Wednesday 12 March 2000, Paris, France
"Well, you must have imagined that now I've told you that even though things are getting worse with meleaving to go back to France, I've still managed to bring something back that would be marvellous, right? So,things seemed, just seemed to have improved, but they weren't all that much, until it was time to show up atthe Metro station."
All the costumes are ready, now I just have to wait for one way or another to be able to perform, everything in the way that will be best for me, it's time to leave school, I have to enjoy it, today is going to be one of those afternoons, I'm really looking forward to it, performing on the street, I can only imagine the money I can earn doing this, just imagine in five years' time going to Luna Nova.
I wait for Jolie, she comes up to me, which I'm relieved about, we walk together to the station, luckily there are toilets there, which I realise there are some people from the school around, she made a point of inviting people to see me, how nice, this is really going to be my chance.
I go into the toilets with Jolie, change my clothes, take off my school clothes and put on the outfit I've put together to present myself, the magic clown, it's too exotic, but it was the best, even Jolie thought it looked really good, I come out in my clothes and look in the mirror, I look really strange.
"The outfit looks good, but I still need to touch up my make-up, I'll make sure I do that, then you'll burst" I hope so, I can't wait to burst and have my money pot filled.
I had to keep quiet, just waiting to be made up, I'm a bit nervous, I admit it, I've never done something like this before, this is going to be really complicated shit to deal with, it's not going to be that easy, but I don't have much to do, people can react in the worst way or the best way, it's good that my dad isn't home at the time so there's no chance of embarrassing myself in front of him.
The make-up is done, she smiles at me and I look more like a clown than a magician, but that must be part of being exotic, so I put on my top hat and with my rucksack in hand I head for the station.
"Don't be so tense and nervous, you'll be able to let yourself go in front of everyone, the first time will be the hardest, but then you'll be fine, I guarantee it'll be like doing anything" she says, and I can see that people are looking at me.
The people at school are even filming me, I wave to everyone, take a deep breath and start to set up a table in the middle of the station, which the people passing by stop to see, it's very Chariot, you let yourself go, you show that you're a great stage entertainer, you imagine yourself in the future, as if you were going to catch the public's attention like that.
"All right, respectable public, I've arrived to show you how magic can be something that will enchant you!" I say to everyone who just stands in silent reaction watching me, and I take a deep breath, well it's time to start choreographing.
I start dancing around the stage, doing some impressive moves, as a way of opening the show, while my assistant claps her hands, she passes me some hula hoops that I use magic to set on fire and some confetti is also thrown across the table, as a way of opening the show, I finish everything by standing with my leg up and holding my top hat, looking at everyone.
"Welcome to the marvellous world of magic, I'm Chariot the magical clown and I'm going to..." Just as I was about to turn my face, I felt a pie hit my card, in the style of a clown show.
I was confused, but it must be part of the act, I saw a lot of people laughing, that's a sign that everyone's enjoying it, this is going to be really fun, so I can make more money, it's even getting a bit more crowded, so it might be a success, that's marvellous.
I start to pick up a wand and do my first trick, which consists of showing the audience that I can turn into a rabbit, I think I can manage this basic spell, come on Chariot, remember the magic lessons you've learnt over the years.
"Metamorphie Faciasse!" I say the spell even raising my hand high and when the magic happens I don't feel any lower, on the contrary I see that people are laughing again.
When Jolie shows the mirror in front of me, I'm startled, it can't be that the spell didn't work, I'm really rusty with magic, just when I thought it would work, I'm starting to embarrass myself, but I have to keep it together or else I'll be even more embarrassed, I already know what I'm going to do with all this.
I start to wave my wand, but another pie is thrown in my face, this time it was quite unnecessary on Jolie's
part, I could just see the people from school laughing, some from the street too, they must think it's from the performance, I'm going to talk to my friend later, it's not possible that things are like this.
"Now our great magician is going to do the spell to lift that mug" said my friend who picked up a mug and levitating is easy.
I raise my hand, I'm sure this will at least attract attention, even more so when I'm using my wand, but when I do I see something light up, the spell doesn't seem to have worked, which is followed by an explosion, I even realise that Jolie has her hands over her ears, which rises a dark smoke, ruining all my make-up, how can this happen to me? I'm a witch, but I'm not that bad at magic either, I'm doing everything right, everything I've learnt works here, this way you'll be laughing even more.
