Anathema| Kaz Brekker |

Chapter 2: Orphan Birds of a Feather Stick Together

              The Karamzin orphanage had been both a blessing and a curse to Sanya's childhood. The food had been mediocre at best (nowhere close to the extravagant meals she knew Kerch wealth to buy), and she had dealt with the scratchiest of sheets for over a decade. Not to mention the horrible, uptight Miss Ana Kuya. Sanya's friends swear she is a devil incarnate, but Sanya knows they have never been to Ketterdam, where devils run rampant. Sure, the witch may have beaten her friends for seemingly pointless reasons, but at least they were still alive.

              Speaking of her friends, Mal and Alina were walking to her right, with Alina next to her and Mal next to Alina. They had joined the army together if only to get away from the orphanage. They were not supposed to be walking together in formation, with Mal being a soldier, Alina being a cartographer, and Sanya being a field medik. However, their captains didn't care as long as they all arrived where they were supposed to when they were supposed to.

              As they crested the hill they were marching up, Sanya caught a glimpse of the shadow sea. Her footsteps slowed for a moment, feeling the magnetic pull as she had many years ago, before she fell back into step with the other two.

              Not even a moment later, Alina fell out of their personal formation, but she didn't catch up like Sanya had. She instead stepped into the grass on the side of the road so as not to get run over by the military procession.

              Sanya stopped first and Mal followed.

              "Is everything alright, Starlight?" Sanya asked, slightly concerned.

              Alina snapped out of her trance. "Yeah. Everything's fine." Sanya knew it was Alina's first time being so close to the Fold. "Also, will you ever stop calling me that? I'm not twelve anymore."

              Sanya smirked. "Never! You'll always be Alina Starkov, so your name will always be Starlight!" (A.N. – For clarification, the name Alina literally means "Light" and Starkov is thought to be derived from "star" so Sanya's nickname for Alina is just the meaning of her name. Sanya isn't referring to Alina's powers)

              Alina shook her head in amusement before Mal came up behind her and threw his arm over her shoulders. "Yaya's right!"

              Sanya's grin warped into a scowl at the horrible nickname until she noticed Alina's cherry-red cheeks. She glanced between the two and noticed Mal's frequent gazes in Alina's direction. They had always liked each other, and it had gotten more obvious as they had all gotten older.

              Just as the love birds snapped out of it, a midnight black carriage raced by nearly hitting the three of them. It would have hit Alina had Mal not been proactive in pulling her out of the way. Sanya watched as a dark-haired Grisha stuck her head out the window and smirked at Mal. The blue of her kefta slightly peeked out of the window of the carriage: an etheralki.

              Alina's face sobered up almost immediately and she started trudging down the road to fall back in line with her cartography unit. Sanya noticed how Alina's face fell with the flirtatious glances sent Mal's way; Alina always noticed when others looked at Mal but was ever so oblivious to his own glances toward her.

              Mal's gaze just followed her, confused at her change in attitude. But he brushed it off and raced to catch up with her.

              Sanya stayed behind for another moment gazing at the black wall blanketing horizon before following her two friends.

***

              Mal had disappeared once they reached the first army camp in Kribirsk, and Sanya was getting to know Alina's cartography friends. They had all hit it off immediately making jokes and acting as if she and they had been friends forever. She also noticed how close Alexei stayed by her side, and how nervous he was around her. Unlike Alina, Sanya wasn't oblivious to people's feelings for her. So, she flirted with him in good fun, if only to watch him get flustered and see his face go red. He was fairly attractive as well and she didn't see the harm.