Escape Route

One

The Alcyone Forrest was almost silent as the sun was setting. Every once in a while I could hear the sound of an animal calling out. My backpack was full of different pebbles and other small items that I could carve into to sell at the market to make extra money. The weight that usually would be double on the days I was working.

I was thankful that my boss had given me the day off. He was a kind person, according to the other slaves who came from different places. I didn't know the difference, since my whole life was spent on the farm, hunting large game for Maddox, my owner and his family.

"Autumn, hurry up! Maddox is about to shut the power down. Make sure that you and  Ty-nine are inside," my mother called from the other side of the fence.

"Come along, Ty," I said to the purple and white circular robot that was waiting patient by my side.

I jogged over to the entry gates with Ty-nine close on my heels. The gates keeper, Orrell, gave me a warm smile as he closed the gates behind me.

"Your mother had already picked up the food for your house hold," Orrell told me.

"Okay, thanks," I said before taking off into a sprint.

I lived with my mother on the other side of Maddox McGowen's property in a small, cozy house; It was a slave's house, but it was bigger than most of the others, since Maddox had taken pity on my mother, who was pregnant with me when she came to work for him.

My whole life was spent working here on this farm in the beautiful Alcyone Forrest. The life of a slave is never easy, but somehow, my mother is always smiling when she comes home from working in the fields all day. I enjoy the job I've been assigned to as well. Every morning I get to leave the property to go hunting for small and large game with the other nineteen year olds.

When I arrived at my house, my mother was waiting patiently at the front door. Her dark brown hair was swept up into a tight bun, which was one of the normal hairstyles that the women on the farm used to keep their hair out of their eyes as they worked. Personally, I preferred to use a simple braid that wrapped around my head.

"Clean yourself up, dinner will be ready soon," she told me, pushing me through the front entrance. Ty-nine rolled along behind me, quiet content, letting out several beeps and squeaks.

"Alright, Ty-nine, go ahead. You did well today," I said, placing my hand against his cold metal head.

The robot looked up at me before speeding off to my room, where I had spent months building him. It was one of many things that I enjoyed doing in my spare time.

Most of the other slaves didn't have robots to assist them, but those who did, paid me to build them one for house chores in their dwellings. Ty-nine was one-of-a-kind, but there were several droids around the farm that were identical to the ones I constructed. Even Maddox had bought a few for himself to use in his house.

I headed into the washroom to clean myself up, including taking my light brown hair out of its braid that wrapped its way around my head. I scrubbed the dirt off my face and hands and changed into a pair of worn out brown pants, a flowing cream coloured shirt and my favourite, and only pair scruffy brown ankle boots.

I looked at my reflection in the only mirror in the house. My hazel coloured eyes sparkled mischievously and my light brown hair cascaded down to the bottom of my ribcage. Freckles splattered across my cheeks and a small pink crescent shaped scar rested under my right eye.

"Autumn, dinner!" my mother called.

I brushed the stray strands of hair out of my face and headed into the small confinements of the dining room.

A small platter of different foods were set out on the table. I immediately went for a slice of bread, placing it down on my empty plate. My mother was already eating what she already had on her plate.

"Eat up Autumn, you're going to need your energy tomorrow,"  my mother told me, pushing some fruit onto my plate.

I never argued with my mother about my eating habits. She has only been concerned about my health, never her own. I had to take care of her whenever she got sick because she would continue to work, despite her deteriorating well being.

When dinner was over, I took the plates into the kitchen and began cleaning them while my mother feed the Enids that were in the backyard.

"Mom, I'm heading up to my room. I'll see you in the morning," I said, from the back door.

"Alright, goodnight," she called back.

I bounded up the stairs and into my room. The walls were a cold, grey colour, the colour every room in the house was. A small bed was pushed into the corner of my room, taking up most of my floorspace.

I pulled out a woolen shirt and tight, black pants out of my dresser and changed into them quickly. The temperature was already beginning to drop and I was already shivering.

Ty-nine was already shut down for the night, every once in a while, beeping quietly.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.

*****************************
Hello,

Thank you for reading this book, it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy the journey of Autumn.

Also, I apologize in advance for slow updates. I can get very busy with school, which of course, is my top priority. I also apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors that you may stumble across. I am only human and I am trying my best. I'll be editing each chapter as much as possible before I publish them and I will edit the entire book once it's done.

Please let me know what you thought of the chapter, and if you have any questions, feel free to message me and I'll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Marissa