Past the Guard

In the Beginning there were City Lights

Rylin drove for 16 hours until she finally came to a stop in the lovely city of Portland. She had always loved the hustle and bustle of city life, even though she'd grown up in a tiny town with only a small shopping mall and a gas station. It was 7 o'clock in the morning when Rylin walked into the ramshackle apartment building. When the bell above the door rang Rylin jumped, but there was nobody around to greet her. 

She awkwardly walked up to the front desk and rang the bell displayed there. Five minutes later, a large man ambled into the lobby from a back room. He had a white t-shirt and grease stained jeans on and he wore a medium length beard (just long enough to be inconvenient). His hair was tucked into a worn red ball cap and he had a scowl on his face. "Whaddaya want?" He asked in a scratchy voice. 

Rylin seemed to cower behind her backpack, which she held between them. "Uhm do you have an apartment available for rent?" She asked timidly, she had never imagined anyone could be so... Unkempt. 

The building manager squinted at her, she looked like a kid straight out of a tv show. She had black hair that fell to her hips, and blue eyes that shocked him. She was wearing a black tank top under a faded blue jacket with dark-wash skinny jeans and black ankle boots. Defiantly not his usual tenant. "That depends, kid, who you runnin' from?" Rylin shifted, swallowing the lump that grew in her throat. 

"Listen mister, I have money, and no offense, but I don't need you to know my life story. I'm not in any trouble, and I won't cause you any problems, I just need to find an apartment; somewhere I can live until I graduate high school." She wasn't about to go telling random strangers about all of her problems. She was so not that girl. 

He looked at her appraisingly. After a minute of silence he stood up, "I have three apartments available, two on the second floor, one on the third, you can take your pick. I'll show you them. And my name is Liam." Rylin smiled lightly when he turned his back and she followed him up the wide staircase that led to the second floor. 

**

All of the apartments were disgusting, but they came with furniture and a bare mattress. Rylin opted for the room on the third floor for three reasons. One, there was a great view of the city. Two, the apartment was bigger. Three, there were only three other apartments on the floor. She counted out the cash that she had been hiding in her car for the past 3 years and handed Liam $368. He took it without counting it. When he had left, Rylin looked around her new apartment.

The door led into the living room which had a couch and a lamp on a coffee table. There was a wide opening on one side of the living room and a hallway leading out the other direction. There was also a French door that led to a balcony overlooking the city. The opening led to the kitchen; inside the kitchen there was a refrigerator, a table, a stove, and a trash can. Down the hallway there were three doors. One of them opened into a linen closet, another was a bathroom (which was surprisingly big) and the last led into a fairly spacious bedroom. The bedroom had a closet, a dresser, a bed, a lamp and a nightstand. 

Rylin crinkled her nose at the gross sight of dusty corners and streaked windows. She knew she had to get cleaning and pick up some new clothes and bathroom supplies. With a small smile she left her apartment, locking the door behind her and knowing that it was her own place; the first time she'd ever had one by herself. 

**

She entered the supermarket, feeling slightly overwhelmed by how big it was. She was allowing herself to spend $100 dollars here and then $200 at the mall which would give her $694 left until she found a new job. Rylin had been preparing to leave for a long time, she just needed one more reason to go. She snagged a stray cart and pushed it to the fresh produce section of the store. 

It took her two hours to finish shopping at the supermarket and she was weighed down with groceries, a few shirts that had been too good a deal to pass up, new toiletries, and a bed set that included sheets, pillowcases, and a comforter. She opted to buy a pillow at the mall. She had gotten a few cleaning supplies and the purchases had tallied above $100, but it was very much needed. 

When she got back to her apartment, it took her several trips to and from her truck to get all of her things upstairs. After throwing her food in the fridge, Rylin left again to pick up some clothes. The mall was 1,000 times bigger than any other one she'd every been in. She decided that she was just going to get clothes today, and some other time she would explore. She found 4 pairs of cute jeans that were reasonably priced, 15 shirts of varying colors and patterns (they were 5 for $20), 2 pairs of shorts, 3 jackets, a hoodie, and 2 pairs of shoes. It was $245.36 in total, but again, she needed the clothes. Rylin knew she would have to get a job soon. 

When she got home she carried her bags upstairs in one trip. However, once she was in front of her door, the door down the hall opened and a man stepped out. He appeared to be about 26 years old and was dressed impeccably. Rylin struggled to unlock her door and he came to her rescue. "Here, let me help." He took a few of her bags and she was able to fit the key into the lock and open the door. 

"You can come in..." She told him hesitantly. He followed her inside and she showed him where to put the bags. He set them down gingerly and then held his hand out to her. 

"Hi," he grinned, " I'm Paxton Abbot." Rylin smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Rylin Jackson."