I packed everything I figured that I would need. I wasn't just going to sit by and let my parents run my life! They had done that the past 18 years of my life, ordering me around, telling me who I could hang out with, where I could go, what classes in school I could take...I was surprised they even let me pick out my own clothes. I was 18 now, a legal adult! They didn't own me anymore. They couldn't just decide who I was going to marry!

After I packed, I opened the door that went out to my small deck outside of my room. It was there so I could sit outside whenever I wanted to and paint. Right now, it was a very handy escape route.

The sun was going down, so that meant I'd have to go quickly to the bus stop, or else I'd miss all the busses for that night. I'd had some money from previous summer jobs, and although I had no idea where I was going, anywhere was better than getting married to a complete stranger.

I slung my suitcase over my shoulder and swung my leg around my deck railing. I was on the second floor, but I was near the garden shed, so if I could just get from my deck to the garden shed roof, I'd be a free man.

I looked to the roof of the garden shed and jumped, landing on it with a thud. My feet stung as I landed, but I tried to ignore the pain. I jumped carefully from the roof to the ground, and this time, my ankle twisted and I fell to the ground with a loud "OOF!"

I sighed as I heard footsteps come around the corner. Dang. I sort of hadn't thought my master plan all the way through. The noise of me jumping onto the roof of the garden shed would obviously be loud enough for my parents to suspect something. And now I was sitting helpless on the ground with a throbbing ankle. Great.

"Tao! What are you doing?" asked my mother as she rushed towards me. My father came behind her and helped me up. I grunted at the pain as I tried to lean some of my weight onto that leg.

"I was trying to run away. But it didn't work." I said, annoyed. My mother sighed.

"We know this is hard for you, but believe us, we're doing this