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“Do you have everything you need?” I whisper to Lucy.
We’ve been quietly packing a backpack for each of us. Just clothes and a few things we’ve had since we were little. I also made sure to take the one picture I have of the four of us. My mother took it before Thomas left. I make sure I have the money in my bag. And just a few changes of clothes.
“I think so,” she says.
“Remember if we get separated for any reason, we meet at the bus station. Thomas said the bus is the cheapest way for us to leave.”
“I remember,” she says. “Hey, Simone?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you scared?”
I look at my baby sister, then reach out to hug her.
“I am scared. But we can do this, and we have each other. So it makes me less scared.”
Lucy nods as she hugs me. “Why are mom and dad like this? Why did they have us if they didn’t want us?”
I sigh. “I don’t think that’s what happened. I do think they wanted us, but maybe something happened and they changed.”
She thinks about that for a minute. “Yeah, I hope so. It would be really sad if they didn’t want us from the start.”
“I agree. But I’m glad you’re here, life wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Lucy smiles at me. “I feel the same way. And thank you for not leaving me behind. I love you, Simone.”
“I love you too, Lucy. Thomas and Robin love us, I know it. I just wish I knew what happened to make him change his mind about leaving. Because I know it was really hard for him to leave us behind.”
“Maybe we’ll find them and we’ll get to ask him. Because you’re right, Thomas would never have left us. Something happened and he had to. Just like we have to now.”
“Tomorrow night we will be free from all of this. And we’ll make a better life for us.”
I wish I could promise her that. But I can’t. All I can do is my best to protect my baby sister.
The next morning we try to act like it’s any other day. It’s not as easy as you would think. We have to do everything the same as we always do. Lucy keeps telling me how nervous she is and that it feels like our mother knows something is going on. I keep telling her she can’t know, and that she has to try and relax. Or she will figure something out. Or our father will when he gets home from work.
The whole day goes a lot smoother than I thought it would. Lucy did her school work and my mother had me cook beef stew and make an apple cobbler for dinner. I hope that wherever we decide to stop, I can get a job cooking or baking.
The plan is to wait till our parents go to bed. Then sneak down and leave through the front door. The alarm will go off, but as long as we move fast, we can make it to the neighbor’s wall. And hope that our parents go the opposite way. But just in case, we will keep moving. While we take our showers, we will pack our backpacks. That’s all we can afford to take is what we can stuff in there.
Our bathroom is connected to our room. It’s making it easier for us to get our stuff together. Tonight I get to shower first. I make sure I grab a weeks worth of underwear and socks, rolling them as small as I can so I can get more in. I take two pairs of jeans and four shirts. I’ll wear another pair of jeans and shirt with my jacket when we leave. I’ll pack my toothbrush right before we leave.
We decided we’re not taking any shampoos or body wash. We can buy things like that when we get to where we will stay for the first night. I’m so nervous as I grab my clothes to pack, moving as fast as I can. I don’t want to forget anything that I need. I wish I had things that I wanted to keep to remember living here and our family. But I don’t, there’s nothing in this house that I want to remember. I did manage to find Lucy’s birth certificate, and mine too. Last month when our parents went out, I lookedaround and they were in a box in their closet. So far, I don’t think they’ve noticed they’re missing. There were multiple copies and I only took one of each. I also grabbed Thomas’ and Robin’s. Maybe there’s hope we’ll still find them.
After my shower, I hide my backpack in our closet. Lucy goes to take her shower and pack her bag. I did grab the one picture that we have of everyone. Before Thomas and Robin left. Even though I never want to see my parents again, I want to remember my brother and sister.
Our parents go to bed around the same time every night. Their room is at the opposite end of the hallway from ours. We hear them come upstairs and close their bedroom door. I look at the clock and it reads ten forty-five. We agreed we would wait for thirty minutes after they go to bed. I need to make sure that they’re sleeping.
Those thirty minutes feels like forever, but it’s finally eleven fifteen. I look over at Lucy and she’s staring back at me.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I whisper to her.
She nods at me. “I can’t be here without you. And watching Father hit you? That’s something I can’t do anymore.”
I get up slowly and as quietly as I can, making sure Lucy is right behind me. I know for a fact that the alarm won’t go off until I open the door. So we need to make it to the front door and be ready to run as soon as I get that door open. We should have at least a minute to run before my parents can get to the front door. I grab Lucy’s hand and squeeze it before I open our bedroom door. I feel her squeeze mine back. It’s time to go.
We get downstairs and to the front door. I take a deep breath and make sure Lucy is close enough to get out before me. I will be the one to close the door. One more deep breath and I twist the bolt lock on the door. I look at Lucy and she nods.
