Volume I: Ant. Chapter 7: The Hand that Was Dealt:
It was the 22nd of July, two days before Lucius' 15th birthday. As Sophia continued her gambling, Lucius would honor their secrecy with much reluctance. On this day, Sophia was returning home after picking pockets. She planned to gamble with that money later that day. The moment Sophia came home, she was immediately greeted by the sight of her brother on the couch. He paid her no mind as the smell of dinner was emanating from the kitchen. Sophia first headed upstairs and put her lien in the stash she and her brother kept. As she headed back down, Lucius relayed a message.
"She wants to talk to you." Lucius told Sophia in reference to their sister. It was the most he had spoken to her since he found out about her gambling.
"About what?" Sophia asked as she descended the stairs.
"I don't know." The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Ask her yourself."
"Well, where is she, then?" Sophia asked as she reached the bottom step.
"Kitchen." Lucius answered as he returned to his original spot.
"Alright then... Thanks."
Lucius simply ignored her as Sophia crossed the threshold into the kitchen, stepping onto the hardwood. Her sister would hear her enter and turned her head slightly.
"Oh, you're here." She spoke.
"Lu, said you wanted to talk to me?" Sophia asked.
"Take a seat at the kitchen table, please." Her voice had an almost business-like demeanor.
Sophia complied without a word. The girl pulled up a chair and sat, wondering why her sister wanted to talk to her and why her demeanor had a business-like tone compared to her usual self. Her mind jumped to multiple possibilities.
"Did she find out about something? Was it the pickpocketing? The gambling? If it's the gambling, did Lu tell? No, Lu wouldn't do that. Maybe it's not about the gambling. But it might still be Lu related. Oh, I know! Lu's birthday is coming up in a couple days. Maybe that's it. We must be discussing a surprise for Lu on his birthday!"
After some time, Sophia's sister would then join her at the table beside her.
"You know how Lu's birthday is coming up?" She asked, seemingly confirming to Sophia that the topic of this conversation was indeed their little brother's birthday.
"Yeah, what about it?" Sophia turned to her sister as she folded her hands on the table and leaned her elbows on it.
"Well, I was thinking about what I was going to get him, and I wanted to surprise him. So I decided to search around our room for a place to hide his gift for when I got it... and I stumbled across something interesting." Judging from her voice, it was clear she was leading somewhere.
Upon hearing that, Sophia felt her entire body tense up. Her folded hands tightly squeezed each other as she could feel her palms grow slick with sweat. The look on her face shifted slightly to one of nervousness. It was very noticeable, but her sister did not acknowledge it. Deep down, Sophia prayed that her nervousness was just over nothing and that her sister wasn't going to bring up the very thing she feared she would.
"Well... what'd you find?" Sophia tried sound calm.
"Oh, just this." Her sister would get up from her chair and step to the cupboard.
She bent down and grabbed something small and carried it to the table. She would then proceed to drop it right in front of Sophia. Sophia instantly recognized it: a sack of lien and a deck of playing cards. The girl suddenly looked scared stiff.
"I found this sack full of lien in a small, hidden space in our room. And with it, a deck of cards. Now I don't want to jump to conclusions, but seeing these two things together only means one thing in this area. Would you care to tell me what this is and why it's here, Sophia?"
As soon as Lucius overheard the confrontation beginning, he immediately got up and headed to a more distant and isolated spot in the house. Sophia, noticing this out of her peripheral vision, turned her head toward him as he headed off. She suspected that he ratted her out.
"Don't look at him." Sophia's sister told her. "Your business is with me right now. Now tell what this is doing in our room."
"M-maybe that was already there..." Sophia pathetically lied.
"Sophia, don't try that. Lu told me it wasn't his when I grilled him and I know it's not mine. I tried to ask him if he knew anything, but he was very evasive about it. That only leaves you. And judging from your face, you know something."
"W-what're you implying?" As a second tactic, Sophia tried to play dumb. She could feel beads of sweat about to roll down her forehead. "You know Lu and I always go out to-"
"Don't play dumb with me, Sophia." She interrupted her ploy. "I know you hid this stash of lien in our room. I know it's yours. Don't insult my intelligence. I want to know where and how you got it and why there is a deck of cards with it."
Sophia's sister seemed to have already known the answer. But she wanted to hear it from Sophia herself to confirm it.
"How do you know it's even mine?" When playing dumb didn't work, she started to get defensive.
"Sophia... Answer. The. Question." Her sister lowered her voice.
"Does it matter?" Sophia muttered as she didn't want to directly tell her sister she was illegally gambling.
"Yes, it matters!" Her sister snapped. She was getting frustrated and stood up from her chair. The wooden legs made a deep, low squeak as the chair slid from her jumping to her feet.
"Why? This lien is helping keep us above water and-"
"'Because if you're getting this money illegally," She interrupted her. "...then you and I are going to have a serious talk. So I'm going to ask you one more time: how are you getting this money?"
Sophia was completely cornered. She didn't have much of a choice, but to comply.
"G-... gambling…," She finally admitted. "I pickpocket money and use it to gamble..."
"Sophia..." She reacted the exact same way as Lucius as she turned around; however, she had a more authoritative energy compared to that of her little brother. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
There was a tightened firmness in her voice.
"I-"
"Aside from the legality of it, what you are doing is incredibly dangerous. You are aware of that, right?" She interrupted her again as she wasn't finished.
"So what?" Sophia acted dismissive.
"What do you mean, 'So what'?!" Her sister replied, exasperatedly.
"It's been working so far." She tried for an excuse. "You can practically get away with anything in this part of Mistral. I'll be careful."
"You don't get it, Sophia!" She got more frustrated as she spoke and turned back around to face her younger sister. "You think I don't know that? I don't care how careful you are. The people that you might be dealing with might be even more careful. The criminal underground is not something to mess with! They are the reason why this stuff is illegal in the first place. And by participating in this, you are practically putting your foot in their door. All it takes is one interaction with the wrong person, one wrong bet, one wrong deal, one wrong step. One mistake is all it takes, Sophia. I'm much more worried about you getting yourself killed than you getting arrested."
"Well stop worrying!" Sophia snapped back at her. "I said I'll be careful. It's not like-"
"No, I'm not going to stop worry-"
"Stop interrupting me and let me talk, dammit!" Sophia jumped up from her chair, too. At this point, they were in a full-blown argument.
