Chapter 1 - 

  Silver bit into her lip until the metallic taste of blood told her to stop. She stared at the missing person's paper with her face on it before taking it and tearing it into pieces.

She reached down, grabbing the black trash bag and throwing it into the dumpster with the shredded paper, slamming the black lid down, the hidden rats scattering from their hiding places behind the dumpster, probably from being startled by the sudden noise. Silver leaned her back against the wall across the dumpster, feeling annoyed and guilty.

Well, she was feeling annoyed at her guilt, at least.

She dusted off her hands for no apparent reason on her black and blue jacket, her hands brushing against the hand-made embroidery that rested on her heart, the word automatically appearing into her mind.

Swithin.

She stared at the wood behind the dumpster, her eyes tracing the delicate carving that was etched 

into the wood so many years ago. What a waste; It's hidden behind the dumpster, she thought.

Silver's attention was adverted toward the door, which had made an annoying squeaking sound as it opened -which Silver briefly wondered if she would have to fix that- a girl with brown skin and dark brown hair that was in a messy bun with copper eyes stuck her head out of the door. "Hey, have you finished with the trash? Because I think I'm going to need some help with the..." the girl took a couple of seconds to think of the right name for their customers without insulting them. "patrons," she decided.

"Coming!" Silver shouted back, wincing when she heard a thumping noise and howls of laughter from within the walls.  

Lydia shot her a grateful look before her head vanished behind the door, closing it without care.

The sun was shining brightly and torturously, even in the alleyway Silver was within. The only protection from the sun was some rare areas of shade and a couple of thin wispy clouds. The air felt humid, probably from the rainfall they had received last night.

Silver shoved her hands into her jacket's pockets, listening to the sounds of her black hightops 

thumping against the concrete path. She stopped at the door, sighing a long sigh at the sounds of faint laughing, opening the wooden door, carefully avoiding the splinters the doorknobs threatened to give, before stepping inside into the dusty laundry room.

The voices were much louder than before, and Silver sighed once again before advancing towards Lydia. She was trying to speak to three yelling males at the corner table of the bar.

Silver dodged the tables and the splashing of the drinks when they were thumped down against the table until she managed to make it to Lydia, who was trying to soothe the three yelling males.

All three males looked like they were in their thirties, two with blonde hair and one with brown.

Silver couldn't make out the words the males were shouting at each other, and, to be honest, Silver didn't know if she wanted to.  

Lydia shot her a hopeful and a strange distressed look. Silver hated it when she did that because Silver then felt like she had to help her. "Hi, hel-" The scooting of their chairs interrupted Silver as the men stood up, and the shouting just got louder, much to Silver's annoyance.  

Lydia's eyes were now darting between the three men, and Silver realized she was probably worried a 

fight might break out. Silver cleared her throat while motioning for Lydia to get Claire, the eldest and prettiest of the three. If she walked into the room, Silver was sure she would attract their attention.

She cleared her throat loudly, but the three men still didn't notice her. She repeated the action, and when the results were the same, she sighed and reached forward, her hand brushing against one of the man's shoulders.

The man angrily turned around, his eyes cold and hard. Silver saw the fist coming towards her face a second before it happened. Pain shot through her as the knuckles made contact with her cheekbone, her gaze dimming entirely.

                                                                                   ---

A hand softly dabbed at her cheek, and it strangely hurt. Silver groaned in response to it, swatting away the hand. Flame could wait; It's not like he's incompetent to care for the market with dad.  

Silver reached for a blanket and frowned when she couldn't find one. Silver's frown deepened as she realized her bed felt strangely firm and unpleasant beneath her. She cracked opened her eyes to find- 

Claire. Claire's blue eyes shimmered with amusement, and her wavy blonde hair was down, some of it 

resting on her shoulder. She was sitting on the side of Silver's bed that the owner of the bar she worked at -Rhydian- had so kindly given her after lowering the money she received from her work.

