Hidden Mysteries

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

          “One lot please, mum.” The girl in a faded blue dress held out her hand to Anya. In her other hand, she held the basket with a small loaf of bread, a tiny block of cheese, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Anya knew this girl and her family for the value of the food they sold at their small stall. They had one of the lowest prices in the town and still had better food than most. Except that particular day.

          Anya cocked her head just slightly to the right while raising her brow carefully. “Ain't one lot more than usual?” She spoke in her commoner's accent.

          “Sorry, mum. Taxes were raised recently.” She looked at Anya apologetically.

          “Oh, alrigh'.” Anya sighed and fished the correct coin out of her purse before paying the girl and taking her groceries away. So far, there had been no sign of her strange acquaintance from the day before. Perhaps, Anya silently mused, he really did not know anything about me and was just playing a cruel joke. Yes, that would make more sense. She did not even want to think about that small possibility again. For all Anya knew, she could have just overreacted the other day. With that mentality, she was able to go about her day's business in peace.

          Anya visited the other stalls, but bought nothing more than a few spices that she was short on. Bare necessities, she reminded herself as she passed a shop with a beautiful ball gown in its window. You would never wear it anyhow. Even as she told herself this, however, she could not help but revel in the magnificence of the red gown. With a firm shake of her head, she walked away from the lure of the unnecessary item.

          Satisfied by what she had bought, she started the journey back to her house. It was at that moment when she felt it; the sly hand brushing against her hip, reaching for her coin purse.

          “Stop right there.” Anya grabbed the hand and turned, twisting the thief's wrist as she did so. She was not bothering with too much of a fake accent, but neither was she talking with too much formality. As usual, it was better to pretend that she was simply a commoner. The thief was a more believable common person, though. He wore clothes with patches and smelled as if he had not taken a bath in days. However, he had come in numbers. Two men of similar dress and smell stood behind him, brandishing dull knives.

          The man that she held captive grinned malevolently. “Jus' hand over yer purse, mum, and no harm will come to ya.” He said, acting as through the little skirmish had already been won.

          “I think not.” Anya twisted his wrist more, dangerously close to breaking the bones beneath his skin. “Be on you way now, boys.” She could not help but smirk as the man's face flushed white with pain.

          “Boss-” One of his fellow assailants started.

          “Don' jus' stand there!” He interjected quickly. The other two ran towards Anya, their dirty hands outstretched. The leaner of the two was closer to her. Keep her grip on 'boss' and her basket, she kicked her foot at him, hitting him in the gut. He doubled over in pain as Anya let go of the boss and grabbed the other man's head, hitting it with the boss'. They both fell to the ground, groaning.

          Anya smiled triumphantly before leaning down to collect their own purses. “A lesson, boys. Do try to not mess with a professional.” With a smirk, she kicked one of them when they tried to get up. She caught sight of a watchman as she straightened and froze when he stared at her. She knew how it looked; bad. He had to have seen her take their money, but she could not be sure whether or not he saw them try to attack her.

          When the rather heavy man started walking towards her - signaling to another watchman as he did - Anya knew she could hesitate no longer. So, holding her skirt, she kicked up her feet and started running. She could hear the clink of chain mail behind her and she gripped her basket evermore tightly.

          “Halt!” The male shouted. “Stop- running!” But she did not. Her padded shoes slapped the cobble stone as she picked up speed with each step. A small smile crept onto her face. There was heavy breathing behind her from the guard and his shouts grew softer. Anya turned around a corner and into an alley, jumping behind a large pile of cut wood. She watched the watchman run past the alley, still trying to shout.

          Her smile turned into a smirk. When she could no longer hear the man, Anya ventured back onto the street, pulling out the thieves' purses. She counted the coins and was impressed. They had apparently been very successful with their other steals. Anya was now even closer to leaving Hallareese for good. With a smile on her face, Anya walked past the beige walls of the village and towards home.

          It was a rather long walk from town to her house, consisting of more dirt paths than the paved ones that could be find in the town. However, it was worth it for the privacy. Few dared live outside the protected walls of Hallareese. Ha, Anya scoffed. How much did their precious protection help me? Not at all. Quickly, Anya changed the direction of her thoughts, not wishing to dwell on such things.

          If few dared to live beyond the pretty walls of the village, even fewer decided to live near the large expanse of forest. Rumors of witches, vicious beasts, and other paranormal activity surrounded it. It served its purpose well and kept Anya in relative solitude. She liked to keep her secrets to herself. Though it might be lonely, she always reminded herself why she did it.

          After living in the town for eight years, Anya had had her fill of whispering shadows and frightening dreams of her past. Her career as a thief helped her day by day to achieve the dream of finally leaving Hallareese. Living far away from civilization meant that she did not have need to bother with silly things such as landlords and rent, helping her save more of her precious money. The forest loomed ever closer as she arrived at her house.

          An orange sun bathed the wooden mess she liked to call home in a fiery light. The trees and land almost appeared to be on fire as Anya followed the path to her house. Walking up to the front door, a strange sense of isolation came over her. Usually she welcomed the time to herself, but now it only made her feel forlorn.

          Remember why you do this, she thought. For your own safety. She kicked off her shoes, closing the door behind her. She kept repeating the thoughts in her head as she set the the basket of groceries down on her table. It is no use living in the past, Anya added to her thoughts, making herself fix some supper. As the cheese melted on a small piece of flat bread, she emptied the thugs' purses into a jar that held her savings. She returned it to its hiding spot just as her meal started to burn.

          “Curses.” She muttered, getting the pan off of the fire and on the table. Then she started, turning back to the pan and picking it up, witnessing the burn left from it on the wood. “Curse you!” She snapped at the inanimate objects, as her hand slipped and the pan fell out of her grip, the flat bread falling with its cheesy side face down.

          Her appetite lost from the frustration, Anya stormed into her room, not bothering with the mess. It could be dealt with in the morning. She was lucky her clothes did not rip as she flung them off her body and changed into a nightgown. After extinguishing the lights from the candles, she fell into the bed, thinking that the sooner she left the town and started a new life, the better. With that, she lapsed into yet another disturbed slumber.