______________________
ƆĦΔƤƬЄЯ ƬĦЯЄЄ
______________________
ƆĦΔƤƬЄЯ ƬĦЯЄЄ
______________________
The sirens continued to resound. After the few days of living with Lalita, she found that the sirens sounded almost every few days. Now she knew why none of the city's inhabitants had seemed to take much interest in her when she ran along the perimeter of the fence. But unlike the time she came into the city, the siren's calls did not last nearly as long. Because the guards eventually caught up with the person who was trying to escape them. Arietta took another small bite of bread. That was all she had been able to eat for the past few days of living with Lalita. It was all the old woman could afford to give her. But Arietta wasn't about to complain, she was just thankful that the woman was providing her with shelter. But she did find herself missing her home. She missed her mother, father, bedroom, even her annoying alarm clock. She missed Elwood, Emerson, even Cassandra.... no, scratch that, she wasn't that depressed. But she did miss her reality. She left the small piece of bread roll onto the floor as her head thumped against the wall. She had been trapped up in that back room for much to long, nothing to do, nobody to talk to. That was until that one day, when Lalita had found time in her day to come up and speak with her.
She had been living in the back room for about three days when Lalita came to speak with her. Arietta liked the old woman, she truly did, but she could be a bit hard to understand at times. She was missing more teeth than the ones she still possessed, and it took it's toll on her speech. But eventually Arietta had grown accustomed to Lalita's warped style of speech, and could uderstand a few things the woman said to her. But usually, Lalita didn't say much. She merely handed her bread, gave her a small smile, and walked out the door. But on that third day she stayed put in the room. Arietta had begun to bite into her bread, when she realized that the woman was still standing before her. She gently set down the food and looked up at the woman's old, wrinkled face.
"Do you wish to know why you are here child?" she said, spittle flying from her mouth but only landing on the floor. Arietta's head perked up at these words, it was something she had been puzzling over for a long time. "Well do you?" Lalita demanded, a bit impatiently.
"Yes of course."
"Very well." before she began her story, she went over to the pile of covered furniture and pulled out an old chair, which looked like it could have fallen apart if a feather landed on it. But somehow, the petite chair was able to hold the old woman's weight. Arietta couldn't help the baffled expression that flickered across her face, though Lalita seemed to have missed it. But her attention was turned back to the woman and away from the chair as the raspy voice began to speak once more. "You have heard the sirens blast, and felt the pounding footsteps of the guards. There are others like you dear."
"But how di-"
"No interrupting!" Arietta quickly clamped her mouth shut. Lalita smirked a bit and relaxed back into the chair, the old wood creaking as she moved. Arietta hadn't taken notice of it before, but the small piece of furniture was covered in a black floral fabric. "Now... what was I saying... oh yes, there are others like you." she woman pointed a shaky, boney finger at Arietta. "They come from beyond this world, and fall into our city. And they are chased down. Do you know why this is?" she asked, looking at Arietta as if she expected an answer. The blonde merely shook her head. "No, of course you don't. You come from the outside, from the reality beyond this life." It was about then that Arietta was beginning to wonder just what Lalita was getting at, the woman was seeming to babble off nonsense. "Those that cross over never leave. But you dear, you're the first to escape the guards, perhaps you'll change history." Lalita paused to blow her nose into a handkerchief, Arietta recoiled just slightly. But Lalita leaned forward with a peculiar smirk on her face. "They are killed because they know, but what they know cannot be killed. The life of a secret is not within it's telling, but within it's keeping."
Airetta looked on at the woman with a distraught expression of confusion. She had just been told complete and utter nonsense, and she didn't know what to make of it. Lalita simply stood and left the room, her chair still sitting in the middle of the hard wood floor. Arietta gazed at it for a while, her grey eyes tracing over the patterns of pink flowers on a black background. The fabric had been torn here and there, and some flowers split apart because of this, but it was still a beautiful piece. Arietta looked back up at the empty door frame, wondering if Lalita knew that what she said had held no meaning in her mind.
