Hha.. ha.. hha..
Charlotte dashed forward in full speed, leaving clouds of streetdust on her feet. A man lunged towards her direction. With fear and instinct, she rotated her body, pivoting around the defender.
Her oversize shirt did not help at all. But her quick reflex allowed her to dodged, almost losing her balance. But never her grip on black purse in her arms.
"Mind your g*ddamn business, f*ker!"
Without losing speed, Charlotte took a sharp turn in a shady alley. Two men ran after her. Whipping out flashlights from their pockets.
"Come back here, you pest!"
The shady alley was nowhere wide. Just enough for a regular broken air conditioner to block the way, but not enough to block the rushing Charlotte. She jumped over the AC. Meanwhile, the two men in black suit chasing after her, slowed down. One of them almost tripped. Thanks to not so convenient broken machine.
hha.. hha.. ha..
She's desperately gasping air with her almost imploding lungs. She was on the verge of vomiting. Luckily she had not eaten anything since yesterday noon.
The two men are able to keep up with her, taking advantage of their bigger strides. One of the man casted his flashlight in Charlotte's direction. Her oversize shirt gave her shadow a wide silhouette. But it could not fool no one. Due to her running at great speed, the air pushed her loose shirt onto her body, revealing her small frame.
She took another sharp turn, escaping the gaze of the flashlight.
Charlotte had to skip over stuffs a couple more times. This is risky but those things widen the gap between them.
Broken bottles.
Fruit boxes.
Stacks of cardboard.
A Man laying on the ground.
What the f**k! is he alright?
But Charlotte didn't have the luxury to worry.
finally
She saw a crossroad ahead. It is a 4 way crossing of alleys. This is her goal.
Charlotte held her breath,
Burst forward,
Her sight got blurry.
Left turn
Dashed.
In a span of three snaps, The alley in front of Charlotte widened. There, she found her haven, a pile of garbages. Charlotte dove behind it and covered her mouth.
Meanwhile, the two men were stucked in a predicament at the crossroad.
"She went l-left." Said a man bending over trying to catch his breath.
"How could you be so sure?! You were behind me!"
"..." The other man was right, he just said what seems like a whispher on his consciousness.
"F*ck*n rat!" The alley echoed his voice swearing back at him. That made the veins on his temple twitched.
A man sprawled on the ground caught the attention of the fuming man. He got an idea. But it was turned down immediately when he saw flies. Flying-circling over the man's mouth.
His frustration reached its hill's peak. He kicked the sprawled man multiple times, grabbed his fedora hat perched on his bald spot, and smashed it on the man's body. Another failure! The man was nowhere near the state to reciprocate.
"Go straight! I go right!"
As they left, another guy behind them appeared. He wore a fitted plain navy blue shirt and dark pantaloon. A black baseball cap that lacked design. And a face with blank expression.
The man walked calmly veiled by the shade, silent as if he was never there. He was holding a handgun, his finger already on the trigger. He walked over the sprawled man in the ground without looking at him.
As he about walk towards the left way of the crossroad-
he suddenly made a quick movement, turned his body, pointed his gun at the sprawling man on the ground.
.
.
.
Strange...What was that feeling?.. Yet he had not noticed anything, just the body of what seemed like a dead man. He ignored it and moved on.
***
"Hey stoneface! here!" A shaky voice called out from the pile of trash. Dominic recognized that voice. No, in fact only one person in the world can call him by that name.
It is a young girl on her knees, crawling out from a pile of garbages. She have a black hair that shines even under the shades of the alley. Her skin is warm-brown and tanned from constant playing under the sun. She have a wide silhouette from her oversize shirt, paired with a loose supposed-to-be-shorts yet it's looked like a pants on her length.
He is holding a gun?! Did he just- but I didn't hear any gunshot. Phew...I don't want to be affiliated in a crime. Charlotte sighed in relief while holding the purse she stole.
Her sight had a sudden flash, She felt lightheaded."Take this...Fast!"
Dominic took the expensive-looking purse from her. There was a great contrast between the luxurious purse, and the soiled oily hand of Charlotte.
As Charlotte rushed towards the corner and vomited bitter substances from her empty stomach, Dominic inspected the purse. It was a black purse made from reptilian animal skin. A pattern was pressed on its outer surface, an emblem of a luxury brand.
He opened its golden button and zippers. Inside he found a phone, the latest model he had seen just months ago on billboards. There's also strange kits. He failed to recognize them. Inside were bills in hundreds and thousands denominations. He also found credit cards, IDs, and business cards. He looked through one.
Mrs. Vivienne L. Costa
Vice Mayor's Office
(555)-023-728
Dominic took out the phone and the bills, and shifted his attention to Charlotte, "Are you done?"-her lips was paler than ever. The vibrance in her eyes is faded. Chalotte is so drained. She can respond with a nod.
