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akaaka04 · 6 years

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To Unknowingly Get to You

Did y’all know today’s a national holiday? It’s someone’s birthday. owob

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @hidewari!!!! AS OF TODAY, YOU ARE NO LONGER A CURSED BOY! You are... an omen man™. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

In the bustling center of downtown Tokyo, a young man in a hand-me-down, yellow hoodie dashes across a parked car to evade the police officer chasing after him. The police officer's shouts of “Stop, thief!” fall on deaf ears as the more agile, much faster, man zooms past gasping citizens with a victorious smile on his face. The police officer trips on a crack in the sidewalk and loses his balance, his arms flailing every which way as he desperately reaches for something to grab onto to prevent from smacking face first onto hard concrete. A nasty THUD sounds behind the criminal’s earshot and he uses this gained opportunity to pick up the pace and turn into an alleyway.

He yelps in surprise when he almost collides into someone coming out of the alleyway and quickly spins on his heel to maneuver around them, but not gracefully enough to not stumble. The criminal lands on his butt, and several bread rolls fall from his pockets. Some aren’t salvageable, having landed in puddles of either rain water from the day before or mystery liquids that seep out from dirty dumpster bins along the walls. The man curses and snaps his head around to glare at the person who ruined his clean get-away only to be met with piercingly blue eyes.

He’s taken aback by the intensity of those eyes, wondering if the person attached to them is staring into his soul or seeing right through him. He blinks and realizes after several seconds that he's locked eyes with a tall, tan skinned woman— a rather pretty one at that. She clutches onto a brown, paper bag full of groceries, having almost dropped it from their near collision. She glances from him to the soggy bread rolls crumbling away at her feet, then back to him. His stomach grumbles loud enough for her to hear, and a frown crosses her features. The police officer that had been chasing him blows a whistle, alerting the criminal that he’s wasted too much time staring at a pretty girl— his one of two weaknesses.

The woman puts two and two together, and to the thief’s surprise, the woman nods her head to the back of a dumpster. Was she… suggesting for him to hide…? He listens for the sound of the police officer’s approaching footsteps to gauge whether or not he should book it or take the woman’s advice, but unfortunately, she makes the decision for him. She drags him by the collar and plops him behind some black garbage bags, raising a finger to her lips to silence him as she stages the crime scene.

She quickly drops some carrots and a leek on the ground just as the police officer rounds the corner in a huff. His nose is heavily bruised and slightly twisted from his fall. He eyes the woman suspiciously when he notices the same bread rolls the thief was carrying by her feet.

“Did you see a man in a yellow sweater come running through here, ma’am? He’s well known around these parts for stealing from food markets and convenience stores.”

The woman’s eyes widen in feigned disbelief. She shakes her head to answer the officer’s question. “What does he steal, if I may ask?” The woman’s voice is calm and collected and… warm, the thief notes. It leaves him feeling… strange, and he’s not sure what to make of that.

“Food of all kinds," the officer replies. "He has an affinity for baked goods from a pastry shop a few blocks away. Much like the ones you see here.”

The woman shifts her weight from one foot to the other and shakes her head again. “Must’ve been after I got here, then. Because if I’d seen him, he’d have stolen my groceries after dropping all of his goodies. Don’t you think?”

The officer considers her hypothetical and nods in agreement. He warns her to stay vigilant and to report the repeat offender should she cross paths with him in the future. She agrees with a friendly smile, and the officer calls for his buddies to keep a lookout for the thief as he turns to leave. She breathes a sigh of relief and whispers that it’s safe to come out now, but when she looks behind the dumpster, the thief is gone. She hopes he didn’t drop all of his dinner and wonders if she’ll see him again. She walks home thinking about him and how she can’t shake the feeling she’s met him somewhere before. She finds that odd.