"'I'll stop interrupting when you start listening!" The older sister tried To assert her authority. "As I was saying, no, I'm not going to stop worrying because you're my little sister and you're giving me every reason to worry! You seem like you don't even care about the dangers you're exposing yourself to. You never know who you're dealing with down here. You're playing a dangerous game and the last thing I want to see is you dead in a ditch or an alleyway because you made a deal with the wrong kind of people."
"Well, what else do you expect me to do?!" Sophia sounded annoyed as she threw her arms in the air in frustration.
"Wait a couple months until you turn 17 and then get a job, you idiot!" Sophia's sister approached the table.
"'Don't call me an idiot!" Sophia yelled, very annoyed.
"Then stop making idiotic choices!" Her sister yelled louder to assert herself.
"If I stop and wait, we'll sink so fast that we'll be under before I even get a job. I know it. You know it. What you make is not enough and what Lu and I would find doesn't make a difference. And if I stop, we'd quickly run through our stash. The money I make with gambling is meant to get us out of here. On top of that, it is the one thing that has been preventing us from sinking. You can challenge it all you want, but you know it's true." Sophia crossed her arms.
There was a slight moment of silence between the two sisters. Sophia's sister looked on her with disappointment. She turned to the side.
"Why can't you do things the right way? Why can't you just listen?" Sophia's sister lowered her voice to more moderate level. "Do you even care about your well-being?" She raised her voice a smidge.
"No! As a matter of fact, I don't!'" Sophia rendered her sister dumbfounded. "I don't care if I get tangled up in the wrong crowd! I don't care if I get kidnapped or something! I don't care if I even get myself killed!"
"WELL I DO!" Her sister raised her voice. Just hearing that incensed her.
"WELL I DON'T FUCKING CARE!" Sophia shouted back. "Fuck the proper way! Fuck the right way! Fuck your way! When has that ever gotten us anything? At best we've been stuck in this shithole in this small house and at worst we'll end up still stuck in this shithole, only this time, without a house. We're probably going to die down here. But if we do, I'm going to die trying to get out. I've been chased, I've been beaten, I've even been shot at! And guess what. I still don't care! I'll gladly go through it again. And why? Because I'm trying to help keep this family afloat. I'm trying to save this family. And yeah, even though your way of getting money is legal while mine isn't, I'm the one that makes the difference with what I do!"
Once Sophia's sister heard that, she dropped back into her chair. Just hearing that felt like a punch to the gut. She was completely winded. Her head laid in her hands as if she were contemplating what she would say next.
"I said this to Lu and I'll say it to you too: we're struggling to stay afloat and I'm the reason we haven't sunk. Lu is scared shitless. My gambling is what's giving us just enough of an edge to keep living where we are and will eventually push us out of this gutter we've been born into. The reason I don't care about myself is because I'm too busy caring for all of us! Meanwhile, what have you done? I'm carrying us, while you can barely carry yourself. And this is the thanks I get? All you're gonna do is keep us where we are because you're more concerned with simply just trying to support us where we are while I'm here trying to push us. I'm trying to push us out of here! You want to keep things from getting worse. I want to make things better. If you really cared, you'd swallow your pride. But no, the oldest sibling just has to show us how it's done. I bet that so-called 'right way' must be real rewarding, huh?"
"Sophia, enough…" Her older sister muttered. Her voice broke slightly. But Sophia's emotions were running high. She was unleashing all her pent-up anger and frustration over the years. And Sophia had no plans on hitting the brakes anytime soon as she continued to speak without thinking.
"You're starving yourself just to feed us because you can't afford enough for yourself, and I've had to get myself involved in illegal activities to give us a chance. A real chance that you can't give all of us on your own. Face it! We're all alone and no one gives a shit about us And everyone who did is either dead or gone. Should I run down the list?"
"Sophia, I said enough." She said a bit louder, but almost in a pleading way.
"Marcus went missing."
"Sophia, please!" She clutched her head.
"Dad abandoned us."
"Shut up, Sophia...!"
"And mom is dead!"
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Her sister was at her wit's end as she stood up again. She slammed her hand on the table as Sophia was making her last statement. The impact created a loud thud in the kitchen.
"Why should I shut up?" Sophia challenged her. "You know I'm right! And besides, what are you gonna do? Go back to your job where you can continue to earn almost nothing? It's not like you can do much of anything anyway with your current frame. It's not like you've been getting much of anything done."
"I mean it, Sophia!" Her sister balled her fist, her face filled with stress.
"Meanwhile, I've provided more for the three of us than you ever have since mom slit her wrists in the bath tu-"
Sophia's venomous words were suddenly cut off by a powerful slap. Her sister had enough to the point that she whipped her open hand into her younger sister's cheek. Sophia was slapped so hard that she fell on her rear. She was genuinely shocked. It was the first time her sister had ever actually struck her. Sophia's sister was always pretty strict and kept them in line, but never once did she ever strike them until that day. Looking back, Sophia believed she had it coming. She kept pushing and pushing until her sister couldn't take anymore. But at the time, she was so frustrated and angry and that bled into her words. She wasn't thinking. Neither of them were at that specific moment.
Sophia felt like she had just lost all her senses as she remained where she was. She was still holding her stinging, reddening cheek with a surprised expression as she looked up at her sister. Sophia's sister on the other hand, was holding her own hand. It was difficult to tell whether it was because she hurt her hand from the sheer force, or because she immediately regretted it. Regardless, she had a look of both regret and pain in her eyes. Neither sister could speak. Sophia waited for her sister to say something- anything- but to both of their surprise, it was someone else that spoke.
"I-is everything okay?" Lucius spoke as he had just entered the room. He heard the slap, but he entered just moments after. He had a slight shyness in his tone.
He initially came down when he heard his sister smack the table earlier and wanted to check on them.
"G-go back to the living room, Lucius." His sister tried to send him away.
"But-"
"Now." She didn't yell that time. But he could feel the tension in her voice as she shot a stern glare toward her little brother.
Lucius simply looked at both of them with a concerned face and then simply backed off into the other room. His eldest sister spoke up again, this time back to Sophia.
"You are so lucky that you are my sister, Sophia." She said in a low voice. "I know you didn't mean those words. But if you were anybody else right now, I'd be wringing your neck. Regardless of whether you meant it or not. Sophia, I'm warning you, don't you ever bring up that up again. Please..."
