Read Online Gilded by Christina Farley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christina Farley
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stomach churns, and my hands start to sweat.
My cell cuts the silence, and I nearly drop my bow. I dig through my backpack, following my ringtone: “Eye of the Tiger.”
It’s a text from Michelle: Missing u! Wish u were here.
Michelle! Just seeing her text pop up calms me. She is everything that my crazy family is not. She is normal. And I realize I’m craving that.
Me: What r u doing 2nite?
It only takes five seconds for Michelle to text back. Remember? Coffee Bean. Good Enough. Lily and Kumar here 2.
I slap my forehead. I’d forgotten about the concert. GoodEnough is a band comprised of kids from school, and Michelle, Lily, and I always support them.
Suddenly I’m desperate to get out of this stuffy apartment. I’ve got to do something other than sit around and wait for Haemosu to show up and kidnap me like Grandfather says. Plus Kumar is there, and I want to ask him about the possibility of alternate worlds.
I peer out the window, scanning the sidewalk for anything unusual. The memory of Glittery Guy and Haechi stops me short. Supposedly Palk sent Haechi as my protector, but I still don’t buy it. What if they show up again?
I hate this feeling, as if I’m some princess stashed away in a castle unable to escape.
No.
I won’t let stupid immortals ruin my life. They will not control me. I don’t even fully believe they’re real.
I text her back: Meet u in 20 min and then I slip on a tight black shirt and a pair of jeans. My hair’s a tangled mess, but I don’t bother with it as I toss a few things into my purse: iPod, cell phone, subway card; and then on impulse I snap a picture of my bow with my phone. I can’t wait to show everyone.
There’s no way Dad will let me escape to Myeong-dong. He’ll suggest his usual: homework, SAT prep, or college applications. I crack open my door and spot him still working on his laptop. He’ll totally see me leaving if I go out the front door.
Operation Sneak Out it is.
I plop two pillows on my
yo
, toss a blanket over them, and turn off the light. Then I slide up my window until the cool city breeze blusters against me and into my room. The city is alive tonight: restaurants flashing their neon signs, high-riseapartments lit up like Christmas trees against the dark sky, and the buzz of taxis and buses honking below. Even from this high up, I smell whiffs of Korean barbeque—
kalbi
—and kimchi.
Outside our apartment hangs a balcony that stretches from one end of the building to the other. Their thin privacy walls divide each apartment from the next. It isn’t the first time I’ve dangled over the edge, streetcars zipping below me, to swing into our neighbors’ balconies.
I creep to the railing, careful that Dad doesn’t catch my silhouette through the windows, and climb over the metal bars. I could fall, but I know I won’t. A burst of energy surges through me as I slither around to the other side of the divider into Mrs. Jung’s balcony, careful not to be spotted. I continue my escape route until I reach the end apartment where the fire exit steps are.
In seconds I’m tearing down the concrete stairs of the fire escape and outside, breathing in the night air.
The subway stop is at the end of our street. My ticket to freedom. Dad would never let me go off on my own in L.A., but Seoul’s a totally different matter. Sure, it’s like three times the population of L.A., but it’s so safe to walk around—even little kids travel alone on the subways at night. The neighbors tend to watch out for one another, and though the police cruise the streets, it’s more the honor system of the people that keeps things in order.
It’s Saturday night, so the subway station is packed. I join the throngs surging down the steps, scan my card, and weave my way to the Light Blue line. In the distance I can hear the eerie screech of the subway trains, and I find myself glancing over myshoulder, half expecting Haechi or Glittery Guy to jump out. The first train’s
My cell cuts the silence, and I nearly drop my bow. I dig through my backpack, following my ringtone: “Eye of the Tiger.”
It’s a text from Michelle: Missing u! Wish u were here.
Michelle! Just seeing her text pop up calms me. She is everything that my crazy family is not. She is normal. And I realize I’m craving that.
Me: What r u doing 2nite?
It only takes five seconds for Michelle to text back. Remember? Coffee Bean. Good Enough. Lily and Kumar here 2.
I slap my forehead. I’d forgotten about the concert. GoodEnough is a band comprised of kids from school, and Michelle, Lily, and I always support them.
Suddenly I’m desperate to get out of this stuffy apartment. I’ve got to do something other than sit around and wait for Haemosu to show up and kidnap me like Grandfather says. Plus Kumar is there, and I want to ask him about the possibility of alternate worlds.
I peer out the window, scanning the sidewalk for anything unusual. The memory of Glittery Guy and Haechi stops me short. Supposedly Palk sent Haechi as my protector, but I still don’t buy it. What if they show up again?
I hate this feeling, as if I’m some princess stashed away in a castle unable to escape.
No.
I won’t let stupid immortals ruin my life. They will not control me. I don’t even fully believe they’re real.
I text her back: Meet u in 20 min and then I slip on a tight black shirt and a pair of jeans. My hair’s a tangled mess, but I don’t bother with it as I toss a few things into my purse: iPod, cell phone, subway card; and then on impulse I snap a picture of my bow with my phone. I can’t wait to show everyone.
There’s no way Dad will let me escape to Myeong-dong. He’ll suggest his usual: homework, SAT prep, or college applications. I crack open my door and spot him still working on his laptop. He’ll totally see me leaving if I go out the front door.
Operation Sneak Out it is.
I plop two pillows on my
yo
, toss a blanket over them, and turn off the light. Then I slide up my window until the cool city breeze blusters against me and into my room. The city is alive tonight: restaurants flashing their neon signs, high-riseapartments lit up like Christmas trees against the dark sky, and the buzz of taxis and buses honking below. Even from this high up, I smell whiffs of Korean barbeque—
kalbi
—and kimchi.
Outside our apartment hangs a balcony that stretches from one end of the building to the other. Their thin privacy walls divide each apartment from the next. It isn’t the first time I’ve dangled over the edge, streetcars zipping below me, to swing into our neighbors’ balconies.
I creep to the railing, careful that Dad doesn’t catch my silhouette through the windows, and climb over the metal bars. I could fall, but I know I won’t. A burst of energy surges through me as I slither around to the other side of the divider into Mrs. Jung’s balcony, careful not to be spotted. I continue my escape route until I reach the end apartment where the fire exit steps are.
In seconds I’m tearing down the concrete stairs of the fire escape and outside, breathing in the night air.
The subway stop is at the end of our street. My ticket to freedom. Dad would never let me go off on my own in L.A., but Seoul’s a totally different matter. Sure, it’s like three times the population of L.A., but it’s so safe to walk around—even little kids travel alone on the subways at night. The neighbors tend to watch out for one another, and though the police cruise the streets, it’s more the honor system of the people that keeps things in order.
It’s Saturday night, so the subway station is packed. I join the throngs surging down the steps, scan my card, and weave my way to the Light Blue line. In the distance I can hear the eerie screech of the subway trains, and I find myself glancing over myshoulder, half expecting Haechi or Glittery Guy to jump out. The first train’s
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