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agoldengalaxy · 1 month ago

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If It Was My Choice

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“I don’t expect you to stay with me,” Chloe continued calmly, “but I can’t leave her.” Nadine scoffed. “You barely know her.” She shook her head, gazing down at Meenu as she slept, her face still shining with tears, her breaths coming in soft congested puffs, her hand curled around the Ganesh pin. “Yes, I do,” she murmured. “She’s me.”

“Ugh, I can’t wait to get out of this jungle. I’m gonna take the longest shower of my life,” Sam groaned, rolling his shoulders slowly.

“Why wait?” Nadine asked, barely hiding her grin. “There’s a perfectly good river down there. God knows you need it.”

“Oh, ha, ha. You spend a few days with Chloe and suddenly you’re a comedian.” Casting a fake annoyed glance over at Chloe, he shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

Chloe smiled, genuinely, just taking in the moment as they walked. Leave it to several near-death experiences to ensure the two people who hated each other yesterday could at least tolerate each other today.

While they walked, Nadine held the Tusk carefully, watching it sparkle in the setting sun. “So, what’s first for you, then, Chloe? I hope you say ‘shower’ too.”

“For your information, I smell like roses,” she insisted, feigning hurt. “But no. Actually, I have a promise to keep.”

Sam and Nadine both glanced at her. She smiled.

***

The marketplace was bustling, this time with less of a nervous energy than the last time she was here. Some of the passersby watched the three of them as they stepped through the crowd, no doubt looking at their still-fresh wounds.

No one stopped them, though, and Chloe came upon the small shop she had visited before. Slowly, she stepped inside, surprised to find it seemingly empty. A bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, for a moment. Just because Asav was gone, it didn’t mean all the danger would have disappeared with him.

Suddenly, an excited voice filled the air. “You’re back!”

Chloe turned, finding the little girl she had met all those days ago, standing by the opposite entrance to the tent. She wore a huge smile, like she wasn’t actually expecting her to return. She rushed forward, her eyes sparkling.

“Ah, well, we made a deal, didn’t we?” Chloe asked nonchalantly, not bothering to hide the smile in return. “It’s good to see you again, kid. And, ah, look. My friend…s.” She gestured to Nadine and Sam, who were staring with a sort of shocked look on their faces.

“You found them!” she exclaimed, positively giddy. “So getting on that truck helped you!”

Chloe smiled softly. “That’s right. And it’s all thanks to you.”

The kid beamed proudly, looking up at Nadine. “My name is Meenu. I like your hair.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Nadine blinked, perhaps a bit stiffly. Chloe supposed it didn’t surprise her very much that Nadine wasn’t quite sure how to talk to children. “I’m Nadine. It’s nice to meet you.”

Sam shifted his weight, seemingly about to burst with questions, but decided instead to crouch down to Meenu’s level. “Now, what have we got here?” he asked, leaning forward. He placed a hand beside her ear, and when he pulled his hand back, he was holding a small bill. “Ah! Rupees behind your ear!”

“That was terrible,” Meenu giggled, reaching up to snatch the bill from him, which he let happen. “I know it was hiding in your hand.”

“You still liked it,” Sam insisted with a grin, standing up. “I’m Sam. Now what’s this deal Chloe’s been going on about?”

Lighting up again, Meenu stuffed the bill into her pocket, looking expectantly up at Chloe. “Pizza!”

“That’s right, kid. A deal’s a deal, and I’m starving.”

“Wait. You are bleeding.” Meenu pointed at Chloe’s right bicep. Her left arm was sticky with dried blood, but her right arm was still slowly bleeding, the gash much deeper than she had realized. “And you are too!” She pointed up at the spot above Nadine’s right eyebrow.

“Ah. So we are.” Chloe sighed. “I don’t suppose you have any bandages?”

Meenu grinned slyly. “For four hundred rupees.”

“Man, she’s good,” Sam mused quietly. Nadine smirked, perhaps at the look on Chloe’s face.

“Can’t I get that half price?” Chloe asked, placing her hands on her hips. “I am buying dinner, after all.”

Giggling, Meenu darted into the back room, returning a moment later with a box. “Sit down.” Knowing better than to argue, Chloe sat on the floor, and the girl opened the box, fishing through it, seemingly not actually interested in taking more money from them, at least at the moment.

