A/N: Hi there! Well, um, this is my very first Soul Eater fanfiction! I hope I've done it justice!
"Juliette," my mother said to me. Her voice was different from normal. It went from peppy and cheerful to downright sad. I looked up from my schoolwork to see her standing in the doorway, her face stained with tears. Once she realized that I noticed her, she gave me a small wave. I motioned her to come into my room, and she sat beside me on my bed.
"What's the matter?" I ask instantly. "You're crying..."
My mother didn't even hesitate with her next words. Well, for the first few seconds, she didn't say anything at all. She put her hand on my shoulder and stared at me with her painfully beautiful distraught brown eyes. It was actually starting to freak me out. I was about to ask what was going on, but a cracked voice beat me to it, so I shut my mouth.
"You know we're not wealthy, Juliette," Mom starts off, beginning to twist a few strands of my curly black hair between her fingers.
Dirt poor, I thought to myself. I nodded, not wanting to say a word and waiting for her to continue.
"We can't even afford for you to attend school anymore, and the home-school supply money is running low."
I wasn't sure what to say. It was true, though. Paper for my schoolwork was running scarce, but I'd rather use the little money we have left for food.
"Your father and I are working as hard as we can. We both know that you're working just as hard to get a job." Mom smiled at me, but her eyes exposed the sadness she was really feeling. My hair was still wrapped around two of her fingers.
"I really am!" I finally say. I feel a little responsible for our current situation. Mom and Dad were working and I was stuck at home doing pointless school stuff. I aced the previous exams I'd taken. I'm a pretty smart person for my age; sixteen.
I would be able to get a job if any businesses that didn't include fast food were hiring sixteen year-olds. I know that I should just apply for a fast food job, but the aroma wafting from inside those types of places was enough to make me puke. My father also said he's rather have me work at a place I actually enjoy.
"I know, honey," my mother said. She continued on. "Your father and I have some pretty big news." She took in a deep breath and then let it out. "Two things, actually."
So that's what this is all about, I thought. I hadn't even noticed, but Mom's hand wasn't on my shoulder anymore.
"What is it?" I try to ask calmly. I could feel the sweat beginning to protrude from the glands in my hands.
"There is going to be a new addition to the Dawn family."
My eyes widened instantly. A baby? How in the world were Mom and Dad going to afford a baby? They can barely afford me. Adding a baby into the mix wasn't such a swell idea.
"Wow," I managed to say when I realized I didn't say anything for a few awkward moments.
My mother smiled at me again, and this time it looked sincere, but I couldn't actually tell. "Yeah, I know...It's shocking, isn't it?" she said.
I nodding, wondering what the other news could possibly be. We were suddenly rich now? Would the baby be able to survive the Dawn family lifestyle?
The Dawn family lifestyle used to be a pretty good one when I was younger. Mom, Dad and I resided in Death City, a city known for the DWMA– Death Weapon Meister Academy. My parents never attended, but my mother told me that her father went and was a death weapon now. I've always wanted to go to DWMA since I was nine, but I couldn't because of my young age. Everyone in the DWMA had to be at least fifteen. At least, that's what it seemed like.
It always seemed so cool, though. Being able to venture out on your own, well, with your weapon or meister, and taking care of the bad guys. I still want to go to DWMA one day. I want to help. And I definitely could, seeing as I would be a meister. My grandfather told me that his own mother was a meister, and that I would be a great one like her someday. Thinking of that exact moment always made me feel better when I was down.
When I was eleven, my grandfather let me use him as a weapon for training. We didn't do difficult training, seeing as I was only eleven, but he taught me a lot. Like how to dodge attacks and which attacks to use. Our soul wave lengths didn't match up at all at first, but I soon grew used to the icy feeling that occurred whenever I picked up my grandpa by the handle.
Unfortunately, a few years later when I was fourteen, my dad's boss went a little bonkers and sold his company to a richer one and fired all of his employees, including my father, who was the manager at the time. We had to leave my grandfather and Death City behind. We ironically moved to a really boring place named Life City. Nothing ever happens here. There were no bad guys to take care of, no highly intelligent schools that let teenagers handle weaponry. The only thing I didn't mind about Life City was that it was only an hour away from Death City, my beloved hometown.
"The other news?" I asked. The pain on my mother's face increased and I knew that this news was going to be terrible.
"You remember the Ridge family, right?"
