One Who Flees - A Modern Cinderella Story

Chapter 1 - My Arrival

Chapter 1 – My Arrival

               

                I was completely exhausted. I wanted to stay exactly where I was but I knew that I couldn’t. An icy blast of wind whistled down the alley and cut through the old thin jacket I was wearing making me shiver. I dug my nearly frozen hands deep into my pockets and tucked myself further into the doorway where I had been sleeping. I was so tired and sore that I could barely think of anything else. I blinked hard to try and make myself feel more alert but it didn’t help much.  After a few moments I got up and forced my weary body to move on. I kept my head down as I walked, focussing only on my feet as I took step after step along the damp sidewalk.

                I looked longingly at buses each time they passed me. I remembered the warmth and comfort but I couldn’t afford to take one now. The little money I had left I had to reserve from the meagre rations I was surviving on. Every now and again I could feel people staring at me so I pulled my hood closer around my cheeks and just carried on walking.

I walked and walked following the route that I had meticulously planned out in my head. I stopped only once in the day to have some coffee and go to the bathroom. My stomach was growling loudly but I couldn’t afford to stop for food. I was finally on the last stretch. I couldn’t stop now otherwise I knew would never make it.

It was pitch black when I finally reached the city. People certainly weren’t lying when they called it the city that never sleeps. It had always been my dream to come to New York but I couldn’t appreciate it in the state I was in. I needed food, I needed warmth and I needed sleep. I walked around aimlessly trying to find somewhere where I could sleep for the night without being disturbed. My mind was so tired that I had no idea where I was going anymore but I didn’t care. I don’t know how but somehow I found myself at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Then my poor body, that I had pushed so far for so long, finally gave out. I didn’t have the strength, mentally or physically, to go any further now. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto a cold bench outside. I had got away and that was all that mattered. I didn’t know what would happen from now on but I knew that going back wasn’t an option. Yawning, I propped my head on my shabby rucksack, tucked up my feet and fell into an exhausted dreamless sleep.

                “Hey,” An unfamiliar voice brought me out of the darkness, “Honey you can’t sleep here.” I unfurled my cold aching limbs and forced my eyes open. It was still dark so I knew I couldn’t have been sleeping long. My tired eyes took a while to focus but when they did my gaze fell onto a middle aged woman who was standing in front of me. I wrapped my arms around myself self-consciously and frowned at her. I didn’t move. “Come on sweetheart, you can’t stay here.” She tried to reach for my arm but I shrank away from her. “Are you alright?” She asked. I didn’t respond but I felt tears threatening. “You gotta name?” She asked. She seemed concerned but I couldn’t get myself to say anything. “How far have you come?” I still said nothing. “You got any family?” I felt tears come to my eyes again but I blinked them away furiously and stayed quiet. “Do you have anywhere to stay?” I shook my head slightly. It was only a tiny movement but it seemed to have relieved the woman’s concerns in some way.

                I felt dampness on the backs of my hands and when I looked up cool raindrops wet my filthy cheeks. It sent a shiver through me. I was already cold, half-starved and weak and I knew getting drenched would only make things worse. Getting sick was not an option.

                “Come on.” I looked back at the woman who was holding out a hand to me. “You can have my couch.” When I didn’t respond she took my backpack from where it was laying on the bench. “You can frown all you want but I am not going to leave you out here.” I didn’t want to follow her but I didn’t want to sleep in the rain and the cold either. “Will you come?” My head said I should go with her but it was hard to convince my body to move. It took a little while but I did it. I dropped my feet to the ground and carefully put a little weight on them, testing their strength. I could barely stand anymore. The woman, seeing me struggle, slung my bag over shoulder and held out her hand once again. This time I took it gratefully. I continued to stay silent but with her helping me, we made our way out from the relative shelter of the bus terminal.