unraveled

the rich

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          The crystal tower jutted out into the skies, wrapped in ivy it looked like a blade of nature. Acelius pushed back his glasses just as they were slipping off his nose and looked around, drinking in his surroundings as if it were champagne and him a rich wife with perfect teeth and good posture. It had been two weeks of practice in an abandoned warehouse just out of Esterham where they strapped trapeze swings onto the high roofs and danced with glittery cloth. Of course, Acelius had just stood by, though he suspected he would have made for glamorous entertainment if allowed to dance with glittery cloth. The Master had stood by brooding in the corner, occasionally snapping at Ana for having sweaty fingers or Christoph for tripping over every groove in the floor. The boy with no name would trail Ana on the floor with his neck tilted watching her intently as she soared in the air above, hoping to catch her if she ever fell. The twins spun in their ballet shoes, elegant as ever. Perfect dolls dressed in pink taffeta and cheap diamonds. Skender's daughter, Amenia sang in a voice that made Acelius grateful that the warehouse had no glass in it for it would break from the shrillness of it. Nia always sat next to Amenia, writing on thin sheets of paper stories about the rich and the poor and fat women who wore emeralds and stole their husband's fortunes and princes who fell in love with servants. So simple in element, and yet the way they were told brought shiver and thumping heartbeats that were anything but. Even Amenia's voice couldn't ruin the magic stored in every deliberate word that packed a whole another world, a whole another life behind it. Hannis and Jutio meanwhile swung and danced in each other's arms and moved in ways only lovers could. It seemed to bother Noelle as she quietly sewed golden sequins onto elaborate headpieces glaring at them with poison in her eyes.

         Every other day or so, Acelius would skip the warehouse to visit his ship instead. His heart. The love of his life. There, he would take it for a sail around the bay a few hours or just lay on the deck and stare at the sky above. It broke his heart to leave her out alone on the waters with bumbling fishermen and thieves around. If he could, he would spend every day of his life sailing and traveling with her, away from this group of dancing monkeys but he held his word as well as he held his liquor which was well enough. The Master had guaranteed good money in exchange for his ship to be at ready convenience and Acelius's regular presence itself. Whether it was a sort of insurance or just need for his glamorous company, he couldn't say.

         Today, they were traveling to the Palace to meet with the Royal Party Planner who had for some reason requested their collective presence. He suspected it was more to establish dominance than make good acquaintanceship. Massive bungalows stood with big windows, adorned in silver and gold engravings. Flower boxes full of blooming frezias and lovebells hung out of every window. The sidewalks were painted in baby blue like concrete reflections of the sky above. Roofs of houses were topped with gold ornate globes with birds or flowers or cherubs carved into them. Others simply held flags either of Caraca to show patriotism or the family that inhabited the house underneath. No children ran in the streets, instead, they calmly walked with their hands neatly folded behind their backs. Trees stood proud and tall, their leaves as green as emeralds cut in meticulous shapes. Women didn't lean out of windows to talk in screaming voices across the street. Men sat with fat bellies on wooden chairs talking about the Princess of Asmia or the new taxes on shipments of Is'beya. This was the economy. Rich, tangible, walking, breathing bags of Jusar. It seemed a different world than the one they'd just walked through where the air glinted with the wealth of soul and not the weight of pouches. Jusar was still just coins and money and not a lifelong dream to reach for or the idea of paradise.

         A cloaked figure emerged from one of the houses, this one painted in lime green with a yellow door and roof. The grass was neatly trimmed and the flowers bowed as the figure walked through. It was a heavy, gray cloak that seemed especially designed to boil its wearer's skin with its drabness. Acelius soberly thought of his wonderful green and pink cloak that had been stolen from him. The biggest injustice of all he thought was not the stealing but how poorly fashioned it was by said thief.

         In the distance, he could see curving baby blue walls of the palace with guards posted around its circumference who from this distance looked like toy soldiers. Ana bobbed excitedly in his peripheral vision and the boy with no name watched her longingly. Eugh. Young love, he thought, though he suspected he wasn't much older than them. The Master led the front but there was something different in his stride, it was more muffled than before. Acelius wondered if he might be getting over his superiority complex which seemed very poorly justified since he seemed to have the saddest lives out of them all.

         Skender trailed behind him, his arms interlocked with his daughter's who for once was not scowling or complaining. Noelle wobbled nearby, looking at Skender every now and then with hearts for eyes. Eugh. Old love. Hannis and Jutio were giggling at some whispered secrets Acelius wanted to stay secrets forever. I think you might be the biggest skeptic in Caraca, Sir. The voice of Luna echoed in his ears as he envisioned the moment she'd said that. They had been standing in his room in front of a full bodied mirror which had obediently reflected him fixing his tie and her standing in her apron behind him brushing off invisible lint from the back of his coat while absently smiling. You say 'Sir' in the most respectful way, Luna, yet your words are anything but. She'd smiled and picked his glasses from the table and cleaned them with the hem of her dress. I believe the day I speak to you respectfully will be the day I die. He'd turned around to face her and she'd looked up at him, smirking and added, "Sir." She'd handed him his glasses but he made no motion to take them. With a sigh, she'd slid them on herself holding them to his nose as she slid in the temples. He could still remember her fingers trailing to his ears making sure that they sat perfectly in their indented shape on his skull. He could still remember how they'd stood there for an eternity. As a child, he had thought she was the love of his life. He had been sure that she would be the one he'd marry and cherish till his dying day. But things changed as he grew up and understood the steps of society and the prickled thorns on their edges that prevented people from leaving their block of life. But even that didn't completely end his feelings for her, because with age came not only understanding but also a lackof, especially when it came to girls. Running away from home did the trick though.

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading!! come back soon for the next part!! PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT!!