I shivered before freezing myself – because ice doesn't feel the cold - then scowled as I remembered the reason I was here in the first place: Mr Trench-coat.
Stupid guy with his stupid trench-coat and his stupid questions.
Who wears a trench-coat in August anyway? No one normal that's for sure. And how come he knew it was me who picked his pocket? How come he even knew he'd been robbed? No one else has ever noticed!
Stupid guy with his stupid trench-coat and his stupid knowledge.
I splashed around noisily; kicking the water as I walked through the dank sewers. In a fit of annoyance I hurled the water at the tunnel walls with enough force to crack a few tiles. Oops.
Stupid guy with his stupid trench-coat.
I kept up my grumbling until I reached a junction in the sewers; above me was a heavy, metal disk, covered in slime and rust.
I grimaced; this was so gross. Yet still necessary if I ever wanted to leave the sewer.
I listened closely before clearing my mind; this took concentration. I only wanted to push the manhole cover up enough for me to squeeze through; I didn't want to throw it sky-high.
Other point of view
I spread out my sleeping bag and settled down. The alleyway was pretty nice; not much litter, no rats and more importantly; no gang meetings. I was rummaging around my threadbare rucksack, when the manhole grate further down the alley exploded. That's right… exploded.
Now I've seen some strange things in my time in the streets, but this took the biscuit.
One minute all is quiet, the next, the grate is exploding as a mini tidal wave shoots out the sewer! Next thing I know, a skinny, naked girl is scrambling out. She's all arms and legs and a real funny colour. Kind of a transparent white. She looks up at me and I see its Anna. A naked, white Anna with a sheepish expression on her face.
"Hey Bell. You mind passing me a blanket or something?"
I silently pass her a faded checked shirt; it's not a blanket, but it is clean. Ish.
The shirt almost reaches her knees, she's so short. Anna buttons it clumsily before grinning widely at me.
"Thanks B, you're the best!"
"Y' welcomes sugar. But if y' don't mind me sayin', your lookin' a little on the pale side today."
"Oh right!" Anna winks at me, and suddenly the funny colour fades. She becomes solid and brown and the light stops shining through her.
"That better?" She asks with a cheeky wink.
I raise my eyebrows, "Much…Do I want to know what just happened?"
"Nope. Got any food?"
Anna/Carmille point of view
I munched on chocolate (a gift from B) as I tryed to find my clothes. It's unlikely there'll still be here, but you can't blame a girl for trying. It's around 6 o'clock, and the dusty streets are pretty empty; the bustling crowds have gone and the stragglers that are left pay no attention to a shifty looking kid wearing only a holey shirt. The streets will stay like this until around 8 o'clock – that's when the parties start and the bars fill with loud drunken laughter. It is to be avoided at all costs.
I frowned as I wondered through the street I 'left' my clothes in. They weren't there. Damn.
Bell will be expecting her shirt back soon, and New Orleans gets pretty chilly at night. I could always go and beg her for a blanket, but she looked a little freaked when I left her earlier. Watching a naked girl the colour of a popsicle crawl out of an exploded sewer grate can do that to you.
Stupid rat and its stupid teeth scared me; ruined my focus! Instead of subtly moving the grate, I sent a small river shooting upwards! The city council have some repair work to do.
I grudgingly accepted I wasn't going to see my clothes again and headed home, muttering angrily about trench-coats, rats and clothe-thieves. Bell would have to live without her shirt for a little while.
Home.
It was actually an abandoned tin factory, with crumbling bricks, cardboard windows and no electricity or running water. It was a well known hotspot for crooked deals, squatters and passing thieves.
For $100 a week, I got to call the manager's office my own and I received a small measure of protection. I didn't usually like to associate with Les serpents noirs but gang affiliation had its pros, especially since Jules died.
A huddle of scabby looking men with French swearwords tattooed across their knuckles looked up as I kicked my way through the heavy double doors. I saw envelopes and dirty money before my name was shouted from across the hall.
"Hey, Anna!" Teddy frowned at me and beckoned. I approached cautiously; when Teddy glares, you know something's wrong. The fact he was in the middle of business didn't help soothe my worries.
"Bonsoir Teddy." I eyed him nervously; he was holding a crinkled paper bag in one hand and a switchblade in the other. Knelt on the ground next to him was a trembling young man with blood running from his temple, he was held in place by a couple of Teddy's 'sidekicks'.