As she pulled out an antiseptic and roll of bandages, Nadine raised a brow. “Now, where did you learn how to dress wounds?”

“My father,” she answered proudly. “He taught me how, so that when he comes back from fighting the rebels, we can help people who need it.”

Chloe pretended not to feel Sam and Nadine’s stares. She smiled, watching the girl work. “You’re pretty remarkable, Meenu.”

A soft blush rose to her cheeks as she continued wrapping her arm, trying to hide her smile as she did so. After a few moments, she sat back. “There!”

Flexing her arm, Chloe nodded approvingly. “Perfect. It’ll be all fixed up before I know it. Alright, Nadine, your turn. Sam, let’s go get that pizza.”

“But -”

“Ah, ah. No more crappy magic tricks. Let’s let the kid do her thing, yeah?”

Grumbling to himself, Sam didn’t argue further as Nadine took a seat on the floor, looking quite uncomfortable with the situation. Chloe sent her an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and together, she and Sam set out.

***

An hour or so later, they sat out by the docks, listening to Meenu’s radio, eating a surprisingly good pizza. Sam, his hand now bandaged, insisting that he agreed about taking the moral high ground with the Tusk, but begging they at least get something out of it. He hadn’t touched any pizza yet, and he was yammering on while Chloe and Nadine simply ignored him.

Eventually, Meenu picked up an extra slice, holding it out to him expectantly. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

Grumbling something under his breath, Sam surprisingly didn’t say any more on the matter and took the slice from the kid, angrily taking a bite. Immediately, his face changed to one of quiet surprise, like he hadn’t been expecting it to be good.

But after days of not eating anything, how could it be anything else?

Once the box was empty, Meenu hopped to her feet, looking between the three of them. “Will you stay here tonight?” she asked, hopefulness lacing her tone. “I told you I have a spare bed! Three hundred rupees!”

Chloe glanced at Nadine, who met her gaze. Her eyes were their usual determined brown, like she’d follow whatever decision she made. Sam didn’t quite have that look, but he shrugged a shoulder.

“Alright, kid. Just for the night, ‘kay? We’ve got to figure out how we’re getting back home.” Chloe reached forward, ruffling her hair gently.

Really, she would have preferred doing it tonight, but her heart ached for this child, running a store much too big for her, begging a woman she just met for company, putting herself in danger for that woman. The least they could do was be there, and hope that her father would return soon.

Though, with each passing hour, she was beginning to feel less and less optimistic.

Not much time later, the four of them stood in the tiny room in the back. There were two beds, one in each of the furthest corners. One was covered with colorful blankets, hastily unmade. The other was so plain it was almost sad to compare the two, with a simple, thin white blanket on top of the mattress.

“Now that you’re back,” Meenu mused, somewhat mischievously as she glanced at Chloe, “can you tell me about your adventure?”

“Oh, dear, I’m afraid that wasn’t part of the deal,” Chloe replied dramatically.

“We’ll tell you if you give us a hundred rupees,” Nadine added, nudging Chloe’s shoulder.

Meenu smirked, shaking her head as she stepped up to Sam. “How about you, hm? Will you tell me?”

“I don’t know, kid…I’m not much of a storyteller. Definitely not for free.” He paused, then knelt down to her level. “But, there was this car. Chloe was a terrible driver, really, she should have let me take the wheel. Here, hop on, I’ll show you.”

She looked at him skeptically for a moment, then up at Chloe and Nadine, who were both trying not to laugh. Meenu hopped onto Sam’s back, her slim arms clasping around his neck as he stood up like she weighed nothing.

“Aha, here we are, riding through the jungle. Whitewater!” He jostled her to the side as he walked around, and she shrieked with laughter, holding on tighter.

Nadine leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. “Didn’t take him to be good with kids,” she said, perhaps a little surprised.

Chloe stepped back to stand beside her, sticking her hands into her pockets as they watched the two of them play. “Me neither,” she replied honestly, “but he’s got the mind of one, anyway.”

Chuckling, Nadine turned her gaze to Chloe, her eyes roving up and down as if to give her a once-over. “Are you okay?”

“Well, yes, thanks to Meenu here, I’m all patched up,” she joked, very much aware that that was not what her friend was asking about. At the look on Nadine’s face, she sighed, moving just a little closer, lowering her voice. “This child’s father volunteered to go fight. He left her here, all alone.”

