Something I forgot to put in my afterthought last chapter: you know that past of Izzy's? Well, it really happened. My English teacher told me about how the lady who suffered it went kind of crazy, and shot at her.
Chapter 3 - Another One for the Ranks
Princess Mimi's eyes fluttered open. Struggling against the four or five blankets piled on top of her, she managed to sit up. Her honey-coloured eyes were wide as she looked around.
"Where... am I?" she asked, her voice hoarse from the cold and lack of use.
Sora, handing her a cup of piping hot tea, answered. "You're in the Capelin Inn. You stumbled in, and then fainted."
"So we took care of you." Finished Kari, who was sitting on the end of the bed blowing the steam off her own cup. "Your clothes are by the fire."
Mimi glanced over to the fireplace, where red, yellow and orange flames snapped and crackled as they danced with each other. Her coat, white shirt and pink flare pants were hung over the hearth. She then looked down on herself, still trying to understand the situation. She was wrapped in a heavy blue woollen blanket. It was nothing like the feathery quilts she had on her bed back home. But still, she had left that place for good, and so she would have to get used to this sort of thing.
"Your clothes are almost dry." Assured Sora, who had been watching her gaze.
"You are... far too kind." Replied Princess Mimi. She was astounded. Her own parents wouldn't have done such a thing for her, but these perfect strangers had gone out of their way to help. "What could I ever possibly do to repay you?"
Kari smiled as she brought her teacup away from her face. "You could start by telling us your name." She answered.
The princess was again shocked. Were they mocking her? How could they not know who she was? But then, if they really didn't know, it would give her a chance to start anew. Become a different person. "My name is... Mimi." She thought for a moment, then added, almost only to herself, "Yes... just Mimi."
"Well Mimi, my name is Sora, and this," she swiped Kari lightly over the head. "Is Kari."
"Is it only you two staying here?" Asked Mimi as she pulled the blanket up higher, as if to hide herself. Peering out across the top, her eyes wide, she seemed no bigger than a child did, and just as scared. "I mean, I am not intruding upon anybody else, am I?"
"Well," replied Kari, still sipping her tea. "There are some others in our group. But I'm sure they won't, just as we don't, see it as intruding."
"Of course they won't. But before you meet them, I'd suggest getting dressed." Sora wisely pointed out.
There was a general agreement on this point, and Sora threw Mimi's clothes at her. Mimi pulled them towards her awkwardly. She had never gotten dressed in front of other people before. Even her bodyguards had left the room when she had decided to change. But she did not want to ask these girls to leave. They were so sweet, and Mimi did not want to give them the wrong impression. Luckily for her, as if sensing her dilemma, Sora nudged Kari.
"Come on Kari. We should go and see the others. They'll probably want to talk to us."
Kari caught on quickly, and standing up, turned to Mimi. "Just come on out when you're ready, and we'll introduce you."
With that, they both left the room, pulling the heavy wooden door shut behind them. Mimi, with some effort, pushed off all the blankets and got out of bed. She found this to be a mistake when her head swam and the colours of the room wavered and melted together. Sitting down abruptly and holding her head in her hands, Mimi realised that she was sick. She had never been unwell like this for even one day before, courtesy of her sheltered lifestyle. Naturally she had experienced minor illnesses, but nothing that compared to the way she was feeling now. Taking a deep breath, she attempted standing again, this time slowly. Although the room still span a little in front of her, it wasn't so bad. Carefully taking her clothes in her hands, she started getting dressed.
Sora and Kari met the boys down in the lounge room. Sora scanned the room from her position on the staircase. They were all looking just as bored as they had before Mimi had made her dramatic entrance. Tai was looking particularly distracted as he picked lint off the rug he was lying on. But then, he did have the attention span of a peanut. Still, he was cute. He had a kind of boyish charm in that lopsided grin of his. And despite all that he had gone through, he never lost that optimism.