*****

It’s raining the next time he sees her again. He’s chosen to sleep in a slide at a park unknowingly near where she works, looking for unwanted scraps tossed aside precariously when he finds a half-eaten sandwich in a trash can. He snatches it up and rushes for cover under a gazebo just as it starts to pour, and who does he bump into? Her, having clocked out of work and also running for cover from the rain. The newspaper she used to shield her head from the rain is thinning and ripping apart, so they're stranded together until the rain lets up again. She thinks it’s a small world to have found him again; he thinks it’s shameful to have her see him at two of his lowest points.

He stands as far away from her as possible, only now remembering how badly he must smell to her. His hair is greasy, his hoodie and long-sleeved undershirt are both drenched with sweat and rain water, and his pants are baggy and ripped in several places. And yet, she shows not the slightest sign of discomfort. Either she's not repulsed by the sight of him, or she's a convincing actress. She’s wearing a long, black coat today that shows off her petite figure and if he were in better spirits, he’d be charming her to the moon and back. He fidgets anxiously and considers making a run for the nearest tree to avoid her, but she quickly digs into her purse and fishes out a granola bar and an uneaten banana she couldn’t finish from her lunch.

She places both on a wooden bench at the center of the gazebo and smiles apologetically for not having much else. As if she owed him something more. He wonders if she's being generous to him out of pity or actual kindness. He's never been one to deny free food, however, and doesn't hesitate to snatch her offerings and bolt back to the slide he's made home for the night without another word. She whispers a "you're welcome" under her breath and sits under the gazebo to listen to the heavy fall of the rain on the wooden roof above her head. She's always loved it when it rains, but tonight's shower storm feels bittersweet. She wonders why.

*****

He's starting to get uncomfortable with how many times she pops into his head, whether by his own doing or not. He's dreamt of her twice since their last encounter, making it four times total that he's dreamt of her since first meeting her. The first time she appeared in his dreams, she had manifested as... a black dog or wolf with those same, blue, piercing eyes of hers and he had no idea how or why he knew it was her. He'd wracked his brain over and over again with what little memories he had left and couldn't come up with anything logical.

The second time she appeared in his dreams, she was still in her dog/wolf form but was accompanied by an old man. The old man kept her tied to a leash with a studded collar, and god was that infuriating to see. She was so loyal and kind to the geezer that it felt... wrong. She didn't deserve to be kept as a pet. She deserved to be free to live a life she wanted. The thief remembered trying to convince her to ditch her "owner" in his dream, but she stubbornly refused, claiming he was all she'd ever known and that he was family. The thief woke up from this dream feeling determined he'd try and change her mind another night.

The third dream started off well, with him and her standing on a bridge together overlooking the sun set. The air was warm, and they were mostly silent and enjoying each other's company. He turned to look at her, to tell her she was a wild animal and that all animals belonged in nature, but he got distracted by the way she longingly smiled into the distance. A mix of sadness and possible homesickness was etched into her features, and he was captivated by her to the point that he forgot about what he'd wanted to say. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. The thief only realized a second later that it wasn't her who was the problem-- it was him.

He couldn't hear suddenly, and panic bubbled up in his chest as he watched the image of her fade and warp away from him. His surroundings turned to black and disintegrated into ash before him; incomprehensible images of people he didn't know flashed before him far too quickly for him to understand what was going on, and when he tried to scream, he couldn't. He could feel his throat burn as if he was screaming, which only helped in making him freak out even more. When he woke up, it was almost dawn and he was either sweating buckets from fear or had been sobbing. Or both.

He couldn't remember what the last dream of her had been about-- only that he'd been startled from sleep feeling hollow inside and heartbroken...

*****

He makes it a habit to duck his face while out searching for another meal or a place to rest his head for the night just in case he bumps into her again. Things would be awkward now that she's infiltrated his head space. He'd seen her in passing on one too many occasions and was ravaged by the onslaught of emotions he'd been given from what he now called nightmares. Every time he was-- for lack of a better word-- triggered, he was overcome with grief and an aching head so much so that he'd stagger and feel like the wind was knocked out of him.

