"This is so exciting!" I said, pressing my nose to the window. Behind me, my friends let out a chorus of different responses.
"I still can't believe that you didn't kn-"
"We're not talking about that!" I interrupted, glaring at Matt, who only grinned into the rearview mirror. "Don't ruin this for me!"
"Fine, fine," he said, holding up a hand in surrender. "As long as we go to the game store, my lips are sealed."
"Then we'll go there first."
I scrambled out of the car once the brunet had parked it, bouncing on the balls of my feet. I tried to contain my excitement as we made our way to the nearest main street.
It was lined with small brick buildings, all sporting elaborate signs: "The Black Rat" and "Cadogen & Co." and "Justice and Loot." The façades were crumbling but sealed, hiding the goods of each store from me. Strings of flags hung overhead, crossing over the street to form a sort of zigzag down the road. The blacktop was damp and foggy and the sky was blanketed with clouds. From where we stood, I could see the epic white cathedral I'd passed on my way to the orphanage years ago. It was the most exciting thing about the town.
My shoulders, initially stiff with joy, relaxed completely. As I lifted the hood of my raincoat, I felt Matt's hand on my shoulder.
"Disappointed, huh?" He asked. I bit my lip.
"This isn't Gujarat," I mumbled. "I don't know what I was expecting."
"We all were a bit the first time we saw it," He whispered, leaning in closer to me as we walked. "You get used to it."
I gave him a confused look. "Used to what?"
"Disappointment."
"Why should we get used to disappointment?" I asked in disbelief, watching Mello hurry to get in front of us. I assumed that Beyond trailed somewhere behind.
"We're orphans, Lucky," he explained. "Our lives are full of disappointment. The more used to it we are, the less it hurts."
"I don't want to be used to it, Matt," I said, clenching my fists. "We deserve happiness, too."
"But it's rare that we get it."
"Well, I'm going to get it," I said resolutely. "I know that the Goddess will lead me to it."
He said nothing and withdrew his hand from my shoulder, opening the door to the building on our left. As we filed in, he appeared to be contemplating something; the look stayed on his face as we began to wander about.
"Hey Matt!" A feminine voice called. "Long time no see."
Curiously, I backed out of the aisle I'd just turned into, watching as the girl behind the counter leaned over it to talk to my brunet friend.
She was tall and willowy, with chin-length blonde hair and narrow gray eyes. Dressed in a fitted, green-lace top and a black skirt that hit mid-thigh, she managed to reveal everything in a classy way. She rested delicately on her elbows and pressed her biceps inwards, accentuating her breasts. I frowned, immediately realizing what she was up to.
"Oh, hey Sadie," Matt said, stepping right up to her.
"What's been keeping you away?" She asked. Matt shrugged.
"Been working through what I've already got."
"Too busy to pay me a visit?"
"A little." The girl's look soured slightly, but she hid it. Matt didn't seem to notice. "Miss me?"
I felt a small, unexplained pang in my chest when he asked that question, watching as the blonde brushed her bangs out of her face. A few stray strands stuck to her glossy lips as she did.
"Of course I did," she responded with a ditzy chuckle. "Who was the girl that came in with you?"
I didn't miss the bitterness in her voice, and neither did Matt.
"Lucky," he answered. I pretended to busy myself with a stack of magazines, even more interested now that my name had been brought up.
"I'd never expect you to hang around such a dowdy little thing." I immediately looked down at my clothes, feeling suddenly insecure in my old jeans and black sweater. Had this blue rain coat always looked so dingy? I scowled and bit down hard on my tongue.
I'll show you dowdy, I thought angrily, longing for access to my closet in Gujarat. Bratty little-
"Don't insult her," Matt said seriously, stepping away from the girl, who promptly frowned.
"You're a little touchy," she spat. "Is she important?"
"More important than you'll ever be."
"Oh, please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I've got a modeling contract and a millionaire dad. With a face like that, she probably works in the sewers. What, was she born to a gremlin and a troll? I bet…"
As she continued, I made my way silently to the door, hoping to escape without anyone noticing, but the bell dinged. I felt all eyes on me as I pried it open and bolted out into the rain.
"Lucky, wait!" Matt called, his voice fading as I ran. I wove through the streets, my teeth sinking deeper into my tongue. I hadn't done anything to elicit such abuse from the girl; were there really such spiteful people out there?
I stopped paying attention to where I was going as I thought about her demeanor; after a few minutes, I slammed into someone, and looked up at the person from the ground. To my relief, it was Beyond.
