Hey guys! So a new story! It won't be as long as Déjà Vu. It will just have a few chapters, but I promise you, you'll enjoy this one.
Like I said, enjoy! :D
Uri: Where's my Christmas present?
Me: After the disclaimer.
Uri: *pouts*
Me: I mean it!
Uri: FIIIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEEEEE Divergent Kitty doesn't own anything. All rights to Veronica Roth, WHO KILLED ME AND MARLENE AND LYNN AND-
Me: *covers Uri's mouth* Uri, be nice. Save that one for a more miserable chapter.
Uri: *sighs* Okay. I have technically done the disclaimer, SO GIMME MAH PRESENT!
Me: Here ya go! *hands present*
Uri: *opens large box* WHAT THE *holds up a blow-up doll with a picture of Dauntless cake as the face*
Me: *roars with laughter*
Uri: FUCK YOU
Me: No, not me, that! *points at blow up doll*
Uri: *flips me off*
"All I want for Christmas... Is you..."
The poor homeless teenager sighs, mist forming in front of her face, as she looks away from the glass, from her reflection. Beatrice hates looking at any reflective surface. She felt it was vain. But then again, she isn't much. She isn't pretty. She is skinny from the lack of food, pale from the lack of warmth, dirty from the lack of clothes. And she lacked another important thing.
She lacked love.
The last time Beatrice felt love was 7 years ago, when she was a little 9 year old kid. She didn't get anymore of that feeling ever since. She didn't have any parents; they disappeared long time ago. She didn't have any siblings; Caleb disappeared too.
No. They didn't disappear. She did. It was the other way round.
The calico cat rubs herself against Beatrice's legs. Beatrice smiles at her and strokes her white fur.
"I just want you for my own..."
As she continues to sing quietly to the cat and herself, she replays the incident in her mind.
~•~•~•~•~Eight years ago~•~•~•~•~
"Thank you so much!" Squealed the little girl as she gently held the kitten. "It's so cute!"
"We know how much you love cats. When we saw this one, we just had to get it for you," the 12 year old boy grinned. Caleb loved his sister, more than he loved anything.
"And by the way, 'it', is a 'she'," he clarified. Beatrice wasn't paying attention, though. She was too busy stroking the cat's fur. She started to purr, and rub herself against Beatrice.
"What do you want to name her, sweetie?" Natalie, her mother, asked. Beatrice paused. What would she name her?
"Manami," she answered confidently. "It means affect... Affesha..." She frowned. How was that word pronounced again?
"Affectionate?" Supplied Andrew, her father. She nods. "Yeppy! What daddy said!"
"It means what daddy said, beauty," she explained.
"Affectionate beauty," Caleb smiled. "Suits her. Manami."
As if on cue, Manami meowed at the sound of her name. The Priors laughed.
"How cliché," Natalie remarked.
For the next half hour, the family sat near the fire as they opened more gifts. However, their main focus was on the new addition to the family. Beatrice found a red collar with a bow and a silver bell in front. She immediately snapped it around Manami's neck. She also found a thick, red ribbon, and tied it around her tail in a bow. Manami meowed at Beatrice, as if to say "thank you".
"Come on, kids," Natalie called out suddenly as she stands up. "It's time for our traditional Christmas dinner!"
"Yay!" Exclaimed the two kids in unison. They would go to a fancy restaurant and eat delicious food. They loved that tradition.
~•~•~•~•~After dinner~•~•~•~•~
"Thank you, mama and papa!" Beatrice exclaimed. "That was yummy!"
Andrew chuckled and hugged his daughter.
"Yeah, that was delicious, thank you," Caleb said gratefully.
As the family made their way back home, they passed by an alley. Suddenly, a gold chain got thrown out of the dark alley. Beatrice saw it get thrown out. She went over to pick it up and frowned. Manami sniffed at it curiously.
Someone must've dropped this, she thought.
"Hello?" She called out to the darkness. Caleb placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sis, we have to go, come on."
"But I have to give this back to whoever dropped it," she protested.
"Okay, but hurry," he said. "It's getting dark."
Natalie and Andrew walked over and pulled the girl away gently. "Sweetie, leave it. It can be dangerous at night."
