A.N. So I kinda hit a wall with Not Like Your Demons temporarily. For the meantime, do take some time to read another one of my works. It would be considerably shorter, and I hope writing it would cure my writer's block.
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Rachel Berry was a little singing pirate. Or at least, today, she was. Others might see the swing in front of her as nothing more than a mere swing, but a pirate cannot be fooled. It was a ship, of course, as small as it may be. In fact, it would reveal itself as a singing ship, if only you leaned closely. It contained the most precious things in this world.
From a bench not too far away, a texting teenager laughed at something she read. She was happy, by the looks of it, but Rachel snorted derisively. She couldn't understand how some adults can be so boring. They severely lacked imagination, which she considered unthinkable. How could this be possible? Adults should be the ones with the most elaborate imaginations, because they had been in this world longer and thus had time to see and experience more things. But then, adults had always been lame and the kids have forever carried the burden of dealing with them. Oh, well. Rachel closed her eyes and made a silent promise to not be like most adults when she grows up.
Rachel was about to raise the ship's sail and expose the magic harp hiding beneath it (in the real world she was merely pulling at the swing) when a teeny cough from behind stopped her. Intrigued by this new development in her usually silent daily routine, she turned around, and was a little shocked to see the pretty pale girl with blonde hair. The, because she had seen her before. A lot of times, even.
She was willowy, with petite features, and seemed to be around the same age as Rachel (six), except she was considerably taller. Although the little self-confessed diva always saw her here at the hospital, she was quite taken aback by the idea that the other girl would actually approach her. She seemed pristine (which was a word Rachel knew, because she had the vocabulary of a Goddess, her schoolmates said), out-of-this-world even. Like a princess. Or an angel. Just ethereal.
Rachel would usually spot the pretty blonde sitting on the bench or waiting outside a doctor's office. Rachel had always noticed her, of course, since there weren't a lot of kids here. Most of the hospital goers were old or ancient.
Always, from afar, Rachel would secretly admire the way she seemed to glow differently from everyone. In fact, Rachel had never approached her before for fear that the girl would talk differently and that they wouldn't understand each other.
Outside, she seemed even more striking than usual. But Rachel didn't mind; not at all.
"Hi," the little girl greeted, curious eyes studying Rachel's smaller form. Rachel supposed she should have been offended by the girl's focused stare, but she oddly wasn't.
So, she speaks the same way other people do, Rachel thought. How curious.
"Uhm, I saw you playing and I just got, uhm, curious about what you were doing," explained the little girl. She seemed shy.
"Oh," Rachel exclaimed, coming out of her temporary daze. "It'd be a pleasure to speak to you about my world. I'm Rachel," she said, extending a hand to the other girl like every courteous little girl (and dazzling pirate) should. "Rachel Berry."
"I'm Q-Quinn Fabray," the pretty girl replied quietly, accepting the hand being offered. A little blush colored her otherwise pale cheeks. Her voice was a little low and breathy, Rachel realized. As an excellent performer at a very young age, Rachel was quite attached to voices. And Quinn's was a voice she could get quite attached to, she thought.
Quinn rose on her toes, trying to see what was behind Rachel. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Rachel grinned widely and hopped aside to show Quinn her little kingdom in the middle of the sea. "I'm playing pirate. A singing pirate," she elaborated, because the "singing" part of the pirate was hugely important.
Quinn looked at Rachel's paraphernalia, then at her, clearly confused.
"Pirate? Like Captain Hook?" she asked, to which Rachel nodded proudly and regally. "Isn't he bad?"
Rachel tsked dramatically and shook her head. This Quinn girl needed to learn a lot about life. "He is. But I'm not. Not all pirates are bad, Quinn."
Quinn pursed her lips and seemed to think about what Rachel had said. "OK," she answered finally, flashing Rachel a cute grin. Rachel noticed that she had a pretty set of teeth for a little kid. "I believe you."
"Do you want to join me?" Rachel offered. "It would be fun to play with someone else for a while." She bypassed telling Quinn that she never had any real friends at all. The cost of being talented and special, she reasoned, even though she knew for a fact that it wasn't the sole cause.
Quinn's eyes immediately lit up for one brilliant moment before she looked down at her feet, playing with them for a while. Then, biting her lower lip gently, she glanced back up at Rachel before hesitantly answering, "S-sure."
