Fairest

by Beth Bishop

  “You’re on Dauphine,” the older girl said. The lantern moved so I could see her better. “I’m Carly. This is Terrell.” She pointed to the older teenager. “That’s Nate.”

  “I’m Skye.” I offered my hand and shook with each of them.

  “I’m Dee,” the little girl hiding behind Carly said. “Carly’s sister.”

  I gave her a weak smile. “What are you guys doing in here?”

  “We live here,” Terrell said. “We’re sorta hurricane orphans.”

  I put my hand over my mouth. “That’s awful.”

  “You think?” Nate said. Terrell punched him in the arm. “What? She can’t know how bad it is. Look at her. Her jeans probably cost $100, and that purse thing is double that.”

  “Hey,” I snapped, “I grew up in the Savannah swamps. I know what tough living is.” They looked at me. “You don’t go to school?”

  “Is she kidding?” Nate asked.

  “Nate,” Carly complained. “She don’t know no different.” She looked at me. “Nate and I were in high school together, before. Now, we—me, Nate, and Terrell—work in order to feed the crew. Right now, AJ and Isaac are out trying to find whatever they can for dinner and some toilet paper.”

  Seven kids living in this horrible place, starving. I shuddered, and my heart broke for them. “How do you keep this place to yourselves?” I asked. “I mean, don’t other people, adults, try to come in and stay here?”

  “We keep it locked down pretty tight,” Terrell said. “We had the door you came through open for AJ and Isaac. I did a quick sweep, and you’re the only thing that got in. Most bums around here know better than to try.” He lifted up the front of his shirt to show me a pistol tucked into the top of his pants. “You don’t contribute, you don’t stay. Most of them are too drunk or hung over to contribute.”

  “Okay, so I never had it that tough,” I admitted. “I have worked, though. Here,” I waved a hand and began digging through my bag. I took the hundred, the only cash I had on me, and held it out to Carly. “That’s all my cash. Please.”

  “You got a credit card?” Nate asked.

  “Yeah.” I nodded and dug it out, too.

  “Then, go to a different hotel and get a room. Sheesh,” he said.

  “I…I didn’t think of that.” I rested my hands in my lap. “I just can’t think.”

  “You shouldn’t go out right now, anyway,” Terrell said. “Wait until morning and go. You can stay the night.” He took the bill from me. “I’ll get you a blanket.”

  I nodded absently and then drew up my knees. I wrapped my arms around them and rested my forehead on my forearms. I didn’t know what to do, but at least I would have a night to try to rest before I had to come up with a real plan for getting out of New Orleans and to Savannah.

  Terrell and Nate left, but Carly and Dee stayed. “So, Skye. Why are you in Nola all alone?” Carly asked me.

  I lifted my head enough to prop my chin on my arms. “It’s my Spring Break. I went home to New York, but my daddy had to go out of the country. He told me to go home, but I didn’t really want to.” I rubbed my nose on my hoodie. “I saw Shinedown was playing at the House of Blues, so I decided to make a stop here before going to Savannah.”

  “Savannah is home?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but I go to a private school in Connecticut. I was supposed to spend Spring Break in New York with my daddy.” I jolted and dug through my quick bag for my cell phone. I opened it, scrolled through the list, and dialed his number. It beeped as if it had no service. “Stupid 4G,” I grumbled.

  I had plenty of bars, so I wondered if it was on his end. Maybe it had something to do with him being in Japan. I didn’t know. Since my battery was low, I decided to wait until I wasn’t in this building to try to call, again.

  “Carly, how did this happen?”

  “Somebody chased you here, you said.”

  I shook my head. “No, I mean y’all. Why isn’t someone taking care of y’all?”

  She sat down beside me. “Terrell was already living on the streets, and Nate was at a state place. Dee and I got separated from our momma and never found her.” She picked at her fingernails. “I figure she must be dead or didn’t care enough to find us.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.” She patted her lap and Dee came to sit in it. “AJ and Isaac are cousins. They lived with their grandma who didn’t make it. Gina was in foster care, and she took the hurricane as an opportunity to escape.”

