Kim walked silently behind Shego as they trekked on the small, untraveled dirt road. Part of Kim was upset her parents didn't care enough or want her enough to come after her. It wouldn't have done any good because her mind was made up, but it would have been nice to know she was still wanted around despite her behavior. Her parents must have cared more about their image than their own daughter; it had to be the only explanation.
And her brothers ruining her escape plan! Even though she was fond of Wade as a friend, she wished she didn't make the pit stop to the library in that old family mansion she was forced to call home. If she avoided her brothers, then her unwanted feelings could have been easily avoided. She'd be walking with Shego without feeling completely rejected. Her parents probably thought she'd come back in the morning and probably didn't believe her tougher exterior or will to leave.
Kim decided not to focus on the past, which included her family. She decided to only focus on her future with Shego. It was this thought alone that kept her sadness from overwhelming her other emotions: excitement, glee, and nervous. It wasn't the bad kind of nervous, but the kind that tended to get her blood pumping, a feeling she craved daily. It was similar to that feeling when she used to climb high on a tree and stand up on the branch. That nervousness in that scenario was eradicated when she began to participate in more daring activities with Shego. It was hard to get the thrill of almost falling over the edge, almost getting caught.
The thrill was back. Kim was fourteen years old and leaving home without a man. This was exhilarating and Kim was going to be better than any man she ever met, especially Josh Mankey. He was going to amount to nothing with his mediocre art skills and only have his family's money and status to carry him along living in luxury. Kim wanted to live in luxury, but only if it meant that she earned it. She wasn't about to marry into an obnoxious family just to survive. Kim was going to survive on her own (with Shego) and that was that.
There was one problem: Kim had no idea where she was going. Shego seemed to be confident in her step and probably knew exactly where they were headed off to. "Where are we going?" Kim asked and started walking at Shego's side. "New York City? The west? Go City?"
"Atlanta," Shego stated.
"Atlanta, Georgia?"
"You know of another one?" Shego asked sarcastically. Kim pouted.
"Why Atlanta?" Kim sighed in defeat because she figured Shego had some kind of plan since Kim had none whatsoever other than ideas and dreams.
"Well, it is fall and going on winter soon. It's cold in New York and we do not have enough money to deal with travel costs and dealing with snow and keeping warm. It's warm in Atlanta," Shego explained. Before Kim could even ask why they couldn't go out west, Shego beat her to her reasoning. "Two words for the west- Donner Party."
"What does that mean?" Kim asked her.
"Get out much, Princess? They were a group of people who went out west, got lost, starved, and had to eat each other to survive."
"You are making that up," Kim glared at her.
"Believe what you want," Shego shrugged. "But I am telling you, I don't want to deal with the possibility of cannibalism."
"Sure," Kim rolled her eyes. Shego cackled.
"Go City is a dump. Been there, done that, and I absolutely refuse to go back there."
Kim didn't question her about Go City. She wasn't really interested in why Shego didn't care for it much. Shego didn't care for a lot of things.
"Ultimate goal in New York City. We must make something of ourselves in Atlanta first to make a bit of money and save it. I know of a place where we will not have to pay any rent," Shego explained.
"What place?" Kim queried.
"I know a man," was all Shego said on the subject. Kim didn't press for information because she had to force herself not to think of Shego as a prostitute or an easy woman like other people said. Whoever the man was wasn't important to Kim. The important thing was making money at first because Kim hadn't even thought about that until Shego brought it up. Kim wondered if she was simply stupid or that fourteen year olds weren't the brightest and that maybe when she was sixteen, she'd be as smart as Shego. Only time would tell.
The road was dusty, Kim's feet hurt, and the cold was starting to get to her. She didn't want to be a wuss and complain. She didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of Shego because that would have been embarrassing. Shego would probably tell her to get over it.
Kim was tired. It was starting to get lighter out and the sun was just about to rise. She continued walking and silently prayed for a horse. She was beginning to wonder if Shego was tired, but she didn't show any signs of exhaustion. "I assume you did not sleep during the day." Kim was startled by Shego's sudden comment.
"You assumed correctly," Kim responded lightly. She felt like a fool because she didn't think to sleep more during the day knowing she'd be traveling at night. In her defense, Kim thought they'd have at the very least a horse to help them out with all of the traveling.
"People will be traveling soon. We can hitch a ride," Shego told her. Kim was hoping Shego would suggest a nap, but that obviously wouldn't happen. Kim had no idea how long it would take to get to Atlanta on foot. It took almost three days to get there with horse and wagon. She usually slept on the way. Perhaps there was an inn nearby? A welcoming home? Kim hadn't seen anything for what was probably miles they had walked. "Did you think leaving would be easy?" Shego asked her.