Silver's memories before she passed out flew through her like a human airplane. She snorted at the act that humans needed 'planes' to have the ability to fly. She knew that their world wasn't magic like their world was but still, Silver was one-hundred percent positive that the Valenthians could come up with something better without it.

"Did ya sleep well?" Claire teased in her strange country accent.

Claire was nineteen and wore a black denim jacket with a plain white shirt that was, as usual, loosely tucked underneath her light blue jeans that had holes scattered throughout them.

Silver gave her a half-hearted smile, her face feeling hot. "So good, you wouldn't have believed it," Silver responded, her eyes now adjusting to her the sudden light. Her room was mostly empty, and it shot a feeling of homesickness so strong it must've shown on her face. She neutralized her face before Claire could see it.

 Sun rays shone through the opened window, carrying a soft breeze that Silver welcomed with open 

arms after the hot day. How long was I out? Silver thought, her eyes narrowing. She then winced as pain throbbed in her cheekbone. Silver brought a hand to her cheek that had received the punch, rubbing it slightly. 

Claire, seeing Silver's confused gaze, answered her unasked question. "You've been out for twelve minutes."

"What about-"

"The three men? I kicked them out," Claire shot her a menacing smile, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "literally."

Hearing Claire say that warmed Silver's heart. Silver only worked at the bar for a month, and Claire was already like an older sister to Silver. It made her miss her brother, Flame.

"Wish I was there," Silver said, faking wistfulness. 

 Claire responded with a hum, her eyes searching Silver's face. "It'll take at least a week to heal." 

The silence after their conversation suddenly brought back all noises, including the obnoxious laughing of the bar. Silver got up, only to be pushed back down by Claire.  

Before Silver could protest, Claire fixed her with a glare. "You can leave soon, but stay here for a bit, 

yea?" Claire said it like it was a question, but Silver knew it wasn't a question.

"Okay," Silver said, watching as Claire left.

Silver tapped her black hightops against the wooden floor, creating a beat, her fingers twitching, drumming against the wooden planks that supported the bed to waste time. Yeah, this method of wasting time lasted for around ten seconds before Silver rose to her feet.  

She walked over to her mirror, trying to get a better look at where he punched her. Her signature blue and black jacket was folded at the end of her bed, leaving her in just her plain gray shirt and blue jeans. 

Silver was only fifteen. Silver had light blue eyes and light gray hair - the color that Silver's name originated from - that just reached below her shoulders.  

On her cheekbone, just under her eye, there was a small cut with dried blood, a darkening circle appearing.  It's not that bad, Silver thought, unable to stop her mind from wandering to what Flame would do in this situation.

Well, Silver thought bitterly, Flame wouldn't be in this situation.

Silver pushed those thoughts out of her head as she grabbed her jacket, laying it on top of her, her fingers tracing the word Swithin, letting the sounds of laughter lure her into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 2 -

  So far, a week had passed, every day being the same, besides the unusual amounts of additional jobs and that Rhydian had started visiting way more often.  

As if additional jobs weren't bad enough, Rhydian was like a hawk. He haunted over Silver as she worked, and it made her feel uncomfortable, pointing out everything Silver had missed or handing Silver extra jobs. He inspected everything and made them clean everything, even the vacant second floor. When Silver had asked Claire, she shrugged and said something like 'For extra supplies, I guess.'

Frankly, while Lydia was basking in the praise since she nearly did everything flawlessly but if Silver got criticized one more time, Silver would go insane.

In short terms, it was annoying as heck. 

It was even more annoying when Silver found herself having to check for any 'Missing Person' papers with her name on them.

Everyone seemed to be in a good mood lately, except her.  

She found herself starting to wonder how to make someone's day worse than hers was often.

The cut had healed, leaving a fading bruise. But there was no big reminder that it was there besides Claire's persistent nagging, which was another reason why the week was just so annoying.

