A Girl in Red

21 | NO CHOICE

NO CHOICE

The frowning frog man drove through the city as I gave the driver directions off the top of my head. It wasn't a city per say, it was a big enough town that most people called it a city. It was truly of those towns that was smack dab in the middle of nowhere, it had been a comforting place for me when I was younger. I loved New York with every fiber of my being but if you weren't careful sometimes it made you feel like you were drowning, wading barely above the water.

The driver was getting frustrated with me as he passed the same library we had passed three times already. I honestly couldn't remember the address of the apartment. It was a safe house of sorts, considering it was completely off the grid and had been a place that I bought before I had anything to my name. It had been the place I had dreamed of starting college and running away from my family before they got themselves into deep shit and I had to step up. But it had been so long and no one knew where it was except for me, it was impossible to remember. Even if I had been living there for the past three months.

Alana was there, now and I had had an impossible memory block getting there the first time. It wasn't easy guiding me back there again. The driver seemed to be fed up with as the huge building glinted at us. I pointed him towards it and he turns sharply into the parking lot. I slipped out before handing him a fifty dollar bill and slamming the door shut.

The bag full of different sized tampons swung on my wrist and bumped my leg repetitively as I whistled and walked into the lobby. A girl about the age of eighteen grinned and waved. I couldn't help but wink at her as I removed my glasses. The girl leaned over the front desk as I grinned at her.

"Can I use your phone?"

"You wanna put your number in it?" She says with a slight laugh.

I shrug with a smirk, "Lost mine, I need to phone a friend."

The girl had the newest iPhone and she slid it into my open hand. I swiped it open and dialed the phone number. Brooklyn answers after the third ring. She sounds tired, absolutely exhausted by everything, and I relate to her more than anything. I couldn't show my tiredness, turning away from the girl, I muttered as quietly as I could into the phone.

"Hello, my friend."

"Chessy, you're alive."

I pick at my fingers and nod even though she can't see me. "Give me an update."

Brooklyn lists off the thousands of things I need to get done. We talk about the need for our house. I send her a text message of a penthouse apartment that I bought in New York City. I, of course, delete the message afterwards and can hear her passing the information along to Misha and Delphi. I didn't bother with them about the furnishing because I knew that they could take over that. I gave them a few orders on how to deal with the 'prisoners' that were in our possesion.

"This is all great but something bad is happening, Chess. Everyone is running around with their heads up their asses. You need to come back home,  ASAP."

"Scotty is a problem, it's not that simple." I shake my head in denial. "And I've been doing what I can from my computer, I thought everything was fine?"

She sighs, "It is, but it's been three months and the power grabs that are going need to to be nipped in the bud."

"I have no other choice do I?"