"Daddy, daddy wait for me!" The girl shrieked with laughter, running down the hill on her short toddler legs after her father. The man laughed along and slowed from a jog to a walk.
"Hurry, Arabell, we don't want to keep your mummy waiting; dinner's ready after all."
"Daddy, wait," she called, rushing up and catching his larger hand in her delicate palm. "Piggyback?" She begged, "Pleaseee?"
Her father smiled fondly at his only daughter, her bright green eyes sparkling up at him. "Oh, alright...but just this once, you know." He teased, bending down as she climbed atop his back.
"Thank you, daddy!" She grinned a partially toothless grin. She'd only just lost her first tooth that very morning, and as a treat her father had taken her to the sweet shop for icecream.
"Are we ready, captain?" He asked, pretending to be a pilot.
"All systems gooo!" She replied, playing along.
"And we're off!" Her father made plane noises and started running down the hill towards a medieval-looking stone "castle", the little girl on his back laughing with pure childish delight.
As they approached the house he bent down and she slid down to the soft grass below. "Thank you, daddy!" She skipped towards the massive double doors and stood on tiptoe to bang the brass knocker. "MUMMY, WE'RE HOME." She called.
"Coming, dear." A voice called back and a graceful woman opened the door, "Hello, darling!" She smiled and bent down to the child's level.
"MUMMY!" The five year old grinned and threw her arms around the woman's neck. "Daddy let me get TWO scoops of icecream this time."
The woman shot her husband a sharp look, "Oh that's lovely, Ara, why don't you go wash up for dinner now? And please tell your brothers to feed the dogs."
"Okay, mummy," she smiled and ran into the house shouting for her older brothers...
**********************
Arabella smiled sadly at the memory, it was one of her favorites. Before her older brother, Will, ran away and her family started to shatter. Before her parents told her she was adopted and shortly after got a divorce. Back when her life was perfect and childishly blissful. When she didn't have a single care in the world.
Basically the direct opposite of her current situation: living under the London Underground. More commonly referred to as the tube, the Underground is London's subway system. Busy, dangerous, and pretty much just a hot spot for trouble.
The brunette sighed and tilted her head back against the cracked and stained tile walls; soon the rush of morning business-men and early-birds would hit the station and with them came whatever leftovers they carried from their breakfasts. In other words, nearly time to scour the Tube for what would amount to HER breakfast.
Usually a half eaten scone, slightly stale from the morning. Sometimes part of a breakfast taco or, if the gods above were feeling unusually generous, a cinnamon roll or forgotten muffin.
"AJ?" A girl's voice called Arabella out of her famished daydreaming, followed by the small click-clicking of shoes on the cement as a blob of very curly blond hair approached Arabella's secluded spot against the wall.
Arabella tilted her head towards the blond and the corner of her heart shaped mouth turned up slightly to reveal just the ghost of a smile,
"Hey, Kit,"
"'Ya know Conner's been lookin' all over for 'ya, right?" Kit said, her strong Yorkshire accent evident and a mass of blond ringlets danced around her bright blue eyes as she tossed her head in the direction she had come and cocked an eyebrow at Arabella.
"And 'ya know I don't give a damn what Conner's doing, right?" Arabella retorted, mimicking her friend's accent.
"Arabella Jayne! Stop copyin' meee!" Kit whined, using Arabella's full name-- something not many people knew-- her pink lips forming a full pout and hands on her hips.
"But I wasn't doing anythinggg," Arabella replied in the same whiny tone. Kit shot her a death glare and frowned,
"Oh shuddup," she mumbled, "you're so immature sometimes, 'ya know that, right?"
"Yes, Kitty Kat, I know that." Arabella rolled her eyes and pushed her thin frame off the dirty ground and stood up, brushing the dirt off her torn skinny jeans and shaking her head to free her tangled curls.
"Ever heard of a hair brush?" Kit asked, smiling in amusement as Arabella stuck out her pink tongue and proceeded to further the tangled mess by running a hand through her hair; an attempt to smooth the rogue curls sneaking their way over her green eyes.
"Have you already had breakfast?" Arabella asked, pulling her unruly hair into a very messy ponytail. Kit shook her head,
"The five o'clock was dry, but we've got about ten minutes 'till the five forty-five gets here."
"So what are we waiting for? Our nutritional four course breakfast complete with a side of nonexistent tea awaits." Arabella's cherry-red lips twisted into a wry smile as she walked towards the main deck of the Tube, "And if all else fails, I've got five pounds an ol' lady gave me yesterday. And I quote, ' 'Ya poor thing, now go get yourself somethin' proper to cover up 'ya toes. 'Ya catch 'ya death out here, 'ya will wearing those holes!'"
"Oh, Arabella! But that's yours I couldn't..." Kit's blue eyes widened at the thought of something fresh.
"And you're my best mate, I absolutely could; and we'll have to if you don't catch up." Arabella grinned from ahead and jerked her head towards the relatively empty platform benches ahead. Kit rushed to catch up with her friend, and the two girls made their way towards what they hoped would bring something to subside the noticeable growling from their empty stomachs.
But as they neared their destination, the relatively quiet atmosphere was broken by a racket ahead and the sound of fist slamming into skin, followed by a loud thump as no doubt the victim of the punch hit the curved walls of the Tube.
Arabella's curious nature instantly kicked in and the corner of her mouth curving into a mischievous half-smile as she glanced at Kit; it had been a while since a good fight had broken out in the Tube.
"No way, Arabella. Don't even think about it! We could get in trouble or what if the coppers come and catch us there just for watchin'?! Or what if somethin' happens and a punch goes awry and one of us gets smacked silly?! Wha--" Arabella cut off Kit's rambling with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"We won't stay long! Just a peek and then we'll go on, and we'll stay in the shadows, no one will even notice us! C'mon, Kitty...nothin' excitin' has happened in absolutely ages!! Pleaseee? Just a quick peek? Then I promise we'll go..."
Kit sighed and bit on her bottom lip nervously, "Just a really, really quick peek then," She said after a few moments pause, "a really quick peek...promise?
"I promise, now c'mon!" Arabella grinned and her much larger digets engulfed Kit's petite hand as she pulled her reluctantly along towards the growing shouts and escalating punches.
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A/N:
So this is just a quick update, the real action is soon to begin *wink wink*
I hope you guys like it, vote and comment? I really want to know what you think!!
But on a slightly more serious note...iT'S ALMOST FUGGING 2014 LIKE WHAAAAT :O
Plus Christmas is only like, 23 days away c;
Anywho, that's all for nowww...thanks for reading, loves!
Allons-y,
xxKie
[12-2-2013]
