You Are Mine Little Sister (by Syra Tucker) novel Chapter 159

I made it to the utility closet where eight cleaners were already assembled. The total number of cleaners that did come to clean the place were eight. If every one of us was successful from our various rooms, then there were only three original cleaners here.

I glanced at the faces of the girls as I discharged the things from my cart. It was hard telling who was who as the masks covered from the nose to the mouth, revealing just the eyes. The bonnet covering the hair didn't make it any easier.

Josephine had blue eyes, but there were two girls here with that eye color. God, please tell me she made it. We'd be leaving any moment.

I'd just finished emptying my cart when a shimmer snagged my eye. It was the back of a shelf door. Instead of wood, it was designed with glass.

It definitely wasn't designed to be a mirror, but right now it was one.

I stood rooted, caught by the eyes staring back at me above the mask. They were black. Not green.

My fingers itched to touch the reflection, to feel it, proof it with my skin. For the first time, 'cute eyes,' 'green eyes,' and the rest didn't ring in my head. I almost didn't look like that girl at all, and for a sliver of a second, it felt… quiet.

"Time to go. Let's wrap it up!" a guard barked, clapping twice at the doorway.

My heart kicked faster as we filed into the compound. Cool breeze brushed my arms and my skin felt new.

I'd only been out here once. Our business stayed within the walls and properties like us had no business with the sky.

We made our way toward the black van. God, please, let this be successful. Make it work.

We were nearly at the entrance when a voice snapped across the yard. "Wait up!"

My pulse whipped around before I did. It was a guard.

Gooseflesh pebbled my forearms. This was it. We'd definitely been caught. Maybe one of the bodies had been found.

He reached us, scanning our faces like barcode. "Nina?"

The girl to my right tugged her mask down. "I'm here."

"You didn't sign out." He thrust a logbook at her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. It totally slipped my mind."

I let out a long, unsteady breath, fogging the mask. The Nina girl scribbled on the book and handed it back.

What if Nina had been one of the ones we— No. Don't finish that thought.

The Lucy girl didn't, and it hit me then: that wasn't Lucy.

Nina's eyes narrowed. "Did you go deaf? I just asked you to take it off."

Shit. Why did she have to bring up this conversation? We were still driving past the woods. This wasn't a place we could get help.

"Hey, she's talking to you!" the second girl snapped.

'Lucy' still made no move. I watched her eyes grow nervous. My God. That was Josephine!

Nina suddenly shot from her seat, crossed over to her, and yanked down her mask.

"I thought I told you to— What the fuck!?"

Josephine stared up at her. In the blink of an eye, the girl next to Josephine took out a knife from her dress, and in it went into the side of Nina's tummy.

Someone screamed, and that was it. Chaos detonated.