ONE

Four Months Since the Rebel Overthrow. 

Irritated, I stare down upon my hands, silently cursing the stain so deeply embedded into the cotton, no amount of scrubbing will remove it. 

Blowing a stray curl from my face, I let the yellow bar of soap glide from my grip and into the sudsy water. This client expects his white shirt to be spotless by tomorrow, and the store is only minutes away from closing. I eye the few lone coins at the bottom of my glass tip jar, knowing this is going to be another hard week. 

All of Tai and I's savings are hidden in a small box at the very back of one of our cupboards. It still feels strange referring to the space as ours, despite the fact that it's been months since we arrived at our little cabin the Azure Province, fleeing from Marek and the rebel presence back in the Jade Province. 

We haven't moved. We haven't had any suspicion that they know where we are. . 

The bell above the door in the storefront suddenly jingles. Drawing my hands from the tub of water, I quickly dry my hands, no longer wincing at the feeling of the rough fabric against my once sensitive fingertips. Now, they are hardened and resistant to even the harshest fabrics and cleaning agents.

Working at this little laundry store is all that keeps me sane, aside from Tai. 

Leaning through the archway, I look out at the door, noting the man brushing snow from his dark locks. 

My heart falters. 

The sweep of his hand pulls bronze strands back from his forehead, tinted with the faintest hint of a Summoner's marking. The breath quickly departs from my lungs as his icy blue eyes focus on me, leaving me scrambling amongst the fright that paralyses me. 

After a long moment, I blink, realising I'm not staring at Marek. This man is nothing but a stranger. A Summoner, yes, but definitely not the hunter I saw at first glance. Summoners are rare, but I've seen plenty in my time here in the Azure Province. Almost none have had markings, but this man's is so faint, unlike what I remember Marek's to have been like. Marek has power, and it's evident this man has almost none.

"Excuse me ma'am?" He says uneasily, breaking the heavy silence tainting the room. "Is everything okay?"

The relief is so dizzying I have to brace myself against the archway. Now that I look, this man looks nothing like Marek. He has the basic features, but this man's eyes are darker than I first thought, and his nose is slightly bent out of shape, eyes far too close together. 

I let out a long, slow breath. "Sorry, you look like someone I know."

With a thudding heart, I approach the counter, resting my palms against the surface. The one light in the middle of the ceiling does little to aid me, the trick of shadows and fear showing me what was never there in the first place. 

"I have laundry," he comments awkwardly, motioning to the weaved basket of clothes he has propped on his hip. I nod numbly, patting the counter for him to set it on. 

"Great, it will be done by tomorrow," I tell him, giving him a tight lipped smile. He gives me his name and address before leaving. 

I hadn't realised the thought of Marek had been haunting me so much. Everyday I think of him, of where he is and what he is doing. I never speak to Tai about it, knowing he feels nothing but anger toward the Hunter. I may share the same resentment, but it's also mingled with fear...I'm afraid of what he may do when he finds me. 

Watching the stranger leave through the door again, tracking through the snow and into darkness, I silently curse myself for my reaction. What would I have done if that was truly Marek? 

"Why so jumpy?"

I flinch, whirling around to see my coworker and friend leaning against the back room door frame, dark eyebrow raised. I use the term friend lightly, knowing I don't have the luxury of attaining friends.

Soon, Tai and I will have to leave and make the dangerous journey to the Jade Province to find his father. When that will be, we don't know, but it's inevitable.

If Marek doesn't get us first. 

"Huh?" I breathe tightening my ponytail. "Oh, I just thought he looked like a guy I once knew."

Noa steps into the room, her apron as stained as mine, shoulder-length black hair tied back behind her.

She has been the kindness, yet most curious person I have met since being here. My silence on my life bothers her, which is why I have aimed to keep my distance, although it hasn't exactly worked. 

"That's the first real hint I've gotten about you," she jokes. I'm used to her jabs, her subtle ways of probing for answers. It's fascinating to her, having a foreigner with Golden Province looks and a Jade

Province accent in her small, remote hole town. I would be curious too, especially since she knows nothing more than Tai and I's rehearsed backstory.  

"I told you, I'm not that interesting," I say with the shrug, taking one last glance toward the glass door and to the snow backed high outside that the stranger just tracked through before turning around, walking back into the back room. 

