Lunars of the Caribbean

I Need Answers (7)

"Is there something you want, Cinder?" Scarlet interrogated, holding the end of a pistol inches from Cinder's forehead. Either she'd found that in the map room, or she'd had it on her ... somewhere.

Without looking, Cinder closed the door behind her. All of the friendliness she had seen from Scarlet in the bar on Tortuga had vanished. Now replaced with stern indifference. Her hand was steady as she held up the pistol. Nothing about her suggested that she was afraid of weary of Cinder and what she was doing. Her expression reeked more of annoyance.

Staring Scarlet dead in the eye, Cinder announced, "I want answers."

"To what?"

Taking in a deep breath, Cinder said, "What being a Lunar means."

At that, Scarlet lowered her pistol, slowly. Ready to take aim again should Cinder do something that was ill advised. Backing up, Scarlet caved. "Ask away."

Relaxing without a gun pointed at her face, Cinder tried to pick which question to ask first. "Why do Lunars have these tattoos? Are they given to us at a certain time?"

Scarlet shook her head. "No. They appear on the wrists of Lunars exactly a day after they are born."

"Okay, are all of them the same?"

Again, Scarlet explained why Cinder was wrong. "There are several different kinds of the mark. Depending on your heritage, the mark changes. There are also shells and Lunar Soldiers that have variations of the mark."

From her poet blouse – minus all of the frilly fabric – Scarlet rolled up her left sleeve. She held up her arm vertically in front of her. On the inside of her wrist, a tattoo similar to Cinder's was clear. Like hers, it had five circles, two on each side of a large one in the middle. Unlike hers, the large middle circle wasn't completely filled in. Only a crescent of the circle on the left side was colored in black. The rest was her shade of skin.

"It's a crescent for the phase of the moon, but it represents being one-fourth Lunar. Since it's on the left, it means that my lunar part is from my father's side. The mark only appears on people who are at least one-fourth lunar. Anything less and the mark won't show. But you," Scarlet elaborated. "Your mark is fully filled in. Which means both of your parents were fully Lunar, making you fully Lunar as well."

Cinder peered down at her own tattoo. "Then what do the extra lines mean on mine?"

For a second, the air in the room was still. Until Scarlet looked away from her and said, "I have no idea."

"Alright." The list of inquiries Cinder had for Scarlet were endless. From what she could tell, they were the only two Lunars on the ship. Even if Scarlet wasn't completely Lunar. Still, Scarlet could be the only one who could answer her question on this ship. "What did Thorne mean when he asked you if you were 'eager for a little revenge' when we were in the bar?"

Scarlet wearily took a seat at the table underneath a mountain of maps. "I've never had good relations with the Lunars. Especially their queen, Levana." Cinder could definitely understand that. She'd only seen her for a few minutes and, in that time, developed an unhealthy loathing for the woman. "My parents and grandmother were killed by the Lunar Crown's orders. But that wasn't even the worst thing Lunars did to me."

"I'm sorry." Cinder never had a family. Not a real one, anyway. The only two of the Linhs she'd liked died when she was young, and her only friend, another slave to the Linh house, had been sold when the family had been n debt. Still, she knew what it was like to loss people you love.

Scarlet stared off into space, probably thinking about the worst thing that Lunars had ever done to her. It was most likely horrible, and Cinder felt badly for bring that thought to the front of her mind. Speedily, she changed the subject.