Alfred from Amsterdam," Celia said with a smile as a buff, blond couple sat across from Carrie at the table. "You've already met Ali and his friend Sanjay." Carrie sneered at the two scrawny boys from the day before. Then four older and gruff-looking men lumbered in, taking the last seats at the end of the table. "This is Taj, Satish, Ravi, and Paul," Celia said. "Everyone, this is Carrie."
"Hel o," Carrie said, smiling brightly.
One of the men nodded at her, but the others just talked among themselves. They didn't seem to be the most social group of guys, but that was okay by Carrie. They weren't even close to her age, so she wasn't going to be too upset if they didn't feel like making friends.
"Eat, everyone! We are all here!" Dan announced, coming out from the kitchen.
Carrie smiled. This hostel thing wasn't so bad after all .
After finishing off the spicy, garlicky usal, some puris and pohe, and a bowl of cornflakes in seriously sweet milk, Carrie helped the rest of the crew clear the table. Whenever someone left the kitchen, she glanced around, wondering if anyone would notice if she bolted. She was helping Sanjee scrub pots in the sink when everyone else started to trickle out.
"Let me finish here," Sanjee said. "The others will be meeting in the back room to hand out assignments."
"The back room?" Carrie said.
"Right through that door and to the left," Sanjee said, taking over the scrub brush.
If everyone was in the back, she could definitely get out the front. This was her chance.
"I think I left something in the dining room," she said, then turned and quickly pushed through the swinging door. The dining room was empty. Heart pounding, Carrie tiptoed through the room and into the hal . She could hear voices coming from the back room. Ali's nasal voice boomed, followed by Celia's belly laugh. Perfect. They were all occupied.
It's just for the morning, Carrie told herself, staving off any guilt that might try to push its way into her consciousness. You'll be back by lunch. They'll never even notice you're gone.
Creeping quickly to the doorway, Carrie grabbed her backpack, held her breath, and slipped out the front door, closing it quietly behind her. Wispy white clouds raced one another across the sun high above. Carrie had packed her umbrella, but it didn't look as if she would need it. This was a perfect day for some T-shirt hunting.
"Where you go?"
Carrie's heart thumped, but she set off anyway. Maybe whoever had spoken wasn't talking to her. She had no idea where she was going--the maps were still tucked away in her pack--but when she heard footsteps scurrying behind her, she quickly crossed the muddy street. As soon as her foot hit the sidewalk on the other side, Teensy appeared in front of her. The woman's tiny face was pinched into a mil ion wrinkles as her sharp eyes glared up at Carrie. Unreal. No one that old should be able to move that fast.
"Where you go? You here for to work!" she said, pointing a finger at Carrie's chest.
"I was just--"
"No. No 'was just,'" Teensy said. She grabbed Carrie's arm in a surprisingly strong grip, her bony fingers cutting into her skin. "You here for to work.
You come back. Work!"
Carrie opened her mouth to protest. This was ridiculous. She wasn't in some kind of prison camp! This random woman couldn't tell her what to do. But before she could even say anything, Celia appeared at the front door of the hostel, shaking her head and laughing.
"Trying to get away so soon?" she said, wrapping her arm around Carrie's shoulders. "Don't worry, sweetie. This is going to be fun!"
"You are supposed to be hammering," Ali said as he walked by, hauling bricks.
Carrie sneered at his back as he crossed the floor of the loosely framed house. The support beams stretched up and open against the blue sky and workers hung out above, lifting boards for what would one day be the roof. The floor underneath was coarse, grainy wood and all around the base of the house the men from
"Hel o," Carrie said, smiling brightly.
One of the men nodded at her, but the others just talked among themselves. They didn't seem to be the most social group of guys, but that was okay by Carrie. They weren't even close to her age, so she wasn't going to be too upset if they didn't feel like making friends.
"Eat, everyone! We are all here!" Dan announced, coming out from the kitchen.
Carrie smiled. This hostel thing wasn't so bad after all .
After finishing off the spicy, garlicky usal, some puris and pohe, and a bowl of cornflakes in seriously sweet milk, Carrie helped the rest of the crew clear the table. Whenever someone left the kitchen, she glanced around, wondering if anyone would notice if she bolted. She was helping Sanjee scrub pots in the sink when everyone else started to trickle out.
"Let me finish here," Sanjee said. "The others will be meeting in the back room to hand out assignments."
"The back room?" Carrie said.
"Right through that door and to the left," Sanjee said, taking over the scrub brush.
If everyone was in the back, she could definitely get out the front. This was her chance.
"I think I left something in the dining room," she said, then turned and quickly pushed through the swinging door. The dining room was empty. Heart pounding, Carrie tiptoed through the room and into the hal . She could hear voices coming from the back room. Ali's nasal voice boomed, followed by Celia's belly laugh. Perfect. They were all occupied.
It's just for the morning, Carrie told herself, staving off any guilt that might try to push its way into her consciousness. You'll be back by lunch. They'll never even notice you're gone.
Creeping quickly to the doorway, Carrie grabbed her backpack, held her breath, and slipped out the front door, closing it quietly behind her. Wispy white clouds raced one another across the sun high above. Carrie had packed her umbrella, but it didn't look as if she would need it. This was a perfect day for some T-shirt hunting.
"Where you go?"
Carrie's heart thumped, but she set off anyway. Maybe whoever had spoken wasn't talking to her. She had no idea where she was going--the maps were still tucked away in her pack--but when she heard footsteps scurrying behind her, she quickly crossed the muddy street. As soon as her foot hit the sidewalk on the other side, Teensy appeared in front of her. The woman's tiny face was pinched into a mil ion wrinkles as her sharp eyes glared up at Carrie. Unreal. No one that old should be able to move that fast.
"Where you go? You here for to work!" she said, pointing a finger at Carrie's chest.
"I was just--"
"No. No 'was just,'" Teensy said. She grabbed Carrie's arm in a surprisingly strong grip, her bony fingers cutting into her skin. "You here for to work.
You come back. Work!"
Carrie opened her mouth to protest. This was ridiculous. She wasn't in some kind of prison camp! This random woman couldn't tell her what to do. But before she could even say anything, Celia appeared at the front door of the hostel, shaking her head and laughing.
"Trying to get away so soon?" she said, wrapping her arm around Carrie's shoulders. "Don't worry, sweetie. This is going to be fun!"
"You are supposed to be hammering," Ali said as he walked by, hauling bricks.
Carrie sneered at his back as he crossed the floor of the loosely framed house. The support beams stretched up and open against the blue sky and workers hung out above, lifting boards for what would one day be the roof. The floor underneath was coarse, grainy wood and all around the base of the house the men from
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