Well then, here's another chapter. And that's all I have to say about that.
7pm Elysium
"Alfred dear! Francis is here to take you to that party tonight!" Alfred F. Jones grumbled at the voice of his doting mother, who yanked him out of his daydreaming. He had been sitting in his room staring out his window at the Wall, thinking of what he could do on the other side. What wonderful surprises waited for him if he could only get there? But now he was back, sitting on his four poster bed, dressed in a suit and tie, about to attend one of Elysium's biggest parties of the year; the Governor's birthday. The governor was in charge of the City he or she lived in, and tonight was Elysium's governor's fortieth birthday party, hosted in the biggest mansion in the center of the City.
Alfred was now old enough to attend and his friend Francis Bonnefoy was coming to pick him up. Francis had no siblings, but had the same interest on the other side of the Wall that Alfred did, which was possibly the only thing the two had in common. Francis was... odd. That was the only way to put it. Alfred grabbed the neatly wrapped gift he had on his dresser and walked down the stairs to the foyer.
The Jones family lived much like every other family in Elysium. A mansion with vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, ornate decorations, huge windows, and stunning gardens. Alfred descended the marble staircase to the ground floor to see his mother standing in the doorway with Francis Bonnefoy, also dressed in a suit and tie. Alfred's mother was beautiful. She had long brown hair and the same sapphire eyes as Alfred. Her demeanor was kind and welcoming, though Alfred had seen her cry sometimes at night while staring at the Wall. She loved Alfred with all her heart, but that didn't mean she didn't miss Matthew.
Francis had shoulder length blonde hair and a very cocky outlook on life. He assumed everyone loved him and wanted to 'get with him' as he put it. His huge blue eyes were filled with mischief and lust, and he was well known as somewhat of a pervert. Not that it mattered all that much to Alfred; Francis was the only other person who wanted to get to the other side of the Wall, though he never disclosed the reason. He was dressed up in his suit with his white collared shirt untucked and his tie messy. He was right about one thing; girls and boys alike fawned over him.
"Ah, there you are mon ami. Ready for the soiree tonight?" Alfred grinned. The party was going to be huge, if a little too fancy for his liking, but there was bound to be alcohol there, something he was not yet old enough to legally obtain. No one would ask questions after a few hours and most people were already drunk. Francis was 23, meaning that if all else failed he would be able to swipe some booze for Alfred. "You bet. This is gonna be awesome." Alfred kissed his mother on the cheek. "I'll be back early tomorrow, so don't wait up." "Don't get into any trouble, alright dear?" Her eyes were slightly brimmed with tears. She was overprotective of Alfred as he was her only child. Alfred rolled his eyes. "Yes mother. Bye!" He ran out to the waiting limousine before she could say another word, Francis following behind him laughing.
Alfred had never really been to anything quite like the party that awaited him at the governor's home. Elegant dinnerware, waiters with endless food, and high society people milled about, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. How could they all manage to be so shallow? Francis pulled him thru the throngs of rich aristocrats to talk find their other friends; Ludwig, Kiku and Romano.
Romano was also a twin like Alfred, but he was much more down to earth about their circumstances. He had long ago stopped entertaining the idea he would see his brother again, though there was always the menial hope. Ludwig too had a brother, but their situation had turned out very strangely. There was no rule that the older sibling had to be the one to remain in the city- that was just always what happened. Gilbert was much older than Ludwig, 8 years in fact, and when his little brother had arrived, he offered to go to Dystopia in his place. Of course there were many complications, but eventually it was allowed. Ludwig was never able to forgive himself as he thought it was his fault his brother had to give up the luxuries of Elysium. Neither had ever thought about going to the other side until Alfred and Francis had brought the idea up.
Finally there was Kiku. Kiku was Alfred's favorite by far, even though they were complete opposites. He was down to earth and clever, always challenging Alfred to be the best. Alfred considered the boy his best friend, though the five of them were inseparable anyway. Francis and Alfred spotted Ludwig's blonde hair and broad shoulders before anything else. "Hey Ludwig!" The German man turned and smiled, waving them over. "Konichiwa Alfred-san. Francis-san. How are you?" Alfred pulled the smaller boy into a hug, which Kiku awkwardly returned. "Great, how bout you? Still working on your little science project?" Kiku scowled slightly but then regained his composure. "I'll have you know that if you ever plan to, you know," He leaned in before whispering, "the Wall," then straightened again. "Then you are going to need my 'little science project."
