Chapter Twenty-four
After midnight, Ella is in her room, bemoaning her raw wrist from where the shackles chafed it. Penn shows up. They talk about her being chained up, and Penn insists that his father knows it was wrong to do to her.
Pennywise. Honeybuns. Your father raped and impregnated your last slave. I'm pretty sure chaining her up is the next logical step in your serial killer of a father's brain.
"No. This is bad enough, chaining you up like an animal or something, but getting you spayed is wrong. It's wrong. My dad won't go through with it."
Yanno, as I've said before, I'm really surprised that wasn't a given for these girls. Considering they're treated like animals in every single other respect. And Penn, you're a dumbass if you continue to think your dad won't treat Ella exactly like an any dog or cat. The only difference is I would hope the congressman doesn't wanna screw dogs.
Penn decides to help Ella escape to Canada, and Ella balks, as she's too afraid to leave. Penn finally spills the beans and tells Ella that their other pet was sent back because she was pregnant. Ella is utterly shocked that it could even happen (I mean, she's kept so ignorant so I'm not really surprised) and she demands to know who got her pregnant. So at least she understands THAT much of sexual reproduction.
"My dad told us it was one of the gardeners, but I don't know. I'm not sure my mom ever really believed him. I'm not sure any of us did."
Gardener. Sure. John the congressman trying to make us believe their gardener was pruning Ravenna's bushes.
(I'm so sorry for that joke, I'll see myself out).
Ella is still scared, because of how ignorant she is, and Penn is all I'M RUNNING AWAY WITH YOU AND TEACH YOU. Which is all well and good, but is he going to go to Canada and work illegally? Is he going to get a work visa? Because his dad can find that out. BURNING QUESTIONS.
Instead of giving me these answers, Penn kisses Ella. Of course that's when she decides to go.
He eased me back across the bed, his lips moving against mine, softly at first, and then with a desperation that matched my own.
Okay, so, the first time I read "lips" as "hips" and it COMPLETELY changed the meaning and I was a bit flabbergasted. I reread it and was like "oh".
Ella remembers her microchip. She tells Penn to find bolt cutters while she cuts out the microchip. COOL.
The chain is too short for her to reach her razor (so she does shave her legs and armpits I guess BUT DOES SHE HAVE TAMPONS?) and so she's stretched out. She can't wait for Penn because she's afraid she'll lose her nerve. Okay.
Okay this is really pointless. She kicks the razor off the tub and breaks the blade out of the plastic razor handle.
I pressed down on the blade, pushing against the microchip as if I was trying to cut it in half. I expected blinding pain, but there was only a sharp sting as the skin peeled apart. I fumbled with my fingers. A wet trickle ran down my arm as the tiny round capsule popped out and rolled across the counter, finally falling beneath the tub where it skidded to a stop.
COOL. OKAY, so I'm giving props to this book for actually writing out this scene. It's still a garbage book, but Ella earned a tiny bit of respect from me.
Then she faints and I'm laughing so hard.
Chapter Twenty-five
While she was unconscious, Penn bandaged her cut and carried her to the bed. He grabs the bolt cutters and tries to break the chain.
He pushed down on the handles, straining to move them "Damn, they make this stuff hard to cut through," he said, bearing down again
God Penn, no wonder your dad is disappointed in you, you're a dumbass
He finally manages to summon some strength from his stringbeany arms and cuts the chain. The whole thing falls to the floor and makes quite a clatter. Thankfully, no one woke up.
Poor Ruby. She's going to wake up and her only friend will be gone.
"We need to hurry," Penn said. "I pushed the car down to the end of the lane so we wouldn't make so much noise, but now I'm worried about you."
Whoa, you pushed a car by yourself? Did you put it in neutral? WTF, if the whole point was to not start the engine, how the hell did you push it? And then you had a hard time with bolt cutters? I AM SO CONFUSED.
ELISE SHOWS UP. Penn is immediately like IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE (it looks like... he cut her chain and running away? Which is what Elise immediately assumes?).
And then ELISE is my BEAUTIFUL ELISE after Penn gives his whole speech about how he hates his life, and is all like "Dude, I'm not stopping you" and THEN...
"You only have one chance. Just look at the mess that stupid Harper woman made. If she'd taken my help instead of insisting she do it all herself, it would have worked the first time."
ELISE. MY DARLING ELISE. YOU REALLY WANTED HER TO ESCAPE THE FIRST TIME. YOU WERE GOING TO HELP. I LOVE YOU.
