The Glass Castle

Captured!!

Alex dragged his three-year-old sister behind a thorn bush and listened for footsteps in the brittle leaves. He couldn't be sure which was louder- the person on their trail or his heartbeat ringing in his ears. With one hand over Haileys mouth, Alex looked down at the nicest suit he owned. Not only had he destroyed the cuffs and torn the stitching but the white linen stood out making him an obvious target. If he survived this afternoon and made it home tonight (and that felt like a big If) His mother would demand to know why his suit was stained with mud, grass and tinged with blood. He would tell her the truth. How could he have known that a simple walk in the woods would turn dangerous. It was his 13th birthday and he had no intention of being cooped up in their small cottage doing chores that would need doing again tomorrow.

Alex was sure he heard twigs snapping, crows bolted from their trees and he felt like someone or something was watching them. His mother would understand the ruined suit. Clothes after all could be replaced, but people as their family knew all to well could not,

"Don't let go of my hand" Alex whispered as Hailey wiggled

He squeezed her shoulder until she twisted her face and nodded. she looked scared and why she be. instead of playing with the paper boat in her pocket, she was hiding behind a thorn bush in the woods as a cold wind made her shiver.

"I'll figure out a way to get us out of here" Alex whispered into Haileys ear

"Just don't make a sound and do exactly what i say" Hailey nodded

Tears dotting the corners of her big brown eyes. Normally hiding behind a bush was a bad idea. Tall and long legged, Alex was the fastest runner among his friends. No one made fun of his unusually big feet or his unruly ink coloured hair because he could outrun girls and boys alike. He knew he could easily outpace someone in the woods---- If he didn't have Hailey. So while the unpleasant sounds of the woods rose up around them, Alex was hatching a plan. They would move to the place he had always felt safe. it was now or never. Wait, the wind seemed to say but Alex didn't obey. Taking a deep breathe and grabbing Haileys hand, he ducked out from behind the thorn bush. Head bent and body low he pulled his sister from bush to bush until they came to a stop in front of a butternut tree deep in the thickets. This was no ordinary butternut tree, this was the tree that contained the best tree house ever built. This was the tree house his father had built when Alex was a little boy. Before them stood a castle tree house-- two stories high with an open turret and stairs that wound through a trap door that lead to a tiny chamber at it's highest point. The castle included a sky bridge, a prison tower, a tunnel and a library, perfect for a boy with a bright imagination and a thirst for stories.

In this castle Alex could be whatever he wanted to be. On sunny days he pretended to be a king and made Hailey one of his loyal subjects. At night when the sky was black as ink, he pretended that all the stars were his pearls and diamonds. This castle held many secrets, it supposedly sat atop a intricate system of tunnels. If that were true, Alex didn't know. Most importantly it was the last place Alex saw his father before he left and never came back.

Today it would be a hiding place

Alex decide that he and Hailey would stay in the castle until nightfall, then they would sneak home where Alex would explain everything to their mother. She would be angry at first but would eventually soften. She might even give him enough money to buy a replacement suit because he saved his sisters life. Alex was just about to lead Hailey into the arched doorway of the thick tree trunk when she yanked free of his grasp and raced into the open.

"Bronte"She shouted as she dropped to her knees and patted the dog behind the ears.

As Brontes matted and tangled fur splatted mud all over Hailey, Alexs hope of his mothers forgiveness vanished. He had been so sure that he and Hailey were in danger. Dumb dog she thought, but he couldn't stay mad at this dog for long. They were the same age and had been best friends longer than he could imagine.

"Oh Bronte" Alex said as he joined Hailey in scratching behind the dogs ears

"Lets go home" Alex said relieved

"But why" Hailey started to whine the way she does when asked to eat vegetables

"You said we were playing hide and seek, nobody found us" She started to whine

"Good thing" Alex said "But now it's time to go home for supper" Haileys face lit up

"We are going to have apple sausages and potatoes" Hailey said happily

Alex was about to tell her that we don't know what mother has planned but we will be grateful for it anyway. But he heard the snapping of twigs, the he saw crows bolting from trees and then she felt like someone or something was watching them, and he knew it wasn't the dog. He grabbed Hailey around the waist an as fast as he could towards the tree house. Just as he jumped into the castle and shouted

"HOLD ON" everything went black and the only thing he could hear was the distant ringing of bells in the distance.