Rewind

XXIV: Escape

    “Goodnight, Mum, Dad,” I say as usual before going to bed.

It’s Friday thirty-first, Halloween and today it’s Jane’s party, the party my parents didn’t allow me to go. That doesn’t mean I’m not going, because I’ve decided to be Tris tonight and break some rules. I read on the Guardians of Time trilogy that if you want to escape you ought to act normal, never say you want to go to bed early because you’re not feeling well or anything like that because it might cause your parents to check on you later. I don’t know if my parents actually check on me when sleeping because both of them sleep like the dead, but you never know. So I act as any other Friday, going to bed a bit later because there’re no classes tomorrow and I make sure to keep the casual conversation at the table. I don’t have to care about kids asking for candy because my parents don’t give any of that as they don’t consider this appropriate. Kids also know that my parents are not the sort to give them candy and even if they had something to give, it would probably be some handouts for them to solve. They don’t even bother anymore.

Once I’m on my bed I wait. I know my parents will take another thirty minutes to go to bed as well and fall asleep, so in the meantime I hide under my covers and read a book—although that doesn’t work that well. My parents don’t have a reason to suspect that I’ll escape tonight because I’ve never even tried to go to a party before and they know I’m obedient. And after tonight they won’t have reason to suspect because I’ll never do it again. If they don’t catch me tonight, then everything will be fine in the future.

Sam and I planned it all carefully. She and Zeke will come to pick me on his sister’s car. She knows we are going to the party, she even knows that I’m escaping and funnily enough, she decided to fully cooperate with us. I have to text them the moment I think my parents are sleeping and they’ll drive by. I’ll sneak out my window and meet them outside my neighbour’s house, just to be sure my Parents don’t see a car in front of their house if they wake up. No one will tell them if they see anything because no one talks to my parents in the neighbourhood. After that, Zeke will drive us to Jane’s house, we’ll stay for a while and finally they’ll come to drop me safe and sound and hopefully, with my parents still sleeping.

It’s not that intrinsic of a plan because we are just going to a party and it’s not even that far, but I’m still shaking in my bed. I feel so exhilarated and like I can do anything. I feel my heart beating strongly, pumping blood to every limb because I’m ready to run. I never imagined that going against the rules would be so exhilarating, that it would make me feel so alive. I think I have adrenaline running through my veins instead of blood—yes, I'm very aware that's not possible, it's just a figure of speech—and staying still is agonising. I want to jump, run, scream, anything! I just need to be in the move because all this energy inside of me is killing me.

This is what dauntless must seek, what makes them so crazy in the eyes of the other factions. They are always running and feeling all this adrenaline and you can't look calm and collected when your body is acting like this.  I think I can understand Tris now, a bit better at least. I can relate to her regarding this, even if I’m still waiting for my parents to be sound asleep.

After a while I open my door and peek outside, paying attention to any kind of sound that could indicate my parents are still awake, but the house is dead silent and I nod with a big smile.

It’s time.

I grab my mobile and text Sam telling her that I’m ready, it’s time for her to pick me up. Then I go back to my room and change clothes. As all my outfits are very basic it wasn’t a problem to find my costume. I just need black trousers and a black tee. Sam will lend me the boots and Zeke has a knife that I could add as accessory.