Featherweight

A new friend (maybe)

As women with skewered masks and men with beads of sweat on their shining foreheads got over the shock of seeing such terrifying monsters, others gathered in a tight ring around the girl with scandalous clothes and a leather clad husband. Lucinda could tell her sister was loving it.

Delores made her way to the front of the crowd and, without hesitation, slapped her eldest daughter across the face. Rebecca's face snapped back sharply and smiled. Hugo stood at the edge of the action, his chizzeld face contorted with worry. Another,  much harder thwack told Lucinda that her rebellious sister had just retaliated with a vengeance.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Delores shrieked, an angry mark on her right cheek. "HOW DARE YOU COME TO A PRETIGEOS EVENT DRESSED LIKE A.. A... A SKANK, HOW DARE YOU INVITE SAVAGES INTO THE HOUSE AND HOW DARE YOU SLAP YOUR MOTHER!" 

Rebecca laughed, her face twisted in a mask of bitterness inches from her mother's faces and she whispered in a voice like venom. "The most innocent of flowers hides the most malevolent of snakes mummy, the world deserves to know about you and what you did to get here in the first place."

for a second the woman who had daughter who never stopped froze. A tear traced down her cheek, dissolving a thick layer of makeup "You- you-"

"Yes I know," Bex hissed "Your dirty little secrets safe for now, but-"

"Have you finished your little... spat yet?" A cold voice drawled. The prime minister pulled a hankie out of his jacket and gave it to a guard with a metal mask covering his face. The thick necked man walked over to the circle and presented the weeping woman with the fabric. Delores saved her face and turned to face the high table.

"w- we  would be d-delighted to allow them a small portion of our land f-for a few days." She stammered, carefully avoiding eye contact. She then shuffled to the door and left.

Lucinda spent the remainder of the afternoon with her sister, wandering around the street. Hugo had asked them to leave and head home so he could sort out some details. Bex had other  ideas.

Smoking cigarettes was the lowest of the low. Cigars and pipes were all the rage and you could catch the occasional shisha bar, but smoking tobacco rolled in little bits of paper was as common as filth. It could totally ruin your respect from friends and superiors if word gets round you were caught. Naturally, Rebecca totally adored publicly smoking.

As Lucinda and her sister sat outside a club and took puffs (Lucinda secretly hated all forms of smoking, but put up with it for her sister, even when she vomited in the morning) A robed child sat on the opposite bench, a large glass of cheap beer clasped tightly in her hand. Just under the dark green hood, Lucinda could see the disfigured and misshapen face of one of them. Whilst Lucinda strongly resisting the urge to run away, Rebecca smiled widely and said in a voice like quicksilver "did you see those freaks, at the ball? weren't they stupid and gross and, er, sickening." Lucinda elbowed her hard, dieing of embarrassment "she's one of them" she hissed to her sister. "you'll upset her!"

Bex didn't care"they deserve to die, don't you think, totally unacceptable that we mix with them, the civilized man and the Frankenstein's monster. I think I'm going to complai-" The robed girl suddenly stood and poured the remainder of the her beer on Rebecca's head and stubbed her cigarette on Lucinda's hand. She than stormed off, her fists clenched.

Lucinda decided it would be best to go home, Rebecca laughing loudly.

The next day Lucinda was in her tree. whenever she wanted time alone she would make her way to the gnarled old oak and just sit, think and, sometimes, cry. If was her Special Place.

From here she could see the camp. The travellers all lived in a combination of metal and wooden boxes, painted brightly, and now set about cooking and eating their lunch as it was early. No body sat at a table, instead perching on old roots or in a circle on the floor with their friends, cross legged. They were eating something meaty, with an egg each and bread to share around, it smelt delicious. With a bitter pang she remembered her breakfast: an omelette made of Ostrich egg. The smell of this exotic rustic food made Lucinda feel sleepy, and before she knew it, she was tumbling out the tree and lying on the very hard floor. The chattering stopped and a figure  stepped forward, before she started to laugh and helped Lucinda up. She was the girl from last nights bar and a dark blush rose in Lucinda's face. The girl grinned and said "I'm Rose, I think we've met." and cracked a raw egg on her head.