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asked.
    “What are you talking about?” Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at the few slaves left in the room and then she whispered, “She didn’t get up. She was kidnapped like the others!”
    “Ella, did you see Ivy get up to do her chores?” I repeated, stressing each word, hoping the lie would sink in quickly as the other slaves began to leave to attend to their chores.
    “Did you?” Ella grabbed my hand, her eyes widening, convincing me she finally understood what I was doing.
    “Yes, I did.”
    “Then I did too,” she whispered, squeezing my hand. I could still feel the spot on my palm where the token had been. Even though it was now well-hidden, it had left an invisible mark on me.
    But I knew we couldn’t stall any longer, our chores were waiting for us. I let go of her hand, reached under the bed, and grabbed my shaving kit. Then I handed Ella my razor. “Can you shave my head this morning since Ivy got up so early to get started on her chores?” If I repeated it enough, maybe it would be real.
    We weren’t allowed mirrors and relied on each other to keep our heads cleanly shaved each morning. Ella’s tiny hand shook as she reached for the razor. I wasn’t sure how much skill she had in shaving. I’d frequently spied her shaving herself in the corner when she thought no one was looking. It must have been hard for her to be the new girl with no one to rely on for help and friendship.
    “Sure, Reychel. Anything to help a friend.”
    Ella dunked the soap in a bucket of water and then rubbed it on my head. I shivered as the cold water trickled down the back of my neck. I felt the coarse towel scratch against my neck as Ella sopped up the drips.
    If Ivy knew this was coming, and her silent escape told me she knew, why wouldn’t she have shared it with me? We’d been best friends for as long as I could remember. We had always sworn to stick together, especially after Ivy’s fifteenth birthday last month. She’d faced her horror with my help. Who would be there for me today?
    I reached for Ella’s shaving kit as she wiped the last bit of soap off of my freshly smooth scalp. Years ago the tingle I had felt after shaving disappeared. I was used to the barren sensation. It definitely felt better than the itchy black stubble that grew overnight.
    “What do we do now?” Ella switched positions with me. She sat on my bed while I stood up behind her, ready to return the favor.
    “The same as always.” I carefully pulled the razor over the curve on the back of her head. Making my way over to the ears, the most difficult part to shave without nicking, I leaned over and whispered in Ella’s ear. “We go about our chores. We stick to our story that we saw Ivy get up early. I’ll keep the token hidden.”
    “I’m scared, Reychel.”
    “Me too,” I said, trying to keep a steady hand as I finished shaving her head.
    ***
    Walking through the servant’s hallways, roughly chiseled parallel to the grand halls to keep us separate from those who ruled us, I ran my fingers along the cool, damp stone walls. I wondered what it was like outside today. I’d heard it was beautiful. Sunny skies with puffy clouds. Not that I would get to see. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been allowed outside this year.
    My master, Kandek, only allowed me glimpses of the outside world in his presence. No open windows, no glances between the curtains, nothing. It was forbidden and anyone who saw me try was ordered to turn me in to him or face punishment with me if caught. To avoid getting anyone else in trouble, I had learned to ignore windows. I couldn’t bear for anyone else to get in trouble for my mistakes.
    Most of my days were spent in the dark back room of the kitchen. I washed and dried dishes, put them away and repeated that for every meal. Not exciting, but better than cleaning out urine pots.
    It wasn’t my place to ask why the outside world was forbidden to me, but the other slaves had their theory.