She flashed back to the present day and looked at the half-eaten piece of bread that lay next to her hand. She couldn't bare the thought of it going to waste, so she gingerly picked it up, and finished it with shaking hands. She had lost a bit of weight while she was in the sepia city(as she liked to call it). Eating nothing but two slices of bread a day took it's toll on her body, she needed protein, and the thought of steak made her stomach growl painfully. Arietta squinted her face up in discomfort and laid herself down on the ground, curling her arms around her torso. Perhaps if she could just fall asleep...
She dreamed of her mother. And no, it was not a dream where her mother showered her with love. She dreamed the Camerata she had known all her life. The small woman with hands planted firmly on her hips, the tips of her heels tapping at the ground impatiently as she waited for Arietta. Her father grumbled to himself in the background as he paced behind Camerata. He wouldn't want to get involved in whatever she was about to start. He just wanted to leave and be done with it. Arietta wasn't even sure where they were going, she only knew that she didn't want to go. Soon though, the yells of her mother to "hurry up" faded away and melted into blackness. And soon the sirens replaced her yelling, and Arietta was outside the fence again, running to save herself. Only this time, there was no upturned chain links, she was stuck outside the perimeter. A figure stepped in her path, grabbing her arms and pinning them against her body. No it was not Lalita, it was Gabriel, the guard that she met her first day in the sepia city. Only this time, he didn't drop the silver knife in his hand.
Arietta's eyes flashed open, and she sat up with a start. Even in her dream, she was running from death. She grabbed the blanket that sat folded in the corner and wrapped it around herself, the coarse fabric scratching against her skin as it partly folded itself around her. She pulled her legs up and let her arms tighten around them as she rested her chin on her knees. The sirens boomed in the background. The grating noise had invaded her mind as she slept and wove its way into her dreams. But this fact did not comfort her, the nightmare was still fresh in her mind.
She let a few tears roll down her dirty face. She truly missed her home. She missed everything about it. She wondered what had happened while she was away. How did her mother react? Was her father ordering around police officers as they walked around his house? Was Cassandra snickering to herself and mumbling misgivings about her to the group of girls that worshiped the ground she walked on? Was her bag still slumped against that wretched mirror? Was there even an Elwood to go home to? These questions, along with many more, swarmed around her head. And the worst one of all, if there was an Elwood to go back to, would she manage to make it there before getting herself killed? She let out a breath, the sound seeming to shudder in the air as she tried to keep the tears from falling as she lowered herself back to the floor. But she ultimately failed, and the saline water was all that kept her company as she drifted off to sleep.
Arietta woke up to her shoulder being shook. Her alarm sounded in the background, louder than usual. She couldn't imagine why her mother was shaking her so lightly, that was until she opened her eyes and found herself looking at the wrinkled face of an old woman. She jumped a bit, alarmed. That was until she remembered, remembered that she was trapped in the sepia city and living under the roof of Miss Lalita.
"Wake up child, wake up!" the woman urged, giving her one more good shake as Arietta's eyes opened fully. She took in her surroundings slowly. The alarms and sirens were blaring louder than usual, and it was hard to hear what Lalita was saying. The coarse green blanket was drapped over her legs, looking tired and worn out. The old chair still sat in the middle of the room. The only real change was the figure standing in the doorway. Her heart began to pound quickly when she caught sight of Gabriel. Her nightmare still rang through her mind. Also, she hadn't seen him since the first day she had arrived, so this encounter couldn't mean anything good. "Get up dear, up! That's it get up!" Lalita rasped as she pulled Arietta to her feet. She pushed her towards the doorway, and towards Gabriel. "It's time for us to part dear, I do hope you make it." the woman gave her a sad, but warm look before kissing her forehead and ushering her and the guard out into the hallway.
"But what is-"
"Shh! You must go with Gabriel. And trust him dear, he's your only chance now." Lalita said as she pushed the both of them down the stairs. Before they walked out the front door Lalita handed something to the guard. Gabriel tugged the shawl on over Arietta quickly before the two left the rundown house. They wove through back alleys, Arietta keeping the hood of the shawl tightly held against her head. She looked back towards the direction of Lalita's house, not knowing what was going on.
