Waking Up [Solo]

Continued From - Playing With Fire [Solo]

Blue eyes flickered open as the girl stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. It was some type of dark wood though she couldn’t tell which tree it would’ve actually come from… The only thing she knew was that it was a lot nicer than anything she had ever seen since the day she first opened her eyes into her new life. Breathing steadily, her eyes shifted from the ceiling to the rest of the room… The light fixtures, the area rug, the painting on the wall… None of it would be considered nice in a higher district, or even a middle district for that matter, but when compared to the streets of West 63, there wasn’t much for it to be compared to.

“You’re finally awake!” Turning her head, her eyes caught sight of a little boy as she leaned up onto her elbows in order to smile at her. “It seems like I am. How long have I been asleep kid?”  Her voice was kind as she said the words, but the child was already on his way out of the room. “Wait here… He’s been dying to meet you!”  Hearing the door close, the girl contemplated just closing her eyes and going back to sleep. This had to be a dream… She had been in Loki’s arms when she had fallen asleep, why hadn’t he just taken her home? How could he allow her to wake up in an unfamiliar place to a child she didn’t even know? Laying there for a moment, she opened her eyes and just stared at the ceiling for a moment. She wasn’t dreaming… Her ankle was sore and her lungs felt heavy. “He’s a dead man… I’m going to kill him.”  The words were spoken under her breath as she slid her legs out from beneath the blanket and stood up, stumbling a bit from the pain that shot up her leg as she tried to walk.

Standing there for a moment, the girl ran her hands through her hair a few times as her eyes scanned the room for her shoes. Limping over to a door, the girl opened it to find a closet with a few garments hanging on the rack. Crouching down, she moved a few things in an attempt at finding her missing belongings, but had no such luck. “What’re you looking for?”  Jumping as she heard the child’s voice behind her, the girl turned quickly and leaned against the wall for a moment. Her eyes stared at the two people standing in front of her, her hand reaching down for her hurt ankle as she attempted to stay composed. “My shoes… I’m just trying to get home.”  Smiling as she said the words, Triela looked from the boy to the man standing behind her. In her district he would’ve been considered an elder, but in reality he only looked to be in his early fifties. He had long white hair, but his face looked young… He was smiling, but she didn’t know why. “Graham… Why don’t you go downstairs and find your sister.”   She could hear the authority behind his voice and watched as the little boy nodded his head and left the room. Head of the family?  Staring at the man, the girl probably held a look of confusion as she watched the man smile at her.

“Don’t be scared. Loki knows where you are.”  A small pause as the man moved to the other side of the room, his hands staying in view of the girl. “I told him I would keep you safe. That I would watch over you while you recovered… You had quite the fall.”  His words made no sense to her. People died in her district everyday and no one gave a shit about them. If the soul was lucky, they’d be able to die a peaceful death, but more often than not the weaker ones died from exposure, fires, or bandits. “Why would you do such a thing? I don’t even know you.”  Confusion could be heard in her tone  as she slowly stood up… Most of her weight being held up by the wall. “My son’s wife was from a district not too far from where he found you. They were traveling to her home village to allow Leerin to meet what she considered her family.”  The man continued, almost as though she hadn’t said anything. Holding up a finger as though to stop her from arguing with him; as though if she let him finish then he could explain everything. “He tells me that you saved Leerin’s life and therefore I am in your debt.”  Watching as the man bowed his head in her direction, she could tell that this was not a natural state for him to be in. He was a man of both status and power… She had no idea where he came from, but all she wanted was for him to go home and leave her alone.

What are you talking about? When he found me?  The questions were only in her head as the girl let the man say what he needed to say. She didn’t understand why saving one little girl was such a big deal to this man. Perhaps she was a part of his “family” but even those had expiration dates in her district. People came and people went… That was life. If you were unlucky enough to be blessed with enough skills to survive, then the only thing you were guaranteed was to watch your friends die and the world move on as though they never existed. “Well, I guess it would be when you found him.”  The man’s voice brought the girl back to reality as she tried to focus on what he was talking about. “You ran into a burning building… Jumped off a roof… You alone saved her life. You’re a hero. A genuine hero.”  It was obvious by his tone that the little girl she had saved meant a great deal to this man, but she hadn’t saved the girl to be considered a “Hero.” She had saved her because it was the right thing to do.

