A Journey
International School of Nanshan Shenzhen , Vallee , Gracie- 16
The streets were cold and dark , lit only by the dim glow of the street lamps , and Maria wandered around them frantically , like a rat in a maze , as if she didn ’ t know where she was and had to get out . That was how she felt . It was how she always felt . It was October , she was sure of it . The air was chilly and probably would ’ ve felt nice if it wasn ’ t suffocating her , leaking into her chest and clenching its bony fingers around her lungs until she couldn ’ t breathe anymore . She choked . She knew she was asthmatic , but she couldn ’ t do anything about it . She didn ’ t have a home . She didn ’ t have anything , really , except herself . She barely even had that anymore , because they kept trying to take it from her . It had happened three times before . She had lost her parents when she was little , and her siblings had all been adopted by other families . She had grown up alone in a home for abandoned children , and she had run away when she was fourteen , or around that age . The first time was shortly after that . The world proved to her quickly that it didn ’ t care about her wellbeing , and neither did any of the people in it . They wanted her as a physical possession , something to be used to entertain themselves , and then thrown away . The second time had been almost immediately after the first , and the third had been about a year ago , she estimated . It had been cold like this . It had been freezing .
Maria spent much of that night searching for a place to sleep , but she remembered that she couldn ’ t sleep anymore . Nowhere was safe . She kicked herself , angry that she could ever be so stupid . She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her old Goodwill jacket , which was tattered and dirty . Her dark hair was knotted and her eyes were puffy from a lack of sleep . She saw the silhouettes of two men in front of her and she turned on her heel , her heart pounding . She was ready to start running , but their shadows loomed over her , blocking out all the light , their booming voices filling her ears . They were too fast for her and they grabbed at her , picking over her bones and her clothes , ignoring her pleas and cries for help , for mercy , until she couldn ’ t run anymore . Maria opened her eyes and they were gone , their voices still ringing in her ears . She was in front of a convenience store . She looked it up and down , at the fluorescent lighting with the one broken bulb that flickered obnoxiously , at the short , narrow aisles half-full of bags of chips and candy bars concealed in their wrappers . At the refrigerators full of water bottles , foggy from condensation .
Maria ’ s gaze drifted to the cashier , a lanky dark-skinned teenager leaning against the glass cases of tobacco behind the counter . He yawned , and she felt herself tense , but then he started to shift , and as she watched , slowly inching back from the door , he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket . He went out from behind the counter and shuffled to the back of the store , disappearing from her vision . Maria raised her eyebrows and hugged her stomach . She hadn ’ t eaten since she had begrudgingly gone to a local soup kitchen two nights ago , due to her own desperation . In fairness , she hadn ’ t died yet , but she wasn ’ t sure how she was still running on that one meal . It wasn ’ t a crime to go into a convenience store and buy food , but it was a crime not to pay for it . She looked around for someone to ask for money , but to no avail . The streets were uncharacteristically empty for this part of town , but the rush of relief she felt at this was no surprise . Sad , Maria admitted to herself in a rare moment of reflection , but expected .
As if out of thin air , a presence seemed to materialize beside her . She stumbled back , caught off guard , but quickly regained stability , so to speak , and found her footing , ready to run if necessary .
“ What are you doing ?” A feminine voice , immediately preferable to the alternative . Women were safer in Maria ’ s experience , but still not always to be trusted . This voice had something to it , a kind of bewilderment mixed with what would otherwise be innocent confusion . It was off-putting . Maria looked the woman up and down . She looked young , maybe around the same age , and she was pretty . She had beautiful skin . It was unblemished and creamy and in the low light , it looked like she didn ’ t have any pores . Her cheeks were flushed from the cold . Maria studied her features for a moment , then watched her face screw up into a scowl . “ Uh , hello ?”, the woman said , squinting at her . Maria started . “ What ?”, she breathed . “ Why are you just standing there ? Why don ’ t you actually go in ?” “ Um —” “ Go on ,” said the woman , who had proved herself nosy and without boundaries . “ Are you buying anything ?” “ No . I don ’ t have any money .” The words left her mouth before she could consider them . “ I mean , you can go in . Sorry .” She started to back out of the way to the store ’ s entrance , but the woman swiftly moved to grab her arm . Maria pulled back , her reflexes kicking in , and she whipped her head around to find the best escape plan , immediately turning back to watch her opponent with now-sharp eyes . “ Wait !” The woman exclaimed . Maria didn ’ t move . “ I ’ m not trying to hurt you . I can get you something .”