Prejudice

Prologue:

The river rats. Dreads of society, demons of the water, ship
devils. That's what everybody in Bordeaux thought about them. Lying on
the banks of the river Garonne, the city of Bordeaux was pray to all
boaters, river rats or not. They thought of these people as animals,
not unlike some of their fellow cities and towns. The citizens of
Bordeaux hated those towns where they now were accepting those of the
river. Change wasn't accepted. When the slight opportunity of
difference came around, the townspeople turned their backs. They were
happy this way.

Chapter 1-Boycott Immorality

Monday morning. Fog enveloped the city of Bordeaux in a thick
coating, making the air heavy, and the view cloudy. Dewdrops fell from
trees, and collected on blades of grass. It had been this way for
days, foggy and bleak. It was early in the morning, and the citizens
or Bordeaux were just waking. Through the mist, a boat pulled into the
dock. It wasn't a small boat, but neither was it big. This boat was
home to four people, two of whom didn't like to travel, but had lived
that way for years. To the other two, traveling was their life.

on the boat

"Mama! Is this Bordeaux?"

Vianne nodded and turned to her eldest daughter. "It is, Anouk.
Go get your father and your sister. Tell them they shouldn't be
sleeping at this hour."

Vianne grinned. Anouk ran to the other side of the ship where her
father Roux, and her adopted sister Sarah were sleeping together.

"Wake up!" She yelled. Roux jolted awake.

"Anouk," he said. "Is the business of your errand so
important that you had to wake your father?" She nodded. "Ah, it must
be. Tell me what it is." She giggled as he pulled her down on next to
him.

"We're in Bordeaux now, Papa. Mama says you shouldn't be
sleeping at this hour."

Roux smiled. "Does she now? Well, I'll have to go talk to
her and straighten her out, now won't I?" Anouk widened her eyes and
followed Roux to the other end of the boat.

"Anouk tells me you don't think I should be sleeping." He
said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Vianne laughed.

"No, I don't."

"Ah, and may I ask why not?"

Vianne smiled at him. "You may."

"Then, why not?" He kissed her on the cheek.

"Because, we're entering a new town and I think you should see
it."

Roux smirked. "Yes, and it would be terrible for me to miss
a few minutes of my new home, wouldn't it?" Vianne nodded.

"I'll go wake Sarah." He let go of Vianne and walked over to
Sarah.

"Wake up," He whispered, shaking her lightly. She opened her
eyes groggily.

"What is it Papa?"

"Don't you want to see Bordeaux?" He asked her. She sat up and
nodded vigorously.

"Look around." He waved his arm around him and his daughter.
She stared at her surroundings. Bordeaux was beautiful, with its stone houses and its tiled town square. Anouk jumped off the boat, followed by Sarah and Vianne. Roux took his time tying up the boat, and then joined his family ashore.

"Isn't it beautiful Papa?" Anouk said in awe.

"It is." He said flatly. The city didn't seem so inviting to
him. It reminded him of all the other towns where they boycotted
immorality. Not really immorality. Just the river rats, his family. It
was because of the boycott that his home had been destroyed, his
family lost, and his friends forgotten. He had to make a new home, new
family, and new friends from scratch. Vianne and her daughter were a
comfort for him and his four year old, but not enough of a comfort to
stop memories from coming back.

The foursome walked up the path until they reached the town
square. There, a few people opened their doors, windows, and shutters
to catch a glimpse at the new comers. Vianne kept her eyes on the
street, as did Roux. But the children were different. Anouk and Sarah
walked hand in hand, staring at the large buildings, mosaics and
shops.

"Pontouf would've loved this," Sarah reminded Anouk sadly.

"I know, but Pontouf is gone, and I don't miss him. He wanted
to be free."

Sarah didn't understand. She had met Anouk and Vianne a few months
ago, about five to be exact, and they were already a family. She had
loved Pontouf, but now he was gone. Anouk explained this to her a
million times, but she still didn't get it. How could he just leave?
Was it her fault that he left?

"You'll find another kangaroo, right? She asked Anouk. Anouk shook her head.

The family stopped walking when they heard shouts.

"You aren't welcome here! We saw the boat! They're river
rats!" Children were gathering around them, throwing fruits and
leftover bread.

"Hurry!" Roux pushed them to walk faster. They ran into an
abandoned barn, people pounding on the doors and the walls. "Another
town part of the Boycott Immorality group I see." He said
disdainfully. "We'll have to leave."

Vianne shook her head. "No, I changed one town, I can change another.
I'm not leaving until they give up. It's one or the other."

Roux sighed. "You're going to stick to this, aren't you?" He muttered.

Vianne smiled half-heartedly and walked towards the barn doors. "When
I'm done, there won't be any more Boycott Immorality to worry about." She said confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" Roux said, fingering Sarah's hair roughly.

"Because," She said. "Chocolate can work miracles."