Sophia's sister would then take a moment to compose herself. She took a deep breath. She then walked to the freezer and prepared an ice bag for Sophia.
"Sophia, at the end of the day, I just care. We both want to help this family. But the way you're doing it is incredibly short-sighted and is likely going to end in disaster. I know you just want to help support this family and get us out of here. But I'm trying to keep us safe. You're playing with fire here. And not only do I not want you to get burnt, but I also don't want the fire to 'spread' as well if you catch my meaning. If you're not careful and you make a mistake, this has the potential to affect all of us. I get that you want to help, but not like this.
"And you're right. We are struggling. After all, we've... lost a lot. And dad left us. And then there's Marcus. But we're not alone. We still have each other. Lu has us. I have you two. And you have us. We don't want to lose anyone else. We don't want to lose you. It's just us three now. We're all we have left. And without either of you, I wouldn't have a world left for me to live in. And I know you feel the same way toward us and so does, Lu.
"Sophia, I'm sorry I hit you. But please, don't-... please don't do that again?"
When Sophia recovered and the shock from the slap passed, it was replaced by anger and frustration again. Her sister's words had fallen on deaf ears. When her sister tried to hand the ice bag, Sophia simply snatched it from her and held it against her cheek.
Her sister reached her hand out to help her up. Sophia simply ignored it and got up as she shoulder-bumped and walked through her. Sophia decided she was going to get out of the house and spend some time alone. As she was about to make her way out, Sophia had her free hand on her sack of cards and lien. But before she could take the bag, she felt it resist a bit. Her sister had placed her hand on the bag and held it in place to try and stop her.
"Sophia…" She called to her with a concerned voice. "Please... I'm sorry. But-"
"Let go of the bag." Sophia muttered to her.
"I'm sorry, Sophia. But I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm not going to let you go."
"I'm trying to help this family."
"Then you can start by helping yourself. Stop playing with fire."
"You're the one playing with fire right now."
"...Is that a threat?" Her sister asked. She was surprised at what she was hearing.
"Keep your hand on the bag and find out."
Sophia didn't know why she was trying to act tough. She knew she couldn't fight to save her life and was not an intimidating person. But at this point, she stopped caring completely. She was angry. She was frustrated. And she felt alone at the fact no one was supporting her. But what was one to do? Continue to gamble and run the risk of involvement with organized crime? Or stop and run the very possible risk of homelessness and starvation? Was there even a right or wrong way anymore at this point? Was there really even a way to win with the hand they've been dealt? Or maybe it was all rigged from the start.
"Sophia, I can't let you leave with that bag- especially knowing what you're going to do with it."
She simply ignored her that time and tried to jerk it away. But her sister tightened her grip.
"Sophia, this isn't a request. I am telling you- I am imploring you. And I am not going to say it again. Give me the bag now!" She ordered. She got more assertive and tried to yank it back.
Sophia would resist with a bold, "Fuck no! And fuck you!"
The two were practically in a tug o' war for the bag. They were trying to wrestle it away from each other in what was arguably a borderline fight. As Sophia resisted her sister, she pressed her palm against her face and tried to pull the bag away.
"Sophia, give me the bag now!" Her sister would respond by moving her hand aside and tried to move herself in front of Sophia. She held onto the bag to try and gain leverage and yank it away.
But Sophia wouldn't allow that. The two would continue try and wrestle the bag from each other until Lucius heard their struggle and tried to break them up. He wasn't doing the best job at keeping them apart. They were both determined to hold onto the bag. They'd get into another tug o' war and Sophia pulled back with all her might, using her weight to try and get it away. Sophia's hands would ultimately slip. She fell back and ended up hitting her face on the corner of the table. As a result, she ended up getting busted open under her eye. Sophia was on the ground for a few seconds as blood poured from her cut.
"S-Sophia!" Her sister shouted. She wanted to get the bag from her, but the last thing she wanted was to hurt her again. This time it was completely accidental. Her older sister immediately put the money bag aside on the table. She approached Sophia to aid her with a very concerned expression on her face. She was also apologizing profusely as she tried to help her up.
When Sophia felt the sting from the cut as well as the impact from the fall, she was briefly disoriented. She placed her fingers against the stinging area. And the moment she felt the warm liquid touch her fingertips and saw them coated in red, she was soon enflamed.
With her temper flaring, as her sister tried to help her up, Sophia balled her fist tight. The moment she was pulled back to her feet, Sophia turned around and sucker punched her sister square in the face. The blow was hard enough that she stumbled back into her brother. In the process, they both fell to the ground as Lucius tried to catch her. Sophia did not hold back with her cheap shot. Her sister laid on the ground with a dazed look in her eyes and blood dripping from her nose. When Sophia saw the sight of what she had done, she, too, came back to her senses. But what's done was done.
Sophia's face was completely washed over with regret and concern as she tried to approach. Just like her sister, Sophia was now completely ignoring the bag on the table. She wanted to call out their names out of concern, but she was too choked up to utter a word. She couldn't grasp the reality that she physically harmed her own flesh and blood.
As for Lucius, he had lost any and all patience with his sister at this point. He had enough. And he didn't care anymore either. Seeing what she had done to their sister enraged him beyond reason.
"What's wrong with you?!'" He yelled at her as he picked himself up. Lucius had a look of sheer anger spread across his face. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Sophia?! She's our sister for the gods' sakes! And you knock her out over a bag of money?!"
"Lu… I-I... I wasn't thi-... Lu..."
"No! Don't call me that! I don't wanna hear it...!" His voice broke a slightly.
"Please. I didn-t- I didn't mean- I-I'm so-"
"Don't tell me you're sorry now! Just stay away from me." He said as he stepped back and turned his shoulder to her.
"Lu, please. You're my little brother. We're family." She pleaded as she ignored him and kept trying to approach.
When she said that, Lucius faced her again. Sophia felt two hands pressed against her and push her back. Lucius shoved his sister to the ground, blood still pouring from her own wound.
"You wanna talk about family?" He yelled in frustration. He gestured to their eldest, who was still on the ground from the stiff shot she took. "You wanna talk about family?! Look at what you just did to your family! And considering what you did to her despite that, what you said doesn't mean much to me coming from you."
Even at the time of him saying it, Sophia knew Lucius was just angry and didn't mean those words. But that didn't make them sting any less.
