From Prisoner to Princess

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Turn left right here. It's the last house – well shack - on the street." The Hummer turns at the next street with Sky effortlessly navigating the rough roads of the Slums with my help of course. The trip had been short, about an hour from the Palace with the Slums being on the South side of the Capital, and this opportunity gave me a chance to see just how my city is divided from the Palace having the Northern most point that leads down to the rich district where many of the lesser Nobles live to the shopping district I always planned my heists in.

I could feel the transition from the smooth roads that were maintained to not hinder those in the lower-middle class and up to the bumpy and pothole-ridden roads that were the Slums. The street I grew up in being the worst.

“Tough street.” He sighs out, his knuckles on the steering wheel turning white as he holds it in a deathlike grip. After a minute of driving onto the road, the vehicle begins to slow as Sky navigates the many large potholes that threaten the livelihood of the Hummer.

“It's worse after a storm. One wrong step and you end up knee-deep in a hole.” Chuckling, I begin pointing out where the worst ones are until finally Sky pulls up beside the shack and shuts off the engine.

“No offense, but this place looks unsafe.” He muses as we climb out of the Hummer. I shiver from the cold winter air and hurriedly make my way towards the back with Sky following behind me.

"It looks better inside." Assuring him through clenched teeth as pull my sweater around me tighter, I curse myself for not bringing a jacket.

"Sure it does." Sky shrugs, his eyes staring wearily at what I called home sweet home.

"Don't sound so judgy." Chastising, my friend I roll my eyes in annoyance at how he judges the shack. Is it beautiful, no. But it was the place that kept me safe here in the Slums after nights of sleeping in a dark corner shivering.

"Judgy?" Glaring at Sky as he scoffs at me, I stop momentarily to point my finger into his chest.

"Yes, judgy. It’s a word.”

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Says who?"

"Me, the Princess, duh." This earns me an eye roll and an exaggerated sigh from him as the two of us argue all the way to the back door about whether or not “judgy” is a word.

"Why not use the front door?" Mid-argument Sky points to the front door that we walk past, his steps slowing as he falls behind me.

"Because I boarded it up when I found this place.” Rolling my eyes at his attempt to change the subject, I decide to humor my friend as we reach the back door – Sky looking at me with confusion - and I take a moment to look around to see if anyone came to tamper with the outside of my Shack since my arrest. Satisfied with my search, I reach up over the door where the ledge is, reaching with cold fingertips until I find what I am looking for. I am happy I had gotten into the habit of locking the door before leaving and even happier to know the key is still in its hiding place.

"Oh. For safety reasons, I am guessing." A statement and not a question.

"Yeah. As I stated earlier, the Slums are dangerous for a girl." I laugh as I turn the key and unlock the door. With a grin, I push the door open and step inside the dark room. I wonder if the power will work after having the cord that connects to the solar panels cut and let out a quiet curse. I should have checked to see if I could fix the cut cord or if Ron had, but I guess it’s too late to regret it now.

Walking deeper into the room, I am happy to know I still remember the layout as I step closer to the direction of the bathroom. The sudden blinding light above has me wincing and closing my eyes for a moment, wondering what the heck just happened. It takes me a minute to realize that the lights were turned on when I managed to open my eyes without wincing and see Sky with his hand beside the light switch as he takes in the inside of my shack with wide eyes.

"You were right, it is better inside." He is impressed and it causes me to smirk. I will have to go to the house across the street to see if Ron did fix my power for me while I was away and thank him.

"I told you so, and yet you were still judgy." Gloating, I take in the condition of my shack. The doors and windows are still securely boarded up. The bed is still in its corner and so is the bowl I had eaten from the day of my arrest with slight signs of mold on it. Other than a thin layer of dust and some garbage I need to put away, everything is still in place. In the spring I should be able to start focusing on fixing the Slums and helping the people get back on their feet and maybe I can turn this little shack into a home away from the Palace.

"You know, this place has potential." I hear the bed squeak slightly as Sky sits before the dust he disturbed causing him to cough and sneeze. Wondering if he ignored the dust on purpose, I continued making my way to the bathroom and to my hiding spot, quickly removing the loose tile and finding my little tin that was slightly dusty but thankfully was left undisturbed.