  “There wasn’t anyone or any place for kids like y’all? I can’t believe no one would help.”

  “Me and Dee, we looked for help at first. Then, we stumbled upon Terrell and Nate. What they had going here seemed better. I met Gina on Bourbon Street. She’d been trying to pick pockets and was digging through trashcans, nearly stabbed me.” She smiled a little. “She’s always been jumpy. I think her foster father messed with her.”

  “What do you mean?” Dee asked.

  “Don’t worry about it, baby girl.” Carly stroked Dee’s hair. “Nate found Isaac and AJ living in the park.”

  “I’m gonna fix this,” I said. “When I can think again, I’ll figure out a way.”

  “Uh-huh. Well,” she broke off as Terrell came back and dropped the blanket in front of me, “you get some rest. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

  She, Dee, and their lantern left with Terrell. I was alone and cold, so I wrapped up in the blanket. It smelled like body odor, but I didn’t care. What I cared about were these abandoned children. Yes, when I could think again, I was going to figure out a way to make things better for them.

  * * * *

  When I awoke, stiff and filthy from sleeping on the floor of the vacant room, I found Dee and Carly in the room with me. Carly handed me a brown, paper sack that had a honeybun and a bottle of orange juice in it.

  “Your hundred bought you breakfast,” she said.

  “Look,” I unwrapped the honeybun and shoved half of it in my mouth, “y’all have to come with me. I can’t just leave here, knowing y’all are living like this.”

  “Sure you can,” she said. “Nobody cares about us. If they did, they would’ve helped us after the hurricane.”

  “Y’all let me stay here, so just come with me. Get a warm bath, some fresh clothes, and a hot meal or two. My daddy owns Cluck Moo. The credit card can take it, and I’ll figure out some way to help.”

  “That’s real sweet of you, Skye, but this aint Pretty Woman.”

  “She can’t be more than ten,” I whispered, my eyes filling as I looked at Dee.

  “Nine,” Carly said.

  “Let me help. I can help. I can make it better.”

  “Let me talk to Terrell,” she said. Then, she and Dee left me to finish my breakfast.

  Chapter Eleven

  Skye’s heart arrived around noon on Tuesday, and I gave the other half of the money to Colby to wire to the man. Colby said it would be best for me to get rid of the necklace, and I planned to after I spent a little time gloating.

  Skye wasn’t a bad kid. She never bothered me. She never got in trouble. It was just too bad for her she was in the way. Too bad for her I was too naïve when I married Winston. I really didn’t need all his money—just enough to be comfortable. If he had just given me a way out or given me my fair share, his daughter would still be alive.

  I wondered how long it would take the police to contact Winston and me. Until then, it was important for me to go on about my life as usual. I decided the best way to do that was to go out and get myself a necklace to go with my new earrings and bracelet. First, more champagne and another celebration.

  Chapter Twelve

  I waited alone in my dingy room while Carly talked to Terrell. Then, Terrell talked to me, again. He must have seen something on my face o
r heard something in my voice that convinced him, because he agreed that the orphans and he should come with me. He introduced me to AJ, Gina, and Isaac, who were even more tired and dirtier than I was.

  Since the water in the building was off, the kids were in the practice of going to nearby businesses and the Riverwalk to use the bathroom and wash up. In between bathroom breaks, they used hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and the bathroom on the top floor and furthest from the stairs. They kept buckets of rainwater to flush the toilet, and I nearly vomited when I got near it. There was no way I could stand to pee in there, so I planned to get us to a hotel as soon as possible. We used hand sanitizer and paper towels to clean ourselves up as best as we could. Still, we were smudged, rumpled, and smelly. I helped the others pack up what few things they had into grocery bags. Most of Dee’s toys were so old and dirty that I unpacked and hid them when she wasn’t looking.

  When we were ready to leave the building, I pulled Terrell aside and said, “I don’t care what it takes. Y’all are not going to live here, anymore. It’s a miracle y’all aren’t sick.”

