Page 78 of Queen’s Gambit

Frida waved me over. I didn’t hesitate as I grabbed my winter cloak.

“Are you sure you want to do this? If your father breaks into your room and you’re gone….”

“I don’t care. Father can lock me up, hit me, whatever he wants. He’s already done his worst, and all that remains is a cold wasteland in my soul. I’m going to take back my life, even if it’s not today. I’ll rip everything he loves away from him like he has done to me, and it starts tonight.”

“Okay, then we better go.”

Nodding, I tied my cloak on and pulled the hood up. Frida led me to the bookshelf in her room, and we snuck into the passageway. We walked as quietly and fast as possible through the maze behind the walls. Within seconds, I was lost again and had no idea where we were.

Reaching a plain door, Frida unlocked it and slipped into a stone corridor.

“Where are we?”

“This leads outside. Everyone but the house staff has forgotten about it. The guards don’t even know it exists, and we don’t tell them. It gives us an escape route if they turn on us.”

“I don’t understand. Why do we even have it?”

“Emergency exit, in case the house is ever attacked. The ones who have been here since before you were born said they were built during construction when your grandfather was a little boy.”

We came to a set of steel bars with a wooden door just beyond. The locks didn’t want to give at first, but Frida worked at them until both were open.

Stepping out into the night, I took a deep breath of the cool evening air. We were in the middle of the forest, and—thanks to the tricks Eddie had taught me—I knew by the position of the moon that we were facing East.

“Wait here,” Frida whispered as she pushed through the forest edge. I heard a car door open before she spoke again. “Okay,” she said, and I followed where she’d gone.

There was an older vehicle on the side of the road, and a soldier stood by the driver’s side door. I froze at the sight of his uniform.

“It’s okay, this is my cousin Lev. He agreed to help us,” Frida said.

Suddenly, this felt like a big trap. In my haste to get away from my father I forgot about the other obstacles that stood between me and the hotel. I got in the back, and as soon as all the doors were closed, Lev turned and looked at me.

“We shouldn’t hit any checkpoints, but if we do, there is a strap there.” He pointed to the loop near the seatbelt. “Pull on it and roll onto the floor. The seat will fold down and cover you completely from sight.” I nodded.

“Why are you helping me, Lev? I don’t know you.”

“No, you don’t, but I never wanted to be a soldier. I was forced into this life as much as you are being forced into a life you don’t want. Frida and I have talked many times about running, but we don’t have the resources.”

“So, you want to run when I do? That’s your payment for helping me now?”

“What Lev is saying is that we will help you as much as we can, not just tonight. But yes, we want to come with you.”

“Alright, I’ll see to it that when I escape, you’re with me.”

I held out my hand to Lev. He was handsome, not like Eddie, who stole your breath away, but he looked very much like the male version of Frida—sandy hair and soft blue eyes. We shook, and for the first time since realizing I was nothing more than a piece to be sacrificed, I felt like I was taking back some control. A plan was slowly forming in my mind.

“Lay down and cover yourself with the blanket to be safe,” Frida said, and I did as she instructed.

My stomach churned, and my hands shook during the drive. The fear of coming up to an inspection stop and getting caught out here by the police, or worse, my father, was wreaking havoc on my nervous system.

After what felt like an eternity, Lev shut the car off, and I sat up.

“Make sure you are out here by five. We want to be back at the forest door no later than six in the morning.”

“Okay,” I said, getting out of the car.

Frida got out as well and gave me a hug.

“Here you go,” she said, handing me a small stack of cash.