The Brand of Anem

Chapter One

The weather mirrored how Carson had felt that particular day: morose and cantankerous and bleak. The coastal breeze cut through his clothing like a frozen knife, straight through to his shivering bones. Casey, his younger sister by six years, squeezed his bare hand with her gloved one. Her scarf had unwound itself and hung freely around her shoulders. Carson wrapped her scarf back around her throat to protect it from the harsh breeze and tugged her hand-knit hat over her frozen ears. They continued their hand-in-hand walk to the temple, where their parents waited for them at the engagement celebration of the year.

The worst of winter had passed, thankfully, and spring was slow to wake from its hibernation. The northern breezes that carried the chill of winter still cut sharply through the city, but the warm sun kept the ground free of ice and snow.

Carson told himself not to show how he felt, and as he walked to the temple with his sister in tow, he practiced an expressionless mien. He practiced hiding his disappointment, resentment, and bitterness. It was less of an effort to Carson since he'd been in the business of hiding his emotions to the outside world since he was twelve, only a year older than Casey was. 

"Big brother?" rasped Casey. She sounded like she was possibly getting sick, and that worried Carson a tad. 

    Carson reached over with his free hand and pulled the scarf up over her mouth and nose. Perhaps that would help some, but he wasn't all that confident. "What is it?" he replied, voice low.

    "You're very quiet." There was no question. Just the statement.

    "And you look very cold."

    She shivered in agreement.

    "Don't worry," he said. "We're nearly to the temple. Just a few more minutes."

    Thankfully, the goddess was looking down on their shivering bodies and had mercy. She stopped the wind for the rest of the walk, and the cold was not so unbearable. Carson had quickly sent a thank-you prayer to her as they trotted up the marble steps of the temple. Once inside, Casey let out an exasperated sigh of relief in an entirely quiet sanctuary during the all-important moment of silence. Horrified, Carson covered her mouth halfway through the sigh, yet several people nearest them still turned to look in disappointment and some even in disgust.

 
    He nodded his apologies at them and dragged Casey along, still covering her mouth. She shook him off of her, but she didn't make a sound. They hugged the wall as they made their way further into the sanctuary to where their parents always sat. They had never sat anywhere else in the whole of the temple. 

The moment they were sitting with Derek and Kayla—their parents—Prophet Theodore Alpin stood from his seat among the congregation and climbed the steps to the stage where a twelve-foot-tall statue of Anem had been erected. When Prophet Theo spoke, the whole room listened. "We thank Anem for blessing us with opportunities such as this. Today we have all gathered to celebrate the most recent engagement of our wonderful city. Judge Mark James' daughter, Kristina Margaret James, to the chief officer, Henry William Lach." 

Carson's chest tightened, and a hard lump stuck in his throat. His heart ached inside his ribcage, prodded with a million tiny needles.

    Margaret and William walked up the steps to stand next to Prophet Theo. William positioned himself on the Prophet's left while Margaret took his right side. Carson realized at that moment that William's expressionless face had never been so punchable. "Please help me welcome this soon to be wedded couple!" Carson's throat squeezed. He reeled himself back in as he clapped along with everyone else in the room.