Chapter 2 Leaving Velmora
Ira’s POV
And of course I've once again run out of luck. But I'll be dead before I allow myself get caught.
Quickly scanning for an easy escape route, I run.
The crowd explodes into shouts, fingers pointing at me, curses raining down on me as I slam into people, pushing through angry faces.
Even when I'm out of the rowdy part of the market, they don't stop chasing after me. And neither do I stop pursuing safety.
My slippers tear completely under my feet, making me feel every stab from the granite floor.
“STOP HER!” Another screams.
I duck under a hanging banner, leap over a crate of drinks, slip between merchants… their smoke-darkened lips twisting in snarls but neither try to hold me down.
Perhaps they've been in a similar situation.
"Shit," I hiss, my lungs burning with exhaustion, my knees aching with every jump.
With the setting sun comes the rush of a cool breeze, nearly blowing off my hood.
I hold it down firmly with my hand.
I’m being chased as a thief, but if anyone should see traces of my white hair, I'll be chased for a completely different reason.
Suddenly the wind changes direction, blowing into a corner, filled with trash bags and refuse.
A grin spreads across my face.
If it wasn't ridiculous, I'd say the wind just gave me an escape.
I quickly bury myself in the trash bags around me. The stench nearly takes my life but I push through it.
The ground vibrates with the heavy steps of my pursuers.
If they catch me, they'll take everything on me. And I know Felisha won’t just punish me. The kids will suffer too.
She'll probably make them starve for three days again, until I find another profitable location.
But in a few seconds, the men's voices and footsteps blur, fading away. I wait about two more minutes before stepping out.
My knees ache, but the growing darkness around me tells me how terribly late I am. So wasting no more time, I run again, and this time, I head towards the shelter.
But what awaits me isn't what I'd hoped for.
I smile counting seventeen pans in total. Then I put seven back into my pocket, making sure to hide the extra ten pans under the trash bin beside the wooden shelter.
When I'm sure no one's watching, I'll add that to my secret savings.
“Then when I have enough, I’ll leave,” I whisper to myself.
The thought alone feels dangerous… Selfish. It always does. But I believe there's someone out there looking–
“HEEELLLPPPP!”
A high-pitched, terrified scream bursts from the house, instantly soaking me in dread.
What the hell's going on? I think to myself, running for the door.
“Felisha, please! Don’t let him…NO!”
Anna…
She's torturing them again?
I push open the door but nearly stumble when I hear Felisha’s voice… her words.
“Lie down, Anna! You’ll only make it worse if you fight! Today you'll become a woman!”
Something inside me snaps.
The bread drops from my cloak.
“ANNA!” I shout, rushing forward.
The sound of a man’s grunt hits me before I even reach the back room. I kick open the barely standing door, ignoring how it slams into the wall with a loud crack.
The man turns, shirtless, his belt half undone, his eyes wild with anger and surprise.
No, no, no.
My heart hammers when I see Anna's ten-year-old body trembling on the bed, her shirt torn at the sleeve, tears staining her cheeks.
“Get your filthy hands off her!” I scream, tears of relief filling my eyes when I realize her jean shorts are still on.
Felisha laughs, “Ignore the crackhead, Gab. The girl's yours.”
He glances at Felisha then turns back to Anna with a grin.
Before he can put his rotten hands on her again, I grab the wooden bat leaning by the doorway and swing.
The sound it makes when it hits his head is sickening but that doesn't stop me from slamming his head harder a second time.
He stumbles, swearing loudly, one hand pressed to the bleeding cut on his temple.
“You fucking bitch!” he roars, jumping at me with bared yellow teeth.
Felisha laughs when I try to swing the third time but he grabs the bat, twisting it from my hands before swinging at me.
Pain stabs into my shoulder, causing me to crash into a table.
Anna screams again. And this time I hear Oren’s sobs too. That's when I spot the seven year old boy shivering under the bed.
The man raises the bat to strike a second time, but I roll aside, reaching blindly for anything.
I dive under the bed, my fingers hastily patting around for the weapon I know is there.
My fingers closes around the long kitchen knife on the floor and I quickly point it at him.
“Come any closer,” I growl, staggering to my feet, “and I’ll gut you open!”
He freezes, his eyes darting from my face to the blade.
Goddess Knows I won't hesitate to protect the only family I've managed to build on earth.
“Crazy bitch,” he spits, pointing at me with a shaking hand. “You’ll regret it!”
“GET OUT!!!” I shout, stepping forward. “Before I change my mind.”
He backs away, clutching his bleeding head and muttering curses as he staggers out through the doorway.
I wait until I hear the door slam before I turn around. My glare finds Felisha… The woman I'd once thought was my hero after she saved me from the woods that night.
Anna rushes into my arms, sobbing.
“Ira…”
“I’m here. I’m here,” I whisper, clutching her tightly. My shoulder throbs where the bastard hit me, but I don’t care.
“You wretched pig! You better pray to the moon goddess that you've stolen enough to pay for the mess you created tonight.” Felisha hisses.
“How could you?!” I yell, rising to my feet, carefully putting Anna behind me. “She's just a kid!”
Felisha laughs for a second before her eyes harden. “I also was just a kid. That's how you become a woman. But you wouldn't know because you're so naive.” she spits.
“If being a woman means turning out like you then we're better off as pups!”
SLAP!!
Her strike's sharp and hard. The force of it causes a tingling vibration on the left side of my face.
“You ruined everything!” Her lips curl. “Do you know how much that man was paying?!”
“Is it really worth her body?!” I ask, furiously blinking back tears.
“She could’ve cooperated! You think I enjoy this? You think feeding you all is free?”
I step forward, my blood running hot. “I'm the one bringing in all the money so don't stand here and talk like you've been doing shit!”
“I keep a roof over your head!” she screams back, pointing at me. “And this is how you thank me?”
I drop the knife and reach into my cloak. “Here! That's seven pans.”
Oren and Anna gasp, eyes widening as Felisha snatches the fat purse from my hand.
She counts fast, lips moving silently. But then she grins mischievously.