Daria, Chapter one: Back to December

 

Chapter one: back to December

 

“Remember that voids dwelling you, will never possibly fade away, they will keep consuming you till no end”

 

Winter is her favorite season, when the climate is cold, cold enough to cool down her chest burns, her darkest thoughts, as well as her fingertips…

She was coming back from school listening to music through the headphones whereas the sky is dropping tears over her tiny body, she’s walking slowly below the rain feeling consoled by the nature, consoled for her permanent and cruel loneliness that keeps following her maybe until her mortality.

 

She lost her parents on a car incident, they died crashed by a truck over the bridge, few hours passed and the accident was broadcasted on the TV and every social media application,

Daria was just enjoying temporary solitude right before she hangs out with her friends, and then she was updated about her parents in a very shocking way,

Ever since this moment occurred to be traumatic, she became another person.

 

The government put a hand over their property because her father was in debts and this was a part of insurance as stated in the pact.

So she had to wander streets on her own finding a place to belong to, she didn’t have any money to spend, she dropped off school due to not paying the fees any longer, she’s just lost inside and outside… looking for something that can fill this abyss that was gradually growing inside of her.

 

While she was walking hundred meters apart of home, walking through old and narrow slums that are considered a source of gossips, prostitution, and black magic…

There was a pile of dirt including dead animals and other different kind of trash by the edge of each street likewise.

She witnessed every kind of violence between neighbors, lovers, and kids too.

Districts are usually speaking the truth hidden among hypocrites in rich communities.

And vividly this wasn’t more brutal than her life events.

She coincidentally saw a poster pinned over a bricked wall advertising a place to rent,

She asked for directions until she found the exact location, but she discovered that this house is already inhabited by approximately ten members… each one is coming from a different region… they crossed each other’s route and became a family, and as it was mentioned personally not in the declaration, they needed a new member, hence the rent amount decreases more, according to the new division.

Daria willed to be a part of this family, prone to feel different things that distract her from this emptiness she has.

 

The family was so welcoming, it was consisting eight males, four of them are wasted children, not less homeless or lost than Daria, three are elders, widowed and retired, and one is a young guys in mid-twenties, older than Daria by ten years, his name is Craig, a son of a narcissist and paranoiac lady named “Judy”, the only one who seemed stiff and unwelcoming…

And she won’t be the only lady living this house since Daria had joined them…

 

She might have felt threatened at that moment, she always warned her son from being with any homeless girl, telling him that they all have infective diseases…

She talked with a prideful tone to her, whereas everyone hospitalized her in a very warming way… but no one can criticize Judy for her weird and controlling attitude, therefore she could deduce that she will not ever decide to be an opponent for this antagonist …

 

But speaking of an antagonist, who might be the protagonist?!

 

Judy made the rules clear to Daria, in the morning she should go with the boys to collect trolls from the trash at any area so they can sell,

She will polish walls in the streets, install posters, clean homes, and work in electricity as well as plumbing, learning these crafts helps earning living…

And still the expenses won’t provide them with welfare, prosperity isn’t their thing.

Their instincts are only enough to make them live, just live, no more no less, that was their destiny and they’re dealing with it the way they can.

 

Daria volunteered to clean bathrooms in a particular school, she collects trash in the morning and goes to school, not to learn, but to clean bathrooms, she watches the students coming back and forth, she wished she could resume her educational journey, but good side of the plot is that the system follows indoctrination as a path, so there’s not much to miss.

 

She preferred going to a nearby local library that needed no membership

She just goes, picks a book to read and if she borrowed it no one will notice, there’s not much observing, there are no readers anymore, everyone is just working, sleeping, breeding, eating, and living simple, they don’t have time to read, to paint, to sing, or to play, they have talents inside but once they want to show them to the world, the world refuses their evolve and decides their despair to be their company, but they can always fight to be the explosion, the bomb that blows out these barriers.

 

She came home late, everyone was sleep, except Judy she opened her grip insinuating of collecting daily money from her like others.

Otherwise she will be grounded.

