Travel To The Night
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The night was dark. It had been a long day, and the sun hadn’t even set yet; it would be another hour before she could rest her head on her pillow at home. She’d spent most of that time in an uncomfortable chair with a bunch of strangers who were all too happy to talk about their lives for hours on end.
But they weren’t here now—they were gone, back into the city or wherever else they came from. And this wasn’t her house anymore either. This was someone’s apartment, someplace where people lived every day. A place where there might be other people living right next door.
She looked around as she walked down the narrow hallway, trying not to think about what kind of person owned these walls. There wouldn’t have been any furniture in here anyway—it was just one room after another without anything but bare white walls and light switches.
No pictures hung on the wall, and no knickknacks sat out anywhere. Just like everywhere else in the building, everything seemed so clean you could eat off the floor if you wanted to.
It didn’t take very long for her to find the bathroom. The door opened easily enough when she pushed it open, revealing a small space with only two stalls and a sink. One stall had its door closed while the other was wide open, and she stepped inside quickly before anyone noticed she was there.
She locked the door behind herself then pulled up her skirt and began to pee. Her eyes darted over to the mirror above the sink as soon as she finished, and she gasped softly at what she saw reflected back.
Her face was pale and drawn, her cheeks hollowed out by hunger. She felt sick looking at how thin she’d become since leaving the hospital last week. How much weight did she lose? Three pounds maybe? Four tops. Not nearly enough to make a difference. Maybe she should’ve stayed longer than three days. If she’d done that, she probably wouldn’t look quite so bad right now.
But no, she couldn’t stay. They needed her to come back to work tomorrow morning. She had to go home tonight, get some sleep, and try again the next day. That was the best thing she could do for everyone involved, including herself. Sooner or later she’d figure something out, and then she could finally start eating normally again.
She washed her hands carefully afterward before stepping out of the bathroom, careful not to let any water drip onto the floor. As she turned toward the exit she heard footsteps coming closer from somewhere nearby, but she still managed to sneak past them without making a sound.
She reached out with her foot and gently shut the door to the stall behind her, locking it once more. Then she leaned against the cold metal wall beside the door until whoever it was left.
When she peeked through the crack between the door and the frame again, she realized it was just one woman walking away. She must live here too. She was tall and lanky, wearing a baggy t-shirt and jeans with sneakers.
She looked young, maybe twenty years old, though she could’ve been older. She carried a backpack slung over her shoulder, but nothing else. And she didn’t seem to notice anything unusual about the girl standing outside her bathroom door.
“Hey,” the girl said quietly, “is your name Mary?”
The woman stopped short, glancing back at her curiously. “Yes.”
“I’m Sarah,” the girl replied. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
Mary hesitated, then nodded slowly.
Sarah took a step forward and held out her hand. “My name is Sarah. What’s yours?”
“Mary,” the girl answered.
“Well, nice to meet you, Mary. My friends call me Sashie.”
“Sasha,” Mary corrected automatically.
“What are you doing here alone?” Sasha asked.
“Oh…” Mary blushed slightly. “You mean…here in the hallway? I don’t know. I guess I just got tired of waiting for my mom to come to pick me up.”
Sasha frowned. “Your mother picked you up already?”
Mary shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen her since yesterday afternoon. We argued about something, and we both decided it was better if I went home instead of staying here.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Sasha muttered. “Why would you argue about going home?”
“We’re not really together anymore,” Mary explained. “And I hate arguing with her. Especially when things aren’t exactly clear. She always says the wrong thing, and I never know what she means.”
“So why did you want to leave?”
“Because she told me to,” Mary said simply. “She made it sound like she wasn’t coming back, and she didn’t care where I ended up. But I knew she wouldn’t actually abandon me. It was just an excuse to get rid of me, and I figured she’d be back eventually.”
“Didn’t you tell her you were hungry?”
Mary scowled. “Of course I did! Why would I lie about that? But she just said she’d bring food for me tomorrow, and that was all. I waited around for hours after that, but she never showed up. So I started wandering down the hallways, looking for someone who might have some extra food they weren’t using.
