"Are you finally going to relax? I'm almost done." With decisive movements, Ali wrapped herself in the darkness to paint the last letter, the I, while Mark knelt beside her holding the flashlight. Their voices echoed down the empty corridor. The beam of light highlighting her work flickered with his laughter. Suddenly, a loud bang made both of them jump. The bulbs flickered above their heads, and then the entire corridor was flooded with light. Two uniformed officers stood by the door. Ali gently placed her paint can on the floor, still holding the brush, and so the letter elongated strangely along the director's door, up to the dirty linoleum of the floor. "Run!" And as she uttered this word, Ali had already taken off – the squeak of her athletic shoes' rubber soles echoed muffled through the empty Brighton Hill school. She didn't look back to see if Mark was following her.
She didn't know where the others were, but if Harry had been caught again, his dad would kill him. Turning quickly at the corner, she realized that the corridor here was plunged into darkness. At the end, she saw the green glow of the EMERGENCY EXIT sign. Adrenaline flooded her as she started running towards freedom. She would make it. She would get out clean. She threw herself forcefully at the double door that was supposed to set her free. The door didn't even budge. Wanting to believe it, Ali pushed again. But the door was locked. Damn it. If I weren't here vandalizing, she thought, I would call the local newspaper immediately.