The One Shot Chapters (18+)

Curtis Everett - The Class Divide

A/N - I was asked by @jess_fandoms whether I'd write something for Curtis. Well, this is what we have. Hope you all enjoy!

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"Feeding time at the zoo again" Edgar muttered as the compartment door opened and in strode two burly looking guards, complete with their breakfast that was the 'protein bars' they'd been living off of the last seventeen years.

Curtis said nothing. 'Protein' his ass. It was obvious there was either a shit load of something that Wilford pumped into these bars, and he doubted it was anything but good. He had no choice though; it was either eat the damn things or die from starvation - he wasn't going down the road the tail had almost resorted to years ago.

Still to this day, he was ashamed. So very ashamed.

He felt the nudge from Edgar's elbow in his ribs and looked at him, then seeing his friend nod to the compartment door where a different figure was lurking. Dressed in black, her cape coat (and Curtis could only tell she was a woman from the fishtail braided hair and body form) obscured her face with its hood up. She was watching them all, watching as the line moved to collect their food.

"Who the fuck is that?" Edgar hissed.

"I don't know...but I'm guessing they're not a friend".

The black clad woman moved forward, joining the guards before grabbing one of the bars from a child. "Wait..." She commanded and everyone stopped, watching as her leather gloved hand unwrapped the bar and then studied it. Leaning in, she sniffed it before looking back up, Curtis only making out a slight part of her face.

"Is this what you eat?" She now demanded.

No one spoke. They were too afraid.

How could she not know that this was what they were living on? It was clear to Curtis that she worked for Wilford, but why was she so surprised by this?

"I said, is this what you eat?" She now asked a little more slowly, still waiting for someone to answer.

Curtis went to move forward but was stopped by Gilliam. "Don't..." The older man warned quietly.

Ignoring Gilliam's words, Curtis now made himself known. "Yeah. It is". Staring at her. "So, while you and the other higher-class passengers get to stuff your faces with whatever you like? We have to live off this shit".

"Curtis!" Gilliam hissed, not wanting to antagonise the woman any more than she probably already was. Whether the guards were armed or not, there was no telling of what could happen.

The woman now approached him, stopping short just a few inches from his face. Curtis could now see her features more, and it almost took him by surprise. Her eyes were a beautiful electric blue, standing out in contrast to her pale skin. He couldn't take his own from them.

Even if he was taller, she didn't seem scared by him. "What's your name?"

"What's it to you?" He fired back, eyes still staring into her own.

"It is everything to me...if you don't want to be helped then that's fine by me".

"Help? Is this Wilford's words? Or yours?" He now felt Gilliam grasp his shoulder, glancing back at him and then to the woman in black. "It's Curtis".

She paused and nodded to herself. "I will speak with Mr Wilford...see what I can do to help see that these children eat something more substantial".

"That's all we ask, we don't care about whether we starve, but we just don't want the kids to".

She nodded. "I will see what I can do" She repeated and turned away, nodding to the guards to get back to handing out the protein bars of crap. Then she was gone in the blink eye.

"Who was that?" Curtis asked, eyes still on the doorway that she'd exited through just moments before.

Gilliam sighed, knowing exactly who it was. He'd hoped the day wouldn't have come for her to show her face down here, it would mean that the man had got to her too, filling her head with his propaganda about the train and the tail section.

"Wilford's daughter..."