"I got something for you," he eyed me with disdain; "But what the hell are you wearin' girl. You wanna get y' self raped?" I blushed at his words and tried to pull the shirt hem down.
"Sorry, it's a long story. You said you had something?" He mutely handed me the rustling paper bag.
"Some guy came and dropped it off. Said to give it to a cute, skinny, dark girl with curly hair. You're the only one who fits the description." He continued to frown as I peeked inside. In the bag lay my clothes, shoes, a sealed container and a wad of cash.
"Was he wearing a trench-coat?" Please don't say yes, please don't say yes, please don't say yes...
"Yes, and he was real dodgy looking too, I don't think you should mix with him Anna. He looked like he was from high up." My blood ran cold. High up meant higher then Ted's gang, higher then whatever the factory could hold.
"You sure? He could just be passing." My voice trembles; if Teddy's right then I'm in a whole load of trouble.
"Oh, he ain't passing, sugar. Rock's thinks he might be from the Guild."
"Rocks don't know shit." I try to conceal my fear with anger, but inside I'm shaking; Guild means big. Guild means murder and money and power.
Oh god! Please don't tell me I just tried to pickpocket a Guild member! How could I be so stupid!
My horror must have shown on my face because Teddy tried to placate me.
"Hey, it's not all bad Anna. We'll look out for y' if he is Guild." I grimace at the offer, the thought of Teddy and his gang of 'black snakes' facing a lethal group of assassins is laughable.
I thank Ted for the message and throw the man on the floor a sympathetic smile before scurrying out of sight.
The stairs in the building fell down years ago, so to get to my apartment - as I like to call it - you have to climb onto a desk then up a ladder to the second floor. Once you're up, you just have to navigate your way across the remaining floorboards and around holes (one right above Teddy and his friends) to reach the manager's office. As there isn't a door left, I heaved an ancient desk in front of the entrance to give the illusion of privacy.
In the far corner next to a yellowed stack of order forms was my sleeping bag and meagre collection of personal belongings. I had, had little to start with, and most of what I did have was destroyed in the fire. All that remained was my wicker bag, three changes of clothes (all stolen since the accident) and a growing pile of wallets.
After a days work, I would do my 'banking'.
I stripped the wallets and kept any ID's or personal affects in a dented wooden box I had found in the office; because you never know when you might need a new identity. I then sorted the cash. It went into three groups: rent money, food money and savings. My savings pile was pitifully low. All my money was stored in an old tin can under a loose floorboard; it was cliché but it worked. I then cleaned up the wallets and gave them to Teddy and co. to sell on the black market.
Away from the prying eyes of downstairs, I investigated the contents of the paper clothes had been washed, pressed and were folded neatly, smelling faintly of lavender. In one of my shoes was a note reading 'I believe you lost these' and in the other there was a bar of lavender soap. The metal container was scratched and sealed tightly shut with numerous clasps. I recognized it as a food delivery box; they were used to carry food orders around the city years ago. When I eventually cracked it open I was welcomed with the most heavenly scent on earth. Gumbo, freshly made and still warm. Taped to the lid was a knife and fork and another note, 'I promise it's safe, try it. Tante Mattie's famous recipe.' I stared at the note before sniffing the food. I groaned - god it smelt good! I decided I didn't care whether it was poisoned; at least I would die happy. I hadn't eaten a proper, hot meal since two evenings ago, so my hand shook as I forced myself to eat it slowly and savour the flavours. To distract myself I counted the money from the bag. It was curled tightly around a cinnamon stick and tied with a frayed piece of ribbon, as was gifting tradition. I untied the ribbon and smoothed the money out. Bloody hell! There was at least $500 here! That was enough for over a months rent or weeks of full meals!
The cold feeling returned as I surveyed the gifts surrounding me. I had been too busy relishing the sweet smells of Gumbo and lavender and the soft feel of my newly washed clothes to realise the implications they would bring. I chewed slowly; perhaps this meant I owed Mr Trench-coat. Or maybe this was just a sick joke and he would be back to hurt me tomorrow.
I froze.
There was one thing I hadn't considered: how did he know where to find me?
Dun dun dun. Omg! I just wrote the longest chapter ever! Well for me anyway, so I think thinking of doing some remy pov next? hmmm?
anyways, pretty please review! I just wrote a reeaally looong chapter for you!
oh yeah, I know remy isn't assasins guild but camille dosen't.
and people call her 'Anna' 'cause that's what she told them her name was. Capiche?
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