She looked up at Gabriel, who had a tight hold of her arm and was dragging her through the alleys, pass trash cans, abandoned junk, and the few random people huddled against the rundown brick walls. He looked determined, like he knew exactly what he was doing. But in truth, Arietta wasn't sure if he really was. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord, stepping over discarded rubbish and such. "What's going on?" she asked, continuing to look at the guard. He didn't seem to hear her so she spoke up a bit. "What is going on?" Gabriel seemed a bit flustered by her question as if he didn't expect it.
"We're saving your life." and that was all he had to say on the matter.
She had been living in the back room for about three days when Lalita came to speak with her. Arietta liked the old woman, she truly did, but she could be a bit hard to understand at times. She was missing more teeth than the ones she still possessed, and it took it's toll on her speech. But eventually Arietta had grown accustomed to Lalita's warped style of speech, and could uderstand a few things the woman said to her. But usually, Lalita didn't say much. She merely handed her bread, gave her a small smile, and walked out the door. But on that third day she stayed put in the room. Arietta had begun to bite into her bread, when she realized that the woman was still standing before her. She gently set down the food and looked up at the woman's old, wrinkled face.
"Do you wish to know why you are here child?" she said, spittle flying from her mouth but only landing on the floor. Arietta's head perked up at these words, it was something she had been puzzling over for a long time. "Well do you?" Lalita demanded, a bit impatiently.
"Yes of course."
"Very well." before she began her story, she went over to the pile of covered furniture and pulled out an old chair, which looked like it could have fallen apart if a feather landed on it. But somehow, the petite chair was able to hold the old woman's weight. Arietta couldn't help the baffled expression that flickered across her face, though Lalita seemed to have missed it. But her attention was turned back to the woman and away from the chair as the raspy voice began to speak once more. "You have heard the sirens blast, and felt the pounding footsteps of the guards. There are others like you dear."
"But how di-"
"No interrupting!" Arietta quickly clamped her mouth shut. Lalita smirked a bit and relaxed back into the chair, the old wood creaking as she moved. Arietta hadn't taken notice of it before, but the small piece of furniture was covered in a black floral fabric. "Now... what was I saying... oh yes, there are others like you." she woman pointed a shaky, boney finger at Arietta. "They come from beyond this world, and fall into our city. And they are chased down. Do you know why this is?" she asked, looking at Arietta as if she expected an answer. The blonde merely shook her head. "No, of course you don't. You come from the outside, from the reality beyond this life." It was about then that Arietta was beginning to wonder just what Lalita was getting at, the woman was seeming to babble off nonsense. "Those that cross over never leave. But you dear, you're the first to escape the guards, perhaps you'll change history." Lalita paused to blow her nose into a handkerchief, Arietta recoiled just slightly. But Lalita leaned forward with a peculiar smirk on her face. "They are killed because they know, but what they know cannot be killed. The life of a secret is not within it's telling, but within it's keeping."
Airetta looked on at the woman with a distraught expression of confusion. She had just been told complete and utter nonsense, and she didn't know what to make of it. Lalita simply stood and left the room, her chair still sitting in the middle of the hard wood floor. Arietta gazed at it for a while, her grey eyes tracing over the patterns of pink flowers on a black background. The fabric had been torn here and there, and some flowers split apart because of this, but it was still a beautiful piece. Arietta looked back up at the empty door frame, wondering if Lalita knew that what she said had held no meaning in her mind.
She flashed back to the present day and looked at the half-eaten piece of bread that lay next to her hand. She couldn't bare the thought of it going to waste, so she gingerly picked it up, and finished it with shaking hands. She had lost a bit of weight while she was in the sepia city(as she liked to call it). Eating nothing but two slices of bread a day took it's toll on her body, she needed protein, and the thought of steak made her stomach growl painfully. Arietta squinted her face up in discomfort and laid herself down on the ground, curling her arms around her torso. Perhaps if she could just fall asleep...
