Wish Apon A Star

Nicole - Trust

Despite the fact that Owen insisted it would take time, Annabelle, James, and the others didn't want to wait. They began to write dozens of articles, finding ways to publish them, and soon there were articles released in pretty much every paper, every week. Annabelle wanted to start our own newspaper, and while Owen seemed bemused by the whole thing, I could tell he had started to think about it. James eagerly hopped on board with this plan, and soon the two of them had begun to craft plans so elaborate I could barely get my head around them–and I doubted they really understood what they were talking about, either, as I saw plenty of gaps in their plans.

Leo did, too, I knew, but he was content to let them plan and scheme. Some of it, I knew, would work, if it was well-thought-out enough. But James and Annabelle didn't like to pause and think; they just rushed right in. In my experience, rushing right in got me hurt. But so did speaking up, or protesting against something. In fact, the only way I really knew how to survive was to keep my head down and shut up, but that wasn't Annabelle or James's way in the least.

People came at all odd hours of the night. With Owen, we'd begun to pass messages along, which helped spread news almost as quickly–or perhaps more–as the articles in the newspaper. We were supposed to take shifts, but, more often, I ended up sitting up all night while the others slept. I didn't mind. Leo usually waited with me (and insisted he wasn't tired) but typically he fell asleep just after two. I never woke him. He'd looked exhausted, recently, and I knew there were reports of soldiers in his hometown, who were said to be treating the locals unfairly. His mother and Clara had both written recently, and both were fine, but I knew as well as Leo that that could change instantly. His father's reputation as a good soldier wouldn't do much, either, as the new soldiers of von Vikas's order cared little for anything.

"Nicole, can you take tonight's shift again?" Annabelle asked. "I'm sorry to always ask you, but..." She'd taken the last shift, and tonight had been supposed to be James's night–but he had already fallen asleep, and it was only nine o'clock. To wake him would be pointless; James slept like the dead.

"It's fine," I said. "I'll do it."

"Thanks." She suddenly leaned forward, and I instinctively flinched away, before I realized she had only picked up my necklace. "This is new," she said, as she inspected it. If she noticed I'd flinched, she ignored it. "It's not one of mine, either. Where'd you get it?"

"Leo," I said. "At the festival. A little while ago."

"It's pretty." Someone called her name from downstairs, and she turned to go. "Thanks again. I promise I'll make it up to you. Oh–make sure you ask someone to take the shift with you, 'kay?" She wrinkled her nose. "Owen says there have been even more soldiers at the tavern lately, and they're violent, too. Just make sure you know who you're opening the door to."

"I know." With so much chaos in the streets, Leo now insisted on coming with me if I went into town for something, or that I take someone else. And while I always insisted I didn't need him along, I didn't mind his coming so much–especially because going out scared me. Now that I knew my father had helped to head this entire operation, I was always worried he would spot me on the street, and I doubted he had much use for me. It was more likely he'd kill me on the spot, without any regrets, than do anything else. 

Even Annabelle, who had taken off to Koyia alone a few weeks ago, now always asked me to come with her when she went out. If Annabelle had begun to take precautions, something was wrong. And it was. I hardly ever saw young children out on the street anymore, and everyone else there walked in huddled packs, eyes darting up to access a stranger's face before they would focus back on the ground, for fear of lingering too long. The soldiers were brutal, and often whipped people for as little a reason as they could, just because that was allowed now. Annabelle's trips to the market for jewelry or dresses, or just to look at things, stopped because even that wasn't safe anymore. Nothing was.