The sky was still notably dark when Leo veered out of his bed. Careful not to make a sound, he quietly maneuvered his way to the door; the floor creaked underneath him.
As he ventured out into the hallway, he suspiciously turned his head twice to make sure the other children were still sound asleep. Before peeking out the slit of the door frame, he eyed Charlotte in particular, who tossed and turned in her bed, snoring loudly. And yet she calls herself a perfect lady…He shook his head, and the door closed with a small click.
He knew the others would not hesitate to rat him out, especially Charlotte, but in all honesty, he didn't really care if the others knew, or if they saw him. It would change nothing.
Whether it was the opinions of the others or Ms. Penstemon's punishment, nothing would stop him.
She wakes after dawn. I should be fine, Leo thought, as he lurked slowly down the hall, trying to keep his breath low and his steps light as possible. As he neared a corner, he spotted a dim light ahead, and quickly backed against the wall.
Biting his lip in agitation, he was unsure of what he would do if she came around the corner. There was no place to hide and it was already too late to return to the bedroom. He stood still as he heard footsteps approach.
A loud creak sounded out, startling Leo and the footsteps stopped suddenly. Leo held his breath. He knew if Ms. Penstemon caught him, he would not be able to sneak out. Worse, she would have her eyes on him all day. He didn't feel like being punished either.
Just then, the footsteps continued but they were fading, in the opposite direction. She was leaving the hall and heading down the stairs. Why is she…this early? Leo waited a moment until he was sure she was gone then slipped around the corner to the edge of the staircase.
There was something like a trap door in the main room, hidden under a large and wide old rug. Many of the other children knew about it, but they ignored it. On the contrary, Leo and Elizabeth used it nearly every day.
The others didn't know of course but Leo and Elizabeth liked to be very discreet, and never talked about their "adventures" to anyone, not even to each other. Mrs. Penstemon certainly didn't have a clue it was there and he was glad the hinge-less door uttered no noise when they opened it or else the beldam would have surely found it.
As Leo stepped off the stairs, he listened carefully for any sign of Ms. Penstemon then darted towards the fireplace, moving the heavy rug to the side. With a small dull knife, he pried the door open softly, and stared into the darkness below.
He was just about to stick his feet over the edge of the door, when a sudden high-pitched screech behind him caused his body to stiffen. SLAM! The trapdoor before him had snapped shut, the squawking wood splintering in the process. Leo's eyes rose to the glowering pug-faced Ms. Penstemon whose large foot was firmly planted atop the door.
"You little—!" With inhuman strength, the beldam scooped up Leo by his collar, slightly tearing it in the process, and dragged him across the wooden floor. Leo struggled, desperately twisting under her grip, but on account of her firm monstrous grip, he knew he was no match for her. "I've had just about enough of you! ...every inch of this house boarded up and you little pests are sneaking under the floorboards like rats!" The sound of her heavy footsteps boomed throughout the house, as she trudged up the stairs with Leo in hand.
A moment later, Leo cried out as the back of his head slammed against hard wood. Writhing in pain, he clutched his head.
"While you are up here, you will think on your behavior! This lesson will teach you… as will it be an example to the others." Ms. Penstemon scolded, begrudgingly. Leo tipped his throbbing head backwards, the pain rushing through his skull. His vision became blurry and Mrs. Penstemon slowly morphed into a haze just before she smashed the door close.
The noise rattled Leo's brain in his skull but he could hear her as she thundered down the stairs. The sound disappeared quicker than it came, and all was quiet.
Leo groaned softly. He did not want to move and he wasn't sure if he should either. He cupped the back of his head, but did not find blood, not even a drop. At least it's not serious. Despite every part of his body telling him not to move, Leo tried to pull himself up from the ground. He only managed to sit. Gritting his teeth, he applied pressure on his head, trying to soothe the pain in any way possible. She did toss me hard though. She's inhuman.
A few minutes passed, Leo stopped rubbing his head. The pain had shrunk into a numbing sensation that wasn't exactly pleasant but Leo could at least tolerate it to a degree.
Light was just beginning to leak its way through the broken remains of the window. Triangular shards of glass stuck to the frames like teeth along a shark's jaw discouraged adventurous orphans from using the window as a means of escape, and Leo knew they were right to not try to.
Even if one managed to brave the glass teeth, there was no way to get to the ground— unless you planned to break bones in the process. The room was completely empty. If not, it would have been child's play to find an object to scrape the shards from the panes, or even to create a makeshift rope out of blankets or clothes. But sadly there was nothing not even Leo could use. He just sat, with his bottom planted to the cold creaky floor, staring half-heartily at the arising sunlight.
He would have enjoyed seeing the sunrise from outside. At this time, he would have already been at the first place he visited, the apothecary, staring through the window, and watching the customers. What am I doing? Leo thought. And I was told only five hours ago not to get caught. He rested his chin on the back of his hand, pondering. I wonder if Elizabeth managed to get out.
Standing up on his two feet, Leo stepped toward the window, sliding his fingers through the cracks of the wall. He could barely feel the warm rays of light on his fingertips.
It made him feel slightly happy—a mad kind of happy that you can't fully understand, like the euphoria a prisoner feels when he breaks prison walls.
But just as a prisoner feels free when he steps in the light, he becomes lost in that light. The thought greatly troubled Leo.
Just as he was about to pull his fingers out, a thin papery object slid between his index and middle finger. Without another moment, he quickly pulled his hand out in shocking curiosity; his eyes widened in amazement at what he held—a ticket of some sorts, golden and garnished with a bold black writing incontestably spelling "GOLDEN TICKET".