Plan A: A Slight Climb......
Liliana sighed heavily as she plopped down in a chair at Tibby's. The morning had dragged on unbearably. First she had been woken up at the crack of dawn by Kloppman who had ordered her to get a job if she wanted to stay any longer. Then she had to drink disgustingly weak coffee and eat stale bread for breakfast.
She had been forced to sell with the constantly cheerful KidBlink. His never-ending quest to engage her in a conversation was getting rather annoying. *Why can't I just sell with someone like....Snitch or Itey? They would be too scared to try and talk to me,* she thought bitterly.
As it was she had to stifle a groan as she felt someone plop down next to her. Looking up just confirmed her suspicions. "Hey KidBlink, what's up?," she asked, not really caring about his answer.
"Heya Lillie," he answered with his usual cheer.
"I never said you could call me 'Lillie'," she growled.
Deflated for a moment, Blink looked around at the other few occupants of the restaurant. Turning his attention back to Liliana he tried once again. "Ya know yer pretty good fer a beginner."
"Lying was something I mastered a long time ago. Probably as soon as I could talk." Liliana kept her gaze focused safely on the world outside. Beyond the conversation and beyond the boy sitting next to her.
"What we do ain't lyin', it's improvin' da truth. We don't lie, at least not ta each oddea," he corrected softly.
Liliana shrugged. "I'm not a newsie. I just need a place to stay and a way to survive for as long as I'm here."
"And how long is dat?"
She shrugged in response once again but offered no spoken reply. Blink sighed. He was starting to think he would never reach her. She was just too damn stubborn and evasive. He had to try though. He had to hope. Hope that if he managed to become her friend then the threat of her finishing what she she started on the bridge would vanish.
Clinging to that hope he tried again. "So you ready ta head out again?"
This comment seemed to catch Liliana's attention for she sent him a confused look. "We just got here."
"Yeah, well I thought maybe you'd like to come with me for a while. I want to show you something."
Liliana narrowed her eyes in distrust but relaxed a little as she saw the hope lying in his eyes.
"Fine, I'll come," she agreed grudgingly. She rolled her eyes at how happy Blink became. "Are we going now or not?," she snapped.
Blink immediately calmed down and nodded before getting up and leading the way out of Tibby's. Liliana followed cautiously as she watched Blink walk unhurried and without a care. He began to whistle softly as he walked.
"Where are you leading me?," she asked skeptically. He continued walking and whistling as if he didn't hear her. She rolled her eyes and mumbled incoherently under her breath for a moment before continuing to follow him.
Next thing she knew, she was in Central Park. Liliana made a slow circle as she took it all in. It looked very similar to what she remembered.
"What did you....?" Her question was cut off as she turned around and only saw trees. "KidBlink?"
She couldn't see him but she could still hear him whistling. She followed the sound to a tree. Looking up, she found him sitting nonchalantly on a branch high above her.
"KidBlink, what the hell are you doing? Come down here!" Blink either ignored or didn't hear her. She sighed in frustration as she began to climb up the tree.
Gripping the branck Blink was sitting on, she began to pull herself up. At that moment, her foot slipped which threw her off-balance. However, she didn't fall. Instead, she found herself suspended in the air with Blink gripping her arms.
Slowly she helped to pull herself onto the branch. She sat down and almost fell again except Blink caught her. With her eyes wide in fear, she gripped his forearms with her hands.
"And we are up here, why?," she asked as calmly as possible.
"Dis is what I wanted ta show ya."
"What? Different ways to commit suicide?"
"No. Look," he replied with a smile as he motioned towards the leaves.
She followed his direction and through the leaves she saw two young kids standing by a nearby tree. The little girl giggled as she peered over the boy's shoulder. The boy sent her a cocky grin as he stood back to look at his work.
'LJ + EP' was carved within a heart on the tree trunk. The carving reminded Liliana of things better left forgotten. The little kids ran off holding hands as Liliana looked back at Blink.
"Why did you want to show me two kids carving a tree?"
"Because at the age of 10, those two show more love for life then you do at 17."
"They haven't seen the things I have. They don't know how cruel life can be." She looked away as she spoke, remembering the life she led in 2004.
"What have you seen? Why do you hate life?"
"We better climb down before one of us, namely me, falls and breaks an arm."
Blink helped her to the ground, making sure she didn't fall. Plan A might not have worked but hopefully Plan B would. He had to hope it would.
