The Greatest Journey To The Past

Chapter 6

Anne's Pov 

He looked at me as if i was crazy before a small smile crept onto his face. 

"It is really nothing that intresting." He said, sitting down next to me, resting his arms on his satchel. 

"Well, I'm listening." 

Phillip shook his head, but sort of playful way. Something i hadn't seen in him before. 

"I grew up on the weathy side of town. Had an inhertiance, claim and an invitation to every single party in town. But, when I was about fifteen? Yeah fifteen, I saw the way my parents treated this girl, who was probably around the same age as myself at the time, maybe a year or two younger, just because her skin was not as fair as our own.I spoke to my parents later that night, telling them that the way they spoke to that girl was horrible and told them exactly what i thought of them. They gave me this whole big lecture about how people like her don't belong in "our" world. Then they gave me an ultimateum; to be apart of their world and to take my place or to leave, fend for myself and to be an outcast, like the girl i stood up for, as they told me." 

"What did you say?" My voice was almost fragile, I don't really know why but something like that triggered something. A vague memory, something i couldn't even make out. 

"I told them that if that was my place, then i didn't want to be apart of it. So instead, Barnum took me in and we have been living out here ever since."  He put on a smile, though i could see past it. I knew that kind of smile all too well, one you would put on to tell people that you were fine. I took his hand into my mine, without evening thinking about it properly, catching him off guard. 

"I'm sure whoever, that girl was, she would of been very thankful to know that you stuck up  for her when nobody else did." I acknowleged. It was hard living on the streets, I can't really remember the first year I did, pretty sure the cold got to my head. But even when i would purchase something with money from delivling papers or if somebody was kind enough to give me a few spare coins, I would always be pulled up a few minutes after purchasing. Nobody ever believe me. And for Phillip to give up a life many of us would dream for, to stand up for a girl. It stirred something inside my chest. 

We sat there for a few moments before he finally got up, pulling me towards a fire escape ladder and told me to climb. I followed along behind him as he refused to answer any of my questions in regards to where we were going. Once i was closer to the top of the roof, he held out his hand - helping me off the ladder. If he had done this a day or two ago, i would of never accepted his hand so nonchantly. On top of the roof, my eyes scanned across the horizon. You could see every single building from up here, every flicker of a light and every ounce of movement. But that wasn't the best past. Behind the thickness of the city, laid a vastness of water. Waves which slowly rolled into shore as ships sailed out of the cove and into the unknown. Heading towards the line where the sky mets the sea. 

"This is my favourite view." He told me, his hand still firmly in mine. 

"It's beautiful" My breath carried my words as i was just too astounded to actually use my voice. 

"Barnum brought me up here when he first found me." He explained, "He became my father when my own refused to look at me." 

"So neither of us has a family." I admited. 

"Families are formed by something more than blood." He annouced, his icy blue eyes meeting with mine before he pulled them away and became fixated on the horizan. " Anyway, you don't know that yet, the answer is in Paris." 

He pulled his hand away from mine to gesture towards the horizon, i couldn't help to feel slightly dissppointed when he did. But i shook off the feeling as quickly as it came, but something lingered a little bit longer. 

A/N 

Sorry for the shorter, filler chapter. I am just really tired. There will be a better update Tuesday night. :D 

Hope you all have an amzing day/night. 

Love, 

Maya