AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart raced. I was packing.
I was leaving.
Was I out forever?
The Longest Short Walk
Lily followed me to my bedroom and shut the door. The voices were louder in here, drifting through the vents. Even Jimmy was asking questions of Liam.
I hesitated. “Jimmy...” I said quietly.
She shook her head and smiled. “He’ll be okay,” she said. “Trust me. Carol should have known better than assuming she could take over another woman’s home. Get your things.”
I couldn’t imagine what Lily and Liam had said to her to convince her to return and face off with Carol.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. This had been planned. How?
Still, I was worried that we were leaving Marie alone with her mother, and what might happen to her.
What about our father?
I went to the bed to fetch the notebook. Then I went to the attic, throwing what I could into one of the duffle bags.
I was leaving.
For how long, I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t even notice what I was throwing in, I just shoved it all in the bag. My heart was beating so loud, thundering in my ears. My eyes were tearing up the more I moved. Excitement, hope and relief flooded through me all at once.
Leaving.
Escape.
I zipped up the bag, lifting it out of the attic. It was mostly clothes, the notebook and a few other items. If I left anything behind, Marie could have it.
Lily remained, scanning the room. “Anything else?” she whispered.
I shook my head.
“I’m going to follow you,” she said. “Once you’re out the front door, go to Kota’s house. Don’t stop, even if Carol comes out and asks you to. Not even your stepmother.”
“Will Marie be okay?” I asked.
She nodded and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not leaving until this is over.”
I breathed out slowly. I looked around the room, feeling sorry for Jimmy, having such a hard time coming here and then leaving so soon. I felt bad for Carol, too, but she’d started this.
I secured the bag across my shoulder and carried some of the weight by hand as I eased down the stairs. I was a bit heavier with the bag. The stairs creaked.
Not that it mattered. My stepmother was speaking so loud, her voice followed me to the front door.
“You’re delusional, lady,” she snapped, the venom so thick in her voice that it stirred the darkest corners in my mind. It shook me through. “That’s my daughter upstairs. This is my house. You can keep that man, but not before I get every last penny. And I’ll do it, just to make sure you don’t get anything. You don’t know what I know.”
Liam interrupted her. “Don’t say any more,” he said. “Don’t give anything away you can use in the divorce.”
She said something else, but Lily opened the door and urged me through.
I dashed out, fear following me.
She shut the door behind me, the wood creaking, the lock thrown as soon as it was shut.
While I could still hear the voices on the porch, I couldn’t hear anything specific. Just the inflection of hate, and Liam trying to be the stable one among them.
I took in the fresh air, hesitating only a moment. No real reason to pause, only to find more energy after the sudden shock.
I was out. It was quick. It was mostly painless.
The boys had done it. Or had they? Had they planned this?
Just when I took a step toward the front steps to descend, a figure appeared, crawling from the bushes.
Dr. Green stood up, wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt and black boots. He had a few fresh scratches on his arms from the bushes, and a couple of leaves stuck to his hair. He combed them out quickly and smiled at me.
Too big a smile. Very proud of himself.
They had done this. He was even taking credit.
My mouth hung open, gazing at how ridiculous his smile was, feeling a smile emerging from my lips. I shook my head. “I can’t believe...”
He wiggled his eyebrows and put a finger to his lips.
Somewhere in the bushes on the other side of the house, Nathan’s face appeared. He glared at Dr. Green, making motions with his hands. He was supposed to be hiding.
“I’m walking her,” Dr. Green said. He waved him out. “You’re just jealous you didn’t think to do it first.”
They were sticking close by, just in case. Where were the others? I had no doubt they were all in different locations around the house, perhaps some in the woods. They had to stand by and make sure Lily and Liam would be okay.
Dr. Green took the duffle bag from my shoulder and shooed me to take the sidewalk and head to the street.
I walked with him, feeling shaken and strange to be walking away. In daylight. With full knowledge of my stepmother and Carol.
Walking away from them.
He slung the bag over his shoulder and reached for my hand. His palm pressed against mine, fingers interlaced as he held it.
My heart still raced wildly as different emotions stirred through me. When we were at the street and walking toward Kota’s, I finally spoke. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Was a last-minute plan,” he said. “I wasn’t sure your stepmother would go for it. And we had to get Lily and Liam here. We had to get people into place... it was a lot to do.”
My mouth moved, wanting to ask a million questions. “I never thought...”
“I hated her before,” he said, speaking words I was thinking but unable to say for myself. “When she tied you to a stool, and then kept you in the closet, I hated her so much. Who knew she’d be a great key to getting you out of there?”
“She will notice I’m gone,” I said.
“She won’t care,” he said and squeezed my hand a little more. “It isn’t over, Sang. We’ll still have to keep an eye on things, but this way, you won’t be in the middle of it.”
I nodded. The secret about me could still get out. My stepmother might be using Academy lawyers, and my father, if he got one, would need the intervention of Academy lawyers as well. How would that all work? What happened to Carol was beyond me.
“What if they want me back?”
“We’ll worry about it then, but I doubt it. Lily will tell them you moved out. Maybe we’ll pretend you got married to me,” he said and winked. “Or we’ll just get married legally. I bet your stepmother would sign that paper. It’d be legal.”
I made a surprise O shape with my mouth.
“That was plan B,” he said. “Actually that was my first plan. But my plan didn’t involve Marie, and Mr. Blackbourne said this was probably faster and the Academy would approve easier. I think I agree with him.” He winked. “When we get married, I don’t want your stepmother to have anything to do with it.”
I didn’t say so, but I agreed with him.
We crossed Kota’s driveway and headed to the front door. It was only then that I noticed how cold the air was. I didn’t care.
I was so happy to be leaving, to be going to a place I loved.
When we were on the porch, I hesitated. “Will I be staying here now?”
He shrugged. “For today. And maybe for a few nights. After that, who knows? I’d invite you to my house, but my mother is in town.” He pushed the doorbell and passed me my bag back. “I’m not supposed to be here,” he said. “Yet.” He backed away.
He jumped the front porch’s steps and was out of sight around the garage when the door opened.
Kota stood there, and Erica was behind him. Kota wore jeans and a green Polo shirt and was barefoot. Erica wore fuzzy socks, some flannel pajama pants and a large yellow pajama shirt. Had she just gotten up?
Only then did I realize I was still in pajamas, too.
Kota smiled, and Erica only showed a little surprise. She playfully shoved Kota aside as she came out to greet me.
“Sang!” She squealed a little and gave me a very brief hug. I froze, but after th
e shock I’d gotten earlier, this was welcome. “He was just telling me how you called him to see if it was okay to come over for a birthday week. How’d you know that was exactly what he wanted?”
I blinked over her shoulder at Kota. His birthday? I had completely forgotten about it.
Which was why I was going to Kota’s and not Nathan’s or anyone else’s house.
Kota touched the corner of his glasses briefly, and awkwardly smiled. “Mom,” he said. “Don’t make a big deal. Please.”
“Of course it is a big deal,” Erica said and she tugged me by the wrist into the house. “He’s seventeen. That’s a big year. What do we want to do this week? I was thinking of having the guys over tonight, of course. Pizza party?”
“Sounds...good?” I said, unable to stop the smile on my face. I didn’t care what we did. I loved it.
The bag slipped off my shoulder and landed just in the doorway. Kota scooped it up.
“Go put that upstairs,” Erica said. “I’ll allow her to sleep up there, but we’ve got a few rules to cover.” She waggled a finger at Kota.
My heart fluttered as she led me further into the house.
I’d follow any rules she set.
