Jeanine Matthews

escape

i looked down at my watch, which read 1:07 am. i slipped through the door of our apartment silently, trying not to wake my father up. but as soon as i did, i noticed that the lights were on and he was sitting on the couch in the main room. waiting for me.

anger built up inside of me by just looking at him. i wanted to scream. so i did.

this startled him, and he jumped to his feet. "you killed her!" i scream at him. he just shakes his head, " i didn't kill her, you did."

i look at him like his appearance matches the monster that he is. "if you hadn't been socializing with her, i never would have  had those children beat her up-" he starts, "YOU MADE THEM TO DO THAT TO HER? THEY NEARLY KILLED HER!" I scream.

he looks at me like he wasn't aware that this was new information to me. after a few seconds he replies, "they were supposed to, but they failed. so i finished the job for them. if you hadn't become friends with someone who was damaged,then neither of you would be in the position you are in now."

"what position am i in?" i ask cautiously.

he gives me a look that i've never seen on him before, sympathy. "you leave in the morning." he says while standing and walking to his bedroom. he closes the door softly.

i get up and walk to my room, where i slam the door.

he doesn't know that i have a plan.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

i sit in a room i have never been in before. it's no larger than ten square feet, and only contains a small wooden table and two doors. one leads to the compound and the other one will take you outside the compound. upon the table sits a black box that contains the syringe, and a vial of memory serum sitting on a small wooden table. i'm wearing a grey robe. abnegation clothes.

i could never fit into abnegation, but this is the faction my father has arranged for me to be placed into. i know he just wants me to be with my mother since i can't be with him.

my mother was placed into the experiment by my father too. he said she left us, but i heard the real story from my grandparents. they had been married for five years before i was born, but when i was three my mother said goodbye and i never saw her after that. after eight years of marriage, she had kept a vital secret from my father. a secret found in her genetic code.

my mother was genetically damaged.

my father sent her away because he "didn't want her genes to have an effect of me", i was already a miracle baby due to the rarity of a GP and a GD having a genitically pure child.

a man in a blue jumpsuit opens the door slowly. he peers inside the room before slipping inside. he picks up the box and opens it, taking the needle in his hand.

"you'll only feel a small pinch, then everything will be gone." he states. i nod my head solemnly, not because i will lose my memory, but to put on a show. i can't arouse suspision when i'm so close to freedom.

i honestly do feel a little bad about how clueless this guy is. he has no idea i inoculated myself hours ago.

the needle pinches my arm, but i'm not sure if anything can hurt me any more.after he pulls the empty syringe from my arm i pretend i have no idea where i am. i purposely trip over the table and it crashes to the floor. i fall with it and just sit on the ground, staring at the ceiling. when the man in the blue jumpsuit comes to my aid, i stroke his cheek with my long fingers.

he helps me to my feet and i look around the room again, like it's an entirely new room. he takes my arm and leads me to the door that leads outside the compound.

when we get outside i squint and shield my eyes from the sun. he leads me to a jeep and i crawl into the passenger side, after taking about five minutes to pretend i don't know how to use a door handle.

"grace?" the driver says, clearly astounded. before i even turn i know who the voice belongs to. i turn my head towards Dakota, my boyfriend. the person i love most in the world gets to escort me out of our world. a corner of my heart tears at the idea of this being the last time i see him. i feel like crying, but i know i can't let him know i'm still me.

then i point to my chest and ask, "me?" he shakes his head.

the man that escorted me to the jeep looks up at Dakota, "escort her to the abnegation sector. ditch the jeep before you get to the fence and go the rest on foot." he orders, then walks back into the compound.