The sun peaked over the rooftops in a warm orange haze. Light slid from the tips of the brick walls of the cramped alleyway. From pitch black to a dark blue, the sky began to color itself its' daytime shade little by little. With a thud, the young girl shut her notebook, casting it back into its' shelter within her sizable backpack. Today's the day. It had to be.
A warm feeling rushed to Else's freckled cheeks, forcing a smile to her lips. She rose shakily from her resting spot on the gravel, gripping her jacket and sliding her arms through. Else felt it in the air, in her bones... something was telling her that today would be--
Zzzhhhh...
"Hm--?!" Else startled easy, bounding over to the other side of the alleyway.
Zzzzhh.. mmhh...
Yup... it was unmistakable... she was sleeping soundly over there. Slumped against a garbage bin, was a ragged girl, with brown hair and a dark complexion. Her sweater was fuzzy to an itchy degree, and a torn right sleeve exposing her scarred arm. But most eye-catching was a warm lavender scarf curled on her neck, sprinkled with a starry pattern. And she was presently snoring so peacefully. So... peacefully...
"WAKE UP, BEA!"
Else's energetic voice shot through the air, practically taking the girl's soul from her body as she fell to the ground. Dirt splotched her cheeks and her voice let out a garbled "ACK--!" as her face landed square on the ground.
"Mmmhh... f-five more minutes...", Bea mumbled, groggily... adjusting after the sudden impact. Starkly contrasting the frazzled girl, Else seemed chipper as she leaned against one of the brick walls sandwiching them into the alley. Her face held an eager smile, watching the older girl get her bearings.
"We've got an eternity to sleep, c'mon!" Else urged.
"Alright... I'm up, I'm up," Bea groaned, squinting as her eyes got used to the increasing intake of light. She patted her lap, rising to her feet and dusting herself off. "I'm amazed we got any sleep in this dump," she continued, her eyes glancing down at the ground. Empty cans and potato skins littered the floor. Cracked bricks lay inches from where they rested their heads.
"Ughhh... I'm amazed we even got any sleep in this dump," Bea complained.
An unwelcome jolt travels up Else's spine. Those words are only half true, after all. Only one of them got enough sleep to consider that night "restful".
"Y-Yeah, hahaha... Guess w-we're just... heavy sleepers," Else chuckled out nervously. Else was a lot of things. Dorky. Carefree. A good liar, she was not. And as she collected her backpack from the gravel, fishing out a pair of wide-rimmed glasses, she hoped in her little heart that Bea didn't pick up on it. Not that it would take much effort. Simply having ears would be enough to discern her lies from truths.
Thankfully for her, Bea seemed preoccupied with the smudges of dirt coating her face. Else's shoulders sagged with relief. She slung the hefty sack on her back and looked out the alleyway, toward the cobblestone street. Just barely, she could make out the murmurs of the early morning street folk.
With a clearing of her throat, Bea walked to the sidewalk, looking to her left... then to her right. No one unsavory in her sight.
"Well, c'mon Elsie. Let's get going," Bea called back.
Else looked backward at the dirty alley that had been their bed for the last few nights. Dingy and gross as it was, it was like casting aside a pair of shoes that'd helped you on a journey. She couldn't have helped but get attached to it a little.
"Right behind you," Else said, more so to herself, sneaking a last glance before taking her first footsteps into the town's streets.
---
It couldn't have been more than 15 minutes since the sun rose, and a few people were already filing into the stone pathway, setting up shop stalls, tidying up their uniforms, while others waited patiently for those signs to flick to "OPEN". Some people hadn't even put out their lanterns yet, and business already seemed to be kicking off for the day.
Bea squinted. She wasn't saying it out loud, but her face could say it more clearly than her voice ever could. Early risers weren't her kind of people. Not that anyone in this town was, but especially not them.
Else seemed enraptured by the thought, however. She trailed a bit behind Bea, taking in the idea that people would wake up just past dawn and begin working so soon.
"Woah... So many shops! And people! And people in shops!" The young girl seemed to be falling further behind in total marvel of them.
"Careful, stay close to me." Bea chided, glancing back at Else. "You see the place yet?"
Else's eyes snap forward at those words. Her pupils darted around behind her glasses, looking from building to building... from stall to stall. The sun sparkled in her eyes, illuminating the cobblestone path, the wanted posters blowing tattered on the walls of storehouses... searching for a specific storefront. All these walls blended together... and she'd seen them all before.
"No-" Else began, but immediately cut herself off as she looked beyond a stone wall overlooking a drop in the town. Her eyes widened.
"Wait, is that it?" She exclaimed, running to the wall and peering over. Past a steep drop in elevation lied a more dormant part of the town. One she was surprised she hadn't seen before. Grass and plants seemed to burst from the cracks and seams in the walls of the buildings... windows were cracked and there was a mess of junk stockpiled outside one particular shop. Maybe dormant wasn't the right word... It seemed more like it was being actively avoided.
"Huh..." Bea put her hands above her eyes to visor the sun away from her. "Could be. Looks awful though."