"But someone dropped it!"
The next thing they knew, a man had come out of the shadows and grabbed Beatrice's arm, making her drop the chain. She held on tightly to Manami, and screamed in shock.
"HELP ME!"
"BEA!"
Caleb latched on to his sister's tiny body, as did their mother. Andrew tried to force the man's grip off Beatrice, but he punched him, and Andrew stumbled back.
The man pulled hard on Beatrice's arm, and Natalie and Caleb lost their grip on her. The man ran off in the dark alley, with Beatrice and Manami.
"MOM! DAD! CALEB!" She screamed, absolutely terrified.
"BEATRICE!" They yelled back.
The last words she heard from them were,
"Be brave!"
She managed to catch a glimpse of the man's face before she was placed in a large sack. She felt herself being heaved onto the his back. In the darkness, Manami meowed at Beatrice comfortingly. She managed a small smile, and cuddled her pet. She clutched the heart-shaped jewelled gold pendant with her favourite family photo.
The photo was taken the previous Christmas. 7 year old Beatrice was carried by Natalie, princess style, and their faces were right next to each other. Andrew placed his face right next to Natalie's lovingly, with his arm on Caleb's shoulder. The boy stood in front of his father, and he placed his face next to his father's, for he was almost as tall as him. They all stood in front of the fireplace, a perfect family.
Her family.
Her beloved family.
And Beatrice blacked out, her family's words ringing in her mind.
"Be brave."
~•~•~•~•~Hours later, maybe even days~•~•~•~•~
Beatrice woke up to a wet, rough tongue stroking her cheek. Dazed, she got up and petted Manami. She took a look around at her surroundings.
It was dark, dusty, dirty, and cold. In fact, it was snowing. She must have been in the open, not in a building. She must have been in another alley.
"Hello?" Beatrice called out cautiously. Someone covered her mouth, and she gasped in surprise. She turned around to see the man who kidnapped her. Manami hissed at him, and he kicked her.
At this, Beatrice got really mad. She struggled, and managed to elbow him hard in the stomach. Unfortunately, it didn't really affect him. He managed to drag her away, somewhere in the maze of alleyways.
A maze. Beatrice distracted herself with that fact. She remembered reading a book series about a maze. There were these people in the future. They were called Gladers, and a maze surrounded their home, the Glade. They assigned the fastest people as Runners, to explore the Maze to try find a way out of the place.
She remembered it was thrilling; she remembered it was a great book series. It recently turned into a movie, and she watched it, and loved it. She loved books of that genre.
Beatrice took note of where the man was taking her. Which walls they passed, how many, and what items could be used to mark them. Then she saw it.
A street.
With people walking.
She remembered what was by that alley, and used it as a marker.
Two cardboard boxes, with the number 7 on them. She made a mental map of this 'maze' as they passed by different alleys leading to different places.
A broken glass bottle, about five aluminium beer cans, a garbage bag, clothes strewn across the ground, more clothes strewn across the ground. She wondered why there were so many clothes. She saw a bra, a blouse, and a skirt.
Then it dawned upon her.
Clothes for women.
No!
She was going to get raped!
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She cried out in terror. The man's response was to smack her hard across the face. Squinting, Beatrice saw the silhouette of Manami close to the man. She signalled that Manami should not do anything, as she had a plan.
The man set her down and before she could make a run for it, he had ripped the skirt of her dress.
Now is your chance! Run!
But Beatrice stood rooted to the ground, unable to move, as the man tore the dress off her body.
She could not do anything. She wanted to, she just couldn't. She was frightened, scared out of her wits. The man started to touch her.
And she was frozen.
It was only when the man tried to take her pendant, then she came to her senses. She punched him hard in the face, and made a run for it, grabbing Manami along the way.
Be fast, Greenie!
She passed by the garbage bag and then made a left turn.
Be fast enough to become a Runner!
She passed the beer cans and turned right. The man was quite close to her.
Be like Thomas!
She passed the glass bottle and made another left turn.
Outrun the Griever!
She finally saw it. The cardboard boxes. She ran as fast as she could, closer to her escape.
Escape the Maze!
Then the man slashed at her back.
