Noella could not believe her luck. She had hardly been in Pemberton a week and already the opportunity for her escape has presented itself in the form of a ball. There would be such a crowd that no one would notice Noella leaving the grounds, especially if she dressed the part of a lady.

So, when the night arrived, Noella was all nerves. Since she did not want to risk being caught leaving the front doors, she came up with a plan to escape through the garden. In her excitement, she overlooked certain, easier, opportunities to settle on one dangerous one: She will repel down from the terrace into the garden and from there escape over the garden wall.

After an hour serving in the kitchen, Noella finally slipped away unnoticed. Finding an empty room, she made quick work of changing into a light green gown that darkening into a rich emerald green as it approached the hem. Noella let her red curls fall down around her shoulder. Taking a look at herself in a decrotive mirror, she steeled herself for the night's events.

Noella exited the room and made her way to the crowded ballroom. Keeping her head down, she did her best to work her way through the cruch, her eyes fixed on the doors that led out to the balcony. As she neared, she could feel a slight breeze drift in. It was incredibly refreshing, given that the ballroom itself was stuffy. She had almost reached the doors, freedom, when her arm was suddenly grabbed.

"Wha--?" Noella started, swinging around to meet the eyes of the person who had taken hold of her.