Darla sighed. “No, I am not going to rob you or kill you. I do want to give you both something.”
“Please don’t give me any money. I don’t need your pity and besides, he sniffs out any money I get my hands on and takes it for himself.” Kinley sniffled and wiped her face with her sleeve. Here in the dark car, away from the stage that the diner forced her to perform on, she looked broken and tired.
Jenkins wrapped his arms around her, and she returned the affection by kissing the top of his head. Darla’s heart ached, and thoughts of switching with Kinley paused momentarily, as all she wanted to do was rescue the pathetic pair from the abuse they were enduring.I can figure out switching later.
“Actually, I am heading back to Hollywood, and I was curious if you both wanted to get away from this place and maybe give acting a try. I can find something for Jenkins, too.” Darla paused. She had more to say, but if the girl wasn’t interested, she wasn’t going to waste her breath.
“Really? Me? Look at me! I’m a nothing, no good kid whose parents decided to live the fast life and then got themselves killed.” Kinley was yelling now, puffing up her chest to make herself look bigger and more intimidating. “I’m uglier than a stump in the mud and as useful as a tissue being used as a doorstop!”
Darla didn’t react. She could see the girl’s potential. The untapped talent of filtering the raw emotion needed for a scene was evident. It had taken Darla years to perfect that part of her craft. A pang of jealousy swept through her as she realized how hard she worked to get where she was, and this child had the ability to surpass what Darla had accomplished in the film industry.
With the right mentor, Kinley could be a better actress than me. She could be more famous than me, too.If I help her succeed, it would only be right that I reap the benefits and switch with her later on to continue acting through her.
“Yes, you. Now the choice is totally up to you. I can turn right up here and take you back to the hell you call home. Or you can take a chance on yourself and prove to your uncle or whoever what your real worth is.”
Darla watched as Kinley processed her options. She looked back towards the diner, seemingly calculating how much of a head start she would have, or maybe she was checking for any signs her uncle was already heading home to beat on her some more.
“Okay, when we get to Hollywood you can drop us off at a place where I can quickly get a job. I don’t want us to be out onthe streets for too long.” Darla smiled. She had bigger plans for Kinley. But it was too soon to reveal that now. She needed to gain her trust on the road trip ahead of them.
“Great! We have a few more hours on the road until my scheduled hotel stop. You both can sleep if you want until then, or not. I am pretty awake and won’t need any company. Is there anything you need from your house?”
Kinley and Jenkins glanced at each other in the dark. “No, we’re okay. All we need is each other.” Jenkins smiled up at his sister and snuggled up under the crook of her arm, and she rested her face against his hair. A yawn escaped, and she relaxed against her brother’s warm body.
Darla put the car into drive and pulled back out onto the highway. The drive seemed shorter with Darla’s thoughts racing, trying to figure out a way to gain Kinley’s trust, to allow her to move in with her, to allow her to mentor her and get her foot in the door with acting. Soon the trees thinned out as they drove in the dark toward civilization again.
Kinley made an appearance at Darla’s side as she climbed up to the front seat, with Jenkins still fast asleep in the back. His long legs and arms were sprawled out across the seat. Darla chuckled as Kinley finished getting settled.
“What’s so funny?” Kinley peered over at Darla, a stranger who had now inadvertently become her savior.
“Just looking at your brother. He is going to have his share of struggles as he grows into his arms and legs. Was your daddy tall?”
Kinley made a choking noise as she inhaled sharply. “Yes.” Her voice was filled with a deep sadness. “And handsome, too. Momma was the most beautiful lady I’ve ever seen. Including you.”
Darla frowned at the unnecessary insult, but she let it go because she was alive, and her beautiful mother was deceased.No need to be jealous of the dead.
“Are we almost there? I need to, you know, go.” Kinley wiggled in her seat, indicating a full bladder.
“See those lights up ahead? That’s Portland. Our hotel is about ten minutes away. Do you think you can hold it?” Kinley nodded in silence and stared ahead at the approaching city lights.
Darla looked over at the bouncing child, and her heart swelled.I wonder if these kids can give me more than I can give them. They don't even realize that they have more to offer than I do.
She continued driving in silence as thoughts bounced around in her head about whether or not she could go through with her plan on these unsuspecting children.
The lights of downtown Portland shone through the windows and illuminated Jenkins’s sleepy face. He stirred and rubbed his eyes, blinking away sleep.
“Where are we?” He slurred as he looked around wide eyed.
“Portland, we are almost to the hotel, and I can’t talk anymore because I need to focus because I’m about to burst.” Kinley spoke fast and used all her breath before she resumed her stiff posture.
They pulled up to a six-story building. The gray stone reached the top of the second floor and the small windows scattered across light colored brick. Tall chimneys jutted into the night sky and puffed white smoke up, inviting patrons to the warmth waiting inside.
Kinley and Jenkins pressed their faces against their windows. Their hot breath left fog on the glass barrier, their eyes wide and mouths slack. Darla felt as though she was experiencing a brand-new hotel for the first time as she watched the kids react in wonder.
“I remember the first time I arrived in Hollywood after leaving New Orleans. It’s really quite something the first time you see a building like this.” Kinley just nodded, keeping her eyes on the building.
Two men approached, one to open Kinley's car door, and Jenkins tumbled out behind his sister. The man then promptly retreated to the trunk to retrieve Darla’s suitcases. The other man met Darla outside her door. She didn’t wait for him to open it for her and she handed him her car key, and he handed her a piece of paper.
“What was that?” Jenkins asked as they watched her car drive away to the lot and the suitcases were loaded onto the bell cart. Kinley stood staring up at the lights of the building. Her neck was curled all the way backwards to make the stretch to see all the way to the top.