On one occasion, he'd fainted from how overwhelmed he'd gotten over her and only came to when a stray dog came over to challenge him for his bed. It would take him several moments to regain his composure and even longer for his head to stop throbbing, so he gave in to the dog's demands and scampered away without complaint.

On particularly rough days, he'd completely ignore his hunger pains and couldn't even bring himself to sit up. It was on one particularly rough day after weeks of having successfully avoided her that she ended up finding him. She'd stumbled upon him per chance while out on a run around a small park. She looked so relieved to see him again until she noticed he was scrunched up into a ball, panting heavily and red-faced. His mousey-brown hair stuck to his face as sweat visibly poured down his forehead and neck.

Her relieved mood changed in an instant as she sprinted across the street-- almost getting hit by a car in the process-- and immediately knelt beside him to press her hand to his forehead. He was burning up with a high fever, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused as she gently cradled his head in her arms. She called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital and rode along with him, her worried gaze never leaving his face. She wasn't allowed to go with him into the ER once the paramedics had wheeled him inside, but she'd be damned if her help for him would only go this far.

She frequently asked the nurses on call what his status was until one of them got fed up with her and shooed her away. She came back an hour later, having called off from work and gone to a flower shop to pick up balloons and flowers in retaliation. One of the nurses, after much convincing, took pity on the blue-eyed woman and let her through to the thief's room. He had accidentally eaten a poisoned snack meant to kill the rats in desperation to have something, anything, to eat and had almost died.

The blue-eyed woman almost burst into tears once the nurse finally left them alone together, taking in the scene of him being hooked up to machines somewhat poorly. The blue-eyed woman tip-toed to his bedside and reached out to tuck him snuggly under the covers after setting his gifts aside, needing a distraction to prevent herself from sobbing on the spot. Perhaps it had been a while, but she didn't remember him being this handsome up close. She was about to sit in the chair provided for her when he weakly began to mumble "Blue... Blue..."

She froze, her body stopping an inch above her seat as she held her breath in anticipation. When he went silent again, she pondered why, of all things, he'd subconsciously chosen to say that.

*****

She went to visit him every day for as long as she could for weeks after that, putting up a great fight with the nurses to let her through each and every time. He'd been starving himself for days before ingesting the rat poison, she'd found out, and couldn't begin to imagine what he'd gone through to do that to himself. She chose to talk to him about her day while he slept, to help him forget about his hardships even if only for a little while. She figured she could've read a book to him instead or let him listen to some calming music, but sharing bits of her life with him felt... right. Like she was talking with a friend. She knew how dangerous this must’ve sounded to anyone rational, and she’d agree with them.

She wasn’t sure how she knew he could be trusted-- she just did.

*****

The one time she’s late to go see him, he’s not in his assigned place. She asks a nurse if he’s been discharged, and when the nurse says “no,” her fear rises. Had he left the hospital still feeling sick? Was he just well enough to survive on the streets again? She immediately regretted taking him here, thinking he’d probably run away for fear of being unable to pay the medical costs. She curses in frustration and hops from nurse to nurse, begging them to help her find him. The nurses do the best they can, but with no name registered on his records, the search proves unsuccessful. The blue-eyed woman is just about to lose hope when a doctor comes down the hallway and recognizes her.

“You’re here for that homeless kid, right? Brown hair, brown eyes? Yellow hoodie?”

“Yes! Yes, I am! Where is he? No one seemed to know where he’d been transferred to.” She replies, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

“He’s over in the B wing, down this hall and to your right. He seems to call for you in his sleep.” The doctor smirks playfully when she stutters out a “me?”

“It’s good that he’s finally made a friend. Poor kid’s been wandering the streets for years and doesn’t even know who he is.”

She feels her heart sink to the soles of her feet and bites her lip in an effort not to cry. The doctor waves for her to follow him towards the receptionist’s desk.

