Liberation [completed]

Alone- Mia

I look up at Asher, stunned by the coldness and harshness behind his voice. His eyes no longer seemed welcoming or warm. They pushed me out and warned me to stay away. The man I had feared has appeared before me and I was lucky that he just wanted me to get out without giving him more. I stand up immediately and follow him out.

The drive home seemed longer than the drive here. New York City wasn't shutting down, but it was quieter now. I could see some parts of it winding down for the night. It was beautiful to watch. As the car speeds through town, my mind wonders to Asher's home. The apartment was huge, my apartment probably took up only a tiny portion of his foyer. Yes, his house had a foyer. The lift went up to his house. He had the whole floor to himself. Though, it made sense for him to have his own floor if he owned the building. I saw his surname on the top of the building when we got out.

The view from his house was spectacular. It was so weird looking at everyone from up there. They didn't even know I was watching them. That seemed to make me more self-conscious now. Also it was cool to imagine all those people running along with time. Each individual was different and had a different agenda but all on the same time and that had always fascinated me. His house was posh and filled with rich paintings and artwork. I mean his house could be a museum. I have been to a foster house that had art like that. They didn't want me touching anything so they made me wear gloves in the house and towel wrapped shoes around the house for the first few weeks I was there. 

Then there was the whole thing with Asher itself. I mean he made me feel weird ways. All bad feelings. I shouldn't feel that way and I shut them down immediately. I was so happy to be leaving him now, the raw emotions I was feeling was familiar, ones I could handle. I even made sure he would never find me so I gave him the address of the apartments two blocks down from mine. Asher was trouble I didn't need in my smooth, mundane, predictable life. I did dread going back to it and struggling but it was my life and how I ran my time. I could live with that, the past couple of hours weren't my time. It was Asher's time. It was living his time, just a road trip for me.

Now it was time to come back to reality. I had to get a job and go grocery shopping, stealing was something I wasn't opposed to and with the budget I was on, it had to be done this time around. I wasn't proud of it but that was how I had to survive. I sigh involuntarily as I think of the life I had lived. It was cruel for life to give me this road trip and then shove me back to normalcy. I mean Asher had everything: He had an abundance of food and it didn't look like he could finish everything on that table on his own. Heck, he didn't even finish what was on his plate. That was unfair and not to mention the space he had. What I would give to have the space. I could bet his toilet was huge and had a working shower. The more I thought about it the more I realised how miserable I was. I guess today was a very bad day after all.

"We're here" Jason his driver calls coming to a stop.

I look up, wanting to say it wasn't where I lived, forgetting that I had given him the wrong address on purpose. "Great." I say turning to look at Asher for the first time on that ride.

He was already looking out at the surrounding. It wasn't pleasant, I knew it too. It was a vast difference from what he was used to. "You live here?" He asks me letting the disgust and disapproval roll off his tongue easily.

"Yeah" I say thankful that I hadn't given him my real address. He would have had a heart attack there. This was still a better part of it, mine was the most dodgiest part of town.

"Is it safe?" He asks me suspiciously.

"Oh yeah, there's twenty four hour police protection" I say sarcastically. Technically, I wasn't lying, there was always a siren somewhere, a gunshot every couple of hours. Real high-tech security. 

"You're kidding right?" He asks me.

"No just listen and you'll hear the sirens," I say rolling my eyes at him and gathering my bag. He was such a rich brat.

In that silence, we hear two different sirens and Asher nods his head confused, he looked adorable. Like a small boy trying to figure out a math problem sum. 

"Well," I say drawing his attention to me, "Thank you for everything. It was nice meeting you" I say awkwardly.

Asher looks at me stunned and I see the coldness seep off him for a few seconds. "Right yeah, take care Mia," He says huskily and looks at me with too much emotion. 

"Have a nice life Asher," I say sadly before getting out of the car and stepping onto the sidewalk.

The car drives off a few seconds later and I walk back to my miserable, poor, life. I was well aware of the social disparity but this was seriously unfair. The jealousy I felt blossoming inside of me made me feel like I was a kid all over again- feeling jealous of all those kids with real parents and proper families who loved them. These feelings I could deal with. I was going to be okay. 

One month later 

I wasn't going to be okay. 

I was broke.

I had no money, not much food left, and I was jobless. It's been a month and the sock of money I had at the bottom of my bag was down to just twenty bucks. How was I going to survive? I had to pay up next month's rent on time. I remembered the last time I tried to delay it, my landlord beat the shit out of me. He staged it as though I was getting mugged but the message was clear.

I roamed the streets of the area I lived in trying to find a job. No one wanted me. They saw the crappy clothes I wore and the backpack and immediately assumed I was a homeless person. At this rate, I soon would be. Tears pricked my eyes as I walked back to my apartment. 

I was three blocks from my apartment when I felt the familiar feeling of being followed. Jerking my head forward, I let my hair fall around me and I duck my head, tilting it to the right a little to look behind me. True enough a pervert was hot on my heels. Sighing, I secure my backpack and turn around to look at him properly. He smirks at me suggestively and I take off running. If I was lucky he would give up after two blocks. Of course, that meant I would get home later than usual but it was worth it.

True enough he left me and I circled back to my apartment. I couldn't go through the front now cause my landlord would be there, so I ducked into the ally next to it and began climbing the fire escape. I had done this so many times that people living on the floors below me were used to it by now. 

We all did what we could to survive around here. For each his own. 

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Hey guys! I know this chapter was really short but don't worry, the other chapters won't be so bad. Sometimes the chapters will be short but that's just to tie the story over. Hope you liked it! Please vote and Comment :) 

-Marsy