𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓫𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓷. 𝓢𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽. 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻.
Eliza led Ellanora to an empty room in the brothel. Once the night was over and done Eliza said goodnight to her friend.
"I'm glad you back." She said before closing the door to leave Elle by herself.
Once she was by herself, her mind began wander. She took off her jacket with a sigh and lay herself on the bed.
Closing her eyes she filled her mind with thoughts of Henry. He was unlike any man Elle had ever met. He was only a few years older then Ellanora and a farm hand. Ellanora's mother wanted to marry her off to a rich man, like her friend Eliza. Her mother wanted a better future for her, her mother didn't want Elle to end up like her. Stuck on a farm working for the rest of her life. Her mother wanted her to marry rich and live the life she wanted.
Elle didn't want that life. She wanted one filled with traveling and exploring. Ellanora didn't want to become refined and proper, it wasn't her. She wanted to see the world, try new foods, meet new people. She wanted that life with Henry.
Opening her eyes, she looked at the ceiling and thought of her life now.
Yes she travels a lot, but that ain't traveling. That's running. Running away from past mistakes and the death of her love. She ran, she always did. And she was getting tired. It had been three years of avoiding her old life. Changing her name, and never making bonds and connections with people was what she did.
Now she had a deep connection with the five men staying on the outskirts of town.
She was a brother to them. A connection. But she couldn't run from them, not when there are more bigger things to face.
Sleep had swallowed Elle and before she knew it, Eliza burst through the door. She pulled the blankets from Elle's body and yelled at her to wake up.
Slowly the girl got up and got herself ready for the day. Elle walked out into the hall and saw Eliza talking with another younger woman. Eliza turned and saw Elle and shook her head.
"No no, honey you've got to get dressed."
"But," Elle looked down at her white blouse that was tucked into her old dirty pants. "I am dressed."
Eliza pushed Elle into the older ladies room and told her to take off her clothes. "You need to get dressed up." She said pulling the box out that held the black dress.
"But I don't have to go out until later." Ellanora said watching her instead of getting undressed.
"These things take time, you've got to show yourself before the night!" Eliza said and sighed when she saw Elle still dressed.
Ellanora put her hands up in defence and started to undress.
The whole process took about an hour. Eliza taped up Elle in a corset which reminded her of the night Allie helped her get ready for the show back in Tombstone. Feeling her lungs struggling to hold air, Eliza tightened the strings more.
Elle wondered how Allie was. If she was safe in California. She said she wanted to have kids with Virgil, so maybe they can now in California. Virgil. Ellanora looked down and wondered how Virgil was making out.
"Your friends seem nice." Eliza said interrupting Elle's thoughts.
"They're not my friends."
"I beg to differ." Eliza said sighing, "they care about you."
"We're a group of people doing a job that we all agree on." Elle said looking at Eliza over her shoulder.
"That Doc Holliday seems to fancy you." Eliza said, innocently.
"What?" Elle chuckled and filled turned to Eliza who shrugged her shoulders.
"I see the way he looks at ya. He's also very protective." Eliza turned to her vanity.
Elle stood there mouth open, "I can take care of myself." She said turned back around so Eliza could finish.
"Even the strongest people need a little help." Eliza whispered to her.
Walking out into the hall, her heels clicked on the wood below her feet. Eliza walked behind her as the girl she was talking to earlier was waiting in the hall.
"You did alright Miss Raymond. She cleans up good." Her voice thick in a southern accent.
"Why thank you Missy. Missy this is Anna, she will be joining you today. She's new so go easy on her." Eliza said nudging Elle closer to the girl.
Missy was shorter then both Eliza and Elle. Her hair fire red and eyes blue like the morning sky. Freckles pained her face and her eyes were filled with life. She was so young and bright.
"I'll meet you at the Osborn Hotel." Eliza said before turning and walking away.
Missy led Elle around town and showed her all the hot spots for gossip and picking up men.
"Watch the guys with red sashes," she said leaning towards her. "They're mean."
Elle nodded as they walked down Main Street. Elle felt very out of place. Like a brown egg in a basket of white ones. She was dressed very inappropriately for a lady in the day. Which was unusual because Elle wears pants all the time and that's considered inappropriate.
"So what brought you to Miss Raymond?" Ellanora asked trying to not thinking about the people watching the two.
"My dad used to beat me. He was in the war." She said softly, "Nothin I could do so I ran. Ended up here."
"Why'd you run?"
Missy shrugged, "Just wanted to run away from my problems I guess."
"I understand. I ran from my problems too." Elle said looking down at the dirt road.
"But at least your alive." Missy chuckled.
"Thankfully." Elle sighed and they continued walking the streets.