3Hello, Hello. Just wanted to thank my guest reviewer, don't know if (s)he's the same person as last time, for giving me the motivation to write this. It isn't the best, but it's better than what it was originally, so yay! And I will try to be more consistent about updates, but it's hard to ind the motivation without knowing what you think of the story, even if it's just 'I think Chastity is whiny and annoying' or 'I love the kitty.' Anything! Please donate to the 'I Need Reviews!' No money required, just a click of a few buttons and a little word forming...
Something was on Chastity, and it was furry. That was her first thought when she resurfaced to consciousness the next morning, or rather, later that same morning. She froze in panic at what to do. Is it a rabid, stray dog? What if it had gone mad already? Oh, dear lord, please don't let it be a dog. She cracked one of her eyes open to see light filtering through lace curtains and the thing on her was in fact, not a hungry dog, but an adorable fluff ball that was softly mewing and batting at one of Chastity's golden locks. It was so cute, that Chastity couldn't help but reach with her hand and pet it gently. It was so soft and pretty.
"She likes you." The voice startled Chastity so badly, she sat up rather quickly, flinging the poor creature off of her lap and on to the floor, where it proceeded to meow rather loudly. She looked at it with pity of a few seconds, and then looked over at who had scared her so terribly. There stood Eli in his outfit for today, which consisted of a plain white, linen shirt covered by a bright blue waistcoat and a simple black overcoat. He carried a wooden walking cane that was topped with a sliver eagle talon holding a shining green gem. To top it all off, he had on a shiny top hat. He had his shoes on, and looked as if he was running a bit late for something. His black hair was messy and disheveled and he looked older, about in his mid thirties. He leaned forward on his cane and studied Chastity where she sat, as she studied his apparel. She had put on her street clothes again to sneak out that morning. They made her look like a grungy orphan boy, and that would never do for what he had planned for today. He told her to follow him and led her to the room she had slept in, at least for the majority of the night. When they got to the plain room, he walked quick-paced to the dresser on the wall next to the bed that she had noticed, the one she had assumed was empty, but was proven wrong when Eli kneeled down and opened the very bottom drawer, revealing three older looking dresses. From what Chastity could tell, there was one purple with a lot of lace, red with gold trimmings, and the last one that Eli was pulling out, was the simplest. It was a cream-colored, mid-thigh length dress with elegant beading patterns that added texture, but didn't swallow the beautiful fabric up. It was gorgeous and unlike many extravagant dresses that many ladies wore nowadays, which suited Chastity perfectly, as she was not an ordinary lady. To top off the dress, Eli produced a thick green sash that tied around the mid-section. He held it out to her, wanting her to try it on. Chastity was going to refuse, but as if predicting this, Eli glared fiercely and with a command that made her quickly shut her mouth and grab the dress. Eli walked out just as quickly as he walked in, leaving Chastity to dress herself. She stripped down to her once-white undergarments, and hesitantly picked up the lovely fabric that was so soft, it was like the velvet rabbit that her mother had given her before she had died. Then, Edna took it because it was 'ratty and smelled funny.' Shutting that road of thoughts almost immediately, she finally decided to try on the dress. It was a bit snug going on, but once she had it on correctly, and the sash was tied, bow in front, it looked wonderful. She let her blonde hair out of her nightly braid, letting the waves it created spill onto her shoulders and to her mid-back. Then, she decided tp soak in the reflection that couldn't have possibly been the street kid Eli had found, even if she was still bruised and sore in uncomfortable places. The dress covered up the dark of her two broken ribs, and the other various bruises left by when they got the odd kick to the leg or punch to the shoulder. The cuts that she had obtained had healed quickly, and the one large gash on her arm wasn't noticeable unless you knew it was there. Eli had stitched it up well.
Thinking of Eli, she went to go ask him the purpose of her getting all dressed up. She left the room, searching the main rooms, before deciding he must be in his room. She approached his ornately carved door that even had a crystal door knob, and knocked softly three times.
"Eli? Are you there?" She asked softly, before hearing a loud crash and a string of curses. "Eli?" She said a bit louder before gathering her courage and turning the door knob to open the door. What she found on the other side was a mess, with Eli laying in the midst of it. There were books and papers everywhere, ink spilling out of the jar and staining the floors, and even a bit of glass from a picture frame that had fallen and broken. She quickly hoped over all of the miscellaneous everything to where Eli was strewn over what appeared to be his desk chair. He didn't notice her though, because he was staring at the glass and the picture frame that had broken. He looked almost as if in disbelief that it broke. Gently, not wanting to disturb him to badly, but wanting to knock him out of the trance that was actually scaring her a bit, she tapped his shoulder. He suddenly turned his head towards her with tears in his eyes and a wobble in his voice as he said, "T-that was m-my last m-m-memory of th-them."
Curious as to what could make him so upset, she asked timidly, "Of who?"
"Of them! Of the only true family I have ever known!" He exclaimed, as if it was stupidly obvious.
"Who? Your parents?"
"No. You know I don't speak to them anymore Allison! It's my last memory of Lottie. The last one." He started out loudly, but by the last sentence, he was whispering, as if only to himself.
"I'm not Allison. I'm Chastity, remember? And I don't know who Lottie is." As if getting doused with cold water, Eli snapped out of his shock and blinked at Chastity, who looked rather confused.
"Of course not! You're Chastity of the mysterious alley incident, and Lottie is no one important." He said, standing up from where he had fallen and grabbing his cane, which slanted against the wall next to the door. He turned in the doorway and motioned to where Chastity stood, utterly befuddled by what had just happened. She joined him quickly, and left the room, still in its chaotic mess. Deciding to ask about what had just happened later, her mind switched back to the lovely dress and its mysterious purpose.
"If you don't mind me asking-"
"Don't bother. I will not explain what happened back there, for it will take far too much time, and we are late as it is." He said hurriedly, rushing about, gathering his hat and jacket again. He put them on and started frantically digging in a pile of what looked to be men's shoes. "Ah." He exclaimed loudly, pulling out a pair of white high heels. "See if these fit," He said in that same hurried tone, throwing them at her while trying to still put his shoe on, too. She slipped them on, and felt the room that signified they were too big. But she stayed quite, not wanting to put any more stress on Eli, who was frantically mumbling about 'being late' and 'no time for trivial articles of hidden clothes.' Finally, he looked ready and assessing Chastity, nodded a confirmation that she was also acceptable.
"Let us go now." He said, beginning to open the door.
"Wait!" Chastity exclaimed. "I still want to know, where are we going?"
"But of course, we are headed to my brother Isaiah's house, just a little ways south. He's been needing some help, and I think I've finally figured out what he needs to fix it." With that, he opened the door and confidently stepped out of the little flat. Chastity had no choice but to follow.