Just Trust Me

1

The day of my twenty first birthday, I woke up more ecstatic than I'd been my entire life. I had a spring in my step and a smile on my face, which was extremely uncommon for me.

Why?

Law states that every person on their twenty first birthday is automatically emancipated from their parents. If my Mother and Father kept me here, against my will, they would be guilty of holding an adult hostage, as if my entire life wasn't a hostage situation.

Happily, I unearthed a bag large enough to fit everything I'd be taking, but small enough to be easily carried. It was six am, I usually didn't ever wake this early, but I wanted to make sure I had time to pack before bidding my final good bye to my parents and this god awful castle.

By the time my Mother had barged into my room, singing an awful rendition of 'Happy Birthday' while holding a cupcake, I was sitting calmly on my bed with my hands folded in my lap and my bag sitting next to me. The bed was made, the curtains were drawn, and I was wearing my cloak and boots.

"Emma?" Mom asked me, confusion swiping across her face "what are you doing?" She placed the cupcake down and rose an eyebrow "your father is downstairs, he's got your present wrapped and ready. Why are you up and dressed so early?" The look on my Mothers face was pure devastation. She looked like I'd just punched her in the gut.

"I'm twenty one" I tell her "legally emancipated, I can leave and you can't do a thing to stop me" I motioned to my bag and my cloak "I'm planning on leaving this morning, I just wanted to say goodbye first"

Mom's face fell, and she looked like I'd just stood there and broken her heart myself. The eyed the bag, then looked at me, before looking back at the bag again. Her face was still a mask of shock and disbelief, but it quickly turned into a neutral look.

"You aren't going anywhere, Emma" Mom said in a voice so calm, so eerily and terrifyingly calm, it reminded me of my own voice the day I escaped the castle and was brought home the next night. My own voice was exactly as hers is now and I know that over her dead body am I going anywhere.

"It's illegal to keep me here" I tell her "law states, that I am allowed to leave. It's considered a hostage situation if you force me to stay against my will" I was starting to panic; but I still had a back up plan just in case something like this happened. I was hoping I'd never have to use it, but you have to do what you have to do.

"I make the laws, Emma. I am the Queen and if I say you're staying here then that's it" Mom said, starting to get slightly upset.

"You can't do this!" I yell back, starting to get worked up. I was hoping she'd just understand and let me go, considering it's the law, but apparently not. She plans on doing what's in her own best interest, not mine.

"She'll kill you, Emma!" Mom screamed "she will kill you and I can't handle the idea of crying over your dead corpse when I could have prevented it!" Her voice was so loud and so echoey off the stone walls, I was sure every single person in the castle could hear her "I don't want that for you, Emma! She has taken so much from me, I won't let her take you too! You're not leaving, I won't allow it!"

I laughed morbidly, because really, nothing was funny. It was an ironic laugh, like I had an inside joke with myself, because my Mother was too oblivious to understand what was happening.

"She's going to kill me? Are you serious?" I ask, facing her with frozen, void of any emotion, eyes. "You're going to kill me before anyone else does! Keeping me trapped, holding me hostage, you're not keeping me safe!" I scream so loud, I'm sure my throat will be raw later, but I don't care. "I have tried to kill myself three god damn times! Because of you!  Because I don't have a life, I don't have anything! And you don't seem to care! I have nothing!" I'm shaking now, and breathing so heavily it's as if I just ran a mile long race.