Ellie's Escape Plan

It had been a couple of days now since Brendan's documentary had first hit, and the scramble to claim a Petersen woman had already reached a frenzy. There were reports of would be masters simply turning up at the addresses of the women on the master list and claiming them on their doorstep, even in front of their husbands and children in some cases. Others were chancing their arm by texting multiple numbers or social media accounts to stake their claim, until one such attempt brought them success. Both of her sisters had been claimed. Mel couldn't say by who, but it wasn't Mike, while Kylie didn't know who had claimed her - someone had done so through one of her social media accounts, which was probably even worse.

Ellie couldn't believe anyone who knew about the curse would be so selfish and irresponsible as to wreck the lives of thousands of innocent women in the way they already had done just to make a film. Worse still, the asshole behind the documentary was now the master of her cousin Holly, who had already been paraded naked like a prize in the movie, which had now had millions of views.

Ellie had no intention of ever having a master of her own, no matter what lengths she had to go to to avoid it. Her attempt to flee the curse would basically mean starting a new life, probably under a new identity, like a criminal or someone on a witness protection program. But the star of the documentary was literally her cousin. Every male in her life who wasn't a blood relation but knew her family at all would realise they could claim her. That meant her long term boyfriend James was gone, the relationship over in an instant. That was, of course, hugely upsetting for Ellie and she felt terrible about leaving him with nothing but an emotional and apologetic note, but she had always been a pragmatic person and she knew what she had to do to escape a life that was no longer her own. She was, in fact, incredibly grateful he was out of the country on business when the documentary went live.

Her phone was now switched off permanently. She would have to use burners from now on. All of her social media accounts had been deleted as she prepared to escape everyone she knew, apart from her family when she felt it was safe to contact them. She packed a few vital things, threw on some shades and a cap and left her house before anyone found her there. She had no idea where she was going to go or what she would do for work. In terms of a location, it would have to be a different country, one where English wasn't a first language and interest in the curse was low. She spoke both French and Spanish fluently, which was helpful. It was a huge blessing that the name on her passport read Janus and not Petersen. The poor women with that surname were truly screwed, But, to be extra vigilant, she would target female customs officers and flight staff when she needed to show it, just in case.

In terms of work she at least had the benefit of an IQ of 160, but all of her qualifications and experience would count for nothing now. Her initial plan would simply be to keep a low profile and head south. She had always liked the look of Buenos Aires. If she could make it there without being caught, she still might have the chance to make a decent life for herself, albeit not the one she had planned.

Ellie wasn't naive to the fact this was a huge risk. The master list of Petersen women was quickly turning red - the colour the names of claimed women were set to. The minority - like hers - that wee still black were increasingly sought after. There were millions of men around the world who desired to become the master of a Petersen, and less than a thousand of them left to claim. Ellie could be caught by anyone at anytime, and the kind of people hunting her were not likely to be benevolent masters.

The smart move might have been to just settle for the devil she knew and take James as a master. He probably loved her, for now at least. But his sex drive was way higher than hers, which was bound to cause problems. She felt like making him her master would be committing to him for life, which she didn't feel even close to being ready for. And besides, she was a strong and independent woman who didn't want a master under any circumstances. Even a life looking over her shoulder would be better than that.

Ellie got into her car and drove away from the world she had known for the past twenty six years. Her future was uncertain. but she was determined to be the one to shape it.