Factionless

Chapter Ten: Basil's point of view

*Four Years Previously*

"So where to now, Vid?" Joslyn curiously asked Vidya.

"Um, how 'bout the..." Vidya's voice trailed off. I turned to see what she was so stunned about. Was Buck cheating on her or something?

Purple fireworks were going off above the castle. They were gorgeous. "Yes!" Vidya shouted. "Purple! Royal got gold, but I get purple! Yea!"

It was Vidya's sixteenth birthday after all. Mine had been a few weeks previously and Joslyn's was a few weeks away. I wondered what they would pick.

"Vid, calm down. Vid. Vidya!" Joslyn shouted after Vidya.

"Where's she going?" I asked Joslyn.

"She's going to go ask Royal for some money," Joslyn replied.

I laughed. "Vidya has plenty of money. No need to ask Royal for any."

We ran after our friend and found her talking to Royal.

"But, Roysie..."

"No, Viddy. You may not have money just because it's your birthday," Royal snapped before walking off to join the jubilant people in the streets. Every year on either Royal or Vidya's birthday there was a huge celebration. Tonight we were dressed as regular people so that Vidya could participate instead of watch.

"Hey, Vid," Joslyn said. "Basil knows a place where we can get something to drink. Right, Bas?" She asked turning towards me.

"Or, better yet," Vidya was continuing the idea. I didn't like where this was going. "We could go to Basil's house! What do you think, Basil? Basil?" But by that time I had already fled.

"Why on earth do they want to come to my house? Why can't we just go to Joslyn's house?" I asked myself. I turned down the street to my house. There was no way they were coming here. They just couldn't.

I lived in the poorest part of town. Signs of neglect were every where. Some houses were unstable. Others didn't have a touch of purple, the faction color, anywhere on them. My house had purple curtains and had a, thankfully, stable foundation. Somehow in the past six years it had completely skipped my mind to tell my friends that I, unlike they, was ridiculously poor.

"Basil?" My mother's voice sounded raspy. "Basil, why aren't you out celebrating? You should go out there. All of your friends want you to. Go on then."

I turned around, half expecting my mother to be standing there but she wasn't. She had been dead for ten years. Instead Joslyn and Vidya were standing there.

"Come on, Basil," Joslyn sounded uncharacteristically scared. "This...isn't a good part of town. Let's go to that shop you were telling us about that serves the best drink ever."

I nodded. It was, really, the only thing I could do without crying. I didn't know why.

We walked out of the poor part of town and I led them down a maze of roads before coming back out to the main one. People were cheering as more fireworks went of overhead.

We entered a shop with few people inside. That was alright, the less the merry right?

"Are you sure this is right, Bas?" Joslyn sounded nervous from beside me.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "This is right."

I led them to one of the tables. As soon as we sat down a waitress appeared.

"Basil!" She exclaimed looking surprised to see me. She grinned at my friends and walked off.

"That was rude," Vidya said. "She comes up to the table and walks away? How- oh my wow," Vidya fell silent as her treat was set before her. Ice cream was a rare treat. Even for Regals.

"No charge tonight, Basil," The waitress told me. "It being Vidya's birthday and all. Enjoy!" She walked away again.

"Oh, yum. I've only had this once before," Joslyn said drinking it slowly. "Oh, yum."

"Liar," Vidya said turning to her friend. "We have it all the time, Royal and I. You're usually there Joslyn." Vidya's face grew unnaturally serious. It was weird to see her like that. She slowly pulled something out of her pocket. "Here," she set whatever it was out on the table. "A duck for each of us. Mine is the yellow one, Josy's is the blue one, and Basil's is the green one."

I slowly lifted my rubber duck. It was a light shade of green with black eyes. I liked it a lot. "Thank you," I murmured quietly, stowing the duck away in my pocket.

"Thanks, Vid!" Joslyn said as she put hers into her pocket.

"You're welcome both of you," Vidya said. She was still being weird. "You're so very welcome."