This was a bad idea. He knew the legends were probably not true. But that mean he wasn't slightly scared. Not that he would ever tell Cinder. He glanced at her. She was giving him a smug look that he had always hated.
She spun the hunting knife between her gloved fingers, " You gonna go Thorne?"
" I don't back out of deals, Cinder. You're gonna be sorry you made that bet." She shrugged and handed him the knife.
" Have fun," she said sarcastically. He sighed turning to the looming tower in front of him. The Ghost Tower, as people called it. The tower that he was not afraid of. The tower with a hidden passage. The passage he had been dared to go and sign his name in. Because he couldn't keep his stupid mouth shut. And Cinder had dared him to. He turned and ran.
The passage was just as he imagined. Creepy, and somewhere he didn't want to be. But he was not scared. Because he was Carswell Thorne. And he did not get scared. He ducked under the loose bricks and as his eyes adjusted the darkness he saw the other names.
Cinder. Scarlet and Wolf, with a heart around their names. Peony. Pearl. And countless others he didn't recognize. He carved Captain Carswell Thorne into an empty space below Cinder. Ha, and she said he couldn't do….
He glanced up. A ferocious, eight-legged beast was only two feet away from him. He froze. Damn spiders. Slowly, he started to back away when suddenly he heard something. Was that….singing? This place really was haunted. He sprinted out of the tunnel, stopping right in front of the entrance. He swaggered, smirking at Cinder as he passed. And then standing beside her.
" I did my part," he looked around, " Where are Scarlet and Wolf?" She leaned close to him.
" They think that I don't know that their making out behind the tree." He looked around and saw a mess of red hair peeking out from behind a tree. " We should head back into town," Cinder says. " I have to work. Adri is making me work double time." Thorne sighed. As her best friend so long he carried the same hatred for Adri as she did. Unlike her, he had been able to his family long ago. He nodded and they walked back into town leaving Scarlet and Wolf to come back on their own.
Cinder opened the small door of her home. The house was dead quiet inside. She sighed. They were probably out at the market. Spending her hard earned money. He ankle was starting to throb and she sat at the small wooden table under the straw roof.
"Cinder," a small, excited voice called from the other room. "Iko?" Her adopted sister came bounding into the room. "Where's Adri?"
" She's at the market. Went to buy dresses. We have to go to work," she said cheerfully. Cinder smiled. Only Iko could make working for nothing fun. Not that she didn't like fixing things. She had always been good with her hands. Cinder got up, flinching as her throbbing ankle hit the ground. Thirteen years later and sometimes it would still hurt. She looked at the cheerful Iko. " Let's go."
The market was bustling as usual. Her small stall was already covered in little trinkets and gadgets, neatly arranged into fixed and not fixed. Iko was already behind the counter, arranging the mess that was her workspace.
She took her place behind the stall pulling up her stool. She really needed to rest her ankle. She started tinkering with a little toy car. Broken gear. She sighed. Lowering herself she shuffled through the dozens of wheels and cogs.
" Hello," someone said from above. She sighed and stood up. And froze. There, standing right there, was the Prince of Esteria. Kai. The dreamy, handsome prince every girl dreamed of meeting. And here he was, standing in front of her. In the clothes of a pauper. He was holding a small locket. She schooled her features and hoped there was no grease on her face.
" How can I help you?"