The Docks

                                    

                                          
(??? POV)
                          
°~15 Years Earlier, 1765~°
                          
I ran along the streets, minding the passers by as they stared at me eagerly. They could become used to it, as they saw me sprinting up and down constantly every single day. There was no way I could stop myself; it was like I was fleeing for my life, prey soon to be discarded for human consumption as a worthless piece of meat. My skinny legs creaked with tiredness, but I refused their cry for help. No. As long as this was happening, I would keep running as fast as my frail body would take me.
                          
I reached the docks: finally. I hid behind a mountain of imported cargo, ready to be taken off and sold at the stores. I couldn't care about that; all of us needed our daily intake. Alas, if I were to go in for the kill right here, I would be caught and convicted of my crimes. I studied a large fishing boat, settling in the docks. They tossed their line out, parking their boat along the side. For such a huge boat, there was guaranteed to be plenty of fish. Two men stepped out, making their way for the town.
                          
This was it. This was my only chance. I would need to be straight in, straight out if this was going to succeed. Such a tiny boy couldn't be granted as a suspect. I revealed myself from my hiding place, scuttling over to the boat. I checked that nobody was looking: all was good. I hopped in, pulling out the large sack that I'd hidden down my shirt and stepping below deck.
                          
It smelled strongly of tobacco and alcohol. A tranquil and serene atmosphere; I scouted the room like an eagle on watch. My eyes were attracted to the bookshelf pressed specifically against the bulkhead of the boat. It rocked gently with the motion of the tide as I neared. "...One won't hurt." I stole a singular book from the shelf, stuffing it down my shirt.
                          
I looked directly to my right: a tub, filled with plenty of fish. "Bingo!" I galloped over and began loading the sack with fish. They flapped their tails, yet their eyes were filled with remorse as I stole them from their capturer. Then--
                          
"W- Who are you?!!" Another boy, around my age, shrieked. "And what are you doing with o- o- our fish?!!" 
I dropped the sack to the ground frantically, holding my hands into the air. "I'm-- I'm sorry!! It's not what it looks like!!" 
"Papa will be here any minute now, and he-- he'll hurt you!!" 
"I'm sorry, I--" I closed my eyes, stopping tears from flowing out of my eyes. "We need food; me and mama... We're starving..." 
                          
The boy sighed, fiddling his thumbs nervously as he looked down. "But... But you can't be here, papa, he'll--"
"Please!" I begged, a tear escaping.
He rubbed his face, grunting in frustration. "Fine, but... But..."
"I'll give you anything you want!" I implored. "Anything!!"
"I don't want anything, you've just got to get out of here quick before they come back!" the boy warned. 
                          
I nodded anxiously, continuing to load fish into the sack. "Ugh, I'll help!!" the boy exclaimed, sticking his grubby hands into the container. After a minute, I went to grab another, but the boy stopped me by restraining my arm. "No. No more. It will become too obvious." I agreed with him, heaving the bag above my shoulder.
                          
"Um... Thanks." I said before I left. 
"You're welcome. Could... Could I know your name?" 
"Why would you want that?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.
"I- I won't tell on you! Promise! It's just that... you seem like you could use a friend, cause... um... you're poor, I assume..."
"Heh, you're not wrong." I joked.
                          
"So... What is it?" 
"???." I answered. 
"That's... a nice name."
"You?" 
"Oh, I'm--"
                          
(Y/N POV)
                          
°~1780~°
                          
The arena was dark; nothing could be seen throughout the abyss. I stared into the endless void, feeling around the warm air. A consumption of greed and turmoil smote the land, filling it entirely with grief. 
                          
God, not this again.
                          
The two lights, honesty and jealousy, the mist: it was all remotely the same. "Hello?" I questioned aloud, but all that came out of me was a mumbled squeal. I covered my ears, watching the scenario before me for the third time. Jealousy stood strong, honestly vibrated softly.
                          
I'd never had such an intense reoccurring dream before. Like, ever. The same thing over and over, with little adjustments to adapt to the story. Who knows how long it would take for me to discover the mystery that was this dream. Perhaps there was no meaning, and it was just my mind playing pathetic tricks on me. Perhaps Emily had the same. I'll have to ask her.
                          
In any case, honesty was once again the brightest, outshining jealousy by a tremendous amount. Surprisingly, I was pretty sure that I heard a small grunt from jealousy's side, as it turned away viciously. 
                          
The mumbled noises returned, penetrating my ears. However, not as much. This time, I believed that I could actually hear words. Real, English words. I could only catch a couple, but it was something extraordinary, like hearing a baby talk for the first time. The ones I could pick out where "refused", "ready" and "count". 
                          
The piercing sound towards the end was still present, and honesty faded away instantly. Jealousy's mist quivered with guilt, and I could detect soft sounds, like quick breathing or sobbing. Jealousy crumbled away also, and this time, I was able to reach my arm out to it. But it shunned itself away, threatened by my presence.
                          
"Mon ami!"
"Mon ami...?"
"MILLER!!" 
                          
I felt a sharp slap around my left cheek, and I held it to relieve pain. "What was that for?!" I muttered, fluttering my eyes open with confusion.
"You've been asleep for hours, Monsieur. We have to get going." Lafayette explained.
"Okay, okay, just... don't hit me."
"My my, how are you ever going to take a bullet?" 
                          
I stood up, my legs wobbling as I brushed my clothes down. I checked inside my bag: no food left. I sighed, reluctantly padding over to my horse and stretching my back. "Morning." John greeted, appearing from behind the horse.
"Morning." I ran my fingers through my hair, removing any knots. I still wasn't used to short hair; it was a weird change from getting hair blown into your face 24/7. 
                          
"So I heard you are a new recruit. It takes some balls to come out here with little to no experience." 
"Y'know, you need to stop complimenting me." I chuckled. "But yeah, thanks."
"I'm also sorry on behalf of Alex, he can be really grouchy around new people." 
"He's already apologised... sort of." I commented.
"Sincerely?"
"I'd hope so."
                          
"Charlie!" Hercules called, "Get on, we'll be leaving soon."
"See you, Charlie!" John waved as he went to meet Alexander.
                          
I saddled the horse, now becoming more confident with actually getting onto one without requiring assistance. Lafayette trotted up next to me with his. "You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." 
                          
~~~~~~~~~~
                          
Reason I've published 2 in one day is because I've been waiting for a lift for over 2 hours rip