Bound By A Dragon

Two

The road was long and quiet. There were stretches that I thought I was done crying, but then the tears welled in my eyes again. I didn't even notice the scenery, didn't appreciate how beautiful the countryside was. It was only when I neared the city and the trees became fewer and the buildings more that I took notice. A tightness spread across my chest as my nerves spiked.

"There's no backing out now, girlie."

That was the truth. I was in this now, whether I liked it or not. There was no going back home now. Not after the argument I had with mom. I had a point to prove. Besides, this was good for me. I had to stick to that belief. As scary as this was, the idea of marrying some boring guy and spending my life gossiping in the grocery store isles terrified me even more.

I retrieved my phone from the center console, and scrolled until reaching Alice's contact. I hit call, and activated the loudspeaker. She answered on the third ring.

"Hey chicka! You here?" Alice's friendly voice was welcome and helped to lift the dark cloud somewhat.

"I just reached the city. Going to put in your address into the GPS now so will be there soon."

"Ha! Don't get too excited just yet. The traffic can be hectic so could take you a while still to get to the flat." Alice chuckled at my naïveté. She was right, though. There was so much that I would need to learn and get used to.

Fifteen minutes later, I was stuck in traffic. For the first time in my life.

I tried to keep my eyes on the car in front of me, but there was too much to look at. The buildings on either side of the road were tall, I couldn't see how high they went looking through my window. The sea of cars seemed never-ending and the strum of people on the sidewalks were stuck in their own version of traffic. Never before had I seen so many people. And all of them tickled my curiosity. At the moment, I was enthralled by a woman dressed in what seemed like every color ever created. Her arms were covered in silver bangles from wrist to elbow; her curly hair hung down to well past her waist. She was chatting very animatedly with a*****e attendant. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I was glued to the spectacle. A loud car horn blared behind me, making me jump.

"s**t! Sorry!" I had been so focused on this woman that I didn't notice the traffic ahead moving forward.

Alice stood in the doorway of her apartment as I came up the stairs. Forty minutes. It had taken me forty minutes to get from one end of the city to the other where she lived.

"I told you," Alice said in lieu of a hello.

"Is it always like that or just certain times of the day?" I asked, out of breath from carrying a heavy suitcase.

"Oh honey, that was just normal midday traffic. You don't want to go anywhere near the roads during rush hour. Come here," she pulled me in for a warm and tight hug. I needed that hug. It was great seeing my best friend again.

"So then how do we get to work?" I asked as I entered the flat.

"We'll take the tube or a cab. Your car will stay in the garage until Christmas, when you go visit home." Alice's smile was knowing. Unlike her, I wouldn't be able to stay away from home too long. Our parting might have been less than friendly, but I loved my parents dearly. My heart ached to call and try to make amends. My dad might've broken it through his silence, but deep down I wanted his approval.

"I can't believe I'm here..." my voice croaked a bit at the end and I left the rest unsaid.

"Oh honey, it'll all be all right in the end. You'll see. Come here." Alice pulled me in for a tight hug. As much as I tried to fight the tears, they wouldn't obey. My cheeks and Alice's shirt was damp before long. She didn't say anything and I appreciated it. Public displays of emotion always left me uneasy.

When I managed to get a grip on my emotions, I pulled away and busied myself with my bags. Alice took out her phone, giving me space to wipe my face and compose myself.

"So, you going to give me the grand tour or what?" The cheer in my voice was audibly false but it didn't matter.

Twenty minutes later, I knew the lay of our apartment and all my belongings were piled into my small bedroom. The only furnishings in the room were a small double bed and an even smaller built-in closet. The window was at least fairly well proportioned, especially considering the size of the bedroom. With a sigh, I plop myself on the bed and take out my phone.

No messages. No calls. Nothing.

That stung. I thought my mother would at least check in on me to make sure I arrived safely. I was sick and tired of this hurt. I was ready for another emotion. Anger. Pursing my lips, I open our chat and start typing.

Mom, I thought I'd do the adult thing and let you know I arrived safely at Alice's. I hope that some day you and Dad will realize that this was the best move for me. Just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean it is the end of the world.

Before I could chicken out, I press send. It didn't sound like much attitude, but given my very conservative upbringing, it was. I exit the message app and open up my notepad. I needed to make a shopping list. I knew I wouldn't be able to get everything straight away, but the list gave me something to work towards.

List done, I brace my hands on my knees before heaving myself up. I was tired from the long drive, but I knew if I didn't start now, my clothes would stay in their suitcases for the next week at least. The closet space wasn't enough for all my clothes, so I decide to split it seasonally.

"Knock, knock. Need help?" Alice was standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame.

"Yes, you can magic me a bigger closet," I answer with a genuine smile.

"Trust me, doll, this is big. You should've seen the other apartments I looked at before moving in here. This one was by no means the cheapest of the lot, but I couldn't get myself to try and squeeze all my s**t into the matchboxes they call apartments."

"I guess there's a lot I will have to get used to, hey."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it very soon. The trick is to learn how to find privacy pockets. If you don't, it'll feel like the whole city is in your lap all the time."

"Privacy pockets?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that. Yes, that's what I like to think of them. You know, a bench under a tree, a table in the corner. Small spaces where the crowds can't get to you."

"Right, OK. I'll add that to my list."

"Mock me all you like. You'll see what I mean."

After a lot of swearing, Alice and I finally managed to squeeze my summer wardrobe into the closet. The fall and winter clothes I stowed at the foot of the bed, still in the suitcases. Unfortunately, the bed had a base and no space to store anything underneath. My reserves were depleted, but I still needed to locate my bedding. The soft pastels will clash spectacularly with the bright colors of the curtains. New curtains went on my shopping list as well.

"The city has many perks and one of them is decent pizza," Alice said as she closed the front door, delivered pizza in hand. My stomach growled, eager to dig in to the cheesy goodness. We ate a slice each in silence, both too hungry to talk. It was only after I was halfway through my second slice that I finally felt I could speak again.

"So what can you tell me about this position I'm interviewing for?"

"Well, the CEO is in need of a new PA. Again. I think Human Resources are desperate to find someone who can stick it out for longer than six months."

"Six months? That doesn't sound good. A quick staff turnaround is not a good thing." A hollow feeling swelled in my stomach that had nothing to do with food or the lack thereof. I knew I had good administrative skills but didn't think I would be able to deal with an overbearing boss.

"You'll be fine. You can do this. I've heard he is strict and likes having things done his way. That's all. No weird shit."

"No weird s**t? What does that mean?" Oh God, I didn't even think of anything untoward.

"Yeah, you know... If he had done or said anything or, you know, touched anything he wasn't supposed to, the rumor-mill would've caught wind of it."

"Do you ever deal with him?"

"f**k no! No, I'm a lowly worker down on the third floor. He reigns all the way up on the thirteenth. Besides, I'm just a clerk. He deals with my boss's boss, not us worker bees."

"Well that's just great."

"Sabe, honey, relax. You will be fine. I wouldn't have put your name forward if I didn't think you could do it." Alice gave my knee a reassuring squeeze. It didn't do much to reassure me, though.