Secrets Intertwined

VIII

As the enormous gate opened up, Aislyn stuck her head out to the other window to get a better look. Beautiful grey stone houses were lined up in a huge circle, with an especially big one directly across from the gate. They all faced inwards where various stalls were littered across a cobblestone courtyard. A short distance away from the largest house, the Community house where the Leaders lived, where she had previously lived with her mother and brother, was a wooden platform that was used for announcements.

Aislyn tried to block out the cracks in the tiles. The rust on the gate. The broken bricks.

As the carriage entered the compound, Aislyn drew back from the window and tilted her head to the floor or avoid the looks of the young children running along next to the carriage. She began undoing her hair and let it hang down around her.

"How's this going to work?" asked Aislyn, peering out from the cover of her hair.

"I think that its best if we just get it over and done with," replied Jackson, "We'll make an announcement as soon as we get there. We don't need the gossip and rumours circulating around about a girl we've snuck into our house."

"Yeah I definitely don't want that," sniggered Logan, "I love you and all but not like that."

"And what about Tamani?"

Logan cringed and answered, "Let's make the announcement without him and then lock you up in the House. We'll get Tamani there straight away and we can tell him in private."

"I agree," interjected Jackson, "He won't like being the last one to know but it's definitely something to address in private. He should be down at the beach around about now, helping the fishermen."

The carriage halted just short of the wooden platform and from a brief glance out of the window, Aislyn could already see people starting to gather, unaccustomed to seeing such finery. Jackson started to greet some of the people as soon as he got off the carriage, Logan brushing off questions settled for turning around to offer a hand to Aislyn.

Jumping down from the carriage, side-stepping away from the two boys, Aislyn reached into her bag and scribbled down a note on a piece of parchment. Pulling her bag back over her shoulder, she made her way over to the front of the carriage.

She handed it to the driver saying, "If you see Raven- I know you know who he is- please give him this."

The driver took the note and said, "So, you want me to go out of my way to deliver a note?"

Aislyn narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth at the driver but hid behind her hair so no one else could see her.

Taking out a matching pair of earrings to the pearl bracelet she handed over earlier, Aislyn forced them into the driver's palm.

"We good?"

"We're good."

She was drawn away by Jackson who had taken her by the arm and began to steer her towards the platform. Already she could hear whispers worming their way through the crowd.

"Jackson and Logan have brought back a girl!"

"Who's that girl?"

"Does she look familiar to you?"

Aislyn could feel her heart beginning to race and her palms grow sweaty. People. Too many people in one place. Too many people looking at her.

Remembering her training, she took a deep breath and flicked her head to the side, throwing her jet black hair over her shoulder. Steeling her bravado emotions into place, Aislyn plastered on a smug grin and met the eyes of everyone she passed. The crowd had tripled in size and the buzz of the chatter almost drowned out Logan's voice as he turned back to face Aislyn.