Played By Love

Chapter One

                                            Dedicated to my mother and my sister.

 Elena Davis was in trouble. If Katy ever found out what she was doing, she was going to go into a rant for at least a half an hour. Scratch that, Elena winced. Probably more like a solid hour. At least.

   On the bright side, Katy wouldn't know where she was and where she was going until after, hopefully, thought Elena. Pulling her hoodie over her head, she sneaks over to the door to her dressing room and opens it carefully. Looking out and seeing no one, she darts down the hallway and around the corner. Almost there, a thrill of excitement zips through her body. A large door stands at the end of the hallway, freedom. 

   A crack at the end of the door shows a bit of sunlight, the faint pale light more enticing than the yellow man-made lights in the ceiling. Elena reaches the door and, tugging it open, stumbles outside.

   Oh, she was so dead. But right now, she was also free. A rarity when you were the most popular thing in the entire city. In her case, everyone wanted a piece of her. Lately, she was afraid that by the time they were done, there would be nothing left for herself.

   She needed this, this bit of freedom. Even if it wasn't strictly supposed to happen. There was nothing in the rules about her leaving without telling anyone. But doing it was definitely bending a few of them. And if the public found out she was gallivanting the streets, it would cause a stir. 

   The thought sends a thrill of rebellion through her. Let them cause a stir, she wasn't anyone's pet. She wasn't even a minor. At nineteen, she was free to do as she wished. Or that's what she liked to think. In reality, she was probably the most chained down nineteen-year-old in this city.

   Looking around, Elena quickly ducks into an alley around the building. Earlier she'd done a performance for one of the largest newscasters in the city. She'd been given a little time after to rest. That's where she'd just come from, if she was lucky, she'd have a few more hours before anyone went to her room.

   Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and rest her head against the wall behind her. It was around three in the afternoon, but it was already darker, and she could see the silhouette of the moon. Perhaps she should have waited for another day when she had a little more time. No, briskly shaking that thought out of her head, Elena heads down the alleyway. Any little bit of freedom she got was worth it, no matter what.

   She didn't know where she was going, her plan had only gone as far as getting out of her room and avoiding people. Looking around, she wonders if she could find something to eat. After the show, there had been a rush with the paparazzi, and she hadn't been able to grab anything.

   Of course, she wouldn't have grabbed anything. It would have been some stagehand, but she didn't want anyone getting harassed by paparazzi for her sake. Regardless of the princess look that her managers put out for the public, she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

   Heading towards the other end of the alley, Elena wanders. It had been ages since she'd been left alone to walk the city. She didn't mind it, she reveled in it. But it would definitely take some wandering to get used to where things were, let alone find somewhere to eat where someone wouldn't recognize her.

   As the alley opens out onto the street, Elena peeks out, looking left and right. Not remembering where anything was could be a real pain sometimes. When she had just come to the city with her father as a little girl, they had wandered the streets for hours, laughing and going into random stores for the fun of it.