Chapter 6 - Week Three: Thursday – Outcasts
Kida concentrated on walking into the room as quietly as possible, certain that the other students would bombard her with questions regarding her flee from the last session. She waited a few extra minutes after the other students had congregated in their seats to stealthily tiptoe her way in, careful to not make a sound. While she wanted to avoid the discomfort of being put in the spot light, she knew it was only fair to give an explanation for her peculiar actions. To her credit, she had done an incredible amount of work in the days prior, just sorting her emotions into reasonable compartments in her mind. Still, she wasn't entirely confident in her knowledge to truly feel comfortable discussing it.
To her surprise, the other students greeted her warmly as they always did without any mention of Monday's embarrassing incident. Immediately Kida suspected that Meg had silenced them early on given that she was the only person who had the slightest idea about Kida's situation – granted, she too did not know the full extent, but she was respectful of Kida's boundaries and comfort zone knowing full well that it must have been a painful enough subject to cause a stable and secure person like Kida to run away.
The blue-eyed woman cleared her throat after greeting and exchanging a few words of small talk with everyone. Her hands were shaking and she felt the impulse to run again. Meg's arm brushed hers softly, causing Kida to turn and look at at her friend who gave her a supportive nod, and urged her to speak. Kida managed to stammer a few words "I'm sorry for disrupting the meeting on Monday."
Jane smiled. "There is no reason to apologize, dear. We all have a complex story to tell and sometimes those stories can be very difficult to share, or even acknowledge. I'm proud of you and pleased that you still want to join us."
Kida suddenly became aware of how tense she held her posture and sighed as she slumped further into her seat between Meg and Esmeralda. "I am still learning and figuring it all out. When I have everything sorted, you all will be among the first people I tell."
"You do not have to feel pressured to do anything in this space. We are a small community and we have to build up trust." Esmeralda piped up.
Jane was pleased to hear one of her students reiterate the purpose of her group. She silently wished that Mary had been there to applaud the work that had been taking place in the past three weeks. In order to sustain this progress, she clung on to the conversation and encouraged Esmeralda to continue.
"Esmeralda, I am glad you mention this because I have really been wanting to hear from you for some time now. Why don't you begin today by telling us what it means for you to be French?"
Belle laughed. This time she was going to poke fun back to her roommate in revenge for being pushed to talk about her time with Adam. "Jane, you must not be serious. Esmeralda doesn't know the first thing about being French." Apparently, Belle wasn't aware that her joke might not be taken so well...
Immediately, Jane's internal warning alarm alerted her to the danger of the following conversation. She was about interrupt but it was too late...
The green eyed beauty narrowed her eyes. "What makes you say that Belle?" She demanded. "I was born in Paris and I have lived in Paris my entire life. My passport indicates that my nationality is French. The language that I speak is French. My citizenship is French. My culture, is French." Esmeralda's voice was rising in anger. "And how dare you even suggest such a thing?"
Belle was stunned by Esmeralda's response. She had no idea that her jesting would hit a nerve in her friend. Instead of apologizing and correcting her poor judgment, the stubborn young woman quickly jumped on the defensive. Her shoulders stiffened as she straightened her back to better look at her roommate. "I am native to France. Unlike you, my family has been in our village for hundreds of years, making us the real French people." She paused to look her friend right in the eye. "You're just a gypsy."
Esmeralda began to fume. Her blood boiled listening to Belle's outright discrimination of her people. Though she was used to this attitude, often receiving negative glances from fellow Parisians due to her skin color, the comments still stung, especially from her friend who she had grown quite close to. True, she too wondered before if she could even be considered French given that ethnically her blood was Romani-Gypsy and her ancestry only has a small stronghold to French land. Still, she only knew a life in France and Paris had always been her home.
Belle instantly regretted her words, shaking her head as her eyes widened and her heart pounded. She went too far and she knew it. "Esmeralda, I..."
"Save it Belle!" Esmeralda shouted, standing abruptly from her chair. With tears welling up in her eyes, she grabbed her bag and ran from the room, hardly hearing Jane calling her name behind her.
"That's twice in one week a student has ran out of the session..." Jane muttered under her breath.
The young emerald-eyed woman continued running until she reached the center park of the university where she collapsed into a bench underneath a willow tree. She shivered at the unexpected cold snap that had infiltrated the atmosphere the past few days. To remedy this, she reached into her book bag in search of sweater only to realize that she had left it in the seminar room. Esmeralda swore quietly and punched her bag away from her before breathing a sigh.
She looked up at the gray sky and silently wished to be back in Paris. She closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose, half expecting to breathe a whiff of the Parisian bakeries she was so accustomed to. Instead, she only managed to breathe in more cold air causing her to choke as the chill ran down her throat. In frustration, she snarled up at the English sky.
