When Elia reached Lena's house, the first thing she did was get into a shower. As the water trickled down her face ending at her feet, Elia had one thought. That man.....that Feral man had claws protruding from his hands and furry hands. She was sure that she saw them. Never before had she been this disturbed in her life. Her longtime boyfriend cheating on her felt mild compared to what she experienced today. It was stupid of her to compare these two incidents; she knew it, and yet she felt more disturbed by the Feral man and his Furry hand than she had been with Jake.
She went through numerous scenarios trying to make sense of that man's Furry and clawed hands, but nothing made sense. Was he cosplaying? Was there a costume party going on in that club? The answer to both of them was a big 'No'
Elia saw it very clearly, that man had been normal when she first saw him. But he changed when he started fighting that creep.....what was his name again? He called himself Eddy. She was sure, that man's hands changed when he was brawling with Eddy.
But how? Elia felt her headache the more she thought about it. Feeling frustrated, she stepped out of the shower before covering herself with a towel. That made her remember, she had no clothes to wear. The ones she had been wearing previously were soiled. That Feral man had rubbed his bloodied hands on her dress making it impossible for her to wear.
Elia sighed feeling tired. Was she to remain in this towel for the entire night?
"Elia, do you need something?" Came Lena's voice making Elia almost burst out in gratitude. Her guardian angel had once again come to her rescue.
Elia peeked out of the bathing room with a sheepish look on her face. She hesitated a little before asking, "Can you please lend me some clothes to wear?"
Lena nodded knowingly, "Sure, wait a minute," and then she went off somewhere. After a few moments of rummaging through her cupboard, she brought Elia a set of blue colored pajamas, "Wear this for now, tomorrow I will give you some more casual outfits"
Elia shook her head, "This is enough. I will go and buy some clothes tomorrow" She still had money left out from pawning off her engagement ring. She also has to get a place to stay and look for a job. Her next few days of schedule seemed full.
After changing into the pajamas, she stepped out of the room, while her hair was still damp. Lena's place was a studio apartment, it had a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom in a single space. This place looked optimal for a single-person stay.
"Lena?" Elia called and wanted to learn more about the living space, "Do you own this place?"
Lena laughed, "Own? I'm not that rich, princess. I'm barely able to rent this place"
"Oh," Elia blinked, "How can I get a place like this? I mean can you tell me this place's rent if you don't mind?" She didn't want to offend her first friend, so she was careful with her inquiry. And when she heard about the rent price, Elia was the one who was left offended.
"That much?" Elia was shell-shocked hearing the price. She may have to sell five engagement rings to afford this place.
Lena laughed at Elia's reaction, "We are living in a city, the price I'm paying now is considered the cheapest"
"I..." Elia didn't know what to say. She has never before in her life worried about money and housing; everything came to her on a silver platter, apparently. Only now did she realize how privileged she had been till now. The only thing under her name, the house that her late mother passed down to her, was snatched away by her deceitful ex-boyfriend. Now that place belonged to her stepsister.
How naive had she been, signing off her only wealth? Elia felt hot tears prickle her eyes but forced them back. Crying would give her nothing.
Lena observed Elia's crestfallen expression and couldn't help but feel bad, "Elia, don't worry, you can live here if you don't have any place to go"
Elia's eyes went wide, "No, no. You have already helped me more than I deserve. It's okay, I'll figure something out"
Lena pursed her lips, "Elia, this is not something that gets solved just because we want it to. Having a roof over our heads as women is crucial in this world, some people will take advantage of us if given a chance. I'm not saying that you live here for free. I cannot afford that. So, let us split our spending and rent, you can start paying me once you get money"
Elia frowned, "But how? I don't have a college degree, I have no skills, have not worked anywhere before. How will I even get a job that earns money?"
"Then you start today," Lena said, "There are many jobs that you can do without a university degree. Not everyone is educated in this world but still makes a living"
Elia felt pathetic about her situation. Till now, she lived a lavish life not knowing the reality. She shouldn't have put Jake above herself, she shouldn't have listened to her stepmother and given up her scholarship to study medicine.
"I don't think I can do it, Lena" Elia muttered as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Lena furrowed her brows, "Don't say that, never underestimate yourself, Elia. There must be something that you can do?"
Elia cried harder, "I don't think so, I know nothing, Lena. All I did was attend tea parties with my stepmother, accompany Jake on his business venues, and take on classes that would help me in becoming the perfect housewife of the high society"
That caught Lena's attention, "You attended housewife classes?"
Elia nodded, "That was expected of me. My father always made sure I was trained to become the best wife Jake could have"
"And what did those classes consist of?"
Elia listed them in a gloomy, "Cooking, Dancing, Ettiqute classes, embroidery, I was taught multiple languages so that I could converse with the wives of my husband's business partners, Household financing..." She went on to say many more things which made Lena's jaw drop.
"Wait, wait," the latter stopped Elia, "So you know these many skills and still think you cannot work?"
Elia's light bulb went off, "You mean I can use these things in finding a job?"
"Girl you can get multiple jobs with what you know"
"Really?" Elia was skeptical. Were the things from her classes really helpful?
Lena smiled broadly, "Don't you worry, anymore. Trust me, I will find you a job"