Click.

"Elizabeth, I demand that you unpack those bags and stay in your room for the rest of the night, now! And don't even think about coming down to eat dinner with the family, I mean. The whole night you stay in your room and tomorrow me and your father will let you know how long you are grounded; now go!" My 'mother' said in her typical no-nonsense tone. Please. Did she really think I was bluffing? I told her I was leaving when I brought down my bags, I meant it.

"Aha, family?! What 'family'?!" I scoffed, making my way to the front door, pushing my light brown hair behind my ear.

"Do not talk to me like that Elizabeth-"

"It's Ellie!" I cut her off.

She sighed, partly from annoyance, partly from the loss of energy at trying to beat me.

"Elizabeth," She continued, "you stop talking back, stop interrupting me, take your bags back upstairs and get ready for bed. I don't want to hear another word from your mouth, just do as I said," and with that, she stuck her pointy nose high up in the air and turned around, convinced by herself that I was actually going to listen to her instructions.

Oh, listen to me! I was even starting to talk like her; ew! Sixteen years with this woman was enough, it was time to take a stand. The Lord knows that Daddy would never do it; he would spend every moment he could at his stupid job, working his tail off to give us this 'high class lifestyle'. Really, who needs it? Who needs a thousand acres of space you don't even use? Who needs a chandeleir in every room, or even one for that matter? Who spends tons of money on imported furniture from Europe?

Well I didn't need it. Any of it. I could take care of myself, I didn't need all this rich crap to fill all the empty space in me like my mother did, all I wanted was freedom.

As she made her way out of the living room and into the dining room, I grabbed my bags and said in a quiet but clearly heared tone, "I'm leaving. I'm not staying, I'm leaving."

She turned around, slowly. I knew she was baffled because at this point, she knew I was serious. "No you're not. I swear Elizabeth, if you leave now you're cut from everything. No trust fund, no will, nothing!"

I bowed down my head. "I understand....and I don't care," I replied, softly and slowly. Walking to the doorway, I turned back around at looked at her watching me.

"Goodbye Mother," I whispered, knowing that this would truely be the last time I'd ever see her. Her jaw tightened, and I think I even saw a flinch. But she stood tall, like she always did. Her head high, her arms crossed, she didn't say a word. But I knew her well, I could see the worry lines coming out on her porceline skin, I could see the gray sprouting in her short, red curly hair.

"I love you," I mouthed, my voice gone. She didn't say a word, and I knew she wouldn't. So I walked. Down the hallway, down the stairs, passed Daddy's office where I whispered the same thing (even though he couldn't hear me), and out the front door.

Out of the estate, down the road, to the bus stop and to the freeway. Miles and miles, I walked, my determination overcoming my exhaustion. This was the start to a new, beautiful free beginning--I was sure of it.

-----

Honk! Honk! went the the angry taxi drivers' horns.

"Hey, give me back my hat!"

"It's mine now!"

"I said give it!"

"Both of you shut up!"

Every day. All day, every day; that's all I heared. Angry horns and angry yelling from other angry homeless people. Never a happy moment, just anger. People fighting, people dying right on the streets, before your eyes.

Yesterday when I was looking through the garbage can for some food, I found the body of an infant; it just made me SICK. I couldn't take this. I was cold and hungry and scared. I wanted to go home. I wanted to but I couldn't. With being gone for a year and no signs of missing posters of me or ads in the paper for my return, it was quite obvious that Mother hadn't been looking for me.

If she was anything, she was a woman of her word, and I should've remembered that. I closed my eyes as tight as I could, trying to remember what she looked like. I couldn't. Could someone please put me out of my misery?!

I opened my eyes and there it was: my fate. This was the moment everything would be okay again; this was my ticket to happiness. My heart was beating faster, but I showed no fear. It was pure excitement.

The shadowy figure stood only ten feet away from me, his right hand outstretched. I took a big, deep breath, knowing for whatever reason this person had, it would be my last one.

And just like that, my ears rang;

Click.