Chapter 5
525 Words
"Looks like you’re new here,” Chloe said to Pearl.
“Uh, yeah… kinda,” Pearl replied shyly.
“So, what brings you to Vault?” Chloe asked as they carried the load back toward the bakery.
Pearl hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “I came to Vault to start a new life.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Out of all places, you chose Vault?”
“Well, it was the closest to where I came from,” Pearl explained.
Chloe laughed softly. “Everyone says that. Even if they're coming from 10,000 miles, somehow Vault is always the closest place. I wonder what everyone sees here.”
“Vault is an amazing city,” Pearl said firmly.
“Amazing, indeed,” Chloe said, though her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
Pearl glanced at her curiously. “You don’t seem to like it here.”
Chloe sighed. “I don’t. If I had my way, I’d run far away and never look back. But my dad… he needs me. I have to help him run the bakery.”
“Your dad is the baker?” Pearl’s face lit up with excitement.
“Yeah,” Chloe nodded. “Why do you sound so thrilled about that?”
Pearl laughed nervously. “Well… I actually came here to buy bread.”
Chloe stopped walking for a moment, then gave Pearl a puzzled look. “Wait—you came to Vault to buy bread too?”
Pearl shook her head quickly. “No, no. Like I said, I came here to start a new life. But… the first thing I came for was bread.”
“I was actually at the bakery to buy bread,” Pearl explained, “but I was about to leave when I bumped into you.”
Chloe glanced at her hands. “Funny, I don’t see any bread with you.”
Pearl gave a small shrug. “I changed my mind—the queue was too long.”
“Well then,” Chloe said with a grin, “let me go and get you some.”
A few minutes later, Chloe returned with a loaf big enough to feed three hunters and their dogs. Pearl devoured it hungrily, not leaving behind a single crumb.
“Thank you soooooooo much,” Pearl said, wiping her mouth. “How much do I owe you?”
Chloe stared at her in disbelief before bursting into laughter. Her laugh was so warm and bright it seemed to light up the lantern-lit room. Pearl had never heard anything so full of life.
“What’s so funny?” Pearl asked, puzzled.
“Oh, nothing—nothing at all,” Chloe said quickly, still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
Pearl shifted awkwardly. “Anyway, I should probably find an inn for the night. I don’t want to keep you from your work.”
Chloe shook her head firmly. “No, don’t be silly. Stay here tonight. By now all the inns will be packed, and besides, it’s dangerous for a young girl to walk alone this late. Too many desperate hoodlums out there.”💫
- Writer
