The Runaway Heiress And Her Monster

The freezing wind pushed through the cracks in the window frame.

Adelynn pulled the pilled grey blanket tighter around her shoulders. Her fingers flew across the chipped keys of her laptop. The plastic keys clacked in the quiet room. She needed to finish this article. She needed the money.

A red notification popped up on the bottom right of her screen. Bank account balance: insufficient. Twelve dollars.

She closed her eyes. Her stomach cramped, a sharp twist of muscles that made her breath hitch.

A loud bang vibrated through the floorboards.

Stan, her landlord, was hitting the ceiling from the apartment below. His muffled shouts about the overdue rent crawled up the walls. Adelynn felt her heart slam against her ribs. She hit the mute button on her keyboard. She stopped breathing. She sat completely still in the freezing room, waiting for the shouting to stop.

Her phone lit up on the desk. Kindra.

Adelynn pressed the ignore button.

Three seconds later, someone pounded on her apartment door. The cheap wood rattled in its frame. Dust fell from the top hinge.

Adelynn grabbed the box cutter from her desk. She pushed her bare feet against the icy floor and moved toward the door. She pressed her eye to the peephole.

Kindra stood in the hallway. She wore a sequined slip dress and stomped her feet against the cold tiles.

Adelynn dropped her shoulders. She put the box cutter on the counter and unlocked the deadbolt.

Kindra pushed through the narrow opening before the door was fully open. The smell of cheap vanilla perfume filled the small space.

Kindra grabbed the grey blanket and ripped it off Adelynn.

"It feels like a morgue in here."

Adelynn snatched the blanket back. She wrapped it around her waist and pointed at the open door.

"Go back to wherever you came from."

Kindra ignored her. She walked straight to the desk and pressed the power button on the monitor. The screen went black.

"If you didn't save that, I will actually kill you." Adelynn rubbed her thumb hard over her knuckles.

Kindra shrugged. "It's New Year's Eve. You are not dying in this moldy apartment tonight."

"New Year's Eve is a scam invented by corporations to make poor people spend money they don't have."

"You look worse than the homeless guy on the corner, Adelynn. Your skin is grey."

Adelynn turned around and reached for the laptop. "I have to work."

Kindra grabbed her wrist. Her grip was tight. Adelynn winced. Her bones felt sharp under her skin from not eating enough.

"My new boyfriend is paying for everything tonight. Free drinks. Free food."

Adelynn stopped moving. The muscles in her stomach twisted again. Free food.

Kindra saw the hesitation. She pulled a tube of lipstick from her purse and shoved it toward Adelynn's face.

Adelynn jerked her head back. The red lipstick smeared across her cheek.

"Stop it." Adelynn pushed Kindra's shoulder.

They shoved each other in the tight space between the bed and the desk. Adelynn's hip hit the corner of the table. A violent spasm ripped through her empty stomach. She bent over and grabbed her waist.

Kindra dropped her hands. Her eyes widened.

Adelynn took a slow breath. She stood up straight and wiped the red smear off her cheek with the back of her hand.

"If the food is bad, I will shove your head in a toilet."

Kindra squealed. She turned and ran to Adelynn's tiny closet. She started throwing clothes onto the floor.

Adelynn looked at the mess. She looked at her black monitor. She let out a long breath.

Kindra held up a faded cotton t-shirt with two fingers. She wrinkled her nose.

Adelynn snatched the shirt from her hand.

"This cotton is a hundred times better than that glowing plastic dress you're wearing."

"If you wear this, the bouncers will think you're there to take out the trash."

Adelynn fell back onto her mattress. She closed her eyes.

"Good. I can sleep."

Kindra jumped onto the bed. She grabbed Adelynn's shoulders and shook her hard.

"Get up or I will smash your laptop."

Adelynn's eyes snapped open, and the look in them was no longer just angry, it was feral. She shot up into a sitting position. "Touch it," she whispered, her voice dangerously low, "and I will break both of your hands." Kindra froze, genuinely scared. She pulled her hands back slowly.

Kindra reached into a designer shopping bag on the floor. She pulled out a black velvet slip dress. The price tag still hung from the strap.

"I borrowed this for you. It will fix your terrible taste."

Adelynn looked at the numbers on the tag. Her stomach dropped. She pushed the dress away.

"I am not wearing that. It smells like rich people."

Kindra rolled her eyes. "Your weird hatred for anyone with money is going to ruin your life."

Adelynn felt a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck. The word 'money' brought a flash of cold marble floors into her head. The Callahan estate. She rubbed her thumb over her knuckles, pressing hard enough to hurt.

"I am allergic to consumerism." Adelynn raised her voice to cover the shake in it.

Kindra didn't argue. She pulled the velvet dress over Adelynn's head.

