Tigress Royale (On Hold)

Tigress Royale

I watched as a single tear fell from her face. I’m only 5 years old and I can tell what she was implying. But she was wrong. Uncle Dennis was our friend; he wouldn’t burn our house down. But she was also right in one thing. Where are they?

My mommy looked at me in shame, tears falling freely now. “I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you baby, I’m sorry we couldn’t keep you safe. But you have to keep yourself out of sight from now on ok?” she waited for my response and I nodded. But I didn’t understand her, why would I have to take care of myself from now on? Where are she and my Daddy going?

She reached the back of a shelf in my closet after throwing out everything. I saw her slip her hand in a slot I never knew existed. A green light scanned her handprint then suddenly the back wall of my closet split open. My mom disappeared into it for a split second then reappeared again holding a Winnie The Pooh backpack.

She then told me to get out of bed and threw a pair of jeans at me telling my to put them on and roll up my nightie as I needed to be able to move freely. Before I was even done she hurriedly put my shoes on and threw the Winnie The Pooh backpack over my back and picked me up, dashing for the door.

*End of flashback *

I stood up from the bench I had spent the winter night on.

Luckily because of my genetics, I did not freeze myself to death last night or any other night since that first day I left my home at five years old. I stood in silence starring at the sun; the one friend I’ve had over the years that had never disappointed me. Every day without fail, he would rise and somehow make it more bearable to keep moving.

“Hi Sun, remember me… Yeah, the 20-year-old world-fugitive? I knew you’d be back. Ha ha like clockwork.”

I smiled to myself and headed for the dark trees that lined the creepy park. No wonder nobody came around here. I reached for the long branches that I used to hide my bike, and moved it out of the way.

I smiled as I looked at it. A black on black BMW S1000RR, with a single line across the body, which was lavender in color, the same color my gloves and the heart pendent I wore around my neck was which housed a picture of my parents and I as an infant. My dad had given it to me the day of him and my mom’s 10year anniversary. It looked almost like the one he had given my mom, except that hers was real gold and had a pearled diamond right in the middle of the heart. I laughed to myself as I remembered how he only bought it for me only because he knew I would sulk and throw a tantrum at not also receiving a gift. That was a month before…

I sighed as I absent-mindedly brushed my hand on the side of my bike. Thinking of my parents always made me sad but I never wanted it to affect me too long. I had to stay strong. I was the sole survivor of my tribe. Well of my kind actually. I told myself to snap out of it and jumped on my bike.

It was time to get out of here.

I looked around the park again, thinking about how I had to bring myself up for all those years. I always kept reminding myself I was not a normal girl and yet sadly I loved everything normal girls my aged liked.

Like shopping!

I quickly swept my eyes across the park again as a thought came to mind, I had been in this city for 2days now and I hadn’t really explored it. Looking down at my clothes I realized I needed to get new gear again. I was wearing a yellow tank top with blue skinnies. I had bought these clothes just a month ago but only having two extra change of clothes to rotate wore them out quicker. I needed a whole new wardrobe!

I reached for my Winnie The Pooh bag that was hanging on one of the handles and searched the inside for the money I had stashed in there last night. Yes, I hadn’t gotten rid of this bag. Even as I grew up and replaced the old weapons and gadgets it had originally housed with new and better ones, I couldn’t bring myself to change it, it was the last thing my parents gave me.

I pooled out a couple of notes and counted at least four thousand Rand, yeah, I had enough to buy something new. I smiled to myself; South African currency was always so easy to get a hold off. Coming back here was starting to seem like a better decision than I’d thought.

I kicked off the bar that kept my bike standing, switched the bike on and kept it on neutral and took the breaks off so I could roll the bike out nearer the back entrance of the park because I had decided to walk through town instead of gain interest from the locals by zooming by with my not so ordinary bike.

I laid my bike down just inside the back gate and covered it again with branches. I remembered to take my backpack and stared back down at my work. It looked like a normal bush, besides, nobody would be strong enough to lift that baby off the ground had they found it. I flipped my hair back smirking as I walked out of the park.

‘Lets go shop!’ I heard her say in my head.

I laughed to myself and thought-spoke to her back; ‘well, glad u could join us there, Miss Tigz!’ She just groaned her response as I felt her waking up inside me. Seems like today is going to be a chilled day.

I gave myself 3 hours to return; I still needed to be careful...