Cinder pulled back the drapes and stepped into the shop,
holding the curtain for jain as she surveyed the shelves
around her.
Jars were filled with assorted herbs and liquids, many of them
labeled in a language she didn't know, although if she stared at
them for too long her netlink would begin searching for a trans-
lation.
These exotic ingredients were scattered among boxes of drugs
and bottles of pills that she recognized from pharmacies in the
Commonwealth, along with bundles fog gauze and bandages,
pasty ointments, portscreen accessories designed for taking
various vital stats, massage oils, candles, and anatomical
models.
Flecks of dust caught on a few streams of light that filtered in
from dirty windows, and a fan spun lazily in the corner, doing
little to dispel the dry heat.
In the corner, a holograph displayed the progression of internal
bleeding due to a side injury, occasionally flickering.
Jain meandered toward the back of the shop, still walking
with a slight limp.
"Hello?" Cinder called.
Another curtain hung over a doorway on the far wall,
alongside and old mirror and a standing sink that was over-
grown with a potted plant.
The curtain swished and a woman ducked through,
pulling an apron on over plain jeans and a brightly
patterned top.
"Coming, com—" She spotted Cinder.
Her eyes widened, followed by an enormous smile as
she yanked the apron strings behind her.
"Welcome!" she said in the thick accent that Cinder was
becoming familiar with.
She wanted to mourn the animal, but the water was a
blessed distraction.
She dragged her attention to the canteen and did as she
was told, drinking until her stomach ached from fullness.
The people remained largely silent, and Cress felt the
presence of their curiosity and stars closing in around her.
She avoided ,meeting their eyes, and unconsciously crept
closer and closer against Thorne, until he had no
choice but to put an arm around her.
"We're deeply grateful to you," he said, offering an
easy smile to no one in particular.
YOU ARE READING
Cress
Teen FictionTheir best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being force to work for Queen Levana, and she...
