Lone: First RoR fanfiction, hopefully the characters aren't too OOC…Credit given to TheSinnerChrono for the story FAQ at GameFaqs . com that has given me the in-game dialogue for when this story takes place. Also credit to ruleofrosemysteries . com for the discussion about the newspaper headlines that gave me the inspiration for Eleanor's flashback. I...live. I will try to write another chapter for the Rozen Maiden story and another for Naruto...
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Little Birdie
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Once, a girl found a box…
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Eleanor was walking around the airship, her footsteps the only things penetrating the silence as always. In one hand, she carried the metal birdcage, another normality for her. Her attire was a simple white dress; it flowed slightly as she carried on down the hall. There were a few red bird feathers inside of her cage.
The girl stopped next to a door in the hallway, her ebony hair swishing softly. She opened the door, setting herself on the floor. Eleanor laid on her stomach, opening and closing the birdcage as Jennifer finished reading the storybook. The brown-haired turned around; she was startled to see Eleanor lying there. Eleanor took notice, her actions stopping.
"The red bird." The words came out of her mouth softly, aimed at Jennifer. Gripping the birdcage, the girl got up and continued to stare at Jennifer. "Have you found what you're looking for? Something dear to you?" Those words seemed to pull at her own heartstrings for an unknown reason. But Eleanor knew she would not be able to find what was most dear to her. As quickly she had appeared, she had vanished, leaving Jennifer in the room.
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The Bird of Happiness was inside…
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Diana and Meg were behind it. Eleanor was very aware of things like this, despite of what her exterior suggested. True to her title though, she just didn't do anything about it. She didn't really care to, as the outcome would lead to nothing. Passing by the guest sector of the first class, she could hear the two girls whispering hurriedly. The words were rushed, but they were most likely of the bird they had disposed off. In the corner of her eye, the Baroness could see Jennifer eavesdropping on their conversation. What was she trying to do? Was she doing it for herself or did she think it would help her find the Gift of the Month? It didn't matter; it seemed to be of some use to the unlucky girl.
The chattering was done; the two girls ran and dropped a feather. The unlucky girl picked it up and went off somewhere. Eleanor noticed her dog that walked with her. She has an animal that is precious to her. Eleanor moved on with her journey around the airship. The room with the balcony was up next. The girl stepped into the room and onto the balcony with no hesitation, as it was where she wanted to be anyway. Setting the metal cage down next to her, Eleanor set her arms on the balcony rails and peered ahead of her. Gray sky as it always was. As it was before she ended up at the orphanage.
The bird would take her to Forever Land, or so she hoped…'Daddy Mummy Daughter' the little girl added a scribble after the equal sign. She laid outside in a light dress; the sun was bright and shining over her. She had dark eyes and dark hair to match, but her personality was happy. Unfortunately, her parents were not the same. It had happened one day as the newspaper was read. Her father and mother were arguing in the kitchen, their voices loud and scary. Her mother was yelling about a mysterious thing with the words 'Sixty pounds'. The father was yelling back at her, but she wasn't intimidated. It just made her more enraged. While the argument has gone on, Eleanor had hidden inside her room for comfort but she could still hear them. Later on, another argument broke out, this time with the words 'Thirty pounds'. The little girl found herself to have to hide all the time. But it would soon; Eleanor knew it would. Everything would stop and there would be everlasting happiness again.
Eleanor lifted up her paper, smiled at it and set it in a box labeled 'Family'. There was a rustling sound above her head. Birds were everywhere in the sky, flocking together and creating symphonies with their musical voices. This sight was not new in the 'Land of the Birds'. This nickname was coined with all the species of birds that could be found there. The people adored them and so did Eleanor. The little girl stood up to stare at the birds; their stray feathers flew to the ground lightly with the wind. Their wings. Their wings lead them to freedom, able to soar everywhere and anywhere in the world! Now, with all the shouting and arguments happening in her house, Eleanor felt that the birds were her only comfort now until the everlasting happiness began. She wished she had wings. If the happiness never came, then she could just fly away and never come back.
Carrying the old box inside the house, the girl looked over to the kitchen table. Her mother was there, her head in her arms; she looked exasperated. Quickly, Eleanor's feet traveled upstairs and into her room. She got on her knees and set the box quietly under her bed. This box sat with two others; they were labeled 'Land' and 'Village'. Getting up again, the girl walked over to her window. There sat a birdcage, and in the cage was a red bird.
"Hello there, little bird."
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Each box was smaller than the last...