“You come here so often that I’m gonna certify you as his official visitor. Does that sound ok?”

She nods and thanks him graciously, writing ANA where she’s instructed on the sign-in sheet and on a name tag. Ana follows the doctor’s instructions to his room and hesitates at the door when she hears a flush from the toilet inside.

He’s awake. She hadn’t prepared herself for this part. She inhales deeply and listens for the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing and the sound of his bare feet padding against the linoleum floor as he gets back into bed. Ana counts to three and knocks quietly on the door twice, jumping slightly when she hears him say, “Come in.” His voice still sounds a little tired, but it also sounds... calm. Ana slides his door open and shut behind her, waiting to see how he’ll react now that he knows it’s her. She hears him gasp before she picks up her head to see him, and the room suddenly grows silent.

He’s sitting upright in bed with his hands folded in his lap, staring at her owlishly. She can tell from here that he’s regained some color to his cheeks. He’s showered for probably the first time in months, his hair combed and spiked up instead of its usual flat state. He pushes an empty tray of hospital food to the side and pats the bed, gesturing for her to approach him. Ana doesn’t dare breathe as she hesitantly walks over to him, which makes him smile softly at her. Ana blushes under his warm gaze and lowers herself onto a chair by his side, never once tearing her eyes away from him.

They remain quiet for a few more minutes as they take in each other before them.He’s the first to break the silence for once when he thanks her for all that she’s done. Ana waves a hand to let him know it’s no problem.

“I...” Her voice comes out in a squeak, and she coughs to clear her throat of her nerves. He chuckles at that, and she blushes harder.

“What I wanted to say was... that you don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll pay for it. Your hospital bills, I mean...” She says as she plays with the strap of her purse. He hums and leans back into his pillow.

“You know I’ll never be able to repay you for that.” He comments, frowning. Ana shakes her head and carefully takes one of his hands into hers. She feels a rush of familiarity in doing so and looks up to see he’s wide eyed as well. Ana licks her lips and squeezes his hand.

“You don’t owe me anything. I want to help you. You deserve it.”

He feels tears prick at the corners of his eyes and tries to blink them away rapidly. He’s at a loss for words, but squeezes her hand back reassuringly. Ana saddens at the forlorn smile tugging at his lips.

“...You don’t even know me.” He whispers, voice breaking the slightest bit. “I don’t even know me...”

“I know.” Ana answers. She shifts in her seat and thinks carefully about what she’s about to say next. “I know we’ve never met before, and this... might sound crazy, but I... I feel like I have to do this.” He shifts his gaze from their hands to her face just as Ana leans in closer. “I don’t know why... but I feel like I’m drawn to you.” She admits, a look of honesty in her eyes.

He perks up at that, his nose wrinkling. “Do you mean that?” Ana nods, and he exhales shakily. He scoots closer to her and bites his lip in thought. “Would you... believe me if I said I knew you once?” Ana’s eyebrows raise in confusion. She shakes her head and shrugs, but waits for him to continue on the matter.

“Ever since I first met you,” he clarifies, “I’ve dreamt about you, in another life. Sorry if that sounds creepy...” He smiles apologetically. “I know that doesn’t make any sense, and they could just be weird dreams, but they feel too real.”

Ana nods and takes what he says all in. It doesn’t sound too far-fetched of an idea, all things considered. She’s never been one to scoff at fate or coincidences, and it would explain why she feels the need to be with him despite knowing absolutely nothing about him. But she also can’t prove what he’s said is true because she’s had none of the experiences he’s described to her for herself; it’s almost heartbreaking to her. Ana remembers something important and feels her heart begin to race as the clogs in her brain begin to click into place.

“Hey... Can I ask you something?” She starts, hoping her hunch is on the right track. “Your doctor told me you were talking in your sleep. Did he ever mention that to you?”

