Maureen POV:
"Maa, don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, Jane is there to look after me," I reassured my mum repeatedly who seemed to show some concern for me even after what I had done.
I glanced at Jane, our loyal maid and a good friend of my mum. My family could trust her always, especially my mum. I could hear my mum instructing me sadly to be cautious always. Even though I had totally messed up and now was running away to hide, she still cared for me a little which was overwhelming. Fresh tears welled up in my eyes and I tried to ignore my melancholy. I quietly looked at the narrow streets lined up with trees and bushes and agreed with whatever my mum was saying on the phone. We were going to live near the countryside, far away from the hustle and bustle of the hectic city life.
"Princess, we have arrived," Jane announced while adjusting my feigned glasses and wig.
"Maa, I'll talk to you later. We have arrived," I interjected the list of instructions she was repeating and blinking back my tears.
"Alright," she said and paused. "Do keep in mind what I told you---" "Yeah, I know. I have practiced being Maureen Harris a lot of times, so relax. I can do it," I said with determination and I could hear her sigh.
"Good," she replied curtly and abruptly cut the call, making me stare at the screen blankly.
"Princess, here we are," Jane pointed at a fairly medium-sized house. Like all the other houses in the street, it was painted white on the roof was painted sky blue. It was a one-story house with no front balcony, only large windows. It looked like a cute, little dollhouse and I couldn't point out one flaw in it. This house was just what we were looking for to live in, average.
I unbuckled the seatbelt and followed Jane who was inspecting each and every detail. We looked around the backyard which had a small pond-like water body in one corner and a large tree in the other corner. The tree was so huge that the shadow it casted occupied half of the place. An old, wooden swing was attached to one of the thick, and sturdy branches of the humongous tree, and the well-trimmed grass below my feet tickled my toes since I had worn slippers. There were dried rose saplings and different types of Thorney cactus surrounding the wall, like a barrier for anyone trying to climb the walls and sneak in.
"Do you like it, princess?" Jane asked dubiously and I grinned.
"Oh yes, I do, It's adorable!" I beamed at her in awe and tried to sit on the swing. Jane helped me to sit and pushed the swing gently. My wig hair flew with the wind, cold breeze hitting my soft skin harshly and I rubbed my arms for some warmth. I looked over my shoulders and called out, "Jane?"
"Yes?"
"You shouldn't call me princess over here, we have to be careful," I opined and eyed the surroundings. "You have to call me Maureen or those sickly, ridiculous nicknames if you want to."
She laughed lightly and continued to push the squeaky swing. "Well . . . Maureen, we should go in. You can swing on this later, you got lots of time this evening."
I nodded and followed Jane inside the house. It was surprisingly big for what looked like a dollhouse from outside and bare with minimal furniture like a comfy couch, television set, a bookshelf with few books, and a small coffee table at the center. I noticed that all our clothes and other necessities were still in large brown boxes firmly sealed with duct tape and neatly kept near the corner.
"When should I start unpacking these boxes?" I asked while digging my sharp, manicured nails and tried to remove the tape off the closest box near me.
Jane ran towards me at full speed like I was going to cut the wrong wire of the bomb and she snatched the boxes away before I could protest. I stood there gawking at her and she shook her head, laughing quietly.
"You can't do that, you're still a princess dear. As long as I'm there, you can just rest or watch telly. ( T.V or television) Our men are going to come to help with these." She then went to remove the stubborn remote which was stuck on the couch.
"Don't bother with that, I don't want to watch telly. There isn't anything good to watch at this time anyway. Can I go for a walk?" I asked expectantly, playing with my wig hair and she looked alarmed.
"You know you cannot do that---"
"Aw, come on! I won't get into any trouble, I promise. I'm feeling quite active today and I want to get familiar with the neighborhood. Besides, I don't want to rest since I already had enough sleep on the plane and also in the car," I blabbered on and on while trying to suppress a yawn and smiled innocently.
"But you don't know the---"
"Directions? I have a GPS on my mobile and I will be back in an hour, I promise," I cut her off and batted my eyelashes.
Jane still looked unconvinced, but she nodded faintly. Before she could protest any further, I quickly grabbed my headphones and mobile, stuffed some bars of KitKat in my loose pockets of jeans, and rushed out of the house.
