* I don’t own Gundam Wing or any of the pilots, ect. Some of the characters throughout this story (such as Delsie) are mine.  If you would like to use them in one of your own stories, please email me and ask first.*

The Sweeper's Girl

by Kaliska

 

Prologue: Another Basket by the Door

AC 180

 

Rain splattered against the cracked pavement. An occasional lamp broke the harsh shadows and fought to hold the looming evil at bay. Among the darkened houses, a single church stood. Light shown through its windows onto the street, proclaiming the safety within its walls.

Click, click, click. A hooded figure peered from an alley. It cautiously shifted out of the alley, clutching a basket. Walking toward the church, the person paused under each shadow to make sure no one followed. A street lamp briefly illuminated the pale face of a young woman, before she could duck her head. She slipped up the church stairs and lay the basket by the doors. After arranging multiple loaves of bread inside the basket, she rang the bell and scurried back down the stairs.

Stealing through the shadows, the woman hastened down the street. Three blocks away, she slowed her pace and attempted to appear more casual. Tires screeched angrily, as a car spun out of an alley and headed straight for the woman. Throwing off her hooded coat, she ran down the sidewalk with her long, dark hair streaming behind her. Within seconds, the black car caught up to her. An impenetrable window rolled down slowly, and a gun appeared in the opening. As she reached for her concealed gun, two shots rang out; and the woman slumped to the ground.

The car stopped just ahead, and a tall man stepped out from the passenger side, followed by two others from the backseat. Standing over the dead woman, the first man nodded to the others. One bent down and roughly turned her over so the light shown down on her face. Big, dark-brown eyes stared unseeingly at the tall man. Her face was a mixture of surprise and hate, but no fear marred her expression.

With a sneer, the man slipped on some rubber gloves and rummaged through her pockets. After a few minutes, he stood up again and motioned to the others.

"She doesn’t have it." He said as they climbed back into the car. The driver spun off down the street and disappeared around the corner.

 

*******

 

At the Church

 

Just as the woman disappeared into the shadows, one of the church’s double doors opened. A girl dressed in plain white looked around with a puzzled expression, finding no one at the door. Her gaze drifted down to the basket lying beside the door. Her brow arched slightly. The girl picked up the basket, which was heavier than she expected; and stepped back into the church, closing the door behind her.

"What do you have there?" A sister asked the girl.

"Someone left it outside the door." She set it down carefully on one of the pews.

The sister removed the blanket on top, revealing several loaves of bread. "Now why would anyone leave a basket of food with no tag saying whom it was from?" One of the loaves moved slightly, drawing the women’s attention. Hurriedly, she removed the bread from the basket. A surprised gasp escaped from the girl before she could recover herself.

Nestled under the bread was a baby wrapped tightly in a thick blanket. Obviously getting too hot in the warm church, the baby had pushed against the bread attempting to escape from the blanket. The sister casually removed the blanket and sat back for a better view of the child.

"Another abandoned baby." She sighed sadly.

"Look how beautiful her dress is, sister." The girl marveled. She fingered the ornate silk dress. Feeling the slight tug on her dress, the baby girl stirred and opened her big, dark eyes. She glanced between the sister and girl curiously, before she started struggling to sit up.

The girl playfully shook the little hand that had attached itself to her finger. "Why would anyone abandon such a beautiful baby? Especially a rich family."

"What makes you think that her parents are rich?" The sister asked. "They could have easily stolen a silk dress."

"I don’t know. She just looks like the baby of a wealthy person." Noticing something around the baby’s neck, she asked, "What’s this?"

The sister gently pulled at a gold chain that hung around the child’s neck. The girl leaned closer. A gold charm appeared and rested on the sister’s hand. The charm was shaped like a wolf and had a sparkling diamond for its eye. This time it was the sister who breathed in deeply. She ran her finger across the charm and turned it over curiously. There was a name engraved on the back; however, the last name had been hurriedly scratched out and only an "M" was visible.

"Delsie Adriana M." She read quietly.