1 A Bed of Roses

It was fascinating staring at the flower, the silence around as it had been freshly watered let it glisten in the sou unlike any normal jewel. Fila stared at the dazzling plant and was in solemn silence as she observed it. She was left alone until she felt a person nearby, turning her head to the source as she waited. An older man came around the corner of the building huffing and with his hand on his chest to catch his breath. His eyes turned towards her and his face lit up in relief. Rushing over he wiped the sweat pooling on his forehead and started to speak.

But no sound came out.

His lips moved at a fast pace but she could follow them with her eyes, translating the patterns into words. Finishing his talk she understood the most of it and could easily conclude the man talking in a single sentence.

Her father wished to see her.

She nodded in compliance and packed away her watering can, following the older man through the compound. It was a reasonably large place to wander around, buildings and small parks dotting the area that any stranger would be easily lost. But for her it was much like her backyard. Every tree and branch was foot and handhold. The cracks and crevices in the buildings were paths to travel, the roofs a highway to leap between them. Of course the older man in front of her knew it, in fact everyone knew.

Because it was part of her responsibility.

It didn't take long before they drew up to a simple looking house, it's older design was a telltale sign that it was one of the first buildings constructed here. The wood was well worn and aged, with the windows being quite simple. However the guards patrolling the complex would prove otherwise. They were all dressed quite similarly, sunglasses, ear mics and black suit and suit pants. She always enjoyed thinking about them trying to exercise in the hot sun when she had her midnight trips around the complex that would send them in a frenzy to capture her. Of course only if she felt like it would she go back to her room. 

Or if her father instructed her to.

Walking inside the antique building, she could feel the floorboards twist and bend under her weight. Although the world was deathly silent she knew it was something that should make a sound. And out of habit she edges her feet as they walked reducing her weight and the boards stopped their forceful change in shape. The old man in front of her whirl around quickly, the fear quite obvious in her eyes at the sense of her disappearing. But she was still behind him and he let out a heave of relief she hadn't vanished on him. She could only smile as he panicked but she was bored and wanted to play a prank since she couldn't do much. Reaching the first door on the house the old man knocked waiting for an answer.

She stood stock still and waited as the old man gestured and brought her through the door. Across from her was a man that could be described as dangerous from a first glance. He was wearing a blue suede suit but his body was quite lean. His face was quite pointed, leaving his nose as the top much like a hawk. It didn't help his small black eyes that watched everything with intensity complimented the look. To many this man was something to be feared, an old gangster and one that people would recoil in fear at his name. But to her, he was simply. Father.

Her father gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite his desk, pushing away a small pile of papers of who knows what he had been dealing with and tried to give her a forced smile. He was speaking and she could only watch his lips for his explanation. Sometimes however she felt like she could almost hear when his lips twisted and turned to speak.

"Fila" echoed in her brain before her father continued explaining his short plans.

"Since you and Jason are of age to go to school, I believe it's important that you both experience the outside world" the man said. He smiled but of course she knew there wasn't a matter of her saying no. If Jason wished to go to school then she must as well, it was her purpose after all.

"I trust you will fit in but let us know if you have any trouble" her father said but the look was anything but reassuring. Fila could feel the threat over the air 'If Jason gets hurt….' more didn't need to be said honestly. Fila could only nod as her father gestured to the old man at her side to lead her out. Fila gave a quick bow and left with her guide. The old man seemed to be in a good mood and tried chatting with her along the way. However since she felt no interest he was simply airing out his own problems.

"Ah if the boy the young master could be easy to deal with. I'm sure there are a lot of burdens upon your shoulders young one" the old man continued. Fila felt some frustrations that she accidentally caught this lip reading and could only wince at his words. Truly she would agree as well, 'Was Jason father's only child?'.

The old man seeing they wandered back to the small flower patch gave her a quick nod and jogged off, trying to finish whatever was required to be done before the end of the day. Since she was left alone, Fila turned to follow the garden back to the bed of roses she was tending. Of course the sight was anything but expected.

A young man, dressed in a nice collared shirt, a dangling gold chain and expensive pants was stomping the rose bush into the ground, the shiny black dress shoes were being dirtied being crushed and pushed into the soil. Seeing that Fila had arrived he cracked a smile and spat at the destroyed flower, seemingly satisfied with his work. He wore that vicious grin and spoke quickly, purposely reducing his lip movement to make it hard to understand.