Kiku had a way with reading people. For whatever reason, he could simply look at someone and tell exactly what they were thinking and how they felt. He had used this gift on Alfred many times, only one being when Alfred begged him to help him get over the Wall. At first it had seemed impossible, reckless, and stupid, but Kiku had seen the desperation and need in Alfred. This wasn't about being a 'hero', like most of his silly adventures were. Like when he decided to be Robin Hood and dragged Francis and Kiku to steal some baked goods. They did manage to get away with it, but once they had them, they realized that no one in the city couldn't afford them. So they ended up just eating them and eventually being chased by the baker with a broom when Francis decided to ask the man for a napkin with which to wipe the crumbs of the stolen pastry off his face. No, he wanted to see the rest of the world, to find his brother. So Kiku had started devising a plan.
There was one particular Border Patrol member that was rather fond of Kiku. His name was Yao and he had agreed to help them over the Wall. Unfortunately, there were three guards posted at every exit, meaning they would have to find away around the first two before Yao could help. That was the project. A simple sleeping draft that Yao would give the other guards and then himself so as to not raise suspicion. The problem was that this 'simple sleeping draft' had become an impossible concoction. Three months Kiku had worked tirelessly. Drugs were forbidden outside of the hospitals and medical centers in Elysium, so the only way Kiku had been able to get his hands on anything that could knock the men out was to fake illness. And there were only so many times a week he could pretend to feel queasy and avoid suspicion.
But he finally had enough to create a non-lethal medication that would knock them out for a full twenty four hours. That was how long they would have in Dystopia. Fitting in on the other side of the Wall was going to be difficult though, as no one dressed as an 'unnecessary' for Halloween. For the most part they didn't even know what they looked like. Not that the medication was done quite yet anyway, so they still had time to figure out where to get five outsider looking outfits. Romano refused to show it, but the prospect of seeing his twin, separated at birth, appealed to him as much as Alfred, and Ludwig wanted to find Gilbert and properly thank him for officially being the world's best big brother. Of course, there was no guarantee they would magically find their brothers. Dystopia was HUGE and they may be on the other side of the planet. But it was a known fact that most Unnecessaries stayed close to the city the were born in, so they were hopeful.
"In about a week, it will be ready. We need to find disguises still, and-" Kiku was cut off as the lights dimmed and the mayor walked onto the stage. The whole audience applauded a he went into his speech. "Welcome friends. Tonight is a night of celebration. Not of me. Of the City. Elysium is our City, our own Utopia. The Wall that surrounds us keeps us from the dangers of the outside. Disease, famine, flood. All are gone in the Cities. So tonight we toast," He raised a glass of champagne, the entire room following suit, "To the City of Elysium." "To the City of Elysium." Glasses were clinked as people returned to chatting. For the rest of the night, Alfred wandered about, thinking of what could be waiting for him on the other side of the impossible Wall. Was it really that bad outside that they had to build a Wall to keep people out? It wasn't fair that families were torn apart ...
A flash of blonde hair caught Alfred's eye as he stared out the window toward the Wall. It had moved swiftly from from behind a curtain to under a table. Continuing to look forward, Alfred kept the table in his peripheral vision, waiting for the blonde hair to return. And return it did. Once again, the person darted from the table to a window, silently slipping out onto the outdoor window ledge. A pale hand came thru the window, seemingly trying to grab an apple from a decorative basket. People kept walking by at inopportune moments, causing the hand to retreat many times. Alfred could barely contain his curiosity. Anyone could come to this party. Why was this person trying to steal food, and remain unseen?
Nonchalantly, Alfred wandered over to the window with the pale arm. He leaned against the wall and stole a quick glance out onto the window sill. What he saw made his heart skip a beat, whether in amazement or fear he wasn't sure. A boy maybe a few years older than himself was crouched there. His huge green eyes were squinted in concentration, two bushy eyebrows coming together to form a frustrated V. His hair was a bleach blonde, like he had been in the sun for long periods of time. Though in the back of his mind Alfred made a mental note that he was rather handsome, what made him stop was the state the boy was in.
His hair was matted and fell past his ears and kept trying to cover his eyes. His obviously pale skin was covered in dirt and dust, making the white teeth of the scowl he had on his face all the more noticeable. His clothes didn't seem to be clothes at all- more like dirty dish rags sewn together to make something that resembled a pair of trousers. The shirt was probably once white, but was now covered in dirt and reddish brown stains. It was open slightly, allowing Alfred to see his toned chest.
