Chapter Two
6 years later:
Nothing had changed. The sky was still the same dusty tan as it had always been. The nights still freezing.
Zoe sat in the town market, eyeing the customers as they bought their supplies. They had been gathering up for the next three days as the crazy psycho had predicted another sandstorm.
Nothing had changed, alright.
She had been caught twice recently stealing some jewelry. She could still feel the sting of the whips from the Pharaoh's henchmen. Also from Master Sayaru, except he never used weapons, just words. Sometimes his words were worse than the whips. Especially recently. It seemed as if the Pharaoh had received more men lately. It was becoming more difficult to steal.
Maybe it had changed a bit.
Ever since she had heard about the new Pharaoh, she had never seen his face. But she had heard a lot about him. How he was enticingly beautiful, how he was incredibly strong. That was all the women would speak of. It almost sickened her how they would fall head over heels for this person that they may have never even seen, and probably never would.
The wind flowed softly, combing through her long black hair. She held a small gift wrapped in cloth. It was from Seta. He was the only one besides Master Sayaru that knew it was her sixteenth birthday. She opened it.
A golden necklace sat there in her palm, shining brightly. He must have stolen it on a special trip. A passerby glanced at the necklace, then her. A yell was heard all around the town market.
"Thief! That little wench stole my necklace!"
She quickly looked up to see a lady pointing to her. Time to escape. She could already see the henchmen running toward her from the corner of her eye. There was no way she would make it. She felt herself drop as one of the men had tackled her.
A crack sounded through the air. Then a deafening scream. She was defeated yet again. Blood and dirt was the taste left in her mouth. Badly injured, she struggled to get up. One of the men used his foot to push her back down.
She had been blinded by the dust, but she could hear a voice call out, "Zoe!"
She recognized it. That voice belonged to Seta.
"Seta?" she whispered.
He tried to get to her, but was only restrained by the guards.
"Get back, you little boy!"
"Leave her alone!" Seta attempted to stand up for her. "She didn't steal the necklace, I did!"
"Seta, no!"
One of the men laughed. "So it was you, huh? I knew I saw a boy sneaking around the palace last night."
The palace? Zoe gasped. Oh, no. He had stolen the necklace from the royal temple. That was considered a major crime. A crime that would result in execution. She opened her eyes, and stood up to see Seta being carried away by the guards. She had to stop them.
"No, stop! He didn't do it! Please, no!" she fell down to her knees, softly crying.
The last thing she heard was, "Take care of Master Sayaru, Zoe. Do not worry about me."
She could see one of the boys run up to her. It was Derek, who was nineteen. He never saw what happened, and only chose to believe that Zoe failed every time.
"Get up, and come on. Master Sayaru needs medicine. He's become very sick. What are you crying for? Get up!"
She did as told and followed Derek to the master, who lay there in his bed, which looked as if it were a deathbed now. He slowly opened his eyes just enough to notice that something was wrong. "Where is Seta?"
Zoe couldn't hold it in any longer, and broke down crying. Master Sayaru told the boys that were standing around to leave the room. He looked her in the eye.
"Stop crying. There is no room for that here."
She hushed herself to hear what he had to say.
"I talked to him last night," he struggled out the words with his rugged, old voice. "I warned him of the consequences, but he wouldn't listen. He only told me this."
Her head immediately tilted up.
"Zoe, he told me that he would rather die than leave you with an unforgotten birthday."
A tear fell to the ground below.
A bitter, but sweet sixteen.
----------------------------------------------
It was nothing special. Birthdays never meant much to him besides that everyone treated him differently. Being sixteen didn't feel different, though. Just the same usual routine. He sat in his throne, swinging around one of his golden bracelets. Nothing was different, even though he wanted it to be.
He watched as some of his henchmen he had sent out to guard the market stepped in. The two that had first walked in bowed to him, as he stood up. The other two came in holding a boy by his arms.
"Excuse me, your highness. The boy was caught."
"What has this boy done?
"One of the items was stolen last night. The crest, sir. This is the boy who was responsible for this action."
He became furious. "What is your business with the Millennium Crest?
"It was a gift," he spoke out.
"To whom might I ask?"
"My friend. No one ever remembers her birthday, and she had just turned sixteen today."
This interested the Pharaoh. Someone held the same birthday as him. He had to know the name of this girl.
"What is her name?"
"You mustn't punish her, she hasn't committed any serious crimes, sir-"
"Tell me her name!"
"Ayara Zoe."
"Hmm. Nonetheless, you should know you had no business with that item, and the sentence shall be withheld." A smirk appeared on his face. "Kill him."
Again, a bitter, but sweet sixteen.
----------------------------------------------------
Zoe-San: Pretty creepy for just the second chapter, huh? Well, just to let you know, it would be wise to stay for the rest. It gets better, trust me.
