“We can’t just drop you off without a reason,” she said.
“Are you saying I’m too thin ?” The idea was absurd. Days ago I was still overweight.
“No, but you need to be heavier for us to justify dropping you off.”
“Dropping me off?”
“Yes, of course,” Dani said. “We’ll give you an identity and we’ll drop you off because we’re concerned parents and we want you to get the treatment you need.” She paused. “How else can we guarantee you’ll be in Camp Willowmoss?”
She had a point, and it would certainly be more pleasant to be dropped off voluntarily instead of being tasered and dragged away by force.
“Also, there’s your arm,” Dani said.
I glanced at the bandage on my right arm.
“It needs to finish healing before we take you back. Otherwise it will be very suspicious, don’t you think?”
I hadn’t thought of any of those things and wondered what else I hadn’t thought of. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. But how long will all this take?”
“I think you should be ready to go in three to four weeks,” Jack said, smiling.
“Three to four weeks?” I’d only been in Camp Willowmoss for nine days and that had been pure torture. How would Amy survive for three to four weeks?
“The only other option is for you to turn yourself in as Morgan Campbell,” Jack said, his eyebrows raised. “Are you willing to do that?”
I answered without hesitation. “No, of course not.” Going with a false identity was risky enough. If I admitted who I was, they’d make sure I was in there so long that I’d never get back to the tunnel in time—assuming I survived Hansen and his undisguised desire to kill me.
“Then you’ll have to follow our plan.” He looked at me with sternness. “Agreed?”
Not having any other ideas, I nodded.
He slapped his palms against his legs and stood. “Good. Dani will design a meal schedule for you that should add the weight, and she’ll keep a close eye on that wound. It won’t do to have a scar right where they put the chip.”
“How much weight do I need to gain?”
“I’d like to have you put on about fifteen pounds,” Dani said.
This was not good. Any progress I’d made by all those workouts in Camp Willowmoss would be lost, and not only would I have to start over once I was in there, but it would be even harder because I’d be heavier than I’d been the first time around. Not only that, if I didn’t get inside for another four weeks, I’d only have two weeks to get Amy and get back out before the window of time to get in the tunnel would be closed.
But what choice did I have? I could leave Amy in there and feel gut-wrenching guilt for the rest of my life, or I could do something to help her. When it came down to it, there really was no choice.
Chapter Eleven
After Jack left, everyone wandered out of the room. Everyone but Dani and me.
“Let me see how your arm is healing.” She motioned for me to sit by her.
I did as directed and she unwrapped the bandage.
“It’s healing well, but we need to do as much as we can to diminish the scar.” She smiled at me. “Like Jack said, it would be pretty suspicious if you have a scar right on the spot where they’ll put the chip.”
The idea of being chipped again scared me. How would the rescue work? Would it work? There were so many unknowns.
“I have some cream that will help with the scar. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
I nodded, a strong sensation of anxiety washing over me as I imagined entering Camp Willowmoss—presumably for the last time.
For the rest of the day I tried to think of things other than my future, and just enjoy the company of everyone in the house. We watched movies and played games. It sucked that I couldn’t go outside, but I didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing me. I still had weeks before I’d be ready to face the world. That trip to the shopping center now seemed silly compared with the important work I had ahead of me, although it
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