All of this took about a second for Alfred to comprehend, but he continued to stare. Why would someone dress like that? It was an abomination! No one from Elysium would be caught dead in rags... Unless he wasn't from Elysium. Maybe he was from some other City. Or maybe, just maybe, he was from Dystopia. If so, this was insane. There was no way he and the other Elysiums would ever fit in on that side, not if they had to look like that. That's when Alfred noticed how skinny the boy was. His ribs were visible thru the open shirt, and his arms and legs looked like toothpicks. He had to have been from Dystopia then. There were no starving people in any of the Cities.
Alfred didn't know why he did what he did then. All he knew was that there was an opportunity, a real chance here, and that there was a starving young man in need of a hero. What he didn't know of course, was that the next action he made would change the course of the world, creating a simple ripple that would expand outward. He didn't mean for it to happen, but when it did, he wouldn't regret it. There would be no time for regret.
Alfred grabbed an apple from the basket, causing the blonde boy to shrink back into the outside cover of darkness. Standing in front of the window, Alfred held the apple behind his back towards the outside. Nothing happened for a long time and Alfred was afraid he had scared the boy off. He cleared his throat nervously and whispered behind him, "Take it." Still, nothing happened. Finally Alfred felt the apple slowly leave his hand, though he still saw and heard nothing. Being sly, Alfred smirked and took another apple. "I assume you would like more?" Absolute silence. Alfred sighed and made to put to apple back. "If you won't speak, then you obviously don't need this food badly enough-" "Wait."
Alfred's breathing hitched as he heard the quiet voice whisper. It sounded of British descent, a bit like another one of Alfred's friends William. He found his voice and spoke. "My name is Alfred Jones. What's yours?" The voice scoffed lowly. "Like I would tell a Lucky my name. You'd just turn around and tell your precious Officials that I was here and I would be executed. Thank you, but no thank you." His previously soft voice was still quiet, but now dripping with venom. Alfred frowned. What had he done to this guy already? "Im not going to turn you in. I just wanna talk. I've never seen someone from Dystopia before. How did you get into the City?" Alfred could almost feel the cruel grin boring into his back. "Trade secret love."
Alfred turned slightly, hoping to catch a closer glimpse of the man, but only succeeded in causing him to slink into the shadows. "Sorry, sorry. Please, I need some help and I think you could help me out." The green eyed man laughed. "I don't think I quite understand. Help with what exactly?" Alfred breathed in and said, "Dystopia. I need to know the whole truth about that place, everything that happens there, what people do. I know you could tell me." The man laughed again. "Why the bloody hell would you want to know all that? Isn't not knowing the reason you people live in your little Utopias?" Alfred grimaced, then spoke again. "I can give you this entire fruit basket if you will meet me tomorrow night." The boy rolled his eyes, though Alfred couldn't see. "Or I could just steal the whole thing and not put my neck on the chopping block to meet a Lucky In the middle of a city that doesn't want me." Alfred shrugged and held another apple behind him. "I'm not going to sell you out. I need this information and I can bring more food tomorrow for you."
He could tell the man was thinking about his proposal. It would give him free food tonight and tomorrow, something he desperately needed. After a minute he sighed heavily, though he was still speaking just above a whisper. "Tomorrow, noon, the old fabric factory. I'm sure you have been told not to go near that place, but if you are going to be sneaking food to an Unnecessary, then you better be prepared to do some dangerous things. " He spat the word 'unnecessary' out with malice. "I'll be there." Alfred took the basket from the ornament and very quickly held it behind his back, having it snatched from his hands in mere seconds. "You didn't tell me your name you know." The green eyed boy smiled once more, finally meeting Alfred's gaze. There was a lot of pain in his eyes, and a lot of anger. But they also shone with a light that Alfred had never seen anywhere else, an emotion he couldn't place. "I know."
And then he was gone. Alfred stuck his head outside to look for him, but it was like he had disappeared into thin air. He stayed like that until Kiku appeared behind him. "Alfred-san. Why is your head outside the window?" Alfred slowly turned to face his friend and smiled. "I dropped a fruit basket." He gestured to the empty ornament, causing Kiku to roll his eyes. "Sometimes Alfred F. Jones. Sometimes." They headed back to the party, but for the rest of the night the only thing Alfred could think about was the strange blond, green eyed man he would be meeting again the next day, and the adventure that followed so closely behind.
