ce?" Lisa gasped as I staggered into the

noth

k like you were in a boxin

vard, Matteo burned my acceptance letter and now he's told m

arry someone," she retor

ce, "This is what I

yes go saucer wide, "Wh

to go away. And i have to do it tonight. I don't have a cho

re right. You have to leave tonight. And I'm go

t to get you in trouble. And

. My mother can take care of herself. She has my siblings. Who do

es were those of gratitude and i e

m in half an hour. We have to leave now that it's still stor

"Thank y

leen," she reiterated

and some spare clothes. By the time I was done, it was already over half an hour later an

is

e have to go now. I just saw Matteo going up

ka

ight out to the garage. From there, we could find our way to the back fence

ef from my own house. From envisioning my bright future

hrough the line of shrubs growing agai

friend smiled, "Are

"I should be the one asking you that. I have nothing left

eezed my hand and then flattened h

her, crawling out

," my stepbrother's voice was like a bucke

house, but Matteo held a knife to Lisa'

Don't h

ghed, "My only business here is with you and

ou find out?

going to try to run and all I had to do was lie in wait for you. It was a test to check if you wer

The green eyed

e you going to be a good girl or do I have to

never get away with it," Lisa

clearly that he wasn't bluffing and anyway I wasn

come with you. P

at do you think you're doing?

rward and grabbing me painfully by my arm, "And by the way, you're fired. The next time I see you

amed, but it

ack into the compound and a

we continued to walk through the dark

y trouble for the next few days unt

at at him, "And you can't make me. There's nothing y

de of bricks and then he tossed me inside the pitch black and

r until you come to your senses. Let's s

d of my pleas and screams as I banged f