Healing His Broken Luna.... Chapter 97

#####Chapter 10 - City

The sheer number of cars and people is overwhelming. The closer I get to the tall buildings the more cars there are. I went over a bridge and was awed when I saw ships at a port. I never imagined a ship would be so big.

I was starting to get nervous from the way these humans drive, darting around and honking. Why can't they stay in one lane? And what exactly is a parkway? I don't see a park.

I continued driving, following Henry Hudson Parkway. The cars were moving slower and slower as we got closer and closer to the city. I heard Saul stirring awake in the back and had almost forgotten about him. I wasn't exactly sure where I would go in the city to look for work, but I knew I needed to dump the van and Saul somewhere.

A sign said Washington Heights, so I took the exist. The road twisted and turned, and I ended up driving down a street with a shopping center. I pulled into a small lot and parked the van. I could hear Saul moaning and grabbed my backpack. I decided to take the keys and phone with me to make sure he can't call his wolf friend anytime soon.

I locked the van, put my new jacket on and started walking as far away as I could from the van. A few blocks later, I slipped the keys and his cell phone into a garbage can and kept walking. The territory I was in had massive brick buildings of different colors, red, brown and tan. They had metal stairs hanging on the outside of the buildings by the windows. I stared as people hustled by quickly taking it all in. I overheard a woman speaking a different language as she passed by on her cell phone.

There was a corner store called Dominicana Bodega and it had a lot of fruits and vegetables outside. I was thirsty and the bananas looked amazing. I walked over, an old man with a few missing teeth and warm brown eyes greeted me.

"Buenos dias." He smiled and nodded his head to me. 

I nodded my head back. I pointed to a banana and he handed me a clear plastic bag. I placed one banana and an apple in the bag and then went into the store to get a large bottle of water to drink. As I stood in the store, I remembered going shopping with my mother when I was a little pup. The memory came flooding back to me as if it was just yesterday. She always let me pick out a chocolate bar for being good. I saw the chocolate bars by the counter and picked one out.

This was the first time I could walk into a store and buy anything I wanted. There was an old lady behind the counter who smiled at me as I placed the fruit, candy and water down on the counter.

"Es Todo?" She said but I couldn't understand her.

"That's it?" She repeated and I nodded my head.

"Three dollars and sixty cents, porfavor." She said.

I reached into my backpack and opened up Saul's wallet. I took out a twenty dollar bill and paid. She handed me the change and I shoved it in my front pocket. I left the store and continued walking while eating my banana. It was deliciously sweet and filling.

Several blocks later, I saw teal colored metal stairs that went underground with the word Subway on a sign. I slowly descended the stairs and observed people swiping a yellow card and walking through a gate. There was a man at a machine who put money in and received a card. This must be the metro pass that Selene was talking about. 

I stood at the machine and selected the two rides pass and fed the money into the machine. I had eight hundred dollars and wasn't sure how long that would last me. My yellow card came out of the machine and I swiped it to walk through the gate. I watched as people stood around looking at their phones waiting for the train. I've seen trains and subways on the television when I was little, but I've never been on one. I was nervous and excited at the same time.

I could hear the loud noise as the train came to a stop at the platform and people walked off and on the train. I stepped in and sat down hugging my backpack to my chest. I wasn't sure where to go or when to get off. I looked to my side and there was a poster of New York City with subway routes and sections of town.

The word Harlem was on the map. That's where they were taking us for auction. I continued to study the map and realized that Washington Heights was near Harlem in the northern end of Manhattan. I need to go to the other end of Manhattan, as far away from Harlem as possible. There were subway lines with numbers and letters that went all around the city and into the surrounding areas.

The train stopped at other platforms and people walked on and off. I sat quietly looking at the map trying to figure out where I should go in the city. The scent of a wolf hit my nose and my heart started to race.

"Calm down Syble, you don't even have a wolf or scent." I told myself and tried to scan the people in my compartment of the subway. With two dozen other people in such a tight space, it would be hard to pinpoint where the wolf was at. Not every wolf is built like a warrior.

This city is huge, of course there would be other wolves. I remember my father telling me that not all wolfs live in packs, some were rogues, and some were more like lone wolves living human lives. I felt eyes on me and looked up to find no one was looking at me. My nerves were starting to get the best of me.

The train came to a stop at Penn Station and most of the people got off the train. I decided that I should too. Feeling lost in a wave of people, I followed the fast moving crowd up the stairs unsure of where I was going.

