The Red String

Chapter One: Time For Change

Eveline gazed out the window of the truck as James drove through New York City to get to the apartment her grandparents had helped her rent. She had to get away from her stepfather since her mother had died. Her opportunity arose as she graduated a year early and had money saved up from her job. The stipulation her grandparents gave her when they got the apartment was that she had to have a friend help her move across the country. Unfortunately, she had to sell her most prized possession, her Audi R8, for the money to help move. She loved her car; it and her Ducati were the nicest things her stepfather had ever given her. At least James made room for her motorcycle so she would have a means of transportation.

James drove across the bridge to Brooklyn, leaving NYC behind them. Even though Brooklyn was making some kind of comeback according to some kind of rumor, her apartment was in the slums. It was cheap and they both knew she needed somewhere to live. He knew it wouldn't bother her in the slightest considering she lived in the slums of LA with her mother and brothers before her mother married her stepfather.

Luckily, he had a couple friends that lived near where she would be living. That eased him somewhat, not much nonetheless it was enough to be able to let her go. She just looks so innocent, delicate. And unquestionably destitute, he though as he looked over at the crimson red-haired girl who looked out the window of the truck, it's hard to believe that she's been through so much shit and that she isn't as destitute as she looks... He could still see the bruises on her arms and back from her final altercation with her stepfather. He gritted his teeth, glad she was liberated from the bastard because of the evident abuse.

"I'd be foolish not to be uneasy, right?" Eveline asked cheerfully, the anxiety and apprehension creeping into her sweet voice. She played fretfully with her necklace, something he noticed she was doing more often when she was tense or bored. At least she wasn't like him and was compulsory to smoke.

"I'd be worried if you weren't, Eves," James replied, "But technically you are already crazy for wanting to leave the beauty of the Canadian wilderness for the big city."

She laughed and rolled her eyes as she looked at the apartment building he parked in front of. The numbers matched what her grandparents had written down for her. It was neglected, shitty looking, old, and right in the middle of the sketchiest part of town. She felt for her knife in her pocket of her black shorts before remembering she had tucked it into her purse. She knew she had to live here though, even if it made her uncomfortable that she would be living alone. It was cheap and all she could afford working part-time at a minimum wage job. Not to mention how they limited her hours because she was still a minor and would be until February... and it was only late June.

She wiped the sweat from her brow, cursing the early summer heat, as she climbed out of the truck. She hoped to god that her apartment had air conditioning so she wouldn't die from heat at night. James got out to follow her but she asked him to stay with the truck since her bike was in the bed of his truck in plain view. She walked into the office, the air conditioning was welcoming as she looked around in surprise at how clean, welcoming and well maintained it was compared to the exterior. She walked up to the man sitting at the desk and talked to him before he took her to speak with his supervisor.

His supervisor had been contacted by her grandparents and made aware of her situation; they had made it clear that she would pay for mainly utilities and a quarter of the rent while they would pay the rest. The man introduced himself as Edward and motioned for her to sit as he began telling her about the amenities which consisted of having a refrigerator, microwave, stove, dishwasher, and a laundry room on each floor. He handed her two keys to her apartment which had a piece of tape on them saying '302' as well as two keys for her mailbox and a garage opener. Her parking space would be the one closest to the elevator and she could rent an additional space if she needed it. The last thing he gave her was a key-card for the front gate.