"I wanted an adventure," Kim mumbled.
"You will get one hell of an adventure, Princess," Shego cackled. "We are lucky enough to have a place to stay for free. We will be poor for a while and living in poverty. I do hope you realize that."
"Maybe next time you could mention that," Kim sighed. "At the moment, though, I am tired of walking."
"It will be more painful if you stop walking and then start again," Shego said. She reached into her bag and took out a biscuit. She handed it to Kim whose stomach growled when she held it. Greedily, she devoured it. She was going to ask for more, but didn't when she saw Shego didn't eat one of her own.
"Thank you," Kim said quietly. "I feel better now." She didn't, but she wasn't about to disappoint the one person who believed in her. The sun had risen, and despite being outside, she basically missed the sunrise. She shrugged it off since her mind was occupied with other thoughts, mostly with begging for something to appear out of nowhere so she didn't have to walk anymore.
By the position of the sun, it had to be around nine in the morning by now. Only two horse-drawn wagons passed them with not a single driver giving the two girls a second glance. The horses never slowed down and continued their trot. Kim didn't recognize anyone. She realized this was not the road her father took when he traveled to Atlanta.
Shego eventually reached into her bag and grabbed a canteen and took a large gulp of it before offering it to Kim. The heat was starting to get to both of them. At least it wasn't as blazing hot as the peak of summer and there was a nice breeze that would occasionally hit them. Kim felt herself sweating and wished she had a basin of water to get the stickiness off of her face. Kim took a couple of sips of water and then handed it back to Shego who put it back in her own bag. Kim wondered why she didn't think to pack anything essential; she thought she had, but what she thought was essential changed quickly on what was the beginning of her long journey ahead.
There were two horses pulling a carriage. The driver slowed down so that the horses walked slowly enough so he could speak to the girls. "Aye, lassies, where are ye headed?" The man's accent was thick, which indicated he was an immigrant. Kim wasn't really sure what she thought about immigrants because she changed her views drastically over the years. Immigrants, however, never really crossed her mind. She never interacted with one before. She was almost afraid of him with his thick reddish brown beard and his green hat on the top of what appeared to be a bald head. His black eyes stared down at the girls from his perch. Kim stepped a little closer to Shego.
"And you care because…?" Shego replied without a hint of emotion as she continued to walk.
"Aye, I was just wonderin' if you wanted a ride," the man said.
"I do not know anything about you," Shego shrugged.
"The name's Duff Killigan," the bulky man stated. "I'm on my way to Atlanta to deliver the rest of my fine wine."
"We are also on our way to Atlanta," Shego spoke. "I am Shego. She's Kim." The introduction was blunt and informal, making Kim's face match her hair. She really needed to get control over her embarrassment. After all, she always wanted to be referred to as Kim rather than Kimberly.
"You want a ride?" Duff stopped his horses. Shego stopped walking and Kim copied her. She still remained close.
"What do you want in return?" Shego asked him.
"Smart lass. Just a wee bit amount of money," Duff grinned.
"If you get us to Atlanta, no tricks, no hassles, you've got yourself a deal," Shego replied. "You try anything funny, you will never get a cent from us."
"No tricks. Just want to help out two lassies walkin' all alone. It's dangerous." Shego didn't respond. She took Kim's arm and pulled her to the back of the wagon.
"Here," Shego said and handed Kim her belongings. "You take these and sit back here. I will sit up front with him and make sure he does not try anything funny."
"I can sit up front with you," Kim urged. She didn't want Shego in a dangerous situation. Kim felt this was a strength in numbers type of situation.
Shego shook her head. "You are exhausted. Sleep. I will be fine. I doubt anything notable will happen during this trip." Kim was going to argue, but decided against it. She was incredibly tired, her feet hurt, and her legs were sore. Kim silently climbed into the back with her things. The two barrels of wine were tied into place so they wouldn't slide around and crush her. She heard Shego go around to the front and climb up. Kim eavesdropped on the conversation between the two. Duff assured Shego she would be fine in the back with Kim, but the dark haired girl bit back with no holding back. Duff seemed somewhat insulted at her quick tongue and commented she wasn't from Georgia. Shego proudly stated she wasn't, claiming she was from New York- the city, not the middle of nowhere. Duff said he was born and raised in Scotland, but came over to the states ten years ago for personal reasons he did not discuss. Kim stayed quiet in the back, noting Shego never gave Duff Killigan more information about either of them. The redhead shrugged; the older girl was more secretive anyway.
Kim shut her eyes. The next time she opened them, Shego had crawled into the back of the wagon and shook her awake, but more gently than Kim would have imagined. The sun was dimming in the sky and was no longer blaring down onto the earth. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and slid out of the wagon with Shego helping her down. "Where are we?" she finally asked.