“And it…reminds you of your father, does it?”

Chloe had been thinking that, of course, but hearing it aloud sort of felt like a punch in the face. “Well, yes. A little.”

“And then, crash!” Sam tossed Meenu onto the colorful bed, who was dissolving into a fit of laughter. “Hit a tree. I mean, honestly, terrible skills behind the wheel.”

“Oi, Meenu, don’t you believe this man’s lies,” Chloe exclaimed, pointing at him with an amused smile on her face. “I did nothing of the sort.”

Scoffing, Nadine stepped forward. “Maybe not trees, but plenty of rocks. And tree roots. And old ruins. And rushing water. And -”

“Okay, okay! We get it!”

***

The next morning, Chloe woke up with a terrible ache in her neck.

Early morning light peeked through the gaps in the tent, quiet birds tweeting somewhere far away. She was sitting on the colorful bed, her head leaned back against the wall, and something warm beside her. When she glanced down, she found Meenu, her cheek squished up against Chloe’s arm, breaths coming in soft puffs through her slightly open mouth. Despite herself, Chloe smiled, reaching with her other hand to gently move some of the hair from her face. She was a cute kid, she’d give her that.

Chloe lifted her gaze, and on her opposite side, Nadine was sitting right beside her, their shoulders touching, her arms folded over her chest as she slept. She didn’t think she’d ever seen her so relaxed. The way the warm light caressed her cheeks made Chloe think she looked like an angel. She always thought she was pretty, but now, when she was sure Nadine wouldn’t punch her for it, she felt her heart do a somersault in her chest.

Across the room, Sam was sprawled out on the other bed, snoring quietly. It took Chloe a moment to realize that there was a white blanket placed over their laps, which was definitely taken from Sam’s bed. He must have covered them with it.

For as much as he said he didn’t care, he sure seemed to have a kind heart.

She glanced toward the entrance to the store, glad to see it was probably still too early for any potential customers. Just as she was thinking about her conversation with Nadine the night before, a young man burst through the opening in the tent, dressed in uniform and looking a mixture of nervous and surprised at the amount of people in the room.

“Oh. Um, good morning,” he said in Hindi as he met Chloe’s gaze for a moment. His voice immediately woke Nadine, who was on her feet and pumped full of adrenaline in seconds. The man held his hands up in a surrender motion, and, perhaps seeing how young and scared he looked, Nadine huffed and took a step back. The man took this as his opportunity to continue. “I am…looking…” Seeing that the women weren’t locals, and didn’t understand him, he lowered his hand, holding it parallel to the floor about hip length.

As if on cue, Meenu sat up slowly, rubbing at her eyes. She squinted at the soldier, who looked rather relieved to see the person he was looking for, and slid out of bed. She asked him a question in Hindi that Chloe couldn’t translate, and he asked a question in turn. She nodded, then glanced at Nadine and Chloe. “This man fights rebels with my father,” she explained, smiling a little. “I’ll be right back.”

Meenu stepped out of the tent with the soldier, and Nadine’s shoulders sagged a little. She picked up a nearby pillow and threw it at Sam, who immediately sat up in a panic. “Ow! What the hell? What was that for?!”

“Wake up,” Nadine replied boredly, turning to Chloe who moved to stand, still staring at the opening in the tent. “The kid’s out with a soldier right now.”

“I have a terrible feeling about it,” Chloe murmured, wondering why it felt like her heart was in her throat.

Nadine turned, her eyes softening as she took a step closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “She’ll be okay,” she insisted. “That boy won’t hurt her. Especially not with us right here.”

Smiling wryly, Chloe shook her head. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

Sam stood up, stretching his arms above his head with a quiet groan. “Maybe her dad’s coming back. So we can start thinking about how we’re gonna -”

A loud yell from outside cut him off. Without thinking much of it, Chloe immediately found herself running. Outside of the tent, Meenu was shouting in frantic Hindi, trying desperately to punch and kick the soldier, who was standing rather rigidly. Much to Chloe’s surprise, in the morning sunlight, Meenu’s face glistened with tears.

“Whoa, whoa,” she exclaimed, kneeling down beside the child, “why are we hitting the nice man, hm?”

