Glacial

Chapter 1| Blue blood

The sky was clear, free of any dark clouds that would cover up the bright moon and shiny stars. The air was humid and hot, making it hard to breathe for the most part, however, that didn't prevent the citizens of this big city to go out on a Friday night and enjoy a drink or two.

Bars and pubs were full of people, cigar smoke and the smell of alcohol, accompanied by the loud chatter, laughter and glasses full of beer colliding with each other.

The ground of the streets was covered up by fancy, flowy, silk dresses and tar black shoes, while various matching black hats and fedoras were poking from the crowd, resting on people's heads. Jazz music was enveloping the buildings and everything between them, hypnotizing anyone who happened to hear it and bringing the urge to dance.

One of the many eventful Summer nights was starting.

Not for Astrid, however.

Frankly, she wasn't interested in all that fake, classy bullshit.

She knew that the expensive suits and dresses were only for show and that people wearing them weren't truly happy, because no one in this city could earn that much money without getting their hands dirty,

And well, if you want money, your life will most likely be ruined,

Which is exactly why she was stuffing a gun into her pants, behind her back.

The girl silently raised her head as she looked at herself in the big window of a bar, her icy, almost neon eyes staring at her reflection.

She could notice eyebags forming above her cheeks, tugging down her face. Furrowing her brows, the young woman adjusted the plastic, auburn locks that hung by the sides of her face, hoping that the wig didn't seem too fake.

God, did she wish that she didn't have to wear it.

Looking around, she tried to find anyone suspicious in the crowd that could be eyeing her.

Thankfully, no one seemed to follow her.

"Good." She mumbled under her breath as she turned around and stepped towards the glass door, that had some cursive, golden letters painted on it. She didn't bother to read them, since she had the name of the bar memorised in her head.

Pushing the door open, a bell jingled above her, alerting the barmen that they have a new customer.

Some people raised their heads, glancing at her before going back to chugging down their booze, while some didn't bother to turn around. The less attention she attracted, the better. With a deep breath, she approached one of the empty tables in the corner, sitting on the dull red leather cushions of a high chair. She took off her raven coat and neatly placed it on a chair nearby.

Leaning her elbows on the round table, she cupped one of her cheeks as she looked around the bar.

The room was narrow but very long, perfect for fitting a lot of chairs and tables, that were all taken. She was lucky to find an empty spot. The counter was on the opposite side of the room, with some barmen who were chatting with the people that occupied the barstools. Many glass bottles of various colors glistened in the dull, warm light above them. She could recognize some brands by the shapes of the labels and colors, along with the sizes of the bottles. The counter made out of dark, polished wood was home to many glasses filled with amber liquid and ice cubes, along with packs of cigars and other belongings. The walls were made out of some flat stones that were stacked on each other, while some paintings were neatly placed on them. Loud laughter and chatter pounded in her ears, but she couldn't do much about it except sigh.