street rats

New Friends and Nicknames

Anastasia's bare feet were cold against the dirty white tiles that covered the ground in Flinders Street Station, as she walked up the stairs and off the platform, into the quiet Melbourne street. It was 2am, and the usually bustling Flinders Street was dead. She pressed the button to cross despite the road being empty, her long, skinny fingers shivering as they met with the cool metal. The green man flashed and she walked across the road, ignoring the dull pain of the asphalt scratching across her dirty feet. Once she was across the road, that's where she stopped. She had no place else to go.

Eventually she crossed back over, and walked the length of the station, ending up at a bridge under which there were people scattered, covered from the harsh Melbourne winter by blankets and ratty jackets and clothes. People like her without somewhere better to be. She decided that this would be a good place to start, so she sat, a few metres from the closest other person. She shivered, her thin gray tracksuit pants, and faded red shirt not doing much to protect from the wind. Looking around the depressing scene, she found tears forming, a lump pushing itself into her throat. She put her head in between her skinny legs, and sobbed, as quietly as she could manage. In a few weeks she would be 15, and this was her life now.

The tears continued long into the brisk morning, until she finally grasped at an hour or so of restless, dream, or rather, nightmare-filled sleep. When the sun rose and the city began to pick up, she woke, and almost screamed when she saw someone sitting not a metre away from her. It was a boy. He looked sideways at her, his soft blue eyes meeting her murky brown ones, and spoke.
"Nice sleep, princess?"
"Who the fuck are you?"
He chuckled.
"Callum."
"Callum what?"
"That's hardly relevant now is it, darling?"
"My name is Anastasia, cut it with the nicknames."
He laughed again.
"Anastasia, that's a mouthful. What would you like me to call you? Ana?"
"Anastasia."
"Sia? Tasia? Annie?" Callum considered, getting mo reaction from Anastasia. "Yeah, I like Annie. Fits you."
"Why are you here?"
"You looked a bit lonely, thought you might need a friend."
"I don't."
"Well, I do, so too bad." He said, grinning at her. "How old are you, Annie?"
"Nearly 15, and you?"
"15 and a half."
"Do you go to school?"
"Not anymore. School wasn't any use to me anyway. Teachers are idiots and it's a waste of my time. You learn a lot more out in the world. And you might even meet cute, nearly 15 girls who need a friend."
"Hey, I was fine on my own." She objected, cheeks burning at the fact the blond haired, blue eyed older boy had called her cute.
"You wouldn't have lasted long here. This bridge is riddled with druggies and possible rapists. You're lucky I was here to save the day."
"And how exactly did you do that?"
"I scared them off with my intimidating biceps." He said, flexing his stick thin arms. She laughed, and he grinned back, his smile wide and bright. "So where are you from?
"Hardly relevant, now, isn't it, darling?" She replied, imitating his slightly deep voice, earning a chuckle.
"That is true. But a nearly 15 girl like you should be in school, shouldn't you?"
"Left it all behind. I know enough. I know the day world war 1 started, I know that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, I know basic French, what else could you possibly need?"
"Au contraire, ma petite amie."
"Non?"
"Did you learn how to coax money for breakfast out of a businessman?"
"No."
"Neither did I, but I guess we'll have to just wing it, like I winged 5 years of French." Callum said, jumping up. He held out his hand, which she reluctantly grabbed, pulling herself up.
"Couldn't we get arrested?"
"Are you hungry?"
As he said that, she felt a pang in her stomach, and she realised she hadn't really eaten since yesterday breakfast.
"Starving."
"Worth the risk then, princess."

That began it all for Annie. It began her relationship with Callum, it began her life of crime, her life on the streets of Melbourne. Her life away from everything she had ever known, away from everything she had ever hated. It was exhilarating for the girl, this new beginning.

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WEOWWWW FIRST CHAPTER.
This wasn't really a chapter lol, more like an introduction. The next chapter will begin about 2 years after Annie and Callum's meeting, and I'm excited for you all to meet all the characters. (Especially my personal favourite)
Please leave comments, correct my grammar or spelling or whatever, I don't care, just tell me what you think! This is my first thing I am publishing on the internet, so I want to know what I'm doing wrong or right.
Vote, Comment, all that other stuff.
Xoxoxoxoxox
Ellie aka DevotedDreamer