Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Finley Howard takes one look at the sleeping beauty and knows there’s no way he’s living without her. Thankfully when he lays his claim she seems to be in total agreement. Although he should be suspicious he’s too busy trying to get her back into bed.
Warning: Fairy tales are forever so grab your pajamas and get ready for the best kind of bedtime story. We’ve given these classic tales our own sprinkle of love and can’t wait for you to roll around in them.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
AUDREY
Am I really going to do this? Guilt eats away at me, but do I have another option? This is my only way out.
Staring down at the white pills I’ve collected over the past few weeks, I remember that sometimes it wasn’t so easy to pretend to take them. Every once in a while, I’d have to swallow them, but for the most part, my mom wasn’t paying close attention, and I could hide them away.
Each night after dinner, my mom made me take the pills as a way to make sure I slept through the night. It started a few years ago after the first time I tried to run away. Once I passed out, she wouldn’t have to worry about me trying to sneak out.
Mom can be crazy, but she isn’t a fan of tying me up. I think it made it all too real that I was a captive and that she’s been telling me lies. Or maybe I want them to be. I think she’s crazy, but she tells me that I’m the one that’s not safe to be around others. She says it’s because of my outbursts, but either way, she doesn’t care for seeing me tied up. In her mind, she loves me, and we’re a normal family. Ropes and cuffs take away from the illusion.
It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I realized my life wasn’t normal. My mom did a very good job of keeping me sheltered from the rest of the world. I barely leave our home, which is surrounded by a ten-foot stone wall that seems to go on forever. The only way out is through the massive gates at the end of a long driveway. On top of that, there’s always a guard stationed there.
Between my books and the movies I was allowed to see, I got a glimpse of how the rest of the world lived. My mom always told me that TV and books were fantasy, but when I did get to leave the grounds, it felt more real than she wanted me to believe. I never understood why we had to live this way, and when I tried to ask, she would lose it, going off on one of her fits until she lost control and fainted.
At least I thought she was fainting. I noticed the last time she had one of her episodes that she hadn't really passed out. I played along with her, not sure what to fully make of it, but I knew if I called her out on it, I would only make it worse.
What I did realize is that I have to get out of here. If I don’t escape, I’ll be locked away with her for the rest of her life. Or mine.
I grab my brush and use the back of it to push down on the pills and turn them into dust. My original dose was one at bedtime, but recently, she upped it to two. Not wanting to hurt her, I did a test on myself and took four at once. It knocked me out quickly, but when I woke up, I felt fine. This time I ground up five. Not only do I want to knock her out, but I want time to get some distance between us.
Slowly, I brush the powder into an envelope before I tuck it in my pocket.
Tonight has to be the night. Wednesday is the one day the staff leaves right after serving us dinner, and Mom makes us watch one of her shows while we eat.
Glancing around my bedroom one last time, I grab my bag and make my way downstairs. Thankfully I get there before my mom, and I stuff the bag behind one of the couches. Peeking out of the living room, I make sure no one is around before I rush over to her wine bottle and dump the powder inside. My heart pounds as I carefully check to make sure it dissolves and pray that I don’t get caught.