When the smoke cleared, everyone was laughing, I felt immensely humiliated by it all, I didn't expect the whole school to laugh at me, my magic is failing, my ears are still recovering from the explosion.
"Oh what a shame, it seems the mug was fine... Explosive hahahaha, but this isn't the end of our great magician's presentation, she's going to do the most important spell here, so watch out as she shows you how to turn yourself into a cake" what do you mean cake? I don't remember having to present myself like this, I just wanted to enchant people with my magic.
The next thing I know, Jolie is walking away from me, which is strange, how could she do something like that to me, as I look forward I'm hit by an egg, it hurts a lot, I don't understand anything, then several eggs are being thrown at me, I'm starting to feel more humiliated, why are they doing this to me? I haven't done anything, there are plenty of eggs being thrown at me.
"Stop it!" I try to shout but they keep throwing eggs at me.
"Look, the eggs have already appeared, but a good egg needs wheat flour too" Is she really my friend? She's putting me through this, she's dirtying me with wheat flour for free like this.
"Stop it!" I'm already crying.
People laugh and I just see my body getting full of flour, then I'm pushed by my friend, thrown to the floor in the middle of the puddle of flour and eggs that has appeared on the floor, which I feel something wet falling on me, as I'm getting up I see that there are some people from the school around who then push me, making me fall backwards onto the floor.
"We mustn't forget the milk, it's very important for making delicious chocolate" I'm already crying a lot, why have you humiliated me like this? It's not fair, she betrayed me, Jolie betrayed me as a friend.
"Stop it!" It didn't help, I was already very messy, I was trying to move in the midst of all this mess.
"Hey! What are you doing!" I hear a man's voice, it sounds like the security guard, then I see footsteps of people running.
I manage to see something, after having my vision completely blocked all I can see are all the people from the school running out, while I was getting up and I realised that there was a sign with something written on it "Idiot witch" She's a traitor, this Jolie, she did everything to humiliate me, in the end I didn't gain anything from it, I just ended up spending money for nothing and I still lost out, which was soon followed by the security guards coming towards me.
"What kind of mess is this, miss?" One of them said while I was crying.
"We managed to capture this one at least, she must have been the one who planned it all, let's take her" said another.
"Dirty like that? We'll have to take her to the changing rooms, then she can put on some clothes and get changed" said the other man, who pulled me by the arm.
"I didn't do anything! Let me out!" I say, trying to get free, but the others keep threatening me with their cudgels.
I'm being taken away by the security guards, I see that everyone is staring at me, until I get to the changing rooms, I manage to at least get my bag, then at least they leave me alone, I get into the shower there, take off my clothes and all the rest of the flour and eggs that were left on my body, looking at the floor getting that colour, it's honestly humiliating.
[...]
After showering and getting rid of all traces of flour I got dressed and was relieved, at least my clothes weren't dirty, on the other hand my bag was disgusting, with all that, but what the hell, I'm just leaving that strange room and there were the same security guards, the floor was still dirty with all that, when they saw me they immediately pulled me by the arm.
"You're not going to run away, we have to have a serious talk with you, little girl, where's your mum?" One of them said.
"They were with me, until I was taken from them" I tell them.
"No jokes girl, you're in trouble with us, we'll take you to the direction of this station" said another security guard.
They're getting violent with me, I don't know why, I didn't do anything, I'm being taken to a room in the station, another room that's different, it looks like one of the control rooms, exactly where the cameras are, there was a head of security there who was getting all intimidating towards me.
"Where are your parents, girl? Do you have any idea how much damage this can do to the station? You get all cute, thinking you're kicking ass" he said.
"I was the victim of all this, let me go, you tricked me, it wasn't supposed to be like this, you should go after the other children and not me" I say to him, who wags his fingers in denial.
"Not at all, it seems you're the only one behind this, we've seen here that it's part of your performance, the stage assistant herself left us a letter, when she fell to the ground, she showed it here" he said.
The letter was showing the plan of what was going to happen, but this isn't my drawing, it's hers, she's putting it up as if it were me, this is a big lie, there's no way you can think this is proof, it was all set up, what the hell, why are they doing this to me? Did fucking Daryl pay Jolie to do this to me? I don't know anything, it's absurd to think these things, they're all prejudiced against witches.
"So what? What's your little witchy excuse? Now tell me where your parents are" he said as he showed me that.
"Are you going to believe armed evidence like that? I don't have a trace like that" He pounds the table threateningly.
