Thirteen

Aella was jarred from her fitful sleep by the sound of her alarm. She opened her eyes suddenly and stopped the alarm, then jumped up from the bed, feeling more energetic than she had ever been in a long time. Finally, she would be free from this place. Today was the day she would run and never look back.

She walked to her adjoining bathroom while humming a tune under her breath. She stripped and brushed her teeth, then proceeded to take the most refreshing bath she had ever taken. She lathered her naked body with lavender soap, thinking all the while that her life was about to turn around for the better. Everything felt so much brighter and more fortuitous.

After bathing, she dried her body with a towel and slipped on one of the billowy white gowns, then as an afterthought, packed her hair into a loose ponytail. Today she was willing to try new things.

She quickly laid the bed and arranged the covers so it would look like she woke with every other maid for the daily chores. She then p