I was careful to keep an ear out for any blue coats, who might have followed me. I scanned the room for an exit and spotted a peek of light from behind a molding bookshelf. After kicking the shelf to a pile of debris, I exited through the small door. As the light engulfed me, I was greeted by the pungent smell of salt. Whether it was from the murky water five feet away from me or the men loading rows of shipping boats remained a mystery as I was taken back to my childhood.

My feet were wedged between two rocks that protruded from the steep cliff, as Archie and Luna skillfully descended to my level. We had just broken out of the highly protected Academy of Melrose using an overly complicated plan we had made up the night before. The school locked down every weekend after all of the elites flew home to indulge in varies parties, which meant that Melrose only had to keep three students inside. With 12 years of intense training under our belt, it was second nature to descend the steep cliff. Once we were all hanging at the same height, we all turned and faced the open sea. I watched as the waves crashed into the side of the cliff. Over the years, the sea waves had slowly carved out a small cave where the water met rock. And the only way to reach the cave was to wait till a full moon, when the waves were the highest, and jump off the side of the rock into the water as the waves crashed. This was a difficult part. Because one miscalculation, one underestimation would lead to death. But that was exactly what Melrose had been training us for, horrible odds and death, so we waited until a wave peaked and jumped.