Fatal Attractions

Chapter Nineteen

     I woke to the sound of a high-pitched beeping. Panic filled my mind before I realized it was the bedside alarm clock. I hit the button on the alarm and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Once I was completely awake, I remembered my plans from the previous night.

     I would pack up as much as I could and sneak out of here. If I was even able to accomplish this, I wasn't sure, but I was going to try. Alex crossed the line with me more than once, and last night was the last straw.

     I stood to my feet and stretched, my muscles tight. The mental stress was now affecting my body, and that just encouraged me even more to leave. I padded over to the small duffle bag sitting at the foot of the bed and lifted it up onto the bed. It had never been unpacked, so it was full save for a few items of clothing. I quickly rummaged through the closet, pulling everything off the hangers, and stuffed them into the duffle bag.

     There was a light knocking on the door. "Lena? You awake?" Shit. I completely forgot I made plans with Sam last night. I grabbed the duffle bag and laid it back down at the foot of the bed, then lowered myself to the floor and slid under the bed. I waited a few moments before I heard more knocking. "Lena?"

     I heard the doorknob turn, following by a sliver of light spilling across the floor, stopping right in front of the bed. I saw her small feet step into the room, then she stopped.

     "Lena?" She stepped across the room and I heard the bathroom door open. "You in here?" A few more moments of silence, and then the bathroom door closed. I watched her walk over to the bedroom door, slipping through it and closing it behind her. By the time she was gone, my heart was pounding and my hands were trembling. She could've easily spotted me, and my plan would've been ruined before I even left the bedroom.

     After waiting a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear, I got out from under the bed. After that close call, I speedily slipped on my sneakers and jacket. The hallway was clear when I stepped out of the room, thankfully. I was lucky to remain unseen by Sam, but I wasn't sure if I could do it again.

     By the time I got to the grand staircase, my hands were shaking. The duffle bag felt like a hundred pound weight on my shoulder. Every bone in my body was screaming at me to go back into the bedroom, but my mind refused to let my limbs move in any direction other than towards the front door.

     The living room was dead silent, and my footsteps seemed to echo as I made my way down the staircase. I was expecting someone to come through the kitchen doors, or down the staircase after me any second, but no one came. It was just me and silence so thick you could cut it with a knife. I reached for the knob of the door, my heart feeling like it could pop any second, and pulled. I was greeted by a crisp, clean wind lapping at my face. I made a vow to myself to never forget how good fresh air felt.

     I stepped over the threshold and closed the door silently behind me, putting on the duffle bag like a backpack. This was it. I was doing it. There was no turning back, and I repeated that to myself as I stepped down the small staircase that led to the blacktop. I felt my feet pounding against the pavement before I realized I was running. My running slowed down as I came to a large cast-iron gate. I could see a long gravel road beyond it, but I was still in view of the manor. If I was going to get past this gate, it had to be now.

     Slipping the duffle bag off my back, I tossed it high over the fence and waited until I saw it hit the ground on the other side. I gripped tight on the bars of the gate and slipped my foot into one of the gaps in the design, using it as a step to lift myself higher, slowly climbing. With each step I went higher and higher until I finally reached the top of the gate. Looking down over the opposite side, I began to feel uneasy, however. It was at least a twelve-foot drop. Getting up was the easy part, but getting down... That would be something.

     Before I could talk myself out of it, I swung my leg across the top of the gate and went to swing my other leg across when my opposite foot slipped out of the gap and I suddenly came hurling down to the ground. With a loud thud, my back slammed into the ground and all the breath was knocked out of me. I let out a harsh wheeze, struggling to sit up and steady myself. With each breath, more air came back to me, but my chest was tight and each intake of breath was painful.

     "God," I wheezed to myself, clutching my hands to my chest. If only I had brought a ladder with me. Note to self; never attempt to climb over a gate again.

     Once the tightness in my chest passed, I stood up and slipped the duffle bag back onto my back. I didn't even bother to look back before I began walking down the gravel road. If someone saw me by now, I wouldn't still be out here.

     My escape plan had clearly worked, but I wasn't out of the woods yet, no pun intended. I still had to find some sort of civilization, and then call up either the police or my mother. Who I would call first, I was unsure. And how I would even find anyone in this wilderness, I was even more unsure.