Through my eyes

Freedom

Skylar
My bags are packed, well I only have one bag and it's not like I owned a whole lot of clothes, I'm sat on the edge on my small single bed the lights above me keep flickering, they have been flickering for 6 months but nobody wants to replace them the only peace my eyes get is at night when they turn them off, god forbid I control my own lights and have even a ounce of control over my own life.

Today all that changes, as I wait for the guard to come and escort me to the gate my heart is racing, I can almost hear my heart beating in my ears. Why am I so nervous, this is the day I've been waiting for since I was 12 years old; the lock of my door slides open and snaps me back to reality. "Skylar let's go, your getting out today" my guard barks at me, I don't know his name and he's never bothered to say a word to me, none of them have, to the guards we aren't human and we certainly don't deserve to be treated like one. "Move it I haven't got all day" he yells back at me as I struggle to keep up, he's 6ft tall and walks a lot faster than me; as we approach the tall iron gates I see the cab waiting for me, thank god the judge thought ahead, I don't know how I would have found my apartment on my own, I don't even have a phone so navigate my way through the city.

The cab driver already has my address and hands me a package when I get in the car "that's everything you need darling, cell phone, ID, debit card and keys to your apartment also I'm meant to tell you this trips prepaid so you don't have to worry about anything". I look up and smile at him, he's not much older than me by the looks of it but he regards me with caution, I guess he knows somethings wrong with me based on my location and the fact that he's handing me my life in a brown paper envelope; I probably wasn't your average cab ride.

As we drove through downtown Chicago I can't help but notice how much the world has changed, almost everyone walks down the street with their eyes cast down to their cell phones as if the people around them don't exist. My driver pulls up to a 2 story building that looks like it could crumble to the pavement at any moment, like a gust of wind could demolish the entire structure.

"Well this is it. You are apartment 2A in case nobody told you yet, good luck" I thank my driver and gather up my belongings careful to make sure I have all my new items provided by the judge, it would be just my luck to lose my new phone on my first day.

"Skylar?" The man in the doorway of the building is a lot older than me, maybe in his 50's with greying hair but a friendly smile, "yes that's me, nice to meet you" I reach out my hand for a handshake but he pulls me into a quick hug. I freeze, I'm not used to affection from anyone let alone someone I just met, but he seems kind and almost like the father I always wished had never abandoned me. "If you follow me I'll show you to your apartment, the rent has been paid in advance for the first 3 months so you have time to settle in and hopefully find a job, just let me know if you have any issues; I'm Frank by the way, your new landlord".
Frank walks me through the building and up the stairs to the next floor, my apartment is the first door of 3 on this floor so I guess I'll have to introduce myself to my neighbours at some point soon. I turn to smile at Frank after he see's me through the door and he smiles back at me, a genuine warm smile, it's so strange to be treated as an equal and not a burden. I thank Frank for his help and he leaves me to settle in.

Looking around my new home it's modest but perfect for me, it has 1 bedroom with a built in closet and a double bed has already been set up in the corner, the living room has a small sofa and even a TV on the cabinet in the corner, I don't know who set this up for me but I needed to thank them, it took a huge stress off my first day. I did however need to go shopping, I needed sheets for my bed and some food for the kitchen, although I did notice that someone had left a set of cooking pans on the stove and even some baking trays for the oven, they really had thought of so much; I wouldn't have even realised all the things I would need until I actually needed them.

Okay it's time to get this sorted, I pull out my new phone and open the navigation app, I plug into the search engine 'bedding' and the first result is a shop called 'sheets and things', according to this app it's just a 10 minute walk from me; I also pinpoint my current location so I can find my way back, don't want to be getting lost on my first trip outside.

I stand in my bedroom and look in the mirror on my bedroom wall, my nerves start to hit me making my stomach fills with butterflies, I look reasonably normal to the average person and only if you really paid attention would you think I needed to update my fashion choices; it was pretty clear I hadn't updated my closet options in a few years and I didn't quite fit in. My saving grace was my size, at 5ft3 and with a petit build and hoped that would help me to blend in, however my best features have always been my red hair and green eyes and that might do the opposite, that combination had always made me stand out when I was younger; maybe if I just kept my head down people wouldn't notice me.

Okay enough, I needed to go to the store before they close and as much a I just wanted to curl up on my new bed I needed bedding to do that. I grab my keys and phone and head out the door saying a silent prayer I won't run into any of the veiled.