Eloquence

Memphis.

There was no denying that this place was a change from her former home. Everything was different, down to the sound of the gravel crunching beneath her size sixes. The nights seemed so much darker, bringing a sinister air to the seemingly deserted city. There was no signs of life, besides the odd car that would pass her, or the occasional light flicking on in one of the apartment windows.

The sense of being completely alone scared her to an extent she couldn't describe, but she didn't want to turn back. You'd think her lack of maturity and street smarts would be enough to keep her from walking the city late at night, but did nothing but compel her to move further into the darkness.

She didn't know this city well; not at all in fact. She took turns that lead to unknown destinations, acting on only intuition to get her to the quiet place she was hoping to find. A peaceful place she could call her own, much like the one she had back home. All she wanted was peace.

Glancing up from her plimsolls, she noticed that she had walked herself into a dead end. The three buildings that surrounded her were tall; ten or so stories high, towering over her and making her feel smaller than she ever had.

It was darker there than it was on the streets, and it was damp. Puddles or unknown substances spotted the pavement below her feet, and there were five or so garbage dumpsters lined at against the building to her left. She tried to decipher what kind of building it was, squinting through the shadows to see the windows and metal-framed stair cases that lead from each. She could hear them shudder with each gust of wind, and creak as if their was someone moving on one of them. Eerie as it was, she ventured closer to the one to her right in particular. It's strange, zig-zag shape was intriguing to her and the feel of the rough, rusting metal was oddly comforting beneath her finger tips.

She lowered herself on the bottom steps, pulling her skirt to cover her knees and folding her hands neatly in her lap. Her plimsolls tapped against the ground, echoing throughout the alley way. It was an odd place to find a young girl, she knew that, but she liked it there. She liked the calm feeling that it gave her. She breathed in deeply through her nose, catching a smell she hadn't noticed before. It was an odd scent, musty and almost sweet. A smell slightly similar to wet grass. It was odd to her, considering she hadn't seen a speck of grass on her walk, and she had yet to see rain since she arrived there.

"Who're you?" She nearly jumped out of her seat, looking from side of side to see the owner of the voice.

As the smell became stronger, she heard the steps creak above her. She spun around, eying the dark figure sitting on the step about seven or so above her. By the sound of their voice, she guessed it was a boy. Young. His voice hasn't completely deepened yet.

There was a chuckle. "You do speak English, right?"

She swallowed. "Y-yeah."

It was quiet for a moment, and the smell was stronger once more. "What's your name, then?"

"J-Jordan." She stuttered.

"Jordan." He repeated. "Isn't that a boy's name?"

"I don't know." She shrugged her frail shoulders. "Maybe."

"Well, Jordan, how old are you?" He questioned.

"I'm going to be fifteen in October." She swallowed.

"A young one, I see." He chuckled. "Isn't it a little late to be out alone?"

"Maybe." She said quietly. "But I don't care."

"You don't care?" He questioned. “Aren’t you scared?”

“A little.” She shrugged. “But I have to learn to not be scared if I’m going to live here now.”

She heard the steps creak again, and she looked to see he was leaning back. “You’re new to Memphis?”

She sighed. “Yepp.”

“Oh, cool.” He smiled. “Welcome.”

Jordan stood from her step, brushing the wrinkled out of her skirt with the palms of her hands.

“Thanks... I guess.” She backed away. “I suppose I should be going.”

“Yeah.” He agreed. “Young girls like yourself shouldn’t wander through dark alleys alone at night.”

“I can handle myself.” Jordan insisted.

“I don’t know where you lived before this-” He laughed. “But here there are a lot of bad people, and they always come out at night. You should be a bit more careful.”

Jordan chewed on her bottom lip. “Good night.”

There was a pause. “Good night, Jordan.”
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