Amore

Chapter 16

It was the day before my wedding to that awful man. I almost had enough sheets to escape. All I would need would be tonight's, then I could escape down the rope. I had made a tiny pouch to carry my most sacred treasures, including my engagement ring, my Mother of Pearl, and Twelfth Night. I would tuck it into my boy's outfit, which I still had. I would disguise myself as a boy and then enlist for the war.

            I endured dinner with more of George's friends. They all talked about how adorable I was and how I could become something with the right tools. I sat there, bored. When it was finally over, I raced to my room, but on the stairs, my way was blocked by George.

            “Hey, sugar,” he said.

            “Excuse me,” I said, trying to edge around him. He grabbed me and kissed me sloppily. I backed away as far as I could and wiped my mouth.

            “What's one night, sugar?” he said, coming after me. “We can pretend we're already married. Don't worry, I won't hurt you...much.”

            I ducked under his arm and ran into my room. George followed me.

            “Mista Gawrge!” Mrs. Molly's voice came from behind us. She bustled up the stairs and shooed him away. “Ya' know ya' ain't married yet! Be patient! Now shoo!” She turned after he had skulked away and handed me the last two sheets. “Good luck!”

            I hugged her, “Thank you so much. I'll always remember you.”

            “No problem honey, no go! Find your man!”

            I smiled as she left, locking the door behind her. I quickly changed clothes, then went quietly into the secret room. I tied the last two bedsheets together, then climbed on a tall box. I jumped up and grabbed the edge of the hole. I hefted myself up through the hole and carefully climbed onto the roof. The wind was blowing wildly and it was pouring rain, blowing my short hair in my face. I pushed it aside while I looked around in the dark. I gently slid down the roof, looking for a good place to climb down. I slipped, going down the slippery roof. I clung to the edge when I hit it. I hung for dear life as the rain pounded down on my body, soaking me. I pulled myself up slowly. When I was safely back on the roof, I tied the end of the rope to a weather vane. I yanked on it to make sure it would hold my weight, it stayed. I slowly started to slide down the rope, lowering myself one hand at a time. Lighting flashed, scaring me. The wind blew me into the window of George's room right when the thunder boomed. I went completely still when he stirred. I could hear my heart pounding as I watched. A minute later, he went back to sleep. I started to move again. I was about ten feet above the ground when the weather vane snapped. I fell to the ground, the weather vane crashing next to me. I scrambled up, looking around. Nobody was around. I scooped up the bedding and the weather vane and ran, slipping on the wet stones. I fell three times before I made it out of the city. I threw the rope and vane into a bush. I kept running until I saw the dim light of day. I collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. After a while, I sat up to check the damage to my knees. They were both bleeding. I winced as I washed them, then wrapped them in some clothe I ripped from my shirt. I also washed the cuts I received from running into branches. I painfully stood up and started walking.

            Around mid-day I came up on another town. People were bustling around, ignoring me. If they weren't ignoring me, they were yelling at me to get out of their way. In the center of town, there was a group of young men. I  walked up to one of them and asked in their accent, “What'cha doin'?”

            “Signin' up for war. What do you think?” he sneered at me. I nodded at him, then headed to the end of the line.

            When I got to the front, the man looked me over. “What's your name, shrimp?”