Where It All Began

Three

Getting to New York was easier than getting to London was. After I found my way to the east coast of the United States, I had to take what I think is called a bus the rest of the way to New York. I did not have any American money with me, so I paid for it with a piece of jewelry my father gave me to convince my mother he was a good father. It meant nothing to me, so I had no problem with giving it away.

I love it here. The architecture is more modern than London. There are some older buildings here, but none quite as old as the ones back in London. New York feels more of what I thought a city would feel like in the modern world than London did. It was almost exactly what I thought it was going to be. It was perfect.

Now that I am here, I need a job and a place to live. I know in order to have a place to live, I would need a job to pay for that place. We had the concept of money back in Atlantis. I chose to start the search for a place to work immediately. Every shop and restaurant I passed, I went in to see if they were hiring. So far none were. I decided to check out one more shop, before heading back.

"Excuse me, are you guys hiring," I asked the pale cashier lady, walking into the next shop. She looked me up and down with the look of disgust clear on her slightly wrinkled face. She appeared to be a middle-aged woman, and she had burgundy hair with some grey. She had blue eyes, a crooked nose, and small and thin lips. This shop was like the one I had visited back in London, but this one was messier and had appeared to have no organization at all. Everything looked as if it had been thrown around randomly and left there.

"I don't know. Let me ask my manager," she told me. She turned around and yelled out to someone I could not see. "Hey Joe! Are we hiring?"

"No!" this mysterious Joe yelled back.

"Sorry, we're not hiring," The cashier turned back to me and gave me a bored look.

"But-" I wanted to argue and tell her they had a sign in their window claiming that they were hiring, but a man's voice interrupted me.

"We're not hiring," a man who I assume is the manager called Joe said with a horrible scowl on his face. He was a large man. He had tiny squinty black eyes and his gaze made me feel uncomfortable. He walked up to me and looked me up and down as the cashier had done. He was so close to me, I could smell how horrible his breath was. He looked at the cashier who was looking at me with the same look of disgust as before. "Well, at least not you. We don't hire worthless garbage. Get out of here."

"Okay, sorry to bother you," I told the cashier and this Joe guy as I walked out of the shop. I was almost ready to give up, at least for today. I was used to being called 'worthless garbage', it was my father's absolute favorite thing to call me. It used to hurt me and, for a while, I thought it was true, but I know now that it is far from the truth.

I need to find somewhere to sleep for tonight. I brought all the stuff I had on the ship with me. All of my clothes and my valuables. Maybe if I sold some of my valuables, I could afford a cheap hotel room and some hot food. Right across the street from me, there was a shop with a sign in its window that said 'We buy gold'. I have a lot of gold. Maybe I can get some good money for it.

"Hello," I said to a man standing at the counter of the shop. He had a mini sign attached to his shirt that said 'Charlie'. I think his name is Charlie. "You buy gold, correct?"

"Yes ma'am," Charlie said. He seemed to be much nicer than the people at the previous shop. "I saw you come out of Joe's store. What would a lady like you be doing in that shady place?"

"Well, I just got to New York and I needed a job, but they weren't hiring," I told Charlie.

"I wouldn't work there if my life depended on it. So, you want to sell some gold?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," I handed him a gold bracelet my sister gave me on my birthday almost five years ago.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATHENA!" Harper yelled as she rushed into my room to give me the biggest hug she had ever given me. "How does it feel finally being old enough to learn to fight?" We have a tradition in my country. When a girl turns thirteen, they begin their training and learn to fight. It has always been important for women to learn to protect themselves.

"It feels amazing Harper," I said with a bright smile on my face. "I have been waiting for this day my whole life."

"I have something for you," Harper handed me a small package. She smiled at me and jumped with excitement. "Open it."

I tore the package open and inside was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a golden bracelet with thirteen lily charms made of emeralds. I fell in love with it instantly.

"Harper, this is beautiful, thank you," I told her with tears in my eyes.

"I wanted you to have something to remember me by whenever we are apart," She said.

"I hope we are never apart, but if, somehow, we are separated, I will keep this with me always," I promised her and she helped me put it on my wrist. It looked even more perfect.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" Charlie asked me with concern on his face.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I am fine," I assured her as I wiped the tears of the memory away. I never thought I would be breaking a promise I made to my sister, but here I am. "This was given to me by my sister. I hope someone worthy of it finds it."

"Are you not worthy of this gift your sister gave you?" Charlie asked.

"No, I'm not. Not anymore at least." He stared at the bracelet for a moment then looked back at me.

"I'll tell you what. You keep this bracelet, and keep it safe, and you can have a job here," he offered.

"Really?" I asked with new tears forming.

"Yes, really," he confirmed. "But you have to promise to never let that bracelet go."

"I promise." I guess I will not have to disappoint Harper after all.