Sneaking out

Daylight came slowly, brightening Amber's little prison and pulling her out of her deep slumber.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she came awake and yawned. It was today, the day she had been awaiting. She was finally eighteen, an adult in society's eye. She was no longer a minor.

Then she remembered the conversation she had with Clarissa the previous night. Her happy mood turned sour when she remembered she was going to be married any day now.

Married to a wealthy stranger she had never seen. Most girls would be ecstatic to be married to a man as wealthy as Draco Birmingham. But not her. She didn't want to marry so early. She wanted to fall in love, she wanted someone to fall in love with her too. She wanted to go to college and meet a strapping young man to start a family with.

Thanks to her father, those dreams were crushed. She would never see the four walls of college. She would never fall in love. She would live out the rest of her life as someone's trophy wife.

The thought made her upset. Rolling over on the tiny bed, she froze. Her eyes widened to the point of popping out.

Before here were dozens of presents. Birthday presents. Some of the wrapped boxes were so large that she wondered what could be inside. The mountain of gifts were so much that it had her jaw dropping in awe. Someone must have brought it in when she was asleep.

She crawled off the low bed towards the nearest box and grabbed it. There was no card attached to it. Suddenly curious, she ripped open the box and brought out a fancy black leather dress. There was a high slit at the side, and the back was opened up to the waist.

A thought suddenly occured to Amber and she smiled. The dress would come in handy later.

She opened other boxes slowly. One of the boxes held a three inch heel leather stiletto boots. Another held a Rolex watch, the kind that made her cringe by just thinking about the price. The last one she opened was an apple ipad pro. Overwhelmed by it all, she sat on the floor, staring at the opened boxes of clothes, shoes, jewelries and phone gadgets.

The entire gifts were worth more than ten thousand dollars. Where exactly did her father get the cash to get them for her?

There was one box left. She slowly opened it and gasped at the two layer chocolate cake with pink icing.

"Oh father",she whispered softly. He must have gone through so much to get these gifts for her. How could she defy him with what she planned to do that night?

Could she still do it?

...

Time flew by quickly. Clarissa had helped her take the numerous boxes up to her room along with the cake. But Amber hid the iPad, the leather dress and matching boots and the Rolex watch. She needed them, just in case she changed her mind about tonight.

"You looked tensed",Clarissa observed and lowered herself beside Amber. "Is something bothering you?"

Amber looked away. She couldn't let Clarissa find out about her plans to sneak out of the house. Clarissa would try to discourage her, and might even tell her father. She needed to stop acting suspicious.

"Where's my father?",she asked instead.

Clarissa sighed. "Are you sad because he didn't come up to see you?"

Amber wasn't sad about it because she was used to it. It wasn't the first time for her father to be absent during her birthday. But she nodded slowly, using it as an excuse for being tense.

"According to what he told me, he had an errand to run out of town",Clarissa said. She turned slightly to straighten her dress and failed to see the smile that suddenly appeared on Amber's face. "He will be back by morning. I'm sure he will have an explanation for leaving"

Amber nodded slowly. But within her, she was screaming with joy. Her father was out of town, so sneaking out would be totally easy. She just had to make Clarissa leave on time, then she would set her plan in motion.

"I'm tired",she said suddenly and stretched, stifling a yawn. "I think I'll go to bed early today"

Clarissa carefully picked up the dinner tray she brought and stood up. "Goodnight Amber. I'll check on you tomorrow. And happy birthday"

"Thanks Clarissa",Amber mumbled. Suddenly she remembered that she needed the key to the door to escape. And that key was with Clarissa. She had to get it.

"Clarissa",she called softly.

"Yes Amber",Clarissa turned around slowly with the tray in her hands.

Amber got up and walked over to the maid. Then she threw her arms around her.

Clarissa was caught off guard and she could do nothing, especially with the tray she held.

"Thank you",Amber mumbled. "Thank you for always being here for me"

Clarissa smiled finally and kissed the young girl's dark hair. She had been there the day she was born. A tiny baby, screaming her head off. Now she was all grown up and ready to be married.

Amber was like a daughter to her, and if it were up to her she wouldn't marry her off. Amber still had a long life to live before she thought of marriage. But she was just a maid. There was nothing she could do.

"I will always be here for you darling",she said with a smile. "Even when you're married, I will always stand by you"

Amber slowly released her and smiled sleepily.

"Go on to bed now",Clarissa chuckled. "I'll see you in the morning"

Amber dutifully walked back and curled herself on the bed. She closed her eyes halfway, watching as Clarissa maneuvered around the door. The door slowly shut close and she heard the turn of the lock.

She waited for a while after Clarissa's footsteps retreated. Then the distinctive sound of a door slamming close sounded and Amber opened her eyes.

She dipped a hand into the pocket of her night dress and brought out a key. A giggle escaped her when she remembered how she had taken it. Clarissa had been so preoccupied with her hug that she didn't feel Amber sneak her hand into the pocket of her apron and release one of the keys from the bunch.

Now there was nothing stopping her.

"I'm sorry Clarissa",she said as she got up from the bed. "But I have to do this. This could be my only chance to experience freedom before I get married off"

She opened the small drawer at the corner of the room and brought out the leather dress and boots. The watch and ipad lay beside it.

It was time to sneak out of the mansion.