A voice of a child found its way to my not so conscious ears as I slept. The voice was so bothersome to ignore, I wonder if the child that this voice belongs to is trying to be acting like a chicken- well, it'd be cute if it was someone as adorable as Anna. The side of lips twitched and turned upwards as I drowned deep into the thought of Anna's cuteness. I was too heavy-eyed and delusional to even notice when that laughing voice had turned into a scream.
Scream.
My heart jolted. My eyes wide open. I sat up instantly, scanning the room — only to see emptiness.
Where were they?
My mother. My sister.
I bolted outside, instincts flaring, heartbeat racing, eyes wide open, my hairs tangled badly but bouncing as I jolted — only to stop short as my mind caught up with my eyes.
It wasn't screaming. It was still laughter- the problem was my mind.
Relax flooded over me like a wave I hadn't seen coming. It was a sunny day. Children were playing and running around while other were trying to catch them, why is their speed is so less? Some girls around my age were sitting on a wall and making a tiara with the help of flowers, it was beautiful. They were talking and laughing looking so happy, I wish if I was able to live a life like that. Some children were making a circle and spinning around laughing.
I spotted Anna, spinning in the middle of it all, her laughter carrying above the others.
Her hazel eyes caught the light, her hair bouncing in golden waves — so full of life.
So unaware of how fragile it all was.
I stood there, just watching.
Some part of me wanted to bottle that joy, protect it, keep it untouched by the truth. Have it.
But I knew better.
Soon enough, Anna's eyes run into mine as she spotted me, her face covered with a wide smile.
"Good morning, Sister!"
"Good morning, Anna." I forced a smile. "Looks like you're enjoying yourself."
"I am! Oh — Mother left early. She went to sell the sweets you brought yesterday at the Saturday market.", her smile became even wider.
I froze.
Saturday.
I'd forgotten.
"You didn't wake me? You know I never miss Saturday market!", the words rushed to launch from my mouth.
She blinked. "I'm sorry… I didn't want to disturb you."
I sighed, softening. "It's fine. I need to go now, though."
I ducked inside, washed quickly, pulled my hood up, tied my hairs in a messy bun, and headed out.
Saturday market
The Saturday market was chaos wrapped in colour. A tide of people moved between stalls, bartering, laughing, shouting. The market street was a riot of items covered by colours— oranges stacked like tiny suns, bolts of dyed cloth flapping in the wind like restless flags, and glass bottles lined on a wooden cart catching the sunlight in sharp, glinting shards of blue and green. Spices scented the air, rich and sharp making me sneeze. Cloth banners fluttered overhead like they belonged to another world — a better one. My boots already sucked multiple printed small shoes as I noticed, looks like I would have to wash it soon, I sighed out of indolence. The stalls were all full of colours- and the treasure I am the pirate for.
But I wasn't here to admire beauty.
I was hungry.
I hadn't eaten since yesterday, and my stomach growled like a caged animal while my brain was even wilder.
After the stunt I pulled last night, the streets were crawling with extra guards. I couldn't risk stealing from a shop. Not today. But probably soon.
Each step on the cobblestones clicked louder than it should have, or maybe it was just my heartbeat hammering in my ears. Behind me, the voices of the people were sharp and clipped, like the sound of knives being drawn. The air was thick with the sweet, almost rotten scent of overripe peaches, the sharp tang of pickled fish, and the buttery warmth of fresh bread drifting from somewhere unseen.
I scanned the vendors carefully, calculating — watching their movements, their guards, their weaknesses. A fruit stall caught my eye. It was busy, and lightly guarded.
Perfect.
I moved into position where crowd was a little less, heart steady, fingers twitching — and then I heard a voice just behind me, I wish I hadn't.
"You're not thinking of stealing, are you, my lady?", my eyes widened as I heard the voice as I wasn't expecting anyone to disturb me. Not now.
I froze. Turned slowly.
Only to see a boy standing behind me, age around seventeen. Hair like a crow's nest someone gave up on brushing. An easy smirk. The kind of confidence you get only by being too clueless to know better — or too clever to care. He wore a black shirt accompanied with black pants, his attire was nice, the one that is simple, but elegant, the one you don't see around here. But the one that is cheap.
"Is that how you greet people?" I asked with a serious face. Leave me. Leave me. Leave me. Leave me. Leave me. Leave me. Leave me. Leave me. Just leave me alone. I tried to distract my mind from the thought of him not leaving me alone.
"No, only the interesting ones." A smile shrugged his face. Can't he just leave me alone?
I crossed my arms. "And what makes you think I'm one of those?" Why don't he just leave?
"You're standing too still. Eyes locked on a fruit stall. Hands fidgeting like you're trying to pretend they're not." That's it, now not even a thief can glare at apples peacefully, but he seems to be surprisingly smarter than he looks to be.
"Maybe I like apples." I shrugged trying to look innocent I hope I look.
"Maybe you like chaos," he said. "Which is great, because same." I don't remember seeing someone so interested in others business person in Saturday Market.
I raised an eyebrow. "You're not from around here." I spoke.
"How could you tell?" He looked a little stunned.
"You're way too loud to be from this street." I just spoke facts.
He laughed. "Fair. I'm new. Got bored. Wandered off. Found you." He spoke like a typical idiot.
