RIPPLE | P.JM

1

SEVEN

It's almost midnight.

My Master's finally asleep— I can hear him snoring in the other room, deep in slumber. My heart's beating so fast right now I can barely hear anything, and I force myself to calm down.

If he found out about this, I'd be tortured until I couldn't walk for weeks.

Gathering up my long, dark hair with a rough tie, I let it fall down my back. And then I cut my dress, just until it skims to show my knees. I couldn't risk tripping over it while I ran— that would be so stupid.

Brushing my fingers against my mother's rusted locket for comfort, I silently slip out of the large house. I didn't know where to go— I just knew to run.

Anything better than that devil of a man sleeping in there.

After honestly months of waiting, he'd finally been careless enough to forget to lock the back door. The other days he always did— and now he'd made a mistake.

The night air is cool against my skin, and I quickly fix my eyes at the stone walls surrounding the house. An easy climb— hopefully.

Gripping the first stone in my fingers, I begin to pull myself up the length of the wall. It's hard at first, but I soon get the hang of it until I'm at the middle.

Almost there to the top.

And then a soft growl sounds behind me.

My dark eyes go wide in complete shock as I meet the red eyes of a bloodhound, and then I start climbing for my life when he lifts his head up and lets out a tremendous bark.

Holy. Crap.

He got a freaking damn bloodhound? When? I'd been watching him—

Men spill out of the house in like a second, and I finally get to the top, breathing harshly. I hear them yelling to each other— they'd seen me up here already.

Time to go.

Sucking in a quick breath, I jump. My back groans in pain as I roll, stumbling up to my feet and bursting into a desperate run.

A bloodhound. They can smell me.

My face flushes in exertion as I run through the town buildings, hoping the darkness would help me. But that little hope crashes when I hear voices and barks, not too far behind.

Actually, barely close.

Harsh breaths run through my lungs as I feel myself gradually slowing down. I needed to run— I needed to go faster.

But I'm so freaking out of shape— so much from before. My body feels sluggish and just so unfit after almost an year of being a slave, and now I'm slowly slipping.

I'm stumbling past the space between two dark gray buildings, face pale and sweating when a dark-clothed arm pulls me into the shadows.

My stunned eyes meet a pair of glowing silver ones.

"Hush." He says, and I can sense that he's not an enemy. I quiet down, my chest still falling and rising roughly. My eyes are about to slide shut in exhaustion when they snap back open.

The bloodho—

"I know about the dog."

He knows? How come?

And then he pulls me deeper against his chest, his pale face shielded with a dark cap pressed down low. The only thing I can see is his icy silver eyes.