Spok3n

Thursday 7:53pm. 

Her gray eyes scan the room in front of her. She stares at it, frozen in place. Behind her a man stands impatiently. A frustrated sigh leaves his lips.

"Little girl, hurry up and get in. I have better things to do."

"Oh I'm sorry..I just..is there anyone that is going to stay with me"

"There will be a maid that comes here to check up on you every few hours. That is about all you get and you better be grateful for it"

The little girl nods silently while the man walks away rolling his eyes. 

How professional she thinks. The girl, Flower, turns back to the room. Her room, she corrects herself. She is smack in the middle of hell but at least she has a decent place. In the corner of the room, almost hidden from view, the desk chair falls apart. Ok, a decent room without a chair. No biggie. Flower closes the door, takes her bags with her and settles on a chair nearby. How did she get here? She takes a breath and looks around the room. The carpet is dark blue with splashes of white. Her walls and ceiling are painted hot pink. Either the men arranging her room thought she loves the color pink or they made it a blinding pink on purpose. Anywho, she didn't like it. Flower preferred creamy, gentle colors. On the far side of the room, thankfully away from the door, is her very own twin bed. It is pink and this time she likes it. Next to the bed is a little place in the wall holding her desk and the broken chair. On the opposite wall there is a painting of a beautiful green forest filled with flowers and wildlife. The rest of the room holds a two person couch, a charging port, a couple of drawers, a bed stand, a tiny closet that seems to be infested with rats, and several framed quotes across the walls. 

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela."If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." -Oprah Winfrey. "Whoever is happy will make others happy too." -Anne Frank. Flower looks past the work for she has never understood it. Her parents were unrightfully sent to jail and Flower was to be relocated to an orphanage. But for some odd reason, an authoritative looking woman had come to examine her the next day and decided she would live here. Where wealthy people thrive. Flower hesitates and then decides she needs to put everything in its place. Before she could even fathom where to start, a knock sounds at her door making her jump. Walking slowly and carefully she moves to the door. This would be a really useful time to have a peep hole. Before she'd come here, her friends informed her of all the unspeakable horrors rumored to happen behind closed doors. Unless you were able to afford guards or were the people working illegally then this place was as safe as the streets. Or even worse. In any case she has neither. Another ring at the door shakes her out of her thoughts and she slowly opens the door, ready to attack. At the other end of the door a well dressed woman smiles at her.

"Hello" the woman beams and her voice carries into the small room. 

"I just wanted to make sure you got here safe and sound"

"Yes hello…thank you I am ok" Flower puts on her best smile but could feel how stiff it is and just let it fall. The woman bends down and tucks a couple of strands of the girl's hair behind her ears.

"I know it can be hard at the beginning but you will get used to it and we'll keep you safe" Flower only stares back at her. The woman laughs then says "you'll have an amazing time here don't worry. Did you look under your bed yet? We left you a surprise there and we hope you like it" Before Flower has any chance to ask who the "we" is that she keeps mentioning, the woman is already gone, walking graciously back down the apartment rooms to the mall close by. The young girl squints at the slowly disappearing woman. She seems to have a certain elegance to her walk that no one else in this grand building has. She must come from a very wealthy family. What in the world is she doing talking to me and how does she even know me? Flower is confused but just let it slide. "I am overreacting. And of course the high families in control know everyone who comes in and out. It's fine." She repeats to herself. She then heads over to her bed and lowers her head to look under it. To her disappointment, she finds nothing. Flower wonders if the woman was making fun of her or if the gift simply didn't arrive or get to her. She decides the latter is most likely since the woman seemed genuinely nice. Another knock, softer this time, reaches Flower. She quickly opens the door, thinking it the woman again only to find a maid standing there with her head bowed, eyes cast down, and hands folded in front of her. 

"Hello are you the maid they told me about" The maid hesitantly looks up at Flower and nods. 

"Yes, I am, Miss. They told me to come check on you." The maid signals behind her for another maid, lower in rankings, to hand Flower her tray of food. Flower smiles. 

"Thank you so much for the food. Also there is no need for you to call me Miss. I am a thirteen year old orphan.You can call me Flower." The women nod and scurry away quietly. Weird. But just like the woman that visited her earlier, Flower brushes it off. She sits down on the ground and eats the food she was given. It isn't anything fancy, just a burger and fries with water. The maids don't match the food. However, Flower is grateful for the food and eats it for she isn't too picky. After that Flower starts unpacking and seeing where things belong. The clock on the wall tells her it is 8:27pm. It isn't too late but she likes to sleep early and she quickly rushes to clean up her place before she realizes something. Where is the garbage? Flower looks around again and back to the dishes in her hands. And where is the sink? Matter of fact, where in the world is the bathroom? Hating to get out but having to, Flower slowly opens the door and looks outside her room. Nobody. Not a single soul. 

"Hello" Flower whispers as if someone can hear her. The mall next to them is filled with sounds and laughter and the girl wonders how she is going to sleep. She is a light sleeper and always has been. Flower slips into the slippers she brought with her and walks down the apartment building. The grand building she is in is like a huge palace and there are hundreds of smaller buildings in it, like a grand mase. At the beginning Flower didn't understand it but now as she sees the mall and her apartment building under the same roof she understands. Flower walks all the way down the stairs. On the way she hears a couple fighting. In another room she hears the television playing. Flower unknowingly sighs in relief. She now knows she isn't alone and the noise makes things less scary because there are people all around her. When Flower finally reaches the bottom, her legs ache and she knows she should start moving more often. However, when she looks in front of her she forgets all her pain. When the rude man had led her to her room he had talked with the apartment owner, who had a room right over here. But when she looks right now she finds nothing. Where did the owner go? I swear I saw him here. I even remember his white hair and kind face. 

"Looking for someone"