The Glass Castle

Caleb

The raft came to a standstill, and the old man pushed the cart onto dry land with a grunt.

she must have gotten a second wind during their ride on the raft, because he pushed with renewed energy over the winding hills to where a steep road lead to a thick wooden door under an enormous towering archway. two burly guards with pockmarked faces and chests as round as barrels stood on either side of the door, each holding a heavy torch in his hand with flames that licked the air and spit out heavy smoke as black as midnight. one of the guards grunted and Alex felt the beat of his heart in his neck.

he was thankful, to have at least survived the raft. now he hoped to survive these men. he didn't have the energy to fight, and from the size of these two, he would need a lot more than energy if they intended to harm him.

Alex suspected people did whatever these men required. he could only hope that his mother was out looking for him and Hailey by now and that she had already told the authorities.

Of course, she has. she is looking for us right now.we'll be home by breakfast.

“what’sin the cart” one of the guards asked, kicking the cart with his boot.

Alex moved as far back and out of sight as possible.

“Potatoes and blackberry’s” The old man said, a surprising unease in his voice.

Alex didn’t know whose side the men would take if he called for help, but he knew he had a better chance of defending himself against the old man than against men with muscles the size of bread bowls and boots the size of planets.

More words. More grunts. More kicking the cart.

Finally,he opened the door to a set of narrow limestone steps that seemed to last forever up an unlit stairwell. Before Alex had time to think about what it meant for his own cramped and aching back, legs and arms—

Ka-thank,ka-thunk, ka-thank

Someone—surely not the old man—was dragging or pushing the cart upstairs one painful step at a time Alex slammed back against the boards, his head hitting the top and the sides, his knees hitting the front when he tried to brace himself. He wanted to cry out in agony, but who might hear him and what consequence might that bring.He bit down on his lip to keep from screaming. By the time the cart stopped, he ached all over and knew that even if he were able to escape, he wouldn’t get far

Was that the plan? Injured birds never fly far.

A door opened to a stream of welcoming, golden light, and all at once everything became pleasant. Alex longed for more of the warmth that came with the light, no matter the cost.

The cart creaked backward, stopped and was pushed upright, and a crowd gathered around it.

Alex peered through he slats

Shimmery fabric, eager voice, hushed tones and dirty feet

When the old man spoke, the room fell silent.

“This one ‘ere is feisty! He might bite” nervous laughter rose like steam from broth.

“you know the rules don’t let ‘I’m out of your sight even for a moment. If you can’t break ‘is will by morning, send foe me and I’ll do it”

Alex didn’t like the sound of that, but before he could think about it too long the cart was lifted, and Alex was dumped out, a tangled mess of dirty white suit and messy black hair.

The crowd gasped

Alex lay on his back and groaned, staring at the heavily painted mosaic ceiling as the crowd closed around him. A sea of dirty young faces swarm into focus,easily fifty pairs of unblinking eyes taking him in. dozens of well-dressed kids with hungry looks and wide, expectant gazes.

“what’s his name” A girl asked

“Alex”the old man answer, untying Alex’s wrists and removing the cloth from his mouth

Suddenly Alex sat up.

“How do you know my name? what is this place and why am I here? when can I go home,my” mother will find you and she’ll prosecute you to the full extent of the law, I promise!

“like I said, feisty” the old man said, he turned to leave.

Alex jumped to his feet and lunged, latching onto the old man’s shoulders, intending to tackle him and pin him to the ground, but the man shook him off with surprising effortlessness, fire burning in his blank eyes.

“Do not touch me child!”

“Or what” Alex shouted

The man swung a fist at him, just as someone stood in front of him. The old man stopped and spat at Alex’s feet.

“I’ll handle him” the person in front of him said

“Than teach ‘im to show some respect. I should’ve left ‘im in the woods to rot”

“rotting might have been a better option” Alex bit back. Snickers went up from the crowd.

The man disappeared into the dark stair well and slammed the door as Alex turned to see who had spared him from the punch.

The girl was just a little bit shorter than Alex and alarming green eyes, as bright as sea glass

“you’re welcome” she offered with a smile

“next time, don’t interfere” Alex said a little louder than he had intended

She raised her hands

“okay”

Then leaning closer she added

“at least talk to Caleb he’s one of the nice ones, he’ll help you”

“whose Caleb” Alex snapped

She pointed to a boy with strawberry blond hair, warm brown eyes and delicate cheekbones. He stood out from the crowd because of his clean face and blue-blooded posture. And dress shoes.

Caleb stepped forward and put a hand on Alex’s arm

“come with me” he said quietly.

And against his better judgment, Alex followed. But as they approached a dark hallway with no end in sight, he had a feeling that the worst of his day was yet to come.