3. Sneaking Out

Sky looked at her phone for the fifth time. It was exactly eleven o’clock.

She sat on her bed for a long time, listening.

No footsteps. No voices. Just the hum of the air conditioner and the faint tick of the hallway clock. Everyone sounded asleep.

Finally.

She put her high heels inside a bag and slipped on her sneakers, keeping her movements slow so the laces would not squeak. Lambert lifted his head and watched her with one sleepy eye.

“Shh,” she whispered. “Do not make a sound.”

He gave a tiny snort and went back to being a lump of fur. Good dog. He was the only witness she wanted.

Sky slowly left her bedroom. She froze every time the old house made a sound. Her heart pounded in her ears like it was trying to escape.

Charlie’s door was down the hall. He had moved into the house a few months ago. Her father said it was for protection.

River wanted to make sure he could be close to her and drove her to school every morning. Sky called Charlie a live-in maid sometimes, joking, begrudging. She couldn’t escape him no matter what.

But tonight, she will.

She pressed her ear to his door. At first, there was nothing. Then a soft, regular sound. Snoring. Light, even, like someone finally given permission to relax after a day of pretending to be a rock.

“Bastard,” she breathed.

The snore confirmed what she wanted. Charlie was out. Which meant tonight could work. It meant she might get away with it.

Her stomach did a happy twist. She held her breath and eased away from the door.

She knew one guard stood by the back door. Marco. He liked to stand like a post, phone in his hand, checking things every hour. He had been there every night for as long as Sky could remember. He was good at being invisible until he noticed the thing he needed to notice. That was the problem.

Sky crouched behind the banister and thought fast. She needed something believable that would get Marco moving.

Her brain spun but no ideas came.

Maybe she needed a snack to clear her mind.

Sky quickly headed to the kitchen and opened a jar of cookies. The smell of chocolate hit her nose, and her stomach growled. She popped one into her mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the sugar rush that felt like courage.

“Fuel for crime,” she whispered through a mouthful.

She reached for another cookie when her eyes caught a faint glow from the counter. A phone sat there.

Sky squinted.

It was their maid’s phone. Lola must have left it charging and forgot to take it.

Sky’s lips curled into a grin. A plan started forming.

She swallowed the last bite of her cookie and picked up the phone. “Sorry, Lola,” she whispered. “It’s for a good cause. Kind of.”

Unlocking it was easy because it wasn’t even password protected. Now, all she had to do was make Marco think Lola needed him. Marco wouldn’t ignore Lola’s invitation since Sky had seen him giving Lola the googly eyes before. He must have a massive crush on her.

Sky smirked, a spark of mischief lighting her face. “Oh, Marco,” she whispered. “You’re about to risk your job for love.”

Sky (pretending to be Lola): hey Marco. There is something I want to tell you. Will you meet me in the library? <3

She hit send, placed Lola’s phone neatly back on the charger, and ducked lower, trying not to laugh out loud.

It took maybe ten seconds.

Marco’s phone buzzed in the hallway. She peeked around the corner. His head tilted down to look at the message, and his whole face changed. He straightened up a little, smoothing his shirt like it suddenly mattered.

“Lola?” he said quietly, blinking at his phone.

He typed something back, then hesitated. She could almost see the gears turning in his brain. Finally, he tucked his phone into his pocket and started walking toward the back stairs, trying way too hard to look casual.

Sky bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Oh, this is gold,” she whispered.

As soon as he disappeared down the hallway, she darted across the kitchen. Her sneakers slid a little on the tile, but she caught herself. She gripped the back door handle and pulled it open just enough to slip through.

The night air rushed in, cool and alive. Sky shut the door quietly behind her and crouched low by the porch.

The garden was still and glowing softly under the lights. She moved quickly, staying low, ducking behind the hedges.

She kept her head down and jogged across the stone path, sneakers silent against the damp ground. She passed the fountain, the one shaped like an angel, and whispered, “Wish me luck.” The water gurgled in reply. Close enough.

At the far end of the garden, hidden behind a thick wall of ivy, was her secret.

Sky crouched, pushed some vines aside, and smiled. There it was, the hole in the fence. Not big, not clean, but perfect. Just wide enough for her body if she sucked in a little.

She dropped her bag through first, then went down on her knees. The metal was cold against her hands. She wriggled forward, pulling herself through inch by inch. Her hoodie caught on a bit of wire, and for a second she panicked that she was stuck.

“Come on, come on,” she muttered, tugging harder until she popped through with a quiet grunt and fell into the grass on the other side.

She lay there for a second, staring up at the stars, grinning. “I did it.”

She got up, brushed the dirt off her jeans, and grabbed her bag.

Her phone buzzed.

Mila: parked by the corner. hurry before I get arrested for looking suspicious.

Sky laughed under her breath and started walking. Her heart was still beating too fast, but now it felt good. Every step away from the mansion was a victory.

When she reached the end of the block, she spotted a silver car idling beneath a streetlight. Music hummed low inside, something with a heavy bass that made the night feel alive.

Mila waved through the window when she saw her. “About time!”

“Marco’s in love,” Sky said, opening the door and sliding in.

Mila blinked. “What?”

“I might have sent him a fake text from Lola,” Sky said with a grin. “Told him to meet her in the library. Too bad he is getting stood up.”

Mila gasped, then burst out laughing so loud the car shook. “You’re evil.”

“Strategic,” Sky corrected, buckling her seatbelt. “There’s a difference.”

Mila shook her head, wiping a tear of laughter. “If your dad ever finds out, he’s gonna lock you in a tower.”

Sky leaned back and smiled. “Let him try.”

The car rolled away from the curb, tires humming against the pavement. Through the window, the mansion grew smaller and smaller until it vanished behind the trees.

For the first time all week, she felt untouchable.