"Just take your stupid money and go… Just take it and leave us alone…" He finished as he threw the money bag at Sophia's feet. Lucius then turned to tend to his oldest sister.
"But... we're family, Lu." Sophia pleaded with a weak voice.
"After what you did, you don't get to call us that." He said without thinking.
Those words broke her.
Shortly after, Lucius bit his lip as he seemingly regretted those words. And though he was turned away slightly, Sophia could see the regret. However, the words echoing through her mind overwhelmed her. She couldn't believe what she had heard. But despite that, she kept hearing it. It rang in her head like an echo.
After a moment's hesitation, Sophia would reluctantly grab the bag of lien. She slowly stumbled her way out of the house, grabbing a knife in the process and stuffing some sand in her pocket as she and her siblings had been conditioned to do whenever going out. As soon as Sophia was out the door, she would turn around and gradually pick up her pace until she eventually reached a sprint. She ran and she ran, and she ran, hugging the bag to her chest. She didn't stop until she was far away from the house and could no longer recognize where she was.
With those words echoing through her mind, it was almost as if she was trying to run away from what was said to her along with what she did. But no matter how far she ran, she couldn't escape. No matter how far she was away from them and the house, she could still hear the words. She could still see her sister on the ground, dazed with a bloodied nose. But for the moment, her burning lungs and tiring legs provided all the distraction she needed.
When Sophia did eventually finish her run, she hunched over, wheezing and huffing as she tried to catch her breath. And as she did so, she could hear once again the same sentence over and over in a mental whirlwind:
"You don't get to call us that..."
As she thought of that, her attention would quickly drift to the bag in her hands. She wanted to make things right. And do it the only way she really knew how. She needed to try. Maybe she could bring some money home as a peace offering and be forgiven for her transgressions.
"Am I really going to do this?" She thought as she seemed to have shown some self-awareness after what had transpired.
"You don't get to call us that." The thought kept returning to her. She winced every time she heard it.
"Yeah. We need this." She gave in as the words served as a final push.
. . .
After catching her breath, Sophia began touring the unfamiliar area of the slums. The environment was a little dingy, but cleaner than where she lived at least. The area was also surprisingly behaved considering she's walking around with a bag of lien on her. Where she lived, someone likely would have just assaulted and robbed her on the spot for it at this point. But this area seemed a bit more disciplined. More... organized. However, there was still the occasional drunk sitting in an alleyway or outside a bar as well as a shoplifter being chased down the corridor by a shopkeeper, whose currently vacant stall was having produce freely stuffed into the pockets of the rest of the lifter's party. The only somewhat strange thing was that everyone was either wearing short sleeves or had a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Not a single jacket or long-sleeve in sight.
Sophia hadn't been touring the area for more than five minutes before a strange woman approached her with her hands in her pockets. She had coral pink hair and eyes with irises of a faded brown; however, they looked almost white at first glance. She wore a blood-red button-up shirt with black buttons that was open around the chest area, forming almost a heart shape, and small black gloves. Over that she sported a white jacket that was stained a yellowish-brownish shade due to how dirty it was. Lastly for her legs, she had a pair of pink jeans and black shoes.
As soon as Sophia realized she was being approached, she immediately put her hand in her pocket. In the slums of Mistral, doing this usually was a means to tell someone to back off or to warn them not to try anything funny. The reason why is because this motion implies you are armed and will draw if felt threatened. Usually this will work as it will result in the person changing direction or simply passing by. The woman, on the other hand, seemed unphased by this. She simply lifted her arm a bit to try and put Sophia at ease.
"Relax, kid." She said in a commandeering yet assuring voice. "Just noticed you looked distressed and wanted to check on you."
"Well I'm fine..." Sophia tried to dismiss her concerns.
"You certainly don't look it." The woman pointed to her red cheek and cut.
"Is it that obvious...?" Sophia relented.
"A little bit." She chuckled. "You hiding from someone?"
The woman then pointed to Sophia's bag of lien, implying with her question if Sophia was being hunted for theft.
"No... no. Just uh, looking for a place to, uh..." She was trying to avoid outright admitting her intentions.
"Gamble?" The woman responded as she easily read Sophia.
"H-how did you-?" Sophia took a step back.
"It's written all over your face, sweetheart. So tell me, whose money are you gambling with? Your own? Or perhaps, that's someone else's livelihood you got in your hands?"
"Look, lady." Sophia sounded irritated by the woman's assertion. "I'm not in the mood right now. Just let me do my thing and leave me alone, alright?"
The woman was a little surprised by Sophia's irritableness. But she maintained her demeanor regardless as she spoke up again.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm not judging or anything. Look, I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes. That wasn't my intention."
Sophia ignored the woman and began walking past her.
"How about I make it up to you?" She continued as she began to follow. "I know a place nearby where you can do your gambling. A place where you can win big. Real big. I can take you."
"First of all, don't call me 'honey'." Sophia stopped. "Second, lady, I'm gonna be honest here. I don't trust you." She said bluntly.
"It'll be worth your while." She tried to convince Sophia.
"Doubt it." Sophia brushed her off.
She continued walking ahead. The woman paused in place for a moment.
"How about enough lien to get you out of this dump?" The tone in the woman's voice changed a bit.
As soon as Sophia heard that, she stopped in her tracks.
"Bullshit!" She said as she turned around. "You expect me to believe that b.s.?"
"Ah, but it got you to stop, didn't it? So part of you believes it, if not curious at least. If you don't believe me, why don't you keep walking?" The woman had a confident grin on her face. It was akin to that of a fisher who had hooked their catch and was reeling it in.
Sophia thought for a moment before speaking again.
"I have no reason to believe you. If there is anything living down here has taught me, it's that if you don't know someone, you already have more reasons not to trust them than you have to trust them. How do I know you're not full of it?"
"Good question." She answered. She sounded like she had done this multiple times before. "You're careful. I don't blame you for being careful. I like careful. Careful is always a good thing. After all, I wouldn't be where I am if I wasn't. Anyway, you have no way of seeing if I'm telling the truth or not unless you decide to go along. I could be lying for all you know. But let's entertain the idea for a moment that I am telling the truth. You could possibly win enough lien to get out of this part of Mistral forever. Are you willing to walk away from that? Are you willing to run the risk of living down here until you die in this hole? You have a chance to get out. And I can tell by looking at you that you're pretty desperate. You're no stranger to taking chances, I'm sure of that as well. And life is all about taking chances. And this one could be your last. You're not gonna let it pass you by, will you?"
