<silence.in.the.halls>

The next couple of days Nick was ordered to stay still. Well except for certain times such as getting up to eat, or go to the bathroom. But other than that he lay on a window seat and watched out the window. His sister Leslie helped him keep the gunshot wound cleaned and covered. He could hardly feel the pain.

Nick sat up on the window seat to look out over his Aunt's land. It rolled out before him in distant hills. He looked at the roof; he saw it dropped about four or five feet to a flat ledge. They weren't even that high up now that he thought about it. The ledge dropped to the ground a good 15 feet.

"BJ come here look at this!"

Although he and his sister were on non-speaking terms, she jogged over. "Look, we can escape this way." He pointed at the roof.

"No we can't, Sorry Nick we are not one of your comic characters that can leap a hundred feet into the air, and land with out a scratch. We can get killed doing this."

Nick shook his head. "No, Look we can slid down this roof, which I estimated to be about four or five feet long, then we drop onto that ledge, and tie a rope onto the bars and drop down."

BJ looked at Nick, "Your crazy, we can't do that. Plus where do we find a rope?"

Nick thought maybe she was right, maybe that idea was totally out of the option. "I'll find some tonight." He thought with determination.

"No Nick, it's too dangerous." BJ argued.

"BJ, shut up, I know I can do it."

Sky walked up to them. "Then I'm coming with you."

BJ glared at her. "Be my guest."

Later that night...

It had been hours since the sun had fell under the hills. The distant hills, the trees and everything outside was captured in the darkness of the night. Nick pulled up the baggy pants that were made for him, by his sister. Leslie had taken all the robes and made cloths for everyone. Nick tightened the rope
that was a poor excuse for a belt.

"Ready Sky?" He asked.

Sky tightened her ponytail and smoothed her dress. "Yeah"

Nick hugged his sister Angel. "I promise I'll be back" He waved good bye and he and Sky made their way out into the hall.

Sky clung to Nick's arm. "Where are we?" She whispered.

Nick shrugged. "I thought you knew."

They tiptoed down the halls; almost every floorboard creaked. "Nick I'm scared." Sky whined.

"Well there isn't anything I can do about that." Nick said.

She was getting on his last nerve, and he needed that last nerve to get back.

He wasn't sure how long he and Sky had been walking but he seen a small light coming from inside a room.
"Look." He pointed to the door.

"Nick lets go back, come on, BJ was right it's too dangerous."

Nick pulled his arm away from her. "No, it may be our last chance."

Sky was frozen still in the middle of the hall. Quietly Nick inched towards the room. Once he was close enough to see inside, he seen nobody was there. Silently he made his way inside. Hanging by a window was a long rope. He jogged over to it and grabbed it. Quickly jogging back out.

He hadn't even been in the room for more than three minutes, but when he came out. What was left there looked like it took hours.

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>>>>>

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