Ella's pov:

Have you ever felt like a piece of your life is missing?

That you feel you need this to find happiness?

Well, mine was taken away from me.

And that...

Is my phone.

I groan loudly as I lay back on my bedroom floor.

It's been only two hours since that meaningless meeting and I haven't gotten my phone back.

Now I know what you are thinking, 'Ella, can't you just do this thing called go outside?'

Well yes, yes I can.

But that involves standing and that's too much effort for one day.

Plus, I have been in my backyard so many times I lost count.

Like I said, my parents don't like me and my sister out of the house a lot because, and I quote, 'It's so dangerous, you can get hurt and bla bla bla.'

And the worst part is that I got my license a week ago and I can't even use it because of these rules.

What's the point of a license if you're not even allowed to drive?

The only time I got to go behind the wheel was when I was learning how to.

I hear a knock at my door and I look over to see Ally walk in.

"Are you okay?" She asks sitting next to me while I am laying back on the floor.

"Not really," I say sitting up.

She gives me a look to continue.

"Don't you wonder what it's like to not be stuck in the house all the time?"

"No, not really." She says shrugging her shoulders.

"You don't?" I question her.

"I am comfortable here. Our lives are pretty easy here, you don't get that sort of thing out in the world."

"Or you just don't want to give up your lavish lifestyle." I tease.

She laughs, "A lavish lifestyle isn't everything you know. Plus, it's not like we are actually trapped here. Mom takes us out quite often nowadays. We went out three times last week with her when we went to dinner with the Marcus family. That was fun."

"Fun? You mean to say incredibly boring. Don't you even wonder what it's like to be out on our own, getting to drive around wherever we please?"

"But mom and dad said.."

"But mom and dad think it's dangerous when you lift a butter knife," I say lifting an eyebrow at her.

"Well, it's technically a knife-.."

"Butter knife." I cut her off and stand up.

I peek through my open door and look down the long hallway to see Mom talking to one of the maids.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhhh," I whisper to her, I try to listen to their conversation but they were too far away.

That was until I feel my arm being yanked back and my door is shut.

I look at Ally who was now standing in front of me with her arms crossed across her chest.

"What?"

"Why have you been acting like this lately?"

"Acting like what?" But I knew she could see right through me.

I mean, she is my twin for a reason.

"All those years, you seemed to not care at all about being home, but now.."

"But now we are older! Ally we are seventeen, and the only time we see other people is when mom drives us around on her 'Trips' or when we have to go out to dinner. Have you ever wondered what it's like to actually go where we want to go?" I say in frustration.

Ally just walks past me and sits on my bed. "Well, I never minded staying here. I mean come on Ella, what more do we need? We have a nice family-.."

"Who doesn't even talk to us."

"A house-..."

"That is filled with random people."

"Fine, then what are you going to do?" Ally asks looking up at me from my bed.

What am I going to do?

I can't just go up to my mom and be like 'Hey, I know you are very serious about me and Ally staying at home, but I want to go outside. No not backyard outside, to go out on my own.'

That's the last thing you want to do, especially if you have even met my mom.

So what do I do?

"Exactly," Ally says standing up, "You don't know what to do." She turns on her heel and leaves my bedroom.

I lay back on my bed where she was previously sitting.

What does freedom cost to me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"See, isn't this nice," Mom says picking up the jewelry from its shelf.

It's that time of the week when mom takes me and Ally out shopping.

Why?

Because she is obsessed.

"I love it." Ally says beside our mom.

Trust me, I love Ally as my sister, but.

How do I say this...

She is a suck-up.

"I knew you would dear," Mom says smiling at Ally.

It's not that I resent my sister for being my mom's favorite, I actually love her for it. Her being this perfect image of a daughter actually pulls a huge weight off my shoulders. I can get away with so much more when my mom's attention is on my sister.

"Ella, you haven't gotten anything yet." Ally says pointing at my empty arms.

"Guess I couldn't find anything," I say shrugging my shoulders.

Couldn't find it...

Didn't want...

The same thing right?

"We are going to one last store and then straight back home," Mom says signaling the driver to our last store, which we usually went to in a routine.

My mom sat back and went through her phone as Ally went on hers.

Did I mention I still didn't get my phone back?

When the driver pulls up, Ally walks out but my mom doesn't.

"You go in Ally, I need to talk to your sister," Mom says.

Ally hesitantly nods her head and then walks into the store, only looking back once.

I turn to my mom who was already watching me.

"Yes?" I ask trying to put on a smile, but I wasn't in a smiling mood.

"Ally told me how... frustrated you've been lately with your father and me. I just wanted to remind you that we do the things we do to give you girls the best opportunities. You aren't always going to like what we say, but it would be in your best interest to at least trust us, correct?" She asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

Against what my mother thinks, I already know this game all too well. Her telling me she is only doing what is best for me, and then putting me in situations that push past my comfort zone.

I've done it all before, repeatedly, for 17 years.

"What's best for me, or what's best for you?" I ask, mimicking her position.

I hate to admit it, but there was a time when I was intimated by her. A time when I was afraid to get in trouble, obey her words, or not fit her expectations.

But after years of the same old thing, you get used to it.

You get sick of it.

"Best for you! Ella all I've ever done was do what was best for you and you know that. You are the daughter of a successful millionaire for Christ's sake, you need to start acting like it. You don't even know how many people would be begging to be in your shoes!" My mother raises her voice at me.

"Yeah, I'm sure there are people like me who are just begging to have no freedom whatsoever."

"You are being over dramatic. And don't even get me started on what your sister said."

"What did she say?"

"That you are thinking of leaving."

"Mom I-.."

"Ella you know how dangerous it is out there." She says folding her arms.

I look down, "Are you sure you're not just a little over-exaggerating?" I ask, internally cringing at myself.

Gosh, I'm so awkward it's not even funny.

"Ella that's enough, you are not leaving the house until you are up age."

Up age.

Up age!!

"And when is that??!" I raise my voice at her with tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes.

She only looks at me before opening the door and going to the store Ally just walked into.

I wasn't just sad, I was angry.

She can't just keep me locked up in the mansion forever.

I look out my window before making a decision.

Tomorrow, I'm sneaking out, whether they like it... or not.