Posted by: Aliyah Margareth Imbat
Date published: September 23, 2022
Time published: 5:07 PM
Classification: Prose
Synopsis: In the kingdom of Valentine lives two very different girls.
A mime in black and white and a princess in a frilly dress. What will happen if the two manage to cross paths? A powerful aristocrat and a mere commoner, two very different people.
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"The Mime" Part 2
It was already getting very dark with the sun setting. She didn't have a flashlight, so Francine wasn't sure how she would navigate her way but assured herself that since The Capital was a city, it would be very bright at night, even though she and Luis only visited it during the day.
The walk to The Capital would be two hours long, so Francine made it a point not to get distracted to avoid coming home a lot later. But she could feel her stomach aching from hunger with every step she took, so on the way, she stole a loaf of bread from one of the food stalls that sold them.
Stealing never bothered her. Francine was a thief. It was her job.
She would do anything to survive, no matter who she had to steal from and how unfortunate the person was. To Francine, everything she did was in the name of survival. The state of the so-called home she was born in had melted away all her feelings long ago.
She and her father's survival was all that mattered. However, there wasn't a day when she didn't wish they weren't living below poverty. Then she wouldn't have to do what she did.
Francine's thoughts came to a halt once she arrived at the gate separating The Ruins and The Capital. There was a 5000cm wall between the two sections. So the only way out of each or to cross was through the one gate in the wall.
"Ah, Francine, nice to see you," one of the gatekeepers greeted her with a friendly smile. Francine and her father often visited The Capital to steal and even beg for money, something Francine wasn't fond of, so Luis did all of the begging. Because of how often they crossed the gate, Luis made friends with some gatekeepers.
As per usual, Francine stayed silent, giving off a cold aura. "What are you doing here so late? And where is Luis?" the gatekeeper gently asked, earning no response from the girl. The man sighed before shaking his head. He opened the gate with a button in the guardhouse as he strictly instructed. "Whatever it is, make it quick. It's already dark, so don't make me worry about you all night."
Francine was about to cross before the man asked her a question. "Have you eaten yet, lass?" The question slightly caught Francine off-guard. That was the most care somebody showed her. The girl slowly nodded her head in response to the gatekeeper's question. The man inspected her very skinny figure and shook his head. "I doubt that," he remarked. The gatekeeper told Francine to stay before going inside the guardhouse.
He returned with two meat skewers, a lunchbox, and 5000 Valcs in his hands. Francine's heart skipped a beat at what she thought he was about to do. The friendly gatekeeper bent down to her height and kindly gave her what he was carrying.
"I know what you'll do out there and why you're doing it. Might as well save you some trouble myself. That was originally supposed to be my lunch but my friends treated me suddenly, so you can have it."
He stood back up and looked at Francine. She wasn't blinking behind that mask, shocked at what the gatekeeper had just done and was somewhat expecting him to take back everything or at least ask for something else in return. Yes, he was a friend of her father, but in their kingdom, to be seen helping somebody from The Ruins (or Underdogs as others like to call them) was considered an embarrassment.
Francine had never received such kindness from anybody. People always looked at her disgustingly, as if she was a pest that didn't deserve to be alive.
Touched, Francine swallowed the lump in her throat and shakily spoke her first words of the day. "T-thank you, Mr. Quincy..." Her voice was soft and mellow and the words were quiet and barely audible, but it put a warm smile on Quincy's face, happy that he got her to talk.
He patted her head before returning to the guardhouse. "Be careful, okay? Not all groundskeepers are as nice as me," Quincy warned her. Francine nodded and finally entered The Capital, placing the money in her pocket to save it for later.
Once Francine stepped foot in The Capital, she plugged her ears upon being assaulted by the noises of cars, crowds, factories, and such. She winced and covered her ears. The girl hated loud noises, but it was a city. As much as Francine would love to live in The Capital, she wasn't fond of city noise. Though, she wasn't complaining about the smell. She had smelled far worse than city smoke.
"Let's get this over with as soon as possible," Francine told herself and moved her skinny legs. The girl received stares and disgusted expressions from other people as she walked on the pavement. Because of how Francine dressed, it was evident the girl was from The Ruins. Francine was more than used to the unwelcoming looks whenever she was in The Capital.
The bread she stole earlier failed to ease her hunger, so Francine decided to eat the food Quincy gave her first. She found a spot in the city away from crowds and roads, a quiet and serene area, secluded as well. It was a noiseless and calm meadow with a singular tree standing on the ground, the chilly wind softly blowing in the air.
Francine sat on the grass, resting her back against the tree, and heaved a heavy sigh. She stared at the sky, but all she could see were endless buildings whose lights shone brightly during that hour of the night.
Francine felt peaceful there. Ah, if only she could stay there forever or at least have someone to share the moment with, but she had none.
"That's it. This place will be my secret hideout from now on." Francine declared in her mind. "No one else shall know of its existence."
The little girl took off her mask with much relief because it was getting warm and placed the item on the Earthy ground, removing her bag. Francine placed the lunchbox on her lap and took off the lid. Inside of the box had several portions, all split.
The middle portion contained white rice, two pieces of salmon, and sliced chicken. It was also the biggest. The one on the left was rectangular-shaped with baked potatoes, and the right had a square one with steamed vegetables. Everything was even a little warm still.
It had been so long since Francine had a decent meal, but this was a feast she had yet to have. The appearance added with the mouth-watering smell, Francine did not waste a single second and consumed everything in a matter of seconds, along with the two meat skewers, making sure to savor every bite. She didn't have utensils, so she had to eat with her hands, which Francine ceased to mind.
She gazed up at the buildings as she ate. Sitting there in such tranquility seemed to have made all her worries disappear. Francine was beginning to feel thankful that her father had sent her at this hour. If he hadn't, then who knew when she would ever get another chance to see the city so beautiful at night? However, she wished Luis was there with her to admire the view, even though she knew her father didn't care for such things. He would think the moment was trivial.
But Francine didn't care. She just wanted someone to share the view with, her father specifically.
Looking at the view of the city, Francine wished she and Luis could live there and have an easy and simple life together without having to worry about money. As tired as she was with their life, she knew the father she dearly loved felt worse. At that moment, Francine would have made a cute vow to work hard and make enough money for her and Luis to move to The Capital, but she wasn't one to "dangle" on false hope.
Francine believed that no matter how hard she and Luis worked, they would never be able to reach the point of a comfortable life. Even if they did, others would still judge and look at them as filthy Underdogs who did not deserve even a spark of respect. It would take a miracle to gain what she wanted most.
So, she didn't dare to hope.
Soon after finishing her meal, Francine's mind was back to reality. She packed the lunchbox inside her bag and threw away the two skewers. She wiped her mouth with her arm before putting on her mask and messenger bag again.
Francine stood back on her feet, prepared for a late-night robbing spree. The darkness will give her an advantage.
She fixed her hat and sharply inhaled.
"Here we go again."
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