Cordelia waited with bated breath behind the door – she had had only seconds to hide, and so her hiding place was not the most ingenious. In her defence, it had been years since she'd brushed up on her hide and seek skills.

The footsteps came closer, and Cordelia prayed to Satan and his friends that whoever it was in the kitchen wouldn't notice that the pantry door was slightly ajar. Surely… surely they wouldn't come to the pantry? But then why else would they be in the kitchen?

She heard the clanking of glass, and the whining of the pipes as they spluttered to life, coughing out a stream of water. Cordelia held her breath as whoever it was drank their water. There was a loud, long, echoing belch, and Cordelia clapped her hands over her mouth so she wouldn't laugh.

There was a loud thud – it sounded like whoever it was had ran into a cupboard. "Shit!" said the person, and Cordelia tried even harder not to laugh – it was Miss Robichaux! She couldn't wait to tell Misty that the prim and proper headmistress snuck to the kitchens at night, burped like a drunk man, and swore like a sailor. There was no way that Misty would believe her.

Miss Robichaux turned out the light, and there was another thud as she dumped the glass in the sink. How rude – she hadn't even cleaned it. Cordelia listened as her footsteps pattered out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and down the hallway, before fading completely. She waited another ten minutes before venturing out of her hiding place – just in case Miss Robichaux hadn't left.

When all felt safe again, Cordelia crept out of the pantry, and poked her head out of the kitchen door. There was no-one in dight, and Cordelia listened for a bit before finally going back to her task. She and Misty were taking turns creeping down to the kitchen and stealing canned food – they could only risk it at most twice a week, in case the kitchen ladies noticed the food going missing and reported it to Miss Robichaux, who would no doubt flip her shit.

Cordelia put two cans of soup into her satchel, as well as a packet of dried fruit. They wouldn't be able to take too much canned food, because it would be too heavy. Especially if they snuck out at night – they wouldn't be able to risk having too much to carry, because what if they were seen and needed to run?

She looked around to make sure nothing was out of place. Gently closing the pantry door, Cordelia crept out of the kitchen, and down the hallway to their abandoned classroom, which was where they had been stashing all their supplies. We'll have to get first-aid stuff… blankets as well, Cordelia thought, and frowned. How were they meant to get into the nurse's office? It was on the other side of the school.

They would have to figure that out later. Cordelia yawned – two in the morning was not the right time to worry. She snuck back to her room, and looked both ways down the corridor before pulling the door shut behind her.

She had just gotten back into bed when Zoe's voice rang out in the dark bedroom. "Where do you keep going?"

"Bathroom," Cordelia said. Shit, she thought – how was she going to get out of this? Zoe was too smart to fool. Goddammit, I should have been more careful.

"Bullshit," said Zoe. "You're gone for at least an hour every time, and unless you've suddenly developed an intolerance to the cafeteria food that only strikes at the witching hour, you're lying to me."

Cordelia sighed. "You're insufferable, you know that?"

"So I've been told," said Zoe drily. "Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to follow you one of these days?"

"Okay, fine," Cordelia said. She knew she could trust Zoe – she hadn't told anyone that Cordelia was gay, after all, not even Queenie and Nan, who she told everything. "I was in the kitchens."

"Why?"

"Midnight snack?" Cordelia suggested weakly, knowing that she would have to tell Zoe the truth.

"It's two in the morning, Cordelia," Zoe said. "That's two hours past midnight. Have you forgotten how to count?"

Cordelia sighed. She knew that Zoe wasn't kidding that she would follow her – she may as well tell Zoe what she was up to. She knew that Misty wouldn't mind – they both trusted Zoe with their lives. "I was stealing and hiding food."

"Interesting," Zoe said, and if she was surprised, her voice didn't give her away. "Why?"

She sighed again. Better to rip the band-aid off – she had known that Zoe was going to figure things out sooner or later. It was hard to keep things secret from someone she lived so closely with. "We're running away."

"Who's we?" Zoe asked.

Cordelia laughed. Surely it was obvious. "Who do you think?"

"Misty."

"Yes."

"Oh." Zoe fell silent. "Do you need help?"

Cordelia shook her head, even though Zoe couldn't see her. "Not yet."

"When are you going to run?"

"We don't know yet," Cordelia said. "Probably sometime after break."

"Well, do you need money?" Zoe asked. "Not that I've got a lot to offer."

"No, it's okay. I'm going to steal some from my mother during break. But thanks anyway."

Zoe didn't comment on the fact Cordelia had just blatantly admitted to thievery – though that knowledge was probably the least shocking out of the things she'd found out about her roommate. "No problem."

They were quiet again for a bit, and then Zoe spoke again. "I'll miss you both."

"Sorry," Cordelia said, and realised that she would miss Zoe, too. And Queenie, and Nan, and Mallory, and Coco. She had been spending most of her time with Misty lately, hidden away in their classroom, but she loved her friends more than she'd expected to.

"Don't be," Zoe said, and even though it was dark Cordelia could practically see the expression of false indifference on her friend's face. "If I could run away, I would."

"Come with us," Cordelia suggested, though she knew Zoe would refuse. She imagined, for a moment, their whole group running off and living in the woods, and allowed herself to daydream for a moment before logic settled in. Mallory would probably be okay, but Coco wouldn't deal with the bugs and the dirt and the lack of luxury sheets, and neither would Queenie or Zoe or Nan for that matter. But it was a nice thing to imagine.

Zoe laughed softly. "And be the third wheel on your Bonnie and Clyde adventure? No thanks. Besides, I've got Kyle waiting for me at home."

"I'll miss you too, Zoe," Cordelia said.

Zoe laughed again. "No you won't, you and Misty will be too busy making out to think of us poor bitches stuck here."

Cordelia grinned up at the ceiling. Making out certainly wouldn't be the only thing she and Misty would do when they were home free and weren't listening nervously to every little noise from the hallway. "Well, when we're not making out, we'll be thinking of you guys."

"Ew!" Zoe said, giggling.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Of course not!" Zoe said indignantly. "I do expect you to write to me, though."

"We will," Cordelia promised. "You can't write back, though."

"Not for at least a year, anyway, right?"

"Right," Cordelia agreed. People would surely search for them, when they left – two upper class girls don't just disappear without people being sent to find them. They would have to be extremely careful – and that meant keeping their whereabouts secret from everyone, even their friends. "Maybe even longer than that."

They were both quiet for a bit, before Zoe spoke up. She sounded sad. "Tell me before you leave, won't you?"

Cordelia felt guilty – she and Misty were going to be free pretty soon. She could imagine how Zoe felt – like she would be stuck in the school forever. "Of course."

They were both quiet after that, and Cordelia listened as Zoe's breathing grew slower. Soon the other girl was snoring. She fiercely denied that she snored, of course. If only Cordelia had some way – then she could have recorded Miss Robichaux in the kitchen before! That was prime blackmail material, right there. She couldn't wait to tell Misty.

Chapter title from 'You can go your own way' by Fleetwood Mac.