Pleased with herself, Rachel offered her a really big smile. She then thought for a while, pondering on Quinn's possible role in her pirate production. Her eyes shone when she thought of one. "You could play my hostage," she offered. "But, remember, I'm keeping you hostage for a good reason, because I'm a good pirate."
Quinn's brows furrowed. She scratched at the back of her neck. "What's the good reason?"
It took a while for Rachel to answer. Good question. She wished she had the answer. "You can't know yet."
"Why?"
"Just because. Pirates don't share all of their secrets."
Quinn looked straight into Rachel's eyes – as if reading the lie in them – and Rachel was immediately hooked. Wow. She was sure she'd never seen eyes that beautiful before. It was like they were sucking her into another dimension.
"Your eyes are pretty," Quinn commented suddenly. It shocked and flattered Rachel, because she was thinking the exact same thing about Quinn. "And OK, I can be your hostage."
Well, that was easier than Rachel had thought.
"Good. Uhmm... Now you're trying to escape because you think I'm keeping you hostage for a bad reason even though I'm not," Rachel reiterated. "You can run around and I'll chase you with my mighty pirate sword."
Quinn's excited face turned hesitant then, to Rachel's surprise.
"But I can't… I mean, I don't want to run," Quinn said, looking down self-consciously.
"Why?"
"Because, uhm, you're alone and you seem like a lonely pirate. I don't want to run from you."
Rachel snorted. "It's OK. It's just a game, Quinn. Not everyone has to, like, have feelings in a game."
"I'm sorry, but, can't you think of something else?" Quinn tried again.
"What's wrong with the one I have thought of? I think it was an excellent scene to portray."
"Yes, it is. Except I'm not allowed to run," Quinn admitted half-heartedly.
Rachel's head bounced back a little in surprise. This girl, as pretty as she was, was kind of weird. "Why?"
Quinn shrugged. "My mama said it's bad for me."
Rachel shook her head, still weirded out. Quinn's mother seemed stupid. But Daddy Leroy told her never to judge anyone so she'd keep that thought to herself. "That's funny. Running isn't bad. My daddy says it's exercise. It's good for your health."
Quinn just shrugged again. "Um, not just running. She said I shouldn't get tired." Her voice seemed a little sad but Rachel was too annoyed to notice. Quinn must have had come from a snobby rich family.
Rachel snorted yet again. "You're no fun."
"I'm s-sorry," Quinn said, looking down sadly. The look on her face made Rachel feel guilty. Maybe Quinn had been told that a lot before. It seemed like it. "It's OK if you don't want to play or talk with me anymore."
"No, it's cool," Rachel said. "I've realized I'm tired of playing pirate anyway." Lie. She wanted to play still, but even more than that, she really didn't want to be alone. Or break Quinn's heart. "Uhm… Are you allowed to sit on the grass?"
Quinn tilted her head and seemed to think about it. "I haven't asked my parents yet, but I guess I'll know when they come out and see me sitting," she said with a naughty little girl grin.
Rachel grinned back and plopped down, the "no fun" thought slipping out of her mind easily.
Quinn followed her lead, laughing softly as her butt touched the grass. "Oh," she exclaimed. "It's softer than I thought."
"Yeah," Rachel replied, proud of herself. She'd known Quinn would love it. She loved sprawling on the grass even if her other dad - Hiram - got mad at her every time she did. He said it wasn't a very girly thing to do. Which was annoying, really, because Rachel didn't really like girly things in the first place.
She looked at her new playmate, who seemed to be enjoying the feel of the grass beneath her with a blissful smile on her face. Her white sundress was getting dirty but she didn't seem to mind. She really was very pretty. And graceful, for a little girl like her. Rachel looked at herself and laughed a little. She, on the other hand, was anything but graceful. They were so different, but Rachel thought she really liked Quinn quite a bit.
"Where are your parents?" she asked.
"Inside. They said they're settling something. I don't know what they mean by that. They wanted to bring me but I insisted on waiting here. I'm sick of being inside," Quinn replied, then turned her little face toward Rachel. She should stop staring at her with those intense eyes, Rachel thought. "Are your parents settling something inside, too?"
"No. Or, I don't know. My dad's a doctor here. I come with him here a lot. I think he's settling something all the time," Rachel said.
Quinn laughed at that before she seemed to think of something and her laughter died down to a sad smile.
