The road was steep and potholed across almost every inch. The houses that lined it were equally rundown villas with chipped paint, missing sideboards, and cracked windows. Lacey couldn’t help but wonder how the inhabitants survived the cold winters, although, in this neighborhood, the chances were that many didn’t. There were a few vehicles parked along the street, which were all in the same level of disrepair as the houses. In the ten minutes it took her to walk from the top of the street she saw only one person, who moved with more haste toward their house when they saw her.
Her clothing wasn’t over the top by any means; it was the lack of holes and the appearance of cleanliness that intimidated in this neck of the woods. She had a black coat over a tight white V-neck shirt, paired with tight black pants and boots laced up halfway. She knew better than to bring a bag with her to a place like this. It wasn’t because she thought less of these people like the rest of the city, she just knew what desperate people were capable of and so it seemed best to make herself appear as useless to them as possible. She could see some hopefuls with their noses to the window, but when they noticed her lack of belongings they slunk away.
When she reached the bottom of the street she reached a gate that probably cost more than all the houses in the street behind her combined. It was gold with a crest of stags and local flora, both of which had long been culled. It opened slowly when she approached, to a road knee deep with an opalescent liquid meant to discourage those without high tech vehicles. It was impossible not to roll her eyes at this mechanism of the rich every time she came here, despite the knowledge that there were almost certainly eyes on her.
She stepped onto the higher rung at the bottom of the open gate, hanging nimbly by one foot and a hand. She was in the habit of doing so simply because of how much the neighbours disliked like it, so she was unsurprised to be left hanging there for a minute, and eventually it began to close slowly. When it was almost closed she swung herself across to a brick fence and pranced across it as she heard the gate click closed behind her. She continued this along the front of a few properties, doing her best to be eccentric. She did little flips and cartwheels to get from one fence to the next until she reached the property she was looking for.
“I’m not getting my shoes wet for this!” Her yell elicited a change in the opalescent liquid leading to the front door.
When she placed her shoes on it now the liquid was as solid as the concrete outside the gates. It looked as if it should be slippery like ice, but her boots gripped it fine. Even knowing this she still felt anxious making that first step. By the time she reached the front door it was opening to greet her. A fit older man with greying black hair greeted her. He wore jeans and a collared shirt that looked like they had been severely over paid for, and a look of disdain at the sight of her.
“You know if you didn’t employ me you could save that look for the dickheads I work with. At least I’m a pretty face.” As she said this she caught sight of her meek face in a gold trimmed mirror. With deep green eyes framed by collarbone length brunette hair and soft yet defined facial features, she definitely fit in better here than some in her company would.
“The charming personality is all I need you for.” His face had a sour look, but he held some of the sarcasm back because he knew that was actually what he employed her for. “You know you could always turn it on for me too.”
“I’m sorry. Have you talked to those pricks you sent me over to? They used up all my charm three minutes into the exchange.” With that she pulled an envelope out of a pocket inside her jacket and handed it to him. “What are you going to do with this anyway?”
“That’s not for you to know sweety. You know the rules.”
“Well there’s nobody else who can do this for you, so I think you should give me some answers. I’ve never asked anything in the five years I’ve been doing this.”
“And you’ve sudden grown a conscience, have you? You should get rid of that before I do.” His face was hard as he said this.
“Noo. I think you should accept that nobody else has been this successful and I want in.” She was pushing it now.
“Hey Fred! Would you help me explain something to Lacey?”
She saw Fred, a bulky six-plus-feet of a guy who surely belonged as a security guard outside a nightclub, come around the corner. Next thing she knew half her face was cold and she was watching blood pool across white tiles.
When she woke up she was in another shitty neighborhood with the world spinning a little and an aching head. She tried to lift herself, but it ended in her hitting her head back against the concrete she was lying on.
“Fuck.” She paused then continued to herself, “I need a new job.”
“Hey Lacey. What’s up?” She could hear Micah, but it was hard to tell where he was or if he even existed.
Warm arms wrapping themselves around her and pulling her off the ground confirmed his existence. With no further questions he started walking in a direction that her muddled brain could not get a grips on.
“My boss sucks Micah. He knew that was going to happen. My head!”
“Yeah you look like crap kid. I agree; you need a new job.”
“I’d need manners for anything nicer than this though.”
She laid her head against his chest and lost consciousness again. When she awoke again she was in Micah’s bed with a towel under her head and it seemed safe to fall asleep for real.