Carson was right. I can’t believe it. The accommodations are free. Completely free.

No, that isn’t true. They’re free for two weeks, after which point I have to pay. Still, the fact that anyone can stay here, at such a nice hostel, for free is incredible. I saw some people like myself, who looked like they’d been through hard times, as well as young travelers and students. There were even some families who looked like they’d come on vacation in the big city.

Because I’m pregnant, they gave me a single room, which is nice. It feels so good to actually have my own space. I can spread my things out and take stock of my situation.

First of all, I have to find an actual house. The hostel is nice, but I don’t want to spend my money on staying here after two weeks, when I can put down a deposit on an apartment of my own.

Second, I have to find healthcare. While I had some prenatal care towards the beginning of the pregnancy, I wasn’t able to keep up my appointments towards the end of my stay in Spruce Springs. I need to make sure everything is fine now, and find someone I can trust for when the baby finally arrives.

Third, I have to find a job. While I hate the idea of working while I’m pregnant, and then taking care of a newborn, my savings aren’t going to last that long. It seems like Stelline City has a lot of amenities to help the poor, but I want to be able to support myself.

There’s an internet cafe on the first floor of the hostel, so after I take a couple hours to nap, bathe, and refresh myself, I head downstairs. It’ll also be helpful for me to get an actual computer, though my phone and the internet cafe will suffice for now.

I first start looking for apartment listings, and I send out inquiries for them. I spend another twenty minutes finding a doctor’s office close by. I remember Carson mentioned that I could get free healthcare once I had an address in the city, or something like that, so I might as well look for a doctor now, in case I find an apartment this week.

Satisfied with my research, I head back up to my room, wondering what to do next. Now that I’ve arrived at this stage in my journey, I have no idea what to do. This was the goal for so long, and now I reached it, so I have to form a new goal.

A good first step would be to get out into the city, pick up some basic groceries, and get to know the place. One of my favorite things about traveling is getting a feel for the vibes of different places. I wasn’t able to travel much after my ex and I got together… but that was before I learned that abusive partners try to isolate you and prevent you from leaving the house.

Now I’m free. I’m free to step outside and do whatever I want.

I grab my phone and wallet and head out. I can’t help but look at my shimmering SSA card and ID. In just a few hours, I became a newly minted citizen of one of the best territories on the continent. How can they even afford to support everyone? My mind boggles. Back in the town I came from, it seemed like it was every person for themselves.

I have good feelings about coming here.

The receptionist smiles at me as I step out onto the street and into the burgeoning twilight of Stelline City, or Stell, I should call it, if I want to blend in. Driverless cars silently zoom by, while drivers weave their way around them. I can hear the occasional honk along with the thick whirring sound of the cars, and the beeps of the streetlights as they change color. All kinds of people pass by on the sidewalk: men with briefcases, colorful characters wearing strange fashions, people in strange black suits that cling to their bodies, elderly people gliding by on mobility devices, families with toddlers in tow, peering around like they’re tourists…

I know Hunter and I can find a place here. Anyone can, it seems like. Everyone is welcome in Stell.

I decide to pick a random direction just to see what I’ll find. The skyscrapers rise tall around me, and I have to stop to take a moment to look at them. I’ve never seen a skyscraper before in my life. I can’t believe that it’s even possible to construct a building so large. And in the distance, I can see massive bridges crossing the river. It’s incredible.

Part of me finds it intimidating, knowing that I’m anonymous here. No one, except Carson and the hostel desk clerk, knows who I am. But on the other hand, that’s complete freedom. It isn’t like Spruce Springs, where everyone knows each other’s business. That was part of the reason why I found it so difficult to get away from my ex. He projected a façade of kindness to everyone else, so no one believed me when I said he was abusing me. And even the people who did believe me said that that kind of thing was normal in a relationship, which only made me worry for them.

I try to think of something else. If I really want a fresh start, I have to put all that behind me. It’s hard to, when Hunter is 50% his, and I know this baby will never have the experience of being raised by two parents. Maybe that can change, though.

I think back to Carson’s face, so kind and strong-looking. That’s what a man should be like, someone willing to help others. That was the only way I could trust him. People can say anything they want, but when it comes down to it, I only judge them on their actions. The fact that he clearly went out of his way to help me means he’s a good guy.

Maybe there will be other good guys here. I scan the crowd, people watching. There are some good-looking people here. They look much more fashionable than the folks in Spruce Springs, but not because their clothing looks expensive. It’s more like they have an eye for what goes together, and they take risks. Maybe one day I can be like them. I didn’t have much of a chance to think about myself over the past year.

