Teen Ink

Chapter 4

Beatrice had gathered information from the elder lady that it was a four week journey to freedom. She only needed to travel to a place called Canada, and then no slave owners would ever be able to capture her again. She would be able to lead a free life.
By the following day, she was ready to take off. The only thing she worried about was her parents. What would happen to them if she ran away? Would James kill them? But she couldn’t do anything to help them now.
The next night, Beatrice waited for everyone to fall asleep. Then she put everything in a little sack, and crept out of the hut. She knew the guards were drunk every night, so she didn’t have to worry about them. She just had to get the keys from the guard’s key chain, open the door, and sneak out without being noticed.
When Beatrice got to the gate, she found the guards sleeping. The keys lay all over the table, along with some cards, dice, coins, and many empty steins of beer. She picked up all of the keys and tried to fit each one into the lock. Finally, one of the keys turned, and the door made a small click.
Beatrice quietly opened the door, mentally shushing the creaking noise that it made. She took her first steps out of the plantation and closed the door. Then she ran towards the woods and towards her freedom.