"Rachel?"
"Hm?"
"Do you ever make your parents s-sad?" Quinn asked. She started picking on her bracelet.
Rachel didn't know where Quinn got the question or why she would ask that. But she answered her anyway. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Why do you ask?"
Quinn looked down, looking sadder. "No reason."
Rachel looked at Quinn worriedly. It didn't look like it was nothing. She let out a small frown. She couldn't bear to see someone as pretty as her new friend sad. "How about you? Do you ever make your parents sad?"
Quinn just shrugged again. She didn't answer for a few moments. When she did, her voice sounded terribly guilty. "If I do, I never mean to. But I think they're always sad, because I'm always sick."
"Kids get sick," Rachel reasoned.
"But I do a lot more," Quinn whispered with a bit of frustration in her voice. "I have to be here a lot. And it sucks. But Dr. Bee's really nice."
"Maybe you're just forgetting to drink your vitamins," Rachel offered.
"No I don't. I drink my medicines all the time. Mama makes sure I do," Quinn said. "But I still always hurt...here," she added, placing a palm against her chest. "Sometimes it hurts too much and I just want it all to stop. But mama's always there to hold my hand every time it hurts, and she'd cry and I don't like it when she cries so I pretend that it doesn't hurt much even if it does."
Rachel frowned. She didn't like the idea of her friend getting hurt. "My dad's a good doctor. Maybe he'd know what to do to stop the hurt."
Quinn shrugged. "Papa said my doctor's good, too, but he can't really stop it either, so I don't know." She looked at the hospital's entrance, pursing her lips as she noticed her parents. "There they are," she said, standing up and brushing at her skirt. Rachel followed suit, sans the brushing. "I think we're going home now, Rachel. When are you coming here?"
"Only on Saturdays and Sundays. I go with dad when I have no school. I see you around here, at times, but this is the first time I talked to you," Rachel said with a smile. Quinn smiled back at her and nodded, seemingly unsurprised by that information. She waved at her parents who started approaching them.
Rachel stared at them in awe. She couldn't help it. They were a good-looking family. Quinn's mother seemed like she had just been crying, though. Rachel knew, because that's how her dads would look after having a fight.
She looked at Quinn, who seemed to notice how sad Mrs. Fabray looked, too. Rachel didn't like the sadness she saw in Quinn's golden eyes, so she took her hand reassuringly. Quinn smiled gratefully at her.
Mrs. Fabray looked at Quinn as she neared, her eyes tearing up again. Mr. Fabray held one of her hands and rubbed her shoulder, although Rachel could tell that his face was full of sorrow as well.
Quinn's father noticed Rachel first and smiled at her. They didn't seem to mind that Quinn had just sat on the grass, which was good.
Quinn went on to hug her mother sweetly. "Don't be sad, please, mama," she whispered. Mrs. Fabray nodded, although Rachel saw her purse her lips real hard. What was wrong?
"Is this your friend here, Quinnie?" Mr. Fabray asked. Quinn broke from the hug and nodded. Judy tried to inconspicuously wipe her tears and regarded Rachel with a sad but welcoming smile. "It would be nice to get to know a friend. Introduce us to her, then."
"Mama, Papa, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Mama Judy and Papa Russel," Quinn said.
Both adults shook Rachel's hand, and although she was slightly weirded out by it, Rachel responded courteously. Her hands were quite dirty and while Russel seemed not to mind, Judy discreetly wiped her palms on her skirt.
"We have to go home now, sweetheart," Judy told Quinn. "You can rest better there."
Quinn nodded and turned to Rachel. "Sorry, we have to go, Rachel. I really wish I could stay. So, see you around?"
"Of course." Rachel grinned. She didn't want to say goodbye yet but she knew she couldn't keep Quinn, either.
She watched as a fancy looking vehicle stopped at the driveway in front of them. Quinn grinned sadly and hugged Rachel tight before taking her parents' hands. Together, the Fabray adults lead her to the car and helped buckle her in.
Boring adults, Rachel thought glumly.
Rachel's last thought as she watched Quinn poke practically half of her body out the window to wave goodbye while the car sped away was that she was excited to see her new friend again.
/
Just decided I'd be continuing this story. But NLYD would still be my priority so for those who had been patiently waiting for an update, thanks for being patient and don't worry.