The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

Quite a few were willing to earn a bit of extra coin doing just that. And on the inside, as long as certain rules were obeyed, like not letting anyone who didn't work here into the patient areas and making sure they were out before Monday, everyone looked the other way.

Karl was going to break those rules and more.

He did his best to stroll, not wanting to draw any attention to himself, while keeping a close eye on the others doing the same. Several men and a few women randomly headed in exactly the same direction, toward the intersection of the massive stone wall that protected the front of the Columns and the iron fence that surrounded everything else.

There was no reason someone as obviously smart as Loretta shouldn't be able to follow the crowd up from the docks, not unlike what he was doing across the lawn. Karl knew he wouldn't relax until she was safe in his apartment. He barely caught himself before he laughed out loud at relaxing anywhere near that woman. He covered a fake cough with his hand and leaned against the cool stone. One among many who weren't fooling anyone.

After a very long ten minutes, he heard a far too perfect bird whistle from beyond the fence. If she'd followed his directions and paid attention, Loretta would be somewhere in the middle of the crowd outside the seemingly unbroken stretch of thick metal.

The passage of time, lack of maintenance, and a bit of stealthy assistance had left a well-hidden gap where the stone wall joined the shorter iron fence. One by one, the shadows around Karl moved away from their hiding places and walked toward that gap. He waited until he guessed about half of them had gone.

By the time he reached the corner, no one was standing beside it. Karl passed through, not having to hunch as much as he'd expected. The support pole for the fence was still firmly anchored to the wall, but several small stones were missing at the bottom.

A small group of women and men stood together on the other side, not taking nearly as much care to look uninterested as those on the inside.

He stepped forward, hoping Loretta would recognize him before he had to say anything. She wouldn't be able to see his face in the fading light, but he stood several inches taller than almost everyone else he worked with. After a few seconds of silence, he heard footsteps across the gravelly sand. A small form stood beside him.

"George?" she whispered.

Karl smiled. She had been paying attention.

"That's me. Right this way, ma'am."

He was surprised to feel her hand in his, warm and holding tight. Before he could stop himself, he turned his head to the side and caught her scent, that mix of hair and perfume and flesh he hadn't been able to get out of his mind. The sharp hints of saltwater only intensified the effect.

Karl didn't much like Loretta, and he knew he'd never be able to trust her. He couldn't imagine the two of them ever being friends, much less involved in a relationship.

That didn't change how badly he wanted her. The fact that she didn't trust him either only made that desire worse.

"I'm glad to see you, George."

"You too, Bess. I hope the trip wasn't any problem."

"None at all. Everything was exactly as you said. Didn’t even get seasick."

Karl stepped though the gap first, and Loretta held onto his hand until she was through. He took her bag, much heavier than the one George had brought, and gave her the coat. A woman passed by on the way out to retrieve her own company for the evening.

"I'm afraid you'll be staying in my apartment," he said. "Not much else is available that won't be searched. It's nowhere near as comfortable as your house."

"It will suit me just fine."

Karl tried to ignore the smile he heard in her voice.

"I doubt we'll be stopped," he said. "Guards hardly ever bother on Friday evenings. More than a few are waiting their turn. Button up your coat, and if anyone asks, I'll answer."

No one said a word to either of them all the way back. Karl hadn't been out much on Friday evenings, partly to avoid all the sneaking around, but he was fascinated at how people around him behaved. No one even looked up, much less spoke or made eye contact. Everyone out on the lawn had turned into ghosts.

When Karl opened the door at the end of his hallway, he was dismayed at how this all must look to Loretta or any other woman. There was a rug running down the middle, but it was threadbare and worn. His practically bare apartment was sure to look even worse to her.

"This is it," he said, fumbling for his key. "No security to worry about now. Nothing worth stealing in here."

He held his door open as Loretta walked through. He cringed as she looked around, wondering how drab and awful this dump must look to her. He avoided noticing when he could.

She turned toward him, her violet eyes catching the dim light. That was one thing he was glad he’d never gotten around to, scrubbing the glass around his gaslights. Brighter light usually wasn't a good thing around here.

"You can sleep through there in the bedroom," he said. "The bed's new, my mother's way of hinting that I need someone to share it with." He felt his cheeks blazing red, not the first time his mouth had mortified the rest of him. "I'll...uh, I'll take the couch. The bathroom is two doors down on the right, back by the door we came in. I'm afraid there isn't much food. I usually just grab meals in the dining hall. No one notices if we take extra over the weekends."

"I'm not worried about that, Karl. We'll manage." She walked to the open bedroom door and looked inside. At least he'd remembered to put clean sheets on the bed.