Distorted

Chapter two, Steel world.

With a weary body and cold hands, Merit took a sip from the warm drink the owner of a small restaurant in the city's slums gave her; he was also kind enough to lend her a blanket. The alley where she decided to spend her night was cold and dark, rats found comfort in such places, but she held no fear towards them, darkness wasn't a fearful thing for her, her heart was a strong one.

Living in the streets for so long, her body was accustomed to the cruelty of the environment around her.  What this fourteen-years-old girl experienced was a horror movie to those shielded behind their hills of money. The innocence of the adventurous hearts the children acquired from their unrestrained minds is what kept her awake through the misty slums of Ilusia, that warm drink poured down a bit of happiness into her heart, and that camera did too.

She closed her eyes, finally surrendering to the night's luring call, her hand slowly let go of the warm drink she barely finished as the warmth finally ignited her cold body, the streets were never safe, and so, she held her belongings tightly as she lied in the alley among the rubbish and unpleasant creatures. Another day lied ahead. Merit's aim was to visit The Steamhall market.

The sky hid itself in shame from one particular land, the underground world. Down there, the sky was a metallic one. Thick darkness below it. The sunlight could never sneak in into the long streets, into the steamy factories, into the crowded market or into the tiny little houses that fell over each other. Those who lived there were called the children of darkness. The ones who wholeheartedly chose to hide from the upper society's fulfillment, hiding from their ticking clocks and never-ending quest for industrial revolution and the bloody consequences it brought.

The neckties had no place within the underground world. There, you could find the rarest machine parts to ever exist, old antiques for those who have a longing for the lost age and even robots that serve you loyally till death without keeping an eye on you to satisfy the government. It was a heaven, for some.

//The quest.

It was already daybreak when the sound of chirping of birds broke out of an old tree resting on the two-story long building in front of her. She opened her eyes and yawned. As soon as she was aware of what time it is, she rubbed her eyes and made sure her bag was still there.

She folded the blanket the restaurant's owner gave her and put it into her bag, from it; she grabbed a train ticket to The Steamhall market. Merit stole the ticket from a gentleman's jacket thinking that he could easily get another one. Her hands were light, she was able to sneak into any place and steal whatever she desires, and it's a gift.

In the broad daylight the thief walked freely. Towards the station, she marched whistling happily. Even in the sunniest day she would never hesitate to snatch anything from the crowds. She believed that they owed her something. Merit never accepted those 'factory invitations' she received. Work opportunities for minors that granted them a shelter and two meals daily in exchange for exposure to dangerous machinery and deadly gases.

As Merit walked past the street, her eyes' begun to catch the degeneration of the passers-by. From clean white suits to worn out ones, and from worn out ones to coal and grease tainted overalls and an unbearable smell of sweat and garlic soup. In Merit's mind it was degeneration, but it was the core of the real world.

After she had finally found the station, Merit felt a buzzing in her bag that made her jump in fright. "What was that?!" She gasped, opening her bag. She found the camera strangely turned on.

"I can't buy a new battery..." She sighed, Merit browsed through the pictures as if her fingers were looking for a certain image, and as she finally came across the last picture she took, her curiosity was still not satisfied. She put her finger on the swiping button, ready to press it again but then, the train honked announcing its arrival.