"How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan it? With pleasure." - Alexander Dumas.

Xavier's POV:

I slip on the soft blue sweater following Melissa who was already wearing her red sweater. She stood leaning against the wall watching Chloe.

Chloe wasn't wearing the usual uniform instead she's wearing her civil dress that she wore on her first day in this asylum.

I stare at her back in confusion along with Melissa.

Chloe rummaged through her side desk, in their room, stuffing a weird card in her backpack. I spot her shoving a small Nokia phone but didn't bother asking where she got it from.

It is possible she borrowed it from one of the nurses.

Aiden and Emma were nowhere in sight after having lunch. They simply disappeared the same way after breakfast just like yesterday.

"Chloe tell us already." She slings the backpack over her shoulders and turns to look at Melissa squealing in annoyance.

I observe her features that looked so tired and dull from everything that's going around in her head.

Her soft hazel eyes clash with mine and I had to gulp inwardly to act normal in front of her, ignoring the tantrums of my poor heart.

She presses her small lips into a thin line and walks towards both of us with a stern look.

"The keys, please." She looks at me and I dig in my side pocket feeling the metallic object and grab it.

I fling both the keys at her and she grabs them in mid air. She takes a deep breath and her eyes sparkled with a new fond fire and determination.

"We are escaping from here, today." My eyebrows shoot up to the hairline, leaving my jaw slightly open.

We were meant to escape tomorrow with Trinity.

"Hold up, what happened about running away with Trinity, we can't just leave her."

"Does Emma and A know about this?" Mel adds right after me.

She shakes her head, her entire stance changing and turning cold. "We are going alone, I got everything set up."

I didn't miss her emphasize on 'alone'.

She walks past us towards the door making me frown in more confusion.

"And Trinity?" I tilt my head at her. She halts before reaching for the door knob.

"She is helping the serial killer."

I stun at her words which came like a faint whisper. Melissa takes a step towards her, trying to reach Chloe.

"What.." Her voice trails off.

Trinity has always been close to all of us. The bitter betrayal dawned upon me.

It makes sense now. The reason we were doing things separately without knowing what others are up to.

It was Chloe's side plan.

To keep us all safe.

My heart aches wondering how much this girl have been through these past days.

I inhale loudly, looking at Mel sideways, "What are you waiting for, we got some escaping to do." I add a small smile trying to lighten up her mood.

The shock and betrayal was obvious on her face. I honestly can't stand and figure out how Chloe managed to discover this.

Melissa looks at me, studying my face before a sly smirk breaks on her tiny round face. I sigh in relief.

A wave of concern washes me and I set myself in action.

I'll do my best to keep them all safe too.

Chloe looks at us and nods firmly. She twists the door knob and opens the door.

Her head peeks out and she signals us to follow her.

"Just follow me, keep low." She whispers not turning behind and taking the lead.

Mel follows her and I trail behind the girls, glancing around the empty corridor.

The dinner will be served within few more hours. This time we won't be here to sit back and relax, enjoying our dinner.

I'll be kissing this place a goodbye for now. There are tons of questions in my head but I'll have to safe them for later.

It's time to bust out.

Chloe slowly makes her way towards the exit of the asylum's main door. I mentally sigh in relief that there aren't any nurses or doctors near the reception area.

We make our way outside the asylum, heading towards the ground.

I guess if Trinity isn't in our option, no question of escaping from the front gates.

Something clicks in my head.

The reason Chloe insisted us to steal the keys of that old truck is probably because that's our escape route.

I walk behind the girls, staring at Chloe's back in awe. She really thought this all through.

Wait. The fence...

The fence surrounds the entire interior of the building and the ground. It was initially established to prevent patients from escaping.

Ironically, we will but how?

It is ten to twelve feet tall though there are pores in it. It isn't possible for any human to use those tiny holes to climb up the metallic fence and be on the other side.

I open my mouth to voice my concern when a familiar sound stops me.

"Going somewhere?"

All of us halt in our track not turning to look at the source sound.

Trinity

I grit my teeth knowing she is a traitor. Melissa and Chloe tense on their spot but don't move a muscle.

