7. Kathleen

The dark, dirty steps in front of me shine from the rain. I hesitate.

Is this really my only choice? To sell myself?

I take the first step, just as the doors barrel open and a boisterous man swaggers through. His arm is slung over another"s, and the two of them can hardly wobble their way down the stairs as one slurs their way through a story.

"An" I told the bitch "Fuck off! Love if you want a tip, you shoulda at LEAS" given a smile!". You "ow what she did? Raised a hand to me! Right whore had to comp my service and got fired!"

The two men cackle as they push past me, neither of them bothering to even notice I was there. The stench of liquor and grime wafted behind them, and I covered my nose as I watched their bodies fade away in the darkness.

Is that what I"m going to have to deal with?

My thoughts are interrupted by a hoarse, loud voice hollering down those same stairs on which I hesitate.

A man shouts at me from the top of the stairs, his dark, line-scarred face illuminated by the flickering street lamps that cast his wide grin in sharp contrast. His large, muscular frame leans against the sturdy wooden door jamb.

The man, well dressed for his position, bellows, "What the hell are you doing down there?!"

With a start, I realize I"ve been daydreaming. I shake off the daze and climb the stairs, my heart now pounding in my chest. I silently pray. I need to help my grandmother, and to do that, I need money.

To get money, I need…this place.

I reach the top of the stairs, my breath coming in ragged gasps, and stumble onto the large, ornate entryway. Inside, it smells like sex and cheap perfume. The man, a doorman, it seems, laughs heartily, a deep, resonant sound that echoes off the high ceilings.

"What the bloody hell do you think you"re doing?" he asks, clearly amused by my curious plight. "You can"t just come waltzing up to the door like that, you know!"

I swallow hard, feeling a blush burn in my cheeks, wondering just how to explain my situation. The doorman crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow as he looks me up and down, his gaze landing on my tattered clothing and the dirt that streaks my face.

"Well, well," he drawls, a grin playing on his lips. "You look like you"re about as out of place here as a fish out of water."

I bite my lip, my nerves getting the best of me. "Maybe I made a mistake," I mutter under my breath.

The doorman chuckles, his mirth only exacerbating my unease. "Do you, now?"

"I"m here," I said, my voice trembling. "For the position." I pray he won't laugh at me, at my audacity, my desperation.

He raises an eyebrow again. "You'll need to be more specific. Our girls specialize in lots of positions here."

My stomach roils at the leer in his tone. "Please. I…if I could just speak to someone inside?"

"You didn"t even think about cleaning yourself up first? The madame won"t even take a look at you in the sorry state you"re in." He doesn"t move to step out into the cold, but the door starts to close behind him. "We have standards you know, much higher than your hygenic routine, obviously." He chuckles to himself, and I feel a pit in my stomach start to grow. I bite back the tears threatening to well up in my eyes, and beg for another chance.

"Please! I"m a virgin!" I see his face screw into a mocking position, and he clasps his hands together. "Isn't that worth a bit of money?"

"Love, haven"t you seen the women in here? They"re beautiful. We can"t have raggedy dolls off the streets lowering our customers" expectations. Sell yourself on a corner, you"ll have better luck there." He wrinkles his nose. "Maybe."

The door opens back up behind him, and he waves me off as he slips behind its wooden frame. All at once, I feel my heart drop. I slouch, my legs threatening to break under me. But I steel myself. Wiping the cold rain from my face, I back up.

I grit my teeth. I won"t let fate dictate how my life will turn out.

As I walk away from the building, I notice a figure lurking in the shadows. He seems to be watching me intently, and I feel a shiver of fear run down my spine. I quicken my pace, not wanting to draw his attention, but he follows me. I try to lose him in the maze of alleyways, but he keeps appearing around every corner.

I know I have to face him. I stop and turn to confront him, my heart pounding in my chest. He is tall, with a rough, unkempt appearance, and his eyes seem to hold a fiery intensity.

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice shaking.

He smiles, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. "I"m your savior," he says, extending a hand. "I have something that can help you."

I hesitate, and he uses that opportunity to lunge toward me. With a yelp, I stumble back, and take off sprinting. I know these alleys like the back of my hand, their weaving tunnels guiding me closer and closer to my home. I don"t know how long it takes, but I finally lose him in the maze. Panting, I straighten my back, and begin to walk towards the small cottage that I call home.

The rain beats down on me, cold and unforgiving, but I ignore it.

In the distance, I can see a soft flicker of light through the heavy rain clouds. It"s the familiar glow of the elf base camp.

That elf in the forest – could he be based there? I don't know why I'm so convinced he might help me. Maybe the cold and rain and desperation have finally done my sanity in. But something tells me he might.

He helped me once.

I quicken my pace. I can"t help but feel a glimmer of hope, a small spark of courage that burns brightly in my chest. I break out into a small jog, weaving through the darkness of the alleyways, the rain pounding against my skin, but I don"t care. I"m not about to let my grandmother's slip away.

As I approach the gates, I can"t help but feel a sense of foreboding. It"s a strange feeling, a knot in my stomach that twists and turns, as though I expect something bad to happen. I tell myself that's just the normal expectation for a human around elves. Something bad usually happens.

"You here to see the captain?" An elf in a uniform tilts his head, looking at me skeptically.

"Yes." I clear my throat. "Sorry about my appearance. The rain…"

But he's already waving me through. I might not be much of a beauty right now, but at least I don't look like any sort of threat.

Inside the camp, I search the crowd for the man in particular I can"t seem to set eyes on. There"s no one outside. The rain must have sent them all in. I stare up at the sky, it"s dark clouds warning me to go home before I catch a chill.

Instead, I defy the rain, and settle down with my back to a tree. I have a clear view of the entrance, and if he passes through, I won"t be able to miss him.

As the night deepens, the air grows colder and heavier with every passing moment. My body trembles, seeking warmth that it can"t quite find. The steady rain against my skin has numbed me, but I don"t dare move. I can"t risk missing him..

As the hours pass, I feel a sense of desperation creeping in. With each merciless droplet that falls from the sky, it feels as though I"m being pelted with tiny daggers. But still, I hold my ground.

Finally, as the first streaks of dawn begin to break through the darkness, I see him. In the distance, he walks beside another, taller elf. They are animatedly talking, and I strain my ears to hear. My eyes stay glued to my quarry, and I step forward as I wish him to notice me.