"Hey," he said quietly, offering his hand. I took it and he pulled me up. I returned the greeting as I looked around, realizing that we were in some sort of dingy backstreet. A group of men stood a few feet away, talking and smoking cigarettes.
"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly.
For a long moment, he stared over me, as if he was studying something above my head. I watched as his lips slowly turned up at the edges, and waved my hand in front of his face to regain his attention. He bit his lip, still grinning, and pulled his jam jar from his pocket.
"Just ended up here," he answered finally, unscrewing the cap. "It's not so bad."
"It creeps me out," I said, shivering as I caught a couple men eyeing me. "Let's go."
"Mm…" He muttered, looking over me again. "Not yet."
He turned away from me and dipped his hand into the preserves. I rolled my eyes.
"Well, I'm not staying here." I muttered, beginning to leave.
I'd only taken a few steps towards the mouth of the alley when I felt a hand on my backside. Angrily, I whirled around and grabbed the perpetrator's wrist: it belonged to a tall, swarthy man in a gray sweater. He sported an oily smirk and I scowled, digging my nails into his skin.
"Did I say you could touch me?" I growled, my scowl deepening as his smirk grew.
"Come on princess," he said. "Don't act like you didn't like it."
"About as much as I like getting my teeth pulled," I retorted, throwing his wrist. He grabbed my arm as I turned to go and pulled me back.
"Where d'you think you're going?" His breath reeked of something sharp and sour, surrounding me as I tried to twist from his grasp.
"Away from you, khota."
"Why don't I show you some things instead?" He wrapped an arm around my waist and I pushed against his chest.
"Let me go!"
"Aww, come on princess," he squeezed my ass again. "I'll make you feel-"
I swung at him, the sharp crack of my hand on his cheek cutting him off.
"Show some respect!" I shouted, matching the glare he cast.
"You've got some nerve, little bitch!" He yelled, grabbing my face. His fingers dug into my cheeks.
"Chor!" I gurgled through his grip. "Chor, haraami!"
He bashed my head into the brick wall behind me, moving his hand to my throat. Weakness pulsed through me on impact and my knees gave out. He lifted me effortlessly off of the ground and pinned me to the wall, crushing my wind pipe.
"Chor," I rasped, clawing at his thick arm. My lips grew cold and my vision hazy at the edges as he suffocated me. "Chor…"
Everything swam as I glanced over his shoulder; Beyond stood nearby, licking jam off of his hands and watching the scene intently. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, wondering why he hadn't moved to help me.
"Beyond, where's- GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!" Mello's voice, watery in my delirium, met my ears, and the man's grip disappeared. I crashed to the ground, sputtering; my lungs burned as I tried to recover. I felt someone drop down next to me as I gasped for air and clambered away, afraid. I panicked even further when the person grabbed my arm.
"Lucky, calm- Lucky, calm down! It's me!" I looked up to see Matt holding on to me. He rubbed my back, trying to help me breathe, but my vision continued to tunnel. A fearful look crossed his face just before the blackness sucked him into a pinpoint a long way away from me. Then he was gone altogether.
"How's she doing?"
"Shh, you'll wake her up."
"She's been out for a while…"
"I know," a sigh. "She'll come to when she's supposed to."
The pounding of my brain was almost unbearable; with each pulse of my heart, I felt it freshly, like someone was slamming an ax repeatedly into my skull. I whimpered and reached up, cradling my head.
"What happened," I murmured, keeping my eyes shut. The people in the room gave simultaneous, relieved groans, and I cringed at the thud my head responded with.
"Some guy throttled you in an alley," a voice came. I tried to place it as the person sat beside me, causing the ground beneath me to shift. The memory of the event came hazily back to me.
"My head hurts," I whispered, suddenly feeling a separate ache. "And my throat…"
"He did a number on you before we got there." A second voice added. I heard the familiar snapping of a chocolate bar.
"Yeah, he fucked you up pretty bad, Lu-" the first voice was interrupted by the sound of the door opening; I felt the person stand tersely. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
My head throbbed at the shout and I covered my ears, feeling tension seep into the air. I struggled to open my eyes.
"I came to see her." That voice was unmistakably Beyond. I heard footsteps; my eyelids fluttered as the tension spiked.
"You don't get to see her, you fucking psycho!" There was a dull thump, then another, and another. I felt my eyes rolling as I frantically tried to get them open.
