i stood on the porch shivering in the cool night air, shocked by what had just happened. i couldn't believe i was alive. i couldn't comprehend that i was free. Just to test this, i unzipped the hated boots one by one. i peeled them away from my thighs and pulled them off my feet. i left them sitting on Edward's porch. Symbols of a girl he'd created and i'd just destroyed. Suddenly the weight of what i'd just done came crashing down on me and i sagged under it. i leaned against Edward's door and wished that i could go in. Go back to the life i knew and understood. But, i knew certain death lay behind that door. And so i pulled myself together as best i could, and i ran. i ran barefoot through the streets away from that house. The next time i'd see it, it would be deserted.