Nobody seemed to have anything except the vending machines, which I didn’t feel comfortable buying stuff from anyway.”
“Then what happened?”
“Eventually I found this place,” Mary said, gesturing vaguely toward the bathroom. “There was nobody else living here, so I thought maybe I could stay awhile. At least long enough to eat and sleep. I tried knocking on other doors, but none of the people inside wanted to talk to me.
Everyone was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep, and I didn’t think anyone else would appreciate having a stranger barging in on their privacy.”
“How many rooms does this building have?”
“Just four,” Mary said. “Two upstairs and two downstairs.”
“Are there any windows?”
“Sure,” Mary said. “They’re small, but they open wide. You can climb out of each window easily enough.”
“Does anybody ever use these rooms?”
“Not that I saw,” Mary answered. “Maybe a couple of times, but only for a few minutes at most. The last time I checked, there was a bed in every room, along with a dresser and a desk. There should be plenty of space for us to share.”
“Where are the bathrooms?”
“Downstairs,” Mary said. “One on each side. One’s right by the front door, and another one is near the kitchen.”
“Is there anywhere to wash our clothes?”
“Yeah,” Mary said. “In the basement. Each floor has its own laundry area, and everything’s kept clean. All you need is soap and water.”
“Okay,” Sasha said. “Let’s go check them out.”
***
It had taken almost half an hour to find the first bathroom. They’d walked past several empty bedrooms before finally spotting the sign hanging above the doorway. It read: LAUNDRY ROOM – USE WITH CAUTION.
“This isn’t too bad,” Sasha commented as they entered the room. “At least it looks cleaner than the rest of this place.”
Mary nodded. “I agree. And it smells much nicer, too!”
The room was fairly large, perhaps thirty feet square. It contained three washing machines and dryers, along with a row of folding tables and chairs. A pair of old-fashioned wooden doors marked the entrance to the men’s and women’s restrooms, while a set of double glass doors led into the storage area.
“All right,” Sasha said. “Now let’s see how the other floors look.”
“Wait a minute,” Mary protested. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Sasha looked over her shoulder. “Like what?”
“If we’re sharing a room, shouldn’t we split up?”
“No way,” Sasha replied. “I’m not leaving you behind again.”
“But—”
“Come on,” Sasha interrupted impatiently. “Let’s go check out the next floor.”
“Fine,” Mary grumbled. “But don’t blame me if you regret your decision later.”
***
After checking out the second floor, Sasha and Mary headed back down the stairs to the first. As soon as they reached the bottom, they heard voices approaching from outside. Both girls turned to face the front door, listening intently as the footsteps grew louder.
A moment later, the heavy wooden doors swung open, revealing a tall man dressed in black. He carried a large duffel bag slung across his shoulders, and he wore sunglasses despite the fact that it was dark outside. His hair was short and gray, and he had a thin beard covering his chin.
“Hello,” the newcomer called out cheerfully. “You must be the new roommates.”
He stepped aside, allowing the other person to enter the room. This individual was also wearing glasses, and she appeared to be a little older than Sasha. She was carrying a backpack, and she held a handbag in the other. Her brown hair was cut short, and her skin was tanned from years spent outdoors.
“Hi,” Mary greeted the woman. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” the girl responded. “My name’s Marcy. What do you say we get settled in?”
Marcy glanced at Sasha, then smiled warmly. “We’ll take care of things here. You guys go ahead and explore the house.”
“Thanks,” Sasha said gratefully. “That sounds great.”
She followed Mary out of the room and closed the door behind her. Once they were safely away from the strangers, Sasha turned to Mary.
“So who are those people?”
“I think they work for my dad,” Mary explained. “His company sent them to make sure I got home okay.”
“What did you tell them about me?”
“Nothing,” Mary replied quickly. “I told them you weren’t feeling well and needed some time alone.”
“Oh yeah,” Sasha agreed. “And why would I want to spend time alone? We’ve been stuck together for days now! Let’s go find somewhere else to stay.”