Sophia was in the palm of her hand. And the woman had just applied a vise-like grip.
There Sophia was. An isolated, stubborn, emotionally vulnerable, 16-year-old being given an offer she seemingly could not refuse. The woman didn't seem the most trustworthy. But that was not on Sophia's mind anymore. What if the woman really was telling the truth? This could be her chance not only to prove her siblings wrong and tell them, 'I told you so!', but also to hopefully redeem herself to them and get them out of the slums. Everything Sophia did was with their best interest in mind. And everything she wanted, she could possibly get right then and there. She wasn't going to allow herself to miss a chance to achieve just that. She had to at least see.
"...Where is it...?" Sophia reluctantly asked with a sigh.
"Atta girl! That's the spirit!" The woman cheered her.
"Just take me!" She demanded sternly.
"All business today, I see. That's fine. I can deal with that." The woman continued to wear her smile. "Come with me. It's this way."
Sophia was fully aware that what she was doing was incredibly dangerous. In the slums, you don't ever follow someone you don't know if they are leading you somewhere. Especially if they might be heading toward an isolated area. That is a situation that almost never ends well. Chances are you would be robbed, murdered, kidnapped, etc. If it can happen, it will happen. Because of this, Sophia operated with a bit of caution by leaving herself some distance while following. She also stuck her sack in her shirt and tucked her shirt in so the money wouldn't fall out. She then put her hands in her pockets, clutching her knife and some sand just in case.
"Oh," The woman suddenly spoke up. "I almost forgot my manners! I should introduce myself. I'm Sonya, by the way."
"Sophia."
"'Sophia', huh? That's a pretty name. Well, Sophia, we're almost at the spot. So you won't have to walk much longer."
As the two continued their walk, Sophia noticed she was being watched. Once she started paying attention to her surroundings, she noticed people were occasionally glancing at her and Sonya. But from the looks in their eyes and body language, they didn't look like they were up to something. Rather, they looked almost subdued.
"Hey, uh... I think we're being watched." Sophia brought to Sonya's attention.
"Oh, don't mind them." Sonya sounded unphased. "They're probably just interested in the money you have on you. I'd hold onto it tight if I were you. Maybe wrap the string around your hand. Wouldn't want someone swiping it."
"Don't worry. I have a strong grip. Besides, I put it in my shirt just in case." Sophia reassured her.
In a few more minutes of walking, Sophia and Sonya would reach the place that was mentioned. Sonya was not lying. It was a small hidden casino in the slums. It had a dark, faded, rustic pink color. The interior sounded rowdy almost as if they had arrived during someone's celebration at the conclusion of the game. Out of curiosity, Sophia glanced through one of the reddish windows. She saw multiple tables surrounded by people having their own gambling sessions and sweeping in lien as the dealer dealt in the next round.
The duo entered and Sonya directed them to a secluded area in a corner where three impatient-looking people sat. On the other side of the table, there was an empty chair with a vase containing water and a single rose. As they approached the table, Sonya pulled up a chair and gestured to it for Sophia.
"Your seat, dear."
Sophia reluctantly sat down. She figured she was in a crowded area, so there wasn't too much of a danger to be worried about. Sophia then pulled out the bag of lien and placed it on the table. Meanwhile, Sonya made her way around the table to the empty chair with the vase with the rose in it.
"Took you long enough." One of the men at the table grumbled as he looked up at Sonya.
"I'll be sure to take longer next time." She taunted him with a laugh as if she knew him.
"You're lucky you're our boss." He muttered under his breath. But Sonya heard him.
Sonya responded by giving him a side-eye and leaned close to his ear.
"Wait... 'Boss'...?" Sophia thought to herself. The moment Sophia heard that, she was starting to feel a sense of realization slowly creep up on her.
"And you're lucky you're useful." She gently whispered to him. "But I have no use for subordinates when they get disrespectful. Do I make myself clear?"
"S-sorry, boss-" The man said as he quickly changed his tone to a submissive one.
"I didn't ask for an apology yet." Her voice was soft, yet threatening. "I asked if I made myself clear. Now that's two strikes. You answer what you are asked. Now I will repeat myself. I have no use for subordinates when they get disrespectful. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am..." The man answered.
"Now, are you a disrespectful subordinate?" She places a hand on his shoulder and tightens her grip on it.
"N-no."
"And are you sorry for that attitude you gave earlier in front of my guest?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Good. I knew you were better than the last girl." She gave him a pat on the shoulder before tightening her grip. "But don't embarrass me like that again. Do it again, and it'll be you and/or your family next on the block." Sonya then turned to Sophia. She returned back to her original tone of voice and put her smile back on. "Sorry about that. He's new."
"Wh-what did that guy call you?" Sophia was nervous. She was starting to pick up something was wrong.
"You," She ignored Sophia as she spoke to a woman on her right before folding her hands on the table. "...be a sweetheart and deal her in."
"Wh-what's going on here?" The red flags were starting to become clearer to Sophia.
"As for you, Sophia, we're going to play a game. That's what you came here for, isn't it?"
Her tone was almost taunting. She could see the fear entering Sophia's expression. Sophia was instilled with a sense of danger as the cards were tossed around the table to each player. She wanted to get up and run. But it felt like a weight was keeping her.
"Who are you?" Sophia's nervousness continued to grow.
Sonya simply smiled. A faux innocent smile as she removed her jacket and her gloves. On the back of her left hand, she had a small heart tattoo. The heart seemed to sprout a web of barbed wire that wrapped around her ring finger as well as grow and crawl up her arm like a plant sprouting from a seed.
"That's a very tricky question, Sophia. Outside of here, I'm nobody. But here," The woman's voice had a sinister undertone. "I'm the queen. And this is my kingdom. Welcome to the Black Widow district of the Mistral slums, Sophia. Managed by yours truly."
Upon seeing the tattoo and hearing this, Sophia immediately realized what situation she had walked right into. Her face clearly expressed nervousness and fear as she felt her heartbeat speed up. With every card that added to the hand that was being dealt to her, Sophia could feel the level danger rise. She was overcome with a strong urge to leave.
