Chapter 6: A Strange Adventure (Continued...Again)
6th Clone
This place seems way older than the last ones. It looks lie a ball is going on, with ladies in big poofy dresses and men acting stuck up and rich. There's an orchestra playing whatever classical music it is and everyone is dancing. I look at the dress I'm wearing, which is a plain grey outfit with a clean white apron. I must be a maid by the looks of it.
I start to walk around the enormous room and it seems nobody really cares when I come by. They might ask me to bring them food or just ignore me. A couple are even drunk, slurring and not having any balance whatsoever. I wonder what date it is maybe in the 1930's or something like that. It probably doesn't matter though.
"Anton, meet my daughter, René. I'm sure you will love each other's company." There's a young man with beautiful blonde hair with ice blue eyes standing next to a very desperate woman who looks about the same age as him. "It's such a pleasure to meet you. My father owns an oil factory so he has a lot of money." The chatty girl rambles on about ownership and debt. Anton looks distressed and ready to scream his head off.
"Sorry to bother you, Sir Anton, milady. But I must request your assistance, for I have another lady asking for you." I say in my best olden talk. Anton looks at me and as I wink, he understands. "Oh, right, if you will excuse me." He bows and walks away with me towards a balcony. He sets his arms on the banister and sighs. "Thank God you happened to notice! If you had not come, I might've combusted." He murmurs. I smile and he looks into the night.
"My father wants me to meet more women, get married instead of spending my time alone. But all these girls are nothing I desire." He sounds lonely and exhausted. I push my hair away and reply, "I see, you are in quite a predicament. Especially if you have to deal with girls like that." Anton laughs in agreement. It feels good to see him happy.
"Well, sir, what kind of woman are you looking for?" I ask. He looks down and responds, "Someone that...isn't forced to try to love me. I want her to be mysterious and with a personality I can tolerate." I look to the crowd of people inside and study the women. Most of them are probably the exact opposite of what Anton wants.
My train of thought cuts off as a girl with dark purple hair nervously enters the ballroom. In her pink dress, she gazes restlessly into the large group in the room. Something about her expression gives me the feeling that she has been forced to come here, find a man to marry and not become isolated.
"Sir Anton, what about that young lady who has just arrived?" The blonde man turns around slowly and I notice something spark in his eyes. He looks at me in amazement and slowly seeks out the girl. I can see him approach her and the look on her face when they share eye contact. My heart gets fuzzy while the pain spreads, this time not as strong as the last time.
7th Clone
There's a desk with a computer in front of me. An older woman sits next to me, typing away. I study the room: it has very weird posters, I guess trying to keep positive, along with what looks like a waiting room separated by a nearly all glass wall. It could be some sort of hospital or something. Someone enters the waiting room, an old woman with a bearded man assisting her. The man sits down while the lady comes into the room I'm in.
"Hello, I scheduled an appointment at two thirty. I wanted to see the list." She announces. I turn to the other person sitting next to me; she doesn't seem to notice. I smile at the elderly lady and say, "Of course, follow me please." I rise from the office chair and lead the woman down a hallway into another office. "So, Ms. Dove, you want to adopt a child, right?" The lady nods in response.
"We have quite a few children in our system," I pause to pull out a folder marked "Foster Care", "So here's a list of some of the youngsters we have here." I push the dark blue folder to the elder and wait silently as she thumbs through. After a couple minutes, she hands the folder back to me with an overwhelmed expression. "Is there a problem, ma'mm?'' I asked concerned.
"It's just there's too many to choose from. I don't which one is the best." She says glumly. I think for a moment of how I could answer the confused senior citizen. "May I try recommending someone for you?" The old lady stares at me for a few seconds and nods slowly. I open the folder, quickly looking through each child carefully. She's right;
There is a lot of kids in here.
I stop on a boy with light brown hair and a blue coat. He looks lost and in need of someone to care for him. I squint at the picture and show his profile to Miss Dove. "What about this young boy? His name's Clive and it says here," I point to the kid's information, "he's intelligent, cares for whoever he meets, and is very lonely." I look up at the elderly woman.
She looks intently at the picture of Clive and sniffs. "He sounds perfect." She rasps. "So have you made you choice, Miss Dove?" I ask, though I know the answer. "I'll take him, young lady. I will definitely take him. I stamp the file as "Reserved" and shake hands with the woman. "He'll start living with you in two weeks. Have good day."
As the Constance Dove slowly leaves me in the empty room, I sigh and cringe as the pain returns. Before I'm fully consumed by the extreme torture, I reopen the file of Clive and whisper, "Don't worry, you lonely boy. You'll have a home soon enough. I promise."
I decided to write two chapters today, just because I felt like finishing this segment. We'll see what happens next in chapter 7! Any questions about the story can be put in the comment section and I will answer them as soon as I can. And remember; keep those eyes on the screen!
