ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐄𝐗-𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 ༊*·˚ ┊͙ 𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘴

✩ chapter seventeen

『 ↝ let it drown in the sea's eye ↜ 』

flashback

~ ✩ ~

THE DAY WAS BRIGHT. Barely any clouds in the sky, that was as blue as the Pacific Ocean. But even though, no one saw her. No one saw her march through the busy Jackson centre. She was like the shadows moving through the ground. So normal, yet so unnoticed.

She creeped her head from under her dark green, oversized hood. She looked around and watched intently as people around her talked loudly and negotiated prices with each other. The trade market was surely impressive, Jackson was a hotspot for foreign merchants and returning customers.

The girl moved quietly, but not suspiciously. She placed each step carefully, as if her life depended on it. She looked around to localise her current position on her mind-map.

She slipped into a bar, besides the main road. Once she entered, a warm breeze hit her face. The atmosphere there wasn't any different. Loud glass clinking, wild chatters and laughs as well as a few shouts of joy and God knows what else.

The girl approached the main counter. With a hand movement she signalled to the bartended that she was ready to order. He caught on and after pouring a glass of whiskey to some elder man, he walked over to the new customer.

"What can I help you with?" He asked, throwing a cleaning rug over his shoulder. He was wearing a nice sleeveless black tuxedo with a classical white flannel underneath. His Asian features shone through as he smiled warmly.

"Ice martini." The girl replied swiftly. She looked older than she actually was. Either way she could drink legally. Although she was only twenty-one, she looked at least three years older. Her strong features made it seem like so.

"Sure thing." The barista replied warmly. "What are you doing here? I don't think I've ever seen you before." He initiated a conversation. His extroverted side was really shining through. He had to be, he was a barista for fuck's sake.

She however, did not feel the need to answer. So she asked another question instead. "Is there some sort of event today? Or is it always this lively around here." With that question she confirmed that she wasn't in fact a local, and also asked for crucial information to her, with a seemingly innocent question.

"Oh no, Jackson is usually a quiet town." He replied pouring a mix of a bunch of different alcohols to a thermos. "This week is trade week." He answered her question with a smile. He closed the thermos and started shaking it violently.

The mysterious girl nodded her head lightly, signifying that she wanted him to elaborate on that thought. He surprisingly caught on and continued talking.

"That's when people from many neighbouring states come and trade their goods. It's not actually a week. Only five days." He opened the thermos and poured the drink to a nice triangular glass. "As you may know, today is Friday. Today will be the closing ceremony." He stuck an olive on a toothpick and placed it carefully on top of the glass.

He passed the glass to her and she grabbed it gladly. "Closing ceremony?" She asked wanting further information about this event. She pressed the glass to her lips and internally cringed at the taste of alcohol. She was never an alcoholic type of person. She'd preferred regular water or even a soda.