For the next few days me, Sam and Socca spend so much time together the guards start to call us the Three Monkeys. They say it in whispers, when they think I’m not listening or too far away to hear, but when you live in a place where people are always having private meetings, you learn to pick up the softest whisper.

Sam thinks it’s hilarious. She would.

“Monkey 3 has just joined the other two,” she says in a deep voice, holding her fist to her lips in an imitation of a guard’s radio. “Three Monkeys now on the move, going towards the west gate, over. We’re right behind them. They’re going into town. Hey! They’re running! Three Monkeys moving fast towards the city fence! We lost them! Three Monkeys gone! I repeat, Three Monkeys out of range, over!” She laughs.

“Three Monkeys,” mutters Socca bitterly. “Are they allowed to call the prince a monkey? Isn’t that illegal?”

“I wish.” I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one’s coming. “How many times do I have to tell you? Nobody respects you until you’re sitting in the chair.”

We’re in the bush, a few minutes after giving the guards the slip. We didn’t go through my secret entrance, though. We took the official path past the dam, jumped into the bushes behind the yacht club and ran. Me and Socca have been running from my guards for years. I thought it would be harder with Sam on board, but it turns out she’s a natural at ducking out of sight. I shouldn’t be surprised – deception and rebellion are her greatest talents.

“Your guards amaze me,” says Sam, pushing aside a low-hanging branch. “They’re supposed to be trained professionals, and they can’t even keep track of three teenagers. They should be fired.”

“They’re always getting transferred,” I tell her. “That’s the problem. They don’t stick around long enough to figure out my tricks.”

“Lowest job security in the kingdom,” adds Socca with a knowing nod. “What’s the longest time one of your guards has served? Four months?”

“Three.”

“Where are they transferred to?” asks Sam.

“The older ones move to General Security; protecting the palace compound or securing public venues where the council is going to be. Stuff like that. The younger ones join the army. Then some of the soldiers get moved from the army to guard duty, along with some of the General Security guys. They’re always being shifted around.” I shrug. “It’s supposed to be safer that way; no one is around long enough to learn all the codes or become too familiar with the schedules.”

“Makes a twisted kind of sense,” she says, and then stops walking. “What about here?” She points at one of the baobab trees.

It’s a young one, not yet big enough to hold a few people inside its trunk, but there’s already a hole the size of my head in it. I lean forward to investigate. I reach into the hole and feel gently for any sign that it’s inhabited. My fingers brush against some dry leaves and a few feathers, but nothing else. I twist my hand around inside, then lean in further until my whole arm is in the trunk.

“Looks good.” I pull my arm out and stand up straight. “Big enough to hold all our stuff.” I look up towards the top of the tree, searching for anything I can use to identify it later.

“We should mark it,” says Sam.

“Nah, Kitso can find his way around this place with his eyes closed,” says Socca. “Besides, we don’t want the guards to see a mark and start asking questions.”

Sam glares at him. “Really, Socks? You’re giving the guards too much credit. No one is going to notice a mark on a tree in the bush. You’re giving him too much credit, too.” She jabs her thumb in my direction. “On the day of the escape we’re not going to be taking a nice little bush walk. We’re going to be running, stressed out and in a hurry, and we have to be able to find our things as quickly as possible.” She opens the front compartment of the backpack she’s carrying and pulls out a utility knife. “We need to mark the tree.”

Socca snatches the knife out of her hand. “It’s Kitso’s call.”

“It’s just a mark!”

“We had an agreement. Kitso’s life, Kitso’s call.” He turns to me.

I sigh. Look, I don’t mind being the one who has to make all the decisions. Socca’s right, after all; it’s my life on the line. I just wish the two of them wouldn’t turn everything into a contest, so when I do make a choice it’s like I’m picking a side. Socca’s my boy. Sam’s…well, let’s just call her a consultant. So my loyalty is with Socca, but Sam’s got some good ideas and I’m trying to stay alive.

“Better safe than sorry,” I decide with a shrug.

Socca nods, but his jaw does that clenching thing that tells me he’s not happy with me.

“Socca, you make the mark,” I suggest.

Sam groans.

Socca grins. “What should I write?”

“I don’t know. Whatever you want.”

“As long it’s not stupid,” says Sam.

I give her a look. She doesn’t notice. Socca pauses for a second, then flicks open the knife and starts scratching into the bark. It takes a while. Finally he drops his hand to reveal his masterpiece.

“‘ST’?” Sam hisses. “You’re worried about the guards figuring out we’re up to something, so you mark the tree where we’re going to hide our secret supplies with your initials? Were you dropped on your head as a baby?”

“Shut up!”

I step in between them. “OK, OK.” Sam might have forgotten, but Socca’s still holding the knife. Not that he’d do anything to her, but still. Someone has to keep a clear head around here.

“She needs to go,” says Socca, scowling at Sam over my shoulder. “We have a plan already; we don’t need her.”

“Of course you need me. I’m the reason you have a plan!”

“We could have done it without you.”

“I doubt it.”

“Hey, why don’t you just –”

“Guys!” I hold up both hands, shielding myself from them. “You’re screaming in my ears. Can you stop arguing? We have work to do.”

“So you’re letting her stay?”

“You know, Socks, I’m actually doing the two of you a favour.”

“Sam, shut up.” I turn to face her. “No one asked for your help. You squeezed your way into this, and we were kind enough to let you. If you want to be part of the plan, stop being such a pain.”

She folds her arms and gives me a dirty look. “He marked the tree with his initials. I’m not going to lie and say it was a great idea just because he’s your pal.”

“You can be honest without being rude,” I tell her.

She raises her eyebrows as if she doesn’t see how that’s possible. “Whatever. Can we get a move on? We still have to figure out which path to take to get out of Delta.”

She walks on ahead. Me and Socca linger for a minute, staring at her.

“It’s like she didn’t hear a word you said,” he whispers in amazement.

“She only hears what she wants to hear. Come on.”

I’m starting to worry about Escape Inc. It’s already a dangerous plan. Though I’d never tell her, I’m glad Sam’s involved. I’ve managed to get used to her irritating ways, and I can tolerate her. Socca…not so much. I don’t know what’s going to happen when it’s just the three of us alone in the bush, running from the guards and the army. We’ll all be tense and tired. If I can’t keep the peace now, when we’re just practising, how am I going to manage during the real thing? What if I can’t keep Sam and Socca from fighting? What if I lose my temper with Sam as well?

Funny; I’m running away from the Stick and the throne, but it looks like I still have to be the leader. Maybe, if I can get us through the escape and sort this Rainmaker mess out, I’ll still have a shot at being Kgosi.

It’s not something I’ve thought much about. Picking a life is something other kids do. Princes don’t make choices. Ja, OK, I can pick my clothes or my phone, maybe my car when I get older, but the important things are already decided. I will be Kgosi. I will be Rainmaker. Now all that stuff isn’t set in stone anymore. Now I might never have the life that was planned for me, and suddenly I find myself thinking about my future.

What do I want to do with my life? It’s a hard question to answer. Right now I want to make it out of Delta in one piece. I want to find the fake Rainmaker. I want to get the power back, hold the Stick in my hand and make it rain. I want to still be here a year from now. That’s it. I can’t think beyond that.

I hear Sam’s voice up ahead. We’ve reached the river. I push all the other thoughts out of my head and focus on the plan.