"I know, I plan on having this place fixed so that I can escape here for some peace a quiet." I call out. Taking the tin cookie box in my hand, I walk back into the main room and head towards the small dining table, Sky hops from the bed and comes to stand beside me.

“What’s that?” He asks, peering over my shoulder in the small space.

“My stash.” Giving him a sly look, I set the tin down and pulled off the lid. Sky’s sharp breath is all I need to know that he is impressed.

“You stole all of that?” His deep voice is low and brushes past me, making me suppress a shiver. Something must be wrong with me as I have never had this reaction before. Maybe I am coming down with something.

“I did. It's what I would have considered my life savings a few months ago.” After confirming that everything is still in the tin, I place the lid back on before grabbing my bag from the lone dining chair and telling Sky to get comfortable. Busying myself, I begin packing away what little I own in the shack from clothes to books to the small art supplies I have. The final item that I pick up is the small teddy bear that comforted me through the long nights since I moved into the shack.

"That bear looks like it's seen better days." Jumping, I feel strong arms steady me from behind while my hands clutch at the teddy bear. I seriously need to put a bell on Sky.

"I know, but it was the only comfort I had as a child." I run my hand over the well-loved bear, a soft smile on my face as I hold it tight.

"You must have had it rough." His voice is filled with sadness, his concern for me making my smile grow and turn to reassure him.

"In the beginning it was. But one of the Slum Kings taught me for two years and the elderly couple across the street helped me a lot." Thinking about Liz and Ron Rinmer, I begin explaining to Sky how I stumbled into the shack twelve years ago when I was eight. How for the first two months after losing my memory I went from place to place begging for food and a warm place to sleep until Latham took me under his wing and taught me to steal. He trained me for two years before mysteriously vanishing, leaving me alone and roaming the streets once more barely able to survive.

The night I found this place it was in the middle of a storm and I hadn’t been able to find shelter for the night. Apparently I had made a lot of noise trying to get into the shack when Ron had come outside looking to see where the noise was coming from. I don’t remember much after seeing his face, but I woke up on their couch, for once feeling warm and rested. When Ron and Liz entered the room to see if I was hungry, I was apprehensive of them. After losing Latham I became weary of everyone due to watching girls like me being taken away.

I kept quiet when Ron and Liz asked me questions, not moving from my spot on their couch. My main goal was getting away from them until Liz brought me a bowl of warm oatmeal and told me I was safe, that no one would take me away like they do those other girls. That day, Ron and Liz unofficially adopted me as a granddaughter and after learning that the shack was abandoned, Ron helped me to fix it up and make it my own home since they did not have the room in their own home at the time. Without their kindness and Latham’s mentoring, I probably would have died in the Slums.

“This teddy was the first gift Ron and Liz ever gave me. Ron didn’t agree with me stealing to make ends meet, but he understood the Slums were tough. I also helped them by providing money when they needed it and when I stole the solar panels, they didn’t ask any questions and helped me to install them as long as I brought a set back for their house.” Talking about them made the guilt inside me grow. They took care of me, helped me when I caught a cold and even treated me like family. And instead of writing them to let them know I was alive and okay, I got into trouble in prison and focused on trying to get out on time.

“They sound like wonderful people.” Sky smiles at me, lightly poking the teddy bear and making me laugh.

“They are. So was Latham.” Slowly I place the teddy into my bag and tie it shut because the last thing I need is for my things to fall out.

"Would you like to meet Ron and Liz?” I ask as Sky and I exit my shack and make our way to the Hummer after locking the door.

"Sure, but wouldn't you like to go alone?" Sky asks, opening the back door for me and using his body to shield me from the cold wind.

"I'm scared to face them alone. They watched me get arrested." I look away from him as I place the bag in the back of the Hummer. I am ashamed that when I was arrested, I spotted Ron looking out of his house towards mine through his window. When Liz joined him, I held my head down in shame as the Police Men dragged me away.

“I will be your backup then, and you can tell them who you really are. They might understand that you had to do what you did to survive." I jump when I feel Sky take my hand, my head turning to see him staring at me with a gentle smile, his emerald eyes staring back with understanding. Before I know it, the door is shut and he is leading me away from the Hummer and to the only other house I can call home.