"Goodbye Trinity." Chloe says softly not turning behind.

A chuckle leaves her mouth turning into a small laugh. I tilt my head back at the female doctor, who stood clutching her stomach, laughing hysterically.

"Please don't make me laugh more by saying you're running on your feet."

I glance away from her, my blood starts to boil seeing her true side. She knows we are running and she couldn't care less to put up an act this time.

So she really was helping the sick serial killers.

"Everyone, run!"

It was a two word command from Chloe that sets us all on a mission.

Melissa and I don't wait for another word and we dash off into the darkness with Chloe leading us.

The ground is covered with darkness and not a single light was left on, not that there are any street lamps anyways.

I jolt ahead, pushing my feet against the soft grass beneath my shoes. I could hear Trinity's faint laughter dying off before she starts screaming for guards.

She probably headed towards the opposite direction, the guards be will here in no time.

Chloe slows down behind a huge tree amidst the darkness of the night. We neared the colossal fence and I had to squeeze my eyes to gain a hold of my vision.

"Were are here Aiden!" Chloe shrieks on top of her lungs, towards the fence. I frown at her actions.

It was then I spotted a long rope dangling from the other side of the fence to this side. The rope was made out of clean white sheets that can be found in the laundry.

I grasp for breath standing next to Mel who was already panting, staring at Chloe's back.

"We are ready!" A scream replies back to Chloe. It was Aiden, who is already outside asylum's circumference, possibly with Emma.

One end of the rope went to other side of the fence, basically outside the asylum. The other half of the rope, on our side, was tied around the huge trunk of the tree with three laps around it.

The cloth had several knots, connecting different sheets together to form one large piece of rope. There is no doubt that Emma has been working on this with Aiden since yesterday.

"Melissa, you go first." Chloe turns to look at her and she nods walking to the extra piece of rope left loose on the ground after tied to the trunk.

This whole thing goes like a mountain climbing situation. The only difference is, here it's a fence not a mountain and long sheets tied together instead of ropes.

"Be careful, don't let go off the rope."

Melissa grips the sheets tightly and doesn't even bother to question her safety. She starts climbing the fence, her feet kicking the wall for support and she pulls her entire frame towards the top.

I gape at her as she skillfully moves towards the top and flings her feet on the other side of fence. She begins descending on the other side.

"You're next." I point at Chloe and she sighs knowing she can't win this debate and went ahead.

No way I'll leave her behind knowing Trinity is ready to sell her off to psychopaths.

We need to hurry.

"Come on Xavier!" Emma screams from the other side and that sets me in action once everyone is done.

I grab the soft sheets, making sure the grip is tight. I follow the steps of Melissa by kicking my feet against the wall, climbing towards the top.

The air starts to get colder as I reach the top. My gaze wanders off to the lands stretching as far as I could see.

I sling my right foot over the fence, then other and start descending. I glance down, the ground was one feet away and I let go off the rope.

I land down perfectly with a soft thud. I exhale in relief, the cold wind blows against my warm skin making me shudder.

A hand grabs my arm and I cock my head to find Emma dragging me towards the old truck.

Within a second, she pushes me inside the truck since door was left wide open.

Man, these girls are strong and wild.

I move towards Melissa giving some place for Emma, who quickly takes a seat, closing the door behind her.

I glance at the years old vehicle.

Aiden sat in the driver's seat and Chloe was seated next to him, at the front.

She quickly hands the keys to Aiden, who grabs it and starts the truck.

"Come on.. come on." He kept repeating the words, twisting the metallic key in the keyhole. By the fourth try, the engine roars to life.

"Oh thank god!" Melissa whispers beside me followed by Emma sighing in relief.

I honestly think it is a miracle that a century old vehicle still works.

Chloe unzips her backpack that lay on her lap. She takes out a neatly folded paper and unfolds it.

I lean towards her seat, peeking at the paper.

A map.

My eyes trail over the huge map with small red markings. I found our location on the map in a big red circle with arrows marked towards Willows town.

"Hold it right there.!"

Faint screams echoed in the night behind our truck. The security is gaining on us. I look at Chloe in worry, not just me, everyone looks at her for our next move.

