Elfique [Part 1]

Chapter 1:

| 3:45pm |

Clarissa sighed standing up with frustration from the dirty cement ground. "It's been years— since Kronicus's death. How is she still sick?! How are they still sick?! They're dying right in front of me and I don't know what to do!"

Clarissa paced back and forth in the living room. "I've been trying to-to fix this, what do I do?!" She said tightening her fists.

"Clarissa, it'll be okay. One day, it'll get even better for us— for them. We'll all be happy. Just smile for them at least." She said walking straight into Clarissa and giving her a tight hug along with a small peck on the forehead. "The river will flow, I promise."

"But I can't. The boys talk about how they're going to die soon. They can barely move for Elfique's sake! And me? I can't do a thing!" She said backing up from Shirley with the feeling of guilt, anger, and so many more emotions fueling up in her body.

Shirley just sighed and went into her small, rusty, and falling apart kitchen. She came back out with half a loaf of bread. "Eat, sweetheart." She said walking up to Clarissa and placing the half loaf of bread against her chest whilst patting her head.

Clarissa was looking down after Shirley went into the kitchen, then suddenly came back with half a loaf of bread. She immediately looked up, wanting to persist, but she didn't. Instead, she accepted it.

"Thank you, Shirley." She mumbled while Shirley had heard and just smiled. She headed to the other rooms to check on her children, letting Clarissa go back home.

Clarissa ran her fingers through her hair.. She left the small house, walking through the curtains that acted as doors. She saw her home that was right across from Shirley's. She walked through the muddy path into her curtain covered door, sprinting into the bedroom.

While seeing her mother and smiled, "I got us bread." She said quietly as she approached her mother with muddy feet and a dried up teary face, sitting on the ground. Sitting next to her brothers as well.

Her mother had watched Clarissa walk in and tried to smile, "W-Where?" She asked with the faintest voice, but loud enough for Clarissa to hear since the peasants area was quiet and no one really made any noise anymore.

"That— doesn't matter.. How are you feeling?" She said while ripping a piece of bread up and fed little pieces to her mother. Her mother smiled, "Better.." She said before opening her mouth for a second piece of bread.

Clarissa had coughed, dryly. Her mother looked at her, "Have you eaten Clarissa?" Clarissa nodded reassuringly.

"Um, I-I'll go get some water, okay?" She said with a reassuring smile. Her mother nodded, she didn't really believe Clarissa.

Clarissa had been forcing herself to not eat so that they could. She cared about them so much, but what could she a peasant have done?

Clarissa had awkwardly stood up and began to sprint her way into the kitchen, she picked up the cup that sat on the counter.

It was water that she'd went out to get last night for them. She grabbed her bucket from the side of the table and plopped it on the table, grabbing the silver cup and dipping it inside. The water was warm. It was better than being hot. She walked out with the cup and ran back into the bedroom.

Clarissa's mother smiled, "Aren't we lucky..?" She mumbled under her breath while trying to sit up, slowly.

Clarissa put the cup down and helped her. She held her mother's head, and tried to lay it against the cement wall gently.