Omega Point
Chapter Eight
‘And then what happened, Mama?’
Sofia Neveu, always the inquisitive child, was once again pestering Macey for answers to questions that never seemed to stop tumbling from her mouth.
‘Then, Sofia, the princess married the prince and they lived happily ever after.’
‘But Mama …’
‘Not now, Sofia, I’m tired.’ Macey rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, sighing deeply as her thin fingers wrapped protectively around her daughter’s waist. The smog was a deep purple outside, and Macey knew by instinct that it wouldn’t be safe to go out at night. If the smog was crimson, it was forecast to be a dismally grey day in what used to be a beautiful seaside city in a place known as France. When she was sixteen, Macey had read up on the bustling metropolis of Bordeaux as it had been years ago, famous for its wine and stunning scenery. Macey had never tasted wine. She had never allowed its supposed sweet flavours grace her perfect lips, but it wasn’t as if she could, even if she wanted to. Alcohol was a banned substance on the entire planet. It just wasn’t made anymore.
Sector 48 was a dank, miserable place, clumsily packed with ugly iron buildings rising up to touch the gaseous sky. People said it was chemicals in the manufactured metals of the buildings that reacted with gases in the sky to create the acid rain that sometimes fell down over the sectors.
‘Evening, ladies,’ a deep voice said from the doorway. Macey jumped, pulling herself upwards and gliding to the door, smiling widely at the handsome man framed by the mahogany archway.
‘Zacharie,’ Macey breathed, beaming and wrapping the man in a tight hug. ‘It’s such a surprise to see you.’
‘I thought you deserved a visit,’ Zacharie explained as he pressed his lips to Macey’s cheek. ‘You smell good.’
‘Zach,’ Macey scolded, though she smiled to herself. Zacharie was tall and slim, with midnight black locks of hair that tumbled recklessly in front of his amber eyes. He had a warm, kind aura about him, somehow in opposition to the cold, modern world he had just stepped into. ‘What are you really doing here?’
‘They’ve shut down the Vaudeville on Buxton Street and opened up a—’
‘I don’t want to hear about it,’ Macey said firmly.
‘They pay extra for girls who—’
‘Zacharie Moreau, there is no chance on this partly demolished Earth that I am going to go anywhere near the old Vaudeville on Buxton Street with the intention of stripping in front of a group of rowdy men trying to get an easy pick-up,’ Macey said flatly.
‘Right, right, I was only asking,’ Zach rolled his eyes. ‘One would think you didn’t want to support your daughter.’
‘I’m trying to support her without the necessity of running around in the nude, Zach, but thanks for the offer.’
‘Where is Sofia, anyway?’ Zacharie asked breezily.
‘Waiting for me to finish the story I was reading her.’
‘And which story was that?’
‘The Princess and the Pea,’ Macey said wearily. ‘She kept asking me things like “What’s a princess?” and “What are peas?”. She’s driving me insane.’
‘You know, I’d give absolutely anything to have a little girl like Sofia for a daughter,’ Zach chided gently. ‘You mind if I go and talk to her, let you get some sleep?’
‘You’re an angel,’ Macey breathed, wrapping Zacharie in another hug and turning to her room.
‘Mace, if you don’t take this job, you and Sofia aren’t going to be able to cope,’ Zach warned. ‘You know I wouldn’t lie to you.’
‘Zach, you may not be lying, but you are being insensitive. I’m not going to lose my dignity to keep my daughter and myself reasonably comfortable. There are people in the world who don’t have half of what we have.’
‘I know, Mace. Sofia’s a girl. A child. She will die if she’s taken away from the life she has now.’
‘Shut up, Zacharie,’ Macey snapped. ‘Just shut up.’
‘Macey…’
‘What can you possibly say now, Zacharie? You just condemned my daughter to death, practically.’
‘Mace, I’m trying to help you. Please just think about the job.’
Macey sighed and turned away from him, shaking her head. ‘I’d rather not, Zacharie,’ she muttered. Cogs tumbled in her head as she shuffled to the bedroom, the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the roof soothing her mind. She wandered to the window, pulling it open and looking directly downwards to the street below. It was deserted, completely empty, save for a lost dog that whined as it walked.
The droplets of rain softly landed on her head, flattening her hair and tumbling in falsified tears down her cheeks. Macey was stung. Would Sofia die if they were forced to leave? It was plausible. The girl had been brought up with the best food and the best conditions in which to live. Throwing them out of the house meant living where Zacharie lived, and Macey knew by memory that his “apartment” wasn’t the cleanliest of places to be.
She could take the job for a week or two and back up the money… It wasn’t really that bad, if you thought about it. Just doing a bit of dancing around a pole with naught but a smile to hide behind for the entertainment of some drunken and disgusting older men. What was the harm in that? And she’d be helping Sofia. It was worth it.
‘Zach?’ Macey called as she walked back into the living room. ‘Get me the number for the Buxton Street Vaudeville.’
Sofia Neveu, always the inquisitive child, was once again pestering Macey for answers to questions that never seemed to stop tumbling from her mouth.
