Michelle relished the fresh air but her pleasure in it was very short-lived. Being out in the open meant being away from the stifling tunnel and the stink, but it also meant exposure to more eyes and ears. She stripped off her makeshift mask and balled it up in her fist, turning immediately for the wooded path that lead to the rear of the castle.<br/><br/>To her reasoning, this way she had at least darkness and lots of hiding places. The path was longer and less direct, but she felt safer with some sort of cover. Her thin boots slipped on the mossy stones of the path but she was quick as she jogged into the trees; in half a minute, she'd tucked her useless, filthy mask beneath some leaves by the side of the way and ducked off into a stand of rhododendrons to collect herself.<br/><br/>She wasn't the outdoors kind of girl, nor was she known for her smarts of reasoning. As Michelle forced herself deeper and deeper into the slick greenery, she tried hard not to think too much on her situation. She knew how easy it would be to panic now and exactly how hard it would be to live down any failures.<br/><br/>She hissed as rough twigs caught at her clothes and skin and tore at both; all she could really hope was that in this minature forest, someone had the presence of mind to cut back the briars and poison ivy. In a few minutes of blind staggering, she'd torn herself a path through the thick trees and back around to the flagstoned walkway that cut through the forest, but perhaps one hundred yards or so farther along than she'd been. She wasn't sure if she'd managed a shorcut or not but hoped that maybe she'd evaded eyes that would be watching for her.<br/><br/>She crossed her arms, chilled in the cool night, and took in her surroundings critically. The castle blotted out the moonlight another two hundred yards up ahead; it was a relatively short distance to reach it. The forest was completely silent, but for the rustling of leaves. She wasn't sure what to do since it didn't sound like she was in immediate danger. What she wanted most of all was to be out of this fucked up situation, but in a pinch she'd settle to not be so filthy and bleeding from so many little scrapes.<br/><br/>With a sigh, Michelle turned towards the castle and began creeping slowly towards it. Hopefully on the way there she'd find some clean water, maybe a little stream, and could wash up just a bit.