Out

Alice Renee; Chap. 1

Red.

Gold.

Black.

I woke up in the dark corner of a room. My eyes moving over the chain attached to my purple ankles, one of them limp and pounding in pain. I flinched when a light was shown and glass thrown at me. All I saw was red. Red blood trickling down my chest, I looked down through my tangled and dirt stained hair...to my right shoulder where glass impaled me. Blood slowly streams out of the new wound.

I looked at my body and all I see is bruises and welts. A long jagged scar takes part of my right hip up. I breathe in sharp.

I come home from school, giggling to myself. I call out my mother's name, "Ma...? Mom? ELLEN?" I walk through the halls of our home taking my shoes off at my room and walk towards my mother's bedroom. She doesn't answer. Not a sound is heard. I walk in seeing a shattering moment in my life. I see it now. The gun. In my mothers hand. She lays cold and unmoving on the ground. I bent down to touch her. All I feel is ice. I back up falling into the pillows. My eyes move from my mother to the robber. The robber stands above her gun in hand. The wound is hidden by her curly hair... but red surrounds her. He looks at me.

Eyes red rimmed.

Hair in knots.

Skin ripped open in places from where she scratched him I assume.

All I can do is breathe. All I can do is stare. Tears streaming down my face.

He moves to me and grabs the pair of scissors on her bedside table I move quick but not soon enough. He stabs them in my hip. I scream out louder then ever before. Tears streaming down my face. He stares intently into my eyes dragging them back and forth in my flesh. I move away causing him to let go and stumble back. Hand covered in my blood, and my mother's. His eyes widen. He shakes his head shocked at what he has done.

I shakily pull it out of my hip and cover the wound with my jacket. I look up at him. He doesn't move. He just stares at me. My vision blurred as I move them back onto her body. I look back at him his gun is now on his left temple. Hands shaking. Teeth clenched together and shining at me in the light. I scream, "NO!!" My eyes close fast then open wide, I can't move. Frozen.

It all happens in slow motion. He pulls the trigger.
BANG.

I blink. That memory...that one night, changed everything. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Let's go back to after that one night.

----
Ten hours after this happened I am in a illegal hospital for those not wanting to be found but in need of help. My hip is stitched up. Gauze around it in case it rips. I stare at the 'Doctor', "Thank you." My hands shaking. He hands me a container of pain meds. He looked at my bag, "you're leaving already?" I nod slightly. I replied after a few seconds, "I need to get a new identity, I can't go back. You know that Felix." He nods and sighed raising his bag up and onto the table beside me. He opens the latch on it and goes through a filing pack. He grabs three identity's for a girl my age. Handing them to me I set the next two beside me. As I skim over the first one's cover and then open it to read.

Raina Jay
• 16 y/o, June 24
• Emancipated
• Enrolled at college near their apartment complex.
• Blonde hair shoulder length, Green eyes with scattered freckles, has to be near 5'4" to 5'8"
• Going to college for Animation
• Home will be a apartment in Orlando, FL

I looked at the first few details, not very safe. Too many tourists. They may identify me. Can't have that happening.
Next one...

Emily Rose
• 17 y/o, May 21
• Orphan at The Mary-Kate Home for Lost Children in Chicago, IL
• Red curly hair, brown eyes, tan skin (have to spray tan), has to be around 5 '6" to 5'8"

I looked briefly at this one finding it boring and a bit too complicated with the orphanage.

I looked at the last one..

Alice Renee
• Lives alone in the country in Ohio
• Emancipated from alcoholic parents
• 16
• Blonde long hair, Gold eyes (will need contacts), your natural skin tone is alright, has to be around 5'5" to 5'8"
• Will work at a restaurant as a waitress
• The rest is up to you

Now this last one was perfect. I grinned slightly and numbly. Still in shock of my mother's death. But I know I need to leave and now. If my dad gets out of... no I can't focus on that right now. Right now I need to leave.

"This one.."

I looked at Felix, my closest friend and the only person I could trust right now. He nodded and took the other two back. He put everything away and back into his bag and into the cabinets. He grabbed me a suitcase, and then took dye and contacts a full years worth out of another bag and handed them to me.

Before I left he said, "M, be careful alright hun? I can't lose anymore friends. You're a great girl. If you need help call me."

I pushed my hair out of my face and into a messy bun before covering it w a hoodie and putting a head band on to cover my roots while putting my hood up. I stood up from my seat. Put the folder in my backpack along with all my other important belongings I fled with. Grabbed the suitcase. Didn't say anything until I got to the door, "The girl I was before is gone now. I am Alice Renee now, Thank you for everything Felix. I will call you every month to insure I am not dead." I joke lightly with him. He looks at me sternly and gives me a hug before opening the door for me.

I step outside into the dark streets of New York City.

Ashes flying from cigarettes.

Smoke in the alleys.

The occasional cries of babies.

Good old home, not anymore though.

I need to do one last thing before I leave though. I walk into a dark tattoo parlor with neon lights as signs and lighting. Through some beaded curtains and into the actual rooms. I sit down on a chair and look at the tattoo artist. "Black. Bold. And dangerous." I pull up my shirt and he shrugs breathing out smoke from a cigar. Before putting it out for a while. He looks at me, "how old are you, kid?" I awkwardly laugh, "Old enough." He chuckles deeply, before grabbing a tattoo gun and beginning on my inner arm where I motioned for him to begin.

Three hours later, and about a half hour before my plane takes off. He is done with my tattoo. Flames and two bullets are drawn on my inner arm the bullets aimed at each other, with flames intertwining around them in a circle with a few flames scattered around it.

I examine it before giving him probably more than I should have. I leave without saying a word and get in a cab to the airport.

Ducking my head down as I walk through the airport, trying not to draw attention to myself I give them my ticket and they glance at me briefly almost as if they recognize me. I'm already on the news and being looked for no doubt about it.

I take a seat next to a old lady who is senselessly blabbering on about her birds and some kind of cracker she's obsessed with. Bloody weird lady... Finally the plane lands after a few hours. And I'm taking my first step onto my new house's lawn, after about an hour of getting my luggage and grabbing a bite and a map and catching a cab and blah blah blah.

I step into the country soil.
I've never had to do this before.
Let's hope this is the last time I'll have to change my identity.
Then again luck has never been on my side...