Dominic held the cash in front of Charlotte. "This is yours. The rest will be paid tomorrow."
Pieces of papers obstructed Charlottes view. They come in various hues of colors, they only share the traits of having a [ P's ] in the middle. They reflected on Charlottes eyes giving colors on her dull pupils.
Charlotte took the papers printed with faces of people she have no idea who. her hands were shaking while holding them.
Nice to meet you grandpas and mas. She counted them cheerfully, and made a grinning smile as she kept counting past her expectation. It was more than what they had agreed on.
I wouldn't complain but- Charlotte glared at Dominic with a sharp, suspecting gaze. No reaction.
Pointless! "tch"
"Unc' why are you giving me this much?"
"I got all i need." Dominic held up a black phone. It was the phone inside the purse.
You don't need money?!
Charlotte sighed in submission,"Fine."
"I will visit you tommorow for the remaining payment." Dominic hid the phone and the purse on his separate pockets.
There's more to come?! that's sus! But this is unc' Stoneface we're talking. He is honest-too honest.
"You did well. but this is also your last chance to leave this business." Dominic spoke in his usual monotone. "Not everyone gets that." His words carried no concern. He was just stating the truth.
Dominic fixed his cap, Tapped charlottes back before walking away. It was a light tap...but a heavy feeling hits Charlottes chest.
.
.
Quit? This is might be first time... but i already earned this much
Rico said he is paid 100 Peas per day from his newspaper delivery job.
Charlotte tried to calculate how much she earned in Rico days...
4200 Peas did-by-did-by(divided by) 100 Peas..her face turned sour.
aahhh fck! I just know we can buy a ton of eggs. The big ones cost 7 P's! Charlotte wiped her drool. I will use a portion of money to pay our rent, then use the rest to buy Rico a reading glasses. But how? without raising suspicions....
Charlotte was lost in her thoughts for a while and before she even noticed, she had reached her destination.
_____
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She knocked on a door made of patched-up corrugated metal sheets. Every time she knocked it sounded like a gunshot, but Charlotte was in a daze and stuck in a half-awake state and just banging the door mindlessly.
"Brat."
A tall lady appeared behind Charlotte, towering over her, She's nearly two meters meanwhile Charlotte standing in 145 shorty-meters. The lady's long legs gave her a striking silhouette. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her lips were dry and dark. She was somewhat ominous, yet undeniably alluring.
"Let me tell you. this is the last time I will-" The lady kept yapping, but Charlotte did not noticed her. In fact, she was thinking about boiled eggs right now.
The lady bent her knees, grabbed Charlotte's shoulder 'kyaaaaaaaah!
"A-aunt Melli!" Charlotte looked upward, responded with a bright smile and drool.
"Aunt.." The lady smiled back but her lips are twitching.
Mellina spoke slower, in a heavier tone. "Like. I. said," She put her index finger on Charlotte's forehead. "leave if you have no plan on paying. But this is your last chance."
last chance...last chance... Mellina's last two words echoed in Charlotte's ears. Her pupils dilated, but she quickly concealed them by blinking.
"I-I wanna pay our delayed rent a-and our next month's r-rent, ma'am."
The lady gave an almost happy smile. "Ehem..That's better, Why didn't you say it sooner? The payment" She put emphasis on that one. "Did Rico find a new hustle?"
"Yes- I mean no- i mean yes. Yeah he did." Charlotte answered with an awkward smile, nodded and agreed on herself as if it would make it more believable.
"hmmm...Just pay, it doesn't matter." The fidgety Charlotte sighed in relief, Turned her back from mellina and took out 4 Bills from her stash. It was hidden in sewn pocket inside her pants. Inside.
Charlotte handed over the bills to Mellina. Before claiming them, Mellina lits the cigarettes in her mouth. One..two 500 P's and one..two 1000 P's. After counting Mellina took out the cigarette in her dry lips, looked up and blew. A warm tabacco smelling mist covered the air. Charlotte is too short to smell it.
"3000 Peas. You have a 3-month delay, that's 2100 Peas. And you're paying for another month...That makes it 2800."
Mellina took a 200-bill from her back pocket and handed it to Charlotte. But she didn't let go when Charlotte grabbed it. Instead, she spoke in a rasping, concerned voice. "Stop being troublesome to your brother, okay?" She pinched her cheek. "now scram." And Charlotte did.
Charlotte recounted the remaining money in her mind. Her face did not turn sour this time. Subtraction is easy. Instead, she wore a tight-lipped expression...I'm not making troubles. If I keep earning this much, Rico will have the freedom to do the things he loves. An image of his brother reflects on her memories, Rico was reading a book in front of a kerosine lamp.
