Tristan whispered into my ear just before we left work for the day. His warm breath tickled my skin. “When?” “Later on. Like midnight.” He raised his eyebrows at the suggestion. I stared at him open mouthed, not sure I understood what he said. “How is that going to work?” “You’re a smart girl, you’ll figure it out.” Tristan squeezed my hand before he walked away. I had a hard time concentrating on my routine for the rest of the afternoon and evening. How was I going to pull this off? Was I going to be able to sneak out when I shared a room with someone? I toyed with the idea of telling Keisha about Tristan’s proposal, but I decided against it. Since I was useless anyway, I went to bed early. Or so everyone thought. I laid awake, watching the clock. It was so hard not to drift off to sleep. I couldn’t set my alarm, I’d wake Keisha. At 11:30, when I was satisfied Keisha was down for the count, I quietly slipped out of bed, washed the sleep from my face, got dressed, and began my journey.