For Fila it wasn't easy but it wasn't like she didn't understand the message.

"Crawl back into your own hole cripple" He spoke to her and with a huff he left, shoving his shoulder into her body roughly to throw her off balance. It didn't end so well for him, as at the collision it felt like colliding with a brick wall causing him to stumble and fall on the floor. He was making odd movements and his mouth was open wide in what she could only assume we're howls of pain.

Truly Fila was unsure what to do with the man...child...manchild? And could only assist him up. He growled and slapped her hand that was holding him up and seemed like he was yelling as he fled the scene. She could only bow as he departed in his ragged running.

"Best wishes to Master Jason" she could say in her mind, although she could read others she was unsure of her own voice. And as such she never spoke a word, well not much since she had suffered her injury.

Fila looked over the destroyed plant with a sigh. The rose bush was half buried in its bed and the roses were broken off from the stem of the plant. She was unsure if the plant would last and so she could only give up on it.

'Maybe I'll ask for sunflower seeds next time to make it easier to grow" she thought to herself as sh busied grabbing the small garden shovel to the side and dug out the rose bush delicately by its roots placing it in a nearby clay pot before filling it with soil and giving it a quick watering again. 'Please survive little one' she gave a short prayer as she washed her hands with the watering can to try and clean herself up. Leaving the garden alone she crossed the field in between and entered into a little shack. Although it was a little cramped it had what she needed. A stove, albeit woodfire, a bedroom upstairs she could climb up with a ladder and small table and chairs. 

In fact she was quite happy.

"I'm home" she tried to croak of her throat although she couldn't tell how it sounded, but it felt wrong not to. For it was home for her. A picture hung on the wall of a woman smiling as she was carrying a child, her father was in the background holding onto her shoulder and they all seemed quite loving.

'I'm home again mother's she gave a quick little prayer with her hands clasped together and went about preparing the stove. She was happy they had restored the water again to the place. Albeit the tap was outside, along with where she showered but if she couldn't avoid being seen here she wouldn't be worth much to the family. But it's not as if anyone would care that she had been seen. It didn't take long as the wood under the stove caught flame, adding in some tinder she prepares earlier everything warmed up quite easily.

Chucking a pot on the stove she had already filled it with water earlier that day and just had to add the vegetables she was given to the pot. It was part of the reason why she had a garden bed, as the food sent was often moulding or rotten. It simply was better she turned it into compost and grew her own. The pot began to bubble as she went out to take a short shower.

Outside the shower head hung off the building along with a small chain. Pulling it, the water quickly sprayed out as she washed away the dirt and sweat of the day. Shivering she felt it was a good time to finish up in case she came down with a cold. She knew full well that if she did not one was coming to help her.

Towelling herself off she dried herself quickly and gave her short hair a ruffle and air it to keep it warm. She herself was surprised that often her hair was perfectly fine and smooth despite the rough treatment.

Seeing the soup she had put was already broiling over she put it to the side quickly before changing into something more comfortable. Coming back downstairs she grabbed one of the bowls drying near the sink and ladle the soup into the bowl. The smell was heavenly and paused to enjoy it. The fresh food truly made a difference. She sat down at the table and scooped it up greedily with her spoon. It was quite plain to be honest, having the barest of spices and flavouring except for salt. But she enjoyed it just as much. Popping a lid on the pot she, letting it stay warm to the side.

As much as she wanted to slide into her bed she had already noticed something was amiss as she finished up her food, to which she could only sigh. Opening the door she looked back at the portrait hanging on the wall. 'I'll be heading off' and she ran outside as the night was already approaching and darkening the sky. 

Breaking into a run, she leapt towards one of the nearby trees, vaulting herself from branch to branch, landing near the top of the tree. Popping her head out of the dense foliage, she had a good view of the landscape. She could spot the usual guards wandering the complex in the ground but her senses were acting up. Her father knew quite well her skills and left it to her when a serious threat came along. 

Keeping her eyes peeled, it didn't take long to spot the intruders. They were quite slow in fact, such that she wanted to snicker that they would attempt to come here with that measly amount of skill. Dropping down, she used gravity and caught herself on a branch to give her a launch to the next tree. Repeating her actions she bounded over to the buildings where the main family lay.