I Am Schizophrenic

Chapter Sixteen

Change of plans, I decided to go to New York instead. Since they all left me behind, I'd do it on my own in another place where nobody knows me and a place where nobody knows about.  

My train to New York leaves at 9 a.m. It was still 6:45 a.m.  

During those two hours, I decided to do something to assure me being safe. In case my family spread my photos in newspapers or something, I decided to change my looks, so I'd look less suspicious. I went to a beauty shop and bought a dark-Brown hair dye and Brown contact lenses, both to hide my blonde hair and my blue eyes. I had proper cash from my job as a maid previously, so I could afford living for days. I later went to a restaurant which some kind old lady owned, I covered my hair with my hoodie in order for her not to notice the change which would happen in my hair. I asked her if I could use the bathroom for ten minutes as I claimed I had a bad stomachache and diarrhea. She was sympathetic with me and quickly agreed. I entered the bathroom and gazed at my long, beautiful, blonde hair then I picked up scissors I had earlier and started cutting my hair till it reached a medium-sized length. I quickly added the hair dye too, which supposedly takes 7-10 minutes. During those minutes, I faked vomiting voices so that the old lady would believe me. Ten minutes later I washed my hair; I looked completely different and paler with the dark hair. I wasn't myself, but I had to that.

I thanked the lady and left to the train station, got on the train and started thinking about how my new life would be like. I spent almost an hour listening to music, then slept for two hours as I didn't sleep the previous night.  

After my not-so-comfortable nap, I woke up. The sunlight hurt my eyes so it took me a minute to focus. I found a figure sitting on the seat in front of me, which was empty when I got on the train. After focusing well on that figure, I recognized the person, it was Sarah--my sister. My devilish sister. My eyes widened in shock when I saw her, she was sitting there with her legs crossed, her brown curly hair perfectly done and her evil smirk on her face perfectly drawn.

"I haven't visited you in a while." she said.  

I curled my lips in disgust then said "You shouldn't have." 

She mockingly chuckled then said "You look different, sister." 

I didn't answer. 

"You look darker. I like it." she continued.  

"Leave." I demanded.  

She switched her seat and sat next to me, then whispered in my ear "Can't you see, sister? You're stuck with me forever." The word 'forever' kept echoing, I tried to cover my ears but her voice and sound of laughter kept ringing in my ears.  

"Leave!" I shouted.  

I realized I was very loud that a stranger came and asked me "Are you okay, miss?"  

"Yes, I just had a bad dream." I answered. 

Sarah was gone. I sighed in relief, then I remembered how I already missed Eliza and how she used to calm me down and hug me when I panicked like that. How am I gonna survive that? Living on my own without her or even Derrick who cared for me. "Contradicting Christina!" I thought. But it was too late to change my mind.

When I arrived to New York, it was almost 1 p.m. I took a stroll around towns, visited the upper east side and the lower one of Manhattan. I only had a backpack and a cross bag, so they weren't so heavy to walk around holding. After hours of my stroll, I felt hungry, so I went and grabbed a burger at McDonald's. While sitting there eating, I found a bunch of teenage girls who appeared to be friends, they were talking and laughing together, while I was sitting alone quietly eating my burger.

I soon left because it was time to find a hotel to sleep in. I tried finding some cheap hotel to check in, but most of them rejected my check-in because I'm under 18 and alone which seemed suspicious to them. I was exhausted and depressed, left alone in the streets finding nowhere to go to, nobody as well. I decided to sit on a bench in some park till I find a solution for my situation.

After a while I fell asleep while sitting, but I soon woke up from the sound of laughter of some guys. I saw them approaching my bench, so I quickly took my bags and started walking away. I walked for five minutes, but I could feel them following me, their loud breaths and laughs proved me so. I walked faster, so they did, then I started hearing their words like "Hey, chick. Wanna come?" and "Come on, babe. You won't regret it." Disgusting. They finally surrounded me, I tried running but failed, I tried closing my eyes hoping they'd fade away but they didn't. One of them tried touching my arm but I jerked off. I started crying when some guy appeared out of nowhere. He didn't look drunk or high, he shouted and hit them. They quickly ran away. Coward bastards.

That guy who appeared to be in his twenties looked at me, and asked "Are you alright?"  

"I guess." I answered. 

"You should go home." He advised me. 

"I..have no home. I just arrived today and couldn't check in hotels." I frankly said. 

"Do you want to sleep over at my place till morning?" He offered. 

"No, thanks.." I answered in a scared tone as I'd never sleep at some stranger's house.  

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You're too little to stay alone in the streets tonight. How old are you?" 

"Seventeen." I answered. 

"Well, young lady. I'm Trent Collins. And you are?"  

"Christina..McCain." I faked my last name as I don't trust him. 

"Okay, little Christina. You can sleep tonight at my place till morning. I assure you I won't hurt you." He told me in a comforting way. 

I actually accepted, I was too exhausted, helpless and had nowhere to sleep in.

This Trent and I got into his car and soon arrived at his house. I entered, it was a typical two-storey house, the kitchen was on the left and it was messy. Normal for a guy's house. A twenty-something girl got downstairs, she had black hair, wore a black tank and blue jeans with a bottle of wine in her hand. She gave me an apathetic and disgusted look and asked Trent; 

"And who's she?"  

"This is 17 year old Christina, she has no place to sleep in for tonight." he told her. 

The girl continued with the apathetic look and replied with "K."

They showed me the room where I'll be sleeping in. It was small and cozy. I put my head on the pillow, I was I indescribably tired. Right before I fell asleep, I had wondered if Derrick was looking for me and worried about me. Anyway I had a new day to start tomorrow, new life, in New York.