So anywho, the three of them are at the car. At least Ella grabbed some clothes. Ella thinks of Ruby, but Elise says she'll make sure Ruby knows that Ella is okay (and hopefully instilling in her the fact that ENSLAVING PEOPLE IS WRONG). Elise gives them some cash, an address, and some butterscotches. GOD I LOVE YOU ELISE.
They drive off. They're both anxious.
"I've never disobeyed my dad like this. He'll kill me if he knew what I was doing. Forget that he's never supported the death penalty. I'm pretty sure this would change his mind."
Yeah, but he'll kill a pregnant girl. Hypocritical asshole.
Ella is sad she's leaving Ruby, so I'm glad at least the narrative remembers she exists. They talk about Claire, and how she's probably jealous of Ella taking their dad's attention away from her (....right, that's all she'd be upset about).
Penn asks if she was really going to run away the night before, without telling him. And he's really upset by this. As if she owes him anything. Ella tells him that she was afraid of what his dad would do to the both of him.
"You know I don't just think you're a stupid pet, do you?"
Ella can't answer, and he's pissed. Jeez Louise, Penn. Jeez Louise, Ella.
Chapter Twenty-six
Penn storms off into the gas station store. Ella goes after him. Penn tells her to go wait in the car, and the woman at the counter asks if they were at a "ball" (not a dance? okay) because of her dress. They argue some more about some misunderstanding when he was talking to Claire the day before.
"This isn't about stupid politics or being a hero. It isn't about anything but you, Ella. I just want to be with you."
Is this supposed to make us like Penn? Because he still has NOT acknowledged that genetically engineered human sex slavery is wrong. Literally the only reason he is running away with Ella is because she makes his dangly bits tingle.
They drive on and hold hands and talk about random crap about being happy and pianos and stuff.
"You, Penn Kimball. You make me happy."
Chapter Twenty-seven
It's finally morning, and they talk about John and how he probably figured everything out already. Penn says that his dad has no way of knowing which way they're going to cross the border and then HE DECIDES TO GO TO NIAGARA FALLS ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW YOU DUMB MAN.
Penn's dad is a congressman. He's going to make sure his people call every border crossing for half the country, INCLUDING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TOURISTS SPOTS. Yeah, they might be able to "blend in" but Penn is a dumbass and didn't bring his passport and Ella has no photo identification.
"I don't have my passport, but I know they'll let us in once we ask for asylum. they've been really vocal about how wrong they think our new laws are. My dad complains about it all the time."
I... don't think it's that easy, kid. Political asylum is a VERY tricky thing, and I don't think the Niagara Falls officials are going to just be like "yo, okay, come on over" to two teenagers, and since she cut out her microchip I'm not sure if they have any way of proving that Ella is a pet.
If you show up at the border and ask for it, you have to fill out forms that include your background and family, why you want to make a claim and you have to go to a hearing to determine if you get it. I'm sure they'd make exceptions for pets in this world (not that the author ever did any sort of worldbuilding) to compensate for the fact that she doesn't have a family, but still. She'd undergo an interview and this world is SHIT at explaining the legal minutia of pets, considering she's owned by a congressman.
They ogle the Falls and they notice a police cordon checking cars. And when Ella suggests taking off the license plate, Penn is like 'THEY KNOW THE MAKE AND MODEL' instead of telling her that would make them MORE suspicious and OH YEAH THEY PROBABLY HAVE PHOTOS OF THEM.
Unless this world is really weird and they don't have ways of sending photographs through EMAIL or what the hell ever since we still haven't seen a computer or an actual cell phone in this story yet.
They decide to try to switch cars (????? YES BUT WOULDN'T THE POLICE HAVE THEIR PHOTOGRAPHS?????). They go to try to rent a car OH MY GOD PENN IS LIKE 17 THEY WOULDN'T RENT HIM A CAR. And this doesn't occur to him as his only concern is that he can't give them his name.
I GIVE UP.
Penn decides to steal the keys to a car.
OH MY GOD. THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. THAT'S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS. LOTS OF PLACES CHECK YOU BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE LOT OH MY GODDD HAS THIS AUTHOR EVER RENTED A CAR BEFORE?!!? I mean, I guess I can see how a 17 year old might not understand how car rentals work, but OMG. As a teenager, I knew you couldn't rent a car at age 17. and not to mention, I'd figure they'd zero in on their missing car quite quickly and give all the info to the cops.
"Most people just look things up online," he said.
AH THE INTERNET DOES EXIST! AND PENN DOESN'T THINK THAT MAYBE THE COPS HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS? DESCRIPTIONS? OH MY GODDDDD
The rental agent goes to find brochures and Pen steals keys. Ella notices a paper falling to the floor. It's a photo of her (I KNEW IT DAMMIT) that says RUNAWAY PET. $5,000 REWARD.