"Come back soon---"
"I will!" Munching on a bar of KitKat and listening to indie music, I jogged on the street, and with the help of the GPS, I located the nearby park which was a five-minute walk. There were some children playing merrily and some adults jogging like me in the park. I sat on a nearby bench when I could feel myself getting sweaty due to jogging and I stared at those innocent kids like a serial killer, having nothing else to do. After spending fifteen minutes just staring at those kids and grinning like a fool, I got up from the bench and turned back to leave, Just then, I heard something move behind the bushes.
My mind went blank, my chest was weaving up and down and my lips quivered tremulously. I got petrified, but I tried to calm myself by inhaling deeply and exhaling a couple of times. Finally, I mustered some courage which meant just standing up with trembling feet and decided one thing I was good at and almost everyone in this situation- to run. I didn't want to get kidnapped or shot at least this time, which was why I traveled all the way here. I wasn't going to let my efforts go down the drain.
I was just about to run away with all my might when suddenly, I heard some noises like somebody whimpering in pain behind the bushes. It sounded like a little child in pain. I swallowed, the cries of the child for help pricking my ears. Convincing myself that there was no danger, I pushed the leaves of the bushes and peeked cautiously. Sadness tugged at my heart when I saw an angel-like little boy crying.
His hair was coal black and his wide eyes soft baby blue. He looked cute with those chubby, rosy cheeks and a small button nose. I assumed him to be roughly around four or five years old. My lips pursed into a thin line when I noticed his knees were bruised, blood oozing out of them.
"How did you fall?" I asked worriedly while inspecting his wound.
The boy pointed at the brick wall and said while sniffing, "Me and my friends . . . hide and seek and I climbed on the wall to hide this-this side, but then I fell,"
"It's okay, it'll be alright," I took out my handkerchief from the pocket, crouched in front of him, and wiped the blood which trickled down his leg.
"It hurts," he murmured while pouting ' he is so cute I thought, and offered him a KitKat which he denied. "No, my brother says not to take anything from strangers."
"Oh, alright. That's not a problem because I'm not a stranger, am I? You see---"
"No! My brother even said to not talk to strangers," he retorted firmly and I sighed.
"Screw your damn brother," I cursed under my breath, enjoying the privilege of Maureen Harris, because Maureen could curse,
Princesses couldn't.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he asked suspiciously, "What did you say? I didn't hear."
"Ah nothing," I said dismissively. "Anyway, where is your mum or that brother of yours?"
"Home, I came here alone to play. I live nearby," he said, his tone laced with pride of how he talked about coming here all alone. Suddenly, he clasped his tiny hands over his mouth and asked, "You're not going to kidnap me now, right? Since I'm alone . . ."
I laughed and ruffled his hair. "I have better jobs to do than kidnapping you."
He smiled mischievously and his soft babu hands suddenly caught mine. "Let's go then!"
Before I could question him, I was jerked forward as he dragged me outside the park and down the street. I was surprised that such a huge amount of energy was possessed by this cute little boy who no longer worried about his wound. I glanced at the GPS and noticed that this boy lived in the same street where I was going to live. And I was even more astonished to find out that he was my next-door neighbor.
The adorable boy's name was Kai and he briefly told me all about the neighborhood in a short span of time. He was equally excited to learn that I was his new neighbor.
We arrived at his house which was a split image of my house, the only difference being that this one looked a little older than mine. Kai let go of my hand and jumped up to ring the doorbell. I tapped my feet impatiently as we waited for a while. Soon, I heard some shuffling inside and the door was opened.
My breath hitched when I saw a boy who seemed approximately of my age, around seventeen years old who stood tall, towering above me. He was dressed appealingly in faded blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt. There was a faint trace of his biceps hidden under his t-shirts. His soft, dark-brown hair was falling on his forehead like waves and my hands itched to feel it between my fingers. His thick eyebrows were drawn into a frown, his plump, pink lips slightly parted, his strong arms crossed against his chest as his deep blue eyes bore into me.
Kai enthusiastically tugged at my shirt and chirped, " Noah, this is our new neighbor, Maureen. And Maureen, this is my brother---"
"Noah," I whispered in a barely audible voice and found myself lost in his deep hues of blue eyes.