The thief nodded, eyes lowered in confusion. Ana felt herself shake in anticipation for her next question.

“Did you know that, back in high school, my friends used to call me ‘Blue?’”

*****

Ana is there for him once he’s finally released from the hospital with a stuffed dog and a home-cooked meal. Ana had bought him a change of clothes after the ones he was brought in were discarded. She thought he looked good in yellow and had gotten him another sweater in the same color as his old one; he was sporting it proudly today.

He’s over joyed to see her once he steps outside and comes bounding over to scoop her up into a bear hug and spins her around, the two of them giggling like children. He sets her down and eagerly waits for her to hand him his presents. She does so with a smile as he brings the boxed lunch up to his nose to sniff it, and his mouth begins salivating.

“You ready to go?” Ana points her thumb over her shoulder.

He nods and then cocks an eyebrow, searching behind her to see what she’s talking about. She laughs and shakes her head.

“I hope you know I’m not letting you go back to fend for yourself.”

“Where else am I supposed to go?”

“With me! Duh.” She boops his nose and is pleased to see the tips of his ears turn red.

“Is... that allowed?”

Ana’s face is smug as she loops her arm around his and begins walking towards the parking lot without answering his question. "So,” she bumps her hip against his as they wait for the light to turn green. “You picked out a name for yourself yet?”

He hums in thought, tapping his chin.

“Yeah. I’ve narrowed it down to two choices.”

“Oh good! Let’s hear them.”

“Satoshi.”

“You don’t... look like a Satoshi. No offense.”

“Really? Aw, man...” He huffs and walks step by step alongside her when she starts moving again. She makes them turn a corner to catch a bus back to her apartment.

“What’s the other name you liked?” She stops them under the shade of a tree right by the bus stop.

“Higemaru.”

Ana’s ears perk up at that, and she whips her head around to cup his face in her hands. “Hige. Please let me call you Hige, and I’ll let you call me Blue.”

Her eyes are sparkling as she says this, and he feels his chest swell with affection. He tries to control the blush threatening to color the bridge of his nose and fails.

“Deal.” He responds with a small grin. Ana squeals in delight and kisses his cheek. Hige almost faints.

#i hope you like your present bb #wolf's rain #hige #blue #hige x blue #red's art #i love one (1) man #and that smol man is Ribbon 💖#special thanks to Alyee for being my beta!

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moonlightdaisies · 5 years

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The Lightning Girl pt.1 | Red Queen AU

synopsis: in which a girl would do anything to save her best friend.

word count: 2.6k

warnings: fighting, thievery, talks about war

a/n: i’m so super excited about this because Red Queen is my absolute favorite book series ever! it will be following the plot of the first book and i really hope you all enjoy! (:

First Friday. In the beginning, First Friday was a Silvers only event. Then it became open to Reds but was eventually made mandatory. It was a day that almost everyone seemed to love. Only because extra electricity rations or food was given out to the loudest spectators. Alyee Hannon hated this day. She hated the crowdedness of it all, and how the large mass of bodies created a pungent odor from all the sweat. The humidity from yesterday’s rain didn't help much either. In fact, it had made things worse. The thick, hot air from the summer storm mixed with the horrid smell made it difficult to breathe.

There was only one thing that was good about First Friday. Because it was mandatory to attend, it was easier for Aylee’s hands to slip in and out of villagers’ pockets amongst the crowd and take from vendors’ stalls without a notice. She moves along with the crowd, snatching money and jewelry from others. Within a short amount of time, Aylee is able to steal a large sum of small items.

As the march to the arena droned on, all Aylee could do was think about how she would rather be in school. She wanted to be there for as long as she could before she turned eighteen and would be forced to face conscription. She had neither a job nor an apprenticeship, meaning she would end up in the army. It was impossible to find work when everyone was trying to stay out of the war.