Sweet Moon Goddess, there was an entire underground world down here. Stores, pharmacy's, food stands, and... are those moving stairs? Some humans are climbing stairs while others stand on a staircase that actually moves you up or down. There are humans of every age, color, and size. Some are sprinting, others are walking fast or standing around looking at their phones.

I saw a large map on the wall of the subway system similar to the one on the train. I walked over to look at it and noticed smaller versions of it on a pamphlet that people were taking. I took one and shoved it in my back pocket.

I read an exit sign that said 34th Street exit. I climbed the stairs and stepped outside. My senses felt overloaded! The people, cars and buildings was surreal. I walked for a few blocks staring up at the buildings that were so tall. I stopped at a building that looked like it could touch the clouds! The sign read Empire State Building.

Someone bumped into me and kept walking. I looked around and turned north and continued taking in this concrete jungle. There was a man on the corner selling hot dogs. I haven't had a hot dog since I was a pup. I could smell them as I approached.

"What will it be doll?" His New York accent was thick.

I pointed to the picture of the hot dog.

"You want everything on it?" He asked.

I nodded my head. When you've lived the way I have, you're not a picky eater. I watched him remove a steamy hot bun from a compartment and put the hot dog together. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it.

"You want coke and chips with that sweetheart?" He asked and I nodded again.

"That'll be six dollars." He said and handed me the hot dog, chips and coke. I reached into my front pocket and took out the money.

I walked down the block and sat on the stairs of a beautiful building to eat. It was the New York City Public Library. I enjoyed my hot dog and watched people as they rushed by. I even caught the scent of a few wolves walking by. No one seemed to notice me, and I was thankful.

When I finished my hot dog, I opened the can of coke and tasted my very first soda pop. It was fizzy and sweet. I slipped the bag of chips into my backpack for later. I decided to go into the library to use the restroom and check the time.

WOW! This wasn't some stuffy old library. This was a beautiful work of living art. My eyes tried to take it all in, the windows, structures, painted ceilings, portraits and marble. It's absolutely breathtaking.

I walked into a reading room and saw rows and rows of tables. People sat quietly reading or looking at computer screens. I sat in an empty chair in the last row. I took out the subway map that also showed the different sections of Manhattan. I studied the map, Harlem, East Side, West Side, Midtown, Central Park, Theater district, Garment District, Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Greenwich Village, Financial District and more. So much more. They even had a meat packing district!

There's no way anyone will ever find me here. This place is huge, but where do I start. I considered working in a kitchen, there's an area on the map called Hell's Kitchen. I assume that's where all the restaurants are, in the kitchen district. Maybe I should start there. It's not too far from here.

It's almost 4pm which means kitchens would be busy getting ready for dinner. Being a pack slave, I've learned that you never disrupt the cooks and kitchens when dinner is being prepared. I should probably wait until morning to start looking for work there. Which brought me to my next dilemma, where will I sleep. I should probably start looking for an inexpensive hotel to stay the night at.

I stood up and shoved the map back into my pocket. I left the library and walked a few blocks north towards Central Park. I saw a sign for a hotel and walked into the lobby of the Manhattan Grand Hotel. It was very nice and the man at the door stared at me. I wondered if I would have enough money, how many nights I could afford, and how I would manage to book a room when I can't even manage to speak.

Lost in thought a familiar scent wafted up into my nose and caught my attention. My heart started racing as I recognized that delicious scent. Sweet vanilla and earthy spice! I scanned the lobby and caught sight of his back, tall, strong build and raven black thick hair. Alpha Lukas.

He was talking on his cell phone. He hadn't noticed me yet. Was he looking for me? Hunting me down? How did he find me so fast! Something inside of me whimpered, it was crying out for him. I stumbled back towards the front door and bumped into the door man who tipped his hat to me. I pulled the hood up on my jacket and took off walking as quickly as possible. I wanted to break out in a fast run but didn't want to draw attention to myself. I quickly turned right and walked a few more blocks. Then I turned left and kept walking. I saw a beautiful looking church and people walking in, so I walked in behind them. I slipped quietly into a bench and kept my head down. My hands were shaking, and my stomach was turning.

Millions of people in New York and I stumble cross him as if it was my destiny. I wanted to cry, I felt like I was going to hyperventilate, maybe even throw up. I closed my eyes and hugged my backpack. I sat still for a long while listening to my heartbeat and taking deep breaths. That's when I heard heavy footsteps walking towards me and held my breath.

"Hello there." I heard a deep voice say.

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