Unbelievable... she really did it.

She left the orphanage.

Now just go down the hill towards the circus.

The girl looked up at the old, black walls of the building she spent last ten years in. At night it looked way more creepy than during the day, almost scary - but that wasn't the reason why her heart was beating so fast.

That was too easy, the thought passed her mind. How could it be so easy? It shouldn't be possible to...

"Ashlyn?" she heard a voice behind her and jumped, startled. "What are you doing- hold on, is it a backpack?"

She turned, her sight landed on a biscuit-haired boy standing in a front door. Logan, a shy guy, one year younger than her, wearing big, thick glasses.

In panic, she started searching for the right words.

"And what are you doing here?" she emphasized the word 'you'. "Aren't you supposed to sleep?"

"You didn't reply to my question. I asked first."

Ashlyn swore in thoughts.

She had to think quickly. If Logan found out that she was escaping, she'd be in troubles, and if she managed to leave, he'd tell superiors or even accidentally spill out to someone. He was extremely bad in keeping secrets. She had no chance to come up with a good lie, what was her own fault bacause she didn't think about it earlier. She quickly considered her options.

And looked at Logan.

There was a way to go through this... very risky way. But still the best one.

"Ashlyn?" he repeated. "Answer my question, please. You act suspicious."

"Listen." she took a deep breath. "Are you attached to Mulberry Fields?"

"I- I don't know, this... it's a weird question."

"Logan." she looked him in the eyes. "Tell me, do you want a home?"

"A real home?" he opened his eyes widely. "Are you kidding me? Who wouldn't want it?"

"And would you take a risk to get the home?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at."

"What I'm getting at is that we have a chance to get it now."

He stared at her intensely.

"I don't understand."

She stepped a bit closer, as if it would help him hear her better.

"Listen, I'm running away from here to join a traveling circus, and since you caught me red-handed, I'm asking if you want to run away with me."

His mouth joined his eyes in the who-opens-wider competition.

"You're the second oldest child here, so it would be great for you to get out of this place too", she added. "Cause if you stay, you'kl be kicked out when you turn sixteen."

"I know..."

"Are you going with me then?"

Silence.

"Logan... please. I don't have much time left. It's about thirty minutes to the next caregivers' round, when they find out I'm not in my room, I'll be done. And you too, if you agree to go with me. We need to hurry."

He blinked a few times.

"What... What am I supposed to do?"

"So you're going?!" her heart jumped in her throat.

He nodded.

"I... I think that would be nice to join the circus... nicer than living here.

She took another deep breath.

"Alright. Take your jacket, some clothes and important stuff. And please hurry, okay?"

Logan nodded and disappeared into the building, and Ashlyn leaned over a wall. She was temped to leave now without Logan, her skin was getting more itchy to run with each passing second. She didn't know him enough to say if he didn't plan to inform on her. But she couldn't leave him like that now, she knew the guilt would follow her for too long.

But Logan came back after two minutes. Wearing his oversized corduroy jacket and huge scarf he looked like a little kid in adult's clothes.

"I think I won't need a lot" he looked away as she frowned, noticing that he only had a small bundle in his hands.

"That's fine. Come on."

They started down the hill towards the town. It was perfectly visible from their perspective, from among the mulberry trees: a bunch of small houses, lights of their windows, a church turret sticking out above the roofs - and, on the outskirts of the town, there was a large, beautiful circus dome, half pulled-down.

"We have thirty minutes to make it before the circus leaves the town, without getting caught", Ashlyn spoke up as they reached the bottom of the hill and turned onto a narrow street. "The caregivers will start looking for us soon, and they won't let anyone escape cause it will result in punishment from the government. "

"Do you have a plan?"

"No", she admitted. "I don't. But I have hope. And cunning too, I guess."

He chuckled.

"We need a lot of hope."

"Yeah."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. It was so quiet that Ashlyn flinched at every single sound for fear of being noticed.

But everyone was asleep.

It felt like the town was faraway.

Like it was dead.