chapter eight
590 Words
I didn't know what I was going to say to convince J17 to help me. I'm hiding from people who want to return me to my life of torture. My guts are kinda spewing out of my body, and I'm not even human.
Everything I was, everything I am; it's not a part of her carefully constructed, emotionally walled off existence. I’m not a part of the life she's clearly happy with. But was she really happy?
It was around 10:30 at night when I saw her run by. Then she shakily unlocked her door, as if something had happened at work. I didn't dare bother her. I just stood there and watched until she was in her house.
I was tempted to knock on the door right then, but I stopped. And I stood there, waiting, contemplating my actions. Minutes blended into hours and I wasn't sure how long I stood there. Would she really care enough to help me?
Another girl walked by hours later muttering to herself. “Why am I so stupid?!” She banged her fist against her forehead," Of course she's not going to like a girl like me.” Then she screamed, “Why would she? I'm just a stupid dreamer. There's no way people like us could live a happy life up there.”
The girl kicked a metal can and it hit my forehead with a loud clank. And she turned to see me standing there. “Oh no, no, no! You shouldn't be here! I have to report this.”
“Wait!” I grabbed her arm, “please don't! My Evelyn helped me escape. Princess Evelyn of the sky kingdom wanted me to escape!”
“What were you going to do?” She decided to ask me. “Everyone wants to get their hands on you. Drug dealers and scrapyards can make a real fortune from you. And the police want to return you to the sky kingdom.”
“I know. I- I’ve seen some really f****d up s**t over the last few days.” I finally took off the jacket painfully as my blood had dried and had it stuck to my body. But it actually felt nice to let my guts literally spill out onto the ground. “But I've also found people who aren't like that. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the people who've helped me to get here. And I was hoping J17 could help me too.”
“Maybe-” she started, “but that's crazy.” she took a step back as she took in the horrifying sight before her.
“Everything I've done over the last few days is crazy.”
“Maybe she too could learn to be a dreamer and she could love me the way I love her.”
“She'd be an i***t not to love you.”
The girl nodded, then she saw the sun was rising. “Oh s**t it's morning already! Go and do what you gotta do. I hope we see each other again, under better circumstances.” Then she took off running as fast as she could.
I heard a gunshot and someone shouted, “that's her blood! she went in that alley!” and I had no choice now but to bang on her door because that didn't sound like the voice of someone who could be reasoned with.
And now you know why I, Ellara, found myself at the steps of a seemingly random factory worker.
- Writer
