Chapter 9: Hello Sugar Part 1

Emmy

Today was the big day. I didn’t even complain when my alarm went off this morning. I was a basket case full of nerves, and the adrenaline in my body was like a tsunami tidal wave. I was excited, nervous, elated, and scared. If Kian and Kaleb catch me, I am sure I will be taken to the Inquisitor's Office immediately and locked up, never to see sunlight for a long time and probably sold to the highest bidder to be their breeder and slave. I get shivers down my spine thinking about it, and not the good kind. The kind that makes me want to throw up even though I have an empty stomach.  

Tonight I will leave the city, and tomorrow I will be free. I will not be a pure submissive. Maybe I can pass as a Core. My name will no longer be Emerson James, but Ellie Henderson, and I will take the train when I get to Braxton Hills, find a small town hours away to settle down in, and open my own little shop. It will be perfect. The plan is foolproof. I had thought of everything and had this planned for two years. I absentmindedly rubbed the scar on my chest, the one I keep hidden from everyone.  

The timeline was just moved up a bit, not ideal, especially since I wanted a little more of a nest egg, but that wouldn’t be a big problem.  

With a little pep in my step, I finished my morning routine in record time and headed to the kitchen, where, surprise, surprise, Kaleb and Kian were waiting for me, along with Mrs. White.  

I greeted everyone, and Kian served me breakfast. Kian noticed my happy demeanor, and when asked why I was so happy today, I replied, “I’m just feeling really good today. I think it’s going to be a good day.” They seemed to accept the answer. I didn’t notice the smirk that they gave each other behind my back. I was blissfully unaware of what lay ahead.

We soon headed to the university, and classes went well. I still had escorts all day, but to my surprise, for my last two classes, Kian and Kaleb didn’t come to take me; they sent two of their guards instead.  Then they didn’t show up after school either. I just got a text saying, “Something has come up. Your security team will take you to Maggie’s. We will see you later. Be good.”  

Only three SUVs waited outside for us instead of the usual ten-car army caravan. It was really weird, and I was getting even more anxious.  

I tried to shake the negative thoughts out of my head. I shouldn’t be concerned about those guys. I will be by myself in a few short hours and, most importantly, free.  

Maggie stepped outside of her house- well, mansion- when we pulled up on her circular driveway. Maggie’s father was a prominent architect in the city and earned a promotion to silver status after he invented a new building material that was eco-friendly, abundant, and cheap enough to meet building standards. He was a human too, so it was a huge deal. Maggie and her family got to go to the Palace and everything for the promotion ceremony.  

She greeted me with a bear hug, then took me inside while the guards took their places outside the house like the good little soldiers they are. She told me her parents were staying out tonight, so we had the house to ourselves. We spent the evening watching Singing in the Rain, one of our favorite old-timey movies, and eating pizza and M&Ms.  

Long after the sun set and the night sky was black and littered with stars, we looked at each other and knew it was time. It was about eleven at night, way past my designated bedtime. A train left Braxton Hills around two in the morning and stopped in the next sector about three hours away.  

Maggie took me to her basement. We didn’t turn on the lights as we didn’t want to attract attention. We used the flashlight on her phone. She pulled out the suitcase Mrs. White dropped off and a small black duffel bag from behind some boxes. The duffel bag had some food, a few of my books, and a few other personal items I had been sad to leave behind. Mrs. White was always so considerate.  

Maggie went to the back wall, opened a secret panel, and entered a code that opened the wall like something out of a spy movie. She flipped on a switch just inside, and the long concrete corridor lit up. I took my bags, double-checked my backpack’s secret compartment with my new papers, and gave Maggie one more big hug. I promised to call her once I got settled, then started down the tunnel. The door closed behind me once I was inside.  

It would be about a forty-minute walk to the basement of another house owned by Maggie’s family. It was a guest house that was used in emergencies. From there, I could take the car in the garage to the train station, about another hour away in the heart of downtown Cromwell City. I packed sunglasses and a hoodie so I could put them on to avoid the facial recognition cameras, and off I’d go.  

I pulled my bags effortlessly down the narrow tunnel, replaying my plan and mentally running through my endless checklists to make sure I had everything.  

The walk went quickly, and soon I reached the door. I entered the code Maggie gave me into the keypad, and the door opened. I turned off the lights before stepping fully through the threshold and closed the tunnel door behind me. The basement was dark, and I took out my phone and used the flashlight to see. I left my SIM card with Maggie, and she would put it in her phone in case I was being tracked.  

I made my way up the stairs and quickly headed to the door. I grabbed the car keys on the entryway table and went to the front door when the lights suddenly flickered on. I almost jumped out of my skin, and when I turned around, I almost had a heart attack.  

“Hello, sugar!”