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It was a terrible morning. The overcast November sky only seemed to make it worse for her. It just took a bit of sunlight for her spirit to rise, just one shining glimpse for her to smile, just one golden ray for her to feel that there was hope..

..hope for her to escape.

Then she saw it, a tiny beam; like an arrow shooting down from the clouds. Her body tingled with some unnamed current. She saw it. It told her to go.

She ran.

Chapter 1: I want to see the light

The living room was washed in the natural light of the morning through large stained glass windows that were strategically built and positioned for this very purpose. The stained marble floors were decorated with every color of the spectrum; distorted figures of the images in the windows. One would never be able to recognize them had they not seen the actual panes, but one could still find them pretty anyway.

“Annalise.”

She sat on the floor in front of the largest window, drinking in the morning light. The dazzle came through the different glass pieces at varying intensities; coloring her face and arms as well as the rest of her body in a soft shine.

“Annalise.”

Her eyes were closed, her face turned up to the natural light. She felt the glow wash over her in faint, caressing waves. She took a deep breath.

“ANNALISE!”

She jumped from her position, the sudden movement causing her to choke on air. Her small hand clutched at her rapidly heaving chest as she coughed to regain control of her upset throat. At once she was hauled to her feet, and her breath was beaten out of her by an invisible hand that clapped with a force that nearly knocked her teeth from her gums. She tried to say out loud that she was all right, but all that came out was, “HA-m–cough–HAll rHAight!!”