The sound of the car fades into the night. I pick up my pace and keep on walking.
I don’t stop walking even when the sun rises. Even when the hot sun beats down on my back, giving me no choice but to take off my flimsy jacket and expose my arms without any sunscreen on. I couldn’t risk taking anything with me or my mother would have noticed. It’s just me on my own.
It takes until nightfall again to make it out of the woods and end up on a road overlooking a city below. All the lights of all thedifferent houses tells me that this is a city. That I’m finally free of my mother.
The problem is: I have nowhere to go. Will anyone help me if I knock on their door? I really have no idea. The generosity of humans was apparent in my books but my mother also treated me terribly for my entire life so I know there’s darkness in some people.
My legs are aching and my mouth is so dry by the time I make it into the city. The sight of all the large houses around me makes my head spin. Despite how many people existed in my books, it didn’t prepare me for seeing it in real life.
It’s nighttime and there’s still a lot of people out on the streets. It’s a shocking sight. I would have assumed everyone would be in bed by now. Men and women walk past me, talking and laughing like they don’t have a care in the world.
“Excuse me,” I say to a woman nearby. “Where is this place?”
She frowns, looking me over like I’m crazy. “This is Florence. Italy,” she adds like I can’t understand her. “You look lost, girl. A homeless shelter is down there.” She points down the street without offering me anything else. “Are you on drugs?”
I shake my head, confused. “Why would you think I’m on drugs?”
“I mean… look at you. Your hair and clothes. You look like you haven’t washed in a weeks and you stink like shit. It’s obvious you’re on drugs. I would get to that homeless shelter sooner rather than later if I were you.” She walks past, covering her nose like I really do smell bad.
I sniff my arm. I can’t smell anything but nose blindness is real. Do I really look like I’m on drugs? That realization makes me feel more alone than anything ever has before.
I walk down the street in the direction of the homeless shelter. The reality is I am homeless and I could use the help.
Except, I don’t know where the homeless shelter is. There’s no signs indicating one is around here.
That’s when it hits me: the woman just wanted me to leave her alone. The urge to cry slams into my eyes and I can’t hold them back. I slump to the sidewalk, crying everything out in me. All the things my mother did. All the ways I’ve known fear. All the loneliness eating away at me deep inside.
I have no one to help me and no way to help myself.
“Do you need help, little girl?” a man asks me. With a gasp, I look up to see an older man standing before me. I can’t tell his age but he has grey hair and a smile on his face.
“I do,” I respond, scrambling to my feet. “Thank you. I’m all alone.”
His smile deepens and his eyes darken. For some reason, he doesn’t seem as kind as he was just a second ago. “You’re all alone? Well, how good for me.” He lunges forward and grabs my arm but instinct tells me to back away. I don’t want this man touching me. “If you’re all alone, you should want company. I can offer you company.” He reaches for me again but I step away once more.
“I… I’m fine,” I whisper. I thought leaving my mother’s house would offer me freedom. I thought I would be safe finally.
But this man is making me feel anything but safe.
“Come on, little girl. We can have fun together.” He rushes for me and I run away. I can feel him chasing me from behind.
My legs are exhausted and I haven’t had water in over a day. I feel weak.
But I don’t stop running. I may not know a lot about this world but I can tell what kindness is because I was denied it all my life by my mother and this man doesn’t want to show me any of it.
He laughs as I keep running and he keeps following.
I turn a corner and end up on a street full of nice looking homes. Much nicer than the farmhouse I grew up in.
My body slams against the door of the nearest house. “Please. Someone help me!” I knock and knock and knock.
The man finally catches up to me and grabs my arm, pulling me away from the door. “Come on, little girl. You asked for help and I can help you. I can help you not be so alone.” He grinds his body against mine and all I can feel is revulsion.
“Help me!” I scream.
The door of the house in front of me opens up and a man steps outside. A much younger man than the one holding me. His wavy brown hair and strong jaw makes him handsome. So handsome that it steals my breath away.
He looks between me and the man with a frown. “What is going on out here?”