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Despite their words, Adeline had been caught quite off guard at the reaction of the five strange boys when she started to change into the jumper Louis had retrieved for her. They seemed awfully jumpy and uncomfortable for a group that had approached a London whore, and she said as much. Their reactions surprised her yet again.
“Stop calling yourself that,” Harry insisted lowly, green eyes darkening.
“As you wish,” she said simply, ducking her head in submission before stepping behind an adjoining wall, into the kitchen, to change where their eyes couldn't see. The simple nod seemed to irritate him further.
“That wasn’t a command, Adeline,” Liam said gently. He was standing, pacing slightly when Adeline returned, clad now in the jumper and a pair of drawstring sweatpants that had to be rolled up for her to walk. “Please, please, stop taking what we say as orders. We told you, it’s not like that.”
“You have purchased me for the night,” Adeline replied matter-of-factly, leaning against a wall, enjoying the warmth of the borrowed clothing. “That means it is exactly like that. You tell me what to do, and I will listen.”
“Well, now we’re telling you not to listen!” Harry cut in.
She cocked her dark eyebrow. “That makes no sense, monsieur. If I am not to listen to you, then I did not need to listen to that order, and if I am to listen to you, that order cannot make sense. Your logic is like a circle.”
With an exasperated sigh, Liam slumped onto the arm of the chair in which Louis sat. The older boy, usually so energetic, was looking at the strange girl with serious eyes. He couldn’t stop thinking about his sisters: What if it were one of them? Would someone have shown them kindness, or would they be just like her – distant and untrusting? The thought broke his heart. This girl, she clearly didn’t have anyone, no one to care the way he would for the girls.
“How old are you, Adeline?” he asked at last.
“I am seventeen.”
“When is your birthday?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” The blond one, Niall, was looking at her with frowning brows and confused eyes.
Adeline shrugged. “I mean that I don’t know. I just know that I am seventeen.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I asked seven years ago how old I was, and I was ten.”
“Who’d ya ask?”
Adeline was silent, the knowledge that she was supposed to answer them at war with the fact that she did not want them to know. Fortunately, another boy, the one with the caramel eyes, saved her by asking another question.
“Who was the bloke Liam talked to?”
“I cannot tell you.” That was a rule, and it was strictly enforced. It was not illegal to do what she did, but it was illegal for Cal to sell her.
“What is he to you?”
This question was different, and it confused Adeline. “What are you asking?”
“Is he kin to you?” That was the thought that was making Zayn’s skin crawl. The man – was he her father? Would a father do that to a child? How did she get entangled with the likes of someone like that?
Adeline wrinkled her nose in distaste. “No, he is not family of mine. He is… no, certainly not a friend. He is merely someone who helps me when I need it.”
“Helps you?” Niall’s voice was loud and rough, and it fit with his flabbergasted countenance. “He whores you out!”
“Niall!”
“It’s true,” Adeline said easily, attempting to placate Liam, who was looking at Niall in shock. The other boys were much the same. “I know very well what he does, though not many are brave enough to call it what it is – even those who indulge in the services. And I know that it seems mad to you.” She looked around the flat, taking it in. It was not overly elaborate, but it was comfortable, or so she imagined. “That is because you would not understand.”
“Understand what?”
“What it is to have need. What it is to have to fight.” The boys said nothing, though their faces displayed a vast array of emotions – at her words, at the situation. As they looked at her, they all wondered the same things, though: What had driven her to this point? And was she right? Perhaps they knew nothing of need. Would they be strong enough to fight, to do this, to do whatever it took, if they did?
“Stop calling yourself that,” Harry insisted lowly, green eyes darkening.
“As you wish,” she said simply, ducking her head in submission before stepping behind an adjoining wall, into the kitchen, to change where their eyes couldn't see. The simple nod seemed to irritate him further.
“That wasn’t a command, Adeline,” Liam said gently. He was standing, pacing slightly when Adeline returned, clad now in the jumper and a pair of drawstring sweatpants that had to be rolled up for her to walk. “Please, please, stop taking what we say as orders. We told you, it’s not like that.”
“You have purchased me for the night,” Adeline replied matter-of-factly, leaning against a wall, enjoying the warmth of the borrowed clothing. “That means it is exactly like that. You tell me what to do, and I will listen.”
“Well, now we’re telling you not to listen!” Harry cut in.
She cocked her dark eyebrow. “That makes no sense, monsieur. If I am not to listen to you, then I did not need to listen to that order, and if I am to listen to you, that order cannot make sense. Your logic is like a circle.”
With an exasperated sigh, Liam slumped onto the arm of the chair in which Louis sat. The older boy, usually so energetic, was looking at the strange girl with serious eyes. He couldn’t stop thinking about his sisters: What if it were one of them? Would someone have shown them kindness, or would they be just like her – distant and untrusting? The thought broke his heart. This girl, she clearly didn’t have anyone, no one to care the way he would for the girls.
“How old are you, Adeline?” he asked at last.
“I am seventeen.”
“When is your birthday?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” The blond one, Niall, was looking at her with frowning brows and confused eyes.
Adeline shrugged. “I mean that I don’t know. I just know that I am seventeen.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I asked seven years ago how old I was, and I was ten.”
“Who’d ya ask?”
Adeline was silent, the knowledge that she was supposed to answer them at war with the fact that she did not want them to know. Fortunately, another boy, the one with the caramel eyes, saved her by asking another question.
“Who was the bloke Liam talked to?”
“I cannot tell you.” That was a rule, and it was strictly enforced. It was not illegal to do what she did, but it was illegal for Cal to sell her.
“What is he to you?”
This question was different, and it confused Adeline. “What are you asking?”
“Is he kin to you?” That was the thought that was making Zayn’s skin crawl. The man – was he her father? Would a father do that to a child? How did she get entangled with the likes of someone like that?
Adeline wrinkled her nose in distaste. “No, he is not family of mine. He is… no, certainly not a friend. He is merely someone who helps me when I need it.”
“Helps you?” Niall’s voice was loud and rough, and it fit with his flabbergasted countenance. “He whores you out!”
“Niall!”
“It’s true,” Adeline said easily, attempting to placate Liam, who was looking at Niall in shock. The other boys were much the same. “I know very well what he does, though not many are brave enough to call it what it is – even those who indulge in the services. And I know that it seems mad to you.” She looked around the flat, taking it in. It was not overly elaborate, but it was comfortable, or so she imagined. “That is because you would not understand.”
“Understand what?”
“What it is to have need. What it is to have to fight.” The boys said nothing, though their faces displayed a vast array of emotions – at her words, at the situation. As they looked at her, they all wondered the same things, though: What had driven her to this point? And was she right? Perhaps they knew nothing of need. Would they be strong enough to fight, to do this, to do whatever it took, if they did?
♠ ♠ ♠
I want to apologize for the terrible lapse in updates! Between school and work and crazy things, it's been a little busy. But I'm back in the swing of things, and so I decided to give you a small chapter before I head to bed. It isn't much, but I hope it is enough for now. I'll have another - one with much more - posted by the end of today (Tuesday).Despite the fact that this is a filler, I hope that some of the dialogue helped you get a little bit more of a look into Adeline. It breaks my heart sometimes to write these things, to write of someone so jaded by the hand she's been dealt.
À demain.