Pretty Poison

Six

I lay on my back, staring up at the shed's ceiling, the same thing I did every night until I was able to fall asleep. I can't stop thinking. My mind won't let me stop, everything from earlier replaying like a movie on a DVD.

I rub my tired eyes, silently begging my brain to let me sleep. But it shows me no mercy. I heave a sigh of defeat, readjusting my frail body atop the thin mattress. I curl up in a tight ball, snagging the fleece blanket closer to my face for comfort.

I want to leave, I want my indenturement or whatever it is to be over. I want my future to be now, but I realize that I can't have everything I want. And I swallow that fact with a heavy, distasteful bile.

Suddenly, an idea pops into my mind.

If you want it so bad, then take it. Nothing comes to those who wait.
I sling my feet over the edge of the bed, standing briskly and striding to my small dresser. I grabbed a jacket, and a small bag I swiped from inside the house, stuffing it full with all my belongings. I close the drawers, my eyes meeting with a silver chain necklace, it is the last piece of my life I have. I don't know who it belonged to, but I know it was important, that is why I have it.

I grab it by the pendant, running my thumb over the engraved design, admiring the simplistic beauty. Unhooking the chain, I wrap it around my head, concealing it under my shirt and long brunette locks.

I take one last look at the shed around me, no one else living in it but me. Everyone else got a room in the mansion, but for me...it's a different story. I shake the thought away, taking hold of the latch and unlocking it.

From across the garden, the mansion stands tall over the land. The pillars rise three stories high, supporting a Roman styled roof with ancient carvings hidden in the aged marble. Two separate parts of the house stretch on either side of the main piece of the mansion. The place is undoubtedly beautiful, but it is home to a beast...taking away some of it's glorified beauty.

I rush behind a bush, noticing that some lights still remain on. I ran to the end of the house, hiding behind a pillar. Two guards walk back and forth the entire length of the garden, each armed with a loaded shotgun. I search for a way into the house, quickly spotting one through a cracked open window on the first floor.

I rush to it once the guard turns his back towards me, gaining some momentum to grab onto the window seal resting high above the ground. I jump with a grunt, taking hold of the spilling marble ledge and hoisting myself up, struggling to keep a strong hold.

With one last breath, I heave my body onto the window seal, shimmying inside like a snake. My hand connects with the floor first, cushioning my fall to the hardwood floor. I stand up briskly, rushing out of the room quickly.

I hear a few voices far off in another part of the mansion, their tones quiet and calm. As quiet as possible, I briskly walk to the foyer, creeping up the marble steps to the second floor, stepping closer and closer to the room full of expensive jewelry.

Strangely, I am one of the few trusted with cleaning this room, Sergio harvesting fear that a servant will steal from his wife's jewelry collection. He hardly ever goes in this room though, the memory of his dead partner is too strong for him to handle. I reach into my back pocket, grabbing hold of a set of keys. I stick the key into the lock, inaudibly shifting the key in place to unlock the hinges. The door opens with ease, and I sneak inside, shutting the door behind me.

I heave a sigh of relief, setting my bag down next to a jewelry box. I fall to my knees, opening the box only to shut it quickly when it begins to play soft classical music. I scoot to another box on the floor, this one larger than the last, opening the lid. Inside, several gold jewelry pieces lay neatly. I take in the shimmering crystals that shine under the moonlight peering in from the glass window.