She dreamed of her mother. And no, it was not a dream where her mother showered her with love. She dreamed the Camerata she had known all her life. The small woman with hands planted firmly on her hips, the tips of her heels tapping at the ground impatiently as she waited for Arietta. Her father grumbled to himself in the background as he paced behind Camerata. He wouldn't want to get involved in whatever she was about to start. He just wanted to leave and be done with it. Arietta wasn't even sure where they were going, she only knew that she didn't want to go. Soon though, the yells of her mother to "hurry up" faded away and melted into blackness. And soon the sirens replaced her yelling, and Arietta was outside the fence again, running to save herself. Only this time, there was no upturned chain links, she was stuck outside the perimeter. A figure stepped in her path, grabbing her arms and pinning them against her body. No it was not Lalita, it was Gabriel, the guard that she met her first day in the sepia city. Only this time, he didn't drop the silver knife in his hand.
Arietta's eyes flashed open, and she sat up with a start. Even in her dream, she was running from death. She grabbed the blanket that sat folded in the corner and wrapped it around herself, the coarse fabric scratching against her skin as it partly folded itself around her. She pulled her legs up and let her arms tighten around them as she rested her chin on her knees. The sirens boomed in the background. The grating noise had invaded her mind as she slept and wove its way into her dreams. But this fact did not comfort her, the nightmare was still fresh in her mind.
She let a few tears roll down her dirty face. She truly missed her home. She missed everything about it. She wondered what had happened while she was away. How did her mother react? Was her father ordering around police officers as they walked around his house? Was Cassandra snickering to herself and mumbling misgivings about her to the group of girls that worshiped the ground she walked on? Was her bag still slumped against that wretched mirror? Was there even an Elwood to go home to? These questions, along with many more, swarmed around her head. And the worst one of all, if there was an Elwood to go back to, would she manage to make it there before getting herself killed? She let out a breath, the sound seeming to shudder in the air as she tried to keep the tears from falling as she lowered herself back to the floor. But she ultimately failed, and the saline water was all that kept her company as she drifted off to sleep.
Arietta woke up to her shoulder being shook. Her alarm sounded in the background, louder than usual. She couldn't imagine why her mother was shaking her so lightly, that was until she opened her eyes and found herself looking at the wrinkled face of an old woman. She jumped a bit, alarmed. That was until she remembered, remembered that she was trapped in the sepia city and living under the roof of Miss Lalita.
"Wake up child, wake up!" the woman urged, giving her one more good shake as Arietta's eyes opened fully. She took in her surroundings slowly. The alarms and sirens were blaring louder than usual, and it was hard to hear what Lalita was saying. The coarse green blanket was drapped over her legs, looking tired and worn out. The old chair still sat in the middle of the room. The only real change was the figure standing in the doorway. Her heart began to pound quickly when she caught sight of Gabriel. Her nightmare still rang through her mind. Also, she hadn't seen him since the first day she had arrived, so this encounter couldn't mean anything good. "Get up dear, up! That's it get up!" Lalita rasped as she pulled Arietta to her feet. She pushed her towards the doorway, and towards Gabriel. "It's time for us to part dear, I do hope you make it." the woman gave her a sad, but warm look before kissing her forehead and ushering her and the guard out into the hallway.
"But what is-"
"Shh! You must go with Gabriel. And trust him dear, he's your only chance now." Lalita said as she pushed the both of them down the stairs. Before they walked out the front door Lalita handed something to the guard. Gabriel tugged the shawl on over Arietta quickly before the two left the rundown house. They wove through back alleys, Arietta keeping the hood of the shawl tightly held against her head. She looked back towards the direction of Lalita's house, not knowing what was going on.
She looked up at Gabriel, who had a tight hold of her arm and was dragging her through the alleys, pass trash cans, abandoned junk, and the few random people huddled against the rundown brick walls. He looked determined, like he knew exactly what he was doing. But in truth, Arietta wasn't sure if he really was. Her feet seemed to move of their own accord, stepping over discarded rubbish and such. "What's going on?" she asked, continuing to look at the guard. He didn't seem to hear her so she spoke up a bit. "What is going on?" Gabriel seemed a bit flustered by her question as if he didn't expect it.
"We're saving your life." and that was all he had to say on the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment