Page 19 of Sanctuary

“The same way I got into your rooms.” She lifted her hand and showed Misty a single key. “It’s a master key and unlocks every door in this place. Mrs. Sanders had an extra one hanging in her office. She got called away, and I took it.”

“And she didn’t notice it missing?”

Paige shrugged. “There were other keys there, and I moved one over, so it looked like the master. She never noticed, and I’ve been walking the halls at night while the rest of you sleep. I found the clothes and also some money.”

“How much?” Sarah asked.

“Enough to keep us from working for a few weeks. We’ll need to be frugal, but we can do this. First, we need to get away, though. A huge crash of thunder sounded outside, and they could hear the rain hitting the roof.

“We need to hurry and be gone before the lights go out. Someone will come down and start the generator, and I don’t want them catching us.”

The girls dressed in record speed. Paige placed pillows beneath Misty’s bed sheet, the only bedding she’d been allowed so far. Misty had folded the sheet in half to keep warm at night. Paige then placed her finger to her lips. “Walk softly and no talking. We won’t need the lights until we’re clear of the house. I know the best way out.”

The girls followed Paige as she led them to what looked like a closet but was actually a stairway up to the attic. There was a landing outside a small door at the back of the attic that opened to the outside metal stairs. They were the same ones Misty had seen when she’d arrived at the home. The wind was blowing so hard they had to hold the handrails and walk slowly because the stairs were slippery from the rain.

Paige made it first and turned on her flashlight. “Follow me,” she said.

“Did you go outside at night too?” Misty asked loudly so she could be heard over the storm.

“Yes, and I explored as far as I could.”

“You never sleep,” Sarah said. “No wonder you’re so grumpy.”

“Stop gaggling and hurry,” Paige urged.

They followed the road that Misty had arrived on the first night at the school. The rain pelted them, and they held onto each other, walking in a single file line.

“If you see the lights on a car, we need to hide, but I doubt anyone is out tonight. Just a bit further and we can get off the road.”

They walked for maybe another hundred yards, and Paige pointed them to a small path.

“This leads to another road that leads to the river, and the river leads to the ocean. It’s easier to stay lost near the water where there are always families vacationing. Those families are easy money too.”

Misty had no idea what Paige was talking about. She was shivering from the cold, and her wet socks squished in her boots, which made her more miserable. They couldn’t stop now, but Misty was second-guessing leaving during a hurricane.

“I, I, need to ta turn on my flashlight,” Sarah said.

“Go ahead.” Paige didn’t seem as cold as the other two girls.

The extra light helped, and they moved faster, which helped a bit with warmth, or so Misty told herself. Water poured down the trail, and the dirt quickly turned to mud. Misty took a step and lost her footing. She landed on her butt and started sliding.

“Whoa,” said Paige and made a grab for her.

“You should let me slide down. It would be faster,” Misty complained.

Lightning lit up the sky followed by thunder a few seconds later.

“That lightning was close,” Paige said. “We need to keep pushing. We can’t give up now.”

They moved faster. An explosion in the distance startled them all.

“Lightening hit a tree,” Paige yelled. “Keep moving. There’s another road not far from here.”

The hurricane was early in the season and spring was warm but not summer warm. With the rain and wind, the temperature was dropping. Misty couldn’t stop shaking. Her pants were now soaked, too. The wind made her stumble, and she almost took Sarah down. Paige remained unflappable and pushed forward like a superhero.

“See up there,” she said and pointed ahead. “There’s a bus stop with an overhang that will give us a chance to regroup.” Paige pulled both their hands and led them to the partial shelter.

She went to the very back and sat down, bringing Misty and Sarah in beside her.

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