I. Unsolicited Advice

"How far are we from Manhattan?" Ivory asked the driver sometime later.

"A half-hour."

The good thing is that they lived in Queens, so they weren't that far from Manhattan, but because so many people were driving and because of the unnecessary number of tolls, the journey is longer than it should be. The two girls were in the back, talking about where they were thinking about staying in Manhattan. Ivory didn't know if they'd find a place to work that fast, but it was nice to believe that a job would be handed to them in a heartbeat.

Ivory wondered what Manhattan was like. She pictured it being busy was because the city was the melting pot of jobs, stores, and tourists. When Ivory was younger, the older kids would tell them that there were tons of homeless people and scammers there, but that was because the wealthy live in Manhattan and could afford such luxury; there were tons of tourists who would pay anything to get something. Ivory was always amazed at that idea because she has always liked the idea of seeing the city. If someone tried to steal from her or Viper, it wasn't like they had anything valuable, besides their contract that the two of them made when they were little girls, declaring their friendship, no matter what happened or how far they were from each other's reach.

"Ivory, people will think that we are poor. They might take us in," Viper broke her best friend out of her thoughts.

"I'm not taking a step forward without you. We have always been there for each other, and I won't throw that away."

"Me either," Viper smiled. "Though, there is just one thing—"

"What?"

"The gang that I mentioned earlier. What if we bump into any members?"

The driver glanced at them but said nothing. Ivory then knew that they had to be careful.

"Viper, who knows where the gang is. Besides, remember what I told you before—mind your own business; it'll keep you out of trouble. We've always wanted to go to the city, you aren't going to ruin it now."

Viper sent her a dirty look but said nothing and peered out the window, seeing the buildings behind them getting smaller. In the distance, large and old buildings were in view—she smiled, seeing the city from afar was magnificent, but seeing it was much more exciting. She jumped up and down in her seat.

Ivory couldn't believe that she was actually going through with the fantastic plan to run away and start fresh, and what made it even better was that she was with her best friend. Ivory began to feel hungry, and she pulled out a turkey sandwich from her bag as Viper pulled out a ham sandwich from hers.

After lunch, the two girls decided to know more about the driver. He was taking them to Manhattan, and he didn't seem like he talked that much. Maybe he did. It was probably because he was twice their age or didn't have much to say.

"So, how long have you lived in New York?" Viper asked.

"Fifty years," The Gentleman replied.

"Wow, that's a long time," Ivory responded, surprised. "Do you like it?"

"Well, I wouldn't live here if I didn't like it."

"Not to be rude, but why did you willingly give us a ride?" Ivory asked.

"I don't know if you noticed, but it says 'Lancaster' on each side of the car.

Viper looked at one side, whereas Ivory looked at the other.

"It does," Viper looked up, Ivory following after.

"It's a family business. When my father died, I took over," Mr. Lancaster explained as he looked at Ivory, "thirty years ago," he smiled.

Ivory smiled back.

"Could you do us a small favor?" Viper asked.

"What is the favor?"

"You see, we ran away from a foster home because we didn't like it there, and we want to have a fresh start, get a job, and everything. That's why we're traveling to the city; opportunities happen there, especially since the majority living there are rich. We're afraid that the people might ask about us. If you see them, will you tell them that you never saw us?"

"Of course, but I probably won't remember you two—my memory has gone a little."

Viper and Ivory looked at each other, both knowing that they could trust his man.

"You know Ivory; we need to start all over again in Manhattan," Viper started a conversation, ending the silence. "We'll need a gross income, money, food, and a place to live—that sort of stuff."

"We could just beg."

"Oh, Ivory."

"We would have a violin, but I had to throw it at Chad to save your butt."

Mr. Lancaster chuckled.

"Oh, I forgot to say thanks."

"It's all right. I don't really need the violin anyway. It would be a pain to carry all day."

Ivory couldn't wait because she was starting to feel a little cramped from all of the sitting. She also couldn't wait to be free and live the way she wanted too. She anticipated wishing to make her own decisions, eat all the food she wanted, and have a job. Although she was nervous. She'd never been anywhere besides the foster home.

"Ivory, I'm thrilled that we left. I hated it there. Ms. Campbell was greedy and annoying."

She smiled, ignoring Viper's opinion of the foster care owner. "I'm happy that we left too."

"Her glasses are out of style also."

Ivory slugged Viper. "Geez, Viper, don't be rude."

Viper got up, noticing that the driver stopped driving; tall buildings and crosswalks surrounded them, people swarming the area. There was everything from restaurants to clothing stores and cartoon mascots taking photos with people. People were selling all sorts of things on the sidewalks. Ivory gasped in awe. It was better than she imagined.

"Here she is," he breathed.

"Who?" Ivory raised an eyebrow.

"Manhattan," Mr. Lancaster smiled.

"Oh," Ivory said and turned around, "oh!" she stared in amazement at the people quickly passing by; some in business attire; the workers, some with shopping bags, some with a group of people; native New Yorkers, and others taking photos of all the buildings; the tourists.

The buildings were quaint yet beautiful. Ivory felt like a new person as she saw taxis and buses quickly moving up and down the streets. She longed to be one of those people to be in Manhattan and doing everything that was offered—now she could (and Viper being with her made the experience more magical). They were like tourists, but different from the stereotypical ones.

Ivory turned around and saw a 'Wanted' poster on a nearby tree. She walked over to it, ignoring the loud noises around her. On the poster was a man described as 5'9 and 160 pounds, with dark hair and eyes. His name was Fox, which Ivory found unusual. With a raised eyebrow, she turned back to Viper and Mr. Lancaster, who were speaking to one another.

"Thank you very much, Sir, we both appreciate your wonderful kindness," Viper smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Lancaster," Ivory said as she walked back over.

"Anytime, and good luck! You'll need it," He quietly glanced at Ivory and wiggled his eyebrows up and down as Viper got their bags. Ivory nodded, knowing what he meant. He whispered to her. "Just be careful, and watch out for your friend."

"I will," Ivory looked back at the wanted poster, and nodded. She began to feel nervous.

Viper handed Ivory her bag, not acknowledging the private exchange. They said, "thank you" again and jumped out of the carriage with their luggage, and started to walk East of Manhattan.

"I can't believe we're here!" Viper squealed.

"I'm so excited. I have always wanted to see Manhattan," Ivory admitted. "Ever since I was old enough to know about Manhattan, I always told myself that I wanted to see the city. I can't believe we're actually here."

"Well, we are," Viper breathed in the Manhattan air. "It's beautiful." She then started to run with Ivory running after her.

"Why are we running?"

"I want to find a place where we can stay for a while."

"Where are we going to go?"

Viper stopped running and looked at her best friend, "I don't know, but we better get started; we have a long day ahead of us."

Ivory smiled. "You're right, let's go."

The two ran off, free to live while doing whatever they both wished. The girls had to get the basics done first; finding jobs, making money, buying food, and getting a place to stay. They had a big day ahead of them, but this was only the beginning.