At the sound of music in the distance, Esmeralda's head perked up. She was briefly reminded of the frequent street festivals in Paris with cheerful music and exciting costumes. With nothing to lose, she began walking toward the source, growing more hopeful with each step she took. On the way, she found herself gliding through the university gardens of yellow-streaked trees – a part of campus she had never been before or even heard of. The garden was so empty that the only sounds were her own footsteps amidst the rustling leaves and distant music. Again she was reminded of Paris and the garden near the Natural History Museum – one of her favorite places in the city to escape.
A wave of calm instantly rushed over the young woman. At least there was one place on campus that could make her feel somewhat at home. She decided to soak in the feeling as long as she could, so she sat at the edge of a small pond and gazed over the still water and allowed herself to fully immerse into the peace of the garden. Just then, the sound of footsteps approached behind her, startling her out of her daydreams. The music she heard from the distance was suddenly very near.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." A voice said behind her. She turned to look up at the speaker, surprised to see a stout young man with a hunchback, carrying an MP3 players attached to a small set of speakers. He hurriedly pressed the off button and the music stopped completely. The man flinched when Esmeralda's eyes met his and he instantly shielded his eyes. "Please, don't be alarmed...I'm not used to seeing people in here. I...didn't expect anyone to hear...my music." He breathed, trying to piece together some words into a coherent sentence; a difficult challenge while his heart was nearly beating out of his chest.
Esmeralda showed no sign of fear, disgust or irritation - just recognition that someone else was in the garden with her. He seemed surprised by her reaction, or lack there of. She smiled up at him, "Don't worry about it. I was just enjoying the scenery. This park is absolutely beautiful..."
The young man pointed to the rock to her side "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, please do! I could really use some company about now." She paused and bit her lip as she recalled the pain she felt not just an hour before. "What's your name?"
He didn't answer right away, instead he looked down at his mud-caked shoes and quietly muttered "Quasimodo..." under his breath. At first, Esmeralda assumed she heard incorrectly or that he was joking. When he didn't show any sign of revealing a punch line, her eyes widened in surprise that any parents would be so cruel.
"That's a Latin-French name isn't it? Almost...human?" She asked him, cautious to not hit a nerve. He nodded sadly and twiddled his thumbs.
"I never had what one would call a 'childhood'..." He admitted. "Actually, I've lived in the university my entire life, tending this very garden." His arms spread out wide as he presented what Esmeralda took to be a masterpiece of gardening.
"Wait...You made this garden?"
Quasimodo shrugged. "It was just pile of shrubs before. The maintenance manager at the university took me in as a boy and trained me to keep up the place. Eventually, after he passed away and the university hired more attendants, I had more time to perfect the skill. I've just never stopped." He paused to look Esmeralda in the eye and grinned wryly. "This garden is the one thing in my life I can really be proud of."
Esmeralda was absolutely astounded. As she admired the artful placement of the trees, the bushes, terraces of jasmine flowers and the pond, she was surprised to find that it was all the work of just one person. "You even built the lake on your own?"
The young man laughed loudly. "I dug the hole yes, but you can thank the clouds for the water. I was fortunate enough to begin that work at the start of a series of rainstorms!"
She giggled at the thought of him scrambling to dig a hole in the middle of a storm."Well Quasimodo, you certainly have a gift. A gift I rather admire." The emerald-eyed beauty extended her hand. "My name is Esmeralda. I'm an international student from France."
Quasimodo blushed as his hand brushed hers in a handshake. "And I'm the gardener."
"Esmeralda!" A voice suddenly called out, causing Esmeralda to abruptly turn her head in the direction of the name caller. In an instant, Rapunzel's long hair came bounding toward her and enveloped her in a great bear hug. "I'm so glad to see you!" The cheerful young girl said.
"What are you doing here?" Esmeralda asked, puzzled that someone else had wandered into the otherwise empty garden.
"I should ask you the same questions. I'm here with some members of the fencing team. We needed a space to practice." Just as she spoke, three university age men emerged from the winding path Rapunzel had ran from.
Esmeralda nodded. "I see, I see. I forgot that you did fencing. I was just looking for a quiet place to think when I started talking to..." She turned around to gesture to Quasimodo. "Hey, where did he go?" She wondered, noting that he was no longer there.
Rapunzel was puzzled. "Where did who go? Are you alright dear?"
Esmeralda squinted her eyes and scanned the surrounding area. The peculiar young man was nowhere to be found. "I wonder where he went..." she mused to herself and shook her head. "Well, care to introduce me to your friends?" she asked, glancing at the trio of well-toned, yet awkward young men.
Rapunzel gleamed. "Absolutely!" She first pointed to the stern man with a black pony tail "That's Shang, he's the coach" He nodded his greeting. "And this is Flynn...He's sort of my private tutor" She blushed as she pointed to the smirking, younger looking man with a goatee. "And lastly, this is Phoebus. He's one of the senior team members." She gestured to a tall, muscular man with shoulder length blonde hair.
