WARHAVEN

Two

"Simon," I said meekly, raising my head, knowing he couldn't cause me any harm in a public setting. I thought about who was here with me, the men at the table, my co-worker, Claire. This should be a somewhat safe environment. Right?

"Davina, you look delicious tonight. May I get another round?" He smiled sickly, his dirty crooked teeth attempted to glimmer in the candlelight that the wooden chandeliers gave off. He flashed a handful of coin and quickly tucked them into my apron pocket.

His voice brought back terrible memories that I tried my best to block out. That horrible night. His dirty hands had been everywhere, his breath smelled like rotting blood, his fangs in my skin. The way his friends laughed as he took advantage of me, the sound is sure to haunt me for the rest of my existence.

I filled his cup with shaky hands, careful not to spill a drop. When I finished I rushed off, but not before I heard, "See you soon, doll."

A shudder ran down my spine as I reached the sink, placing the dirty dishes into the bubbly liquid. As I started to scrub each glass mug, Claire came rushing up to me.

"Davina, are you alright? Is that him?" I just kept scrubbing. I didnt want him to know he terrified me so deeply. Claire put her hand on my shoulder and rubbed gently.

"Yes, thats Simon." I said, "Is he still there?" I didn't want to look. I never wanted to see him again. His face made my stomach twist, his voice caused bile to rise in my throat. I needed to get out of here. "You mind if I go home early?" My whispers shook and I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

"Oh...Davina, I'm not sure we should split up. Market Day is tomorrow, and you know that welcomes the beasts of our kinds. Please, let's just close up and be on our way. It's that time anyway." She looked at me with empathy in her eyes. I was glad to not see too much pity, as she had been hurt by a man before as well. She knew how it felt to be pitied, looked at like you're weak.

I smiled a soft show smile and nodded, "You're right, Claire. It is safer together. Let's close up." I finished washing the dishes, rag drying them and placing them in the modest cabinets above the ice chests. I scrubbed and wiped the wood bar top, keeping my eyes on my work. I could tell from the noise and lack of drink requests that the men were heading out.

I moved to the tables then, wiping chairs and tabletops. I flipped the chairs while Claire swept. Before I realized, I came to the table where Simon had sat and my heart nearly dropped to my toes. Sitting on top of one gold coin, lay a small white flower.

--

Our feet crunched on dead leaves and pebbles as we made our way home. The night sky was pitch black and nothing could be heard in the thick wood on either side of us. We tried to avoid the dips in the road from the carriage wheels and the piles of horse excrement. Our arms were locked - something we always made sure to do while walking when the sun was away. There were many disappearances lately, the closer we got to Market Day - or more likely, Market Night.

The worst of the worst would come out and party, celebrating the full moon. It was a big deal to all of the factions, or at least it used to be. It's more of an excuse to drink, smoke, feed, and sleep around. Basically it was the one night a month when everyone gave over to what was left of their abilities.

Claire and I walked in comfortable silence, I kept my eyes ahead, checking our back every so often. She was more aloof than I was, she always had been. There were many times growing up where I'd have to let her know something was going on for her own safety. Whether that was a hot pan she was about to bump into while she was busy humming to herself, or cases like tonight when I saw her flirting at the bar with a group of men who were well known for getting into some pretty dangerous deals, or at least from what I'd overheard from the bar.

She kicked a small stone as I saw the cabin come into view. I sped my steps up, seeing some form of safety ahead. We approached the long pebble path to the cottage and I pulled out the key to the large covered door. I passed it to Claire and said, "Head in, I'm just gonna put my earnings away." She took the key and aimed for the door.

I took the left corner and headed toward the garden. I had been putting all of my earnings together in a jar I buried next to the flowers Claire and I planted last year. Most of the girls planted some seeds, but for some reason the rest of the row was dead and rotting. My flower was the only one that survived. I dug up the jar from under a good sized rock and placed my twenty-three coin within. It was almost full, I needed five-hundred just to rent a small room with no furniture in the town square, then one hundred coin a month from then on.

This was somewhat manageable, or possibly I was just lying to myself out of desperation. I had no desire to live here anymore. I was a grown woman, and was tired of dealing with the head ladies.

I was working as hard as I could to move on from the orphanage. For the last few years, I've been in quite a depression. I didn't know what I wanted my life to look like. I would have unexplained spells of anger and sadness. Frustration, rage even. The best way to explain it was that it wasn't mine. These episodes were uncalled for. But I knew better than to tell anyone that my emotions felt so volatile and out of control. In these parts, women were killed for stepping out of line.

I buried my jar, putting the rock back on top. The ladies would be enraged if they knew I was trying to leave. They need me whether they want to admit it or not, and so did the girls. I would hate leaving them, but I needed to move on from here.

I made my way to the door, pushing it open to find Agnes and Francine, the head ladies. They were sipping some tea by the fire.

"Davina, we need you to get food for us tomorrow. Just head to the market, you know how it is. I'll draw up a list, we've got twenty five coin, make it last. Head to bed now." I just nodded. Of course they didn't ask how I was or where I had been. They are anything but maternal. I took off my shawl, hanging it on the hook and locking the door, because no one else checks those things.

"Good night." I mumbled, heading into the back room and climbing into my top bunk. I did a quick sweep of the room and saw everyone sleeping soundly in their beds. I released a sigh of relief and turned over, dreaming of that dreaded flower. So loved, so feared.