No!
Beatrice cried out in pain and fell to the ground. She was so close! Her short legs were unable to carry her out fast enough.
Now she would have to be tortured in the worst way possible.
At age 8.
"No, please don't hurt me," she whimpered as the man placed his hand on her leg and started to go up.
"Please don't..."
The man didn't bother to care.
"HELP!"
"Shut up!" The man clamped his hand over her mouth. She bit, hard, and shouted for help again.
"I told you, SHUT UP!"
Manami swiped her claw at the man's leg, and he winced, loosening his grip on Beatrice's mouth.
She screamed an ear-piercing scream, one that was bound to get at least one person's attention.
But no one came to her rescue.
The man then hit her stomach, and she fell, her head hitting the dirty ground. She was shivering, not just from the cold, but from fear.
It was clear that only a miracle would save her. But luckily for her...
A miracle was exactly what she got.
A voice rang through the alley, "Hello? Who's there?!"
The man turned to look at the source of the voice. A boy. The man scoffed.
"What can a little kid do to me?" He let go of Beatrice momentarily to approach the boy.
The next thing the man saw was a fist coming towards his throat. The man choked, and then got an uppercut to the jaw. The boy kicked the man's legs below him and he lost his balance and tumbled into a pile of trash. The boy used this chance to run to Beatrice and grasp her hand.
"We have to go."
"We can't."
He frowned, "Why not? He'll be up pretty soon."
"I am not dressed!" She hissed. Then she realised what she said. "I'm... Not dressed..."
At that point, the man had come to his feet, and tried to hit the boy. He caught his fist in mid-air, and twisted it sharply. The man screeched. The boy quickly wrapped his coat around Beatrice, all the while averting his eyes, and ran out of the alley.
As soon as they got out, they immediately took a deep breath of the cold air. It stung the inside of their nostrils, and that was oddly comforting.
It took them a while to adjust to the bright light after the dark of the alley. The boy lead the girl to a black, fancy car. Beatrice was afraid to go with him, after all she had been through.
"I understand," he told her. "But it's not safe to be out here in the streets on your own. Come with me." He reached out a hand to her. She contemplated whether she should take it.
I'd rather be in a house than out here, she thought, finalising her decision.
She placed her palm on his, and they felt an electric feeling. She carefully sat down on the soft, comfy seat, right next to him. She embraced the warmth in the car after the cold from outside. She placed Manami on her lap and the worn out cat curled up and slept. The boy told the driver to head home.
As the car started up, the boy asked Beatrice, "What's your name?" She wasn't sure if she could tell him. Could she trust him? She just met him. But he was nice, she could tell if people were nice.
"Beatrice."
"Beatrice," the boy repeated, smiling kindly. "It's nice."
"Anyway, my name is Tobias Eaton, son of Marcus Eaton, the mayor here," he explained with pride.
"Tobias," Beatrice repeated his name, just like Tobias did hers. "I like it." He grinned at the compliment. "Thanks. Beatrice isn't that bad too. It should be something else, though."
They paused for a while, thinking. She liked Beatrice, at the same time didn't. It was too... Innocent. Too... Not fierce. She wanted a name that was fierce.
"So, Bea—TRIS! OW!" He exclaimed as she touched his arm. She cried out too. Manami jolted awake by the sounds.
Static.(This was a very annoying problem when I went to China. Everytime we touched a metal/wood object we would get static, very painful static. It was so bad I didn't dare touch anything metal or wood, and that included the tap from the sink .-.)
Stupid static.
"I HATE YOU STATIC!" Beatrice yelled. People walking on the pavements outside stared at the girl as if she were crazy. Maybe she was. Then she laughed. Tobias looked at her before laughing himself.
"Don't scream that loud, it's freaking embarrassing!" He scolded half-heartedly.
Beatrice gasped, "You used the word 'freaking'!"
He stuck his tongue out at her, and she giggled. She had known this boy for only—what—ten minutes? And they were acting like old friends.
"Wait," she sat up straight. "How did you say my name when we got the static?"
"Bea, and then Tris. Why?" He asked, confused.
"Call me Tris!" She squealed excitedly.
