Snow and the Wishing Well (Fallen Tales series)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Sarah
Sarah!
A voice called in my sleep.
Snow!
I shifted my body, shaking the thought away.
Snow!
I shot awake, recognising Justin's voice. I looked around at the familiar room of the homeless shelter. My eyes landed on Justin's looming face. I frowned wondering why he had woken me up.
"Sorry, but they're kicking us out," he told me, getting off me.
I shot up, already getting fired up.
"What, already? But it's only six o'clock."
He frowned, "Snow, it's eight o'clock."
"What?"
Had I slept for that long? I could never make through the whole night without being shaken awake by a nightmare.
"Come on you lot, out!" Michael nagged up and down the hall. Justin took my hand and pulled me up, settling on my feet.
"Come on," he led me to the door.
Just as I reach the door way, his hand slipped out of mine, and Michael blocked my way.
"We need to talk," he muttered, his view on something behind me.
"Snow," I looked to Justin, waiting in the hall for me. Looking back at Michael, I knew I had no choice in the matter.
"You go along without me."
His eyes looked between Michael and I, till he finally walked out of the shelter.
"What do you -."
"Slumming it with the Lords I see. Sure, you two aren't friends," he said not moving away from me.
"We're not -."
"Remember our deal," he butted in.
I scoffed, as my blood warmed my frozen body.
"I'm not sleeping with him," I gritted through my teeth.
"Please, you couldn't fool blind Stevie Wonder. I saw the way you two looked at each other over there."
I swallowed at the thought. Did we really share a look? Without even realising it, my hand was pressed against my collarbone and I had hidden my face behind my hair.
Michael's finger came into view as he warned, "If he lays on finger in you, our deal is off."
My eyes grew wide as shock stole my breath. He couldn't be serious.
"What? Now your being stupid."
He gave a bitter laugh, "that would imply that you had a shot, but you're not even friends."
My blood ran cold. He caught me.
"Not that you would anyway. He's a lord and your nothing but a homeless whore."
I felt like I had just been sprayed with cold water. I had been hit in the face with the truth. I was drowning in my own lies and self-worth. Day after day, I was slowly dying.
Walking away, Michael mentioned, "oh and I thought you should be the first to know. I'm shutting down the shelter."
I frowned, "what?"
"This Saturday, will be the last night. I'm shutting down the shelter," he repeated again.
Stepping out of the doorway, I was ready to fight.
"What, you can't do that!" I yelled.
"Oh I can, and it's done."
I couldn't even comprehend the thought.  Why would anyone want to shut down a shelter?
"You horrible, fat bastard -."
"Shh," he said stopping me.
"What about all those people?" I asked thinking about Billy and even Steve. They have nowhere else to go. I have nowhere else to go.
"Not my problem. And if you don't mind locking the door on your way out."
I stood there with my mouth opened, speechless, still after he had shut the door to his office.
How dare he? How dare he speak to someone as - I stopped. I was nothing but a homeless whore now.

Storming out of the shelter, I muttered every swear word in the book not even stopping when I came to Justin.
"That, no good, worthless, piece of fat, hairy, small by the way, dickless bastard," I vented to Justin as we moved down the street.
"I'm guessing whatever he had to say was great news," Justin's sarcasm was enough to bring a small smile to my face, but it quickly disappeared when the anger started to boil inside of me.
"Who does he think he is, the king of France -."
"Snow,"
"– because trust me, he's far from it –."
"Snow,"
"He's nothing but a –."
"Sarah!" I stopped talking and looked at him. It was only then that I realized that he been trying to make me stop.
"What happened?" he asked.
I swallowed, my voice stolen from me. He's a lord and your nothing but a homeless whore.
When his eyes searched over my expression, trying to read my mind.
Pushing out my words, I said, "Michael's shutting down the shelter."
"What?"
"Which means, that everyone that lives in this area will have to move to another suburb, to another shelter or live on the streets."
Continuing to walk, Justin shook his head.
"There's no room," he stated.
I frowned, pacing after him.
"What do you mean?"
Sighing, he continued, "My parents donate money to the homeless shelters, that's why I'm here in London. To check on things," he rolled his eyes shaking his head, as if he didn't fully believe that anymore, "There's no room, expressly this close to winter."
He stopped and turned to me. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
"I'm sorry, Sarah but there's no room."
He continued to walk.
All he saw was a problem but I saw a solution.
"Can't you just donate more money to them? Get more beds, more room," I suggested.
"I'm sorry Sarah, but I can't ask them to do that. And it wouldn't fix the problem."
I frowned, "What problem?"
"It's going to snow on Sunday."
I stopped taken back, "But the shelter closes on Saturday."
My mind went straight to those people. Billy wouldn't survive the snow. He was too old and too frail."
"I'm sorry Sarah, but there –."
I pushed him away. He seemed surprised that I had, and the look in his eyes was too unbearable that I had to turn and start to walk in the other direction. He could do something but he was choosing not to. I couldn't stand for that.
Yesterday, he had hit rock bottom, and now he was too high and mighty to help the people less fortunate. 
If he wouldn't help me, then I'll find someone who would.