Wide, tearful eyes met hers, and she stopped attacking for a moment, clearly surprised to find that Chloe had followed her. “He…” She choked on a sob, stumbling over her words. “He said…m-my father is gone…”

The soldier, probably not much older than eighteen, clenched his jaw. Chloe exhaled slowly, then turned to look back at the Meenu, feeling her heart ache. She remembered this so clearly. She had been this girl once, and she remembered that feeling so vividly. Her heart ached. Sam and Nadine emerged from the tent, silently taking in the scene before them.

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear,” Chloe said softly, “but this man isn’t the bad guy, okay? So let’s see what else he has to say. I’m right here with you.”

Tearfully, Meenu’s gaze searched Chloe’s face, as if looking for answers. Then her gaze lifted to see Nadine and Sam, and the sight of the three of them seemed to embolden her. She sniffled and looked up at the soldier. Through a broken voice, Meenu asked him something in Hindi.

With a shaky hand, the soldier pulled something from his pocket and knelt down to Meenu’s level, holding it out to her. It was a small gold pin that Chloe immediately recognized as Ganesh. Meenu’s eyes widened in surprise.

The soldier said something. Chloe was able to piece together the words ‘found’ and ‘hat.’ He continued talking while Meenu gently took the Ganesh pin from the man, holding it in both hands while her shoulders shook. The man saluted, turned, and walked off.

Nobody seemed to move for hours, until finally, Meenu looked up, tears streaming down her face. Her hair was coming loose from its ponytail, wispy, dirty strands framing her face, her eyes already completely bloodshot. Her hand curled around the pin. “Chloe,” she choked, seemingly unable to string her thoughts together. “He is…”

Chloe couldn’t stand the sight anymore. She reached forward, pulling the kid into a gentle hug. Almost immediately, Meenu latched onto her, holding on tight while her small body shook with emotions that should have been much too big for her. “There, there,” Chloe murmured, glancing over her shoulder at Sam and Nadine, who were still watching with set jaws and shocked eyes.

“What will I do?” Meenu suddenly cried, tightening her grip on Chloe’s shoulder.

Instinctively, Chloe tightened her hold, too. She pressed her lips together, then gently pulled the girl back, reaching up to tuck some of the loose hair behind her ear. “I told you when we met, if it was my choice, I wouldn’t leave you here alone.” She tried to smile, moving her hand back to her shoulder. “We’ll figure something out, okay?”

Somehow, Meenu managed a watery smile. This kid was strong as iron, Chloe thought, as she stood up and offered her hand to her. Meenu’s hand curled around Chloe’s, and together, they walked back toward the tent. Chloe made eye contact with Nadine, shaking her head slightly.

Nadine pressed her lips together. Sam had nothing smart to say.

***

“I’m staying with her.”

The room had been silent for about an hour, no one daring to speak while the girl continued to cry. Chloe was the first to break it when she was certain that Meenu had fallen asleep, pulling the blankets over her gently.

“What?” Nadine immediately spoke, the word short and sharp and angry. Chloe turned around, meeting her familiar, fiery gaze.

“I don’t expect you to stay with me,” she continued calmly, “but I can’t leave her.”

Nadine scoffed. “You barely know her.”

Chloe shook her head, gazing down at the little girl, her face still shining with tears, her breaths coming in soft congested puffs, her hand still curled around the Ganesh pin. “Yes, I do,” she murmured. “She’s me.”

The words hung heavy in the air. Quiet steps seemed to echo in her ears as Nadine came closer, peering down at the girl. “...This was how it felt for you, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She sniffled, lifting her gaze to Nadine. “At least I had someone else. I had my mother. Meenu has no one. Within days, I’m sure she will be taken into the system.”

“Don’t you think it will be better that way?”

“Maybe. But the system is just as terrible here as it is everywhere else. She won’t find a family, not with the city still torn apart by the war.”

For the first time since they’d met, Nadine seemed lost. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “…We were going to be partners.”

Without really thinking, Chloe took one of Nadine’s hands. “We still can be,” she insisted, “stay here with me. The kid’s got decent technique, with a little practice we can still find treasure together.”

Before Nadine could reply, Sam entered the room again, having taken a step out to have a cigarette. He looked at them, then their hands as the two of them hastily let go. He cleared his throat. “Some more soldiers came by. One of ‘em spoke English, told me they’re gonna have to shut down this shop.”

“What?” Chloe blinked. “Why?”