A hand brushed against her shoulder, distracting her from her thoughts and from cleaning the cabinets. She turned to see Lydia, who had the strangely shy and nervous look in her brown eyes -which was usual, but it felt somehow false to Silver-  her short straight hair down, reaching her shoulders.

She was the youngest, with her being fourteen and most determined to finish a job as perfect as possible once given. She had said she wanted to be a cleric when she grew up; she was the one who usually tended to Silver's scratch.  

Silver appreciated it, but they acted as though she would die if she didn't clean it at least twice a day, and they acted as if she couldn't take care of herself.

That was also another reason why this week was so annoying.

"Silver?" Lydia asked, tilting her head sideways, a slight annoyed look in her gaze "Did you hear me?"

Silver blinked at Lydia before nodding. "I did, yes, but could you say that again? I want to make sure," Silver said, giving Lydia the classic Silver smile. 

"Could you go to the market? We need some more..." Lydia held up a list, her eyes scanning the paper, "Cocoa beans, some wine, trashbags-"  

Silver stared at her in disbelief, still not listening to a word she was saying. How dare she disregard the Silver smile?

Footsteps distracted her from Lydia. Claire was taking out the trash, but she suddenly stopped. "Bread? We have bread."

Lydia barely spared her a glance. "Fresh bread."

"Ah," Claire nodded before continuing her job, and Lydia continued her list.

Silver counted the seconds before Lydia finished. 43 seconds. A new record.

Lydia looked up at her, looking for some sign of recognition. Silver stared back before rolling her eyes, snatching the paper. "What shop is this?" Silver said, annoyance sharpening her voice.

Lydia frowned in confusion that said, what did I do wrong? and Silver felt horrible. Maybe she needed 

someone else to bring her anger out on; The streets were a perfect place for victims. Or so she thought; She never really had explored outside. She made it to the bar before passing out when she first was outside.

"It doesn't matter. Just a shop with the listed supplies," Lydia said, with much more sturdiness than Lydia would usually say that with because she was in SUCH a good mood, like everyone else, unlike Silver.

Silver felt like raking her nails across her face. WHERE IS THE SHOP? Silver thought in annoyance while Lydia dropped some silver coins in her open hand. She supposed this was her fault for asking that, but Silver wasn't in the mood for some Lydia-Silver interactions right now.

"kay, bye!" Silver said, waving before swinging open the door, forgetful of the splinters. She shook her hand, trying to fling out any wooden fragments.

They weren't open today, so that would explain the absence of people. Silver dodged the tables as she always did, her shoes sliding on the freshly clean floor; she didn't know when this activity became a game to her, but all she knew was she and Claire would slide on the floorboards in their free time and 

compete for the most tips.

She opened the door using her un-splintered hand, using the other to shield her eyes from the bright

sun that had decided to shine directly into her eyes.

Silver surveyed her surroundings, her eyes scanning each wooden house that usually had the same structure as the others, the wooden roofs slanted, a stone chimney rising from the top. Only a few had two stories like the bar, and even fewer had an actual chimney in the house.

She followed the stone path, her eyes searching for more people. There were about two carriages out, and she waved at the closet one, which was a couple. They waved back, or at least the girl did, flashing a smile at Silver.

Silver picked at the splinters in her hand, getting closer to the second carriage- 

which carried the familiar redhead with the name of Flame and her father. Silver dashed to the side of a house, pinning her eyes on them.  

They didn't seem to see her. Guilt flashed through her as she watched her brother's stern green eyes 

searching his surroundings, almost as if looking for her. 

Silver couldn't decide why they were here. Either they were shopping for something expensive or looking for her since their village was around six hours away from the larger settlement she was

within.

Her heart sunk when she saw no groceries in the back seat, the seat she usually rode in.  Whitemane was the name of the white horse that drove the carriage; Silver remembered caring for the horse at a young age.

She had gone through a lot of trouble to convince her father to keep it too.

