Sorry guys! We had a lot to do after I got back from writing camp, so I haven't had time to upload, lol. But here ya go. :) Enjoy and tell us what you think. ;) Thanks!
Chapter 7
Never in her life had Vala been hurt as terribly as the pain she now felt. It was horrible enough that those beautiful ladies had said such mean things about her and the way she looked, but her own Daddy... It was almost as though he'd confirmed every hateful word the spiteful boys in her school had said, as though she didn't even have a Daddy at all.
"A m-miserable scrap," she sobbed, echoing the beautiful blonde's words. "A-a wretched little g-gutter rat!"
After a long while, her humiliation turned to anger. What right did those people have to make fun of her? Sure, she wasn't the prettiest or the smartest person ever, but there was absolutely no cause for treating her the way they had! Curling her hands into small fists, she resolutely marched out of her hiding place, determined to go back and tell those
horrible people around her Daddy how rude and mean they had been to her.
Her righteous indignation quickly faded as she stepped out into the streets. How could a place which looked so bright and welcoming by day look so... hostile in the darkness? Having never been on her own at night in a strange place--certainly not a place as strange as a completely different planet--Vala found herself jumping at shadows. She knew it was silly to be scaring herself with what-ifs, but the longer she wandered, the more nervous she became.
As the last of her anger drained away, she was left with nothing but her own insecurities. Fear won out over her adventurous spirit and loneliness defeated self-assurance, leaving her rapidly pulling in shaky, squeaky breaths. Just as she began to feel light-headed, the flickering glow of a torch appeared from around a corner.
"Mimbo!" Vala cried out, recognizing the vendor who'd sold the beautiful bag that she'd miraculously managed to keep a hold of, though it had slipped from her shoulder to the crook of her elbow.
The vendor paused, then lifted his torch higher. He then said something she didn't understand, and Vala suddenly remembered that he didn't speak the same language she did. Her Daddy had known how to talk to him in order to buy the bag, and Vala had found the whole process fascinating.
Thinking quickly, she held up the bag, hoping the man would recognize it. "Vala," she said, gesturing to herself.
"Mhembou," the man nodded, correcting her pronunciation of his name. He turned his head with deliberate slowness, as though looking for something. He rattled off an inquisitive-sounding phrase in his lilting language.
"I don't understand," Vala answered, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I'm looking for my Daddy... Jacek. I'm... I'm lost, and I can't find him!"
Mhembou raised his free hand to his eyes as though shielding them from sunlight. He asked another question, miming a person trying to see something far away, then straightening and holding his hand first Vala's height, then well above his own.
Biting her lip, Vala realized that her inability to communicate with the man might mean he couldn't help her. "Do you know Alena?" she whispered.
"Alena?" He nodded and chattered something else while smiling broadly, and Vala's knees nearly sagged in relief. Making a "come on" gesture, Mhembou turned and began to walk in the direction in which he'd come.
Vala wasn't sure where the man was going, but she hoped he was leading her back to Alena's. Picking up her feet, she trotted after the vendor, hoping she might finally find somewhere that looked familiar.
Shortly after, a brightly-lit building appeared ahead, and Vala immediately recognized it as the tavern Alena owned. Throwing a "thanks!" over her shoulder, she raced past Mhembou and ran for the back door. She nearly collided with someone quickly stepping out of the tavern, but just managed to pull up short. Then she recognized him.
"Daddy!" she cried, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Vala!" Jacek exclaimed. He twisted around in her surprisingly strong hold and managed to go to one knee, returning the embrace. "Oh, sweetheart, I am so glad to see you!"
Vala recoiled, pulling free of the hug. "Why did you say those mean things about me?"
"Mean things? Vala, baby, you were supposed to stay with Alena!"
She flushed in embarrassment. "I did, but then I came looking for you!"
"I left you with Alena because I didn't want the people I was going to see know that I had a daughter," Jacek answered, smoothing her wild hair back from her face. "I don't expect you to understand... you're too young to understand. I left you here to keep you safe, and you went out on your own anyway!"