She gave her the money she gained from working at school, Craig came moments later, immediately gave his mom his money too, but he winked at Daria in a playful way, and showed her a tip of money bills hidden in his jacket pocket, he gave his mom a kiss and went to his room.

 

Daria went to the kitchen to grab something to eat but she didn’t find anything but a spoiled milk and rotten bread in the fridge, that won’t be working until someone participates and pays for its repairing.

 

Everyone slept, Craig came and found Daria smoking her last cigarette in her pocket in the kitchen, he asked her where did she get the money for cigarettes!

She simply responded that he’s not the only one hiding money, she went to buy noodles and preferred eating it out, Craig was walking aside of her, while the ambient light was yellowish, it was fluctuating hiding them and their shadows once and revealing them another time…

 

Daria didn’t speak much about her past, she thought silence will be more narrative than talking, more poetic than crying, and more powerful than words being spoken out, it would never equalize with the actual feeling that is dwelling her.

 

Craig was more wide open with her, he discussed part of his dreams with her, he told her that he’s illiterate and he wants to be educated, he wanted a job he gets recruited through and satisfy his needs, he also wanted a loyal partner, someone to escape with, and separate from his mom forever, he needed love, he was never loved by anyone, he’s always seeking to be one.

 

Daria found him interesting and a kind of hopeful and enthusiastic person…

 

They went back home, he smiled at her, she unintentionally smiled too and went to her bed triggered about not having any dreams vivid to speak about, she wanted to have ones, but she was so empty, she lost all her dreams, sentiments, and her identity.

 

No one can estimate an impression over her, she’s so unpredictable.

 

They woke up early it was a holiday, so Daria had more time to walk many streets with Craig and other boys, collecting trash to recycle and sell,

It was muddy, obviously it rained heavily from the dawn and on, the boys were sliding over it and laughing, this is what poverty brings to its dwellers for entertaining…

 

Craig found a vehicle covered with dust and stains, he cleaned it with certain means, and knocked the door to ask for money for this service but the man didn’t give him a penny… he decided to break the window glass with a stone

Then the man aggressively chased the kids and picked one of them to cage in his house,

The others could make it far away from him, but they had to track him to get back Darwin, the kid captivated by the old man, his house was melancholic, and bad odors were coming out from it,  they were gathering back of the building, and they looked around, they were surrounded by a land that had a half green, full of crops and another half that was burnt out, full of dead and decomposing animals , one of them puked by the side of the house, while Craig was looking through the kitchen window, he found the kid there cuffed and chained in the wall, the man appeared to be a butcher, he was beating Darwin with a thick wooden log until he fainted…

They couldn’t hold themselves, so they decided to wait the man leaving the kitchen and then Daria jumped from the window and picked Darwin and jumped back finding the boys and Craig carrying her and Darwin in group, the man heard weird movements, so instead of driving his car away he moved backwards to find the boys running away and looking back at him, he took his car and drove it towards them, they were chased until he couldn’t pass through narrow streets, he just found himself stuck among a cemetery, and dirts, where he actually belong with this awkward behavior.

 

They went back home with their belongings that weren’t many, such as key, cigarettes, some bills, shoes missing while running, and the only thing remained is their safety, and the collected trash…

 

They sold them for the nearest shops, and took their money and went back home, they narrated their adventure to everyone and laughed, the mother was out in the cheapest beauty center nearby doing some adjustments in her appearance, to grab more men to her life, maybe one of them is rich and will rescue her from this poverty.