"No one believes you actually came here from the Jade Province because you're poor," she notes as I brush past her. Noa's the only person who has taken an interest in me since I arrived, since she is the only one bothered by my silence. I hate myself for liking her so much. I'm supposed to be more inconspicuous. 

"I told you, my mother kicked me from my home," I tell him hurriedly. It's been getting harder adhering to the same story, but the least she knows about me the less likely it is Marek will track me down. "My husband knows people up here, so I came along."

Here, Tai is known as my husband. Months ago that technically nearly became true. 

"Yes, I know. You're just fascinating, you know?" Noa says, staying in the doorway with her bag slung over her shoulders, ready to leave. As per her usual routine, she hangs back to talk to me, despite most of our conversations being empty and void of any meaning. It's the consequence of not being able to talk about myself. 

I go back to the shirt I was struggling to get the stain out of, deciding it's useless to even try anymore.

"You need a hobby Noa."

Contrary to my words, Noa comes to lean over my work counter. "What's your husband like?"

I pause. I'm still not used to referring to Tai as my husband, even if I don't need to within our own home. Tai and I have been getting along well these past months. Only recently has the stress and betrayal reduced enough for us to finally smile and laugh with each other like old friends. We have been getting closer, admittedly, which is a frightening thought, since the last time I was close with another man, he completely betrayed me. 

"Nice, I suppose," I say uneasily, not wanting to impart much information about Tai. We haven't been seen together, since we are always working, and when we aren't, Tai is the one who goes into town to collect anything we need. "He cuts trees for a living."

Noa's eyes gleams, the mischievous side of her coming out, which is a consequence of her being bored. I can't blame her, this small town gets boring rather quickly. "Is he hot?"

"I mean, I married him, didn't I?" I say, forcing a smile onto my face. If only she knew the real reason why Tai and I were supposed to marry...but those people, Akara and Tai don't exist here. "He's like a King to me."

Noa doesn't flinch at that, instead resting her elbows on the counter as I tip the soapy water from my bucket down the sink. I'm not sure how much longer I will be in this Province, or more specifically, this village to entertain Noa's obsession with finding out more about me, but I doubt it will be much longer. If she so much as senses something is off, and Marek shows up to ask questions...It would be detrimental.

"That's so romantic," Noa sighs. "Is he coming with you to the end of year party?"

"Oh, I don't even know if I will," I admit, knowing I often turn away from the idea of out of work events, since that gives people an excuse to start asking questions they don't know they don't want the answers to. 

Noa shakes her head at me as I begin squeezing out the shirt I was working on. "What, you have to. Everyone is going."

"I know, but I don't drink and parties aren't my thing," I admit uneasily. At least that part isn't a lie. Once I'm done with the shirt, I hang it with pegs before glancing back out into the store front. The man is long gone, although his resemblance with Marek is burned into my mind. I'm going to have nightmares about the Summoner tonight, about our last conversation. There isn't a day where I haven't poured over each word, wondering what his intentions were. 

"You don't need to drink," Noa assures me, brushing up against my shoulder with hers as she comes to stand next to me. We both look out toward the outside world, darkness smothering the nearby mountains, the snow falling lazily in fluffy heaps against the exterior of the building. "Please. If you don't go, people are going to think you're weird."

I shrug. "Maybe I am."

Before I can go to walk out back again to grab my belongings, Noa grasps my arm, all amusement having vanished from her expression as she regards me seriously. "What's really going on with you?

Who are you, Cara?"

I release a long breath, hating that fake name. I wanted something close enough to my name so I would react when called, but something that wouldn't be as easy to track as my real name. I'm not sure why we bother with any of it, as it seems Marek would have no issue finding us if he decided to look into the Azure Province. 

It's only a matter of time, and that's why we have to keep moving. It's also a matter of time before we are caught...This life running isn't forever. 

"I am someone who really needs to be getting home before dark," I tell her, grabbing my coat off it's hook, shrugging it onto my shoulders. I'm not excited about stepping into the snow, as gentle as it is falling.

Noa sighs, also grabbing her belongings. "Sure."

"I like being your friend, Noa. I mean that," I say softly. She gives me a tight smile, tossing the keys at me to lock up, leaving through he front door. I watch her go, disappearing into the darkness.

I feel bad for all I keep to myself. But the moment Marek finds me, is the moment my life may be over.