Tobias took out a phone and pretended to dial a number. "Hello? Me Tris? Yes, Beatrice asked me to call you!" She slapped his arm playfully. "That's not what I meant, you dumbbutt!"(That's what my awesome friend says, dumbbutt xD)
"Beatrice!" He pretended to be hurt and placed his hand on his heart. He did a fake sob and said, "You just called me a dumbbutt!"
"Because you ARE a dumbbutt, dumbbutt!"
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes you are!" She said through laughter.
"I am not, you dumbbutt!" Manami shifted uncomfortably. She just wanted some damned peace and quiet.
"I'm not the dumbbutt, you are!"
"That's it!" Tobias exclaimed. He tackled the girl to the floor of the car, and she squealed in surprise and fun. The cat managed to jump out of the way. Tobias and Tris started to tickle each other, her trapped below him. The driver in front looked at them from the rearview mirror and smiled at their tickle fight before turning his fullest attention to the road again.
All of a sudden,Tobias accidentally moved the coat off her shoulders, and she lay before him, in just her underwear. He blushed at the sight and immediately looked away. Tris blushed too. He wrapped the coat around her, and used his belt to make sure is wouldn't fall off again.
"Tobias, your pants would fall off, and everyone will see your undies," she said worriedly. He sniggered at her statement and said that it was just a formality to wear a belt.
"Plus," he grinned, "wouldn't your coat fall off and everyone will see you in your undies?" She turned red at this, knowing he was right. As much as she wished she wasn't, she was selfish, and would rather have the belt for herself.
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a huge and fancy mansion. Surrounding it were brick walls, with neatly trimmed ivy crawling all over them. There was a silver plaque with gold outlining. On it were the words "EATON RESIDENCE" in gold.
A black gate with fancy patterns on it opened inwards, allowing the car to park inside. Then the gate closed. Manami stood on her hind legs on Tris' legs, and placed her front paws on the window of the vehicle. She was curious to know what was outside.
Tris marvelled at the gigantic house. It was built of brick. Huge, maybe four stories high!
Tobias swung open the car door and held his hand out for her. "Milady," he said in a very well-mastered British accent as he bowed. She laughed, and played along with the whole medieval act.
"Thank you, kind sir," she replied as she took his hand and then curtsied to him. She didn't actually spread the coat out, for obvious reasons. She might just flash her undies to him again.
Manami got off on her own, and Tris carried her. She purred, begging her owner to stroke her. Tris did just that.
Tobias stared at Tris, and she stared at him. It wasn't a death stare, no. It was a stare of friendship. She wished it could be even more, though. He did too. They were both too afraid to admit it.
He felt the staring was getting quite awkward. To stop the awkwardness, he shoved her playfully before shouting, "RACE YOU!" And then he ran off into the front door of the house.
"HEY! NO FAIR!" Tris stomped her foot in mock frustration. She chased after him, trying to catch up.
The house was so big, and he was so fast! She simply was unable to keep up.
"WAIT!" She called after him. He thought it was just a trick to get him to lose. His competitive side won over his thoughtful side, which told him to slow down as she was unfamiliar with his home. With a sudden burst of energy, he ran even faster.
Not long after, she lost sight of him. As she paused to catch her breath, she took note of her surroundings. She was in a huge room. A large hallway, to be exact. It had marble walls and teak doors along it.
She confused, and quite scared. Where did he go? He was her only guide. Only Manami was there with her.
A loud creak disrupted her thoughts. She turned in the direction of the sound to see an elegant lady, dressed in a red dress with a grey coat, and a black necklace. She had brown, wavy, hair that went slightly below the shoulders.
Who was she?
Alrighty, I wanted to write a special Christmas fanfic, but I realised my story idea was too long :p So I'll update it soon. Apologies for not updating Déjà Vu, I had no time since I had to spend time with my family and went overseas, meaning no WiFi :(
Who do you think is this mysterious young lady? The description are hints, by the way.
Please review, maybe a follow and a favourite?
Ugh, my eyes burn from typing on my phone too much -.-
Merry Christmas/Trismas, Initiates! :DDD
Nyaning in the Fear Landscape
~~Divergent Kitty (=^w^=)