  “Don’t make us any promises,” he said. “We’ve heard this before from adults.”

  I lifted my chin in the air. “Well, you didn’t hear it from me.” His dark eyes looked suspicious yet hopeful. “I can make it better, and I will. So, let’s go.”

  Terrell herded our scraggly group of eight out of the building. After securing all the locks that he could, he sighed and put his hand over the front doorknob. Nate gave him a pat on the shoulder, and Carly hugged him sideways.

  “Hey, it’ll still be here,” she said.

  He nodded and turned his back to what had passed for his home since the hurricane. With a jerk of his head, we followed him over one block to Canal Street. From there, we walked toward the river. Nate told me to stay in the middle of the group. Since I was short, it would keep me somewhat hidden, just in case anyone suspicious paid us attention.

  “There are lots of hotels on Canal. Where do you want to go?” Terrell asked me.

  “What’s nice?” I asked.

  “I work at the New Orleans Marriott,” Carly said. “They know me. They’ve seen Terrell, Nate, and the kids before when they come by, let us use the bathrooms, and sometimes the laundry. They shouldn’t freak out too much.”

  “Then, let’s go there, if it’s okay with everyone,” I said.

  After a quick vote, we walked three blocks to the hotel. I went in first, and right away, other people in the lobby and the hotel staff took worried note of us. Carly and I went straight over to the main desk.

  “Hey, Roj,” she said to him.

  “Carly.” He eyed her and flicked a glance over my shoulder at the group behind us.

  “Hello, ah,” I read his name plate, “Roger.” I gave him what I considered my sweet smile. “I would like to book four rooms close together, suites if you have them.”

  He looked at me, and his brow furrowed. “May I see your driver’s license?”

  “I don’t have one,” I said.

  “If you aren’t at least eighteen, we can’t book you,” he said. “I can see you’re Carly’s friend, but rules are rules.”

  I took out my credit card. “If I booked it online, no one would have ever known. We will be perfect angels. I promise.”

  I crossed my heart and handed him the card. The credit card my daddy gave me was a bit unusual in that it was personalized with the Cluck Moo logo—a cow ridden by a chicken. It looked cartoonish, but the limit was nothing to laugh at.

  Roger’s eye widened when he read the names on the card. “Um…” he began.

  “Yeah. I’m Skye Daniels, as in Winston Daniels’ daughter, as in the owner and founder of Cluck Moo. It’s not a pretend credit card, but just pretend I’m eighteen.” The desperation in my voice had him looking up at me. “Please.” I jerked my head slightly. “For them.”

  He sighed, took the card from me, and swiped it. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  After Roger passed me the room keys, I had him go ahead and order room service for all of us. Grilled pork chops, hash brown casserole, and Creole vegetables sounded delicious and nutritious. I passed the room keys to Terrell, and Carly grabbed my credit card and shepherded me to the hotel’s shops.

  We needed everything, so I was a bit overwhelmed with how to start. Carly jumped right in, taking shirts from racks and pants from cubbyholes. She draped what she could over both our arms, and when we could hold no more, we took it to the register and went back for more.

  I picked up packs of underwear and socks, two pairs of jeans, and two T-shirts for each person. Carly checked the sizes, determined they would work, and thanked me. It had been a long time since she had new clothes, and the ones she had, except for her work uniforms, were in sad shape. After another swipe of my card, I had the clerk send it all to the laundry before it came up to the rooms.

  From another store, I bought things like toothbrushes, deodorant, snack crackers, and a newspaper. I also got some Neosporin for the necklace burn on the back of my neck. I picked up toys for the little ones, some hair ties, and a calling card.

  We were on the twenty-first floor. Since the brothers were both young, Terrell shared a room with Isaac while Nate took a room with AJ. The room Nate shared with AJ connected to the room I shared with Gina. Carly and Dee were one door down from me. Overall, Roger had done very well in accommodating our room needs.

