by Kayla Coca
Chapter 12
Day 107
I woke up early and headed into the bathrooms to shower and change again. I washed my clothes in the water and hung them near our tent. I grabbed a piece of bread with a slice of the cheap cold cut turkey and ate it. It didn’t really satisfy my hunger, but it would have to be enough. I went back to the bathroom with the makeup we’d bought and applied it.
I tried to cover the bags under my eyes, but I knew if I couldn’t it would be alright. Normally teenagers don’t have bags like mine, so I knew they added a few years. I put on eyeliner and mascara and added light lipstick. It added a few years, and it was what I looked like on my new ID.
Normally I’d wonder how Karen knew where to buy fake papers and IDs, but I honestly didn’t care. Things were far from normal around here. I knew they were good enough to get me my first job, and that was a plus. The little restaurant job was great. It was more of a twenty four hour diner, but I was just glad they’d hired me. I started next week.
We’d also found a cheap place to rent. It only had two rooms, but we’d live. Kelly could share a bed with any of us girls, and we could just fit three beds in the one room. The other room had two beds for the boys. We’d be moving in after we got our first checks next Friday.
I straightened my new shirt in the mirror. It was a blue button down shirt that my restaurant job paid for. You got three for working there and it was your uniform along with the black pants or skirt that they also gave you. The skirt was a little shorter than I wanted, but it would have to do. I was just glad it didn’t have a logo on it.
I went back to the tent and slid into the pair of ballet flats we’d bought that I shared with Karen for when we needed to dress up. I felt like my foot was healed, so I took off the air cast. I didn’t dare try heals, but these were flats. I was still slightly limited by the real cast around my middle, but I didn’t dare try and cut it off myself.
I arrived at the casino for my interview early enough to check myself out in a mirror. When I was satisfied with how I looked I told them I was here and sat down. I was called in fairly quickly and headed into the office I was led to.
The man inside was not what I was expecting. He was hugely tall and muscular. He had bright blue eyes and short messy black hair. In fact he was built like a bouncer, but was too pretty for it. He wasn’t dressed up too much. He was wearing a short sleeved button down shirt and jeans. He smiled and gestured for the man who escorted me to leave. When he did the man reached out a hand and I took it.
“Hello girly. I’m Ace Sanchez,” He said. “Call me Ace.”
“Sydney Michaels,” I said the fake name on my ID with ease.
He smirked, “Like Australia?”
I smiled, “Yeah, but I’m not from there or anything.”
“Alright. So you need a job,” He said sitting down and gesturing for me to do the same.
I nodded, “Yes sir.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty one,” I said. I prayed he wouldn’t question it.
He laughed, “Alright. I’ll pretend I believe you. You’ve definitely got a pretty face. Stand up kid.” I did and I felt his eyes looking me up and down. “That shirt is too big on you. I can’t see your body.” He looked annoyed. I gathered it up in my hands and pulled it into a ball behind me. He nodded and pointed at the chair. I sat down again. “Are you willing to work here? It’s not a fun job, kid.”
“I need this job,” I said simply. I needed the income.
He nodded, “You’re hired. Are you busy today?” I shook my head and he picked up a phone and made a call. “Send me Louisa, I’ve got a new hire.” “Alright.” He hung up and turned back to me, “Louisa’s one of my more experienced girls. You’re gonna need new clothes to work here. It’s on my dime of course. Anything she says goes, understand?”
“Yes sir,” I said. “Thank you sir.”
“None of this sir stuff, kid. My name is Ace. When you’re done you have to come so I can make sure it’s all what I need you to be wearing. You start tomorrow.” He said.
I nodded, “Yes sir. Will I have to work any days?”
He shook his head, “Nah.” A girl came in. She looked to be in her thirties or forties if you looked hard, but she was still beautiful. She had red hair and not a single wrinkle. She was thin and curvy. She was in a short red dress that clung to her like glue.
“Is this her?” She asked.
He nodded, “This is Aussie. Sydney, this is Louisa.”
“Hi,” I said feeling shy. She was old enough to be my mom.
We left the building and got into a car before she turned to me, “So you’re Sydney?”
“Syd,” I said.
She nodded, “Call me Lou sweetheart. You look like a baby. I know Ace is willing to hire all ages as long as you can say twenty one and have a fake. How old are you?”
I thought for a minute, “Eighteen.” It was a lie, but more believable.
She nodded again, “Legal to work, but not to serve. Let’s get going.”
We drove to a shop that had dresses in the window and got out of the car. “Hey Castle,” She called. “I got a new girl.”
