Chapter Two

Aurora's Pov

I woke up to the sound of the wind whistling through the broken windows of the uncompleted building. My body ached from sleeping on the cold, hard floor, but at least it was better than the life I had left behind. The memory of last night….of my mother’s tear-streaked face and her desperate whispers made my chest tighten. I had no choice but to keep moving forward. For her sake. For mine.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when I grabbed my bag and made my way out. I couldn’t stay here. I needed a place where I could breathe without fear of someone finding me. With the money my mother gave me clutched tightly in my hand, I made my way to the train station. The ticket I bought wasn’t for anywhere glamorous, just the nearest city I could afford. I didn’t care about the destination. All I wanted was distance.

By the time the train rolled into *Hollowbridge City* The sun was high in the sky. The city wasn’t anything like the quaint little town I’d grown up in. It was loud, bustling, and intimidating. I tried to keep my head down as I navigated the crowded streets, searching for somewhere to stay.

Eventually, I found a dingy boarding house tucked between two rundown buildings. I walked over to the building in order to inquire about any available room.

I approached the woman who didn't pay much attention to me. I quickly introduced myself and asked if there was a room available.

She didn't say anything as she continued smoking her cigarette until she pointed to the board which showed the prices of the rooms.

I was glad that the amount wasn't much and I could pay for a week while looking for a job to sustain myself. I brought out the cash and handed it over to her and waited for her to say something or at least do something.

She's such a weirdo

The woman at the counter barely glanced at me as she handed me a key to a room on the third floor.

The room was tiny, with wrecked and peeling wallpaper and a bed that looked like it might collapse if I so much as sat on it. The smell of mildew clung to the air, but it didn’t matter. It was a roof over my head, and it was cheap enough to last me a week if I was careful. After locking the door behind me, I sat on the bed and counted the remaining money. Not much. Definitely not enough to waste time.

“You can do this, Aurora,” I whispered to myself, trying to summon courage. “You have to.”

The first thing I did was take a shower. The cold water stung my skin, but I forced myself to scrub away the dirt and grime from the journey. I couldn’t afford to look desperate, even if I felt it. With my hair pulled into a neat ponytail and wearing the least-wrinkled clothes I had, I set out to find a job.

I spent the entire day walking from one place to another. Restaurants, shops, offices….anywhere that had a “Help Wanted” sign. Each rejection stung worse than the last.

“We’re not hiring right now,” one manager said, barely sparing me a glance.

“You don’t have enough experience,” another told me, his voice curt.

By the time the sun began to set, my feet were blistered, and my stomach was growling. I returned to my tiny room, defeated. The next two days were more of the same. Waking up early, walking the streets, asking, begging, and praying for someone to give me a chance. But the answer was always no.

On the third day, just when I thought I couldn’t take another rejection, I stumbled upon a bar called *The Rusty Tap*. The exterior wasn’t impressive…peeling paint and a flickering neon sign that buzzed faintly in the afternoon light. But I was desperate.

“Excuse me,” I said as I approached the bartender, a burly man with a grizzled beard. “Are you hiring?”

He looked me up and down, his expression skeptical. “Have you ever worked in a bar before?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner,” I said quickly. “I’ll do anything. Clean tables, wash dishes. Anything.”

He grunted, scratching his chin. “We could use someone to clean up after hours. Pay’s not great, but it’s better than nothing.”

Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. “I’ll take it. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He nodded and handed me a rag. “You can start now. The bathrooms need scrubbing.”

He called out to another bartender, “Inez do well to show her around and explain to her how things are done here”

Inez smiled at me like she was happy to have company, she looked a year or two older than me, I didn't mind. I just wanted a job to survive and nothing more.

She showed me around the place and explained how things were done. I was glad for her help, she seemed friendly enough to be my friend.

“Do you understand everything I explained to you?” Inez asked after she was done talking.

I answered with a nod.

“C'mon girl, you should be free here, I don't bite and I can definitely use a friend.”

“Thank you,” was all I said. What was I supposed to say?

“Can I ask you something?” she asked as she stared at me with smiles all over her face.

“sure.”

“How old are you?” not to be rude I just wanted to know, but if you can't answer, it's alright” she tried explaining after asking me a question.

I was amused by the way she started explaining, “I'm 19, you do not have to explain, it's a simple question”

“oh I'm 19 too, this is so nice, we should be best friends right now,” she said, sounding so excited like a little child.

“Ummm…I should get to work,” was all I said. I didn't know what to say to her. It was awkward I must say.

“Alrighty, get right into it, we'll catch up later Ok?”

“Okay.”

I got to work immediately she left, there was no room for misbehaviour or making my boss angry. I needed the job more than anything in the world right now.

The job was grueling, my body ached from all the cleaning I had done to all the wounds inflicted on me by my step father and his foolish son. By the time I finished cleaning that night, my arms felt like they were about to fall off. The pay barely covered food, but it was something. I could at least put a meal on the table and keep the lights on in my dingy room.

The days blurred together after that. I spent my mornings searching for better opportunities and my nights cleaning the bar. The exhaustion was bone-deep, but it was nothing compared to the fear of going back to that house. I was only sane because of the help I got from my new friend Inez. She seemed too good to be true, kind and happy all the time. I wish i had such personality like her, I always have something to think about which drained the f*ck out of me.

There was something suspicious about my boss and other workers….It’s not really a concern, and I don't pray to find out. I'll do my job, save up money and look for a new job.

One night, as I scrubbed the floor of the bar, I allowed myself a moment to think about my mother. Was she safe? Was she eating? The guilt of leaving her behind was a constant weight on my chest, but her words replayed in my mind like a mantra: “Run, Aurora. Run and never look back.”

On my seventh day in Hollowbridge City, I sat in my room, staring at the dwindling pile of cash on the table. I had to find a way to make more money. The bar wasn’t going to cut it for long, and I couldn’t afford to get comfortable. My future depended on finding something better.

With a deep breath, I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down every possible job I could apply for. The city was big, and there had to be something out there for me. I just had to keep trying. Giving up wasn’t an option.

As I lay on the creaky bed that night, staring at the cracked ceiling, I promised myself that no matter how hard it got, I wouldn’t stop fighting. My mother had sacrificed everything to give me a chance at freedom. I wasn’t going to let her down.