It’s not light yet, but I can’t sleep. It takes only thirty seconds to get dressed and five more to run a comb through my hair. Pacing my room, I wait anxiously for the clock to strike eight, when breakfast is served. I drum my fingers against my leg, and then I pace near the windows, counting the seconds as the sun climbs over the hills to the east. From the colors in the sky, it’s getting close. First, indigo, but then it lightens just a tinge to the color of cotton candy. A few minutes later, a gorgeous shade of orchid paints wild streaks across the clouds. Lighter and lighter, the colors fade, until the pink hues diminish into blue, and then, in all its glory, the sun bursts over the hills, bright, bold, and blinding. That’s it. I’m out of here. I shove the door open, and in my enthusiasm, it crashes back against the wall. “Ready?” I say to the stunned guard, already heading down the hall. I know the house now, and I don’t need him to lead the way.
