(Elira's POV)
It finally fucking came. The moment I had been waiting for my entire goddamn life. The night before my birthday. Technically, it was already my birthday… almost. The clock just hadn't reached midnight yet. In a few minutes I would officially turn sixteen.
Sixteen.
For most people, that number probably meant cake, candles, and maybe a few gifts. Just another year added to life. But for me? Sixteen meant freedom. Sixteen years of living in that house—no, that fucking cage—and tonight was the night I finally walked away from it all.
I stood in front of the small window of my rooftop room, dressed completely in black. And when I say completely, I mean it. Black hoodie. Black pants. Black boots. Black backpack. Honestly, if someone saw me right now, they'd probably think I was about to rob a bank instead of escaping my own house.
But hey—dramatic problems require dramatic fucking outfits.
I had spent almost all the money I earned last month buying these clothes so no one would recognize me while I ran away. Totally worth it. Everything I owned was already packed in my bag. A few clothes. My documents. My skates. And the little money I had saved over the years.
Sixteen years of life… fitting inside one backpack. Funny how that works.
I pulled the hood over my head and took a slow breath. The house below was quiet. Aunt Malry and Uncle Ron were probably asleep after stuffing their fat faces with dinner. Nila was most likely glued to her phone somewhere, complaining about how boring her privileged little life was.
Meanwhile, the girl who cooked their meals and cleaned their house was about to disappear forever.
I stepped onto the window frame.
"Alright, Elira," I whispered softly. "Time to fucking fly."
And then I jumped.
For a brief second the world tilted beneath me. The wind rushed past my ears as gravity reminded me that I was still very much human. Then—
Thud.
I landed on the ground, knees bending automatically to absorb the impact. I straightened slowly and stretched my back.
"I swear," I muttered, rubbing my shoulder, "one day I'm going to break something doing that shit."
But tonight? Perfect landing. Ten out of fucking ten.
I turned around and looked at the house. The same house that had felt like a prison for sixteen years. The same house where I had cried, worked, and survived. And suddenly something hit me.
My eyes widened.
I was outside.
No shouting. No orders. No insults. No one waiting to punish me.
My fists shot into the air before my brain could stop them.
"I'M FUCKING FREE!"
My voice echoed through the quiet street. Then I froze.
…Oops.
I slapped my own forehead. "Great job, Elira," I whispered. "Maybe wake the entire goddamn neighborhood while you're at it."
I quickly started running. Running down the street. Running past houses. Running past the life I had just escaped. I didn't even know where I was going. My legs simply carried me forward while my heart beat wildly in my chest.
With every step, the truth settled deeper inside me.
I was free.
FREE.
The word echoed in my head so loudly I felt like I might explode from pure fucking happiness.
Eventually I slowed to a stop, completely out of breath. My hands rested on my knees while I tried to breathe normally again. When I looked up, I realized I had reached the night market street.
Lights glowed from shops and food stalls. People walked around laughing, talking, living their normal lives. And right there, in the middle of the street…
I shouted again.
"I AM FUCKING FREE!"
Even louder this time.
What can I say? My happiness is on another level and you can feel it when you put yourself in my place.
Several people turned to stare at me. A man carrying groceries blinked in confusion. A group of teenagers started laughing. A woman whispered something to her friend.
They were probably thinking I had lost my mind.
But honestly? Did I care?
Absolutely fucking not.
Because independence tastes sweeter than embarrassment.
"Well," I said to myself with a grin, "might as well celebrate properly."
I opened my bag and pulled out my skates. Within seconds they were on my feet. I pushed off the ground. The wheels rolled smoothly beneath me.
And just like that—
I was flying.
I skated down the street, weaving between people, laughter bubbling out of my chest like champagne. Then, without even thinking about it, I started singing.
Softly at first. Then louder.
Tonight the sky belongs to me,
No walls, no chains, no lock, no key,
A bird that finally learned to see,
How wide the world can be.
Holy shit, I thought as I spun in a circle. I'm actually doing this. I'm actually fucking free.
I run, I run, I run tonight,
No cage, no fear, no endless fight,
The dark behind, the stars in sight,
Tonight I claim my light.
A man sitting outside a café began strumming his guitar along with my rhythm. I skated past him, laughing, spinning in another circle.
People started clapping. Someone whistled. Suddenly the whole street felt like a festival.
I grabbed the guitar the man held out to me and kept skating while playing.
Yes. Apparently tonight I had unlocked a new skill: singing while skating with a guitar.
Not bad for a runaway orphan.
Music had always been my second escape. Skating made me feel like I could fly. But singing? Singing let my heart breathe. Because when nobody in the world wanted to listen to me…
Music did.
I was a storm inside a cage,
A silent scream, a hidden rage,
But freedom turned another page,
And wrote a brighter stage.
Fuck yes, I thought, grinning so wide my face hurt. This is what living feels like.
Run, run, run away,
Let the broken chains decay,
Run, run, run away,
The night has come to stay.
Run, run, run away,
No one left to make you stay,
Run, run, run away,
You finally found your way.
People nearby started singing the chorus with me. Some danced. Some clapped. And I skated through them like a comet, laughter echoing in the night air.
For a moment, it felt like the whole world was celebrating with me.
And maybe, in a strange way…
It was.
Because freedom is a strange thing. People who are born with it rarely notice its value. But people who had to fight for it? We feel it in every fucking breath.
I lifted my face toward the stars while skating faster.
Tonight I fly, tonight I soar,
No cage can hold me anymore,
The girl who cried is gone before,
A phoenix walks through freedom's door.
Run, run, run away,
Run until the night turns day,
Run, run, run away,
You were born to find your way.
The wind rushed through my hair as I laughed and spun beneath the street lights.
For the first time in sixteen years…
I wasn't surviving.
I was fucking living.
***********
SONG: Run by PhQ