Trapped

CHAPTER ONE: A NEW CITY

                                                                                Mariah Lomax 

"You're never leaving me!"   Jamie's voice echoed in my head. I shook the thought of him, as I looked out the window on the bus. This was the first time out of my life that I felt free. Free from toxicity. 

I was going hours away from home with nothing. I left my phone, a few pair of shoes, practically everything. I rather start over than stay and rot to death. 

After a few more stops I got off the bus. The sun was barely shining. It was daylight but it looked like the sunrise. It must've been morning. I was in a whole new city and town. A way bigger city. The big apple. I had dreams of moving to New York when I was younger. But my dreams got fumbled early. 

I walked around the city carrying my bag. Everything was so different from my hometown which was Philadelphia. The bus fare was cheap so I had money left. Only enough that I could get me something to eat. Wouldn't be enough for a room. 

I wish. 

But that only means I'll have somewhere to stay for one day. I'm not doing that. I just walked the streets of New York until I couldn't anymore. I sat down on a bench to rest. I held my bag tightly to my chest like a blanket. 

I kept having thoughts. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to just hop on a bus without anything. What was I gonna' do? 

I stopped thinking, and before I knew it my eyes were closing. 

As I was sleeping, I felt my bag sliding from under me. My eyes opened fast. I looked up it was a homeless man trying to steal my bag. He had a dirty shirt white shirt with holes on them, with baggy pants, and a black beanie on his head. "Let go of my bag!" I yelled as I snatched my bag away. I stood up and bucked at him. He ran off. 

"Great." I mumbled to myself. My first day here I almost gotten robbed. I walked away from the bench. I have to find a shelter. I tried asking people where the Rescue Mission was but nobody would answer me. Or some people would tell me to f**k off. 

I sighed and kept walking. I wish I had my phone but I'll be taking a risk of bringing my phone. I'm not taking any chances of Jamie coming to find me. And the first thing he'd check is my phone. My location, activeness, and my social media accounts. 

I continued walking but something told me to ask one more person. I tapped this elderly white woman, "Excuse me, mam."  She turned around and looked at me. "Do you know where the rescue mission is?" I asked. 

"Oh yes it's just down the street from here you'll see it." She guided me. "Thank you so much." I ran so fast through the people. Just like she said right down the street. I must've been walking for a long time for me to be so close to it. 

Once, I have gotten to the rescue mission I immediately went inside. I wasn't stopping to rest until I was there. 

I walked inside the building. I told the worker about my situation, she immediately helped me into a bed. When I got into the room I felt a few stares. They probably think I don't belong here. 

"Sabria this is Mariah. Look out for her she's new." Amanda, the worker said. Sabrina looked at me and scoffed. "Yeah okay. You can have the top bunk." Sabrina mumbled, pointing at the top. 

Sabria was a brown-skinned medium-sized thick girl with a curvy body. She had freckles and a nose piercing. She has pretty curly hair. Looks natural. 

"Alright, Mariah you're all set Sabria will guide you through the rules." Amanda told me before she left. "Look I'm not ya' mama. You can handle being by yourself. And the curfew is 4:00 PM." Sabria said. 

"Okay." I mumbled. Normally I'd cuss somebody out for talking to me like that. Especially with involving my mother. My mama isn't dead she's just missing out of my life. 

I climbed on to the top bunk. Tossing my bag on top. I laid down in the bed comfortably. I closed my eyes trying to relax. "Aye." I opened my eyes and laid on my side facing the other bunk. "You got some clothes? Preferably a size small." A girl on the next top bunk asked. She was light-skinned with hazel eyes, and she had an auburn color to her hair. 

"Hell no, she doesn't have any clothes for you Autumn." Sabria spoke up for me. "Damn I can't ask her for some clothes? I hate it here." Autumn rolled her eyes, turning over the other side. 

"I can give you a shirt. But I wear an extra small."

"That'll work." Autumn laughed, showing her small little gap in her teeth.  I leaned up and went through my bag, and tossed her one of my old shirts. "Thank ya'. Aye Cassie you wanna' trade for your skittles?" Autumn held the shirt I gave her. My mouth dropped. 

"You shouldn't ever gave her no shirt." Sabria shook her head. "Shut up I'm hungry. But what happened to you newbie?" Autumn asked. 

"I ran away.." I mumbled. "Aw s**t. There's plenty of runaways. But why you run away from home? You don't even look like you belong here." Autumn said. 

"You don't look like it neither Autumn witcho' young ass. You should be in school somewhere." Sabria but in. "Mind ya' business. I dropped out." Autumn held her hand up. 

"College?" I raised my eyebrows. "Nah high school fool." She said. "Oh.. I dropped out of college. I was supposed to be a dancer but I dropped out before I could get my degree." I shrugged my shoulders. 

"You dance?" Autumn raised her eyebrows. "Used too." I say. "Oh.. What made you change your mind?" Autumn asked me. 

"Why you asking her so many questions Autumn?" Sabria asked. "Never can do shit." Autumn turned around once again. 

I laid back down on my back. I stared at the ceiling. Was this going to be my new life? I have to figure out something. I'm grateful that I have somewhere to stay though. I still have to make a way of living. 

