Relentless

Chapter 2

What could possibly go wrong?

What could POSSIBLY go wrong?!

Did I seriously just ask that?! Seriously?! Ugh! I'm so stupid!

It's like I was begging for danger to come for a visit!

It's like I was daring it to rear its ugly head!

I'm such an idiot!

~~~~~~~

The moment my parents leave, things began to go wrong.

Ashton and I watched their coach carriage pulled out of view before heading back into the house. Of course, I have plans for a quiet evening, but Ashton has other ideas.

"Let's go to town. I heard there's a carnival there tonight."

I look at her, puzzled. "You've been here all day. Who told you that?"

She shrugs. "I have my ways. Besides," she gives me a devious grin, "who said I heard about it today?"

I don't understand why she does that, tries to scare me. I also don't understand how she does it so well.

She must have read the uncertainty on my face because she just laughs, grabs my wrist and leads me at a brisk pace up the stairs. "Come on, you need to get dressed for the night of your life."

After much convincing, I finally gave into my sister and put on my royal purple dress and she is wearing her royal blue one. The style of the dresses are the same, but of course, their cuts are not because of how different our figures are even though we are the same height.

It's my favorite dress, I was reluctant to wear it because I don't want to ruin it at the carnival. At least it's sort of protected by my charcoal grey cloak.

She hands me a black leather belt bag with our family's golden crest as the buckle. She wears a matching one in brown leather.

"What's the point of these," I say fingering the bag, "when we don't even have money to keep in it?"

She answers me with a smile and a question of her own. "Who says we didn't have any money?"

"Oh no, Ash, what did you do?"

"Relax, you worry too much," she replies with a dismissal flick of her hand as she walks into the next room.

I reluctantly follow, peeking around the corner.

"It's our parents' money." Ashton explains.

"But that's for emergencies."

"No, it's for us to use as needed when they're gone and well, they're gone and it's needed, so I see no problem in taking it."

I want to argue, but I don't see the point.

We both put on our matching medallion with our family crest on. Our mother presented them to us on our eighth birthday.

"Come on, let's get going," Ashton announced as her hand finds the knob on the front door.

"It's not even sundown. Why are we going so early?" I inquire.

"Let's just say, I have some friends to meet up with and a few favors to pull."

I don't dare ask more, knowing that I don't what to get pulled into whatever scheme she's plotting. I follow her, trying to keep her out of trouble. Seriously, you think I would learn that Ashton can take care of herself and that she doesn't need me to protect her, not that I would be able to do anything to protect her.