ESCAPE

There was no music to accompany them on their journey; all they could hear were the occasional screaming of tires and the overheated engines of other automobiles passing them by. Mr. Ethel and his wife sat in the front seats, and he drove.  He chose to drive himself, which he had never done before, generally because they always had a chauffeur who was hired to drive them around.  But the occasion demanded his presence, and he wouldn't put his trust in anybody else behind the wheel of the car that would take him to the castle.

Cecily took a seat in the back row. She was checking her phone for updates, which indicated that the trials were nearing the end and that the champion would be announced the following week. She had no pity for her ex-friends with whom she had abruptly ended her relationship. When she read the updates, the only thing that came to mind was if Nelanian was safe. He was in trouble, and no one was willing to help him, even himself, since t