The clock struck midnight, and everyone was fast asleep, except me. I got out of my bed and quickly packed some of my things into a sack, including all of the money I had saved. I took a deep breath and slowly, gently, opened the door. The hallway was very dark, but I was too afraid to carry a candle, for fear of someone seeing the candle light and catching me. I took another deep breath and crept out of my room and down the hallway. Every board in the wooden floor creaked as I walked, leaving me more anxious than ever. The entire house was so quiet, and my heart beat so loudly, I thought that all of the occupants must be able to hear my heart pounding in my chest. I was standing right in front of Lydia's room, and I smirked at her door, knowing that I would never have to deal with her or her unfair comments again.
After ten minutes of slinking down the hallway, I finally reached the stairs. Here comes the tricky part, I thought. I carefully and slowly climbed down the stairs, but I had forgotten one thing: there was a particular stair at the bottom that made an exceptionally loud noise when walked on. Because I was nervous and, quite frankly, terrified that someone would find me, I gave a small, but audible cry when I stepped on the stair. Someone with a candle was advancing toward me. My first instinct was to run, but I kept perfectly still. After what could have been hours or minutes, the person, whoever it was, went back into their room. As soon as I knew that he or she was gone, I bolted out of the house as fast as I could without making a sound.
As soon as I reached the stable, I let out my breath, not realizing that I had been holding it for quite some time now. I walked in and led my favorite mare out of the stable. I quickly mounted her and cast a glance back towards the house. Goodbye forever, I thought. Then, with a determined look on my face I set out towards the road, away from the house without a single