The Escape

My new room was small but had a large walk in closet and two twin beds on both sides of the room. The walls were painted a pale pink, and there was a white carpet covering most of the floor. There was an old white dresser next to the bathroom door and a matching vanity next to the closet door. There was a nail polish stain on the floor by the vanity. One bed was completely empty nothing but white sheets and a white pillow. While the other bed was covered with purple sheets, pink pillows, a big fluffy yellow quilt and an overstuffed large stuffed dog. I did not know anything about this Carly person but judging on the room I was about to share with her I thought she may be nice. At that point though I did not care if she was a murder I just was happy to have a bed to sleep in and a place to keep me out of the rain.
I felt really awkward in this strange room. Wilton was so kind and invited me to go play a game of basketball with him and Peter but I did not want to intrude and I was much more comfortable spending time on my own. After my parents separated and my mother began drinking everyone in my family sorta went their own way and did their own thing. I spent most my time writing in my room. Once I went away to school I continued to keep to myself. I made a few friends but I defiantly was not out partying every night like most people my age. I suppose I just became use to being on my own so when I arrived at the shelter I really wanted to become almost invisible and sit alone.
“Who are you?”
“Oh hi, I am um Jessica. I just arrived a few hours ago. Cynthia said I could stay here.”
“You’re the new replacement huh? Well ok… I am Carly. Obviously this is my bed and my stuff so don’t mess with any of it. Did Cynthia give you your client list yet? I am sure she went on and on about the rules and how she runs things around here.”
“Um no she hasn’t, she kind of disappeared after she agreed that I could stay here. Wilton said she probably would be by to give me this client list you guys keep talking about. What is it, the client list I mean?”
“It is your job! You don’t think Cynthia would let you just live here for free. Its not like this place is cheep to running.”
“No I know. Wilton told me a bit about how everyone helps out around here, and Cynthia said that I would have to work to stay here. That she was not going to do anyone any favors. But when I tried to tell her about my qualifications she would not listen, and everyone keeps talking about these clients.”
“Oh boy! What are you like 19?”
“I am 22 years old, why?”
“Ha! Really? Well with your size you could pass for 17 but I knew you were over 18 because Cynthia refuses to let minors stay here. Mostly because of the work, if she starts to involve minors things will get way to complicated and messy. Or at least messier than they already do. So you said you talked to Wilton, what did he tell you?”
“Uh he told me that Cynthia needed help to keep this place running and that she was a good person and that most of the people who started this place with her have all left.”
“Ahhh hmm ok good.”
“Are they together or something?”
“Who?”
“Cynthia and Wilton?”
“Oh god no! I don’t really get them honestly. I guess it’s from knowing each other for so long they are close but Cynthia is not at all attracted to Wilton and I really doubt he is attracted to her. Cynthia is into the more bruiting type and well Wilton is more the athletic type. But anyway I am sure you will hear plenty of gossip once you get settled here.”
At first I thought Carly was a bit snobby but I realized she was just the oldest member at the shelter and she became like a mother to everyone. She quietly watches and observes everyone making sure things are alright, without ever really getting involved in everyone’s problems.
“Ok well since Cynthia is nowhere to be found I will have to tell you how things work around here. Everyone works for their own share, so if you eat a lot you better work a lot to make up for the amount of food you eat. If you want to buy nice items and things for yourself you better work enough to make enough money to give to Cynthia and still be able to keep a small cut for yourself. I already told you this is my stuff and you can keep all of your things over there. I am sure some of the other girls will be able to lend you some clothes until you can make money to buy some of your own. I will try and get your client list for you from Cynthia once I find her. But it’s pretty much take care of yourself and don’t worry about anyone else. We all don’t mind helping each other out once in a while but I mean we gotta take care of ourselves first. You have to remember that everyone here is suffering just as much as you if not worse. We all have had it hard and are just looking for a break. No one needs another person hanging off of them asking for help so don’t start asking people. Like I said before we all provide for ourselves so it keeps things pretty simple. Everyone has a list of regular clients then every now and then we will gain a large case where the entire mansion will work together on one client. Oh that reminds me the rules, well it is not really rules just more of guidelines. Don’t ever give a client any personal information or information that could connect back to the shelter and or Cynthia. The only time a Client will ever come here is if we are all working on the case, and even then we do not tell the client this is our home. Normally Cynthia will make up some story about this being a vacation home or someone else’s home that we are just staying in for now.”