Flame was Silver's twin. So he would be fifteen, but he considered himself older because he was at least one minute older or something like that. They looked nothing alike, and their personalities were nothing alike.

The fact that she was hiding and he was searching proved that.

Silver was ashamed, guilty, and terrified of confrontation with him, while based on that glint in Flame's eyes, he was going to savor it.

She stared at them as they left the town, the sadness abode in her heart.

                                                                                   ---

It was nighttime when Silver returned to the bar, bags in her arms, still upset as she shuffled the rest 

of the leftover coins in her hand. Everyone she had met today was strangely happy and nervous. It was starting to scare the heck out of her.

She had got everything but the asiago cheese. In her defense, she couldn't find it, no matter how much she searched.

Silver flicked the lights on, but she nearly dropped her bags at the sight of Lydia sitting on a chair with an excited and happy expression that fell instantly into a regretable face when she saw Silver. She was with a boy who leaned against a wall and looked so bored it was as if he was faking it.

He had pale skin and messy black hair that looked like he had tried to tame it (and failed), and a black shirt with black shorts, gray and dark blue on the sides.

She briefly considered the odds of Lydia getting a boyfriend before her before addressing the 

situation.

"Woah, who's funeral are we attending?" Silver said, unable to help herself.

His pretty aqua blue eyes narrowed, his dark eyebrows furrowing in disapproval as if he expected no better from her. "Your's, if you keep that up," he snapped, without missing a beat, sounding more bored the necessary.

Silver laughed, and he frowned. "You just made my day."

His frown deepened, and before he could speak, Lydia cut in. "Okay, Silver, stop-"

Lydia was interrupted by a gasp of fake offense, and the boy snorted in amusement. Lydia just narrowed her eyes at the boy before continuing. "because you're going to have to get used to him, no matter how annoying he may be," The boy's eyes narrowed at her. Silver was about to cheer for Lydia before she continued, "or how annoying she will because trust me, she's going to be annoying," Another fake gasp of offense that got ignored echoed in the air, "this is your third shift-worker!"

Chapter 3 - 

  Silver's first thought was that Lydia was trying to replace her before she realized there was no way in heck Silver would be replaced. Not even by some good-looking guy with a sense of humor.

Lydia stared at the two for a couple of seconds before leaving the bar, "You two are on closing," she hesitated before leaving, "Play nice. I don't want any dead bodies to clean up after." She threw the key towards Silver, which Silver eventually caught after nearly dropping it on the ground.

Silver nearly asked the boy what the heck he did to her that caused Lydia's attitude and confidence.

The door shut, leaving an awkward stillness.  "I'll begin wiping the counters.  Would you care to..." He stopped halfway through the sentence as if it came out weird or wrong.  Silver raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing him on.  "Could you start on putting away the groceries? I don't want to be here all night," he huffed, crossing his arms sassily.

Silver frowned.  "Okay?" Silver said, accidentally making it seem like a question.  Silver couldn't help 

silently cheering inside that it seemed like he was having a bad day.

The boy walked past her with a cleaning polish, averting his aqua blue eyes, his eyes now focusing on 

the table.

She huffed at his attitude before setting the groceries on the counter, dropping the coins on the counter with a clinking sound.  Silver hugged her jacket tighter to herself, trying to make herself warm.

This village - called Sunshine Village - was usually hot, but tonight there was a slight chill in the air, the moon obscured from sight by large gray clouds, which practically screamed rain.

Silver absentmindedly began putting the groceries away as her mind went over Valenthia's Three Kingdoms.

There were three kingdoms; The Sun Kingdom, the Moon Kingdom, and the Storm Kingdom. 

Sunshine Village was one of the three villages in the Sun Kingdom range. Sunshine, Daylight, and Daybreak.  

Lunar Village, Starlight Village, and Moonlight Village for the Moon Kingdom.

Gale Village, Levin Village, and Rain Village for the Storm Kingdom.  

Other than that, Silver had no more knowledge of the Three Kingdoms. 

