"Lizzie!"
Shining pink hair flew behind Elisabeth as she rushed to hug the other Elisabeth.
"Beth, be careful…you can't run around like that, you could get hurt."
Brown-haired Elisabeth said to pink-haired Elisabeth.
These duplicate names got confusing quickly, for that reason the two decided on nicknames to differentiate each other. The beautiful Protagonist Elisabeth had quickly agreed to Side Elisabeth's idea to do so almost immediately, dubbing Side Elisabeth 'Lizzie' in no time at all. With only the other half of the name remaining, the protagonist took on the name Beth. Sharing a nickname with the protagonist only made Lizzie more relaxed at her future prospects. No writer worth their salt would let the protagonist's best friend get sold off only to never be seen again. Lizzie had to at least have been in two paragraphs by now, at least she hoped. To think she had once been reading about this world's hardships for amusement written by what was practically a god as if it was nothing. Now she was in that very story, not even knowing if she was being puppeteered around like the other side characters in this world. Was the author still out there or was this world simply a byproduct of their imagination that existed in secrecy?
No matter what the truth was, Lizzie had no choice but to play by this world's rules. In this novel, the female lead triumphs all, she never dies, and she is loved by everyone in the end. Riding the coattails of such a presence was no doubt the key to victory, and it seemed as if the plan was going swimmingly. In a matter of hours Beth was glued to Lizzie's side, slowly the words of the novel were being replaced with brief mentions of Lizzie's name.
"Here, eat it slowly," Lizzie said as she handed Beth her portion of food, a slice of bread with a small bowl of soup.
"Ok," Beth took the food with both hands and started to pull off pieces of the bread, soaking it in the soup before chewing it finely.
Just what on earth were these people trying to feed the female lead? If they had known who her father would turn out to be they would be serving lobster on the hour! How was she supposed to survive on this? Though it did have the effect of allowing the female lead to be wowed thoroughly when brought to the mansion to be fed the first time. Her stomach growling just as the food comes out, then vehemently denying being hungry while staring at the food like a starving mouse. She thinks the food's too good for her but the duke insists, finding her to be "an interesting child" as he's only been around spoiled noble children. A truly heart-swelling moment that every self respecting adopted daughter story must have that just oozes in sweetness! Still…! Starving the female lead has to be against some kind of rule right? At least she would never get slightly hungry again from this point on, powering through was the name of the game even if Beth does not know it yet.
It was hardly enough to feed the children, but it worked in keeping them lethargic and could also serve as bribes. The older kids with some sense in them, and who had more body weight to feed, would watch over and tattle on the younger kids who stepped out of line for more food. This system worked well in whipping the hostage children into shape, quite literally. No one could trust each other. Honestly it was a miracle Beth even trusted Lizzie at all, the female lead's halo glowed even in the cruelest hell. And what a hell it was. Children were half naked, huddling together to make blobs of warmth that shifted and groaned like a dying beast in the night. Dead silence, aside from hushed whispers and the faint laughing of adults in the room over, left everyone trapped within their own thoughts. Some remembered past experiences while others pretended they did not live on this plane of existence anymore. Fading in and out of feeling the sensation of breathing, most of the children would pass time sleeping or watching the shadows move on the walls.
Oftentimes they would get jolted back to reality in random intervals, each time more shocking than the last as their brains scrambled to press the image of suffering back into the fiction section of thought. During this brief period of unfolding realizations as they find their hands empty of anything that once belonged to them, the children, as children should be allowed to do, cry. If not quieted quickly, they will be beaten. It was the bribed older children who did these beatings. Aside from it being their 'job', it worked to keep the adults at bay from checking in on them. The bribed ones would stand and watch guard for hours, their feet morphing into blistered clumps. Hope for the possibility of being let go or being asked to join those who kidnapped them being the only thing to put strength in their legs.
