Arianna Smith's Arc

Chapter 7 of 23

Saturday hid behind two days that shrank fast. Arianna had the address. She had the dream. She had no way to reach it. She checked the schedule on her fancy phone. No buses ran to the mansion. The one ride service near her wanted more money than she had. She stared at the gray line of text. Cantrall Crest Mansion. So close, and no road to it. She went outside and stood by her little red car. The butterfly on the hood had faded. The plate still shouted her love for Kylie. She tried the engine. It coughed once and died. She tried again. Nothing. The gas gauge sat on empty, and her wallet held forty dollars until the tenth. Arianna sat on the cold step and did the math. Forty dollars couldn't fill the tank and pay for the drive both. Her hands shook the old way. She almost texted Kylie an excuse. She almost typed the words that would end everything. Then she stopped. Honest. That word had gotten her this far. She wouldn't quit on the last step. She went inside and pulled out the map Kylie's team had sent. It was cute, hand-drawn, hearts along the route. It showed her house on one side and the mansion on the other. Between them ran one winding line past two parks and a cafe. She traced it with her finger. Not far. Just far enough that walking meant hours in the cold. Arianna measured the line again. She counted the turns. She could reach the tank halfway on forty dollars. The rest she could walk. Her feet, not the engine, would carry her the last mile. She spent thirty on gas. She spent the last ten on food and water for the road. She packed her red outfit in a bag so it wouldn't wrinkle. She hugged Purr-cy and left food in his bowl. Saturday came gray and sharp. Arianna drove the cute red car until the gauge dropped to nothing. She pulled over where the map showed a park. She locked the car and started walking, bag over her shoulder, breath white in the air. The last mile burned her legs. Her shoes rubbed. She kept the map open and matched each turn to a heart. Past the cafe. Past the second park. Then the palm trees rose over a tall fence. The mansion filled the whole view. A waterfall poured down the front. A pool shone at the side. The gate stood taller than her house. Arianna stopped at the bars, cold and out of breath, an hour late but there. She pressed the buzzer. A voice crackled back. "Name?" "Arianna Smith," she said. "Kylie's expecting me." The gate clicked and swung open. She had made it. Now she stood alone inside Kylie Cantrall's gate, with nowhere left to hide.