"A-actually, I uh, I think I should-" Sophia nervously stuttered. She tried to get up from her seat.
The woman didn't lose her smile. She simply snapped her fingers. Sophia suddenly felt two strong hands grab her by the shoulders and force her back down into her seat. This startled the helpless girl.
"Don't bother." Sonya told her. "Everyone in this room here works for me, from the people at this table to the dealers, even the janitors and service. If you even so much as get up from your chair, I promise you you'll be dead before you can even turn around. You're in my castle now and the only way you're leaving is if I say so."
Sophia didn't turn around, but she could feel over a hundred eyes. They stared daggers into her back as the room was a bit quieter. Though she couldn't see them, she imagined all of them were armed and were clutching their weapons as if they were ready to pounce on her if she made the slightest sudden movement. Sonya would shoot a look to the rest of the room. The noise would pick up as they went back to their business.
As the final card had landed in front of Sophia, her fate was seemingly sealed. Everyone had been dealt their hand.
"Someone get a rag and wipe the girl's sweat off her face." Sonya ordered. One person to Sophia's left did not hesitate to pull out one and wipe and dab Sophia's face with it. "Relax, hon. Don't be so nervous. After all, it's just a game." She taunted.
"Now," She continued. "Here are the terms. If you manage to win this game, you're gonna be so happy. You're gonna win so much lien you could buy your way out of the slums for good- enough to buy a pretty house in upper Mistral- and still have enough left to sustain you for a good amount of time. If you've got family, you can maybe use the money to sustain them too. Doesn't that just sound tantalizing? But if you win, you'll have to pay us that same amount."
"W-wait what?!" Sophia shouted, outraged. "How do you expect me to be able to have the money to pay for that if I lose?!"
"Sweetie, where's your love for the game. It's not about the money or winning or losing. It's about having fun. If you can't pay, that's fine. We can just find other ways to get it." She said almost threateningly. This prompted a nervous gulp from Sophia.
With no other choice, Sophia had to comply and play along to Sonya's game. Sonya seemed to be enjoying the situation the girl had gotten herself into. It was a game to her to see how much she could make the girl squirm. Occasionally she would taunt the girl offering her a massage to ease her tension and even having her staff give her drink. However, Sophia never touched a single glass given to her as she had about four glasses of water beside her. They were all fuller than they were when they were given to her as the game continued due to the ice melting.
Sophia did her best to hold herself together and not breakdown during the game. She was overwhelmed with just pure dread, especially when the game did not lean in her favor. Crying in the middle of a game would have been completely humiliating for her. She also did not want to make herself look even more vulnerable than she already was. Despite her odds though, Sophia still put up a fight in the game and managed to carry herself somewhat decently. But little did she know, though she should have expected it, the game was rigged from the start. Every time Sophia had an advantage. Every time she had a glimmer of hope. Every time that hope was snuffed and followed by a look of crushing disappointment. It was all planned. The entire game was orchestrated and scripted by Sonya and her gang. She just wanted to entertain herself and toy with the girl. And in the end, Sophia would lose.
"Good game." Sonya said with a cocky grin. She extended her hand for Sophia to shake.
Sophia sat there silently. She stared at Sonya's hand with a mortified expression as tears welled up and silently streamed down her cheeks. She made no noise. Sonya noticed this and retracted her hand as she walked to Sophia's side of the table.
"Aww, honey." She put her arm around her. "Don't be like that. Dry those eyes. You put up a good fight and played a good game. But you know the old saying: 'You win some, you lose some.' Today, you simply just lost. But it was a good game. I'm sure you'll get better. You had fun at least, right? Come on, you know you did. I'll give you some time while I count the money. Okay?"
Sonya would then grab Sophia's bag of lien and go back to her side of the table. Sonya counted all the pieces of lien. Sophia knew she didn't have anywhere near what she owed and dreaded that fact. Eventually, Sonya would finish.
"So Sophia, care to tell me where the rest is?"
"I...," She said in an almost whisper. "I don't have it. I don't have enough."
"What was that?" Sonya leaned in.
"I said I... I don't have enough..." Sophia's voice broke.
"Hey, what's wrong, honey? What are you crying for?"
"I don't have enough!" Sophia's voice broke even more as she couldn't contain herself any longer.
"Hey, hey, hey." Sonya said in a calming voice. She wrapped her arms around Sophia. "That's okay, honey. You don't have to have it all now. The Hearts are a compassionate gang. We didn't get our name for nothing, you know. We're all about giving people second chances and showing some compassion. So tell you what, you make up the rest of the money in, say, four days and have it here by that day. In the meantime, we'll be keeping a close eye on you."
"However, if you don't have the money here by then..." She retracted herself from the girl. Sophia was frozen in fear. Sonya crouched to her level, but kept her arm around her and lowered her voice. "We'll have to find other ways to get our pay. And I need to have you know how serious I am when I say that. I apologize in advance..."
"W-wait, wha-?"
Without a moment's notice, Sonya struck. She planted Sophia's face into the table, briefly stunning her. The glasses of water tipped over, covering that end of the tabletop in cold water. Sonya would then proceed to grab the girl's arm and hold it outstretched against the table. One she regained enough of her senses, Sophia would struggle and fight back. But, she was handily overpowered by the rosy-haired gang leader.
"LET ME GO!" Sophia shouted in a panicked voice as she desperately tried to slip out.
"Hold her down, would you? This part takes care." Sonya ordered her enforcers. They stepped up and restricted Sophia, who had blood dripping from her nose and puddling on the table along with the spilled water as her face rubbed against it slightly.
"I SAID LET ME THE FUCK GO!" Sophia sounded more desperate.
The ruthless woman simply ignored the girl's pleas. She opened her palm as if she were waiting for someone to hand her something. Sophia couldn't see exactly what was happening due to her face being pointed in the opposite direction. But she was in a full panic wondering what Sonya's intentions were. Suddenly she could then feel the sensation of cold steel on her arm. It was very quickly replaced by a burning, stinging pain that moved along her arm in a deliberate pattern.
Sophia could do nothing but cry out in pain as Sonya did her work. When Sonya was finished, she let go of her with a casual and proud, "Done!"
Once Sophia was let go, she fell to the ground. She took a look at her arm. On her arm she saw Sonya had carved a heart with an arrow shot through it.
