Freedom In The Stars

Chapter One

Everyone was scared that night. I knew someone screamed, I don't remember who, what if it had been me? Had I screamed? The cold air, someone stumbling, Someone crying, blood everywhere, a body. No, two I think, maybe both men? It had gone so dark, so very dark. Then a cage. More cold, freezing rain, pain and then I felt something warm before I passed out.

I closed my eyes, turning away from the window, away from the stars. I had a long day of chores and errands to run in the morning. A routine that never seemed to end. I would be busy all day. I closed my eyes, hearing whispers of I love you ringing in my ears. The memories fading. I stayed silent, did my job. I was planning for a day, the one day I would get out of here for good.

It's all I have of my past, my past that was filled with love. Everything after is a past filled with sharp clear memories. Of all sorts of emotion and feelings. Plenty of pain, mentally and physically. It comes with the terratiory when you get captured and become a slave at only age eight to a Talisman family. The threat of punishment, the threat of being sold if you did so much as look at them the wrong way. Fear. They ruled with fear. I was slowly losing my fear of them. A human without fear, is a threat to them. A threat they can not ignore. I would make my point someday, it would be loud and clear. Not just to them, but to everyone.

But for now what paid was to obey. To lay low. To listen and do as they told me to do. To do it properly and please them. To make as little mistakes or mishaps as possible. To never let your guard down when they were around. To even protect them if you had to, even if it meant sacrificing your own life. You see, life was never said or designed to be fair, nothing rarely ever is. But change was coming, I could feel it. Changing was going to happen. I vowed to be there when it happened.

                                           ~
The market was bustling with the slaves and indentured servants. Going from booth to booth, I concentrated on the list of items I need to get for tonight celebration feast that was being thrown. I was order to be efficient and return without delay.
There were human and Talisman stall keepers on both sides of the market. The market was humming with both languages. I understood very little of the Talisman language though other humans could almost speak it fluently. It made me think of the reality. There was no escaping the truth of what the world was like now.

I spotted the mango stand, weaving my way around others walking in the market. I had to be quick. Only half an hour until I need to start making my way back. I wordlessly picked up four of the fresh mangos, dropping the proper amount on the table in front of a Talisman, a boy, that looked no older than the miller's boy four stalls ago. A much older one, sitting behind the boy, nodded to him when the boy looked back at him. Almost if the boy wasn't sure I had dropped the right amount of coin on the stall counter. I had been here to this stall often enough that I knew that the older one had immediately recognized me. He knew I always paid thee correct amount. He gave the boy a wink after noticing the orange coin on the bottom of the pile. The boy, seeming to be mute, took the coins off the counter and deposited them into a coin bag at his waist, while handing me a fifth mango, free due to the orange coin. Without a word I put them in the canvas bag I carried, moving on to the very last item on my list, 17 passion fruits.

The thing was, the farther you got into the market, the faster you could lose your way. The market was the largest one in this town and almost always overshadowed the small pop up markets that occurred from time to time. But the passion fruit stall, was the farthest from the entrance. I would have to go in farther just to get them. Returning without them, let alone the whole list, was not an option. Not a consequence I desired to find out the punishment for.

It was even busier back here than in the front, so when I ran into someone I nearly brushed it off until a arm yanked me back, pulling me into an offshoot of side stalls at the market. My eyes widened as I saw who it was.

"Sssh. No, don't speak. Just take this. I know about the passion fruit on your list. Give the purple coin and that will get you four extra passion fruit. The seller, is human, but will accept it as well. She's been recently recruited to our cause. Now go. You know the drill, you never saw me and you don't know who we are."

I was quickly spun around and shoved, very forcefully, back into the bustling crowd. I quickly found my footing, my speed as well, so as to not crash into anyone or cause a disturbance in the crowd. I was nearly out of breath by the time I reached the passion fruit stand three minutes later. The owner, it appeared to be a quite tall women, was bagging up another customers order. I slide into the line and waited my turn. It wasn't long before I was standing before her. I spoke quickly, my voice barely above a speaking tone, as I slide the money and the purple coin on the bottom, towards her.

"17 passion fruits."

She quickly scooped up the money, not wanting anyone to see the coin I supposed. She grabbed a bag, began putting the fruit into the bag. She never counted out loud, but I saw as she put four extra into the bag. She wordlessly handed me the bag. I lifted my mouth only slightly, a small smile, before quickly dropping it, whirling away to join the ever moving crowd behind us. I was quickly lost in the flow of people. On the deep side of the market it was mostly humans. It wasn't until one started to reach the middle that one could see more of the Talisman walking about and buying things. It was mostly lower class Talisman. Just like humans had at one point, the Talisman had an upper, middle and lower class.

I should have enough time to get back was the thought on my mind, nearly to the front of the market, when I ran into him. My body froze, I barely felt as people behind me, stopped me from falling over. My thoughts were quickly consumed by the information of who he was, how important he was, the plan for him and what I must do. The anger, rose. Boiling its way up through my veins, consuming my heart in a second. This was my chance. Maybe my only chance. He was still trying to figure out what had happened as I moved my hand for the...

"Hooray!"

Came a shout from the stalls. Someone else had recognized him at the same time I had. I quickly scanned around him. No body guards, but other were starting to notice him, heads turning to look at him, at me. I need to disappear fast. Before he could utter a single word of apology, or even get a good look at me, I was out of the market and on my way back. Back to being a nobody. A simple slave. Just some random girl he had bumped into at the market, a thing he would quickly dismiss as nothing important.

I had failed , that was that.