"Hey.. Sabria where do you go to take a shower?" I leaned down and asked her. She practically ignored me. "Come on newbie I'll show you." Autumn slid off her bunk. I got off my bed, grabbed my bag and followed Autumn. "Does Sabria even like me?" I asked Autumn. 

"She likes you. If she didn't she wouldn't even bother with you. Sabria barely says a word to anybody that walks up in here. But she tries not to get close to her bunkies because they always end up leaving." Autumn said as we walked to the showers.

"Oh explains her attitude." I shrugged my shoulders. "What's your name again?" Autumn looked back at me. "Mariah." I answered her. 

"Cute." Autumn snickered as we walked inside the bathroom. "Here's your towel, soap, and a rag. I'll wait for you." She said. "And can you hold my bag for me please?"  I gave her my bag of clothes as I took the towel, rag, and soap. 

I walked into the shower, I undressed and sat my clothes on top, as I cut the shower on. When the water hit my skin it felt like a relief. I didn't even care about getting my hair wet. I lather the soap against my rag, and washed my body up. It stung a little with these bruises being on it. I just suck it up, and continued washing. 

I rinsed off al the soap and cut the shower off. I dried myself off and put on my clothes. Autumn was still standing right there. She doesn't seem bad at all. "Damn girl I was about to fall asleep." Autumn said. 

"Sorry. I guess I got too comfortable with the shower." I laughed a little. We walked back into the room. I guess wasn't looking hard enough when I first got here. It was crowded. I did have my head down until I got to the bed. 

I notice Sabria wasn't in her bed anymore. She was on the other side of the room. Autumn gave me my bag back. I felt how light it was feeling. I gave Autumn that look. "What girl?" She tried to act oblivious then she smacked her lips, and gave me the rest of my clothes back. 

"You can't blame me though you got some nice clothes." Autumn said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I need some more I didn't get enough." I muttered to myself. 

"I'm hungry as f**k. When is it time to eat?" Autumn held her stomach. "You're hungry?" I asked her. "Hell yeah. I'm bout' to say f**k them skittles and walk somewhere and get a burger." Autumn said.

"Fool it's not even lunchtime yet." Some girl said across the room. "Shut up Janae. My stomach hurt. My baby needs to eat." Autumn said, making the girls bust out laughing. 

"Autumn you're pregnant?" I asked her. "Hell Nah. she not pregnant." The other girl said. "She doesn't have no damn baby. She just talking about her food baby."  I smacked my lips, looking back over to Autumn. 

I turned to look over at the window. It was still daylight. It has to be the afternoon because when I got here the sun was barely out. We could go get some food but I have to save the leftover money for emergencies. 

"They should be calling for food soon." A dark-skinned girl with burgundy dreads said as she walked out of the room with her toothbrush in her mouth. 

"They taking too damn long. I didn't eat since last night." Autumn cussed. "Aw, you'll live." A girl said. I wonder what's Autumn story and why they treat her like that. But they might be looking out for her. She does seem young. 

Her looks and the way she carries herself could tell her age. She does look about 18 or 19. 

"Hey Autumn how old are you?" I asked her out of curiosity. She made a face. "What you the police or some'?" Autumn furrowed her eyebrow after she asked me. 

"Hell no. It's just you seem kind of young." I say to assure her. "I'm old enough. I'm 18." Autumn said. "I kind of figured it. You just look so young." 

"Thanks. How old is you?" Autumn asked. "It's how old are you not is you. Somebody teach that poor gal better vocabulary." An older woman said, she has an accent. Most likely either Jamaican or Haitian. 

"Mind yours. Old head." Autumn waved her off lowkey insulting her as well. "I'm 21." 

"Damn." Autumn laughed. "What? I'm not that old." I furrowed my eyebrows. "Nah you just don't look 21." She said. 

"Thank you." She laughed again after I said that. "That isn't a compliment. You got a body of a 30-year-old." She insulted me.

"I take my compliments back then." I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm just f*****g with you newbie." Autumn said. "Mhm." I responded back. 

"I gotta' give you a nickname. Newbie isn't sitting too well for me." Autumn thought as she touched her chin, as she looked up at the ceiling. 

"Or just call me Mariah. That's even better." I told her. "Yeah Yeah." She said. 

"What you gonna' do when you get out of here?" Autumn asked as she created a new conversation. "I don't know actually. I know it's going to be hard for me to find a place especially if I'm not from here." 

"Wait you not from New York? Where you from then?" Autumn inquired. "I'm from Philly." 

"You don't sound like it. Don't yall have like a slang?" She asked. "We do but I don't use it." 

"Hey, here's a little secret. I'm not from here neither I just claim New York since I lived here almost my entire life." Autumn told me. I nodded my head listening. "How long you plan on staying in NYC?" 

"I don't know but I know I plan on being here for a while." I said with a small smile. "Well welcome to New York then Mariah." Autumn said. 

Finally I'm welcomed. I made my first friend down here while the others are rude. But we'll see how long it's gonna' go with Autumn being nice to me. She seems like the type to be nice to get something out of you. We'll see.