Eclipse

Chapter 9

★Rya★

I stare at Aruna's door in silence before I leave. I keep my black hair in a tight bun. My dress is bright green and revealing yet has long sleeves. It ends at my knees and shows my collarbone. It's the average outfit for a married woman. I turn away from Aruna's door, leaving a plate of food at the table, and I leave our home.

I make my way to the kingdom, walking fast, but not fast enough to trip. I make sure I still look tidy once I make it to the hole in the wall. I move the leaves and vines aside and I step through. I cover the hole and walk to the end of the alley.

I immediately make my way toward Marel's stand. I had saved up some money so I didn't have to steal any on this run. While I was walking, I couldn't help but wonder if Sun would be working with Marel again. Probably not, considering that it doesn't seem too important.

While on my way, I noticed a group of royal guards running past. I held my head high and continued on. But as I did, a soldier strayed from his group. He stopped a scared woman who was fixing her hood. I couldn't help but watch.

The man stepped in front of her and ordered her to show her hair. The woman looked confused, much like every other woman watching the scene unfold. The woman looked around, obviously trying to find a way out. But then she just nodded and showed a strip of her hair. The soldier only nodded and turned to leave. I felt a lump form in my throat at the interaction. What if that happened to Aruna? She would be caught and executed!

I turned on my heels and continued to Marel's stand. I felt like everyone was watching me, though I knew they weren't. What if she was already found out? What if they were looking for her this second?

Before I knew it, I was already at Marel's stand. I approached her as she was cutting a loaf of bread. She turned to me and smiled. "Rya! It's good to see you."

I smiled uncomfortably as I walked up to her. "Hey, Marel."

Marel tilted her head in concern. "Is everything alright? You seem troubled." She paused. "Is it Ernie?"

We both knew what she was implying. I shook my head, dismissing the idea. "No. It's just..." I paused before continuing. "Just a bit ago, while I was walking, I saw a soldier order a woman to show her hair." I fiddled with my sleeve. "He acted like it was normal procedure."

Marel looked at me uncomfortably. "You don't know, do you?"

I straightened my posture, getting a bad feeling about this. "I don't know what?"

Marel looked around before leaning forward and lowering her voice. "The guards found Moon." She paused. "She has white hair, so the guards are ordering any woman who looks suspicious to show her hair. The orders came directly from the king."

My eyes widened and my stomach sunk. WHAT?! I covered my shock and straight fury with a kind smile. "That's good. Maybe we can see the sun again." I pointed to a loaf of bread behind Marel. "May I have that one?"

★★★

I slammed the door open, tossing the loaf of bread to the table. I stormed to Aruna's door and slammed my fist against it. "Aruna! You better have a damn good explanation for this!"

I continued banging on the door. Although, something stood out to me. The door seemed too solid as I hit it. It didn't shake or budge. I felt my lip twitch at the thought. She was ready. She iced her door just like when we were kids. She knew exactly what would happen and now she's hiding. She couldn't have hidden when she decided to show herself?

I banged on the door harder. "You little witch! Get out here RIGHT now!"

There was no response. I clenched my fists and turned. I walked out of the cabin and walked around the house. I found Aruna's window and peered inside. The room was dark, as to be expected. Aruna was sitting in the corner of the room, reading a book at her desk. I ground my teeth. I walked back to the front of the house, clenching my fists as I went. I grabbed the axe out of the tree stump, yanking it, and carried it back to Aruna's window. I could easily use it to bust her door down, but I don't know how much ice she used, and I didn't want that debris in my house either way.

Once I approached the window again, I spread my legs, turned my body, held the axe behind me with a good grip, and got ready to swing. I slammed the axe into the window, instantly shattering it.

I dropped the axe and grabbed onto the window sill, ignoring the shards of glass. I'll deal with that later. I lifted myself and hopped into the room. Aruna was now on her feet, at a loss for words. "Aruna." I kept my voice calm, yet anger was still audible. "What is this about Moon that I'm hearing?"

Aruna smiled nervously. "I don't know what you are talking about! It could be anyone."

I lunged for her. "Don't play games with me!" I growled it through clenched teeth. I attempted to grab her arm, but she covered it with ice, not fully frozen, so my fingers slipped. I flipped around as Aruna threw a wave of dark mist at me, covering her. She jumped out of the window and bolted. I followed right after her.

Aruna kept running, now with ice on her feet due to being barefoot. The one thing that gave me the advantage, though, was that I was faster. Aruna didn't look back, so she didn't know that I was gaining on her. I tackled her, slamming her to the ground.

I sat on her legs, stopping her from moving and held her down. "How dare you try to run from me!"

Aruna squirmed, trying to get free. "Rya! Please!"

I got off of her and yanked her up by her wrists. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for people to know what you look like?! The guards are ordering women to show their hair now! All because you wanted to have a little fun." I ground my teeth. "Was it worth it?!"

Aruna stayed silent. She wouldn't look at me. But I knew Aruna. I knew what she was thinking. And it only brought up my worst fears. I knew her answer. Yes. It was very worth it. I let go of Aruna's wrists. She hung her head low as she rubbed them. She still refused to look at me. I lowered my voice. "Come on. Let's get home."

I turned and began walking, Aruna following me.

★★★

I set a plate of food in front of Aruna, and I sat in front of her. Her head was still hung low. She was ashamed. I picked at my food, not feeling much of an appetite. I set my fork down and sat up straight. "Aruna."

She didn't say or do anything, so I continued. "You know I only want the best for you, right? I only want you to survive." I paused, seeing if she would say anything. She didn't. "I want you to be able to live happily. But if you're running from the royal guards, who are constantly searching for you, you can't do that."

Aruna still refused to say anything. I didn't know what else I could say, so I just ate in silence. I really did only want the best for her. Same as mom. Mom wanted the best for me, and unfortunately, I was too caught up in my own emotions to realize that I was dooming our family. If I had been more self-aware, and less selfish, we wouldn't be in this situation. We would still have our mother. And I wouldn't be Aruna's enemy.