Let's see if Bella listened to us and RAN OUT OF THERE!
Fran, Dani, Ariel, and Gemma made this happen :)
It happens on a random Tuesday afternoon three days after I hear from Rose.
I'm in the living room, dusting and vacuuming, stuck inside the house with my racing thoughts and nowhere to go. Rain is pouring from the sky relentlessly, the high winds making it look like the rain is being swept from one side of the street to the other. It pounds against the sides of the house, the rolls of thunder creeping in the distance.
It's not unusual for a morning thunderstorm this time of year, and the dark cloud cover makes me want to slip into my sheets and sleep the day away. It's not like there is a speck of dust in the house anyway since cleaning is the one thing I can do to keep myself occupied.
But I don't want to risk it. If he sees me sleeping during the day, he would find something around here for me to do, and I know I wouldn't enjoy it.
I'm putting the vacuum back into the closet when the lights start to flicker, another boom of thunder sounding loud in my ears but not as distant as it was.
The rain pounds harder now, an incessant begging against the windows, and as I'm peering out, I can see the streets flood with angry puddles as the storm rages on.
When the lightning strikes a few moments later, the world flashes in front of me, and startled, I back up quickly from the window. In my haste, I stumble over my feet and fall backward, landing hard on my elbows on the glass coffee table. The force of my fall shatters the glass completely, and once I realize what's happened, I can feel the blood seeping from my elbows down to my arms.
But it's not the blood that snaps me back into reality.
It's the darkness around me.
The lights are off.
The ceiling fan stops rotating.
I can hear the central air click over to silence.
We've lost power.
And if we've lost power, he's lost the surveillance.
At least until it turns back on with the help of our back-up generators.
I don't waste any time to find out how long that will be.
Leaving the trickles of blood on the carpet, shards of glass peppering the floors, I run.
I run out the front door, down the sidewalk, and away from the hell I've been living.
I run all the way to Alice's house, unable to see more than two feet in front of me, the rain clinging to my hair and clothes like a second skin.
Banging on her door, she opens it up, and her eyes widen as she takes me in without a second thought.
"Take me to Rose!" I cry before falling into her arms.
I can't describe how it feels to be taken care of. It's been so long since someone has hugged me, and I hadn't had to cringe at the touch. I'm a sopping mess, blood mixing with the rain in rivulets down my arms, but she doesn't care. Alice does exactly as I ask, knowing there's a high possibility that once he finds out I'm gone, he'll be on her doorstep demanding answers.
In what seems like hours, but has only really been minutes, we're in her car, with bandages on my elbows, on the way to Rose's house. It's a quick ride, and relatively silent as we both try to take it all in.
Who knows what will happen after today.
One thing I do know for sure.
I have to say goodbye to this life of mine.
And everyone in it.
SHE'S OUT!
But since we all remember the prologue, we know she's on borrowed time before he finds her.
See you tomorrow!