Elena lifted her head and allowed herself to relax in the serenity of the night. She watched the water ripple gently in the summer's breeze. A shadow caught the corner of her eye. She switched her gaze to the grass, scanning for an evidence of movement. It was still. She sighed and laid on her side, propping herself up with her arm. "What to do, what to do -" A thunderous clap slammed the window, sending her falling to the floor. She shivered and slowly lifted her head to eye length along the bench.
A dead bird was splattered against the window. An impossible amount of blood seemed to spray across it. Elena screamed.
"Elena, Elena, calm down. It's just a bird. We'll get someone to clean it up in the morning." The maid wrapped her robe around her and slowly rubbed her back. Elena sniffled and clutched the soft cotton to her face. "Vanessa...I'm so tired of this place..." Vanessa stopped moving her hand and turned Elena to face her.
"Elena, you need to go." Vanessa's voice suddenly held no hint of submission. Elena's eyes widened with surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I shouldn't have said anything...but look, I've taken care of you for a long time now and... you need to get out of here. Out of this town, this place. You haven't set a foot outside these grounds in years! You're 17, it's time to think about college...has your father talked to you about any of this?"
"What I've talked to Elena about is none of your business, Vanessa. Get out of here." He appeared in the doorway.
"Andrew, I meant no offense I just thought..." Her sentence ended in muffles, and she arose quietly and walked to the doorway.
"You thought what, you nosey bitch?" He clenched his hand into a fist and struck her face. She let out a yelp and pushed past him, running down the hallway. Elena sat on the ground, motionless. He was not a predictable drunk. Elena, get to bed. Now."
He turned to close the door when the window caught his eye. He froze. "Get your bag. We're leaving, now." He rushed away. Elena whimpered and crawled towards her closet. She always had an emergency bag packed, ever since she was 11 and father told her to. He could have only meant that one.
She grabbed it from the back of the closet and slipped on her sandals. What caused him to panic? She wondered. The bird and it's placement seemed intentional, she now realized. It was sitting perfectly in the middle of window, not sliding a speck.
A moment later, Vanessa barged in. "Elena, come, now!" Vanessa appeared in the doorway covered in a trench coat with a bag along her shoulder. "Andrew is badgering the help, this is our chance. We have to go." Her face was swollen and some blood oozed from her bottom lip. Her once golden hair had turned white in the most recent year. This was the woman that raised her.
"Vanessa...what's going on?" Elena now stood in front of her, the light reflecting off her eyes. Vanessa held on to her hand and led her into the hallway towards the fire escape.
"Trust me, Elena. I'll explain what I can later." They hurried down the ladder and into the night.
Andrew walked into Elena's room to emptiness. He knew she was gone. He could no longer protect her from him, or himself. He fell to his knees and grabbed his hair in despair. What had he done?
Vanessa led her swiftly to the boathouse and to the dock. She unraveled the rope and began to paddle as if their lives depended on it. What Elena didn't realize then was that it did.