had been equipped with a toolbox and a strong assistant, her plan would have worked within about half an hour. But because she had neither, she estimated it couldtake all day. On that first day of her imprisonment she had noticed that the door hinges stuck out, slightly proud of the wood, where the old wooden door had expanded and shrunk many times over the centuries. It became a fixation and she had to stop herself from looking at them in case the vampire noticed. If somehow she could remove the hinges before it was too late, she could escape.
Taking a deep breath, she knelt at the old door with its three hinges. One part was pinned to the door, the other to the door frame, the two parts fitting together like puzzle pieces. There was a third part to the hinge, like a long nail that was threaded through, holding it all together. Taking off her boot, Saffi used the heel as a makeshift hammer. At first, the hinge didnât seem to want to budge, but she worked on the theory that if she kept at it, the vibration would shift it slightly. The process was painfully slow. Three hours later, her body oily with sweat, her fingers swollen and bloody, she managed to push one pin up and out of its hinge.
One down, two to go
! The blood was making her hands slippery and she wiped them on her filthy jeans, leaving bloody handprints. Her face set in a grimace of pain and exertion, she set to work again, tryingnot to notice how the shadows had shortened in her small prison, indicating that the time left was short.
Just before dusk, Saffi released the hinges and jimmied the door open with her ruined boot. A really bad moment followed her initial triumph. She found her legs were so numb from kneeling they wouldnât work. Rubbing them fiercely, she managed to get the blood circulating again. She staggered over to the windowâthe weak winter sun was just about to dip below the horizon.
It would be waking up
!
Saffi didnât know her way outâshe had been unconscious when her captor had brought her hereâbut she half fell, half ran down the stone staircase, which led to a vast room with austere, ancient furniture. It looked as if no one from this century had ever set foot inside. It was frozen in time. But the good news was that no one was there! Saffi had never seen anyone else apart from her captor, but she had sometimes heard footsteps, maniacal laughter, and the voices of others while the vampire was asleep. But no one ever answered her desperate cries for help. She looked wildly around for a door that would lead her to freedom. Saffi knew she was being held in a largecastle, a chateau, for her room had been in a tower, looking across a great roof with turrets, but she had no idea where she was. All around her lay the desolate salt plains covered in snow, with no sign of a house or farm anywhere. Worst of all, she had not seen so much as a glimpse of any other living creature, either human or animal. Never before had Saffi felt so alone. But the act of escaping the awful room and running down the staircase had made the adrenaline kick in.
Come on
! she told herself sternly.
Youâre free, Saffi! Run
! Her senses fueled, she spotted a door and opened it without hesitation. Behind the door was a stone corridor that took Saffi into what looked like a kitchen scullery. At the end of the scullery was another huge door. Unaware she was sobbing, she prayed it would be open. She didnât have much time before â¦
Donât think about it, just do it
.
She rattled the latch and put her shoulder to the door.
Locked
! But then she saw a large ornate key sticking out. In her panic, she had been so sure she wouldnât get out, her eyes had somehow missed the key!
Hope gave Saffi strength as she turned the key in thelock and burst out onto the treacherous, rock-strewn path outside. She darenât risk a look behind her in case she lost her footing; if she fell now, she wouldnât have the strength left to get up
Taking a deep breath, she knelt at the old door with its three hinges. One part was pinned to the door, the other to the door frame, the two parts fitting together like puzzle pieces. There was a third part to the hinge, like a long nail that was threaded through, holding it all together. Taking off her boot, Saffi used the heel as a makeshift hammer. At first, the hinge didnât seem to want to budge, but she worked on the theory that if she kept at it, the vibration would shift it slightly. The process was painfully slow. Three hours later, her body oily with sweat, her fingers swollen and bloody, she managed to push one pin up and out of its hinge.
One down, two to go
! The blood was making her hands slippery and she wiped them on her filthy jeans, leaving bloody handprints. Her face set in a grimace of pain and exertion, she set to work again, tryingnot to notice how the shadows had shortened in her small prison, indicating that the time left was short.
Just before dusk, Saffi released the hinges and jimmied the door open with her ruined boot. A really bad moment followed her initial triumph. She found her legs were so numb from kneeling they wouldnât work. Rubbing them fiercely, she managed to get the blood circulating again. She staggered over to the windowâthe weak winter sun was just about to dip below the horizon.
It would be waking up
!
Saffi didnât know her way outâshe had been unconscious when her captor had brought her hereâbut she half fell, half ran down the stone staircase, which led to a vast room with austere, ancient furniture. It looked as if no one from this century had ever set foot inside. It was frozen in time. But the good news was that no one was there! Saffi had never seen anyone else apart from her captor, but she had sometimes heard footsteps, maniacal laughter, and the voices of others while the vampire was asleep. But no one ever answered her desperate cries for help. She looked wildly around for a door that would lead her to freedom. Saffi knew she was being held in a largecastle, a chateau, for her room had been in a tower, looking across a great roof with turrets, but she had no idea where she was. All around her lay the desolate salt plains covered in snow, with no sign of a house or farm anywhere. Worst of all, she had not seen so much as a glimpse of any other living creature, either human or animal. Never before had Saffi felt so alone. But the act of escaping the awful room and running down the staircase had made the adrenaline kick in.
Come on
! she told herself sternly.
Youâre free, Saffi! Run
! Her senses fueled, she spotted a door and opened it without hesitation. Behind the door was a stone corridor that took Saffi into what looked like a kitchen scullery. At the end of the scullery was another huge door. Unaware she was sobbing, she prayed it would be open. She didnât have much time before â¦
Donât think about it, just do it
.
She rattled the latch and put her shoulder to the door.
Locked
! But then she saw a large ornate key sticking out. In her panic, she had been so sure she wouldnât get out, her eyes had somehow missed the key!
Hope gave Saffi strength as she turned the key in thelock and burst out onto the treacherous, rock-strewn path outside. She darenât risk a look behind her in case she lost her footing; if she fell now, she wouldnât have the strength left to get up
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