Graffiti Boy

Chapter 14 - The Rescue Incident

I sat in the dark, waiting. I had kept the flashlight off so that I could conserve its energy just in case I needed it later on. Eli's message replayed over and over in my mind. Help was on the way. I just needed to sit tight.

But how long would I have to wait? Would Eli and Dad be here by tomorrow? Tonight? Next week? I didn't think I could survive another day in the dreadful mansion. If I had to deal with drowning again, I'd probably pass out and not wake up. I was paranoid.

I was sick of waiting.

It had probably been an hour since I got Eli's message and I was feeling antsy. I wanted to get the hell out of here. Yes, the mansion was gorgeous, but the people inhabiting it were horrible and had the ugliest of hearts. I needed to escape. Now.

I flicked on the flashlight and flashed it towards the cell door. I analyzed the lock that kept me encased in the cell. It was one of those old ones that I could easily pick with the right tools. Even though Eli had picked Dad's lock, Xavier and Andrea hadn't bothered to get a more secure one.

They never learn.

It's not like I could pick the lock or anything, though. I really wished I had a bobby pin, I would get myself out of this horrible place. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. My hair was extremely tangled, but as I continued running my fingers through it, I felt my hand brush against something that felt like metal.

A bobby pin. Scratch that. There were two bobby pins. I was confused for a second but then I remembered. Eli had tucked a bobby pin into my hair, only it had been two pins. The only tools I needed to get out of the disgusting cell.

At that moment I wanted to kiss Eli. Wait. What?

He was a freaking genius.

I crawled towards the cell door cautiously.

I pointed the flashlight towards the lock and tried my best to stand up, using the bars to help me. I placed the flashlight into my mouth to continue to point it towards the lock and grabbed the two bobby pins from my hair.

The very first thing I had ever learned from Dad was how to pick a lock. I had always been fascinated by the idea and wanted to be all spy-like. The method he had taught me required two bobby pins and an old-fashioned lock. Lucky for me, the padlock on the cell door was relatively old-fashioned and Eli had provided me with the pins.

I took one of the bobby pins and bent it apart to create a straight rod of metal. I clenched my teeth around the pin to pull off one of the balled ends off. I then had a piece of metal with a sharp end to it. I bent the other bobby pin creating a ninety degree angle.

I inserted the ninety degree bobby pin into the keyhole and then began to jiggle the lock using the straightened bobby pin. It took a lot of tries before I heard the first pin within the lock click. Soon enough, the lock came undone, clattering to the floor.

I froze, waiting anxiously for someone to come and handcuff me to the wall. I counted for a minute. Not a sound. I flicked the flashlight off and slowly pushed open the cell. I

I crept up the staircase, looking left and right, observing for the slightest bit of movement. I couldn't exactly run out of the mansion, I would have no way to get back home. I decided to head towards Eli's room and try to grab some weapons to defend myself and perhaps attempt to climb out of the window. I wasn't the most directionally oriented person so I wasn't sure which way I was supposed to go, after a bit of aimless roaming I found a familiar corridor.

As I crept past the closed doors of the dining hall, I heard Andrea yelling at someone, causing me to accidentally drop the flashlight from my hand. Screw me and my klutziness. The sound was loud against the marble floor. I quickly picked the flashlight up and looked around wildly for a place to hide.