The next few days, Aimee, Nicole, and I had our study sessions in Asher’s room rather than the library. With the looming threat of Joseph around every corner, we thought it best to limit any contact I had with the outside world. For the most part, this seemed to be working. There had been no more near misses with Joseph. Things more or less had been quiet. The only problem was I was starting to go a bit stir-crazy. I loved the room that had so easily become my home, but never being able to leave it was starting to make me feel a bit lethargic. I missed the outside world, even if only to see the sky and feel the wind. I wasn’t willing to risk my safety, but I hated how much control Joseph maintained over my life. This was no doubt his intention, that I would be crippled by fear. “I don

