“The day has come.”
The mutter of those four simple words caused a tremor to roll down my spine. I knew it was time, but I was not brave enough to admit it.
“I suppose it is. Shall I collect my belongings?”
“Yes, my child, but make haste. Your stepfather should be returning in 3 hours, which barely gives us enough time to pack and get to the outskirts of Merival. Go, gather your things.”
I left the room. Verdy was right. She and I both knew that leaving was the best thing to do. It had not been a matter of if we would leave, it was when. And when had arrived.
Pulling a large bag out of the closet, I limped to my room. Because of my bad leg, my progress was slow, but within 15 minutes I had packed everything I would need.
“Ready?” Verdy stared at me. She looked into my eyes, my soul, my unsureness, and told me, “Love, it’s for the best. You and I both knew this day would come.”
I nodded.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yes.”
And with that, she opened the door, and we melted into the darkness.