"Roger"
These words had just left his mouth, then, we were in different paths. He walked to steal; I went to distract.
The dusty air of the Bruen Verle filled my nose and made me sneeze. Arnold's eyes darted into mine from a fair distance between. I nod to him; he nodded to me back. I reached up to the guard.
Distract them.
These words echoed in my mind and I was thinking just to do it too.
"Hello misters, do you know where Mr. Harman lives" I wish they don't pay mind to how fake the name sounds.
"Mr, Harman? Never heard of him.", I cannot explain how happy I am because they didn't catch me lying.
Huh, idiots.
The words travelled through my mind almost making me shrug.
"Young girl, I think you have shared the wrong name because there's not a single person who I don't know around here."
Oh shit.
I am caught. No- not until I have the skill to lie. My voice sounds breathless I say, "I guess I have."
"Can you try to recall the right name?" I don't know what have gotten in them that they have been so nice today. I am feeling a little bad because they will probably be fired because of me after showing such a kindness.
I look towards Arnold with the side of my eyes. He's eyes are searching for my signal, and I do the very same thing. I gave him a thumb behind my back. He nodded.
I should make it as peaceful as possible.
Just distract the guards.
"…I am pretty sure it started with 'H'. I think it has Hankster." My tongue mistakenly slipped the same name that comes in my mind when I try to remember any name. Why am I so bad at this? I am not even sure where I heard this name that it floods in my mind that often, I would have probably heard it by a merchant's mouth.
"Oh, I guess I have heard that name somewhere before."
Good thing.
Looks like my guess was right, it was from the mouth of a merchant. "Sorry girl, but I don't seem to recall whose name it was. Wish you good luck to find that man"
I guess it's fine now. Arnold must have done his part. I am impressed by how even a person didn't notice him.
I put up a sweet smile on my face, "Thank you, mister. Wish you all a good day."
I spined on my heels and walked towards the North gate, the spot where we always meet after doing up our roles.
The Bruen Verle is unexpectedly emptier than usual. It was not like this a moment ago.
Something is off.
What can be it? What-
A carriage.
My eyes landed on a lavishly decorated carriage. A noble is here. A powerful one. By the looks of it, the carriage can alone be equal to the amount of money that I can use for filling my and my family's stomach for at least three years. Arnold too would have thought the same thing if he would have been here. Arnold, my best friend, a part of my family is an idiot and a weakling. I cannot explain ow much he irritated me with that prank of his. I want to punch him in his face- but I would have to find him first.
I have to get ignored as much as possible from these nobles.
I walked normally from the corner of the street. I wish they just ignore me. Please. I have gotten really close to the carriage. My heartbeat increased. I don't why but my heart feels like it can burst out.
Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me. Ignore me.
My mind felt like I was going to crash out because of the carriage being so close to me but I better not be because it will attract attention. I am so frightened of catching attention from a noble despite being a fallen noble myself. Iconic, isn't it?
And, finally I have passed through the carriage. I can finally breathe again. My heart is neither running or threatening to burst out now.
I wonder which noble family the noble sitting in the carriage belongs to. Whichever the family they belong to, they would probably not be near my family's old glory. I would have been become a spoiled brat by now.
Oh shit.
I should not adapt to the bad language or mother would take the hell out of me if she heard me saying words like brat-
"Eli!" The sound tears through my thoughts.
I look to Arnold standing forward the north gate. He has not attracted attention by doing something stupid so far. Good thing. He is waving to me by his one hand while his other arm is grabbing the boxes of sweets-
Wait, he is grabbing the boxes of sweet in one hand!
"Arnold!", I shouted while my legs refused to stand still, I ran in my full speed because of the mini heart attack he gave me, "You idiot!" I mumbled. My hair tie Gave up and left my hairs to swing freely in air.
"Why are you shouting Elicia, have I perhaps done something wrong?" Said the one who can starve me for three days at the moment.
I caught to Arnold and snatched the boxes from his hand. I should check if the sweets are okay. My eyes were wide open because of the possibility that I will have to die starving because of this idiot. I shattered my eyes and opened the uppermost box. I gathered my guts to open my eyes. I peeked through the box.
Safe.
My heart raced with happiness. I let my legs relax by slowly discharging my weight from them and sat on the street with happiness flowing through my body. I can feel the happiness every cell in my body carries at the moment.
"What happened Elicia, why are you-"
"You idiot" I glared at his eyes, "How could one possibly this brainless to grab five boxes of SWEETS in one hand?"
"That was not that serious Elicia, I thought there was a serious problem." He sighed.
I cannot possibly control it anymore.
I stood on my legs slowly. This idiot wouldn't even let me celebrate my happiness after giving me mini heart attack. I walked toward Arnold with my head facing the ground while my hairs brushed my waist and covered half of my face.
