Work Text:
The dark bumpy ride felt like it took forever and no time at all. When we arrived at the city, our legs were wobbly and cramped, and our eyes felt scorched by the city's light, despite it being dim. The officers start separating us into groups based on where we’ll be living. Thankfully, me and my father don’t have to wait long as we are quickly guided onto a train that will take us to our new neighborhood. Once we arrive, we are lucky enough to live in a separate home, with the downside being that below us we now have a store were forced to keep in business. We weren't allowed to keep most of our belongings so we didn’t have much to carry up. Father has been quiet the whole time so I can tell he is enraged. I decide to just get my stuff and go to my now room, that would be the safest option, I didn’t want to make his anger worse.
Its been about a week after we arrived at the city. I've gotten used to living in the city's dinginess. The store isn't that bad to take care of, not many people come in so I don’t usually do much. I haven’t seen father since we got here. I assume he has been exploring the city, but there doesn't seem much to do around here, so I doubt it. It was another day in the store just sitting around when a customer finally came in. When I glance up to look at them, I notice their different. It’s a girl with longish pink hair and a red ribbon tying part of it back, she was also wearing a clean white blouse. This shocked me because I've never seen such bright colors in the city before. The rest of her outfit was mainly black which I was used to in this city but paired with the rest of her even it seemed to look brighter. But the most shocking thing of all was that she was smiling.
“I thought this place closed for good! Lookes to be under new management though, hi I'm Mallory, I've never seen you around before. Are you new?” She rattles off in an excited tone.
“Ah yeah, me and my father just got here about a week back. And I’m Cain, nice to meet you.” I respond to her awkwardly. I was used to the customers hardly saying something if anything at all so it was strange to hear her all excited.
“Oh, how fun! Say, I've been needing some new friends lately so how about you be my friend and in return I'll show you the ins and outs of the city?” she questions me excitedly.
It would be nice to be shown around the city, and to not be cooped up in the store all day, plus I would get a friend out of it. Although I do wonder what she means by “needing some new friends,” but I decide to not dwell on it.
“Sure, I haven't been able to get out of the shop much since I got here so it would be nice to learn the area more.” I responded to her in a more excited tone.
“Perfect! It's starting to get late now but I'll be back tomorrow so I can start showing you around. Bye Bye new friend!” she leaves sounding as excited as when she got here. I wonder how she stays so happy all the time living in a place like this?
----------------
The train screeches as it pulls up to the station. When its doors open no one gets off, understandable considering it was so early in the morning. One person does however get on, sitting sown on the old leather seats. Looking out the window smirking she begins mumbling to herself.
“What luck that I find someone new just as I needed someone new to do my handiwork. Oh, I can't wait, this will be so much fun.”
Still smiling to herself as she watches the pristine buildings with colorful graffiti painted on them pass by.
----------------
I was sitting around the store waiting for Mallory to show up again. She didn’t say any specific time she was gonna arrive, hell I didn’t know if she was going to at all. It was a bit later in the afternoon at this point but I didn’t have to wait much longer as she walks through the door looking as, if not more, excited as she was yesterday. She quickly drags me out of the store and begins showing me around.
I didn’t realize how long we’d been walking around until we were sat at the edge of a building and watched as the sun began to rise. The fatigue from no sleeping and walking so much starts to set in but I don’t get a chance to say anything as Mallory begins to speak.
“Sorry for having you out so long, it's just the best times to see the city. It looks prettier, don’t you think?”
When I first got here, I would have disagreed with her, and despite all the drunks, pick pocketers and other people of that kind, the city looked colorful. Despite the run-down crumbling buildings, and the wall keeping us in, it was gorgeous.
Me and Mallory continued to do this, exploring the city, watching the sun rise after. It was fun. I gradually learned more about her as well. Like how she has a younger brother, and how she didn’t move into the city like I did but was instead born here. She got to learn about my life to, like how I told her why me and father moved here. It was strange, I thought she would mind having a little brother herself and all but she didn’t seem to mind at all. That was one of the first signs.
Eventually as I spent more time with her, I began to catch on more. When she didn’t bat an eye to a man getting impaled in an alleyway, or to the people we would often see on the edge of buildings. Or even when I went out to smoke and saw her with a guy and was blatantly lying to him, and how I later saw him sitting in an alley. But I didn’t mind. I couldn't condemn her hobbies, after all I had similar ones, plus living in a city like this you learn to appreciate this stuff. But I did mind how she would try to manipulate me, even so I couldn't hate her. I don’t know, maybe her manipulation worked but I at least wanted to get back at her for it.
----------------
There were people in the city she didn’t like, mainly the ones who were dull. But he had started to help her get rid of them. She was overjoyed the first time he helped her. At first, he was like them, dull and muddying the city, but now he was beginning to be more colorful. Even she felt as though she got more colorful the more they hung out. It was perfect.
----------------
It's now winter time and me and Mallory still hang out fairly often. I live alone now, but even with the freezing cold and empty house it doesn't feel lonely, in fact it doesn't feel all that cold either, and that’s because of her. She still continues with the manipulation thing, but hey so do I and at this point I don’t know who's more manipulated by who. Weve both done things we never would have done before. It's been fun. We are pretty close now, even if our relationship wouldn't be considered normal by others, but we are friends.️