After walking a decent distance, Charlotte came to a halt.
"Big sis Melli! You should quit smoking! Until then, I will call you Aunt!" Then she ran off like a cat that had swiped a fish.
Mellina watched Charlotte's figure dashed away. You're having a hard time, are you, Rico? She took a hit from her cigarette and puffed out a cloud into the sky. "I'm only 21, godd*mnit!"
***
Afternoon, almost sunset
In Prosper City, Divinity street
A synchronized sound from purses, pockets, and hands. Paused the ever-flowing wave of people. Simultaneously, the hanging merchandise in the stalls sways slightly. It lasted 5 seconds.
Attention: A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has been recorded approximately 20 kilometers from your area. Light tremors may be experienced. Residents of Prosper City are advised to remain calm and stay alert. Please prioritize your safety.
"That's the 17th one this week." Said the old man behind the merchandises displayed in a stall. He handed over a rolled newspaper to a teenage boy with a dense hair covering his face.
And for me, this is the 50th one. Rico received a yesterday-old newspaper. It was rolled identically from yesterday. The rubber band that ties it remains at same position.
"Old man, why do you keep buying newspapers? You're not even reading it." Rico unrolled the newspaper, added it to his stacks of yesterday-old newspapers, then bundled them.
"Because everyone that can read, buy them." The old man answered in a 'Isn't it obvious?' tone. He left his seat and walks toward the wooden crates outside the stall.
"That's dumb." Rico responded with 'Y'all obviously dumb' tone. Rico noticed the old man, His movement have pauses whenever he bended his lower body. Rico walked towards the crates and helped the old man to lift.
"I know you'd say that. You're from that side after all." He looked at the boy carrying the crate from the opposite side. "I agree. It's dumb." The old man let out a self-deprecating laugh. " But dumb things keep people together."
"Whatever you say old man" Well as long as i can earn from it. Rico's scheming laugh almost slipped. But beneath that thick hair of Rico are gazes fixed on the eyes of whoever he is talking to. That was his way of understanding things from their perspective. But Rico did not intend to complied on their moral standards, He simply viewed them as valuable information—he worked around.
Rico was abandoned at birth, Grew up in a community of outcasts and scums. Society gazed at him like one. It's natural for him to gaze-back like one. But even with these factors, Rico doesn't hate them. He doesn't believe he is cursed, nor seen himself as blessed. Rico is just born misfit, that's it. But for his beloved family, he will co-exist with them.
It did not take long before they lifted all the crates and closed the stall. Rico bids his farewell then suddenly the old man remembered something. "Rico about what you asked yesterday, I had a chat with my friends from Evergreen street, they said they never heard of someone collecting old newspapers. They also complained how bothersome when they stack overtime."
"I see. Thanks"
.
I knew it! People in this area are too privileged to do even the simplest task.
I can do it for them. At last, Rico's scheming laugh slipped while he pondered over his thoughts.
But I doubted their cheap *sses would pay for a "simple task." It didn't matter! Even if I did it for free, I could still earn from selling old newspapers to the fruit farmers. Evergreen Street huh... that's a 30-minute walk from here. I'll consider buying a pedal bike, but i can't spend mindlessly, I needed to gather information about the other streets first. Rico released a heavy sighed. I hope Charlotte convinced Mellina to pardon us again this month. Or did she even heard me yesternight? my sister is ignoring me these days mom. Dew formed on the edge of Rico's eyes.
Rico closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What a pleasant polluted air. He regretted it. Rico looked upsky, there are clouds blanketed by crimson light. He was facing at their direction but his eyes look beyond them. I'm doing our best, Mom.
...
Rico entered an alley. He is carrying a bundle of yesterday-old newspapers in his left hand. An index-sized flashlight and a bag of fish and vegetables in his right hand.
He noticed new graffiti on the walls. He casted lights on them from time to time, he recognized most tags and art styles, but not the farther ones-they just look like splashes of paint. how they even reached that place?
After a moment, The sun finally settled. It did not matter really, As the alley that Rico traversed just maintained its shades.
Rico arrived in the crossroad and something hit his foot. It was round. A loud thud! echoed in the alley, It's from the bundled newspapers, dropped on the concrete floor by Rico. He jumped backward and casted his flashlight on his previous ground.
Of course it's a bag of garbage! What am i expecting? a human head? He mockingly laughed at himself.
Rico picked up his newspapers and turned left. His eyes and flashlight are focused on the ground.
At the same time, He remembered there's a pile of garbage in this area. But now, those garbages are scattered everywhere. It looks like ravaged by a wild animal, as if it was looking for anything. That made him wary of the surroundings.
Nothing happened. Not yet.