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Before setting foot in Byzantium, Felix gave Mara the low down. Marble mansions, gold shitters, plastic smiles. She nodded, listening to Felix got slightly off the rails in his plans for the city in the coming revolution. Mara barely noticed Ellie leaning against the airlock waiting to talk to her.
"I want to ask you a favor, Mara."
"What's up?"
"I want to see my folks, been a long time. Figure it's time."
"Ha! I knew it, sure. Let's see the ol high school photos of Ellie."
"Perfect, and wear an outfit you haven't washed yet. I got a whole thing."
Mara glanced at Felix, "oh I get it, making them fall on the fainting couch cause you friends that ain't went to finishing school."
"Oh, perfect. Keep talking like that around them!"
Byzantium was bigger than she imagined, reminding her of those large homes looming above the rest of Los Angeles. Ellie seemed offended that Felix agreed with Mara saying she could tell she was a Byzantine. Sometimes the way rich people carry themselves sticks with them, the way everyone was carrying themselves here. Mara wasn't really one for letting rich people get to her, but they sure kept whispering about her appearance. Ellie stopped them outside a large mansion, prepping her and Felix for their roles.
Mara flashed Felix a look. Let's raid their liquor cabinet. He nodded his chin towards the many cabinets inside, slipping a couple of bottles into his jacket. Mara swiped a carton of cigarettes, kicking her heel on the marble floors. The disappointed look in Ellie's parents reminded Mara of her own mother, always disappointed in seeing her arrive home from school.
They played their parts, spitting on the floor and blowing smoke into her parents’ faces. Felix seemed to relish in it more than Mara, she was expecting to run from cops any minute. Felix was bold enough to grab the bottle from her father to take a swig from. Things started going downhill from there.
"What do you mean, declare me dead?"
"Marilyn, please don't cause a scene, the neighbors will hear."
Mara took that as her cue to drop a vase on the floor, causing Ellie's mother to cover her mouth in shock. Ellie wasn't happy.
"Let's just leave. They'll never hear from me again."
Outside the house, Ellie sank to the stoop. Mara and Felix sat on either side of her, offering her their plunder. She didn't laugh.
"I did everything they wanted me to do, you know?"
Mara shrugged, she didn't know. But she knew bad parents. So, she offered to light Ellie's cigarette as they sat there awhile longer.
"They'd probably call those guards on us, let's get out of here. I know a place to drink."
"I'm saying this in a don't feel bad way, but at least you grew up here," Felix said.
Ellie smirked, "what's that line about gilded cages?"
They shook their heads, causing Ellie to shrug. She turned to Mara, "what's your tragic backstory then?"
She laughed, "never knew my dad. Mom was an addict, state took all the kids away except me. Since I wasn't born till way after. Her mom really raised me, when I was like ten? Then you know, wanted mom to like me. She never did, you know how it goes."
She watched Ellie’s reaction, she remembered in college a classmate pitied her for such a life. She didn’t expect from a community college English class of all places to cry, Mara didn’t this time. Mara pushed the thought from her brain, offering a hand.
“You have a very unique opportunity; my parents are dead, Felix don’t got any. But you? You get to stick them both in a home, a shitty one.”
Ellie laughed hard, “maybe I can do something to make them get jobs for once in their lives.”
”Make them do a 30 minute shift at my old job,” Felix said smiling.
”They could get a nice job as a line holder.”
”No shit? That’s a thing?”
Ellie nodded.
”Fuck, I’d rather do that job than be a cashier. I already stand all day.”
Felix laughed at that, “fuck em.”
Ellie cheered to that.
”You wanna know what I do when I’m sad and pissed? Throw bottle at walls.”
”I think I can handle that,” Ellie said.
Mara grinned, heading towards a bar from Ellie’s medical school days. Mara only ever did one year, and they discovered Felix never even went. They saluted their versions of school, sneaking bottles to the alley way.
”We’ll either way 10-12 weeks for a ticket, or someone will faint at the sight.”
Mara threw the first bottle, “let’s find out.”
They began shouting things that upset them. Parents, fake deaths, shit jobs, divorce. Anyone who witnessed such destruction hurried away in fear, causing them to cackle like villains in a serial.
“This is for saying I wear heels!”
Smash.
”Six seasons and a fucking movie!”
Smash.
”I want to take a fucking bubble bath!”
Smash.
They ran out of bottles, and started feeling the things they chugged. They hugged each other and laughed in a huddle. Ellie the first one to let go, leaving Mara to lean against Felix.
”How’d you know I was from here anyway, Mara?”
She smiled,”you wear white, too clean.”
She chuckled back at Mara, shaking her head. Motioning them all to walk away, Mara considered smashing a window, just to complete it. Instead they walked toward their ship, Ellie hatching a plan to change her life insurance benefactor. Mara nodded along, she figured it was time to graduate to white collar crime.
“Is it weird to consider you guys my friends?”
They shook their head, causing Ellie to grumble.
“I don’t make habits of it, but I rather not owe you both a debt.”
”Aw c’mon El, you can do both.”
”Especially not you Felix.”
Mara whispered into his ear, “got her ass.”
He giggled, they had a bet to see who would call them a friend first, Ellie or Max. One of the many bets going on between the crew. Mara was pretty pleased to win that one.