𝑇𝑅𝐴𝑃𝑃𝐸𝐷 𝐼𝑁 𝐹𝑅𝐸𝐸𝐷𝑂𝑀

𝑇𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸~ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑒

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I awoke with a start the next morning, Callum shaking my small bed. He had turned on the lights and pulled back my curtains to reveal the bright morning sun.

"Good morning to you too," I groaned, blocking the light from my eyes.

"Cammi, do you realize that this is your last time being in this room?" Callum asked, his blue eyes full of fear and adrenaline. I was confused for a moment, but then remembered our meeting the night before. Today was the trip to The Wall and to the gate, where we would finally escape, or die trying. How ironic, that in Mada even when we were attempting to leave, failure meant certain death.

"You're right," I sighed, "this is it."

I sat on my bed for a few moments, taking in the room that had been mine for sixteen years. My thin gray sheets pooled around me, and I could feel a slight chill in the air. The beige wallpaper had begun to peel off the walls many years before, and over time I had memorized each hole and tear. The old, tattered curtains blew gently with the breeze, revealing the silhouette of The Wall out my bedroom window.

I changed into my school uniform and pulled back my wavy, light brown hair. I crossed the hallway to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water to make me feel more alert. I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, looking into my blue eyes, and noticed how vivid the colour was. My long eyelashes were clumped together from the water. I took a final look at my bathroom and then began wandering around my small childhood home, embracing every detail as I had done with my bedroom. I couldn't help but feel slightly sad that I would never see this place again. As grim and lonesome as it was, our house was the only place Callum and I had ever known as home.

Of course, there was no question in my mind that we were going to go through with this escape. We were meeting at the barn before school, to go over the plan that we had established the previous night.

Before we left, I emptied the books from my school bag and crammed it full of food, extra clothes, and other supplies that I thought we may need once we reached our new home. I suggested that Callum do the same, which he did uncomplainingly, feeling more than happy to be getting rid of his school things. I also crammed my life's savings into the bottom of my bag, which I had accumulated through the years by doing odd jobs around the city.

Bidding our home one final farewell, Callum and I began walking to the Dales' house. Both of our parents were still asleep when we left. I never saw them before we left for school, and knew if I had woken them up to say goodbye it would have been too out of the ordinary for them to not become suspicious.

Would I miss my parents? Only a little. I did feel a little guilty though, the disappearance of their children would cause them endless amounts of questioning and trouble from the community and more importantly, the government. Today would change both of their lives too. But I knew that we did not belong in Mada, and hopefully they would be able to understand that. Or at least, maybe they would be able to move on without us.

Callum and I continued down the street, nearing closer and closer to our destination. Neither of us spoke as we walked; we were both lost in our own thoughts and emotions. Soon, we arrived at the Dales' barn, where all of our friends were already waiting. The old, rickety barn had been through one too many wind storms and looked as though it were about to collapse at any sudden movement. Despite its broken-down appearance, the barn was more of a home to us than any other place in Mada, and I would miss our little hideout most of all.