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Eleanor had walked back into the hallway. Why? She did not really know for herself. Her feet kept walking, past the rooms that all looked the same. Everything was the same, it was stuffy and old. If they could all fly away…
A bright drawing on the wall drew Eleanor's attention. Stopping, she turned her head more to see a messy scribble. It was drawn with crayon lines scrawled everywhere. The drawing was of an orange bird, wild with wings spreading. Underneath the picture was the number '55'.
"That's not the right color…" Eleanor found herself murmuring. "It's a RED bird…" Footsteps stopped shortly while she was saying this. From the corner of her eye, Eleanor could tell if was Jennifer but it didn't matter. Had she already found the news articles and the like? The footsteps picked up again and hurried past her. The older girl had opened up the door to a room. It was silent, and then she ran back out, holding a piece of torn paper in her hand. Another one off the list, Eleanor mused. Assuming she had found the others before that. How many more to go?
Jennifer had gone into the stairway. Shrieking could be heard through the metal door. It was most likely Susan; she was standing in the middle of the stairs the last time Eleanor had gone past her. The metal of the birdcage was warm in the girl's hand. This signaled the time to go, she had already wasted enough time. It shouldn't be too long now.
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In a cramped, dark space, she finally found her little bird…
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Eleanor was standing in front of a dingy building; it was gray and small. Inside, she could hear voices, but was it her imagination? The car that had brought her here disappeared as quickly as it had come, the engine rumbling loudly down the road. Her parents, Eleanor wasn't sure about them. She had only woken up that morning and was escorted out by a bunch of adults. Their faces were poker and had thin lines for mouths. They were in black suits and didn't bother to explain why they had taken her here. Part of Eleanor wanted to know why, but the rest didn't want to find out.
All she had now was the clothes on her back, her bird and her boxes. Her boxes were set inside eachother, to keep together, have some kind of order. It was the only order Eleanor could maintain for now. Her feet walked towards the door, one hand holding the boxes, the other the birdcage. She made her way through the gate and up the steps. A man with small glasses opened the door. His face held a little scowl as he brought Eleanor and pushed her inside.
Wings. Wings were all she wanted right now. 'If only we could fly like birds and go wherever we wished'. She remembered saying that to the new girl. Who knows where she was right now. She was probably doing something for them. Eleanor didn't care. She didn't care about anything now. The others had taken her boxes, tearing random segments of her drawings and scattering them all over the orphanage. Her bird was missing, set free by one of the boys. But the worst was being stuck here in this awful place. She wouldn't have been here if her parents were okay. They had let her down.
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But it was far too little, and far too late…
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Looking around, Eleanor could tell she would not be able to find it by her own means. Something brushed past her feet. The girl looked down and saw red feathers leading a trail down the hall. Would it help her find it? Or lead her down a trail to nowhere? Time was running out and she needed it. Picking up her pace, Eleanor walked down the hall, following the trail of feathers on the dusty floor. Funny, she thought to herself. The trail could pass off for blood.
Ending up at a door, Eleanor turned the knob with one hand. It clicked quietly, then slowly opened. In the middle of the room was Jennifer, a box in front of her and Eleanor's regular clothes beside her. Within Jennifer's cupped hands, Eleanor could see the Bird of Happiness. It was dead.
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The bird was long dead. It had met a bloody fate.
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Jennifer looked up, noticing Eleanor at the door. Her eyes widened slightly as she gasped, then they were pleading.
"It wasn't me, honest!" Jennifer's voice rang out. The hands holding the bird were trembling. The bird itself was still. It was a bright shade of red, with a few feathers out of place and the body looked stiff. Jennifer stood up, her heading shaking no and her arms outstretched. Eleanor herself glanced at the bird. Then with a stone face, she walked towards Jennifer and picked up the bird. The hand carrying the birdcage set it down. Then, with a slight squeak of the metal, opened the door and dropped the bird in the cage.
She stepped out of the room with the birdcage clutched in her hand, walking down the hall. The airship had now transformed into an orphanage, though noone noticed. Walking up the stairs, Eleanor saw the door for the Aristocrat's Club. The offering box was sitting in the front. As Eleanor stood in front of the box (with Meg and Diana behind a corner), she opened the cage, took out the bird, and dropped the bird into the box. The door swung open after the bird tapped the bottom of the box. It was dark inside; Eleanor could not see through the rectangle space that had a door attached. Would she be able to come back out?
But…she wouldn't need to. It was all a lie. The girl walked into the room, Meg and Diana following soon after. Jennifer came around the corner and almost made it in. Eleanor glanced shortly behind at Jennifer's face before the door closed. She would have to learn the hard way.
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Moral: Everlasting happiness is a joke.
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The End