Chapter 1: Part 1 — Joshua Goldener
“Look, mama! Kirei na ishi desu ne?” Lilith beamed. In her hand, she held a pink rock, speckled with white and black dots. Her mother nodded with a bright smile on her face, which contrasted the bruise on her cheek. She reached out and picked up the stone. Turning the rock in the light of the setting sun, she agreed, “Hai! Utsukushii, Lily-chan!”
“It’s pink! And it sparkles!” Lilith exclaimed.
“You’re absolutely right. You should add it to our collection in the garden,” her mother prompted.
“Hai, Hai,” Lilith smiled, but she paused. Next to them, her younger brother brandished two dull pocketknives. “Lucy, whatcha doin’?”
He looked over, and his face lit up — a huge, toothy grin. “I’m fighting off all the bad guys!” He giggled. “Wanna join me?”
Lilith laughed. “No thanks… You have fun.” From the time Lucien could talk, he’d been obsessed with blades of all sizes. Be it kitchen knives or swords at the blacksmith’s, he couldn’t get enough of them. Of course, my mother was constantly worrying he’d get himself hurt, but ever since he cut his finger when he was 4, it seems like he’s mellowed out some. Not to say that he’s lost any of his enthusiasm, but he is a bit more careful.
When my father’s car rolled up along the curb, my mother grabbed us up off the ground and hurriedly pushed us inside the small house. Soon, Joshua followed with a bottle of his foul-smelling liquid in hand.
On the nights that my father came back early from work, chaos often ensued. Screaming and the shattering of glass… Luckily, Lucien’s room had a lock, but mine’s been broken for as long as I can remember, and the window no longer opened. In other words, my room was nothing more than a trap, and despite my mother’s best efforts, there was no promise of safety. From the kitchen, my mother’s whispers grew distressed while Joshua’s tone was dead even. Then, the sound of glass shattering. I slipped through the hallway, out the door, and ran down the street till my lungs hurt. Every time I tripped, I picked myself up and ran even harder. After reaching the docks, I finally slowed to a stop and fell.
Clouds overhead darkened the sky, and soft, dainty sprinkles gingerly deposited themselves on the rough cobbles. Tired and cold, I sat against the wall of one of the raucous Inns. Laughter and music flowed from inside. I didn’t have any money, and even if I did, they’d never let me rent a room.
Just as the rain began to pour, it suddenly stopped. A boy with short, dark hair and a scarf hanging from his shoulders stood before me, holding an umbrella over my head. “It okay if I sit here?” He asked.
“Sure,” I mumbled. Orphaned or abused, us loners always seemed to come together at the worst of times. Ironic.
The rain continued till late in the night when another kid approached, hood pulled up close over his head. He’d come out of an alley, following a drunk from the shadows. The drunkard swayed as he walked, muttering obscenities under his breath. Casually, I slid out my leg, and the man fell face first, landing in a muddy muttering puddle. Moaning, yet unresponsive, his body stilled.
Tentatively, the boy edged from the shadows. “Why’d you do that?” He questioned in a hushed tone.
Why did I do that? If the man’d been sober, he would’ve beat me within an inch of my life. And yet… Instead of fear, I raised my chin. “Why should I answer a thief?” I countered.
The boy stared at me, shaking his head. “Weirdo.” He muttered. He then glanced at my neighbor before kneeling to search the drunkard who lay silent on the cobbles. No torches were lit, and the shadows engulfed everything in its path, but when he stood up in the moonlight, a short strand of his hair fell out from under his hood. A white-silvery whisp; his hair seemed to glow in the moonlight. He smiled and looked us up and down. “You’re both about the same age as me. Wanna come back to my base?”
The boy sitting next to me shrugged, looking to me as he stood up, already offering a hand.
I sighed and grabbed his hand. It was firm, but gentle. “What are the chances this is some kinda trap?” I whispered.
Again, he just shrugged. “I dunno… But I feel like… he’s a good person?”
“He’s a thief!” I hissed.
“Y’all know I can hear you… You’re not even 5 feet away.” The boy-thief stated.
“Fine,” I huffed. Whatever waited for us… It’s not like it could be anything - or anyone - worse than what waited back at home.
“Good choice. I have a feeling it might storm soon.”
“Storm?” I looked up at the rain. The dark clouds had rolled in long ago, and the light sprinkles had already grown to a hard downpour. “I’m pretty sure it’s already storming…” I held a handout from under the umbrella. “Yup. Still raining.” I nodded. Anyways, what was that about a storm?” I smiled sarcastically.
“Ha Ha. Very funny.” He crossed his arms. “What I mean is I feel like it’s only going to get worse. This… It isn’t just a normal storm… This… It’s far stronger. I- I can just tell.”
His offer… It wasn’t a bad idea. And I could hear the worry in his voice. He was genuine. Even if he was wrong, if we stayed here, we would eventually be targeted by one of the tavern’s drunks. “Sorry,” I mumbled reluctantly. “Lead the way?”
In response, he stared at me for a minute, then nodded and started walking toward the same alley as before. “Name’s Eros by the way. Yours?”
“It’s Lilith. And this is…”
“Hey!” A man who’d just stepped out of a tavern down the street glared at us.” What’re you young’uns doin’ ova’ there!? Why I ought a…”
“Run!” I yelled.
“This way!” Eros motioned rapidly.
“Hey, get back here!” The man yelled.
Startled, the boy with dark hair tripped and fell face first. I grabbed his hand and hauled him up. Eros jumped to the lead and darted around the corner. We followed, sprinting and out of breath until all around us was silent. Despite everything that’d happened earlier, I burst out laughing. Who would’ve known that these two boys would someday become some of my closest friends…
