The Sky Blue Heaven
Chapter 1. Unreadable Expressions
A brown haired girl was stirring something in a big black pot in an alleyway. It was still dark out and fairly chilly so the girl was shivering. It was summer so the temperature would change soon. Next to her was a boy asleep on an old baby blanket tossed on the ground. His thin body was very lithe and bent at odd angles. The girl stopped her stirring and looked at a watch sitting on an over turned bucket. She walked up to the boy and shook his shoulder gently.
"Trowa, it's time to get up," She said softly. He grimaced and shook his head 'no'. The girl giggled while pulling him up by his arm. After he composed himself , Trowa blushed and looked down realizing how silly he must have looked.
"Don't be so serious Trowa, you're gonna die young if you keep this up!" She said with a warm smile.
"I'm sorry Catherine." He said sporting a monotonous voice.
"Trowa!" She exclaimed.
"Well anyway, I made some soup." She said pointing to the big black pot. Trowa sighed inwardly hoping that she would make something besides soup. He grabbed one of the bowls from a box near his blanket and served himself.
He ate quickly and left his bowl on the ground bellow him.
"Are you off already?" asked Catherine.
"Yes, I have to go wash my face." Said Trowa while putting on his shoes.
"I don't know why you bother with washing your face for your job." Said Catherine crossing her arms. For the first time in a long time Trowa laughed.
Trowa arrived at an old looking building and entered. He clocked in then went to his locker. Inside was his work uniform, grubby boots, and gloves. His uniform consisted of a dark green body suit with a matching cap. He changed into it and walked back outside. A large garbage truck pulled up and stopped in front of him. He grabbed on to the metal bar on its side and it drove off.
It had been a long day and he was finally at the last house of his route. He jumped off the truck gracefully. Trowa lifted the garbage can by its handles and dumped the contents into the back of the truck. He was starting to get back on when something glistening in the sun caught his eye. It was a necklace. It could be worth some money. He pocketed it swiftly, he would soon be returning to his own dangerous neighborhood and it was not a good idea for him to carry any jewelry around there .
Catherine was waiting for Trowa as usual in the same place as she always did. He would be returning from work soon. Even though Catherine was the older of the two, her brother was the only one who could work. All Catherine could do to help was to try and cheer his life up a little bit. She was sickly and Trowa had to take all financial responsibility upon himself at an early age. Trowa had to take care of things at work, so Catherine made sure that life at home was as good as it could be. She saw the underweight boy returning the same as he always did with the same expression as he always had. She could never determine what that expression was though.
"Hey Trowa!" Called out Catherine. He lifted his head to show he acknowledged her.
"How was work today?" Catherine asked as soon as he neared a little more.
"I found something." He said simply. Catherine, who was expecting Trowa to elaborate a bit, waited patiently. She soon realized that he wouldn't, so she just decided to question further.
"What did you find?" She asked.
"A necklace." He answered.
Catherine's eyes lit up
"Do you think it's real?"
"I haven't had time to examine it yet." Trowa was starting to get annoyed that he had to talk so much. He took the necklace out of his pocket and looked at it for a bit.
"It's made of pearl and gold." Trowa handed the necklace to her. "Take it to the pawnshop while I go to my interview, and don't take anything less than three hundred dollars for it" He said while grabbing his best clothes.
"Ok. Are you going to go to your interview right now? You only just got home." Said Catherine sounding slightly sad.
"I'll go after I change clothes. Don't let anybody see the necklace before you sell it , don't take any chances." Said Trowa.
"Well, I'm off then," She said kind of nervous now. "Good luck at your interview!" Catherine waved and left for the pawnshop.
It was a hot day so Catherine was wearing a spaghetti strap dress that would have been beautiful except for the ragged edges and the odd string here and there. She was in front of the pawnshop and noticed her reflection in the window. She felt very beautiful today, her mind kept on wandering back to the pearl necklace in her pocket. She would look absolutely stunning in it. Maybe she could just try it on real quick, nobody would notice. What was the harm in that? Catherine slipped the pretty necklace on her thin neck.
"Wow," Catherine jumped when she heard someone whistle and speak. A man came out from behind a corner. He was very tall, muscular, and rugged looking. He had random scars on his arms and face, but the one that stood out was the one that ran horizontal across his nose.
"Hello, m…may I help you sir,?" She asked. Her voice was catching in her throat.
"That's a pretty necklace you have, babe." He said while looking her up.
"Y.. yes it is, I'm sorry sir ,but I have to go." She said walking towards the entrance of the pawnshop in a hurry . Catherine jerked forward as her wrist was tugged back.
"Hey babe, don't you want to talk with me a bit?" He asked with a cruel grin on his ugly face. "Let me go!" She yelled trying to pry her self from the vice-like grip he had on her. He placed his hand over her mouth.
"What fun would that be?" He pulled her behind the corner and knocked at a fence that was at the end of the alley. The rotten planks were removed from the other side making a perfect doorway through. Catherine was now held tightly in one of the man's strong arms. She continued to struggle hoping to break free. She was into the middle of a group of five guys. They were all of various sizes and ages.
"What d'ya want me to do with her, Kain?" The big man asked a handsome young man in a nice suit. He looked Catherine over, she was still struggling. He seemed kind of disappointed.
"She looks like she's poor." He said "I don't care what you do with her just give me her belongings." Kain said as he stalked off . "Hey Duo, do you want first go at her?" The tall man was speaking to a short boy of about 16. He looked uncomfortable and hesitant.
"Well look at her, she's just a young girl." Said Duo.
"She's hot. What are you, a fag?" Asked the tall man. Duo grabbed a gun from his pocket and pointed at the tall man's temple. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, I'm the one in charge when Kain's not around!" He yelled at the man.
"Take all her possessions, then let her go, Brutus." He said still holding the gun to his head.
" You won't do anything if you know what's good for you." Duo said dangerously. He snapped his fingers and the other guys lifted the boards in the fence again. Brutus grabbed the necklace and tossed it to one of the other guys. He slipped out of the fence and into the alley. Brutus looked at the girl with a sly grin.
"Well, since we won't be having any fun I'll kiss you goodbye." He leaned down to Catherine began struggling even more than before. The big man pushed his tan scarred lips onto her smooth pinkish ones. He forced his tongue into her mouth and began to explore it. Catherine bit down on it as hard as she could. The big man yelled and viciously threw Catherine onto the ground. Catherine picked her self up quickly.
"You little bitch!" He yelled and slapped her across the face sending her to the ground once again. She stumbled and fell, but got up and ran. She ran until she was all the way back to her own home.
Catherine saw Trowa walking back. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, crying. Trowa was taken aback. He pulled her off of him and examined her. She had scrapes on her chin hands and knees. She had blood running from the corners of her mouth.
"Who did this to you ?" He asked calmly. Catherine's voice seemed to be caught in her throat and every time she tried to speak her voice got caught. He took her to go sit down for a bit and let her clam down.
"Now, who did this?" He asked again. This time she took a deep breath.
"Some guy with a scar on his face. They called him Brutus." She said wiping her running nose. A flicker of recognition flashed across his face for a split second.
" I have to go take care of some business. Will you be alright?" He asked. Catherine nodded even though she wasn't sure. Trowa stalked off in the direction of the pawnshop with an unreadable expression on his face.