Aylee remembers when her brothers were conscripted. She was hardly a teenager when the eldest was sent to fight in the Lakelands. The next few years passed, and her other brothers left to fight too. It was only a matter of time before she would have to do the same.

As the crowd dredged on towards the arena, a hand landed on Aylee’s shoulder, causing her to swiftly turn around and grab whoever dared to touch her. The scowl on her face vanished the minute she saw the culprit.

“Oh,” Aylee narrowed her eyes in a teasing manner. “It’s you.”

The boy that faced her, Lucas, gave her a lopsided smile. “Easy there tiger. Don’t want your head flying off.”

Lucas wouldn’t have to be conscripted. He had an apprenticeship with the village’s baker. When his apprenticeship was over, he would take over the bakery. War was something that Lucas didn’t need to worry about.

“Hey! In my defense, I was worried going to pickpocket me!”

Lucas let out a loud chuckle and shook his head. “I think others should be worried that you are going to pickpocket them. But hey, at least I know your reflexes are getting better.”

Aylee frowned. “Whatever. Let’s just go to the arena and get this over with.”

The trek to the arena didn’t take much longer. The pair got settled on the benches that were spread throughout the arena. Aylee stared at the luxurious seating the Silvers enjoyed.

They had food and drinks, cooled rooms, and comfortable seating. They never had to endure anything the Reds had to.

Aylee felt a nudge in her side. “It’s about to start. I can guarantee you that one of them will be a strongarm.” Lucas had a wild smile on his face, excited for the fight to start.

Aylee rolled her eyes. Lucas, like many other Reds, loved First Friday. Aylee just couldn’t wrap her mind around liking this day. This was a day to scare and control Reds. The Silvers used this as a way to show Reds just how powerless they were.

When the announcer walks out, the crowd grows louder. He introduces the two champions as they step onto the sad. The first to appear on the large screen is quite obviously a strong arm. However, the second is harder to tell.

The announcer encouraged the crowd to cheer louder as the guards threw the rations to the loudest in the stands. In a matter of seconds, the crowd is deafeningly loud. Aylee could see food fly past her, as well as the electricity rations. The two Silvers get into their ready stances, and the loud beep signals, commencing the fight.

The strongarm immediately goes in, throwing punches while the other tries to dodge them all. However, he isn’t always quick enough to miss them all. Soon, Silver blood is spilling everywhere. It’s hard to miss. It was almost like he was just a punching bag for the strongarm. It seemed almost too easy. The longer the fight goes on, the more beating the Silver took, causing the cheers to grow.

Next, the strongarm reaches for the sword. The cheers become even louder as the strongarm draws closer to the other Silver. Everyone thought they knew what would happen next. The sword is lifted into the air and then plunged down, but the strongarm impales himself. The arena becomes dead silent.

The other Silver was a whisper. Possibly the most dangerous and most rare of them all. Whispers had the ability to get inside others’ minds, read thoughts, and control peoples’ actions. There had never been a whisper fighting on First Friday, at least none that Aylee knew of.

Suddenly, several healers rush into the arena pit to grab the fallen Silver. The officers rush the crowd out of the arena. The Silvers were not meant to die in front of the Reds. They were not meant to look weak. Silvers are meant to look tough and powerful. Because of this, the Reds are sent back to their homes.

The walk back home for Aylee seems like forever, when in reality it had only been half an hour. It didn’t help that she kept stopping to watch the boats leave and enter the port. Watching the huge boats go up and down the river was calming to her.

When Aylee reached the top of the house, she stared at the tiny house. It was old and worn down, but it was still home. From there, the entire river and village was visible. It didn’t have to be a clear day to see the land that surrounded the house.

Aylee climbs into the house to go about her usual nightly routine. She lays everything she stole that day on the table, taking notice of what she managed to snatch. She helps her mother make the dinner and helps soothe her father when he is in discomfort due to injuries. Last but not least, she makes simple conversation with her little sister.

