Evelyn knew something was wrong from the moment morning came.
The overseers were making their rounds more often than usual. Several strangers had been seen around the main house. They spoke with the plantation owner while carrying documents and lists of names.
Every time Evelyn saw them, her chest tightened.
She tried not to think about it.
Until that afternoon, when she overheard a conversation that made her entire body go rigid.
"The child will be sold next month."
An overseer's voice came from behind the storage shed.
"Already have a buyer?"
"Yes. A family from the southern region."
Evelyn stood motionless behind the wooden wall.
"How much?"
"More than the other children are worth."
They chuckled.
Evelyn bit her lip.
She knew exactly who they were talking about.
Anna.
Her daughter.
Ever since Anna was born, Evelyn had done everything she could to keep her out of the overseers' notice. The child was still far too young to understand the world she had been born into.
All she knew was that her mother always held her before bed.
She knew Evelyn would set aside a little food for her whenever their rations were reduced.
She knew her mother always whispered that one day they would leave that place.
Evelyn returned to the barracks at a hurried pace.
Anna was sitting on the floor, playing with a rag doll Evelyn had made from scraps of clothing.
"Mama."
The child smiled.
Evelyn knelt in front of her.
She took Anna's face in both hands.
"You have to listen to Mama."
Anna nodded.
"Are we leaving?"
The question left Evelyn silent.
The little girl still remembered her promise.
"We're leaving."
"When?"
"Soon."
Anna smiled.
That night, Evelyn didn't sleep.
She sat in the corner of the barracks, watching the others gradually drift off.
Beside her, Anna slept with her head resting on Evelyn's arm.
Evelyn gazed at her daughter's face.
She knew that escaping meant putting their lives at risk.
If they were caught, the punishment could be worse than a whipping.
They might be separated.
Anna might be sold even sooner.
Evelyn closed her eyes.
She had no choice.
Just before midnight, she woke Martha.
"I'm taking Anna and leaving."
Martha looked at her at once.
"Don't."
"I heard them."
"They'll hunt you down."
"I know."
"What if you're caught?"
Evelyn looked at her daughter.
"I'm more afraid of what will happen if I don't try."
Martha remained silent for a long time.
Then she pulled something from beneath her clothes.
A small key.
"There's an exit behind the horse stable."
Evelyn stared at it.
"Where did you get that?"
"Don't ask."
Martha tightened her grip on Evelyn's hand.
"After you pass the stable, follow the fence until you find an old oak tree. There's a path from there that leads to the woods."
"The woods?"
"Don't stop until morning."
Evelyn nodded.
Martha looked at Anna, who was still asleep.
"If you make it, never come back."
A few hours later, Evelyn woke Anna.
The child rubbed her eyes.
"Mama?"
"We're leaving."
Anna smiled sleepily.
Evelyn wrapped her small body in a thick cloth.
They slipped out through the back door of the barracks.
The night air was bitterly cold.
Evelyn gripped Anna's hand tightly.
Every step felt loud enough to wake the entire plantation.
They passed the horse stable.
Then the fence.
Then an old oak tree.
Behind them, Black Hollow was still asleep.
Evelyn glanced back once.
The big house atop the hill looked dark.
Not a single light shone from its windows.
She drew a breath.
"Run."
They began running toward the woods.
Anna tried to keep up.
Her feet caught on tree roots several times.
Evelyn lifted her and carried her.
"Mama, where are we going?"
"Somewhere they can't find us."
"Is there an ocean there?"
Evelyn smiled even as tears began to fall.
"There is."
Even though she had no idea whether they would ever reach such a place.
In the distance, a dog began to bark.
Evelyn stopped.
Anna wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Mama?"
The sound of footsteps began to approach.
They had realized that someone had escaped.
Evelyn held Anna tighter.
"We have to hurry."
She ran toward the woods.
Tree branches clawed at her arms.
The wet ground made her slip several times.
The dogs were getting closer.
Evelyn didn't dare look back.
She only kept running.
Because that night, she understood one thing:
Freedom came at a price.
And she was willing to pay anything, as long as the price wasn't losing her daughter.