"At an inn," Shego said and went in the back to grab the bags Kim left behind. Shego swung one over each shoulder and took Kim's hand as she led her into the ugly building. Her nose scrunched at the foul odor. She was being dragged by Shego to the middle aged man behind the counter. He looked at the both of them oddly. Kim couldn't pinpoint the way he gazed at them, but Shego's lips curled in disgust. "One room and no funny business," Shego said and slammed her fist on the counter. She produced a knife in between her middle and index finger. She glanced at the knife and threw it at the dartboard where it hit the bullseye.
The man said nothing, but he no longer eyed either of them the way he was before. Kim noticed he bit the inside of his cheek nervously by the way it was sucked into his mouth. "Do we have an understanding?"
"Your key," the man said and reached behind him. "Room three. Be out of here by eight tomorrow morning."
"We plan on it," Shego said and slammed some money down on the counter. Kim had no idea if it was the correct amount or not, but the man didn't complain. Wordlessly, Kim followed Shego down the hall and didn't dare speak after Shego retrieved her knife. Her legs ached from all of the walking she did overnight and the pains in her feet reappeared quickly. She took a few deep breaths as she forced herself to wait for Shego to unlock the room they were to stay in. When the door opened, Kim wanted to flop down onto the bed and relax, perhaps stretch out her back which was sore from sleeping slouched over on wood. The bed, however, had seen better days.
The mattress looked thin, the blankets were thin, and everything seemed dirty. It was bad enough Kim felt the residue of sweat on her, which cooled off as she slept, sticking to her skin and clothes and hair. She took a few steps into the room and cringed at the dirty floors. Kim watched Shego lock the door, putting the one chair in the room in front of it. She tilted it so it was wedged underneath the door handle that would make it difficult for the door to swing open. Shego put the bags down, carefully sitting on the bed as if she was testing it out. When she was satisfied, she kicked her shoes off and began to undress. Kim immediately blushed and focused looking down at the dirty floor.
In her underclothes, Shego lit a couple of candles as the sun continued to descend into the sky. She drew the curtains. Only the soft glow of the candles lit the room now. Kim dared to look up. She wished she hadn't. How could Shego be so confident with her body? The soft glow of the candle made her look exotic. Kim turned around and pressed her lips together. "I don't know about you, but my clothes are repulsive after today," Shego sighed.
"Yes," Kim managed to say.
"Stop being such a prude," Shego said. "I am fully clothed." Kim dared to turn around and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Shego was in her nightgown. "I'm going to use the bathroom," Shego held up the chamber pot, then pointed to the closet to indicate that was where she would be. Kim was thankful she went into the closet to take care of her business. Kim changed as quickly as she could and ignored her muscles screaming in protest at her quick movements. When Shego came out, Kim was fully clothed and decided to take care of her own business. Despite being in the closet, she blushed furiously.
When she was finished, Kim saw Shego was already in bed on one side of it. Kim realized she'd have to share the bed with her. "Would you be a dear and blow out the candles?" Shego asked her.
"Okay," Kim replied simply, blowing out the candles before climbing into the left side of the bed. She pulled the blankets over her. In the dark, she could at least pretend the bed was clean. It squeaked as she settled down onto the pillow; it wasn't fluffy like her pillow at home. No, she told herself, that mansion wasn't her home anymore. Her home was currently on the road and would temporarily be in someone else's home in Atlanta.
"Kimmie, we need to have a little talk."
"A talk? What about?" Kim asked and shifted her body so she faced Shego even though she couldn't really see her.
"Sometimes men try to take advantage of girls in bad ways. I highly doubt your father mentioned this to you, but you need to know since we are on the road and all. It is important to remain alert. Men can be sleazy like the one behind the counter here. He was eyeing us, as if he was undressing us with his eyes. Do you understand, Kimmie?"
"I think so," Kim shuddered. The idea that a man could look at her like that scared her. Why didn't her father warn her about this? Or her mother? Why did she grow up blinded by the world outside of that stupid plantation? Kim was glad she left so Shego could properly educate her about the world. She wondered how Shego knew this, but figured her father must have been better about telling her the truth about things. The thing was, though, Kim started to wonder if men could do more than just staring at her and undressing her with their eyes.
Kim was thankful she was still tired. When Shego didn't say anything else, Kim closed her eyes and easily fell asleep despite the poor sleeping conditions. She'd be ready for tomorrow's travels.
Finally finished chapter 13! Hopefully I can get chapter 14 out quickly (I work in a school so I have a whole week off). Hope those of you who celebrate anything around this time of year have been enjoying the holidays!
Keep those reviews coming. I still love hearing what you all have to say!