She was still staring at him when he turned to look. Their eyes met for a split second, and then Sora looked down at her feet, blushing. Tai kept watching for a moment, until his sister began to speak.
"She's awake guys." Kari reported, leaning against a wall and pushing her long brown hair back behind her ears.
"What's she like?" asked TK excitedly. He loved meeting new people. While his brother could be aloof and cool, TK was always sweet and involved. He was constantly trying to make friends.
"Well... she seems nice enough, but... I don't know. She's kind of... distant." Sora replied, trying to find words to express the feeling she got from the strange girl upstairs.
"Distant?" repeated Matt. "How do you mean?"
"I'm not sure. It's just like... if I didn't know better, I'd say she's never been around people before." Sora could see something in Mimi, something unusual, but she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.
"Come on Sora," chastised Matt. "We don't know her past. We are in no place to judge."
This statement brought a quiet to the room. It was true. If any people could understand having a past, it was this group. The silence settled like snow around them. Nobody knew what to say. Silently, Sora agreed with Matt. They all had a history, and chances were Mimi did too. So she was going to be quiet about the strange aura she picked up from Mimi from now on.
It was at this point that Mimi came floating down the stairs. Or at least, that was how it looked. Her feet did not seem to touch the floor, instead lightly skimming the surface. She stopped on the bottom step, uncertainty flashing across her face. Still feeling weak, she gripped the banister to stop herself falling.
Kari smiled up at her. "Hi again." She said brightly, then turned to the others in the room. "Everybody, this is Mimi. Mimi, you already know Sora, but this is Izzy, my brother Tai, TK, and his brother Matt."
Her long slender arm moved from one boy to the next, coming to a halt at the tall blonde. Mimi was taken aback by how good looking he was. He was tall, probably about six feet, and very well built. He was quite muscular, having obviously done a good amount of physical labour in his time. His blonde hair flopped over his face, and he had exactly the right amount of blonde stubble. And his eyes... wow. They were the colour of the ocean on a clear day, and just as deep.
These cerulean blue eyes were fixed on her, and she was enraptured by his gaze. She couldn't move or speak or even turn her head away from him. There was a connection. A transparent yet sparkling thread joining the two of them. Mimi had never felt like this before.
"Anyway Mimi," Kari continued, and suddenly that connection was broken. "Each of us has a past. Each of us has a story. We all have a reason that we are here in this group. Me and Tai were street rats, Izzy's an orphan twice over, Sora's run away from an abusive household, and TK and Matt have been searching for their estranged parents for ten years."
Mimi blinked, trying to take all this in. Her amber eyes flickered around the room. So much tragedy condensed into such a little space. Suddenly she felt even more guilty to be a princess. All her life she had been soaking up luxury, and these people had been struggling to even survive. She'd eaten cake and drunk the finest champagne, and they had been stuck with bread crusts and water. Holding back tears of anger and pity, she tightened her grip on the railing. Life wasn't fair.
Turning back to Kari, she realised that the girl was still speaking. "So, we go from town to town, doing whatever we can to earn money. Within reason of course." She added quickly.
Mimi took a minute to think about this. These people never stayed in the same place for long. They moved from place to place, and Mimi was willing to bet that people barely even noticed they were there. They only existed in the shadows, just like Mimi wanted to. They must meet a lot of interesting people, and really live life, instead of just wandering through it. This was sounding better to the princess every second. The best thing about it was that these people were the nicest she had ever met. They were kind and generous, and Mimi thought that maybe, if she was lucky, these people could become her first ever friends.
"Um..." She began, not sure of how to phrase the question. "Would it be at all possible... I mean, if it is not too much trouble for you, of course... could I go with you?"
The rest of the group looked at her, then at each other, then back at her again. Matt moved a step forward, then answered. "Mimi, we would be happy to have you with us."
So what do you think? Please review! I LIVE for reviews! If I don't get them, I get grumpy.