I did. They were our neighbors in Life City that recently moved a few hours away to some town I don't remember the name of. The Ridge family consisted of four people: Roger, his wife Caroline, and their two adopted sons, Samuel and Maxwell. Sam and Max are actually twins and were adopted when they were just five years-old. Now they were twenty-five and worked at some restaurant they owned in Death City. I was really jealous; I'd do anything to be back in Death City. Okay, well, maybe not anything. Close, though.
"We've struck a deal with them," Mom said quietly. "I'm sorry, Juliette...I'm so sorry. Your father and I love you so much. Do you know that?"
As she kept speaking, I was getting more scared. What kind of deal was she talking about?
"I love you both, too, but what in the world are you talking about? What deal? And why are you sorry? You didn't sell me to them, did you?" I played the last question off as a joke, but instantly grew suspicious when my mother's gaze didn't match mine anymore.
I was right. I was actually right. I was being sold to the Ridge family?
"I'm sorry," my mother said to me. Her hand is back on my shoulder again. I stay frozen to the spot where I was sitting. "I'm so sorry." she repeated.
It took me a while to process this. I was going to be a Ridge. It has to be a dream. This is all too weird.
"Why?" I finally ask. Why me?
"The Ridges are a very rich family," Mom explains slowly. "they've been wanting a daughter for some time now, but haven't been able to find the right kind of adoption agency that suits their...tastes. Our family is in dire need of money, and..." she trails off, openly sobbing now. Her hand disappeared from my shoulder again.
"So you decided to sell me for money," I finish her sentence, not being able to believe that the words coming out of my mouth were actually true.
"That's not exactly it, Juliette."
"Oh, really? It sure sounds like it." My voice was beginning to quiver with panic and anger, but I didn't care. My mother deserved to hear the sadness and anger in my voice. She deserved to know how this made me feel.
"The Ridges came up with the plan," my mother says softly.
"What was it, exactly?" I sucked in a sharp breath. I wasn't actually sure if I wanted to hear this deal. Either way, I knew I was going to hear it sooner or later. Might as well get it over with, I guess.
"They sent us a letter...In the letter it stated...Well, why don't you just read it?" Mom handed me a while envelope that had a broken red candle wax seal on the back of it. I cringed when I saw the name Ridge. I guess that would be my name now. I take the letter out of the envelope and give it a read.
Dear Viola,
How lovely it was to spend these past two years with you and the whole Dawn family. All of you are always such a pleasure to be around and it really brought out the life in Life City! We miss you three, already! I know it's only been two weeks since Roger and I moved, but it really seems like it's been two months, doesn't it?
Well, I suppose that's all the greetings I could think of to write! Oh! Congratulations on the baby! I sure do hope that you'll send me pictures when the little bundle of joy is born!
Now, Viola, you know we've been there for each other for a lot of things...mostly having to do with the children; Max's leg getting broken when he came to visit, Juliette's seizure last year, Sam's almost deadly flu. And we know pretty much everything about each other.
I hate to say this, and I know it makes me sound rude, but, Viola, sweetie, you and Seth are poor. I honestly don't know how much longer you'll be able to provide for sweet Juliette. She's growing older and needs proper food and vitamins.
It may be crazy of me to propose such an idea, but I'm going to try anyway.
With the things about Juliette being said, Roger and I are wondering if we can... adopt Juliette. With the baby coming, things will start to get more expensive; Roger and I know this. If you are willing to let us have Juliette, we will give you fifty thousand dollars in cash.
Like I said, I know this idea is a little ludicrous...But you really need the money, and you know how long Roger and I have...wanted a daughter. You know that we love Juliette very much.
Please consider it, Viola.
Caroline Ridge
I looked up from the letter to see Mom staring at me. She had both of her hands covering her face, except her eyes.
"I see," I said blankly. I took a glance at my unfinished schoolwork. It was math, one subject that I was actually really terrible at. The lesson I was currently learning was really easy, though. I don't get math, but I still aced the math tests, so I chose to never question it. "What did you reply back with?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.
"Yes...But your father and I said that we would still like to see you." my mother says softly. She scoots closer to me on my bed; I don't move an inch. "Do you want me to leave you alone, now? Maybe you could talk to your father?"
"When am I going to the Ridge residence?" I mumble.
Mom bites her lip and whispers, "Tomorrow."
I nod my head, "I'd just like to be alone, thank you." My mother's expression tells me she wants to say something, but she stays quiet. She gets up from my bed, running a shaky hand through my curly hair. "I love you, Juliette."