“Don’t be silly,” Mary scolded. “Those two are perfectly nice. Besides, I already paid for their services. Now come on. If we hurry, maybe we can catch dinner before it gets cold.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes,” Mary confirmed. “There’s a restaurant just around the corner. Come on.”
Sasha sighed. “All right. But only because you asked nicely.”
***
As promised, Mary took Sasha to a nearby diner. The food wasn’t anything special, but the prices were low enough that both girls could afford to eat without breaking the bank. After finishing their meals, Sasha and Mary returned to the house.
They found Marcy waiting inside the front door. She waved when she spotted Sasha, then motioned toward the staircase leading upstairs.
“Go ahead,” she instructed. “Just don’t forget to lock the door behind you.”
Once Sasha and Mary were gone, Marcy pulled the duffel bag off her shoulders and placed it on one of the beds. Then she sat down in a chair near the window, resting her hands on top of the table.
“Well, that went better than expected,” she remarked happily. “It seems like these two have finally realized there’s no use fighting against fate.”
“Fate?” Sasha repeated. “How so?”
“Remember how I mentioned your father’s company hired me to keep an eye on you?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Because it turns out they didn’t hire me after all. They actually invited me to move in with them.”
“Huh?” Sasha exclaimed. “Why would they do that?”
“Because they know exactly where you are,” Marcy answered matter-of-factly. “Your parents left this place unlocked, which means they either forgot or deliberately wanted someone to find you. Either way, it’s pretty obvious what they’re trying to accomplish.”
“Are you saying they want us to live here?”
“Of course!” Marcy laughed. “Isn’t that obvious by now? Your mother is probably hoping you’ll fall in love with Mr. Smith, and your father wants to ensure you never leave him.”
“But… why?” Sasha demanded. “I mean, I’m not even interested in boys yet. Why does he care if I date anyone?”
“Maybe he doesn’t,” Marcy suggested. “Or perhaps your father has another goal entirely. Perhaps he hopes you’ll marry into money, and then you won’t need to worry about being poor anymore.”
“No…” Sasha shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. My mom wouldn’t let something like that happen.”
“Perhaps,” Marcy conceded. “However, there’s nothing stopping your father from hiring someone else to watch over you. In fact, I’d bet good money that’s exactly what happened.”
“Wait a minute,” Sasha objected. “If my parents really wanted me to stay here, they would have made sure the house was locked up tight. They might as well have put a sign on the door reading ‘Free Beds!’ for all the effort they put into making sure nobody came inside.”
“True,” Marcy admitted. “Which means your folks must have forgotten to lock the door.”
“Then why didn’t they just call you?” Sasha wondered aloud. “You could have fixed everything for them.”
“I suppose they thought you were sick enough to warrant some extra attention,” Marcy guessed. “Either that or they simply couldn’t bring themselves to admit defeat. Maybe they hoped you’d change your mind once you saw how much fun living in a mansion can be.”
“Whatever the reason,” Sasha concluded, “they obviously underestimated how stubborn I am. And I refuse to give up until I get back home again.”
“Very well,” Marcy said. “In that case, I suggest you start looking for a new job. You can’t expect to survive on a measly allowance forever.”
“I know,” Sasha replied. “But I’m going to try anyway.”
“Fair enough,” Marcy agreed. “Now, if you’re ready to turn in, I’ll show you to your room. It’s the last door at the end of the hall.”
She rose from her seat and started walking toward the stairs. As she did, Sasha noticed a small piece of paper lying on the floor beside the bed. Curious, she picked it up and unfolded it.
The note read:
Dear Sasha,
We’ve been watching you ever since you arrived, and we’re very pleased with our decision. We hope you enjoy your time here, and please remember that you always have friends in high places.
Sincerely,
Mary and John
Sasha stared at the message for several seconds before folding it carefully back into its original shape. Then she tucked it away into her pocket without a word.
“This is my room,” Marcy announced. “There should be plenty of clean towels in the closet next to the bathroom. If you need anything else, just ask. Good night.”
With those words, she turned around and headed downstairs.
The End