Page 14 of Traces of Her
Jared runs his hands through his hair, pulling on the strands hard and then violently scratches both arms. “Whatever, man,” he huffs, “You got a couple bags for me?”
“You got my money from the last time?” Charlie counters.
“Scarlet!” Jared barks and she jumps up to her feet. “You got that fuckin’ money?”
She grabs her purse, fishing around inside. “Yeah, I got it here.” She pulls the wad out and Jared rips it from her hand, throwing her off balance. She nearly falls to the ground before catching herself on the coffee table.
“Dumb bitch,” Jared mutters and Charlie glares at him. He shoves the money into Charlie’s outstretched hand and rolls his eyes. “What about that new shit?” he asks, rubbing his nose.
“You’re fuckin’ kiddin’ right?” Charlie lets out a harsh laugh. “I’m not frontin’ you shit anymore. You want anything, you pay upfront like everyone else.”
“What the fuck,” he growls, rubbing his face. “Scarlet, get the fuck up,” he demands, grabbing ahold of her arm and hauling her to her feet. “We’ll be back,” he mumbles to Charlie.
Jared is clearly the ringleader, as the rest of the group begins to file out the door after them. He’s also the one with the hook up here, so there’s no purpose for them sticking around.
I stand up from the couch, unsure what to do or where to go. I don’t know where I fit into this equation at all. “Ro,” Scarlet calls from the door. “You comin’?”
I look over at Charlie and he shrugs. “You don’t gotta go.”
I look back at Scarlet and shake my head. She opens her mouth to say something but is quickly dragged away by Jared. I sit back down on the couch, folding my hands in my lap.
“They’re your friends?” Charlie asks, leaning against the wall with a curious look on his face.
I shake my head.
“Didn’t think so,” he concurs. “And I’ve never seen you here before.”
“I’m not from around here,” I lie.
He slowly nods as if he knows I’m lying. “So where are you stayin’? What brings you here?”
“I’m in between places right now,” I shrug. It’s not a lie, but it’s not a truth. I ignore the second question. He narrows his eyes and then they grow soft again.
“Tell you what,” he starts. “I got an extra room you can have if you help me out around here.”
I stare at him blankly, not sure whether to trust him or not. He stares at me, waiting for an answer. I have nowhere else to go except for the streets. He doesn’t scare me after the shit I’ve lived through.
“I’ll get a job so I can pay you too,” I add to his stipulations.
“Nah,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t want your fuckin’ money, kid, just pay me back by helping me out.”
“Okay.” I nod. I could still get a job and save up money to leave here. I needed to get as far away from here as possible.
“Cool,” Charlie says, pushing off the wall. “Come on, Casper.” He strides toward the door. “Let’s go clean up your shoulder before that dumb fuck gets back here.”
I stand up, following him across the room. “My name is Rowena,” I tell him when I stop beside him.
“I know,” he shrugs. “You’re that kid that went missing. Can’t forget that white hair and a name like that. Shit was all over the news, especially after the car accident.”
My eyes widen at his realization. Being recognized was the last thing I needed, but he confirmed the truth about my parents. They really were gone.
“You want to be found, Rowena?” he inquires.
I shake my head. “No,” I say quietly. There’s no one to find me.
He smiles. “Didn’t think so.” Slowly closing the door, he leans toward me with a serious expression. “You think my real name’s Charlie?”
Cocking my head to the side, I raise an eyebrow in response to his question. I didn’t think about whether it was real or not. He was just Charlie to me.
“We hide in plain sight,” he whispers. “So until you’re ready to be found, keep your name to yourself.”
I give him a curt nod, remembering Scarlet already knows my name.
Charlie’s lips curl upward into a smile and he turns to walk down the hallway. “Come on, Casper,” he calls over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” Suddenly, he stops, fishing into his pockets and turns around tossing a set of keys to me. I catch them easily, feeling the weight of the metal in my hand. “Lock that door for me.” He winks and heads back down the hall.
My hands shake as I brace them against the door and slowly insert the key into the slot of the deadbolt. The click of the lock turning vibrates through my hand and my ears. Charlie handed me the key to lock his door, which was the same key I needed to finalize my freedom.
A weight is lifted from my shoulders as I stand on the opposite side of the locked door with the keys in my hand, holding the power. Smiling to myself, I swing the keyring around my finger and stride down the hallway to find Charlie.