"Consider it ensurance." Sonya spoke down to her. "Now that you're marked, no way you're ducking us now."
As the girl inspected the wound on her arm, she was heavily breathing from the pain. But rapidly, her dread and fear soon turned into anger and rage toward her attacker.
"YOU FUCKING CUNT BITCH!" She tried throwing out the worst insult she could think of as she got up with her fist balled.
She was ready to punch Sonya in the face with defiance. Right as she pulled her arm back, one of her enforcers caught and trapped Sophia's arm. Another grabbed her other arm while they positioned themselves in a way so that the girl wouldn't be able to throw a kick either.
"I appreciate that you still have fight, girl." Sonya continued to taunt Sophia. She felt untouchable. "But it's over now. No one likes a sore loser."
Unable to throw a punch or a kick and not close enough to give a headbutt, Sophia did the only thing she could. Uncaring of the consequences, she proceeded to fire a ball of spit from her mouth. It collided with the gang leader's face in a splattered wad. In response, Sonya's demeanor quickly shifted to one of irritation.
She would then shoot a look at one of her enforcers. They proceeded to step up to the restrained Sophia and drove their fist into the girl's stomach, grinding it in. She fell to her knees hacking and clutching her gut as the other enforcers released her. Sophia desperately tried to catch her breath. Sonya, wiping the spit from her face with a pink handkerchief, casually strolled up to the floored Sophia. She stopped for a moment before crouching down and grabbing a fistful of Sophia's hair and lifting her head, forcing her eyes to meet her own.
"I can kill you right now, you know." The woman spoke with a sinister voice. "And no one would ever find your body. If I wanted, I could also just make you disappear off the face of Remnant- maybe sell you into human trafficking or give you to my bosses in the Mistral Black Market. I can make it so that you never see the light of day ever again. And no one would even care. You have no one to save you, kid. You're alone now. And I'm going to make sure of that, you know that? You know that symbol I carved on your arm? That isn't just to mark you, but also to make sure no one helps you out of the hole you just dug yourself into. The moment anyone sees that, they're gonna know you were marked by me. And you know what they'll do? They'll avoid you like a diseased rat. They don't want to get mixed up with the Mistral Black Market. You even try to hide the wound; it'll only make people suspicious and assume. And they don't want to take that risk. That's the mentality in this area. And if you even try to run, I should let you know that my people are all over this area and some beyond it, always watching. They're going to make sure you don't go anywhere. We run the show around here. Do you understand me?"
Sophia didn't answer. She was too winded to say anything. Sonya gave a sigh as she pulled her knife back out. However, she didn't use it to threaten Sophia. Instead, she pressed the tip of the knife against her fingertip until blood dripped out from her own wound. Once she did that, she rubbed her bloody fingertip against Sophia's bleeding wound on her arm.
Soon after, Sophia started to feel all sorts of sensations. Dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, and she even coughed a little blood as she strained to get back up. The girl was confused and scared. She didn't know what was suddenly happening to her.
"I don't care if you're a kid, you know. I treat all disrespectful shits the same." Sonya said coldly. "Right now, what you are feeling- what I just inflicted on you- are symptoms of pulmonary embolism. I'm going easy on you right now. But I can make it so much worse. So long as my blood makes contact with a bleeding wound, I have full control of your blood flow. I can make you have a stroke, give you a heart attack, an aneurysm, or I can just redirect all your blood to your heart until it just explodes in your chest like a grenade. There are other little perks to my ability, but that's not relevant right now. Point is, I can make it stop right now. All you have to do is answer my question. Now, as I said, we run the show around here. Do you understand me? Yes or no."
Unable to respond, Sophia simply nodded her head as she struggled to say the word, "Yes."
"Good." Honoring what she had said, Sonya released Sophia of her affliction as she gradually recovered.
Sophia felt overwhelmingly disoriented after what had just occurred and slowly regained her bearings.
"Now, as I said," Sonya continued. "...you find a way to give me the rest of the money in four days or we're going to have to find some other means of satisfying this debt via compensation. And if you try to run or duck us, I should inform you that now that our blood has made contact, I can easily track you down due to establishing a link with your DNA for the duration of a week. So like I said, bring us the money in four days or else. Get it? Got it? Good."
The ruthless gang leader then snapped her fingers. Her enforcers picked up Sophia and tossed the girl out like litter. As they lifted her, Sophia was still too weakened from what she just went through and didn't put up much of a fight. The girl lay for only a few moments trying to gather herself.
"Excuse me. Are you okay, young lady?" A man in his mid-forties stepped up to the girl to check if she was okay. It was the same man who had his stall shoplifted earlier.
"Y-yeah... I... I'm fine..." Sophia tried to assure the man unconvincingly.
"Well, if you're trying to convince me that you're fine, you're not going to win any awards with that performance." He scolded jokingly. He bent down and picked up Sophia, slinging her arm around his neck.
"Let me help and get you to a doc-" Suddenly the man let out a gasp. He immediately let Sophia go as she tumbled back to the ground.
The man had spotted the symbol carved onto the girl's arm. Just like Sonya said, he realized that simply by touching her, he would be potentially involving himself with the Mistral's organized crime. Not wanting to take the risk, he did not hesitate to drop the girl and immediately continued walking. He pretended as if he never saw the girl to begin with.
"Ow! Hey...! You said you were gonna help me...!" Sophia weakly yelled at him. "Get back here...! You...bastard...!"
The man continued to ignore the girl. He didn't even so much as turn his head as he disappeared into the crowd. Sophia would have to rely on the windowsill near her and pulled herself up to her feet. She still had a hunch in her posture as she was still affected by the punch to the stomach she had received.
"I need to get help." This was the first thought that entered her mind.
Sophia looked around the streets of the area of the slums she was in and continued trying to find assistance. But the moment someone saw the mark on her arm, they would turn away and avoid her. If she went into a tavern, the whole room ignored her until someone would kick her out. If she'd try to get help from a random passer-by, they'd continue walking as if she didn't exist. If she tried to get in their way to stop them, they would walk through her, knocking her over, as if she wasn't there. Even the drunks would have enough sense instilled in them from the sight of the mark and would go out of their way to avoid her. Sophia was on her own.
She tried to cover the wound, but it only made people suspicious. Whenever they tried to tell her to show them her arm, she refused, only confirming their suspicions. Through this, Sophia realized why everyone in the area wore short-sleeves or kept their sleeves rolled up. It was to indicate that they were not marked. Sophia being the only one with her sleeves rolled down made her stick out just as much as she would with her wound visible.
