Current Day
Alystelle was moving through the RhyDin marketplace at a leisurely pace as she did each day at this time. The numerous carts holding fruits and vegetables were given a glance as she wove her way through them to make her way to the stall that held wheels of cheese and freshly baked loaves of bread.
Once she had purchased enough to feed her two brothers, David, Mara, and herself, she gave a longing look at the honey cake that sat on display in front of her. There were a few coins left and Alys knew that cheese and bread wouldn?t be enough to satisfy all of those growing boys; they nearly ate her out of house and home on a daily basis. That honey cake was given one last regretful glance before she made her way back to the fruit vendors. Thanks to purchasing day old bread in lieu of the fresher baked, she had managed to save enough to add something sweet to their meal. With some luck, William would be bringing home something from the ranch he worked on. The lady that owned it usually sent home eggs or fresh milk and that always helped to stretch out their meager food budget.
?How did we get here??
Alys asked herself this for probably the millionth time since they had all arrived. She knew, for the most part, how they had arrived. The question was more of a generalized expression of her frustration at their circumstances. Everyone pitched in but still they barely scraped by. Alys was on the verge of accepting an offer from a less than savory character that would ensure that the younger three would have a far better life.
?You?ll do what needs to be done for their survival. No use crying over spilled milk.?
She whispered this before forcibly stopping herself before she could start crying. She had promised Danny, when he went back to college after his parents died, that she would always look out for Mara and David. So that is what she would do.
The thought of Danny did what it had always done, since the night her world went topsy-turvy. This time she couldn?t force away the tears that filled her eyes and began to spill down her pale cheeks.
Somehow she made it home to the small apartment she shared with the Brooks siblings and her own brothers. She had a few minutes before she needed to leave for work so she sat down and began thumbing through her battered journal until she reached the page that held the picture of Danny she had drawn so long ago.
Alys had been afraid that she would forget his face since she was certain she would never see him again, so she had drawn it from memory. It had been drawn in vain because she saw his face, in her mind, everyday without fail.
?I wish I could just speak to you once more...?
The image of his face was traced over by a fingertip before she closed the journal and replaced it on the top closet shelf in the bedroom she shared with Mara.
?Time to put away the past and move on with your life, Alys. Time to make good on that promise.?
Not grieving further for what she was about to do; she was of an iron resolve now. Hands were lifted to try to finger comb her hair into something more than the typical low bun she wore before she looked down at her clothes and frowned a little. Alys didn?t really own anything that wasn?t proper and dignified so she simply unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt and avoided the mirror as she left. Time to go to work and see if that offer was still available.
She slowly made her way to the bar where she worked as a waitress, being in no hurry to get there. Her boss, Tony, would be there to ogle her the moment she walked through the door and that was when she planned to revive those old flirting skills and take care of business.
?How did it all come to this??
Alystelle was moving through the RhyDin marketplace at a leisurely pace as she did each day at this time. The numerous carts holding fruits and vegetables were given a glance as she wove her way through them to make her way to the stall that held wheels of cheese and freshly baked loaves of bread.
Once she had purchased enough to feed her two brothers, David, Mara, and herself, she gave a longing look at the honey cake that sat on display in front of her. There were a few coins left and Alys knew that cheese and bread wouldn?t be enough to satisfy all of those growing boys; they nearly ate her out of house and home on a daily basis. That honey cake was given one last regretful glance before she made her way back to the fruit vendors. Thanks to purchasing day old bread in lieu of the fresher baked, she had managed to save enough to add something sweet to their meal. With some luck, William would be bringing home something from the ranch he worked on. The lady that owned it usually sent home eggs or fresh milk and that always helped to stretch out their meager food budget.
?How did we get here??
Alys asked herself this for probably the millionth time since they had all arrived. She knew, for the most part, how they had arrived. The question was more of a generalized expression of her frustration at their circumstances. Everyone pitched in but still they barely scraped by. Alys was on the verge of accepting an offer from a less than savory character that would ensure that the younger three would have a far better life.
?You?ll do what needs to be done for their survival. No use crying over spilled milk.?
She whispered this before forcibly stopping herself before she could start crying. She had promised Danny, when he went back to college after his parents died, that she would always look out for Mara and David. So that is what she would do.
The thought of Danny did what it had always done, since the night her world went topsy-turvy. This time she couldn?t force away the tears that filled her eyes and began to spill down her pale cheeks.
Somehow she made it home to the small apartment she shared with the Brooks siblings and her own brothers. She had a few minutes before she needed to leave for work so she sat down and began thumbing through her battered journal until she reached the page that held the picture of Danny she had drawn so long ago.
Alys had been afraid that she would forget his face since she was certain she would never see him again, so she had drawn it from memory. It had been drawn in vain because she saw his face, in her mind, everyday without fail.
?I wish I could just speak to you once more...?
The image of his face was traced over by a fingertip before she closed the journal and replaced it on the top closet shelf in the bedroom she shared with Mara.
?Time to put away the past and move on with your life, Alys. Time to make good on that promise.?
Not grieving further for what she was about to do; she was of an iron resolve now. Hands were lifted to try to finger comb her hair into something more than the typical low bun she wore before she looked down at her clothes and frowned a little. Alys didn?t really own anything that wasn?t proper and dignified so she simply unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt and avoided the mirror as she left. Time to go to work and see if that offer was still available.
She slowly made her way to the bar where she worked as a waitress, being in no hurry to get there. Her boss, Tony, would be there to ogle her the moment she walked through the door and that was when she planned to revive those old flirting skills and take care of business.
?How did it all come to this??