The Marks that Define Them

Chapter 1:

She sat at her mother's table and brushed her thick curly dark hair.Her strokes became rapid and messy, her anxiousness rose until she could feel around her. She felt like she would eventually going to crumble under the pressure.Today was the day. The pressure of being her daughter. The pressure of Caitriona knowing her shame, her secret, her curse.She slipped on her turquoise blue skirt and buttoned her gold blouse. She turned her head to the right and scowled at the light blue silk gloves that rested on her nightstand. She hated them. She hated the fact that she had them. She hated the resentment her father had towards her or the glances she gets from Caitriona. With a mental sigh, Astraea snatched the gloves and forcefully pushed them on.

As she walked the winding staircase the nervousness rose from the bottom of her stomach to the very top of her chin. She was so consumed in her inner thoughts she didn't hear her name being called as she stepped down from the last stair onto the porcelain floor. She stood there robotically staring at the people outside of the palace through the window.

"ASTRAEA," She tensed at the sound of her own name. Fear dripping from her pores. She could sense the anger in Catriona's voice.

With a shaky voice, Astraea responded, "Yes headmistress Caitriona?"

"How many times have I told you to pay attention? You know just for that I should give you a challenge. You will be serving our majesties, Queen Aine and the King." Caitriona was satisfied with herself by that decision. She never wanted to be in her situation. But these were the cards life had dealt her, and she had to play the game with them. Astraea wasn't aware of that her assigning was set up for her to fail, and have one more reason for people to shake their heads when she walked in the hallway, another reason for her dad to resent even more. But she wouldn't say anything. She never said anything. And she never would.

Nestrori:

He was looked upon as nothing but a low life that had some good looks and good connections. But everything he did was for her. He waited in line behind countless hundreds of men. Waiting for their number, name, or even description of themselves, of who they once were to be called. The claustrophobia settled beneath his skin. He wasn't from here and it was very evident. No one native to Okeanos had his gold skin. Instead what surrounded him were pearly white statues. And he hated it because it reminded him of her symptoms.

His mind wandered away from him until the statue in front of him had gone. The sense of being next made him cringe on the inside but from another person, he looked like a this wasn't his first time. It wasn't. Remember this is for her, he thought. Her, the very thought of her name brought a tsunami of memories and fear and with those memories and fears brought the most weakening thing of all. Tears. They would let the ilios manipulate him which could and would endanger her.

"Nestori," His name was called. Taking the first step onto the ruby carpet that covered the stairs, he shook off his nerves. He walked to the center of the platform and stared at the women's faces. The faces of the people that would be betting on him. Betting on him like he wasn't another person but an object to parade around their houses.

Staring into the crowd his face was emotionless, eyes glued on the eyes that filled with wonder and excitement as the black robe that covered him was snatched away from him leaving him bare as the day he was born. Almost. He kept the most dangerous thing about him hidden away. The face that stood out the most was a snow white Queen with pupils that stared right through him. It was clear to him that she wanted him, and she did. Her captivated with his body, the look at him, in him, and through him. The way her eyes moved made him shiver. He was so focused on looking at her he zoned out. From doing that Nestori missed her buying him as her pawn. Nestori also missed the look of winning and power in her eyes because in her mind she had the missing piece of the puzzle to gain power and fear of others beneath her.