Anxiety pounded within my chest, my fear bubbling and threatening to overflow. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "I should do what I do best." I pulled out an unused notebook and wrote at the top of the first page,"Challenge One; The Plan." I made the first bullet point, watching the black ink of my favorite pen stain the page. "The first thing I should do is find out where I'm going to sneak off to." I wrote down my words then continued to come up with ideas of what I would need to do to successfully sneak out. 

Once I finished the plan, I looked over it. The first thing was to find out where I was going, so I pulled out my phone and texted Audre. A few moments later, she replied with,"You'll be sneaking out to the mall. I'll meet you there." I checked off the bullet point, moving onto the next one.

"Get clothes ready." This was my favorite part. I threw open my white-painted closet door and looked through my clothes. I found a cute white shirt with black sleeves and the word,"CHIC" on it's chest. Along with my top, I chose a pair of black skinny jeans. I ironed them out and hung them on the hook that was screwed into the back of my bedroom door. The next step was getting any supplies I needed, which, in this situation, wasn't many. I ran downstairs and grabbed my house and car keys, stuffing them in my pocket. I found my wallet in my bedside table drawer and placed it on my dresser. 

I finished everything on my list and checked the time,"4:30PM." I sighed, thankful that there was no one but my mom and I home. "Might as well help around the house as I wait." I walked down the steps and through my living room to reach the kitchen. I walked to the sink and found a pile of dirty dishes waiting to be cleaned. After that, I organized the kitchen cabinets and dusted every room in the house. I vacuumed and watered the plants outside and inside. "What time is it, now?" I mumbled, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Only 7:30PM?" I groaned as the front door creaked open.

"I'm home!" Shouted my little brother, Jason. I entered the living room to greet him. 

"Hey, Jason. How'd the game go?" I asked, looking down at his feet in respect.

"It was great! We won again!" He cheered, throwing himself onto the couch.

"That's great, do you want anything to eat?" I held the side of the wall that lead to the kitchen.

"A bowl of chips and salsa, my friends are coming over." He turned on the T.V. and reached the sports channel. I headed to the kitchen and poured him a bowl of chips and a smaller bowl full of salsa. I walked back to the couch and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. I stared at the floor as I walked through the kitchen to the basement door. I opened it slowly and flipped on the lights. "I'll exercise while I wait." I closed the door behind me and found the treadmill and weights waiting for me.

Three hours later, my brother's friends were leaving and he was heading to bed. Everyone else was already asleep, so I sneaked back up the stairs and into the bathroom on the highest level. I washed up and entered my room, changing my clothes and texting Audre that I was leaving. I opened the door to my room and closed it quietly, taking my first step down the stairs. My head pounded with the thought of getting caught, but I edged on. When I finally reached the door, I opened it quietly and took a selfie. I closed the door and locked it, running to my car.