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Chapter 5 Chapter 7

Trance's Tale - Chapter 6

"You little slut," he snarled his face twisted with rage. "Now the police have reason to connect me directly with your activities. You've just become a liability." He reached down grasped Trance by an arm, pulled her to her feet, then dragged the still stunned girl to one of the store's closets. He opened the door and literally threw her into the storage area. There was a distinct click as he locked the door.

As Trance's head began to hear she could pick out the sound of Fagin talking to someone. She placed her ear against the door in an attempt to hear what he was saying.

"The girl you wanted. The purple one. Are you still interested in her. Good because she's just come on the market. How soon can you get here? Fine. I'll have her ready for you"

"Sikes," thought Trance. "He's going to give me to Sikes and before too long I'll be just like that girl Molly. I've got to get out of here."

She tried the door. As she expected it was locked, but that wasn't necessarily the only way out of the storage closet. There was a window set high in one wall. Trance pushed a chair that was lying alongside the far wall up against the wall that held the window to take a better look. The window was small but it looked like she might be able to squeeze through it. She tried to push it open but the window resisted her efforts. It was locked.

Trance stopped to collect her thoughts and fight down the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her mind, then took a second look at the window. A humorless smile flashed across her face. Fagin's lock picking training was about to be turned against him. The lock was designed to keep people on the outside from getting in, not to keep people on the inside from getting out. A few moments later the window was open and she was wiggling through it. It was a tight squeeze and it cost some skin but a few moments later she was running down an alleyway to where she knew she could find a public communicator and contact Concepcion.

"Grape, where are you?" asked Concepcion when she answered the call.

"I don't want to say just where I am," said Trance interrupting her friend. "The police caught me and Jenni in the room. Jenni got away but they arrested me."

"I know," said Concepcion. "Jenni contacted me after you got caught. The police were here looking for her. The entire neighborhood has been talking about it. How did you get away from the police?"

"I didn't," said Trance. "I called Fagin and he got me loose."

"Oh no," wailed Concepcion. "You didn't. He'll make you disappear for sure. No one ties him to one of their crimes."

"He's already tried to make me disappear. He was going to give me to Bill Sikes."

"What?" despair was replaced by amazement. "How did you ... Never mind it's not important. Listen, Grape you have to get away from here. If you crossed Fagin you won't be safe anywhere. I'll bring some clothes and some other stuff. We'll meet where that spacer from the Emperor Baranoth took you after I plucked him. I'm going to pack your backpack. I'll meet you in two hours."

Two hours later Trance was sitting in a dimly lit coffee house staring anxiously at the door leading into the shop. She wasn't worried about being recognized by any of the staff or patrons. The shop was the sort of place where if a police officer asked any of the patrons if they had seen Trance the patron would deny it even if she was sitting on their lap. But there was still a chance that the police could come in while she was waiting for Jenni and Concepcion. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Concepcion enter the building accompanied by a blonde woman. Then she recognized the other woman. It was Jenni. She had changed her hair color from dark brown to bleached blonde. After a quick set of hugs Concepcion handed Trance her backpack and they they sat down at the table

"Concepcion told me what happened," said Jenni, even before the coffee arrived. "You have to leave. Not just the spaceport, Bathsheba. You'll need to lie low for a few days till the police and Fagin stop actively looking for you then go to the spaceport and find someone who can take you off planet. It doesn't matter where they're going just as long as it's away from here. You know what they'll probably want in return for passage. I've tried to keep you away from that, but right now it's the only thing you're going to have to offer. If that's the price someone wants, pay it. I put one of my old working dresses and some makeup in the backpack. The dress is small for me so it should fit you."

"Jenni, Concepcion," said Trance, "the two of you can come with me. We can go someplace and start over. Find our perfect future together."

"Doing what, Grape? Stealing or selling our bodies? You have skills. You should be able to use your medical talents to find a job at a clinic or hospital somewhere. There's nothing for Concepcion and me out there except more of what we're doing here. Besides Sikes isn't interested in us. You're the one that needs to lay low and three girls, one of whom is purple are even more conspicuous than one purple girl. The best thing we can do for you is to act like we're trying to contact you. The police and Fagin will probably watch us thinking we'll lead them to you rather than spend time looking for you. And Fagin isn't going to do anything stupid if the police are watching Concepcion and me.

"Now stay here for a minute and let me check out the area to make sure no one is watching. If it's clear it's time for you to go." She walked to the doorway stood for a moment observing the people nearby then waved her hand in a 'come on' fashion. As Trance came to the doorway Jenni and Concepcion both hugged her.

"It's time for you to go, Grape," said Jenni. " Find somewhere safe to hide until some starships come in. Don't try to contact us and tell us where you are. What we don't know we can't tell. Now get out of here. And go with the Divine."

Trance stepped out into the street and began to walk. She had an idea of where she could go to lay low. After a few steps she turned back to the coffee shop. Jenni and Concepcion were already walking away from the shop, their backs to her. They didn't see her wave or the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

Chapter 5 Chapter 7