Aylee was absolutely jealous of her little sister. Freya had an apprenticeship as a seamstress. She was talented in every way Aylee was not. Freya could easily sew beads and thread into intricate little patterns. She didn’t have to steal from others like Aylee did. Most importantly, she could make their parents proud.

After dinner, Aylee dragged herself upstairs, too tired to do anything else. She just wanted to sleep and nothing else. So, sleep she did. Until she was woken to rapid knocks on the door.

Aylee grumpily rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her sister. She hastily made her way to the door and swung it open to be faced with a sobbing Lucas.

Aylee’s eyes widen as she pulls Lucas into a hug. “What? What happened?”

“The apprenticeship is over. The bakery burnt down and killed my master along with it. I’m going to be conscripted.” Lucas choked through sobs, causing Aylee’s stomach to churn and heart to break.

“No.” Aylee is firm in her words. “I won’t let that happen to you. You’re too good for war. We could smuggle you out.”

In the dead of night, Aylee and Lucas make their way into the village, pockets stuffed with all the money they could fit. They were going to visit Abraham Prewitt. He was a shady old man, but what else could one expect from someone who smuggles everything and anything in the middle of the night in an alley?

When they were face to face Abraham gave the pair a wicked smile. “Aylee! What business do I have the pleasure of helping you with today?”

“I need you to smuggle a person. I need you to smuggle Lucas away from here.”

Abraham wore an inquisitive look on his face. “I don’t smuggle humans. Risky and illegal. -”

“Right, like what you do isn’t already illegal.” Aylee cut him off.

“Riskier than smuggling some illegal coffee, girl. I think I know someone who could help you though.” Abraham motions for Aylee and Lucas to follow him down the narrow path.

The three get to the cart that held many of Abraham’s illegal items. Abraham tells the two to stay put as he went behind the cart, whispering to someone, or something. When he emerges, a woman comes out with him.

She was a few years older than Aylee and Lucas. Her blonde hair was tied back, and she wore dark clothing, and wore a bright red sash.

“Bennett. I heard you need to smuggle something.” She gazes upon Aylee.

Alyee nods. “Yes. I need to safely transport the two of us. Away from Silvers.”

“That will come with a high price, girl.”

Aylee backfired. “Doesn’t everything?”

Bennett’s eyes narrowed. “The Scarlet Guard will help you. You’ll pay the equivalent of one thousand crowns. By tomorrow evening. That is when the transport begins.”

“Okay. It’s done.” Aylee was way in over her head. But she would do anything to save her best friend.

When Aylee and Lucas make it back to her home, it was already morning. Aylee told Freya of what had happened to Lucas, and what needed to be done to save him. It took a lot of convincing, but Freya agreed to help.

Frey took Aylee to Summerton, a town where royals and nobles gathered seasonally for the summer, under the guise of work. Freya easily lies, telling the man at the gate they were in Summerton to be delivering fabrics to her mistress with the help of her sister. He seems to believe Freya’s lie after examining the IDs and lets them through the gate, but not before slapping red wristbands on them.

Aylee takes in her surroundings. It was a whole different world from the village she grew up in. Flowers and trees grew everywhere. There were Reds running errands and wore their wristbands identifying them. The Silvers wore beautiful gems and metals. They looked absolutely elegant. Bakery windows were lined with pastries, and Silvers were casually flaunting their powers.

For a minute, Aylee almost forgets where she was. Almost. She is shaken back to reality when she remembers who she was and where she was. To think she had been jealous of her sister this whole time. Aylee couldn’t stand the thought of having to come here all the time. Her sister could have had a normal life with real friends. She spent most of her time working on clothing that a Red could only imagine wearing.

The sisters split apart. Aylee didn’t want her sister to be part of anything if she got caught up. She knows that here; she will have to be quicker and have more carefully calculated moves if she wanted to do anything. It was more dangerous here because of all the Silvers, but she knows she can get all she here.