I want to become bald.
These hairs would not even let me be angry properly. How unfair.
I lifted Arnold by his collars- I mean, tried to lift him by his collars that I failed to do.
"So, making me starving for three days is not a serious thing for you" I raised my voice while my head raised too, "I cannot live without eating you knew it, didn't you?" I know-
"Well Elicia, I guess no one can live without eating food." He shrugged. My anger grew even stronger.
"You idiot, I am not letting you run away with this!" I stretched my right fist back and released it towards Arnold. I guess he will come to his senses after eating my punch-
"Look, look, I think I have found the perfect thing here." A voice interrupted me; I stopped my fist halfway to look who interrupted me. Arnold seemed to be confused too. We both looked into the direction from where the voice came.
Five grown men.
Two of them are short and fat, two of them are tall and fit and one of them is tall. Too tall. I can barely reach is waist. But one thing is clear- any of them can kill both of us, let alone five of them. If it was not enough, they have metal rods as well, and they are walking towards us as well.
I am dead.
"Run." I said, fear was easily hearable in my voice.
"Eli-"
"I said run!" And then I am running in the opposite direction.
"Elicia, what about the sweets?"
"You idiot, what will you do of sweets when you are dead."
I don't know where I am going, but I cannot manage to stop and think where I am going. I don't think we will even be able to outrun those men assuming they are here for us. What can one probably get from two little brats? We don't even have money to offer them.
"If you have enough brain to run at the sight of us then, don't you enough brain to know you cannot outrun us," said one of the short and fat men, I think he is their leader. They are grown but they don't have brains as it seems because they are literally a small gang but have a short and fat leader, could they have not made one of the fit men the leader? And then I hear it,
Heavy footsteps.
One of the is running beside us; and it's over.
"Elicia, we cannot outrun them." He is DUMB. A literal dumb. Does he think of me as someone so dumb that he would have to tell me simple facts.
"Have you figured it just now?" I said, I looked behind me to check where the man has reached
Oh shit.
He is barely steps behind us, his arm is outstretched. He is going to catch Arnold like this. What can I do? And the next moment he has almost touched his fabric. We both are going to be caught.
Scream.
My throat automatically screamed when I saw him this close to Arnold; but, why didn't this come to me earlier? Screaming was a perfect idea to attract attention-
"Caught you"
I am caught.
The man has caught both of us, it seems like screaming was not much good idea after all. But, what can they possibly do with us, I think they will just use us as some punching bags and then release us after releasing their anger. It's not so bad.
"Don't pull something like this ever again, girl, this will put you in even more danger", said the man who is going to use us and is smiling so hard.
"I think this boy will do just fine", said their leader.
What?
Why Arnold will do fine? Are they going to release me?
No, they better not. I cannot leave Arnold all alone. I will pull something that will make them even more angry and they will take both of us. Yes, it will be definitely fine. But what if they still just take Arnold.
No. No. No.
This is all so wrong. I cannot possibly leave him alone. He is like my family-no, a part of my family. I cannot abandon my family member. Not again. Not like I did with my father.
I look up to Arnold, his eyes were fixated on mine. Fear was ranging equally in both of our eyes.
The man drags us to the man that I think is their leader. The cobblestone is very sharp, it's probably slicing off my skin, it looks like I will have some new cuts. But it sure does hurt a lot-
Thud.
The man throws us on the street in front of his leader. My back aches a lot, I want to spit out the saliva in my mouth, my previous bruises are screaming just like I want to. It feels like I will soon be with broken bones, but it will be better than leaving Arnold alone. I put my body weight to the side and roll on my stomach to feel better.
Their leader walks towards us, he kneels down in front of Arnold's face. He stretches his arms towards Arnold's face and pulls him up by his hairs-
My eyes widened at the sight of Arnold's face, blood is already flowing through his nose, his face is marked with various blue and dark blue bruises, he had fallen on his face but his eyes don't even show bit of pain. I cannot imagine how much it would have hurt to fall on face on these cobblestones.
How dare they do this to my friend?
"You are the killer of the merchant, understood?" said their leader, "Just make a story if they ask you what happened kid. Now tell me what you are and what are you of whom?"
We are dead.
I want to go home.
I didn't imagine we are in such a bad condition. At this point one of us can even be killed. How can we escape? Is there even a way to escape now-
"I am Arnold, a human and a stranger to the merchant." Arnold's voice is sharp but his mind remains dumb, is he trying to enrage them, he is just making things difficult for us-
"Looks like he is not an easy one", said the man, "…but it seems like the girl is someone dear to him"
It cannot be what I am thinking-
Thwack!
Blood spills from my mouth as a fist connects to my jaw. I cough out trying to spit all the blood from my mouth.
"Elicia!"