“What kind of clients are these people. You make it sound like they are all thieves and criminals that will rob you or something.”
“Exactly!”
“What do you mean exactly? The clients are thieves? What kind of a place is this?”
“Oh calm down! I guess Wilton did not tell you much about Cynthia huh? Well make sure your listening because I will not repeat this and god if Cynthia heard me telling you she would kick me out for sure. When Cynthia was a baby her family was in a horrible car crash both her parents and older brother died. She had been staying with an Aunt and wasn’t in the car during the crash. So she grew up with her aunt in a mansion up in Maine somewhere. When Cynthia was about eight she ran away from her Aunts home, and that is when she started roaming the streets. I guess people felt bad for the poor little girl and started giving her things like food, money and clothes. After a while she started to learn how to use her innocence and whatever else to trick people out of things that she might need. Once she was 16 years old she met a group of people who took her in and taught her how to con people out of more money. That is how she survived on the streets, and when Cynthia was 20 years old her Aunt passed away leaving her this vacation mansion. I don’t know how true any of it is but Wilton claims it is. Apparently Cynthia found him sleeping on the steps outside about a year after her Aunt left her the mansion. He says Cynthia let him stay here with her and a bunch of other people. There was about five people living here at the time and they weren’t making enough to pay the bills. At one point they received a letter saying the mansion would be taken away if they did not start making payments. To me it all sounds a bit too dramatic but who knows I guess it is all possible that is when Cynthia got in touch with the people who taught her about the con artist business and I don’t know how but they helped her find money to save the mansion. Then Cynthia met a man named Carl Wartinsen he started paying her to con people out of their bank account information. Eventually everyone staying with Cynthia started working with her to be paid by Carl Wartisen. Carl started telling his friends about Cynthia and her friends, so Cynthia started to turn her skill into a business. Now our clients are the people we are hired to con out of their money, but most of the time these people are con artists themselves so it requires more skill than just simply tricking these people into giving us there information.”
It was all so confusing. It was as if once I stepped into the mansion I stepped into an alternate universe where thieves became rich by stealing from other thieves. It was madness but Carly was completely serious the whole time. Although she wasn’t too convinced with Cynthia’s back story it was clear that this is how things were now and I was going to have a list of clients or people that I would have to con, and not just regular people but professional con artists. I had no idea how I was going to do any of this. I was not a thief I was not capable of lying and getting money. Carly must have seen the look on my face as I tried to process everything she was telling me.
“Don’t worry it is not as bad as it sounds. Cynthia handles all the technical stuff. All we have to do is get the bank information then give it to her from then on it is in her hands. She gives it to the people like Carl Wartisen then they pay her for it. Then she puts some of the money to bills for the mansion and the rest goes to us. Trust me you will get the hang of it in no time.”
“But Carly I don’t know how to con anyone out of anything!”
“Ok listen Jess it’s obvious you haven’t been on your own for long.”
“No I left school a few weeks ago.”
“Ha only a few weeks? You have no idea what it is like to be on your own. All you will have to do is take the guy out to eat have a few drinks get them comfortable and before you know it they will be in the palm of your hand.”
“Guys, drinking?”
“Well yeah see that is what I meant when I said involving minors makes things complicated. If minors start living here they won’t be able to keep up with the clients and it would be harder for them to get the information.”
“Yes I totally understand that, but I … I don’t think I can do this. I don’t drink and I have never been a social person. I don’t know how to talk to people and smooth talk anybody. Especially not guys, I have never had a boyfriend or even guys who are friends.”
“Jess take a breath I am sure you will do fine. Listen I am really tired I have been out with this bozo all night, so I am gonna get to bed. Go down the other hall the last room on the right is Cynthia’s office you can ask her about the clients, but I doubt she will give you a job for the next few days so she can get an idea of what you are like.”