The GED

I caught the train, which was moving slow by the house and hung on to the side of one of the cars while the train chugged into a town—happily, my own town. I walked for two hours in Julio's glumpy boots to my neighborhood and, staying well clear of Mr. Collins's house, slipped into my own back yard. It was a work day, so Tyler was at his office. I busted a pane in the kitchen door and entered the house and found my room just as I had left it—suspecting I would from the example Tyler had set by not getting rid of my mother's things after she died. My wallet with my driver's license and all were right where I'd left them the night I'd been kidnapped. My clothes were there too, and I changed into some of my own clothes, being surprised at how they hung on me after my more than a year a Julio's sex slave. And I put enough clothes for several days in my duffle bag.

I went to the computer and turned it on and went to where my GED diploma was waiting for me. I printed off two copies and folded one of them and put it under the picture of my mom on the mantelpiece. I then took up the duffle, took one circuit around the house to say good-bye to the spirit of my mom, and went out to the storage shed in the back and retrieved the money I'd saved and hidden there.

Within an hour and a half I was back downtown and pushing my way into the door of the naval recruiting station.

And starting a new life, not thinking much where it would take me—but knowing it was a whole hell of a lot better than some of the places I'd already been.