But even though people are good-looking, I feel like Carson was the best-looking person I saw all day. Maybe my impression of him is colored by the fact that he pretty much saved me, but still. There’s something special about him, some kind of animal magnetism that makes my brain conjure his image over and over.

I take out my phone, wondering if I should text him. To ask what, though? Such an important, wealthy man surely doesn’t need a new friend. He probably has tons of friends. And I don’t need any help now, nor do I really want to depend on him further.

I sigh and put my phone back in my pocket. Nah, I’m not going to think about him anymore today.

As I wander the streets, I find a grocery store. My stomach rumbles as I walk in, and I know Hunter will be hungry too. A pang of guilt flickers through me as I realize I should’ve gone to get food earlier, but I try to ignore it. I’m doing the best I can for Hunter. I can’t beat myself up over what I couldn’t do.

I grab a basket and start winding my way through the aisles, picking out some basic foods that I can prepare with just a microwave. This is easily one of the nicest grocery stores I’ve ever been to in my life, and I eagerly pick out yummy dishes I haven’t eaten in what feels like months. I had some cravings a couple months back, but thankfully, they aren’t so bad now.

I head back to the cashier before I can overload myself. It’s such a relief to be able to pay for my own food; it occurs to me that I should pay Carson back at some point—I completely forgot because my brain wasn’t even working earlier.

When I leave the store, I decide to keep exploring, while I have my energy. There’ll be plenty of time to rest tonight. After a couple of blocks, I find a clothing store that looks like it has reasonable prices, so I go inside and pick up some basics: underwear, undershirts, sweatshirts, to help cover my belly, and maternity pants, which are basically just sweatpants that look a little more professional.

As I walk back to the hostel, I find that I have a lot to think about. People here are reasonably friendly, but they’re reserved in a way small town folk aren’t. They’re polite, but they don’t want to stop and chat. That’s understandable. You can’t very well chat with every person you see when you live in a city.

I get to the hostel doors and try pulling them open while balancing the weight of my shopping bags, but it’s difficult. An arm reaches out from behind me and pulls the door open, and I turn to thank the person who helped me.

“It’s not a problem,” he says, walking ahead to get the second door for me.

“Thanks,” I say. “It’s a huge help.”

“Anything to help a pregnant omega,” he says, smiling.

There’s that word again—omega. Maybe I should take the time to look up some Stell slang, because it looks like there’s a lot to learn.

We both head to the elevator. He punches the button to go up and we wait. “You new here?” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m a new citizen of Stell, apparently,” I say. “Came here to seek a better life and all that. The typical story.”

“Gotcha. I’m not new here, but I’m staying with some family that’s visiting from out of town. They wanted me right here with them, not on the other side of town in my own neighborhood.” He chuckles.

I can imagine Stell would be intimidating if you weren’t used to it. Hell, I’m intimidated. “That’s really sweet of you. What do you do here in Stell?”

“I’m just a shop clerk,” he says, smiling mischievously. “Hey, the name’s Morty.”

“Morty,” I repeat. “Nice to meet you. I’m Harley.”

“You must be looking for a job, right? We have an opening at my company,” says Morty as we both step onto the elevator. The fluorescent light hurts my eyes a bit, so I look down, and I see some golden fur on Morty’s black pants. Seems like the guy has a pet of some kind.

“Yeah, I’ve been looking for leads. I’ve never worked in a shop before, though,” I say.

“You don’t need experience,” says Morty. We step out of the elevator and pause. “We actually need people to do admin stuff, and our last guy just quit, so…”

“I’ll do it,” I say. I’ve been looking for a job and this one just fell in my lap.

“Awesome.” Morty grins. “Let’s exchange phone numbers, and I’ll be in touch. When are you expecting?”

“Um…” I have to tilt my head a bit to think—it wasn’t easy to keep track of dates when I was running for my life, but I can remember this. “About three weeks.”

“That’s close,” says Morty. “But the work I have in mind isn’t really that difficult.”

“Great,” I say. It feels like a weight’s been lifted from my chest. This is an incredible coincidence, and I feel even more certain I made the right choice in moving here. Even if this lead doesn’t work out, the fact that it happened at all makes me feel better about my chances.

We exchange phone numbers and walk away, down opposite ends of the hall. I’m glad to get back to my room; being outside took more of a toll on me than I expected. Now that I have a potential job, I feel more confident about setting up a doctor’s appointment, so I send in an email inquiry. A few people replied while I was out about apartments that are available, so I send messages to schedule viewings for later this week.

Everything seems to be going my way, for the first time in my life.