Perfect Pet

Ch. 4: Smoky Trail

The annoying blare of my phone's alarm woke me up from what could barely pass for sleep. Hours of restless turning, my brain unwilling to turn off. Thoughts of what waited for me swirled around like watercolors, what-ifs doting the page like ink. What if I'm not chosen? What if I have to come back? What if no one likes me? I don't know how long I stayed like that before finally falling into that in-between place of sleep and awake. The results were a biting headache and a woozy feeling coffee wouldn't help as much as I craved the caffeine. Digging in my purse, I found an old bottle of ibuprofen and popped a couple, followed by a few sips of a half-drunk bottle of water.

I'd packed a suitcase several days ago, my plan to sneak off early and spend a few nights in a hotel close to one of the pickup locations. I didn't need much, Rigryce providing for most of my needs. If I was chosen, my master would take over for the rest of my life. A few changes of clothes, my acceptance letter, the picture from my nightstand, and my cellphone made up the bulk of my travel gear. The phone was only until I got to school and could text River a new number. Rigryce didn't allow cellphones on campus so I would have to be dependant on my room phone. Seeing my life summed up in so little was exhilarating, if not a little sad.

I'd spent most of my time hidden away in the old pool house turned apartment, Mom's one gift of semi-freedom after I turned eighteen. I could come and go as I pleased and because it wasn't part of the main house, I could decorate it however I wanted. To others, it wouldn't be a big deal but after years of being told the real me wasn't good enough, having a space where I didn't have to pretend was glorious. I would slightly miss it, three years of comfort left behind as I got ready for a new life. My laptop history was filled with booking sites and map searches and anything else one would need before going on a big trip. This was the first one I was doing on my own and I wanted to be positive there were no mistakes. I couldn't afford to make any.

In all honesty, it was surprising Mom had left me alone after our big blowup at the restaurant. Part of me was sure she'd storm in and demand I go to some rehab camp to purge my unholy addiction. It was the type of thing she was into, a few of her friends have done the same. I couldn't shake the sense of dread that she was plotting something big, the main reason for my early departure. For Mom to stay so quiet wasn't a good thing and I wasn't going to stick around to find out why.

Or maybe she was serious about never wanting to see me again. It didn't bother me and made my life just a little easier if it was true.

The ride here was hard without a car, not that I would have taken one anyway. It would have just sat abandoned until it was either towed or stolen. No, instead I decided on an early morning flight, it and the hotel paid for with money I'd saved up from a receptionist job I'd had a few summers ago. Mother had agreed to it because it was at an upper-crust law firm, believing it would be a good way to make connections. Whatever the hell that meant. The actual lawyers rarely paid attention to me unless it had something to do with phone calls or a lunch meeting.

Checking to make sure everything was packed away, I headed out the door, dropping off my room key at the office and using the map I'd printed out to try and find my way to the station. The clerk had helpfully told me that the station was a few blocks south so that's the way I headed. I liked to joke that my internal GPS was broken because I had such a bad sense of direction. Funny until I had somewhere I needed to be. The squiggles on the map hardly helped and even after being told which way to go, I still ended up walking up and down the same street for about ten minutes. People passing by seemed immune to my plight faces glued to their phones or the ground. I could have used my phone but knowing I wouldn't keep it, had decided not to bog myself down with the charger. Stupid Eden, so stupid!

I wasn't used to so much traffic, both on the roads and sidewalks. Cars zoomed by, horns blaring and tires squealing, and getting bumped and jostled wasn't fun as I stopped for a moment to gather myself. I bit my lip, looking down at my map for the dozenth time. Still as useless as ever. Buildings towered high in the air, indicating this was a business district and when I looked at the nearest street sign, I knew it wouldn't help. Someone walking by may have been able to guide me, having possibly taken the train to work. It was hard to hear over the street noise however and I doubted anyone would want to talk to me, red-eyed and rumpled from the night before.