Lol. She's only worth a $5,000 reward.
AND THE RENTAL AGENT SOLD THEM OUT HAHAHAHAHAHA OMG. PENN IS SUCH AN IDIOT. HE WAS TRYING TO COMMIT A FELONY ANYWAY LOL.
They run off and Penn realizes he doesn't actually know what car the keys belong to. Because he's an IDIOT.
They find a woman in a car, and they beg for a ride. She gives it to them (and her husband's there). They were in the rental agency and recognized them, and decided to help them.
"To be honest, I didn't really think it was true. I mean, I've seen stories about it on the news and stuff."
It's unclear if she's talking about pets in general or runaway pets, and the fact that she didn't really think either would be true is kind of... weird.
Hey wait a minute, Kidnapping a human is a felony... is kidnapping a pet one too? Penn is just racking them up. Not to mention crossing national borders with her...
The nice couple decides to take them across the border. Even though they're checking cars. Okay.
When I went to Canada through Detroit, they checked everyone's passports and IDs in every car. They didn't search our car or anything, we just drove up to the window and showed our passports.
"Here, put on my sweater," Jocelyn said, tossing back a soft pink cardigan. "And hold these up when we drive past. It'll cover your face." She handed me a pair of binoculars.
Okay??!?!?! They think they'll get past border security? So they're not checking IDs?! IN NIAGARA FALLS?! I guess Penn just assumes that the border security is going to be like 'LOL WE TOTES BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE SEEKING POLITICAL ASYLUM WITHOUT IDENTIFICATION OR ANY ACTUAL EVIDENCE!!!'
These bitches would be better to cross the border on foot in the wilderness jesus christ.
They pay the toll, get stopped by a cop who asks if they've seen the girl on the poster (and... don't check each person's face OKAY)
They drive forward towards the border. They see the lights of a police car in the rearview mirror or something, IDK.
"We should have taken the plate off," Penn said. "That asshole at the rental place must have given them the number."
???? A CAR WITHOUT A LICENSE PLATE GOING INTO ANOTHER COUNTRY WILL BE IMMEDIATELY FLAGGED AS STOLEN. THEY LOOK SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT SHIT, ARE YOU INSANE?!
They decide to jump out of the car and run to the checkpoint to beg for asylum (THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS OH MY GOD THAT IS SUSPICIOUS AS HELL). They run around the cars.
"Stop!" a voice bellowed behind me. "Stop or we'll fire."
Shooting into rows of cars, smart.
They don't stop.
Men in uniforms "emerged from the shadows" in front of them... WHAT SHADOWS? WHAT IS GOING ON?
Ella loses Penn and sees that Penn was detained by an officer and elbowed to the ground.
She runs towards the shadow officers and begs for asylum and says that she's a pet. The American officers yell that she is the property of the congressman and was stolen.
The officer steps in front of her and says she's on Canadian soil and she can't be taken.
I... don't think that's how it works. I COULD BE WRONG I just googled for a few minutes... which I think is more than the author did. He also says they need to let the boy go, which isn't true because he's technically a runaway minor. They have every right to detain him and return him to his parents.
The American officer agrees with me and drags Penn away
Ella tries to run after Penn and the Canadian officer is like 'WTF?'.
"But I can't go without him!"
Of course this idiot would latch onto someone instead of freedom.
Our eyes locked and time slowed. Around us there was only light and the fine mist of water that sprayed off the falls.
Mmm. Romantic. While a million cars are honking at your obnoxious asses for holding up the border crossing.
I thought that freedom and happiness would be indistinguishable, but now I didn't know. Maybe freedom wasn't a state of being. Maybe it was an act of courage. Maybe freedom was defiance and sacrifice and pain, something that couldn't be won without giving up something else in return.
I don't think the founding fathers thought giving up your boyfriend was the "something else", ELLA.
Ella stands on the bridge for a long time (she doesn't know how long) because... that makes sense. I'm pretty sure the Canadian officer should be like OH SHIT I NEED TO CONTACT THE GOVERNMENT TO GET THIS STRAIGHTENED OUT. Since there's a ton of paperwork involved in claiming asylum.
At some point Penn gave her a piece of paper (I don't know when and I don't care go back and find out, probably when they ran out of the car). Ella can't read it, but she recognizes it as the address Elise gave them. She finally turns around, ready to face things.
Also... that address might be somewhat helpful but she can't just go around Canada willy nilly. Political asylum seekers have pretty strict rules. The government is going to be watching her and probably keeping her in a certain place.
I licked the moisture from my lips, testing the first bittersweet taste of freedom.
Ew, lip sweat.
______
THE END
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