Page 1 of Sleepless Pact

ChapterOne

AUDREY

Am I really going to do this?Guilt eats away at me, but do I have another option?This is my only way out.

Staring down at the white pills I’ve collected over the past few weeks, I remember that sometimes it wasn’t so easy to pretend to take them.Every once in a while, I’d have to swallow them, but for the most part, my mom wasn’t paying close attention, and I could hide them away.

Each night after dinner, my mom made me take the pills as a way to make sure I slept through the night.It started a few years ago after the first time I tried to run away.Once I passed out, she wouldn’t have to worry about me trying to sneak out.

Mom can be crazy, but she isn’t a fan of tying me up.I think it made it all too real that I was a captive and that she’s been telling me lies.Or maybe I want them to be.I think she’s crazy, but she tells me that I’m the one that’s not safe to be around others.She says it’s because of my outbursts, but either way, she doesn’t care for seeing me tied up.In her mind, she loves me, and we’re a normal family.Ropes and cuffs take away from the illusion.

It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I realized my life wasn’t normal.My mom did a very good job of keeping me sheltered from the rest of the world.I barely leave our home, which is surrounded by a ten-foot stone wall that seems to go on forever.The only way out is through the massive gates at the end of a long driveway.On top of that, there’s always a guard stationed there.

Between my books and the movies I was allowed to see, I got a glimpse of how the rest of the world lived.My mom always told me that TV and books were fantasy, but when I did get to leave the grounds, it felt more real than she wanted me to believe.I never understood why we had to live this way, and when I tried to ask, she would lose it, going off on one of her fits until she lost control and fainted.

At least I thought she was fainting.I noticed the last time she had one of her episodes that she hadn't really passed out.I played along with her, not sure what to fully make of it, but I knew if I called her out on it, I would only make it worse.

What I did realize is that I have to get out of here.If I don’t escape, I’ll be locked away with her for the rest of her life.Or mine.

I grab my brush and use the back of it to push down on the pills and turn them into dust.My original dose was one at bedtime, but recently, she upped it to two.Not wanting to hurt her, I did a test on myself and took four at once.It knocked me out quickly, but when I woke up, I felt fine.This time I ground up five.Not only do I want to knock her out, but I want time to get some distance between us.

Slowly, I brush the powder into an envelope before I tuck it in my pocket.

Tonight has to be the night.Wednesday is the one day the staff leaves right after serving us dinner, and Mom makes us watch one of her shows while we eat.

Glancing around my bedroom one last time, I grab my bag and make my way downstairs.Thankfully I get there before my mom, and I stuff the bag behind one of the couches.Peeking out of the living room, I make sure no one is around before I rush over to her wine bottle and dump the powder inside.My heart pounds as I carefully check to make sure it dissolves and pray that I don’t get caught.

“Audrey.”My mother calls my name as I shove the cork back into the bottle and rush over to my normal spot.

“In here,” I call out.

“Someone’s ready forBlack Ice.”She smiles, thinking I’m excited for her favorite show.“Bruce, we’re ready,” Mom shouts, and I notice she’s a bit wobbly on her feet.I don’t say anything, and instead, I grab the remote and turn on the TV.“I’m glad you’re finally enjoying the show.I told you that you’d get into it.”

I can barely hear what she is saying because I’m so focused on her pouring her wine into a glass.

“Audrey, are you okay?”

“Great.Yeah, I’m fine.”I stumble over my words, and she gives me a puzzled look before setting down the bottle and taking a big gulp.

Bruce brings our trays in and asks if we need anything else before he heads out.When she waves him off, I check the time and start the countdown.As soon as we’re alone, I hit play and wait.Each second feels like hours, and at one point, I’m convinced she’s not going to pass out.

Then suddenly she slumps over and is out like a light.

“Oh shit,” I say to myself as I jump up from my seat.

Guilt weighs heavy on me when I go into her pocket to steal her phone, but I’ll need it until I can get my own.I have a little over a thousand dollars from the money my grandma gave me in my birthday cards before she died.I’m not sure how far it will get me, but it’s better than nothing.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I say to her sleeping form before I kiss her on the forehead, knowing I don’t have much time.

Bruce spends about twenty minutes wrapping up before he leaves, and I know this is my moment.I creep to the side door that the staff uses and slip out.Bruce’s car is parked the closest, and I know he never locks it.

Rushing over, I pop the trunk and hop in.This is the only way I’ll be able to get past the gates, and although I’m afraid, I’m determined.

The click is loud when I close the trunk, and my heart races when I hear Bruce get in.It feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest and doesn’t slow, not even when he makes it past the gates.I don’t know how long we drive for, but my mind is unable to focus from the fear and adrenaline coursing through me.

When he finally parks and turns the car off, I wait for five minutes before I open the trunk and sneak out.Glancing around, I don’t have a freaking clue where I am, and all I can see is that he’s parked in a space between two skyscrapers.

It’s so dark that it makes another kind of fear take over, and I run as fast as I can down the alley nearby.I’m afraid and excited all at once, and to my surprise, a bubble of laughter comes out of me when I burst through the end of the alley to freedom.

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