 

Craig exploited the moment he was able to access Daria’s room, he knocked the door, she pretended she’s a sleep, then he touched her hair, and whispered in her ears that he knows she’s not a sleep, he could see her eyes blinking more than once, she smirked and asked him “what do you want”, he simply responded “to smoke with you outside”

She approved and wore her jacket over her sleeveless torn shirt

They smoked behind a pole, and she mentioned her last traumatic event to him, the reason why she’s living with them currently… he was so understanding

And a quite a good listener…

He told her moments later that his mom was widowed in an early age she had him when she was sixteen, when she was just a teen, after a rape incident, then she married a man who was double of her age, he died two years after he was born…

 

She couldn’t find anyone to provide her financially, so she worked as a stripper and then got fired for biting a man until he bled because he tried to touch her meanwhile the process…

 

She’s finding Craig more interesting after talking about his previous pathetic life…

She asked him to go to a rich café with her, he wanted to learn more about her plan, she went there with him, ordered desserts and drinks and instead of paying they ran away,

Then danced in the rain, she took off her jacket, and played music on her smart phone and in a very dramatic scene she came closer to Craig but they didn’t kiss, when he approached her she was afraid of feelings, afraid to initiate something that will end up soon, she was afraid of being abandoned again…

 

They went back home wet, they slept and in the morning the mother still didn’t come home yet, Daria was hesitating if she can enter Craig’s room or not, she moved two steps backwards, until Craig opened the door and confronted her,

Saying “I saw your shadow through the door slap”

He smiled at her, then she kissed him, he closed the door, and they made love for the very first time, she told him she saw him repeatedly in her dreams and she couldn’t resist the feeling she had last night, and when they heard Judy coming, they were afraid to show themselves to her, the elders were discreet about what happened between them too, they didn’t tell her anything, Daria sneaked to her room and Craig went to see his drunk mom and shower her, Mr. Kevin prepared her a cup of coffee too, it was just a lucky day, everyone dressed up to go to work.

 

Daria went straight to school and meanwhile working in the bathroom she overheard a girl vomiting in the toilet seat, she went out holding her belly, and feeling sick as well as looking pale, Daria asked if she could help but the girl neglected her and went back to her class,

Daria resumed working and washed away the student’s gross puke covering the toilet seat and the floor.

 

On her way back home, she found the same girl swaying on the pavement until she passed out, her head was hit by the tree, causing a mild concussion but not severe

Instead of stealing this rich girl belongings, Daria kept herself clean and honored, she took a cab and carried the girl to a hospital and they clarified that she’s pregnant, and they couldn’t abort her and get rid of the fetus without a signature of a parent

So Daria offered her an opportunity to go to an illegal clinic in their slum where doctors can prescript medicines for her and help her getting rid of the baby without any operation… just pills given…

 

But Aria the student needed care and needed someone to help her throughout this time and take care of her doses, take her back to thd clinic to check up again, and manage her mood swings, and protect her from her dad, she will never tell him what happened between her and her boyfriend…

 

So she chose Daria to be that fellow, they will pretend as if they were studying together… hence her father won’t recognize anything…

She took her home and introduced her to the maids and took her to her fancy room, then her father arrived home carrying some gifts for his spoiled daughter,

Daria took a peek on them, until Aria called her down to introduce her to her dad…

He was a good looking man, in his early fourties, wide shouldered, had a well-shaped body, wearing a suit, and had some grown grey hair on his beard and his hair, he seemed like a sugar daddy for all the teenage girls… but Daria lacked any feelings to sense around him, she greeted him and then he asked her to stay more, he asked his girl to go upstairs, she said “again, dad!!!” rolling her eyes, it seemed like not the first time her friends were interviewed, seems like any intruder would be questioned in this home…

He asked Daria to wait in the swimming pool, she couldn’t resist but diving into it and recollecting the days she was a swimmer in her old school,

The father came wearing swimming shorts, and a necklace that was reaching out his chest,

“You are a swimmer then, interesting!” he said

She jumped out from the pool wore her jacket and told him “I was”

He asked her about the type of music she listens to on her headphones,

She came closer to him and put on the headphone on his wet head for few seconds then removed it,

Saying “that’s it, I can’t classify any music type by a label”

He responded “electronic music, loud maybe that what represents your character”

She decided to leave because she felt awkward,

He asked all of sudden “who are you young lady?”

She confusedly responded “I’m a new friend of your daughter, they call me a nerd at school so you can consider me a teacher for your kid”

His eye gazes were too doubtful but he nodded and told her “now you can leave, see you soon, Daria”