MARKED

MARKED                              

Prologue

The girl crouched behind a nearby window, waiting. She held the freshly sharpened dagger close to her heart, and kissed it’s sharp point.

Please.  she whispered.

She took the tip of the dagger and pierced her light brown skin.  A small stream of ruby blood dripped onto the dry leaves beneath her feet.

Please.

Chapter One

I walked down the rows of expensive shops in the heart of New York City, just outside of Time Square.

I looked into the shop windows and waved at friends that passed. My teal sundress swayed as I walked and my raven black hair danced in the light summer breeze that carried the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and hot dogs.

I  was headed towards the nearby Cafe’ for lunch when a flash of teal and yellow caught my eye. I backed up and looked into the shop window that I had just passed, the CUTEST pale yellow sundress and sunhat with a teal blue ribbon tied around the top stared back at me. I rushed inside the store and came back out a few minutes later with two shopping bags in hand.

Satisfied, I headed towards the Cafe’ for the second time that day and slipped inside. I stepped into line and prepared for a long wait.

I pulled my phone out of my over-the-shoulder bag and checked the time. When I looked up I caught the eye of a very intimidating and.............interesting woman.

She was big-boned, and wore a black leather jacket with a white tank-top underneath and black leggings. Her eyes were lined with way too much eyeliner, her dark hair was cut short and spiked, the tips dyed red. One of her ears had earnings that climbed all the way up her ear. The other wore a gold chain and a red gage.

There was a black crescent moon stained into her left wrist, it’s tails curled and wrapped around and up her arm, stopping at the crook of her elbow.

There was something about the tattoo, something that said it was more than a tatoo; much more.

I looked up at her with question in my eyes. She grinned back slyly. I realized that she had been staring at me this whole time.

Why is she -?

“Excuse me?,”

I took my attention away from the intimidating woman and looked up.

“Are you ready to order?,”

“What?,” I started, “Oh, yeah - sorry.,”

I ordered lunch and paid the cashier. As she handed me the bag I glanced at the strange woman and decided that it would be better if I sat outside.

I chose a table closest to the pier where the air was filled with the sweet, salty scent of the ocean.

I took a sip of lemonade and realized that I wasn’t alone.

There was a man at the table to my right, one look at him and I could’ve sworn that he belonged to a Mafia gang. His oily black hair was slicked back and combed, he wore a black leather jacket with a red undershirt and matching black, leather pants. He wore gold chains around his neck with hundreds of charms attached. He had one diamond earing that sparkled and the same tattoo that the woman in the Cafe’ had had.

I really wouldn’t have minded him, except for the fact that he was grinning at me; obviously amused by my uneasiness.

Ignore him. I thought.