Esmeralda was particularly intrigued with this last man, who wasn't as rigid as Shang in stature, or as mischievous as Flynn, but seemed to possess his own charm that the young woman couldn't place. Esmeralda gazed at the man questioningly as Rapunzel continued to speak. "So, fencing team, this is Esmeralda, my friend from the International Student group I was telling you all about."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The man with blonde hair, Phoebus said as he took Esmeralda's hand in his own and kissed the top lightly. She was expecting a simple handshake, so she was quite surprised, even a bit insulted. "Really? You're going to give me the gentleman's introduction?"
Phoebus was taken aback. "I can assure you that I've meant no harm in my actions and I offer my apologies." He explained, taking a quick bow. "I introduce myself to all fine ladies, such as yourself, in this manner."
Flynn snorted. Up until that last comment he had been leaning against a tree examining the dirt under his fingernails. "He's messing with you Esme – can I call you Esme? - he really isn't like this with many 'fine ladies.'" He emphasized with air quotes.
Phoebus shot his fencing partner a glare and sighed. "So I'm trying a new approach, judge me at your own desire Rider." Then he turned to Esmeralda again. "Alright, let's start over without the facade maybe? My name is Phoebus, it really is nice to meet you. Rapunzel talks about this student group as though it were her entire life, and it's obvious she thinks highly of all of you."
Esmeralda nodded in approval, an eyebrow raised in unison with the corner of her mouth. "First of all, no Flynn, you may not call me Esme. Secondly, Phoebus, I accept your introduction and your apology." She curtsied in response, a teasing smile emerging more as she looked up at him from her bow. "Let's see if you are as great of a fencer as you say you are – if you succeed in impressing me, you may kindly escort me back to my flat."
"Absolutely, young miss! I will escort you at your heart's leisure." Phoebus announced, returning Esmeralda's teasing grin. Flynn took this opportunity to cut in between the two, arms extended between them.
"Alright alright guys, we get it. Can we get to the sparring already?" He exclaimed, already drawing his sword in preparation for the duel. Rapunzel interrupted his motions and shoved him out of the way. Shang, who had remained fairly quiet through the bulk of introductions nodded in approval at his newest student's initiation.
"Not so fast Rider, I'm taking control of this fight. Esmeralda is MY friend and I'M going to impress her." The young girl drew her sword and lowered her helmet, mumbling to Phoebus just loud enough for everyone to hear "I'm ready when you are, Blondie."
Her opponent shrugged his shoulders and glanced at his coach. After Shang waved him gently in approval, he lowered his own helmet as he drew his sword and countered. "Touche, Blondie."
Esmeralda sat down neatly on a rock by the lake as she watched the spar. A dejected Flynn slumped down beside her. "But I wanted to fight him..."
The young woman giggled. "Why do I get the feeling it isn't me you want to impress?" She winked and nodded her head toward the dueling blondes.
He exhaled sharply and allowed a small smile to play on his lips. He didn't look at her and instead continued to gaze at Rapunzel and Phoebus who were quickly gaining ferocity in their movements. Though Flynn didn't verbally confirm or deny her assumptions, Esmeralda already knew the answer.
As she sat and glossed over the blooming love affair between the goateed young man and her friend, she began to wonder if she too would experience a romance...or at least a friendship with someone during her stay at the university. Instantly her mind reverted back to the kind and peculiar red-haired young man she met just moments before, whose mysterious disappearance made her question his entire existence. Was Quasimodo really there, or did she just conjure the idea of him out of her loneliness? He was the first person she felt she could really relate to; an outcast in a world where everyone is expected to form bonds with one another.
Her mind returned to her current company; to Flynn beside her, gleaming at his teammates, to the coach Shang (who remained near his students while taking notes and shouting commands), to Rapunzel, an unlikely but welcome friend, and Phoebus, the handsome young man she could not keep her eyes off of. As she watched his fluid movements she couldn't help but begin to take an interest. There was no doubt that she was impressed; not necessarily by his fencing skills as Rapunzel was an equal opponent, but by his charm and his ability to mold his image into her brain.
Esmeralda's mind was still on Quasimodo and whether or not he was a figment of her imagination. Since she couldn't find any evidence of him having been there at all (other than the beautiful garden itself) she resigned herself to the notion that there was no Quasimodo, and that he was simply a reflection of her insecurities. Still, her current focus on Phoebus was so intense that she was completely oblivious to the rustling bushes behind the fencers, otherwise she would have caught a small glimpse of red hair peaking out from behind the branches...
Author's Note:
So sorry for the long delay! My own classes have started and I'm a lot busier than I thought I would be. Still, I refuse to abandon this story – I am far too invested in this. Forgot to mention in the last chapter's AN that Kida's broken finger was based on true events – I really did break my finger...Haha oh boy...Yeah, I did just share that with the world.
Anyway, keep up the wonderful reviews and messages! I love hearing from all of you – new and old reviewers alike! I promise that I will do my best to keep up with all of your stories and messages. I can't guarantee a review for every new chapter or even a response to PM's in a timely manner (I'm sorry _) but I will do my best 3
Love you all!
-Suzerenma