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Chapter 1
Emersyn held her breath and opened the door as quietly as possible. She let her breath out slowly when it opened without a sound. Clutching the strap to her backpack, she slipped out into the hallway and silently closed the door behind her. With her heart pounding, she made herself move forward as quietly as possible. She moved through the hallway but froze when she heard a sound coming from her step-brother's room. She didn’t dare move or even breathe. Her heart slammed against her chest, certain she was about to get found out.
When her lungs couldn’t go without air any longer, she sucked in a quiet breath. After realizing she was safe for the moment, she began moving once again. After the longest few moments of her life, she finally reached the front door. She worked the chain free with clumsy fingers. Once it was undone, she slowly turned the handle to the front door. Her fear was suffocating her. Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure she would be discovered at any moment. She finally got the door opened. She stepped out onto the front porch and turned back, slowly closing the front door. She turned and made her way down the rickety front steps, avoiding the one that creaked loudly.
She hit the sidewalk in a full run. She had no idea how long it would be before she was discovered; she needed to make it to the bus stop before they caught up to her. If she could just get on a bus, she could escape. If she didn’t make it, if they caught up to her before she could get on the bus... she shuddered and pushed what would happen from her mind.
Emersyn willed herself to go faster as she ran through the darkness. The few streetlamps lit her way. She ran the eight blocks to the bus stop faster than she had ever run in her life. When she finally made it, she slowed herself before stepping into the bus stop overhang. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself. She pulled her hoodie down over her hair, shoving the pieces that had escaped back inside. She had dressed as nondescript as possible, dressing in black leggings, a t-shirt, and a black hoodie. She knew her clothes wouldn’t catch anybody’s attention. Her hair, however, would. Her eye-catching red curls were definitely memorable. She needed to keep them covered. She kept her eyes downcast as well, even though no one was around. She didn’t want anybody to have the chance to see her eyes and be able to give a description of them. Her eyes would be just as much of a giveaway as her hair; they were a mix somewhere between blue and green. That particular color made them pop. She stood with her head down, all the while trying to keep aware of her surroundings.
Her heart threatened to burst now that she stood still. She tried to catch her breath and willed the bus to show up. The first buses started at five a.m. It had been four forty-five when she had left her house. The minutes ticked away, bringing her closer and closer to being discovered. She tightened the strap of her backpack. Everything she owned in the world was in there, excluding the money she had stolen from her step-dad. That was in her pocket. It was only three hundred dollars, but it was all she could get her hands on. It had pained her to take the money, but she didn’t know what else to do. She wasn’t allowed to work, so she had no way of getting her hands on any money of her own. The infuriating thing was that there were thousands of dollars in a bank account that was supposed to be hers. It had been left to her and her mother when her father died, but she had never been able to touch it. Her step-father had seen to that. Somehow, he had convinced her mom to sign over access to him. She knew she would never access that money.
Grief hit her—as it always did—when she thought about her father. Her heart had literally ripped in two when her father passed away. She thought her mother’s had too, but then she had married again in less than a year to a horrible man. Emersyn’s life had changed from the moment her mother married him. Her step-father was abusive, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as her step-brother. A shudder ran through her as she thought of her step-brother. Alec was two years older than her and built like a tank truck. His sole job in life was to make her miserable. He and his friends spent several years of her life tormenting her.