6 years later:
Nothing had changed. The sky was still the same dusty tan as it had always been. The nights still freezing.
Zoe sat in the town market, eyeing the customers as they bought their supplies. They had been gathering up for the next three days as the crazy psycho had predicted another sandstorm.
Nothing had changed, alright.
She had been caught twice recently stealing some jewelry. She could still feel the sting of the whips from the Pharaoh's henchmen. Also from Master Sayaru, except he never used weapons, just words. Sometimes his words were worse than the whips. Especially recently. It seemed as if the Pharaoh had received more men lately. It was becoming more difficult to steal.
Maybe it had changed a bit.
Ever since she had heard about the new Pharaoh, she had never seen his face. But she had heard a lot about him. How he was enticingly beautiful, how he was incredibly strong. That was all the women would speak of. It almost sickened her how they would fall head over heels for this person that they may have never even seen, and probably never would.
The wind flowed softly, combing through her long black hair. She held a small gift wrapped in cloth. It was from Seta. He was the only one besides Master Sayaru that knew it was her sixteenth birthday. She opened it.
A golden necklace sat there in her palm, shining brightly. He must have stolen it on a special trip. A passerby glanced at the necklace, then her. A yell was heard all around the town market.
"Thief! That little wench stole my necklace!"
She quickly looked up to see a lady pointing to her. Time to escape. She could already see the henchmen running toward her from the corner of her eye. There was no way she would make it. She felt herself drop as one of the men had tackled her.
A crack sounded through the air. Then a deafening scream. She was defeated yet again. Blood and dirt was the taste left in her mouth. Badly injured, she struggled to get up. One of the men used his foot to push her back down.
She had been blinded by the dust, but she could hear a voice call out, "Zoe!"
She recognized it. That voice belonged to Seta.
"Seta?" she whispered.
He tried to get to her, but was only restrained by the guards.
"Get back, you little boy!"
"Leave her alone!" Seta attempted to stand up for her. "She didn't steal the necklace, I did!"
"Seta, no!"
One of the men laughed. "So it was you, huh? I knew I saw a boy sneaking around the palace last night."
The palace? Zoe gasped. Oh, no. He had stolen the necklace from the royal temple. That was considered a major crime. A crime that would result in execution. She opened her eyes, and stood up to see Seta being carried away by the guards. She had to stop them.
"No, stop! He didn't do it! Please, no!" she fell down to her knees, softly crying.
The last thing she heard was, "Take care of Master Sayaru, Zoe. Do not worry about me."
She could see one of the boys run up to her. It was Derek, who was nineteen. He never saw what happened, and only chose to believe that Zoe failed every time.
"Get up, and come on. Master Sayaru needs medicine. He's become very sick. What are you crying for? Get up!"
She did as told and followed Derek to the master, who lay there in his bed, which looked as if it were a deathbed now. He slowly opened his eyes just enough to notice that something was wrong. "Where is Seta?"
Zoe couldn't hold it in any longer, and broke down crying. Master Sayaru told the boys that were standing around to leave the room. He looked her in the eye.
"Stop crying. There is no room for that here."
She hushed herself to hear what he had to say.
"I talked to him last night," he struggled out the words with his rugged, old voice. "I warned him of the consequences, but he wouldn't listen. He only told me this."
Her head immediately tilted up.
"Zoe, he told me that he would rather die than leave you with an unforgotten birthday."
A tear fell to the ground below.
A bitter, but sweet sixteen.
----------------------------------------------
It was nothing special. Birthdays never meant much to him besides that everyone treated him differently. Being sixteen didn't feel different, though. Just the same usual routine. He sat in his throne, swinging around one of his golden bracelets. Nothing was different, even though he wanted it to be.
He watched as some of his henchmen he had sent out to guard the market stepped in. The two that had first walked in bowed to him, as he stood up. The other two came in holding a boy by his arms.
"Excuse me, your highness. The boy was caught."
"What has this boy done?
"One of the items was stolen last night. The crest, sir. This is the boy who was responsible for this action."
He became furious. "What is your business with the Millennium Crest?
"It was a gift," he spoke out.
"To whom might I ask?"
"My friend. No one ever remembers her birthday, and she had just turned sixteen today."
This interested the Pharaoh. Someone held the same birthday as him. He had to know the name of this girl.
"What is her name?"
"You mustn't punish her, she hasn't committed any serious crimes, sir-"
"Tell me her name!"
"Ayara Zoe."
"Hmm. Nonetheless, you should know you had no business with that item, and the sentence shall be withheld." A smirk appeared on his face. "Kill him."
Again, a bitter, but sweet sixteen.
----------------------------------------------------
Zoe-San: Pretty creepy for just the second chapter, huh? Well, just to let you know, it would be wise to stay for the rest. It gets better, trust me.