"I-I was looking for you," Vala sobbed. She'd never before seen her Daddy angry, but he sure seemed angry now. "I w-wanted to go home. I want to go home!" She burst into tears again.
She was only vaguely aware of Mhembou speaking harshly to her Daddy, and Jacek's terse reply. Jacek's fingers tightened on her shoulder as he spoke, which served only to renew the bewildered little girl's tears. Finally, he grabbed her hand and began to pull her after him.
As exhilarating a ride as the first trip through the chappa'ai had been, the second one was equally disorienting. On the other side, Vala fell and began to retch, quickly losing what was left of her lunch from hours ago. Furthering her confusion, the sun was still shining on her home planet. Jacek lifted Vala into his arms and carried her down the hill to their small house. Doran met them at the door, and Vala immediately dove for her mother's comforting embrace.
She wasn't sure how, but somehow she wound up undressed and in bed, sniffling out the last of her tears into her pillow while the muffled voices of her parents shouted beyond the door to her small room. Words she didn't understand were fired back and forth between the angry adults, words like "irresponsible", "kidnapping", and "slavers". Vala only remembered the words later because the sound of her parents arguing left them lodged in her brain.
Some time after the voices died down, the door opened, and Vala found herself clutching at her quilt as though shielding herself. Doran stepped into the room, took in the sight of the still-shivering Vala, and immediately rushed over to her bedside. "Oh, Vala, I'm so sorry," she breathed, enfolding her daughter in a tight hug.
"Is Daddy still mad at me?" Vala asked, face pressed against her mother's neck.
"He wasn't really mad at you, Vala, he was just scared," Doran soothed, her hand making hypnotic circles against Vala's back. "He was afraid he'd lost you out there, and that he'd never find you again."
"But Mhembou, the merchant found me," she whispered. "I didn't stay lost."
"Sweetie, not everyone is as nice as... Mimbo."
"Mhembou," Vala corrected, giggling a little. She'd mispronounced it the same way herself.
"Mhembou," Doran amended. "We were lucky he was such a good man, and helped you to find your father again. There are some people out there who would kidnap--steal a beautiful little girl like you and take you far away."
She scowled, the words of the people in the same room as Jacek coming back to her. "I'm not pretty," she muttered. "They called me a gutter rat."
"Who did?"
"Those people... the ones who scared me." She wasn't about to admit that Jacek had been sitting among "those people". It still hurt too much.
"They just don't know you like I do," Doran declared, kissing Vala's forehead. "Now... Other than getting lost, did you have fun today?"
Hesitantly, Vala nodded. "Daddy and I went everywhere, and we even got you a few pretty things." Sitting up, she looked around for her bag, spotting it on the wooden shelf next to her bed. To her dismay, the bright threads had become smudged and dirty from her solo trek through the city.
She must have stared at it a little too long, as Doran gently cupped her chin and turned her head to meet her own gaze. "I don't need anything, Vala... I have what I want most."
"B-But we wanted to bring you some pretty things," Vala protested weakly.
"Vala, happiness is not something you can buy," Doran insisted. "Somewhere along the way, your father seems to have forgotten this. But do you want to know what makes me happiest?"
"What?"
"You do," she answered, poking Vala gently in the arm. "The prettiest, happiest thing you could bring home to me isn't a ribbon or a piece of jewelry or anything you can buy; it's your own sweet, smiling self."
Her words had the desired effect, provoking a small, self-conscious smile from the little girl. "I think you make me happiest, too," she declared, throwing her arms around her mother's shoulders and hugging her tightly once more.
You would think that getting lost and scared out of my wits would have put me off ever wanting to go on adventures again, but I did have a good time up until Jacek's associates made fun of me. I never told Mother what happened, though, and she never asked. It's possible she might have had a good idea or at least had part of the story related to her by Jacek, but I doubt he ever told her of his part in my humiliation.
One thing my mother knew well was how to make me feel better, and as always, she succeeded. At that point, I didn't know that I wouldn't have her for much longer. I had no idea that my father's ambiguities would become the least of my problems.
