A Scrapped Project — Chapter 1

Disclaimer: this project has been discontinued.

The sun was beating down from above. It was the first time Auga had set foot so deep into the city, and the startling amount of people coupled with the intense summer heat was enough to make him dizzy. His feet felt like they were blistered and his legs groaned with each step.

The district was active and alive. Beggars and shopkeepers alike were calling out to people with fancy clothes and seemingly heavy pouches. A stench of piss and rot reeked from one corner while perfumes and the scent of good food wafted from the next.

Auga saw a bakery next to a corner shop and instinctively felt up his coin purse, reassured by its weight. He still had a small fortune left on him, enough to indulge in some dessert and rest his miserable earthly body at least until the sun left its apex, and so decided to step through the shop’s doors.

Immediately he was greeted by the smell of cinnamon and citrus. Round tables were set up next to the windows, accompanied by small seats with leather cushions. The place was filled with clatter and idle chatter.

Ahead in the glass casing was a neat line of a range of cookies and cupcakes with colorful frostings, and behind the counter a warm-looking woman gestured towards him. She had lines across her face that marked her Auga’s superior by many years. “What will it be today?”

“Hmm… I’ll have one of these.”

“One lemon cake. Sprinkles?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“One lemon cake with sprinkles. Will that be all?”

Auga looked around the display, then remembered that he was parched. “Something to drink.” He waved his hand. “Anything cold will do.”

“One lemon cake with sprinkles and cold tea… That comes to half a rand.”

Auga produced five copper coins from his purse and placed them on the counter.

“Make yourself comfortable.” The woman nodded towards a seat, turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.

The rest of the afternoon was spent toiling about the district’s winding alleys. Once or twice Auga ran into petty thugs, which were really just boys with knives, but even boys were dangerous when they came in large enough numbers.

Out of wariness and a pinch of precaution, Auga had decided to store his money in separate batches, keeping them in little pouches hidden across his clothing articles. Thanks to this, the majority of his coins were untouched. Still, a hefty third of what he had was lost.

Auga strolled through the market, stingy about his misfortunes. Some of the stalls were beginning to pack up for the day and close up shop. The streets were peaceful.

Through the corner of his vision Auga saw a hooded figure pass by, shoving people left and right, with a gust of wind seemingly trailing him. He pushed Auga hard enough to make him stagger, almost losing balance.

The hell… what’s his deal?!

It didn’t take him long to realize that he had, in fact, just been picked. His coin pouch was absent from where it was strapped to.

“Hey!” he shouted, and the figure bolted through the crowd.

Auga broke into a sprint after the thief. The cobbles under his boots were rough and uneven, but he had steady footwork and was soon within arm’s reach from the thief. He reached out to grab the cape flailing in front of him…

… and missed. The figure darted to the left with cat-like agility. At that moment it hit him; Auga was far outmatched and soon, if this kept up, he was going to lose the thief and whatever was left of his money. He ordered his legs to sprint and rushed after the culprit once again. Debris flew past his face as the thief caused a ruckus on the way, knocking over objects to lose their pursuer.

The once-peaceful district was now in chaos. Angry shopkeepers bellowed after the two runners, some mad enough to throw rocks and pebbles after them.

Auga’s legs were roaring with pain as his breath began to draw short. He bit his lips and forced his legs to carry on, while the thief slipped through crowds and jumped over obstacles like it was mere child’s-play.

This was it; he had reached his limit now. The world began to blur as his vision faded, and with the last sliver of his consciousness he saw the figure in front of him steadily shrink until it was almost out of sight. Frustration burned in his chest, but the fatigue was overpowering and soon he was on his knees, fighting not to pass out…

A loud shout jostled Auga awake. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Did I faint…? Looking around he realized that he was in an alley somewhere. He could hear a group of people shouting profanities, and shortly before he knew it, his legs had carried him towards the hubbub.

He peeked around a corner and stood paralyzed by the sight of fierce gang members huddled around a helpless girl.

They were old, with the youngest probably a decade older than Auga. One of them, slender and wiry, held a wooden plank, drips of blood drying on its surface. His lips were twisted into a cruel grin, strands of ashen white hair scattered across his face.

“Kitty has a sneaky paw? Does kitty want to play?” he hissed. “Where were you rushing off to in such a hurry, huh!?” He jerked his hand up as if to strike her with the plank, but the girl didn’t so much as flinch.

“For a thief, you’re not so bright, are ya?” spoke a large man leaning by the wall. He had wide shoulders and was finely dressed, his thick mustache well groomed, yet his eyes lacked the kindness of a gentleman. He spoke with a thick accent.

“Recognize this mark, girl?” He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a snake coiled around a dagger. Looking around, Auga realized that all of the men had the same mark across their arms, though they varied subtly in detail. Some had small stars underneath, some had two snakes instead of one.

“We make people… disappear. We do it as naturally as you snatch petty coins. That means — ” He slowly walked over to the girl sprawled on the floor, his face cold.

“ — little street puppies like you… should stay well away from us if they value their lives. At. All.” The bear of a man kicked her twice, punctuating his final words with heavy blows to her chest. The girl went limp.

“Run into us again and you’re rolling down a hill, in a barrel full of horse piss.” The wiry man cackled and spat on her face. The rest of the group turned to leave and eventually only her motionless body was left.

Auga stood there, his legs stuck in place, and after a second of hesitation he ran up to her. There were fresh cuts and bruises all across her arms and legs. Blood seeped through her tunic. Beside her on the ground was a torn-up cloak…

This was the very same culprit Auga had been chasing just earlier. Ironic.

He picked her up and carried her on his back. She was surprisingly light, even for her figure. He ran back through the dark alley and out into the streets. Twilight encompassed the sky, the moon hanging over their heads, intently watching the scene unfold.

The distant memories of childhood burned away as the fumes of fire scorched their nostrils.

The rush of emotions was overwhelming. Fear, panic, grief, anger, confusion. All fused into one terrible torrent of despair.

“Take your brother and leave through the garden hatch. Your mother and I will handle the rest. Make sure you run as far as you can, until your legs are very tired, got it?”

“O-okay.”

“Good. We will be with you as soon as possible, so be a good girl and stay strong, okay?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Now go!”

That night she ran. With her brother in her arms, she did as she was told. She ran for hours, stopping a few times midway to heave from the sudden physical strain. Then she ran again.

The burden of looking after someone so frail and fragile is enough to harden the heart. Like clay toughened in the fire, the flames of fate had calloused the soul of an innocent young girl.

For weeks they survived on left-over foods and trash, taking shelter in hollow trees and abandoned rooftops. Although times were hard, she still managed to persevere in the face of tragedy, but the lives of all beggars collectively worsened after the king’s new “reforms”, with the sudden influx of city guards that followed thereafter…

“It’ll be okay, Sebastian. These people will take care of you. Better than me anyway.”

Speaking more to herself than to her brother, she left the toddler on the doorstep with heavy tears flowing down her red cheeks.

“I can’t stay with you. Remember what mother said?”

She gently caressed her brother’s face, careful not to wake him up. Her vision became blurry.

“I’ll come back someday, I promise you that. Goodbye. I love you…”

She knocked on the door and hid. An elderly man answered, looking around before seeing the child at his doorstep.

“Tsk tsk. Another poor fellow. Where did this one come from, hmm?”

And with that he picked up the child and shut the door behind him, taking in her brother to raise as one of his own. She stood, hidden behind a tree.

A minute of silence passed.

Whoever passed by the tree would’ve been completely oblivious of the girl drowning in her sorrows. The bitter sobs were muffled by the rustling of the leaves, as the wind gently comforted her ailing mind…