Eclipse

Chapter 8

★Massimo★

The bells sounded, signaling that it was time to be inside your home. If you're found outside, you will be detained. I lowered myself on the rooftop, trying my hardest not to be seen as the group of soldiers marched passed. I moved my long braids out of my face as I crawled backward, travelling down the slope, made up of the wooden roof.

Once the soldiers were out of sight, I allowed myself to breathe again. Right now, I couldn't afford to be seen by them. I had something to do. I slipped off the roof, landing behind the building. Trash and debris covered the back alley. I walked alongside the wall, moving toward the exit that Aruna usually goes through.

Once I get to it, I slip through, covering the hole once more, and make my way through the woods. I go a different direction than Aruna does, but it isn't the exact opposite.

I stay as quiet as possible, considering that leaves and branches crunch beneath me. The woods become denser the farther I go. The branches hang lower on the trees, as if to cover the view from civilization behind me. I continue on, despite every bone in my body telling me to turn back. It's only the spell telling me that.

Eventually, a small hut comes into view. It only looks small from the outside. On the inside, it's more of a maze than anything. I step over the invisible thread by my feet, having made that same mistake already.

I approach the door to the hut and knock on it softly. I wait patiently before it is cracked open. Only one green eye greets me on the other side. Wrinkles surround the aforementioned eye. Upon seeing me, the door opens wider, revealing an elder man, robes spilling around his figure. The man was tall, much taller than me, and his hair was a light, ashy color. It was brushed back and ended just at the top of his neck. He had a beard with sideburns that was trimmed about the length of half a pinky. This man went by Eb. I didn't know what his real name was, but I guess no one does.

Eb let me inside and closed the door behind me. The two of us walked through the, now, gigantic building. I followed Eb through a maze of long hallways, knowing that if I went in the wrong one, I wouldn't live to see tomorrow. I stayed closely behind him, not risking getting lost.

After a long time of walking and not being able to tell the time, Eb and I enter a large room. He motions for me to sit on a cushioned chair, and I do. He walks over to a large table and grabs two glasses of tea, already filled. Eb is a strange one. He knows everything that will happen, though he still asks questions. He knew I would be here, he always does, yet every time, he asks what I need. It might be his way of seeming normal, even though no matter what he does, no man that lives hundreds of years can be normal.

Eb hands me the glass and sits before me in an identical seat. He speaks to me for the first time since I've arrived. "Why have you come to see me, Massimo?" He says as he takes a quick drink from his glass.

I drink from my own before holding it in my lap in front of me. I look Eb in the eyes as I speak to him. "I've met someone, and I'd like to help her." Eb stays silent, urging me to continue. "She is Moon. The kingdom is looking for her and they already know her hair. She visits the kingdom during the day and legally buys from stands, although she still needs to steal money." I pause before continuing. "She's heterochromatic. If the guards see her eyes while on night patrol, it is no doubt they will find her during the day. I would like your help, Eb."

Eb only watches me as he thinks about the information. He closes his eyes and nods before taking another drink. He opens his eyes and looks at me again. "I might have something that will help you. Though you will need to pay me for it." Eb sets his drink on the small, glass table to his left, and gets up. He walks to the table from before. On it, lays a small box. I don't believe that whatever is in the inside is small, though. Eb has a way of tricking the human mind. It's one of the many things I admire about him. Nothing you see in this place is for sure real. He loves to hide big things in small boxes. If I've learned one thing about Eb, it's that he loves irony.

Eb grabs the box in front of him and turns to me. "I managed to put this together last night. I hope it aids her well." He walks to me and hands me the box. I open it and look inside. It's multiple small vials with a purple liquid in each. Eb continues. "Have Aruna drink these every night she visits the kingdom. The effects will wear off within five hours, so beware." It doesn't slip my mind that he knows her name, despite me never telling him. Like I said, he knows everything.

I nodded and slipped the small box into my pocket. I looked back at Eb. "Thank you, Eb. I'll make sure to give this to her right away." I paused. "What do I owe you?"

Eb walked back to the chair from before. He sat down and continued with his drink I followed him but didn't sit down. He thought for a second before looking up at me. "What did you think about last time? Was it easy?"

I felt unease growing in my stomach. I clenched my fists but nodded. "Yes. It was easy."

Eb smiled. "Good. How about we do the same this time. If you do that, I'll add in your supply for free."

I paused. Considering that last time, I almost died, I don't know if I could do it again. They caught me! They had a sword at my throat. If I hadn't gotten away that exact second, I wouldn't be here. I took a deep breath, thinking about it. But if I don't get the supply now, the pain will come back. My hand instinctively went for my chest, knowing exactly what the pain would feel like. It had only been a week ago that he had a knife on my chest. I nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

Eb smiled. "Great. That's what I like to hear." Eb motioned back to the table. "The serum is over there. I trust you know which one it is."

I nodded as I walked to the table. The serum was in the same vials as the purple stuff, but this time, the liquid was clear, almost like water. I put it in my pocket and turned back to Eb. "I'm ready to leave."

Eb smiled and stood. He led me back to the front of the building, not turning around once to make sure that I was still there. He knew I was still here despite me not making a sound.

★★★

When I got back to the kingdom, I didn't feel like messing with the guards. Instead, I went back to the dark corners of the south side. Down there, I managed to get one of the houses that did belong to a farmer. But after a storm took it out, it hasn't been rebuilt. I just stay to the right side of the house. The whole left side had collapsed beneath a tree. A few of the other farmers around knew that I was living there, but I managed to keep them silent.

I climbed through the window of my home, since the door had collapsed years ago. I walked through the dark halls, not having to worry about my eyes needing to adjust. That's the good part about living in an eternally dark world. You can see in the dark easily.

I walked into my bedroom, which consisted of a pallet on the floor with a few boxes in the corner, a bin for trash, and a small table in the middle of the room. I walked over to the makeshift bed and fell into it. I pulled a sheet up to cover me and, before I knew it, I was falling asleep.

I stared into the mirror, brushing my long, curly, black hair. A feeling in the pit of my stomach grew more and more as I stared into my reflection. I set the brush down and stood up. I went to my bed and began getting dressed into the long, dark green robe. I put my mask on and pulled the hood on to cover my hair that was now in a bun. I walked out of my room and into the main room of the house.

A woman with pale, wrinkly skin sat in a chair in front of the table, eating. An untouched plate sat in front of her. She only looked at me before motioning to it. "It's yours, Tora."

I walked to the table and sat down. I pulled my mask down and began eating silently. "Tora." I looked up at the woman. "What are you wearing?!"

I looked down at the clothes that disgusted her. I was no longer wearing the robes that women must wear. No, instead I was wearing the clothes of a man. My hair was in long braids, and my breasts were gone. I looked up at the woman. "Wait-" I stopped at the sound of my voice. It was deeper. This is everything I wanted, but... the look on her face made me hate it.

The woman slammed her hands on the table. "You monster!"

I jolted awake, breathing heavily. I put my hand on my chest, feeling my heart. I put my hand down and clenched my fists. I hated that dream. I'm not going to change myself for her. Never again.