He had a new woman, sometimes more, every night. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror, her black eye, looking worse than before against her pale skin. She grabbed one of the hats her father kept at the base of the stairs and pulled it low over her face. She grabbed the wallet lying on the table and punched in the code to the door. It opened with a hiss and she slipped into the black night. Walking as nonchatanly as she could she avoided eye contact with passerbys. Hoverbikes zipped by as she was bumped and pushed about on the crowded streets. She had to make it to the nearest station. She was going to be on the first ship out of this place. Wanting to get as far away from the beast, that was her father, as she could.
Checking in the wallet she noted that she only had 500 credits with her. Looking in the back she saw her fathers cards. She should be able to pay with that, until he noticed it was missing. She straightened her dark gray jacket and settled the cap on her head as she read the destinations. Tirear, 111,298 kilometers away. Good enough. She went to buy her ticket. The man at the desk looked bored. "Destination?" he asked. She fumbled with the wallet and she reached for the card to hand him, "One ticket for Tirear, please." He took the card, "Any luggage?".
She swung her pack to show him, "Just this one." She replied. "One ticket to Tirear, one carry-on, $934. Name?"
She paused a moment, debating on using her name or not... The card was in her fathers name. She'd have to use her last name. No sense in changing the first. "Jessie Lawrence." The man handed her the card back and her ticket. "Have a nice trip, Ms. Lawrence."
She nodded and took her bag and ticket to the ship. Flying always made her nervous. She boarded the ship and handed her ticket to the woman at the door. "Seat 4A," she said, "Right down the aisle, on the left."
She walked to her seat and sat down with a sigh. So far, so good. She pulled her pack into her lap as she let her eyes close. She didn't see the man sitting across the way.
She didn't notice how he watched her with eyes shining in the dark. 'How long before he notices that I'm gone...? How long before I can't use the card anymore...? He'll be able to trace where I headed... I'll have to hop another ship when I get to Tirear..." These thoughts and many others ran around in her head until she was exhausted from just thinking about it. She dozed off into a fitful sleep. The eyes across the way took in the sight. About 5'7"... Close to 120lbs... Young. 18, 19 maybe. Long, dark blond hair, pulled into a pony tail... He could smell the rose petal shampoo that lingered... Green eyes, hidden beneath the cap...No doubt trying to conceal the bruised cheek... Pale skin... Porcelein. Plain jeans, t-shirt modest, but revealing shapely large breasts with each breath. Nondescript clothing... He knew that look. This girl was on the run...
"What's she running from?" he wondered. "The bruises..." He sat back and watched.
Jessie startled, wondering what had woken her, she didn't remember dozing off. There were more people on board now, maybe a dozen in total. The starting of the engines must have woken her. She clutched the arm of her seat. Oh, she hated to fly. At least it wasn't innerplanetary... She hated the lightspeed jumps. Her father had dragged her all across the galaxy after her mother died. She looked around and for the first time noticed the man sitting next to her. He was a large man. Dark skinned. Heavily muscled. Wearing a black shirt and leather pants to match. Black combat boots and black goggles over his eyes. He looked intimidating with his head shaved and seams practically bursting on his shirt. She wondered when he had sat down. He was looking forward, with those goggles on she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. She didn't know why she was wondering. She was hoping this time of night that she would be able to travel alone. Fewer people around, fewer to notice. "I've just got to dodge him for two and a half months... Then I'l be 18. Freedom."
She sat back thinking of why she was running away... Her father had abused her enough, sold her to many men through the years. She had always held on to the hope that when she turned 18 she'd be free. Until three nights ago... When that man had shown up. She'd over heard him. He wanted to buy her for his 'Emporium'. Women sold there never saw the world again. She took her first chance... Here she was now. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the man next to her again. She was slightly nervous sitting next to him. There were very few other people on board and none nearby... She settled into the corner of her seat away from him, trying not to show her worries. Something about him was dark. Intimidating.