the curb. She smeared the cold, gritty mud across her left cheek and forehead.
She stood up. She stepped out from behind the newspaper stand.
The curtain was rising.
