24. Moving?

The sun was starting to set when Layla’s phone rang.

She rushed back from the window where she had been trying to map a way to the front gate to grab the phone from the nightstand. The number flashing on the screen was unknown, but she already knew who it was.

“Brit?” she said as she answered.

“Hi, Layla.”

Britney sounded cheerful. That immediately put her most pressing fears to rest. Her sister would never have been able to hide her emotions from her if something terrible was happening to her.

“Sorry, I didn’t think about getting you a new phone until now,” she said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been busy settling in, and this place is huge. Have you been okay?”

The lie came so easily again. But she knew she would have to tell her sister everything when she was ready to escape.

“Don’t worry about me,” Britney said. “This is so surreal. They gave me a whole wardrobe full of expensive clothes, and I’m allowed to order anything I want.”

Her heart ached. Those were the thing