"Don't try to escape the blame, otherwise we'll call the police on you and you won't like it, they do worse there, so tell me where your parents are, we'll call them" he said.
"I doubt you'd do that when my mum's in Scotland!" That shit ain't my dad, but no fucking way.
"Stop lying, girl, just say it" he said, questioning me.
"Her name is Chariot Du Nord, her father's name is Antoine Leblanc, he must be working at the moment, but this is his photo, when he comes we'll call them here" said another security guard.
"Whatever, this idiot doesn't care about me" I tell them.
"It's the kind of thing an absent father does in this life, but don't think it's over here girl, you're going to put on caretaker's clothes and clean up the mess you've made, then you're going to stay here waiting for your father, as long as he doesn't come back, we're not going to get you out of this station" said the head of security.
"That's unfair, I've already said that I'm not to blame for anything, you didn't even make a point of making sure of that, how can I be to blame for that when I'm the one who ended up getting dirty in all this? Who would want to be hit by eggs, flour and milk?" I ask him and he shrugs his shoulders.
"Who would go to the metro to play the clown? Now take the mop and clean up your mess" said the bastard.
I was furious, I wanted to slam the table down in a rage, I wanted to beat the shit out of Jolie, what a bastard, I just wanted to be happy and be able to perform in the street like a mime, but all this is stopping me from
living in peace, why do things have to be like this? I pick up the caretaker's clothes, put them on over my own, pick up the things, take a deep breath to clean the floor and put up the signs.
[...]
I can't wait any longer, my dad doesn't want to come back, it's late at night, it's ten o'clock and nothing from him, I'm sure someone must have told him something about here and he got off at another station and took the bus or a taxi just so he wouldn't get here, what a bastard, I think I'm going to cry, he didn't come on purpose.
"Call him at home" I say to the security guards.
"It seems that your father doesn't really want to come and get you, he must have bypassed security, he was ashamed of his rebellious daughter" said the head of security.
"Then let me go" I say to him.
"Not at all, we'll call him and if in an hour your father doesn't turn up, then you can leave" said the bastard.
"I'm a child! I'm only ten years old, what's the point of letting me go home, I've already cleaned up the mess I didn't even make" He just shrugs.
What a bastard, I knew my father would do something like that, damn it, I'm just going to wait, I already know I'm going to have to stay here for an hour, damn it, now I can't report to this station if I'm going to try to do it on my own, that was a real disaster, what a curse.
[...]
"Go home, but don't ever come back to this station, if I see you touch your feet here we'll lock you up until your father turns up" said the head of security.
"Finally, I thought I wasn't going home, I was already preparing to sleep here" I say angrily.
"Here are your things, we've put them in a bag, you'll have to clean up when you get home, we're not your employees" said another security guard.
They take me by the arms and push me out of the station, as if I were some kind of criminal, there's no point in doing that, when I get to the outside of the station I'm pushed with everything, I almost fall to the ground, I'm so angry, my fists are clenching, I feel like punching everyone, tomorrow Jolie will see, even if I get suspended from school, I'll settle my accounts with her.
I walk through the streets, a bit scared at this hour, just wondering if anyone will turn up, but if they do, I'll get beaten up too, a bunch of bastards, all out to make my life hell, I arrive at the building and go up the stairs, where I reach the door, I knock on the door, but nobody answers, the bastard must be asleep, or he doesn't answer at all, so I have to reach into my handbag and that's what I do, I take the key all smelly with the bad smell of these things, I go in and see that my father is just sitting on the sofa.
"Would it hurt to open the door for me?" I ask him.
"Would it hurt not to embarrass me at the station?" The bastard replies.
"What shame? You were a coward, you came down before the bus stop not to pick me up, I spent seven hours waiting for you in that security room and nothing" I say to him.
"Let him learn a lesson now, his actions have consequences, nobody told him to perform like a clown at the station, that's the stuff of people who have nothing to do, is that what you want from your future? To become a mimic who performs in front of the Eiffel Tower for scraps, how pathetic" said my father, but I'm going to do it anyway, all for Luna Nova.
"It wasn't my fault" I tell him.
"Nobody told you to trust people, you've got a lot to learn child, life is cruel like that, now wash those things you've got, they stink" Oh don't tell me.
