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go ahead and laugh

even if it hurts

She treaded with calculated, precise steps through the building, measured breaths parting her lips with every movement. Her half braid had gone untangled and meshed with the rest of her pale locks; sometimes she hated this part of herself; it was very clearly recognizable, and the last thing she wished for was discovery. They hadn’t been fed that day, and Astartia would be damned not to right that wrong. The orphanage was never kind to her or her sister, always skirting the precipice of malnourishment from their fate held by hands too cruel to know care.
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Stealing away food was no rare occurrence.
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It was no surprise they’d leave the place one day, but no one would suspect a pair of twelve-year-olds to take the chance.
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Perhaps their age was their weapon for success. Their life was never something luxurious; they treasured the moments outside of their hardships. Beggars had no hope to be choosers, scraping by with meager scraps of food and makeshift roofs over their heads. It took them two years of suffering, being thrown around and dismissed everywhere they went before they decided to leave the city. Fourteen year olds couldn’t do much, but with Astartia’s quick fingers, they had access to supplies Lucena was more than suspicious of, but Astartia didn’t give her any solid answers. All that mattered was they had weapons, food rations, and all the supplies necessary to survive beyond the city — to the forest where Eclipse Town supposedly lay, somewhere they hoped to find a safe haven.
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It took her a while to learn to use a bow for a good kill, and Lucena grew proficient in scouting for places to set traps; they survived better than they ever thought they would, taking on the title of “hunter-gatherers” rather literally, self-sufficient for a year before a strange woman happened upon them one night, attracted by a lit fire; she was a resident of the town they had been seeking for so long, and, in a moment of pity and concern, the woman decided to collect the two and bring them to safety — and civilization.
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They remained in the company of the people there until their nineteenth year before realizing they had nothing to gain from staying there; both of their aspirations spread far beyond what was possible in the small town, and, with a sorrowful goodbye, they took their leave. While they did visit at times, the twin sisters had moved on to tackle what the city that treated them so horribly had to offer.