Lust by Francine Pascal

cause a distraction so they can escape.”
    â€œYou’ve got those fireworks?” Gaia asked.
    â€œI’ve got everything, and it’s all still dry. With any luck, the guards will be so disorganized, they’ll split up in too many directions to notice us,” Jake said as he dug a stake into the ground to anchor the fort.
    â€œRight. And the inmates—they’ll either start fighting amongst themselves or take advantage of the confusion to try to escape themselves.” Gaia kicked her stake to make sure it was stable.
    â€œAnd that’s when we bust your dad out.”
    Gaia grinned. “Yeah. That’s when we bust my dad out.”
    â€œYou excited?”
    â€œWhat do you think?” Gaia packed away her grin and gave a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do this thing.”
    Jake nodded. Gaia could just make out the outlineof his head in the inky blackness. Together they used their Oliver-issued night-vision goggles to find their way through the snow to the rocky outcropping that would give them access to the prison. They entered easily. Just as Oliver had told them, there was a fissure in the wall that gave them access to the main yard. Gaia ran across the yard to the tower.
    Her heart raced as she entered the building. She knew she was close. She could sense her father’s presence. She entered the building and ran up the dank stairs. He was sure to be at the top; that was the most difficult place to escape from, because it could be seen from everywhere in the prison.
    Rounding the last flight, she saw a cell at the end of a hallway. Inside it was a figure in a gray uniform, head bowed. It couldn’t be so easy. But apparently it was. There, right before her eyes—
    â€œDad!”
    The head came up. In an instant, Gaia saw the face that was so much like Oliver’s, but now instantly recognizable as her father’s. She had found him. After what seemed like a lifetime of wondering, thousands of miles crossed, and an immeasurable amount of worry, she’d found him. Her father, Tom Moore. Her heart bloomed in her chest till it almost choked her with emotion.
    Except something was wrong.
    â€œDad?”
    Yes, technically, Gaia was standing in front of her father, Tom Moore. But he didn’t know it yet Gaia’s heart broke when she saw what had been done to him. He’d been beaten, she could see that immediately. But there was something worse. He looked defeated, and he blinked at her as though he thought he might be hallucinating.
    â€œI wish you were real,” he said in a low voice.
    The words pressed into her heart like a red-hot cattle brand. He didn’t even recognize that she was real? What was going on?
    â€œI am real, Dad! It’s me!”
    Forcing herself to act instead of worry, she ran forward and yanked on the door. She jimmied a crowbar between the bars and snapped them open, reaching through to grab him and break through whatever dream state he was in.
    â€œDad,” she said.
    His eyes peered out at her, red-rimmed and haggard. She shook his collar. He jerked back, as though he hadn’t expected her to actually reach out and touch him. To Gaia, it felt like she’d been slapped. She threw her arms around him and squeezed.
    â€œCome back,” she begged. “Come back. It’s me. It’s Gaia. I’m really here.” Her voice broke and she fought back tears. “Dad, don’t do this.” She pulled back, smoothing her hands across his face. He studied her with a puzzled expression.
    â€œCome on,” she moaned. “Hey!” She shook him alittle. Finally, his eyes widened. A spark entered them. Relief flooded Gaia’s veins as their eyes connected for real.
    â€œGaia,” he said, his voice husky and harsh. He hugged her back, crushing her in a desperate embrace. She waited to hear him say something, ask how she got there, tell her he loved her.
    â€œBehind you,” he