20 Alex Slips Away
Alex walked down the hallway towards the back of the house, his boots echoing off of the tiled floor. He passed landscapes and portraits painted in the Russian impressionistic style from old Earth. A masterpiece of a mother and baby might have been a replica of Fechin. A gilt-framed mirror reflected back a boy far too young for the task at hand, with cute curls and a big dimple. Alex ignored him.
Instead of going out of the back door, Alex turned left, down a hallway that led away from the garden and graveyard. He broke into a run. Only at the door to the outside did he halt. Alex pressed his palm against the woodgrain of the door while turning the knob. He opened it without a squeak, stepped outside, and closed it silently behind him.
Now Alex had the house between