Liliana sighed heavily as she plopped down in a chair at Tibby's. The morning had dragged on unbearably. First she had been woken up at the crack of dawn by Kloppman who had ordered her to get a job if she wanted to stay any longer. Then she had to drink disgustingly weak coffee and eat stale bread for breakfast.
She had been forced to sell with the constantly cheerful KidBlink. His never-ending quest to engage her in a conversation was getting rather annoying. *Why can't I just sell with someone like....Snitch or Itey? They would be too scared to try and talk to me,* she thought bitterly.
As it was she had to stifle a groan as she felt someone plop down next to her. Looking up just confirmed her suspicions. "Hey KidBlink, what's up?," she asked, not really caring about his answer.
"Heya Lillie," he answered with his usual cheer.
"I never said you could call me 'Lillie'," she growled.
Deflated for a moment, Blink looked around at the other few occupants of the restaurant. Turning his attention back to Liliana he tried once again. "Ya know yer pretty good fer a beginner."
"Lying was something I mastered a long time ago. Probably as soon as I could talk." Liliana kept her gaze focused safely on the world outside. Beyond the conversation and beyond the boy sitting next to her.
"What we do ain't lyin', it's improvin' da truth. We don't lie, at least not ta each oddea," he corrected softly.
Liliana shrugged. "I'm not a newsie. I just need a place to stay and a way to survive for as long as I'm here."
"And how long is dat?"
She shrugged in response once again but offered no spoken reply. Blink sighed. He was starting to think he would never reach her. She was just too damn stubborn and evasive. He had to try though. He had to hope. Hope that if he managed to become her friend then the threat of her finishing what she she started on the bridge would vanish.
Clinging to that hope he tried again. "So you ready ta head out again?"
This comment seemed to catch Liliana's attention for she sent him a confused look. "We just got here."
"Yeah, well I thought maybe you'd like to come with me for a while. I want to show you something."
Liliana narrowed her eyes in distrust but relaxed a little as she saw the hope lying in his eyes.
"Fine, I'll come," she agreed grudgingly. She rolled her eyes at how happy Blink became. "Are we going now or not?," she snapped.
Blink immediately calmed down and nodded before getting up and leading the way out of Tibby's. Liliana followed cautiously as she watched Blink walk unhurried and without a care. He began to whistle softly as he walked.
"Where are you leading me?," she asked skeptically. He continued walking and whistling as if he didn't hear her. She rolled her eyes and mumbled incoherently under her breath for a moment before continuing to follow him.
Next thing she knew, she was in Central Park. Liliana made a slow circle as she took it all in. It looked very similar to what she remembered.
"What did you....?" Her question was cut off as she turned around and only saw trees. "KidBlink?"
She couldn't see him but she could still hear him whistling. She followed the sound to a tree. Looking up, she found him sitting nonchalantly on a branch high above her.
"KidBlink, what the hell are you doing? Come down here!" Blink either ignored or didn't hear her. She sighed in frustration as she began to climb up the tree.
Gripping the branck Blink was sitting on, she began to pull herself up. At that moment, her foot slipped which threw her off-balance. However, she didn't fall. Instead, she found herself suspended in the air with Blink gripping her arms.
Slowly she helped to pull herself onto the branch. She sat down and almost fell again except Blink caught her. With her eyes wide in fear, she gripped his forearms with her hands.
"And we are up here, why?," she asked as calmly as possible.
"Dis is what I wanted ta show ya."
"What? Different ways to commit suicide?"
"No. Look," he replied with a smile as he motioned towards the leaves.
She followed his direction and through the leaves she saw two young kids standing by a nearby tree. The little girl giggled as she peered over the boy's shoulder. The boy sent her a cocky grin as he stood back to look at his work.
'LJ + EP' was carved within a heart on the tree trunk. The carving reminded Liliana of things better left forgotten. The little kids ran off holding hands as Liliana looked back at Blink.
"Why did you want to show me two kids carving a tree?"
"Because at the age of 10, those two show more love for life then you do at 17."
"They haven't seen the things I have. They don't know how cruel life can be." She looked away as she spoke, remembering the life she led in 2004.
"What have you seen? Why do you hate life?"
"We better climb down before one of us, namely me, falls and breaks an arm."
Blink helped her to the ground, making sure she didn't fall. Plan A might not have worked but hopefully Plan B would. He had to hope it would.