It's clear that no one knows the rest of the plan except for her by the look of confused glances everyone's giving.

Chloe shudders visibly, I spot her hands trembling as she held the map over her lap.

She is obviously scared to death inside her mind.

My hand moves towards her shoulder, I tighten my hold a little before losing it. She glances at me over her shoulder and places her own hand over mine.

I ignored the sparks shooting up my arm from her touch and withdraw my hand once she breathes in relief.

She needed that. Comfort.

"Stop right there!"

"Cease yourself!"

The sounds start to get closer and I looked behind my shoulder through the blurry backside window to find guards running with flashlights towards us.

"I'll guide you." Chloe finally shifts her full attention towards Aiden, who nods at her and hits accelerator. The trucks jolts forward making our bodies move behind. I grip the front seat, relaxed that Emma and Melissa already buckled up.

Aiden drives the truck on the main road and we enter the narrow road, the woods surround us.

Fear crawls in me knowing this vehicle isn't fast enough to take us out of here. They will eventually gain on us easily.

"Take left!" Aiden slows the truck and hits the break. It stops with a loud screech due to its poor condition. The engine itself sounds like gunshots being fired.

"You're crazy, how can we drive through forest at night."

Chloe shakes her head, pointing her index on the map.

"I know the route, it's a short cut." Aiden cocks his eyebrow, "And where exactly are we heading to?"

"We are going to catch a train, so no time to waste." I gape at her words.

"Aiden! Start driving, they will catch us." With that he starts the truck and takes a left turn, diving into the dark forest. If it wasn't for the headlights of this damn vehicle, we would have crashed into a tree.

I faintly notice small gravel road made for cars to pass. So this is a path indeed. Chloe used the map to find it out and planned this already.

She turns behind to look at us, a smirk plays on her face.

"I do have five tickets. Wanna ride a train?" Answering Mels question.

She looks at my shocked expression, her smirk only grows wider. My breath hitches by her soft smile but I cast it away.

Damn.

"I'm so ready." Emma puts thumbs up at her and Mel starts to tap the front seat in excitement.

"Count me in." I smirk back at her and her grin widens before she returns her gaze at the road ahead.

"Crap, when did you plan all that?" Chloe massages her forehead and waves her hand at A. He doesn't move his gaze from the road, driving through the dense forest.

I can tell it is like a dream come true for this guy, to finally be able to drive. It was a good thing he had a passion to drive ever since I met him.

Never knew when simplest things come handy on right time. I smile at Aiden who catches me through the rear mirror and smirks back. A smirk, that told everything.

"I swear I'll tell you every detail once we are out of danger."

"Every tinsy winsy detail that is." Melissa smiles sheepishly at the seat even though Chloe can't see her.

"Deal." She replied with a chuckle.

"I admire this master planning." I blurt out and Chloe glances at me. I don't know if I imagined her cheeks growing a faint tint of redness or not.

I did admire her. She planned everything out within one day, not to forget she even found out about Trinity.

She mumbles a small thank you.

"Wait, how did you know Trinity betrayed us?" I cock an eyebrow at her, catching everyone's attention.

She sighs, closing her eyelids and leaning back into her seat. I felt the soft texture of her hair tickle my fingers that rested on her seat for support.

"Honestly, it was a guess at first but then I realized I've seen that handwriting before. Also, she was supposed to be back after midnight yet she stood right outside our door, not much surprised hearing that we will escape."

My mind wanders off to that note we received yesterday and my mouth shapes into a perfect 'O'.

Chloe and Melissa usually paid visits to the office to read books, no doubt she also saw Trinity doing paperwork often to recognize the handwriting this easily.

Makes sense now.

"Genius..." Emma mutters. I mentally agreed with her.

Chloe chuckles at her comment.

"Show off." Melissa mumbles, kicking the seat in front. This caused all of us to break into fits of laughter.

---

I was honestly excited when I first decided they will be escaping. And yay, we finally got Xavier's POV.

The roller coaster doesn't end yet. There's still more thrill left.

Love,

Cadance.