"You let that bastard touch her!" Thump.
"Not exactly." Thump.
"You didn't even fucking try to stop him!" Thump.
"It's not my fault she attracted him." Thump.
"I'll fucking kill you!"
I finally forced my eyes to stay open, expecting to see Mello, red and angry, pulverizing the raven-haired genius.
It shocked me when my eyes fell on Matt, mid-punch.
His fist connected with Beyond's cheek and Beyond returned it, clipping the brunet's jaw. I scowled and forced myself up, ignoring the pounds of protest that my head put forth.
"Stop," I slurred, pushing Mello's assistive hands away from me. "Stop!"
They froze and looked at me, hands grasping each other's shirts, fists raised. Matt's lip was busted and Beyond's eye was already starting to turn purple.
"What are you doing?" I asked, swaying slightly. They broke into loud explanations and I winced at the agonizing ache in my skull. "Shut up!"
The pain of the shout made my knees weak, and my hands flew to my head as they gave out. I felt someone grab me before I hit the ground and looked up, biting my lip as Mello set me back on my bed.
"Thanks," I whispered. He nodded to acknowledge me and I returned to glaring.
"Let go," I commanded, watching as they dropped each other's shirts. "This better not happen ag-"
"But he just stood there whi-"
"I didn't need him to protect me, Matt," I countered severely. "It's not his job."
Beyond scoffed at my initial statement, and I turned my glare on him. "Aur tum, svarthi kutta, shame on you. You shouldhave helped me."
He gazed blankly at me, void of the shameful expression Matt sported. He blinked and I saw something unfamiliar flit across his eyes, but it was gone before I could fully digest it.
"Don't ever fight in this room again, got it? You're polluting my prayer space; have some respect." They both nodded grudgingly and I tilted my head towards the door. "Now get out."
"But-"
"Get out!" My head pulsed again and I regretted screaming. They took the tension with them as they left the room.
I laid back down, clutching my head. From the end of my bed, Mello touched my feet sympathetically.
"I was surprised that Matt was the one fighting," I said. He offered me a square of chocolate and I popped it into my mouth.
"Believe me, I wanted to bash his face in," he said, snapping off a piece for himself. "But I didn't want to upset you."
"Really?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. "Do you… Fancy… Me?"
"Pffft, not even close," he said, grinning. "Are you losing your magic touch there, Freud?"
"Hey, I've suffered a head injury, give me a break." We chuckled softly before lapsing into a comfortable silence, and he flopped down on his back.
"I think of you as a sister," he said, looking over at me. "You know that, right?"
"That was my next guess," I giggled as he playfully shoved me. "Did you mess that guy up?"
"I did that nose thing we saw in that one stupid movie you made us watch."
"That movie wasn't stupid!"
"The nose thing saved it a little bit."
"But the characters-"
"Were all really, truly fucked up, Lucky," his face screwed up as he thought about his next words. "You know, for someone who's so good at reading people, you are absolutely terrible at understanding evil."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"I am not doing this," he mocked, getting off of my bed. He looked down at me as he stretched. "You're too sweet for this orphanage. It might eat you up."
"You're underestimating me. You always underestimate me." I crossed my arms and he chuckled at the childish gesture, crouching down next to me.
"Why do you keep fighting if you don't even want to succeed L?" He asked, catching me off guard. I bit my lip as I pondered my response.
"In life, we're always fighting for something," I explained lightly. "We always need to be fighting. It gives us purpose. If this is my current battle, then I'm meant to conquer it. I'm meant to learn something from it."
"What makes you so sure?"
"The Goddess does nothing without reason, Mello," I said. "If I'm here, there has to be a reason."
Chapter five folks! I'm really happy with this one, I think I packed in everything I wanted to in a fairly smooth way! I hope everyone reading is enjoying this, because for once I'm actually having a really good time writing (as opposed to dreading each chapter). The next chapter is in the works and should be up fairly soon! And, as always, reviews are much appreciated!
Love,
Marie.
notes:
khota: donkey
chor: let go
haraami: bastard
Aur tum, svarthi kutta: And you, selfish dog
p.s. I want to apologize for the terrible summary! I've been meaning to for a while but I just keep forgetting. I REALLY suck at summarizing things, and I tried so hard to find something interesting or captivating, but I gave up after literally writing it out twenty different ways. I figured I'd let the story make up for how terrible it was and maybe change it when I got farther into the story! Forgive me!