“Ummm… Sir.”  Pausing for a moment, the girl smiled at the man as she tried to think of a way to word this without disrespecting him and what he thought of her. “With all due respect; I’m not a hero. I just figured that I didn’t have anythi--”  Her voice cut off as she watched disappointment cross the man’s features. She was being honest with him… Telling him straight what a normal person would tone down in order to not hurt his feelings. “You always have something to lose. This place--”  Watching as his gaze flickered around the room, the girl waited for him to finish whatever bullshit he wanted to spout. “--changes you. You could’ve been a decent human in life and then sent to the end of the Rukongai simply because fate thought it would be hilarious.”  Restraining a laugh, the girl let the man say his peace, standing there silently. Fate was a ridiculous concept… Something designed so that people with an easier life could deal with sitting around doing nothing. Talk about fate… Talk about your family… Talk about God… With someone else.  Her face remained blank as the thoughts passed through her mind. “I don’t believe in fate. A person’s life can as be as great as they’re willing to make it.”  The girl had never considered herself the kind of person who enjoyed arguing with people, but this man was being ridiculous.

Perhaps it was his spirituality that bugged her… Perhaps she didn’t want to believe that she was sent to her district because some deity decided she deserved to be there. Pushing herself off the wall, the girl straightened herself out as she looked at the man. “If we’re done here…”  The girl paused as she felt a sharp pain in her chest from the movement. Taking a couple of deep breaths, the girl stared at the ground, waiting for the pain to pass. “If we’re done here, I’ll be on my way. You don’t owe me anything… I didn’t do you any favors.”  There was a note of contempt in the girl’s voice as she said the words. She wasn’t comfortable with what he was saying.

She didn’t want him to feel as though he owed her that little girl’s life.

“My family makes well for themselves in District 4. We aren’t rich, but we have a restaurant and a small apothecary shop. We live comfortably… More comfortably than most.”  Walking past him, she didn’t even turn her head to look at him. If he was offering her money… She didn’t want it. She didn’t want anything. “My son lost his wife in that fire. We could’ve lost Leerin as well, but because of you she was spared. The world is cruel, but occasionally you find people worth living for. A sign that there’s still hope in this world. We could give you a good life.”  Stopping where she was, the girl stared at the door in front of her for a moment, the thoughts in her head floating around in chaos. Reaching for the doorknob, she gripped the brass handle and twisted, pulling it open and walking out into the hallway in front of her.

Hearing foosteps behind her, the girl quickened her pace a bit, but the pain in her ankle kept her from making it anywhere fast. “I would love for you to come stay with us.”  Stopping in her tracks, the girl’s blinked a few times as she turned her head to look at the man. He had told Loki that he would take care of her… Not that he would try to convince her to leave. “You saved my granddaughter and I can’t thank you enough for that.”  Staring at him, the look on her face made it obvious that she wasn’t happy with what he was saying. The little girl, Leerin, had lost her mother and now this man was trying to bring her into his family? No.

“I can’t replace her.”  Her voice was low as she shook her head at the man. She already had a home… She already had a life. “I’m not asking you to replace her. I’m asking you to give us a chance… To let us give you a chance. I‘ve been talking to Lo--”  Holding her hand up, the girl closed her eyes as she tried to convince herself that the man wasn’t going to say that Loki had given him permission to do this. He was her family. Him and the children. It was her job to feed them. It was her job to protect them… Not to save some random little girl and then go off and live in this fairytale land this man was offering. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think things are supposed to work out like that. I have a home. It may not be much, but it‘s home.”  Turning away from him, she let her hand rest on the railing to a staircase that would lead her down to the first floor. “Just give it some thought. We leave for our District the morning after tomorrow”  Without bothering to acknowledge the man’s offer, she continued down the stairs… There was nothing to think about… Nothing to even consider.

I’ll kill you.  The thought ran through her head as she took another step down the stairs... This was going to be a very long day.