The Thieves Of Our Time

The Young Victoria

ALICE Blaed’s mother died exactly a year and twenty-three days ago; and approximately two months ago, her father announced he would be getting married to the young ditzy blonde, Victoria.

There was nothing necessarily horrendous about her, which may have been the reason Alice hated her. She was young, five years older than Nathaniel, her older brother. She was blue-eyed and privileged with a bubbly personality. Alice guessed Victoria made her father feel better about his sinful and not so innocent life. But it'd been as if her father hadn't even waited two months after his wife died to go looking for a new one. It messed with her head.

Now, she was being forced into dinner, waiting for the always-late Victoria to arrive. It must take some true dedication to always be so incredibly late.

“Father, come on. Dinner was done twenty minutes ago. She's still not here,” Alice finally blurts out. "I want to eat. He glanced over at her, lifting his cigar out of his mouth.

“You know how she feels bad for making people wait; can't you just humor her?” He asked, deep set eyebrows furrowing over his gray eyes.

“If we pretend she's on time when she's late, she's going to continue being late.”

“Alice,” he said warningly.

“Fine,” Alice grumbled as she stabbed her fork around her plate.

You always knew when Victoria arrived. She was so loud and clumsy. Alice never knew if she purposefully made her presence known or if she was genuinely so stupid. More so, how could her father love two such opposite women. He couldn't.

“Victoria,” the words melted through her father's lips. The look of love in his eyes made her feel like shoving food in her mouth and throwing it right back up.

Victoria was out of breath with messed up hair(from the wind or from falling) and was way too talkative. Alice guessed she'd spent too much time trying to pretty herself up. Look at those lips. She doesn't even wear lipstick. Lip gloss and rosey cheeks.

“Alex, the craziest thing happened to me on the way here. So I was running late because I realized I'd worn a blue heel and pink one, silly me! But then I ran into these children and they were just so pitiful so I gave them twenty dollars. Dave, my guard told me I was being crazy but then I realized maybe he wanted…” She just wouldn't stop. How didn't she ever get out of breath? And those pink polish fingers resting on his shoulders. Alice just tuned her voice out. It was giving her a headache.

She glanced over at Nathaniel, who sat relaxed, fork in hand. Alice presumed he was just as ready to eat as she was. Then he was staring at her, as if trying to communicate with his eyes.

“Alice.” Oh, she thought, I'm being spoken to? Let me guess, Victoria wants something again. “Alice!” She turns her head in her father's direction. Victoria timidly stands behind him, a seemingly too happy smile plastered on her face.

“Yes father?” She says, too cheery. He knew Alice was being sarcastic. He looked at her with those eyes again.

“Victoria would really appreciate it if you'd go dress shopping with her.” It was hard enough to be silent in the same room with her. He wanted Alice to spend a whole day looking through expensive white dresses.

“I don't know i-” His eyes cautioned her. Alice glanced at her too-nice smiley face. Insufferable bitch. “Sure.” She grumble. To anyone else, it was forced and unwanted by her. Victoria was happy though, Alice knew that because instead of crying, she started talking like a nut.

“Oh wow, oh my. Alice, I was worried you'd say no. I'm just so happy you want to go. Oh and I think green would just look great on, oh Alice I'm so excited. And I didn't want to force you, but since you said yes we can have lunch and look at flowers. Oh, I just can't wait.” She glanced over at her father, and she saw them saying some unspoken words to each other. Victoria looked back at her. “In no way am I trying to be a replacement or anything, I can't, I know. I just.” Replace who? Her mother? She wasn't replaceable, especially by someone like her.

Apparently, Victoria remembered it was dinner, and her eyes widened. “Oh I didn't make you wait too long, did I?” She sat to the left of Alice's father, her hand entangled on his arm. Let the man breathe, Alice rolls her eyes.

Sinking further into her chair, Alice grudgingly began to eat.