‘Then, Sofia, the princess married the prince and they lived happily ever after.’
‘But Mama …’
‘Not now, Sofia, I’m tired.’ Macey rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, sighing deeply as her thin fingers wrapped protectively around her daughter’s waist. The smog was a deep purple outside, and Macey knew by instinct that it wouldn’t be safe to go out at night. If the smog was crimson, it was forecast to be a dismally grey day in what used to be a beautiful seaside city in a place known as France. When she was sixteen, Macey had read up on the bustling metropolis of Bordeaux as it had been years ago, famous for its wine and stunning scenery. Macey had never tasted wine. She had never allowed its supposed sweet flavours grace her perfect lips, but it wasn’t as if she could, even if she wanted to. Alcohol was a banned substance on the entire planet. It just wasn’t made anymore.
Sector 48 was a dank, miserable place, clumsily packed with ugly iron buildings rising up to touch the gaseous sky. People said it was chemicals in the manufactured metals of the buildings that reacted with gases in the sky to create the acid rain that sometimes fell down over the sectors.
‘Evening, ladies,’ a deep voice said from the doorway. Macey jumped, pulling herself upwards and gliding to the door, smiling widely at the handsome man framed by the mahogany archway.
‘Zacharie,’ Macey breathed, beaming and wrapping the man in a tight hug. ‘It’s such a surprise to see you.’
‘I thought you deserved a visit,’ Zacharie explained as he pressed his lips to Macey’s cheek. ‘You smell good.’
‘Zach,’ Macey scolded, though she smiled to herself. Zacharie was tall and slim, with midnight black locks of hair that tumbled recklessly in front of his amber eyes. He had a warm, kind aura about him, somehow in opposition to the cold, modern world he had just stepped into. ‘What are you really doing here?’
‘They’ve shut down the Vaudeville on Buxton Street and opened up a—’
‘I don’t want to hear about it,’ Macey said firmly.
‘They pay extra for girls who—’
‘Zacharie Moreau, there is no chance on this partly demolished Earth that I am going to go anywhere near the old Vaudeville on Buxton Street with the intention of stripping in front of a group of rowdy men trying to get an easy pick-up,’ Macey said flatly.
‘Right, right, I was only asking,’ Zach rolled his eyes. ‘One would think you didn’t want to support your daughter.’
‘I’m trying to support her without the necessity of running around in the nude, Zach, but thanks for the offer.’
‘Where is Sofia, anyway?’ Zacharie asked breezily.
‘Waiting for me to finish the story I was reading her.’
‘And which story was that?’
‘The Princess and the Pea,’ Macey said wearily. ‘She kept asking me things like “What’s a princess?” and “What are peas?”. She’s driving me insane.’
‘You know, I’d give absolutely anything to have a little girl like Sofia for a daughter,’ Zach chided gently. ‘You mind if I go and talk to her, let you get some sleep?’
‘You’re an angel,’ Macey breathed, wrapping Zacharie in another hug and turning to her room.
‘Mace, if you don’t take this job, you and Sofia aren’t going to be able to cope,’ Zach warned. ‘You know I wouldn’t lie to you.’
‘Zach, you may not be lying, but you are being insensitive. I’m not going to lose my dignity to keep my daughter and myself reasonably comfortable. There are people in the world who don’t have half of what we have.’
‘I know, Mace. Sofia’s a girl. A child. She will die if she’s taken away from the life she has now.’
‘Shut up, Zacharie,’ Macey snapped. ‘Just shut up.’
‘Macey…’
‘What can you possibly say now, Zacharie? You just condemned my daughter to death, practically.’
‘Mace, I’m trying to help you. Please just think about the job.’
Macey sighed and turned away from him, shaking her head. ‘I’d rather not, Zacharie,’ she muttered. Cogs tumbled in her head as she shuffled to the bedroom, the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the roof soothing her mind. She wandered to the window, pulling it open and looking directly downwards to the street below. It was deserted, completely empty, save for a lost dog that whined as it walked.
The droplets of rain softly landed on her head, flattening her hair and tumbling in falsified tears down her cheeks. Macey was stung. Would Sofia die if they were forced to leave? It was plausible. The girl had been brought up with the best food and the best conditions in which to live. Throwing them out of the house meant living where Zacharie lived, and Macey knew by memory that his “apartment” wasn’t the cleanliest of places to be.
She could take the job for a week or two and back up the money… It wasn’t really that bad, if you thought about it. Just doing a bit of dancing around a pole with naught but a smile to hide behind for the entertainment of some drunken and disgusting older men. What was the harm in that? And she’d be helping Sofia. It was worth it.
‘Zach?’ Macey called as she walked back into the living room. ‘Get me the number for the Buxton Street Vaudeville.’
♠ ♠ ♠
I take full responsibility for the giant delay in chapters there. I just couldn't write it. The ending was terrible, but it was the best I could do considering.Sorry to everyone (including Bee, Amie, Spenny and of course Annie and Dash) who had to wait and pester me to get it done. Won't happen again, I promise you all.