In the original novel, the conditions of the children were brushed over. The only mention being when it directly related to the female lead, which only included her being bullied by harsh older kids for saying she missed her family. If Lizzie had not been a newly fledged adult when she died and if she had not realized the novel status of her world, she would have most likely not have been able to make it past the first day. Beth only looked more impressive to her. How could anyone, nevertheless a child, continue to smile after this? How could they possibly be able to heal another person's heart when theirs is far more damaged?
Loud yelping could be heard a few feet away from Lizzie and Beth's position in the middle of the floor. Two young children had started fighting each other over a piece of bread. The older kids had all rushed to break up the fight, kicking and scolding the now curled-up children who had decided to cause a scene. It sounded like someone continuously slapping their hands on a drum without caring for the metronome. The conductor crying in pain as their student continued to mess up. It was nothing like reading a novel. It did not matter how much she dressed it up as simple words on a page she once indulged in, the smell of blood and spit swirling into a puddle on the ground as a young child laid there to take the beating without resistance broke Lizzie's heart.
"Close your eyes." Lizzie said as she moved her hand to shield Beth's vision, pulling Beth closer to press one of her ears against her side. Lizzie was the oldest person in this room, nineteen in spirit, and yet she was powerless to do anything, far too small to help any of the children without being beaten herself. Even if Lizzie was able to save them from this one torturous session, there would be more in the future. She would die before even being able to go to the auction, before being able to see Beth go home safely.
Just hold on a little longer. You will be ok, I will help you until then so when the time comes…make sure you repay the favor.
Beth closed her eyes as instructed, not able to see much anyway due to Lizzie's hand wrapping around her face. No one had cared for her since her parent's passing and she had started to lose hope in her situation. The only way Beth had been holding out was due to the fact her mother told her to be strong, but it was so hard to be strong alone. So, like always in her life, Beth relied on the hand that had been outstretched to her. She was far too weak to be able to survive on her own, she needed someone to help her and Lizzie just so happened to be that someone.
I hope you never leave me.
Beth found herself thinking as she clung to Lizzie's side. The crying children now drowning out of her senses and began morphing into the sound of seagulls carried by the breeze above the ocean. A calm stillness filled her mind as thoughts of her old house, the one that was parked right against a sandy beach, started bubbling to the surface. Her parents are nowhere in sight, but that makes sense because they were dead. The thought progression is halted as Beth sees Lizzie inside the small house, sweeping it seems, through a window that leads into the kitchen. As this little fantasy played out, both Lizzie and Beth were happy and safe. They grew their own food in their garden, and did not have to worry about going hungry or having to rely on someone else to bring them their meals. It was heaven on earth, just the two of them.
"Beth?" Lizzie brushed a piece of Beth's hair to the side, she had drifted off to sleep, gripping tightly onto Lizzie's arm.
If I ever go back to my own world I'm hunting down this author…no, every author who has ever tortured their characters like this. I'll become an editor and axe every story with this shitty duke plot! It's so lazy! How come the children from the auction are never heard from again?! Am I just supposed to forget the child slavery happening in the background!? Have the duke adopt her from a normal place! Where are the orphanages at?! It always has to be something, isn't having your parents die tragic enough?
Lizzie hugged Beth tighter, she was the only thing here that was able to remind her of the future. That bright pink hair able to transport her back into the novel's plot that painstakingly described every new style and hair accessory added to it. No exaggeration, the author was so detailed you would think they were braiding the female lead's hair themself! Beth was her ticket out of here, the only way in sight to escape from this horrific nightmare.
I will get out of here no matter what, then I'll find somewhere nice to stay close to Beth. Perhaps I'll even be invited to the royal wedding in the future. Beth's love interest is a prince afterall, I'm sure it will be extravagant no matter how much the humble Beth says "there's no need to go through all that trouble". If the briefly explained child trafficking ring is this detailed, imagine what the wedding crafted with thousands of words detailing the female lead's dress alone will be like! Though, anything would be better than this.