Penny For Your Thoughts.

A long, long, long time ago, I wrote a book. It was something I liked to do. Who am I kidding? I still like doing that!
Anyway, one person in the world read this book. I will call her BFF. Now, BFF liked this book. Even with all the terrible writing, the long story, and the silly nonsense, she LIKED it. I always thought she liked it simply because she was my BFF and was being nice, but no! She really liked it. I met up with her, and she was adamant.
Alas, I told BFF I was going to toss the story in the trash. That is where it belongs. She said she would kill me. If I die under mysterious circumstances, you will all know what really happened.
Yesterday, I pulled the book out and asked myself if it could be saved and if I could give it a second chance. I feel like I am back with a cheating boyfriend. Can I trust this manuscript that I wrote before I knew how to write? I know deep down that this should never see the light of day! How can we ever get along? 
But I might try for my BFF. This book could save my life. 
Penny For Your Thoughts?

***

“We can do this, Penny Rose.” Cash’s gruff sentence jolted her awake. “You’ll only have to be out here like three days.”
The reassurances sounded like they were more for her brother’s benefit than for hers.
Groggily, Penny tried to acknowledge her brother and lift her eyelids. She needed to ask where she was. After a few tries, she gave up. Her head swayed with her cheek pressed against her brother’s muscled back. She tried to shift so her brother wouldn’t bear the brunt of her weight, but she couldn’t. The drug in her system held her immobile.
Even with her eyes closed, Penny could tell that Cash had squished her in a bag and carried her strapped to his meaty shoulders. He huffed as he trudged, but she didn’t think his lassitude was because of her added balk. Cash was a short man, but he was muscular with fantastic endurance. At least, that is what she remembered from when they used to be around each other. Instead, she guessed that his puffing was due to walking a long distance and traveling at a swift pace.
But where were they going?
Penny tried to recall what happened in the last twenty-four hours. Drat, most of it was a blur. She’d argued with one of the doctors at the Female Care Center. The quarrel was a minor disagreement about her not eating again. Two female guards held her down and gave her that horrendous immobilization drug. Penny didn’t think the exchange warranted the use of the powerful injection. Besides, as of late, she had been so weak she wondered why they even bothered.
After the shot, she couldn’t recall much. She fell asleep in the recovery room. One thing she knew for sure was that if Cash had gotten her out of the Female Care Center, he’d done so illegally. No part of her cared that he’d committed a crime against the H.S.P.C.
In fact, the more she thought about what happened, the more she was sure that if she’d been awake, she would’ve helped. As far as she was concerned, FCCs were women’s prisons. Penny would willingly commit a dozen crimes to be free. If she could’ve smiled, she would’ve. Yes, and yes. Maybe she should feel bad that her brother had risked a lot to come for her, but she didn’t feel guilty right now.
Right now, never returning to the FCC was the only thing on her mind. For the second time, she worked to lift her eyelids. Sniffing, she detected clean soil and plants. Where were they? She needed to know. Staying proactive was what she needed to do. That way, she would never get stuck in a care center again.
Fear began to win out over her excitement at her brother’s daring rescue. She couldn’t sit back and let Cash do the work. She had to fight. The first time around, she’d sat by doing nothing. Not fighting had gotten her mother stuck in a care center as well. Penny wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She would ask Cash what happened and how he saved her in case she was ever trapped again.
Prying her eyes open, she forced them to stay wide enough to look at her surroundings. Her brother had a headlamp on his head. Odd. The light illuminated a large space before them. They were walking on a dirt path. Darkness surrounded them. There was only the crunch of gravel. Why were they not on a train zooming toward the Equator? The busy area of the C.T.O.N.A. would be where they would never be found. A dozen questions rolled through her brain.
Penny strained her neck as she worked to speak. Bummer, her voice was as frozen as her body. Okay, no walking or talking, but she could figure out what was happening. Think. If she remembered correctly, her brother always had a plan. Knowing the strategy would make her feel safe.
Opening her mouth, she tried again. No sound emerged. Drat, there was nothing except the crunch of her brother’s boots on loose rocks. Tears sprung to her eyes. The drops slipped down her cheeks to wet the scratchy cloth. She didn’t know why she was crying. This wasn’t the first time they’d given her the immobilization drug, and her voice wouldn’t work. Usually, her voice came back in a week or so. Penny figured she cried because she’d barely seen Cash in thirteen years, and now she couldn’t even talk to him.
Her brother’s shoulders rolled, and he turned his head, scattering light in a new direction. Sucking in her surprise, she caught sight of the plants.
No and no. The landscape had Penny’s heart hitting the ground. Not here...