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No, there has to be another way

Maybe asking would help

“Hello?” I call out, then wait, but there’s no reply “Can someone hear me? I’d like to leave now”

I wait for a few minutes No response

I knock on the door “Hello? Is anyone out there?” I ask “Please let me out I’d like to talk with my mother”

I wait for a fewhappens

Of course this wasn’t going to work Why did I even think of trying?

Sighing, I close ins to flood my veins

No, stop it, Harper No panicking Not here Not now You’ve trained for this all your life You can do this

I nod to myself and walk away fro I can use to e A rope, a wire, a hidden key … even a hairpin will do

I search under the dusty bed, behind the bath, in the closet, and inside each drawer I even look for hidden bottoer underneath the desk, I feel so stuck to the wood

I go to ed between two planks of wood, but I felt it With both hands, I pry it out of there, and it drops to the floor

My pupils dilate

A key

My heart pounds in my chest as I inspect it and rush to the door, but no matter how hard I pry it in, it won’t stick This isn’t the lock it’s for I turn around and face the other way, looking for a way out

And then it hits me

The

I swiftly make my way to it and shove the key into the lock It clicks Turns Unlocks

My heart skips a beat, and I hold my breath as I pull open the

A cold gust of wind hitsme tear up

I peer down over the sill It’s too high to juside theand use it to slip over to the balcony on the lower left side that’s close enough to the ground so thata fall

But is the escape worth the risk?

I s and push thefarther open so I can step onto the sill

It’s dangerous … but so is staying here

So I take a step and push over the ledge

“Stop right there!”

My h the room, and I almost fall just from her scream