Chapter 151 Escape

Chapter 151 Escape
Ashley POV

I pressed my face against the glass. The taillights got smaller and smaller until they were just tiny red dots, then nothing. My breath fogged up the window, but I kept staring anyway, hoping maybe they'd turn around and come back for me.

They had to. Sarah was definitely my real mom. I could tell just by looking at her. And her friend drove a really nice car, way nicer than anything around here. Sarah's clothes looked expensive, too, not like the secondhand stuff Anna always bought me from the thrift store.

"They're not coming back tonight, you know." Anna's voice cut through my thoughts like a rusty knife. "That woman might not even be your real mother. Though God knows, I hope she is."

I spun around, glaring at her. "She is my real mom! I know she is. I told you, I'm a thousand times better than this dump, and my real family has money."

Anna laughed, but it wasn't a nice laugh. It was the mean kind that made my stomach twist. "You keep dreaming, princess. Your real mommy probably doesn't even want you. Why do you think you ended up here?"

"That's not true!" My hands clenched into fists. "My real parents are rich and important, and when they find me, I'll never have to see your ugly face again!"

"Well, good luck finding them then." Anna's face got that twisted look it always got when she was really mad. "Your precious Sarah lives in Skyline Heights anyway. If you're so sure she's your mama, why don't you just march right over there and knock on her door?"

Skyline Heights. That was where my real mom lived. That was where I belonged.

"Maybe I will," I shot back, already bolting toward the front door.

Anna grabbed my arm. "Don't even think about it, you little brat. You go wandering off on your own, and the police will drag me straight to jail for losing track of you. Get that idea out of your head right now!"

But the idea was already planted, growing like a flower in concrete. Skyline Heights. All I had to do was get there, find Sarah's apartment, and convince her to take me in. It didn't matter what that stupid test said. Once she saw how much I needed her, she'd have to keep me.

The next day dragged by like molasses. Anna spent it cleaning the bathroom and folding laundry, but she kept one eye on me the whole time. Every few minutes, she'd poke her head out to check what I was doing or yell at me to stay put and stop wandering around. By dinner time, my plan was ready.

"Oops." I let the plate slip right through my fingers. It hit the kitchen floor with a perfect crash, sending pieces of that ugly brown ceramic flying everywhere.

Anna's face went purple. "ASHLEY! Look what you've done! That's coming out of your allowance money, and you're going straight to your room. No TV, no nothing until tomorrow morning!"

"I'm sorry, Anna," I said, trying to sound really, really sorry. "It was an accident."

"Accident my foot. Get upstairs right now before I really lose my temper."

I stomped up the stairs, making sure she heard every step, then slammed my bedroom door extra loud. Anna's TV got turned up higher. Some stupid show about rich people having problems. Rich people's problems sounded way better than poor people's problems.

I crept to my window and looked down. It was pretty high up, but there was a thick drainpipe running down the side of the house, and the ground looked soft enough.

The drainpipe felt cold and slippery under my hands, but I held on tight and started climbing down. About halfway, my sweaty palms lost their grip, and I tumbled the rest of the way, landing hard on the grass. My knee scraped against something sharp, but I didn't cry. Rich girls probably didn't cry over little cuts.

I brushed the dirt off my clothes and ran toward the street before Anna could look out and see me missing.

The bus stop had one of those big maps with all the colored lines showing where the buses went. I squinted at it, trying to figure out which line went to Skyline Heights, but all those numbers and colors jumbled together in my head.

"Honey, are you lost?"

A woman in scrubs was standing behind me, her bag slung over one shoulder. She looked tired but nice, like maybe she'd just finished working at the hospital. Her name tag said "Marie" and had a little heart sticker next to it.

"I'm trying to get to Skyline Heights," I said, putting on my most polite voice. "I need to visit my aunt, but I don't know which bus to take."

Marie's face crinkled up with concern. "Skyline Heights? That's pretty far from here, sweetie. Does your aunt know you're coming this late?"

"Oh yes, we planned it all out," I lied smoothly. "She's expecting me."

"Well, I'm heading that direction anyway. How about I give you a ride? It's not safe for a little girl to be riding buses alone at night."

My heart jumped. This was even better than I'd hoped.

During the car ride, Marie kept asking questions, and I made up answers as fast as I could, my palms getting sweaty every time she looked at me in the rearview mirror.

"Here we are," Marie said finally, pulling up to a fancy gate with a security guard booth. "Which building is your aunt in?"

"Oh, she's right over there!" I pointed toward a group of people walking their dogs near some trees. "Thanks so much for the ride!"

Before Marie could say anything else, I jumped out of the car and ran toward the group of people, ducking behind a big bush and waiting. A few minutes later, someone came out of the gate, and I slipped in behind them before it closed.

Now I was inside. Skyline Heights spread out in front of me like a fairy tale: tall buildings with twinkling lights, perfect lawns, even a little park with benches and a fountain. This was where my real mom lived.

"Mommy!" I called out, my voice echoing off the buildings. "Mommy, I'm here! Where are you?"

A few people walking by gave me strange looks, but I didn't care. I ran up to anyone I saw.

"Excuse me, do you know where my mommy lives? Her name is Sarah, and she has blue eyes just like mine!"

Most people just shook their heads and walked faster. One old man muttered something about "another lost kid" and pulled out his phone like he was going to call someone, so I ran away from him real quick.

Minutes passed. My feet hurt, my stomach growled, and the sky got darker and darker. Every building looked the same. Sarah could be behind any one of those windows, but how was I supposed to find her?

Finally, I collapsed on a bench in the little park. My legs couldn't carry me another step, and my eyes felt hot and prickly with tears I didn't want to cry.

"Mommy," I whispered to the empty darkness. "Mommy, where are you? I came all this way to find you..."

A shadow fell across the bench. I looked up, expecting to see a security guard or maybe that old man with the phone, but instead, there was a woman. Her hair hung in messy tangles around her face, and her eyes had a weird, shiny look that made my skin crawl.

I let out a little scream and scooted backward on the bench.

"I'm looking for my mommy," I said in a tiny voice. "Can you help me find her?"

The woman stepped closer, smelling of harsh chemicals. "What's your mommy's name, little girl?"

"Sarah," I whispered. "Her name is Sarah..."

Her whole face changed. Her eyes got even shinier, and her mouth stretched into a smile that didn't look happy at all. She grabbed my arm with fingers that felt like claws.

"Sarah Martinez?" she hissed, and her voice sounded like she was choking on the words. "Is that who you're looking for?"