All That Glitters...

All that Glitters…

I never was a model daughter. I never loved my mother. I was horrified by my society and I had decided to run away.



I was standing in the middle of the road, with only the clothes on my back and the money in my purse. I had stormed out on my mother. I left after telling her that I didn’t want her life. I didn’t want to belong to a man. I didn’t want to be inferior and I definitely didn’t want to go back home. I wasn’t sure what to do next.



Unlike the girls in the Lower Quarter, I hadn't been trained to look after myself. As the daughter of one of the wealthiest merchants in Adrania, it had been assumed that I would marry on my sixteenth birthday and that my husband would support me. In this world I would be little more than a pretty ornament for my husband. I would be his property. He would control my life, my friends and ultimately my future. 



That’s why I had to leave. I had to disappear completely. I only had twenty-four hours. In twenty-four hours they would start looking. The Lower Quarter was my escape. I knew the way. I began my journey. I started walking. I stopped to find myself at the gates to the Lower Quarter; from there I could smell the smoke of campfires. For a moment I got caught up in my own thoughts. What will I do? How will I survive? Can I really escape? Is it worth it?

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear him until it was too late. I found I was face to face with a man. He looked to be about 19, his attire was filthy but he seemed harmless enough.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing out so late?” he said, as his eyes flicked up and down the deserted street, looking for a chaperone. I could feel my heart race and my palms start to sweat. I couldn’t tell him the truth but I had no excuse. I was an underage girl, out and alone after curfew. I tried bluffing my way out.                

“What I am doing is none of your business.” As I spoke, I moved to leave, but his hand wrapped around my wrist, his nails digging into my skin; it was no accidental motion.     

 “I think it is my business” he resorted.                          

His eyes looked at me taking in my blood red travelling cloak and its golden trim. “You’re a runaway.”    I tried to pull his hand from my wrist; in my panic I tore his sleeve. I could now see the bronze tattoo that snaked its way up his arm. Suddenly this man wasn’t so friendly. This man was a Retriever.

My body started moving. I ripped myself out of his vice like grip and started running. My feet pounded into pavement. I heard him cuss as I passed through the gates. I looked back to see him running to his horse. I was tiring so I focused on the ramshackle houses ahead and forced my legs to move faster. I was frantically looking for somewhere to hide. Looking for refuge from the predator behind me. I could hear the Retrievers horse’s hoofs against the road. I could hear the horse’s breathing. They sped towards me. He was gaining.

I found myself running through a narrow alleyway. It was dark and offered no refuge. I was out of ideas. Then I saw a small light flicker on. It was near midnight and I knew that this house was my only hope. I banged desperately on the door, praying to God that it would open. I had almost given up when its hinges creaked and the door opened.  In its light stood a motherly figure, She was staring at me expectantly. I realised, I had just turned up on her doorstep in the middle of the night, the golden tattoo on my wrist marking me as an unmarried girl from the Upper Quarter.          

 “I’ve run away and now there’s a retriever following…”She didn’t let me finish, instead she ushered me into a small parlour and indicated for me to be silent, quickly dimming the light.  I was almost in hysterics, my heart was pounding in my chest. Then came a persistent knocking at the door. I was frozen with fear as the woman walked to the door. Her face changed as she turned the handle. She looked annoyed        

“What the hell are you doing, knocking on my door at this ungodly hour?”  She snapped,     

“I’m looking for a runaway, about 16, long hair. She’s from the Upper Quarter, I’m offering a reward,” the stranger stated, he sounded demanding and condescending. It was the Retriever.                                         

 “I haven’t seen anyone,” said the women as she slammed the door in his face. She then turned and studied me. My legs could barely support me and I was in danger of falling down where I stood.                                           

 “You’re tired. You can borrow one of Emi’s nightdresses.” Ten minutes later, I was curled up in a small cot feeling relieved and for some reason, happy.

When I awoke, all the events of the previous night came flooding back. My thoughts threatened to overwhelm me. Who was this woman?  What do I do now?  Could I really stay hidden? I ventured out of the small room and down the thin rickety staircase. I entered the parlour. In the sunlight, I saw the room for the first time. There was a small green sofa, well worn, with frayed edges and missing trim. A rug occupied the centre off the room. It was hand-woven, its surface an array of colours and textures that time had yet to destroy. In the corner sat a small brown armchair, it was just as worn as the rest of the room. In it was the woman, her hair was loose and messy and her nightdress was worn and wrinkled from sleep. A young girl lay in her lap. They both looked contented and happy. The girl saw me and pulled me into an embrace. In her arms I felt a sense of belonging for the first time in years.

I went to explain my sudden arrival but the woman held her hand up, cutting me off “My dear, do not think of the past. The past holds no value. It is the present that moulds the future. I know you have left a life of privilege. You are now to face the unknown. It will be hard but you won’t be alone. I make you a promise, as long as you need me. I will do all in my power to help you.” With this, she raised the cuff of her nightdress to reveal a tattoo, two golden rings. I realised then who this woman was, Eliza, the first woman to leave the upper quarter. She had changed her fate, and she was offering to help me change mine. That’s exactly what I intended to do.