You can't run forever

Chapter 21 - Not all who have money have hearts made out of gold.

The ground underneath me shook like a drill was trying to break through. I could hear yelling, screaming and crying. Realising something bad was happening, I flung on my soft slippers and walked over to the closet. Opening the door, I saw three shelves stacked with silky materials. I decided to dress randomly and went for a turquoise blue material that sat at the bottom on the lowest shelf. It was a silky, slim, sleeveless, V - neck dress. I rummaged through the shelves until I felt  a scarf and a pair of leggings, it was cold today. 

Downstairs there was chaos everywhere. There were broken paintings, tipped over coffee tables and ripped pillows. A window had been left open letting the mess inside fly around. A couple of feathers attempted to go up my nose and I snorted them out furiously. "You think this is funny?" said a sad female voice from behind me. I turned to see Lady Roberta glaring at me with tears running down her cheeks. "No, I.."., "Look what you did to our family home, you waltz around wearing our expensive gifts like nothing's wrong!" Lady Roberta gave me a savage stare. "Have you no shame! My husband worked himself into a state because you and your associates made a fool out of us with your lying ways" Lady Roberta's face began to turn an angry red. "GET OUT!" she bellowed, trying to push me out of the window. "Lady Roberta, you cannot honestly expect me to jump out of the window!" I said trying to reason with her. "You will listen to your nobility! you are nothing compared to my husband's wealth!" she bellowed kicking me out the window. She didn't recognise me. "Mrs Roberta! how dare you speak to your sovereign like that!" I bellowed giving her my famous cold stare. Lady Roberta went pale. "I knew you.. you looked different from your sister..." she mumbled backing away from the window getting paler by the minute. "Don't just leave me here!" I yelled at her. " We can't hurt you but it doesn't mean we support you" she whispered fleeing from the room, slamming the door behind her. One of my hands slipped as I struggled to grip the slippery over polished window sill. Luckily there was a large tree right underneath me. I let go of the window sill with both hands and fell onto one of its large, brittle branches. After five to ten minutes a head peeked out. "Are you alright? here grab my hand" Abe said putting his hands in reaching distance of my face. He boosted me up out of the tree and I turned around to see the room exactly like it was. "Where are the others?" I asked hoping I wouldn't have to kiss him. "They're upstairs asleep, I'm the only one who heard you leave your room and the shouting" he replied leading me to them. After we had woken up everyone and we were gathered in Liam's room and man burst into the room. "Out" he bellowed. "We need to pack up our belongings" said Liam. " I SAID OUT" the man slammed the door behind him. "Get out of my house in 5 minutes or I'm calling the police". 

We had just time to get our horses from the stables. "The least you could do would be to give my husband and I one for our troubles" Lady Roberta said eying them up. We were not obliged to do anything of the sort. On the way back through town, people did look at us strangely because of our silk attire. We stopped at a nearby trading post to gain some money because Liam had left all of ours back at the mansion. The man inside was short with pointy ears. He was fixing up a brochure rack. "I have no more of them rental cars, sorry to say" he said without turning around to look at us. "We don't need rental cars" said Liam. The man turned around finally and squinting at us then raising his eyebrows. "Oh, traders, what do you have?".

Eventually after trading all our clothes and getting more appropriate ones. We still didn't have enough money for a place to leave our horses. So we sold them too. "Noooooo COLLLLLBBYY" said Abe dramatically, hugging the horse, tightly. Finally we left thanking the short man. Soon after we passed a cheap looking hotel. Inside, the reception was decked out in plush red carpet and had gold striped wallpaper. "Taweichi hotels and motels are usually expensive because of the amount of tourists that pass through every year" Liam gestured to the one hundred people or so who were walking around the lobby. "Can I help you sir?" asked the lady at the front desk with a kind smile. "Yes, we would like to book two rooms with twin beds" said Liam smoothly acting like he owned this hotel. "Where will he sleep then?" the lady said worriedly gesturing to Abe. "Oh, he will be fine, he can just sleep on the floor, honestly he won't' mind" said Liam dismissing the idea. "We can't have that, don't worry sir, I'll book you in for a shared sitting room and the other sir can sleep on the couch" said the lady sweetly. "How come I have to sleep on the floor?" whined Abe. Liam swore under his breathe. "Ok then, but how much extra would it cost? no extras please" he informed the lady. "Only an extra hundred, half the price of one of the rooms" she said smirking. "Hotel staff like to persuade tourists to pay for more, even if they don't need it" said Abe whispering into my ear. "I passed through Taweichi on my way to Gwela". "That would be $530 dollars, please sir, for tonight and up to midday tomorrow" the lady looked pleased with herself. I knew for a fact that we only had like $400 dollars. "You have until 12 pm today" she said snatching Liam's money up. Then she turned to me. "Our house lady needs someone to do a couple of errands for her today, perhaps she will pay you". The receptionist knew I was the queen yet she insisted on shaming me. What had happened to the people of AnerBriva? have they no respect?