  Shortly after Carly and I got to our rooms, the food arrived. We had it all brought to the connected rooms, so we could eat together but not be too crowded. After seeing how fast the boys put away their chops, I dialed room service and ordered a variety of snacks and drinks. Fruit, some cookies, a cheese tray, juice, bottles of water—things that would help fill their stomachs until another mealtime approached.

  Once the clean clothes were delivered, we bathed in shifts. After everyone was clean and dressed in fresh clothes, I sent the dirty clothes worth saving to the laundry.

  I sat down on the side of my bed and took stock. I was wearing jeans that were too long and a T-shirt that was too tight. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I was scared, but I wasn’t lonely. I had Carly, Gina, and Dee in my room. Carly was braiding Gina’s hair, and Dee was playing with the stuffed alligator and monkey I bought to replace her worn-out toys.

  “I’m gonna try to call home,” I told them.

  Out of fear that my phone would die, I used the hotel phone and the calling card. It took several rings, but finally Lizette answered. She sounded drunk, which was odd for her.

  “I don’t recognize this number,” she complained. “Who is this?” she barked and then laughed.

  “Lizette,” I said, relief flooding my voice. “Somebody tried to attack me last night. What should I do?” Silence followed, so I waited.

  It was a good twenty seconds before she said, “Colby, is this some kind of joke?”

  “No, Lizette. It’s me, Skye.”

  “Oh!” She sounded like she choked a little. “Oh, my goodness. Honey, are you hurt? Where are you?”

  “No, I’m okay. I’m still in New Orleans. I moved from the Hilton to the Marriott on Canal. Lizette, I tried calling Daddy, but the phone didn’t work. It was weird. Now, my phone is almost dead, and I’m scared to go back and get my charger.”

  “It’s okay. Don’t you worry. Stay there, honey. I’m going to send Colby to come get you. He’ll fly out, today. Did you go to the police?” She talked too fast, as if she was on the verge of panic.

  “No, I didn’t go to the police. I sprayed the guy with my pepper spray, and he let go, but, uh…he got my necklace.” My lower lip trembled. Carly and Gina came to sit on either side of me, and Dee sat in front of me and petted my knee. “I didn’t get a good look at him, anyway. Lizette…I didn’t go back to m
y other room, because he knew my name. Do you think somebody is trying to kidnap me?”

  “I don’t know, honey. You’re daddy isn’t into underhanded stuff, but people are crazy. They’ll do anything for money.” I heard rustling. “I’m going to call Colby as soon as we get off the phone.”

  “Okay. You be extra careful, too,” I told her. “They might not just be after me.”

  “That’s good advice. I’ll see you soon.”

  We hung up, and a weight lifted. After the phone call and some reassuring pats from the girls, I felt like I could relax enough to get some true rest. With my back to the door, I burrito-ed myself in the bedspread and took a much-needed nap.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When I hung up the phone, I screamed, “She’s not dead. That bastard lied to me!”

  I took her necklace out of my jewelry box and hurled it across the room. My neck hurt from breathing too hard, and I left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. I grabbed the vodka from the freezer, twisted off the cap, and drank two large swallows. Ice and heat flooded my throat, and almost instantly, I felt calmer. I put the bottle back in the freezer, dug my cell out of my purse, and called Colby.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he answered.

  “Don’t ‘hey, beautiful’ me. Your guy lied to me! Skye called me this morning. She’s at the Marriott on Canal.”

  “What did I say about talking about this over the phone?” He sighed loudly. “I’ll deal with it. You should sober up, sweetheart.” With that, he hung up.

  I clicked my phone off and dropped it into my purse. Colby would deal with it, huh? Well, he better. It might have been my money, but he was the one who made all the arrangements. If anyone found out what we were up to, he would be in as much if not more trouble than I would.

  I felt the nerves, again. Colby told me to sober up. Well, poo on him. I went back for more vodka.

  Colby would fix it. Sure. Yes. Everything would work out just as it should. Everyone would get what they deserved—fair and square.