As Aylee passes a bar, she takes notice of the video screens playing. A news broadcast starts playing on every screen around her. The woman explains of a terrorist attack on the capital. She explains all of the buildings that were bombed during the attack. The buildings included the Whitefire Palace, Treasury Hall, and Royal Court. She explains that all buildings were empty at the time of the attack.

The Silvers around her erupted in anger. One Silver blamed it on the Lakelanders, claiming they should attack them in return. However, as the footage of the destroyed buildings rolled on, the reporter confirms that it was not done by the Lakelanders, but a Red Terrorist Groups called the Scarlet Guard.

The surrounding Silvers around her all mutter in confusion, wondering who this terrorist group was. But Aylee wasn’t confused. She knew exactly who they were. It was what Bennet had called herself. But she didn’t believe the Scarlet Guard was a terrorist group. She couldn’t. They were smugglers.

A new clip began. Aylee could clearly tell it was Bennett. In the video she wore a red scarf below her eyes to hide her face.

“We are the Scarlet Guard. We fight for freedom and equality of all people. People must know that Reds and Silvers are alike. You Silvers may believe you are untouchables, gods. But know, you cannot hide in the comforts of your home any longer. We are bringing the fight to you. We are everywhere. We will rise, Red as the dawn. And there is nothing you can do to stop us.”

The video cuts off, causing the Silvers to erupt into even more anger. Aylee recognizes their rage and knows she has to flee before any Silver could look at her. She runs away from the bar, taking notice of other Reds trying to flee. She follows them into the alleys.

In the moment, the two thousand crowns and Lucas are forgotten. The only thing Aylee could think about was getting Freya and leaving the city. She runs as fast as she can, eventually spotting her sister. They reach for each other and take ahold of their hands, keeping their heads on a swivel to avoid any Silvers.

“Did you get it?” Freya screamed in labored breaths.

Aylee’s eyes widen, shaking her head. She could feel tears prickling from her eyes. She couldn’t help but feel the guilt rising.

“It’s okay.” Freya comforted her. “We’ll get it somehow.”

Before Aylee could guess what would happen next, Freya pulled her towards Silvers. Her tiny hands slip into one of the pockets and pulls out a bag of coins.

“Hey!” The Silver screams at the girls. “You should know better than that!”

Aylee and Freya��s eyes widen. The let go of each other’s hands and split, running in opposite directions. Aylee worries for Freya. If Freya was caught, she would be thrown into prison. But she keeps running. If she spent too much time dwindling on it, she could be caught. That was the last thing she needed.

By the time Aylee stopped running, she was long gone from Summerton and in a different Silver village. Aylee takes refuge in an alley. She looks around, scanning her surroundings. At the end of the alley, she sees a tavern with drunken Silvers chattering about, bags of coins jangling from their waist. She makes quick work, filling her pockets with money.

Aylee acts calm and collected. Nobody suspects a thing. Aylee continues this until she sees a curly haired boy whose eyes are fixated on the sky.

Armature. Aylee thought to herself. She makes her way over to him. She went about her usual routine of “accidentally” bumping into the stranger and grabbing the bag by the loops, slipping the bag into her palm. This time, it doesn’t go as planned.

Hot hands grab her wrist, spinning her to face the boy as he manages to take bag the bag.

He wore a smirk on his face. “Huh, you’re a thief!”

Aylee’s eyes shifted nervously. “Well uh, yeah.” She attempts to pull away from him, but his grip is too strong. “I guess so.”

The boy takes in her appearance, eyebrows becoming more furrowed by the second. When he finally meets her eyes again, a wild grin appears on his face. He digs into the bag, pulling out a few coins, totaling up to a few crowns.

“Here.” He places the coins into her palm. “You obviously need it more than I do.”

Aylee stared at him in disbelief. “Um, thank you.”

He flashes her another smile. “Oh, it’s no problem, really. I’m Shawn by the way.”

“Aylee Hannon.”

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