I blinked. "That's your plan for the day? 'Wander off and find trouble'?" Because if it is then I am here to assist the trouble.
"So far, it's going very well." He looked a little amazed.
I sighed. "Do you want something, or are you just annoying by nature?"
"I haven't eaten in a day. Saw you looking at those apples. Thought, hey — two hungry strangers with nothing to lose. Why not commit minor crimes together?"
I tilted my head. "Do you trust random people that easily and in fact, who are you?"
"Well, I am Kallian" he said, and for a moment, his smile faltered. Just a flicker. "And as for trusting random people, it's better than doing nothing."
"You're bad at this."
"Stealing?" he questioned.
"Talking people into trusting you."
His grin returned. "Still, you haven't walked away yet."
I hesitated — just for a second. He wasn't threatening. Just… awkwardly honest. Maybe too honest.
"Fine," I said. "One apple. If you mess it up, I'll disappear and let you get caught." The words came out of my mouth itself before I could swallow them.
"Deal. And if I don't mess up?" he smirked, and looked a little happy, should I just decline him? But wouldn't it be my advantage to make him the bait?
"Then, it's for your own good"
"Looks like I can only get an apple"
"Only if you don't mess up"
I tossed him the only cloth mask I had. He put it on like he'd done this before — which was both comforting and mildly suspicious.
"Here's the plan," I said. "I talk to the guards. You grab the food. Meet me at the north gate. Run fast. Don't be dumb." But the scenario going to mind was completely different.
"Run fast. Don't be dumb. Got it. Very professional instructions." He teased. Should I just punch him in face?
"You're very punchable, you know that?" I said trying to suppress the anger rising in me.
"People tell me that all the time." He smiled. There's something in his smile that makes me annoy and calm me down at the same time.
I shook my head and walked away, muttering, "This better be worth it."
Behind me, I heard him whisper — not loudly, not joking.
"It will be." It better be.
I walked toward the fruit stall where two bored-looking guards stood nearby. One was wearing a blue shirt with black pants with a face that screams mindless. The other was wearing white shirt and black pants well, what is wrong that everyone is wearing black pants?
I left out a deep breath before asking, "Hello, sirs. Do you know where Mr. Hankster lives?" I asked, doing my best innocent smile. I wish he ignores how unreal the name sounds as I am bad at giving names.
"Never heard of him," one said. Relax floods through my mind as he speaks of these words from the ugly mouth of his noticing how mindless he is to believe such unreal name like that.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kallian sneaking fruits into a sack.
Snap!
He stepped on a twig. I guess it was my fault by trusting a stranger.
"Thief! Thief!" one guard shouted.
I didn't get enough time to pace up with whatever it was happening.
I didn't hesitate.
I kicked one guard in the stomach. He flew back, untrained and unprepared. The other lunged at me — I ducked under his arm, and twisted it behind his back on an odd angle, and whispered,
"If you want to live, don't follow us." I tried to sound as the threating one but in reality, I was just as much nervous.
"Y-yes… I won't!" he stammered.
I sprinted towards Kallian while crashing on almost every person I could see around. I could hear people shouting and cursing us but I kept on running, the rough cobblestone was touching straight to my feet because of a stupid kid that stepped on my boots and it became half worn. I wonder how much mother and Anna will hate me if they get to know I steal instead of working, I cannot imagine the look in Anna's face when she gets to know that her beloved sister is a thief. Kallian was already running ahead, the sack bouncing at his side. He is surprisingly fast.
"You are fast", I said.
"You know nothing, my lady", he says while I can already feel his stupid smirk covering his face. As the words came out of his mouth, he started to run even faster leaving me behind.
Kallian stop after some distance beside a carriage waving to me. I reach to him. We ducked behind an old crumbling wall near the edge of the market, both panting like dogs.
Kallian dropped the sack between us and collapsed against the street made up of cobblestone.
"Well," he gasped, "we didn't die. That's a win."
"You almost got us caught." I grabbed an apple and took a bite.
"But I didn't." He grinned, lying flat on the ground. "In fact, I'd say that went pretty well."
"For someone who stepped on a twig in the middle of a theft?" I said in a teasing manner.
"Hey, that twig was aggressively placed." He looked serious, how can anyone be this dumb?
"You're aggressively irritating." I spoke my mind.
He propped himself up on one elbow.
"Yet here you are. Still talking to me." He smirked. I guess my judgement was wrong.
I narrowed my eyes, chewing slowly. He wasn't wrong — and worse, he knew it.
"Fine," I said. "For the next five minutes, I will try to stop any abusing word from my mouth to slip."
"Five full minutes?" He clutched his chest. "You do care."
"Don't push it."
We ate in silence for a moment, the noise of the market muffled behind us.
"You're fast," he said eventually. "And dangerous. You could've run. Left me behind."
"I considered it."
"But you didn't."
"Still considering it."
He laughed, tossing a core over his shoulder.
"This was fun," he said. "You're fun."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the small smile that escaped.
Just a little one.
"You're still very punchable," I muttered.
"People say that a lot."
I called my life hell, never suspecting it was merely the threshold. For someone out there had seen what should have stayed buried — and that sight would become the ruin of me-
Once Again.