She was carrying only a backpack with her laptop, few personal belongings and one single change of clothes. She was so scared of him at the moment. She was afraid that he would have figured her bate out by now and that he would already be by her tracks.
The cab left her outside the central bus station. She payed cash for the ride. She was trying not to leave any trail behind her. Credit card would be easily traceable from a guy with his sources.
She stepped out of the cab, flood by a feeling that this was the last time she was facing the familiar skyline of Central City, her hometown, the city she had lived in her entire life. She turned around and look to the direction of the dock. The night had coated the water with a dark cloak, pierced by countless stars that let the cosmic light hit the sparkly water. The moon, a fool moon white and pure like it was out of fairy tales was painting a white river above the sea. It felt so cozy like the city was protecting her residents. The water washing off and carrying away everything that was discarded as soon she would be too.
She watched all these people continuing their lives like nothing bad has happened. Like what had happened to her these past days wasn't matter and the fact the she was forced to abandon her previous life it wasn't unfair. She was realizing that this accusation were incongruous. But she was overwhelmed of the sight of her beloved city, her place, and her safe haven so much that her questionable logic was making perfect sense to her. She felt betrayed. Her city had failed her, hadn't invest any effort to keep her in her protective embrace like the rest of them.
Possibly this was the result of a copying mechanism. Her way to work through a loss that had come earlier that is was supposed to. Her mind falsified an elusive bitterness to smooth a goodbye that it was forced to be told. And that exactly what she did. She stood there proudly, straightened her spine and flatten her heart and turned around. She started heading to the station, and as what it seemed she was just waving her hand a farewell to her present location mentally she was making the deepest curtsey at her former home.
She reached the registry and looked the info dashboard. Destinations and arrivals were succeeded one the other and delayed or in time were flashing beside them. She lost herself in the periodical light changes while the pending line was stepping forward one ticket a person. It was her turn. She shove her hand in her pocket and grab her wallet.
"One ticket please."
"Destination?" the cashier asked
Felicity looked above her head at the announcement's board once again, but she couldn't decide. There was no second best. No city was worthy or good enough. There wasn't any difference.
"For wherever is the next bus. How much?" the lady passed her a ticket beneath the glass and she returned to her the exact amount that was printed on it. "Thank you."
She lift her backpack from between her legs and hang it on her right shoulder just from the one grip.
She walked to the bus and waited there. The moments were passing painfully slow. It felt like centuries had passed instead of minutes and her face looked like that when she heard the departure announcement from the speakers. She was almost safe, at last.
It was almost six months before when Felicity arrived at this city. A fresh start, a second chance was all that she was seeking. And thankfully that was exactly what she got.
She had settled down quickly. The money she had brought with her, her savings from, what she used to refer at now, a previous life, was enough to cover her first expenses.
It didn't get her too much too fake her credential papers not to claim that she has abilities she didn't have but to hide her true identity. She hadn't gone too far and she thought it was sufficient enough just to paraphrase her name. Felicity became Joy and what better of hiding in public view Queen her last name. She wandered around that idea for a while and she ended up that he would never considered her brave of fool enough to have the nerve to do something bold as that. And Joy Queen was born.
One she saw an announcement at the newspaper that a local firm was looking for staff. The offered position was so below her but it was so closed to her house and so far from potential threats.
Her life was quiet as she wanted to be. Many people of the area were coming and going every day and it became easy to know most of them even if she avoid of getting too involved.
Almost from her first day there was a man, a tall dark guy, who was visiting the offices so frequently. He was always watching her from far but it got him over a month to talk to her. At first she hesitated. She hadn't time or energy for her own life as more for another person in it.
She was still afraid, afraid of him. She was always so tensed, so alert that every time the phone rang she was feeling like her heart was skipping a beat, and that was happening all day so many times during her shift. It became a habit for her to look behind her shoulder whenever she was walking, as if she was crossing alone a suspicious dark alley, even if she was in the middle of the daylight in crowded places. She was evaluate her surroundings and everyone in when she was stepping in another room. And she was so cautious and second guessing anything that she was hearing.
...