Adelynn fought against the fabric. The material was tight. She let out a muffled curse as her head popped through the neck hole.

Kindra pushed her toward the water-stained mirror on the back of the door.

Adelynn looked at the glass. The black velvet hugged her ribs and hips. Her pale skin stood out against the dark fabric. The exhaustion in her posture was hidden by the expensive cut of the dress.

She hated it. She looked exactly like the girl she used to be. The girl forced to sit at long dining tables with people who despised her.

She reached behind her back to pull the zipper down.

Kindra grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them to her sides.

"If you take this off, you get no Wagyu beef. No champagne."

Wagyu beef. Adelynn's mouth watered. She stopped fighting. Her arms dropped to her sides.

Kindra kicked a pair of thin stilettos across the floor.

"Put them on."

Adelynn stared at the shoes. They looked like torture devices.

"I only wear Converse."

Kindra grabbed one of the heels and walked toward the window. She opened the glass.

"Fine. I'll throw them out."

Adelynn gritted her teeth. She grabbed the other shoe. She forced her feet into the tight leather.

She stood up. Her ankle wobbled. She grabbed the edge of the closet door to stop herself from falling.

Kindra grabbed her chin. She swiped a thick layer of mascara over Adelynn's lashes, covering the dark circles under her eyes.

Adelynn looked in the mirror again. A bitter smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

Kindra checked her phone. "The Uber is downstairs."

Adelynn reached for her faded canvas tote bag. Kindra slapped her hand away.

Kindra shoved a tiny, hard clutch into Adelynn's hands. She grabbed Adelynn's arm and pulled her out of the apartment.

The Uber stopped in front of a massive black door.

Adelynn pushed herself out of the car. The stilettos pinched her toes. The freezing Manhattan wind hit her bare shoulders. The skin on her arms broke out in goosebumps. She pulled her arms tightly across her chest.

She looked at the building. There was no sign. Just two massive men in black suits standing by the door.

"This place looks like a high-end money laundering front."

Kindra slapped a hand over Adelynn's mouth. She looked around with wide eyes.

"Shut up."

Adelynn walked toward the back of the long line on the sidewalk. Kindra grabbed her elbow and pulled her toward the VIP entrance.

The bouncer's eyes dragged over Adelynn, assessing her worth and finding it lacking. He held up a thick arm.

"Invitation or membership."

Kindra stuttered. "My boyfriend. Gilbert."

The bouncer didn't even look at his tablet. "Everyone's boyfriend is Gilbert tonight. Back of the line."

Adelynn felt her stomach turn. She hated that look. She turned around to walk away.

Just then, the heavy black doors pushed open. A man in a tailored charcoal suit walked out.

Kindra squealed. She threw herself into his arms.

Gilbert caught her. He smiled. Then he looked over Kindra's shoulder. His eyes locked onto Adelynn.

Gilbert's smile faded slightly. A deep crease formed between his eyebrows. He stared at her face. He tilted his head, a look of pure confusion crossing his features.

Adelynn crossed her arms over her chest. She glared back at him.

Gilbert blinked. He forced a perfect, polite smile onto his face. He held out his hand.

"I'm Gilbert."

Adelynn stared at his hand. She reached out and tapped his fingers with hers before pulling away. Her skin was freezing.

Gilbert didn't react to her rudeness. He turned to the bouncer and nodded.

The bouncer stepped aside. The heavy doors opened all the way.

A wall of heavy bass and hot air hit Adelynn in the face. The smell of expensive cologne and sweat made her throat close up.

She took a step back. Her stomach rolled. She was starving, but the smell made her want to throw up.

Kindra held Gilbert's arm and walked inside. Adelynn followed them.

They walked down a dark hallway. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The bright light stabbed at Adelynn's eyes. She calculated how many months of rent one of those crystals could pay for.

Gilbert looked back at her. He slowed his pace.

"Is it too loud for you?"

"The noise is perfect for covering up the sound of capitalists sucking blood."

Kindra let out a loud, fake laugh. She squeezed Gilbert's arm.

Gilbert didn't get angry. A low laugh rumbled in his chest.

"That's a new metaphor."

Adelynn stared at him. She decided he was insane.

They walked into the main room. Hundreds of bodies jumped and pushed against each other. The air was thick.

A waiter rushed past them with a tray of drinks. His shoulder slammed into Adelynn's back.

Adelynn's ankle rolled in the stiletto. She fell sideways.

Gilbert reached out. His large hand grabbed her bare arm. He pulled her upright.

Adelynn gasped. She looked up at him. Her eyes were wide with shock.

Gilbert looked down into her eyes. His breath caught. His fingers tightened on her arm for a fraction of a second. An inexplicable feeling of familiarity, sharp and unsettling, struck him.