At that point, Sophia was in a panicked state. She would run into a nearby alleyway to disconnect and try to unwind and calm herself down. She hoped she could think of a way out of her predicament. Suddenly, she would hear footsteps approaching her and interrupting her thoughts.
"Hey, girl." The deep voice of a male echoed through.
Sophia looked up to see a man not too much older than her approach.
"If you got any lien, I suggest giving it over." He pulled out a knife with a calm voice. It was as if he had done this a hundred times before.
Sophia was not in the mood to deal with the mugger. So she flashed him her wound. The look in the man's eyes quickly changed to fear as he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Second thought... You're not worth it." The man would turn around and quickly head off in the opposite direction.
Sophia was now truly alone. Isolated due to circumstances beyond her control, as well as her own actions and choices.
The only thing going through the girl's head was her sister's words, constantly echoing like a tape on repeat.
"I should have listened..." She thought as she buried her head in her arms. "I should have listened. I should have listened. I should have listened."
**Chapter End**
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Semblance Breakdowns #1: Blood Bond:
User: Sonya Coral:
Blood Bond is an active semblance. Once Sonya Coral's blood makes contact with another person's bleeding wound this allows her to activate it. Once she does this, she establishes a "bond" with the person she uses it on. With this "bond", so long as her blood maintains direct contact with the person's bleeding wound, she has full control of their blood flow. Through this ability, she uses it for both torture and sometimes execution. Her methods of use for her semblance range from giving people aneurysms, heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary emulsion, and other blood related afflictions. Her favorite method to use it is to redirect all of someone's blood to their heart until it explodes inside their chest.
Along with this, Sonya also gains a passive ability with her "bonds" that does not necessarily involve contact with the person. Once she establishes a "bond" with someone, Sonya has essentially created a link between her and the person's DNA that essentially functions almost like a tracker. With this, Sonya can tell where the person she established her "bond" with is at all times. She can tell how close someone is and where they are based off her own heartbeat, which changes pace depending on how close they are to her (this may or may not be based off the Heart from the videogame, Dishonored). However, she can only maintain one "bond" with one person at a time and the tracking ability only lasts for the duration of a week before phasing out. However, even if she does establish a "bond" directly with a single person's DNA, there is a loophole. By technicality, though she establishes a bond with one person directly, this can also indirectly include people that share DNA with the person she has a "bond" with. So if, lets say, a family member of the person she established a "bond" with is within a certain range of Sonya, she'll pick it up. And all that does is give her more targets and where exactly to find them.
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Hey, everyone!
We are very close to the end of the backstory. There should only be one more chapter left. The climax and the falling action, which will cover Sophia's time in hiding and how she joined Raven and her story moving forward.
As for this chapter, we see it all blow up in Sophia's face. Her sister finally discovers her illegal gambling and confronts her about it. On one hand, you have Sophia, who wants to get her family out of there as their best chance to live better lives, but sees she will have to stoop to illegal and dangerous activities to do so as that is likely their best chance. On the other hand, you have their sister, who sees that doing so could harm her sister and also sees that this could potentially doom the family as well due to potential involvement with the Mistral Black Market. But due to neither side wanting to give up ground, it leads to their fight as things get out of hand.
This is the chapter where the family just ultimately implodes under the pressure. Everyone has had enough. As for Sophia specifically, all her anger and frustration was let out and she lost control of it as she kept pushing her sister emotionally. This leads to her sister losing control and slapping the taste out of Sophia's mouth before reeling herself back. As Lucius sees the aftermath, he doesn't even know what to think. But as for Sophia, this just enflames her. So when her sister has reeled herself back and tries to level with Sophia, Sophia has already lost any chance of reasoning with by that point. This leads to the fight where her sister gets hurt. And then Lucius loses control and shoves Sophia and says some regretful words toward her. In short, everyone lost control.
After all this, Sophia, who wanted nothing but to help her family, is just absolutely heartbroken. In her eyes, she feels she just got shunned by the people she wanted to protect. On top of the fact she ended up physically hurting her sister as well, which she heavily regret, this does a number to her psyche. Sophia just emotionally breaks here and runs when her brother basically kicks her out. And when she gets far enough, her first instinct is to do the only thing she really knows how at this point. Keep gambling and try to get money for her family. But at this point, Sophia is incredibly vulnerable and not thinking straight. And Sonya, the gang leader, is an opportunist that sees that weakness in Sophia. And she does not hesitate to take advantage and prey on Sophia's vulnerability. Just going to say this now. It gets worse for them.
With this chapter, I was doing my best to try and stay as neutral as possible regarding the family and avoid taking a side. I was trying to write it so that no one came out really looking like the good guy or the bad guy or right or wrong. They both have their stances and their reasons for taking them and I tried to make their points. They all also did and said things they should not have done or said. Their sister with losing control and slapping Sophia. Lucius with shoving and basically shunning Sophia. And Sophia with sucker punching her sister and losing control of her anger and frustration by emotionally beating her down. I tried my best to not to deliberately paint either side as right or wrong or as the good guy or bad guy. I want them to both be painted in a way where you can understand both sides of the argument and where they come from. And that they are just frustrated at their lives due to Mistral's neglectful policies are basically crushing them. At the end of the day, they both just want what's best for the family. But they don't really know what do anymore.
Another thing with this chapter, we get a very minimal introduction to the Mistral Black Market. So in the Mistral Slums, the Mistral Black Market (who I will refer to as the Web since that's what they call themselves) controls eight areas. Each area has a gang installed by the Web to keep said area controlled. And those gangs are all overseen by an elite member of the Web. The area that Sophia was in was the Black Widow District, which is "managed" by the Heart's gang. This area mainly has to do with money and funds for the Web and Sonya and the Hearts are in charge of keeping things under control and making sure money is circulating for the Web through hidden casinos and other means. The whole thing is still in concept, but that's how it is right now. But regardless, we will get better introduction to the Web in a much, much later volume. But until then, here is a fun fact!
Fun fact #24: Sonya Coral is loosely based off the Queen of Hearts. Her name also derives from the Spanish word, "corazón", which means "heart." (Sonya Coral- Coral Sonya- Cora Son- corazón.)