“Payments are behind. And they know the kid’s on her own now. I think they’re gonna come by tomorrow morning to take her to the nearest orphanage.”

“I don’t want to go!”

Surprised, they turned to see Meenu sitting up in bed, unsure of how much she’d heard. She hopped to her feet, looking between the three of them with a desperation on her face they’d never seen before.

Before Chloe could say anything, Nadine sighed softly, shaking her head. “We’re not gonna let them take you, kid.”

“That’s right,” Sam agreed, perhaps a little more enthusiastically than Chloe was expecting. “You deserve better than an orphanage.”

Meenu’s shoulders relaxed as she ran at Nadine, hugging her legs. Nadine stiffened in surprise, seemingly forcing herself to move in some way, patting the girl’s head lightly.

“Meenu,” Chloe prompted quietly, “I’m not sure we’ll be able to keep the shop.”

Slowly, she pulled away from Nadine, rubbing one of her eyes. “...That is alright. I never really got many customers anyway.” She looked up at Chloe expectantly. “Did you mean what you said? Will you take me treasure hunting?”

Taken aback, Chloe blinked, then knelt down to her level. “After some practice,” she replied, smiling a little as she poked her nose. “But you know that means we won’t always be able to stay in India.”

“Okay.”

Chloe stood up, and much to her surprise, Nadine stepped closer, their shoulders almost touching. “I will teach you how to fight.”

“I’ll teach ya how to smoke,” Sam added, but when Nadine and Chloe glared at him, he held up his hands in a surrender motion. “Whoa! Felt like the room just got colder. It was just a joke!”

Meenu smiled for the first time since she’d gotten the news. “Thank you.”

They were all ready to navigate the unknown.

***

Four months later, Chloe stood in her small bathroom, pulling her hair up into a ponytail, as she reminisced. She never thought she would be back to living in India after all this time. She wondered what her father would think now.

She stepped out of the bathroom, finding Nadine and Meenu sitting across from each other on the floor. Meenu was holding flashcards made for children, holding up pictures for Nadine, who struggled to remember the word for it in Hindi for a moment before exclaiming the right answer. Meenu giggled.

“Practicing, are we?” Chloe mused, smiling a little as she walked over to them, pressing a kiss to the top of Nadine’s head. “How’s it going, kid?”

“Mmm, I would give her a sixty percent.”

“Sixty?!” Nadine cried, feigning hurt through a smile. “C’mon, at least a seventy-five.”

Meenu smirked. “Seventy.”

Chloe laughed, placing her hands on her hips. “Ooh, you sure know how to negotiate. Seems like you’re learning fast.”

Beaming proudly, Meenu got to her feet, reaching up. Chloe rolled her eyes, smiled, and flexed her arm, and the kid hopped up to hang off of it, like they did often. Nadine brushed herself off, getting to her feet. “One day you’ll be too big for that.”

“Yes, but not yet!” Suddenly, the doorbell to their small apartment rang. Meenu let go of Chloe’s arm. “Yes! Finally, he’s here!”

She rushed toward the door, throwing it open. Sam stood there, pulling his sunglasses up onto his head as he knelt down. “Whoa, is that…? No way! This can’t be Meenu. Look how big you are!” Giggling, she jumped up onto his back, and he straightened up with a groan, stepping inside. “Hello, ladies. Keepin’ out of trouble?”

“More than you, I’m sure, Sam,” Chloe laughed, shaking her head. “It’s been a while. How’s Sully?”

“Visiting Nathan,” he answered, smiling a little. “I’m gonna join him, but I had to make this pit stop first. We’ve been chasing after this treasure for the last month and have gotten nowhere.”

Nadine smirked, raising a brow. “So, you need our help?”

“I wouldn’t say need.”

“Yes, you would,” Meenu laughed, putting her hands over Sam’s eyes.

Sam huffed a heavy sigh, peeking through the kid’s fingers. “So, are you in?”

Chloe and Nadine exchanged a look. The former smiled. “I’ll make us some tea. Come tell us about this treasure.”

In the small apartment, they spent the night looking at maps, journals, and catching up. It was an unorthodox family, but it was one nonetheless.

#uncharted #uncharted the lost legacy #chloe frazer #nadine ross #samuel drake #chlodine #meenu #I loved meenu. I wanted to see more of her #she's gonna be the new nathan drake. to me #my writing #agoldengalaxy #my post

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