"I know," is all I say. Mom leaves the room and closes my door softly. I hear her footsteps leading away from the door, and I fall onto my bed on my back. It was very needless to say, my day was kind of ruined. What was I going to do? I couldn't live with the Ridges...They lived hours away...three hours away...and four hours away from Death City. I could deal with living an hour away from Death City...but four? That I could not do.
Knock, knock, knock. "Hello?" It was Dad.
"Come in."
The door creaks and my father steps in. "Hi, honey."
"Hi." I don't sit up from my bed. "I guess I should start packing, huh?" I slightly wince at my own words. Things were happening so fast.
"You can pack in the morning." My father says. I can tell by his voice that he wasn't crying. His voice was strained, though. He lays next to me and puts an arm around me and pulls me closer to his chest. "You must hate us right now," he says softly.
I stay silent, but don't dare to move away from him. It may be the last chance that I see him, and I don't want to screw anything up. I still love my parents, despite them selling me to the freaking Ridges.
"I'm going to miss you, Juliette. Your mother and I are going to send you letters every day."
"Okay." I'm not sure if I want to receive letters from them anymore. Pictures of my new sibling of course, but not how happy their life is without me.
My father lays there for a second, not really doing anything. Finally, he gets up from the bed. This time, I finally sit up, wondering what he's doing. He sits on my floor, and struggles to get something out of his pocket. He then kneels by me and holds out an enclosed fist. "Please take it." Dad says.
I do. It's a necklace with a silver chain and a heart charm. I see if it opens, and it does. Inside is a picture of him and Mom. I look up at him, tears finally beginning to form at my eyes. This is becoming real. This is reality. And I have to go.
"Thank you," I finally say. I know it must've cost him a fortune. Dad probably got it a long time ago. It made me wonder how long this deal had been planned for. I shake my head; I didn't want to know. Dad gives me a nod.
"Do you want to be alone for the rest of the night?" he asks.
I nod, "Yeah, I should actually start packing." I try to fight oncoming tears, but fail.
"I love you, Juliette." My dad embraces me in a huge hug.
"I love you, too, Dad. Tell Mom I love her too, please." I fake an obvious fake smile when Dad nods.
Click. The door shuts close with my father on the other side. I open the heart charm again and look at the picture.
I really didn't want to go.
It was about ten o'clock that very same night when I hatched a bright idea; I didn't have to go the Ridges' house at all. I could run away! The idea seemed so brilliant that I almost shouted with glee, but I couldn't in fear of waking my parents, who, now that I think about it, are probably still awake. This would probably hurt them more than it hurt me, but I knew where I was going to go, just not how to actually...Well, reside there.
I was going back to Death City. I remembered how to get there from Life City, and could easily ask someone for help if I forgot how. Getting money around Life City wasn't that easy, but if I needed to, I could catch a bus. I could use my smarts to get money; maybe gambling. I wasn't that type of rebellious teenager, but I would do what I needed to get my way to Death City.
I strolled around my room, gathering the small amount of clothes I had, and put them in the duffel bag the Ridges had apparently sent along with the letter. Thinking of it made me sick, but at least transporting all my stuff would be easier. I put some of my textbooks and other school supplies in the bag too, in case I got bored. Yeah, I was a studious kid.
Throwing the duffel bag over my shoulder, I made my way over to the window. Carefully, I positioned my feet on the wide windowsill. The drop from my window wasn't far at all, but panic still coursed through me like it was a one hundred feet drop. I was running away from the Ridges, from my family. I couldn't afford to have thoughts like that right now, though; I couldn't change my mind. The decision was made. I needed to focus on getting to Death City.
Finally, I drop down from the window outside of my room. I hit the grass with a soft thud, and instantly begin to rub my backside, in hopes that it would feel better. It didn't hurt that bad after a few minutes, so I got up, checking all the stuff in my bag to make sure everything was okay. My textbooks had gotten a little ripped up in the fall, but they were already like that since they were used copies. I paid that no mind.
I couldn't believe that I was actually doing this. I was actually running away. I turned around to face my home once more, knowing that I may never see my parents again. I would miss the house and everything and everyone inside it, including my unborn baby brother or sister, immensely.
"Goodbye," I whispered to my home.
A/N: The first chapter is at an end! Thanks for reading it, I appreciate it a lot! The whole adoption and selling Juliette to another family thing was an idea I got from the manga The Gentleman's Alliance Cross, but I twisted it around a little bit; you won't find out how until later. ;) Thanks again for reading! c: