My brain was still struggling to understand why the systems meant to protect the weak were run by those who sought to exploit them. The oppressors. Nothing was making much sense to me anymore.
The idea that the city’s most adored saints were in bed with these dangerous men hadn’t fully sunk in. Each time I remembered how Reverend Osman mingled with those monsters, smiling and shaking their hands, I felt queasy.
Dr. Bradford’s involvement in illegal activities wasn’t as shocking as Erika Croft’s human trafficking operation. My eyes were opened to the harsh reality of life, and now I couldn’t unsee what I had seen.
Dr. Bradford had long taken a side against the very justice he swore to uphold. That said, I couldn’t help wondering how many more panelists and judges had also been compromised.What were the chances of proving Daniel Vetrov’s innocence if the likes of Dr. Bradford were against the truth?
But wait a minute. If the case was so hopeless and I didn’t stand a chance of winning, why did Karik warn me to drop it? Why did he kidnap me after I refused?
He could’ve easily let me make a fool of myself in court since he already had people on the inside. Dr. Bradford alone had the power to sabotage the case without even trying so hard. The case would be dissolved before it even began.
Yet he chose to intimidate and scare me instead. Why? Also, why didn’t those compromised panelists prevent the case from being reopened?
They could’ve voted to deny my request, but they didn’t. The request was approved. At this point, all I had were unanswered questions. Lots of them. The more I thought about them, the more confused I became.
However, despite all he had opened my eyes to, I still believed that good people existed, even in rooms that mattered. Not everyone was as corrupt as Karik or those wolves in sheep’s clothing.
He called me naive. But I’d rather be naive than see the world through his lens.
Aside from trying to make sense of what I learned at the party, I’d been secretly planning my escape for the past few days. I was allowed to leave my room and even freely explore the mansion.
It wasn’t real freedom, but at least it beat being stuck in a room for days. I wandered the halls every day, sometimes at night, too. Not because I loved stretching my legs, but because I was mapping the whole building.
I studied the camera locations, the guards’ movements, and their shift change, hoping to find a pattern, a loophole. And I did. I knew where all the building's blind spots were.
The guard rotation changed every four hours. The morning shift handed off at six, ten, two, and then six again. I’d studied the pattern, knowing which time was safest to attempt my escape.
According to Agata, there was a tunnel in the basement that supposedly led out into the woods. She had no idea what I was planning. The poor girl simply answered my many questions about the building.
I tried as much as I could not to make it super obvious that I was onto something. So I hid my questions behind jokes, quietly gathering the information needed to execute my plans.
Attempting to escape was a risk I was willing to take because Karik had no clear plan for me. I had no idea what he’d do with me if he woke up one morning and decided I was no longer useful.
I must leave this place at all costs.
At two in the morning, I sat on the edge of the bed, my heart racing in my chest. Fully dressed in a black outfit with my hair tied back, I went over the plan one more time in my head.
“You can do this, Ellie,” I whispered to myself, my hands trembling on my lap.
Then came the negative thoughts.
What if I fail? What if I get caught? Is this even worth it?
I shook my head, my fingers curling into fists as I braced myself. With my eyes closed, I envisioned my next moves.
From the room to the corridor. From the corridor to the east passage. Avoid the cameras. Sprint down the hall. Turn left. Avoid the guards. Find the door to the basement. Pick the lock with my hair clip. Descend eighteen steps. Find the hidden passage and run like hell.
Sounds easy enough.
I drew a deep breath: in through my nose, out through my mouth. By the time it was five minutes past two, I summoned the courage to rise to my feet.
The plan was to make it to the basement in under three minutes, meaning I had to move very fast. I took off, sneaking out of my room in the dead of night, my flats soundless against the floor.
As expected, the corridor was quiet, and I had just a few minutes before the guards returned. I sprinted down the hall, avoiding the camera as I moved. After turning a few corners and almost getting spotted a couple of times, I finally found the door leading to the basement.
I threw my hands into my hair and pulled the clip, letting it fall loosely over my back. Because I hadn’t done this in years, it took a little longer, but eventually the door clicked open.
“Still got it,” I murmured under my breath, a faint grin tugging at my lips.
