14

Run, Sofia. I kept telling myself to go on, to flee. I figured that at some point, I’d reach something – anything to give me a clue on how I could escape the Blood Shade. And so I continued, stumbling through the darkness of the forest.

I knew I had no escape plan and the likelihood of actually leaving the island was practically non-existent. But I had to take my chance the moment I saw it. I couldn’t afford to hang around while Derek decided exactly what he wanted to keep me for.

I thought of Ben and what he would do given my situation. Knowing how impulsive my best friend was, I figured to escape while he could was probably what he would’ve done.

That really was all the encouragement that I needed. So when I woke up that morning – and found the sky to be as dark as it was the night before – I realized that waiting for daylight to escape was pointless.

I got off the bed as quietly as I could – I had no idea where Derek was, but if he was in the chambers closest to mine, I figured he’