I have to pick up my school bag and take it to the laundry room at home, I'm starving, I get to the fridge and all I find is nothing, there's no food, I look in the cupboards and it's the same, there's not even any food in the
pans, it's all abandoned and old food, it's disgusting, even my dad can't clean these things, yuck, it's disgusting.
I even cover the pans and throw the food away, if cockroaches don't come along, while the dirty things are being washed in the washing machine, I think I might not even be able to take my rucksack to school tomorrow.
[...]
I've just eaten, I had to eat out because there was no food at home, at least the shop girl near my house always lets me eat in here before I go to school, she knows I suffer a lot, I improvised a bag to carry as a purse, I only have one goal in mind, today I'm only going to school to get suspended.
I wave to the shop girl who waves back to me, I walk to the school, I see the same mimic presenting, I throw him a coin and smile at him, one day I'll be there, I hope, I walk into the school and see Jolie with her little group, the six girls walk up to me, they were filming me yesterday, I remember that, I even hear people giving me nicknames, it's to be expected, I think the whole school saw the mess I accidentally made.
"Look at her for turning up here" said the fake.
"If I were you, I wouldn't turn up at this school ever again" said her friend, "and I'm just going to keep calm, it's going to be a good one.
"There's no need to get angry, it was just a mess hahahahaha!" it'll be you sinking in your own blood.
I run out of patience and punch her hard in the nose, causing her to take a few steps backwards, and then some of her friends hold her back and start coming at me, and I take a deep breath, I remember that Mum Laura taught me things about defending myself, it was part of what she said about magic training, having a strong body to withstand more magic.
One of them comes and I throw a side kick that catches her in the face, causing her to fall to the ground, and then her friend tries to take me from behind and I use a well-timed elbow, they may be in the majority, but I'm going to make sure here, so much so that everyone starts to gather round and start going at me, I feel the magic flowing through my body, I punch the other two in front of me, running up to the one holding Jolie, she lets go of her friend and I hit her with a two-footed volley, knocking the girl away, and I slide to the ground and grab her legs to bring her crashing to the ground.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Everyone shouts in a circle.
Her friends come to surround me, I decide to run towards them already punching the girls, which is strange, they're all very slow at it, they can't move fast enough, it's like I'm watching them in slow motion, I dodge with enormous speed, I knock them down with rushes, punches and kicks, it didn't matter the number, all I wanted was to knock them down, which I saw the opportunity when Jolie was alone.
"Now you pay me, you bastard!" I say with all the anger in the world.
I hit her again with a right punch to the nose, a left punch to the eye, a knee to the stomach, a spin and a kick to the face while she was still very dazed and angry, and I started punching her in the face and stomach at full speed until I saw the others getting up from the floor to hit me, which I finished with a harder kick to her stomach that made her fall backwards onto the floor and I started looking at the others.
Everyone was in shock, I had no idea I was capable of this, but I hate fighting, it's just that my accumulated anger has left me like this.
"Get her!" Jolie shouted, lying on the floor after being beaten.
I smile, I think I'm going to have to beat them all to a pulp, but I manage, I clench my fists and walk towards them with my guard up, which I manage to keep calm, I go all out with them and knock the whole group to the ground until there's not one of them left standing, the people from the school boo me, and then they surround me, I don't understand why they're doing this.
I'm trying to get out of there, but they're grabbing me, everyone's doing it to stop me getting through and they're filming me, now that they've started filming me, Jolie gets up from the floor and stares at me with the most sadistic smile.
"You only forgot one thing Chariot, this is my school, in my area you obey me, so now it's time for you to show me who's boss" she said, clenching her fist.
I already feel the punch in my stomach, it's not that weak, but even so I had no way of escaping, I tried, but there were many just holding my arms and legs, I'm being hit by punches in the belly and face, very strong
even, I feel my nose bleeding, while she was just laughing at everything, but soon I'm interrupted, saved by the gong.
"What's that in the corridor?" Said the headmistress.
[...]
Suspended for three days, what a big deal, at least Jolie also got suspended for the fight, not bad, I'm back home early, my face is a bit bruised, but the bandages from the infirmary will solve something, at least it might be enough time for the dust of mockery to settle.
On returning home I realise that my father isn't there, at least that's it, I'll have the house to myself for a while, I have to think of something, do I try or not try? It's three days, I can try since morning, well, I can't take the metro from the station near my house, but the one further on I can, hmmmm, I think I have to give it a go.
"The dream is not dead!" I say hopefully.
