I wake up, feeling the heat of the broiler room next to mine, seeing the detailed ceiling patterns of flowers with gold accents of mythological creatures. Something about them feels familiar but I can’t think of a reason why; maybe it’s just the amount of times I’ve seen this pattern. Slouching over to the right side of my wool bed, I see all of the newspapers given to me, with information scratched out and pages ripped off; the only information left is medical health and physical fitness articles about “How to unlock your inner strength” or “The secret to true equilibrium”. I groan as I get up, feeling the cold hardwood floor as I head over to the training dummy in the center of my circular prison; if I ever hope to get out of here I have to practice. I take a deep breath, a wide stance with my legs at a 90 degree angle and my left arm like a scrunched spring, ready to explode. “1,2,3,4…” I count to myself and I prepare to strike. My arm shoots out as hard as I can muster, slams into the dummy and rockets it into the wall, approximately 3 feet from where I was standing. “Damn, my stance was shotty” I said as I looked towards the big iron door, my target for the past 14 years. I have never known anything outside that foot of iron except for the few hazy memories from when I was four and being taken care of by my maid Jessica. She was always kind, sliding food, dental care, and nots through the little slit in the door; reassuring me that my family would have big plans for me and how I would get out of this room some day. 

I put my hand up against the cold iron door, feeling the thick, smooth design and wondering how I could possibly break it. The small slit opens and outcomes chicken, corn, beans, and a small chocolate cake. “I made something extra special for you today honey” said Jessica with a warm tone, somehow she always made me feel better even when all hope seemed lost. “It’s almost your birthday, little one! I’m so proud of you for holding on, you’re almost out” Jessica said. An unpleasant feeling washed over me, almost as if a premonition floated through the room and into my mind. I couldn’t tell what it was but I knew it wasn’t good, from what I could make out I saw myself working under my father and beside my brother and sister, I clearly wasn’t happy and wanted anything but this fate. “Yeah, after a life of incarceration I would be so happy to serve under a family I barely know and haven’t even met!” “Please Lucia, once you read your father's letter things will become so much clearer and you’ll want to be beside your family.” Jessica said. “Father's writing a letter? Why?” I said confused yet intrigued. “It’s a letter he sends to each of his children detailing their duty to the family once they are prepared enough, you’ll definitely get it.” Jessica said. “Why would I want his letter?! He’s locked me in this hell hole and never shown me to the family! Am I something to be ashamed of?!!” I take a long deep breath, trying to calm myself. “Can’t you and me just escape and live together in a small home? That’s all I want, this whole scheme isn’t meant for me.” I said. “Don’t you think I’ve thought about it?!” Jessica said silently but forcefully. “Your father would be furious and send everyman in the castle after you, you would never be safe for as long as you're free! Do you really want that!?” Jessica said.

Defeated, I say nothing in return, nothing can convince her to free me, Jessica leaves quietly and I am once again left alone. I can’t help thinking that she’s a bad person, but I know that isn’t true. I slowly slump down against the wall until I hit the ground, thinking about what my life could be like if I simply just left this room. My eyes dart throughout the room, first at the small bathroom about as wide as me, fitting only a toilet, sink, and a small bathtub. Then I glance at the walls, made out of thick concrete decorated to seem comforting and warm, with flowers and little animals like lions, birds, and different species that I can’t identify; they look mythological, almost unreal but somehow beautiful. I get up and move across the room towards a small hole in the wall, I walk across a wool rug decorated with images of blue waves said to be called waves. Ever since I was stuck in here I have always wanted to see the outside world, it was a crime that I never saw what the world had to offer; so one day, I swiped one of the forks from my meals and started carving the concrete wall ever since. A long 12 years of carving had certainly pushed my patience and perseverance but I never waned, it always felt either hot or cold during certain periods of time which were chronological “seasons” in the magazines given to me. So, I knew that there was something real beyond this wall. Thankfully as I started scraping the wall, time seemed to speed up, things felt calm again, I fell into a sort of trance that made me feel nothing; these moments have kept me sane for my life and I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. I start to notice how thin the wall feels, so I continue scraping through the wall and realize that there’s an end and I’m nearing it. My eyes widen, my heart beats faster, I scrape faster, the room is filled with newfound energy as my foot tapps and... I break concrete. 

Cleaning the remaining rubble from the hole, I peek through and see… light, it blinds me but I can’t look away, it simply draws me. My eyes finally adjust to the brightness and see a tree, specifically a thin tree, with pink leaves similar to the flowers sent to me by my big sister Lucy, she said they were called rose pedals; I remember how they smelled, they were fresh and soothing, I am feeling the same emotions from this tree. Next I peer over to the green flowing fields of grass, the rhythm it moves to feels so relaxing and free, it’s exactly what I want to feel like. The tips of the leaves are topped with drops of water so I think it must’ve rained last night “If only I could’ve caught that” I thought to myself and I desperately gazed from every corner of the hole to the other. The last thing I could make out was the horizon line and the beautiful pink and orange sky, the sun blasting energy throughout the area and the early morning clouds still partially blocking the light. It put me in a trance, I couldn’t say anything, I just… kept staring at the gorgeous view, wishing this moment couldn’t end.

At that moment, I hear a slide, look over to the door and see a letter written in a weird squiggly, but fancy looking font addressed to “Lucia Carmine''. I didn’t know I had a last name, probably from my mothers side, I would doubt that my father would carry a name like Carmine. I Turn the letter over to see a wax blob stamped with an image of a dragon, this letter is from my father! Peeling open the letter filled with anxiety and dread, I read it “Dear Lucia, I have been most impressed by your growth so far, you are indeed proving to be a capable warrior worthy of the family’s title”. “Family title? Capable warrior? How is he knowing that I’ve been training?! Does he know about the hole?!” I think to myself as my mind races, but I calm myself and finish the letter. “Since your 18th birthday is coming up, you have been deemed capable of fulfilling your role. I have seen it so that you will be made a servant of your family starting the very day you become a woman. You will be brought to your brother and sister and will work under them, cleaning their quarters and participating in activities with them. You are not ready for anything else. Sincerely Lord Price”

A white hot rage boils within me, I crush the paper in my hand and throw it across the room. I scream but no noise comes out, only silence fills the small room, the walls start to grow smaller, it feels as if the pressure in the room is crushing me. For the next out I feel nothing but pain and fear as I dread each coming second knowing that I’ll be dragged off to labor for the rest of my life. After all of the emotion is gone I stay slumped against the wall, thinking of what I can do to stop this. “You would never be safe for as long as you're free! Do you really want that!?” Jessica’s words float through my head. “I can’t live like this any longer.” “I have to get out of here.” “I don’t care what life I live anymore as long as I’m free.” Those words were enough to get me up on my feet and prepare to leave. I grab anything I think will be useful, magazines, utensils, clothes; I break off the wood end of my bed to use as a makeshift weapon and fit it all into a bed cloth tied together to resemble a backpack. I stand in front of the door, my mind now clear with the only word that I need “Escape!”. I plant my legs down in a crouching position at 90 degrees with my right hand facing the door. My hands form a scrunched position ready to fire, but I put my shoulders at a 180 degree angle and face my left elbow towards the door to increase travel and impact. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and imagine the small image of the outside world coming from the hole. My eyes burst open filled with newfound determination and anger, my hand rockets forward and smashes into the door, the impact shakes the entire room and the door breaks off its hinges, flying into the nearest wall. I jump for joy knowing that I am one step closer to freedom, I take one last look at my room and run out the door, excited at the possibility of escaping. I know that I have a long way to go before I see that painted world outside these crick walls, nevertheless I continue, ready for all the challenges that await me.