The Child That Never Was (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

“Absolutely morbid,” Bethany said shaking her head, with tears stinging her eyes.  I watched her, wanting to help her some more, but knew that I couldn’t.  We were standing in the arena, once again.  I refused to allow myself to look out to the center of the attention where the stage was, since I had already seen the horrific sight, and felt no need to reflect back upon it.

Bethany tapped someone on the seat next to her.  “Excuse me, but do you know someone who goes by the name of Kaylie?” she asked politely.  The person just gave her a disgusted look.  “Perhaps you misunderstood me?  I’m looking for a girl named Kaylie, and was wondering if you knew where she was?  Or do you not speak English?  I’m terribly sorry if you do not, and cannot understand a word that I’m saying.”

The man shook himself.  “I speak English, but do not wish to help you, since you are nothing but trash.  I can’t believe they’d let in color trash like you to a public place.  Don’t they know that some people here want to enjoy their day, and not have to worry about gaining some disease from you colored folk?”

Bethany cringed at this statement, but did nothing.  “I’m sorry to have spoiled your day, please forgive me for that.  I’ll be on my way now.”  She walked away hearing the man’s remarks of disgust as she did so.  I became filled with anger as I so how cruelly people were treating her.  Was it always like this for her?  Was she constantly becoming the target of racist remarks? Why did it even matter to some people that her skin was of a different color?  Bethany was still a lot sweeter than so many other people that I knew.

I wanted to go over there and smack that man for being so horrible to her.  What had she ever done wrong to him?  All she did was act with decorum, and apparently that leads to receiving racist comments.  If this is what the world was coming to then I didn't want to live there anymore.  I would find an escape if this is the way that the world was becoming.  However, Bethany didn't show any signs of being hurt.  She just walked to the middle row of seats and looked around, searching for the present-me, not memory-me.  I wondered if she could feel a presence surrounding her or was she completely ignorant of my existence there? 

Bethany looked around carefully searching for me, scanning the crowd with her eyes.  Then I saw her smile, giving me reason to believe that she had indeed spotted me.  She ran down the stairs and over to where I was sitting.  Giving me a quick smile, she said, "Hello, there," and asked if she could sit next to me.  I nodded quietly, and we introduced ourselves.

"Well, I'm Kaylie," the other-me said to Bethany.  I watched as we smiled at one another, and knew that there was something to be said about a girl-bond, because she and I were definitely bonding just then.  I watched us look down at the game in disgust, talking about horrible it was that people had actually paid to see this happen.  Bethany groaned, catching something out of the corner of her eye.  It was a young boy whose eyes were red, as if he had just been crying.

“What's wrong, dearie?” asked Bethany, putting her arm around the little boy.

“My pa,” he cried.  “The lion...he's gone...”

“Oh, that was your father who just fought?” other-me asked, putting a finger to my lip out of distress.

“Yes, ma'am,” he sniffled.

“He was very brave,” smiled Bethany, holding the young boy to her heart.

“He was,” the boy smiled back.  “I'm going to fight the lion next.  It's my only chance to get out of here.”