I take my money and look in my notebook to see what I can do to present myself, I think I've got an idea, I can sell sweets, that's what I can do, I'll wear an outfit and present myself, then you can give me money in exchange for sweets, let's see here... Cookies, I've got all day to make them, that's what I'm going to do, I just have to be careful that my dad doesn't take everything, although he's not even home.
I'll go to the shop and get all the ingredients I need to make the cookies, as well as little packets to put them in safely, I'll do whatever it takes.
"You want to do a lot today, don't you Chariot, weren't you supposed to be at school today? And that face?" Asks the Chinese girl in the shop.
"Ah, I'm going to make cookies, I want to sell them at the Metro door and make a few quid" I say smiling at her.
"It's always good to have a start, but with your face full of bandages like a few friends, I don't know if people will take to you, did you get into a fight?" I nod.
"More or less, I was suspended for three weeks because of this, somehow I have to make up for my suspension, that girl was a traitor to me" I say to the Chinese lady.
"Be very careful with these fights, I saw what happened yesterday, it wasn't your fault, but at least you got in their faces, didn't you?" I nod.
"I think they're much worse off than I am" I say, smiling.
"That's how you say girl, if you want to leave some cookies with me I'll make a point of buying them to resell here too, I hope they're very good, you're a clever little girl, if you weren't only ten years old I'd have hired you here by now, when you're older I can think, now they think you're still a child" I even smile.
"I'd be very grateful for that, madam, but I have to work somehow until that day comes, it's my chance to one day study at the school of my dreams" she strokes my head after I've paid for everything and I leave the shop full of bags.
Wow, that's a lot of stuff, I didn't realise I'd be getting so much at once, at least the girl at the grocery store is nice, she helps me out, I'd be very happy if I was working there, now I have to go home, with the cookies ready I'll be able to sell them at the stations, I'll go out all ready to delight you with the most delicious cookies of all.
Luckily I know how to make cookies thanks to my mums, they taught me everything, I just need to remember the love they put into the food, I miss you all so much... They must be devastated by now.
"Mum Laura... Mum Bernadette, I miss you" I say as I prepare the cookie dough.
When they're all ready and fresh, I'm going to go for the best, I'm going to leave them in a bag, each bag with cookies I can charge 20 francs, each bag has five of them, very big, so I think that with what I've spent I can make about 30 bags, it's not much, but it's enough, I think I'm still winning, I've spent almost nothing on the ingredients, apart from what the market girl will buy.
The smell is marvellous, everyone will know how good the cookies are, I also have to leave a few samples so that when they go to see how good they are, they'll still be fresh, that was certainly the best decision I made, punching Jolie's damn face in.
"Luna Nova Here I come, all I need is to raise 300,000 francs... Wow, that's a lot, how am I going to get all that in five years? What the hell, if I only sell biscuits, it won't even be enough... I need to think of a way, I'll do my best, the cookies will only get me 600 francs, which is a start" I tell myself as I prepare the cookies.
I have to get everything ready, it may take a while, but the cookies are just a start, I can try other ways of earning money, apart from the money I spend on food, the time I spend at school, it's going to be impossible to raise three hundred thousand francs, why did I have to have such an expensive dream? For the nine lesbian witches.
The cookies for the first batch are already being prepared, so I fill the first bag, try the first one just to test it out and see that this recipe worked, now I just have to keep going, this way I'll be richer, everything I need to do to get out of here, I'm sure that for Luna Nova my father won't complain about me leaving.
"The cookies worked immensely well, I sold everything very quickly, on the first day I didn't even have anyhope of earning anything, but in the end it paid off, I spent 200 francs to make the cookies and I earned 600francs from them alone, I sold them all on the first day, I kept selling them in the neighbourhood where I livedand with the rest of the money I paid and made more, that day alone I managed to make 1100 francs, whichwas added to also presenting myself in some way in the street to attract attention, I was already beginning tohope, if every day I made a thousand francs I could achieve my goal in a year, my father didn't even sayanything about the suspension, Since I was suspended on Thursday, I had until Monday off to work. In allthis fun, I earned 5,630 francs, not including the cost of making cookies, but school was back in session andthe production of cookies continued, I always found a way to make them, but I didn't make that much money,it was a maximum of 400 francs a day, and the rest was left over, which I had to leave at home, since no onewould eat the Cookie the next day, my father just enjoyed it, but not everything was going to be so wonderful,because I was becoming known in my neighbourhood."
See you, street witches...