Today was supposed to be one of the few days that I would have free time to sneak off into the real world and escape the false atmosphere around me. It seems that I'm always faking something. I've hidden clothes in my room, normal clothes, the kind that don't make you stand out in a crowd. Faded jeans and a sweatshirt, my 'normal' costume, by far the most important clothes I own. By convincing the maids not to turn me in for having them, I've been able to avoid detection thusfar.
I left the fairly empty house using an after school study club as an excuse. Of course there's no such club. Perfect people don't study, obviously. My Mother and Father had gone for the day, a business meeting that I would typically be roped into going to, but I managed to convince them that joining a study group would allow me to meet the families of other wealthy parents and open more opportunities. And of course my parents went for it. As I left, my clothes were stashed away in my book bag and the only person who knew where I would actually be was my driver, the only person I'd consider a 'friend'. We have a deal, after all. I caught him sleeping with one of the weapons sworn to a member of our family. I keep his illicit relationship secret, and he drives me where I want and sticks to my lies. Is being friends about a bond shared through mutual benefit? That's as close as I'll ever get, I think, so it doesn't much matter to me.
I changed in the car and stared at myself in the mirror. I did a rather good job today. From beneath my glasses I could see myself clearly, and I really did look like a normal girl. The hair of course was a bit of a give away, but with my hood up no one could really tell much of a difference. I never really stopped long enough to give anyone a good look at my face, so no one would be able to sort it out.
Or so I thought.
I made my way through the shopping centers as I normally would, quite enjoying myself. Some people might assume that for me, visiting public places like a normal girl would hold the same kind of charm as visiting a zoo. But no, for me it was like stepping into the life of someone else entirely. Seeing the world from some one else's eyes. I bought a cup of coffee and kept moving through the crowds. Head down. I entertained the idea of buying new clothes to hide between my bed, but even buying a coffee had been risky today. If anyone spotted me, rumors would start to fly. I would lose all of this pretend freedom I was barely clinging to.
From behind me, a hand on my shoulder. Instinct took over, no thoughts passed through my head. I turned and threw a punch, stopping just short of my assailant's jaw as soon as I recognized him. Good thing, too, I doubt such a white and straight smile would fair well with the addition of broken teeth. Ian stood there unmoving, as if the concept of oncoming pain was foreign to him. He beckoned for me to follow him, and without really knowing why, I followed. My mind shouted for me to tell him to piss off, but I followed down a few streets, eventually making it to an arcade. I'd never seen one, but the sign outside in all it's neon glory made it rather obvious that it was indeed called an arcade. Kids of all ages ran around pretty much unsupervised amidst a room of big machines with flashing lights and music. It was all quite distracting as I tried to listen to his explanation. We stayed and played a few of the games, he was much better than me at them, which was to be expected. But for once in my life I didn't resent someone for being more able than myself. I didn't feel a need to prove anything, the only thing that was expected of me was to have fun.
By the time I left, I had forgotten to ask him questions. Why had he been there? How was it that he was allowed in the outside world? Was he faking like me?
And more importantly, will he give away my secret?