A man came over wearing dress pants and a patterned button down shirt. He had a measuring tape around his neck and a big smile on his face. He had dark eyes that seemed nice enough. “I love fresh meat. Let’s get you fitted.” He pulled the measuring tape and started taking my measurements down on a small notepad.
First, he went into the back and grabbed me a nude strapless bra. “You’ll need that.” He said with a wink. Then he started grabbing clothes and ushering me into a fitting room with a rack of clothes.
The first thing on the rack was a dress like Lou’s. I wasn’t sure how it would look till I tried it on. I looked in the mirror and wanted to cringe. It barely went halfway down my thighs and stuck to me like glue. I opened the door and stepped out.
Castle smiled, “You’re really pretty under that oversized shirt. You look perfect.”
Lou nodded slowly, “You do. That dress looks very nice. Keep going.”
We worked through a rack of dresses with them making decisions about what worked and what didn’t. He handed me another rack and I continued trying things on.
The first thing on that rack was a pair of black shorts that looked like a pair of boy shorts. To go with them they had a gold tube top. Again they loved it. I was happy to be getting things that weren’t dresses as well, although they were just as exposing. Then I tried on heels. Endless pairs of heels.
Finally I was allowed to leave and I had to show everything to Ace who approved it all. I had fifteen outfits and five pairs of heels, along with makeup. I didn’t even live indoors, but I had more than enough work clothes. I got home and told the others about my morning as we ate small open-faced turkey sandwiches.
“That’s great,” Karen said. “We can definitely use the money.”
Jenny nodded, “She’s right. They sound like nice people.”
“They were,” I told her.
Bob smirked, “You’re gonna go dress like a hoe and serve drinks, great career goals.”
“You serve drinks in a bar and pretend to be a gentleman. Not much better.” I told him rolling my eyes.
Jeremy and Kelly came over and joined us. “Are you sure you don’t want me to work too?”
“Jeremy, go to school and be a kid. It’s your duty and your right.” Karen said. We all nodded, even Bob.
He smiled, “Alright, cool.”
“Jeremy, there is one very important thing you have to do,” I said slowly. “You have to stick to our story.”
He frowned. “What’s our story?”
“Mom and Dad died, so Karen your older sister took you in. Before any of that happened Karen, Bob, and I were roommates. Jenny is my sister and she was kicked out of her place so her and her daughter came to live with us as well.”
He nodded and smiled. “I can do that.”
“You can’t invite friends over;
the places we’re looking at are too small. You can’t tell anyone the truth. Got it?”
“I get it Syd,” He said giggling. “Don’t worry.”
“There’s one more thing we need to do,” Karen said after we’d finished eating. She pulled out a knife and pulled me into the tent. I lay down on my stomach and she began the slow process of trying to cut my cast off. She did her best to be very careful about it, but I knew she nicked my skin a few times during the long process. When it was finally off she put alcohol on the cuts and Band-Aids over them. By that point it was time for dinner and we had more hot dogs. I couldn’t wait for us to have money and a kitchen so we could eat something better than open-faced sandwiches and hotdogs for every meal. I was getting sick of it.
“Syd, can we go look at the stars?” Jeremy asked. Kelly was holding his hand and looking up at me. I nodded and picked her up. I took Jeremy’s hand and we started walking towards the hill that I took them to almost every night.
We got there and lay back on it looking up at the sky. I pointed out constellations and Kelly would clap when she saw them too. Jeremy would point at the ones he recognized and say the names. He’d turn and look at me and wait for me to confirm them. It was one of the best parts of being here. I loved spending time with the kids. I used to do this with my brother and my sister, and being here reminded me of that. It was the kind of memory you never forget, no matter how old you get.
Kelly would fall asleep in my side and I’d wait until I could tell Jeremy started acting tired. I would pick her up and she would lay down on my shoulder. We’d walk back to the tent and we’d all go to sleep. It was a tradition that I’d started to really love. I knew soon we wouldn’t be able to do it anymore and I couldn’t say no when I was around.
I lay down and I somehow knew before it even started.
You can’t get away from me that easily. I’m still here. You can’t get away from me that easily. In fact you can’t get away at all. When you’re working I’m there. And when you’re looking at the stars, I’m there too. I’m always watching and always in control, even when you aren’t. I know about all the things you’ve done and I know what you will do before you do. You’ll never be able to get away from me, ever.
“Wanna bet?” I muttered before rolling over.
That’s a bet I’m willing to make.