 A warm hand brushing against hers distracted her out of her thoughts, her hand yanking itself back on instinct.

Her eyes made contact with the boy's who stared straight back, his eyes scanning her face.  He was taller than her by a couple of inches, and all Silver knew was that it was annoying.

His hands went up as if he was surrendering, "Geez, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Slight amusement glittered in his eyes.

Silver's anger only grew because nothing scared Silver. (Her mind at the moment decided to bring up the multiple times she was frightened by something), "You didn't scare me! You just startled me," she protested indignantly.

The boy hummed before his eyes caught onto the embroidery on her jacket.  "What's Swithin mean?"

"It's my last name, dumbo.  Silver Swithin," she said proudly.

He stepped back to extend his hand for a handshake, and Silver realized how close they had to be before. "Name's Ash," There was a slight hesitation between the words.

Her palm slid into his perfectly, and he shook it slightly before letting go.  "That's certainly a name," she responded, her eyes flicking between his, but before he could say anything else, there was a 

clatter of something solid that made Silver jump and Ash tense.

Her eyes had found what had fallen instantly.  It was one of the new sharp knives that were requested.  She picked it up before almost slipping on the waxed floors, using the table to support her, embarrassment flooding her. Ash's eyes were watching every movement of her's, cautious and amused.

"I'll go wash and dry this with the other dishes, and then we could finish up the groceries," she offered, flashing her Silver grin.

For the next twenty minutes, there was nothing but the sounds of cabinets opening and water running.

Silver had coincidentally finished the same time Ash finished with the groceries.  "Anything else I can 

do?" he offered.

Silver searched around before shaking her head. "Nope. But have you seen Claire today?" Seeing the confusion and curious look in his eyes, she added, "She's a couple of inches taller than you with blonde wavy hair.  She also works here."

"Yeah, I haven't seen her," he said as if he didn't care.

Silver wasn't expecting that response. "Er, well, if you do, tell her Lydia already assigned shifts tomorrow, and she should, uh, check them out," Silver said.  Even if Claire worked here longer, Lydia was the most trusted because of her perfection at the jobs and her perfect attendance.  She was what Silver called a suck-up.

Lydia always gave her the most shifts; Okay, maybe she and Lydia never got along. Her mind flashed to the looks of annoyance and jealousy that were glared between the two daily.

"What?" he asked, "You're looking at me like you want to ask a question. So ask."

"Why'd you decide to work at a bar? Especially this one," Silver said, her eyes flashing to the 

spiderwebs in the corner; She'll get those down later.

"Ah. It would be a 'fresh new experience, one that might teach you patience,'" Ash said bitterly, obviously quoting someone.  He hesitated before adding, "Plus, Lydia's my friend," he said that with no emotion or tone that scared Silver.

"And whatever brings you to Sunshine Village?"

He stared at her like she was an idiot.  "Uh, the same reason everyone goes here?"

 Silver frowned.  "What reason would that be?"

"You seriously don't know?"

Silver's irritation was starting to show through her features. "Don't know what?"

"Silver, why did you come here? You certainly haven't lived here for a while if you don't know," Ash asked, interest flickering in his eyes.  Silver realized briefly that that was the first time he had said her name.

Silver had practiced the answer to this in her head:

It's because I was an idiot.

It's because it was close to my home.

It's because I ran away.

"Because I wanted to know more about the villages of the Sun Kingdom," she answered instead, wanting to faceplant into a door.

"And you don't know why this village was most famed out of the Sun Kingdom's villages?" Ash asked, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

Dude, I didn't even know it was 'most famed,' Silver thought.  "No," she said.  Seeing the horrified look on his face, she added, "not yet."

"It's because once a year, during this month, he and his wife visit, checking out the best items and markets," he breathed, searching her eyes for any evidence she was kidding.

"Who visits?"

"King Inferno and his wife, Queen Hearth."

Chapter 4 -

The following two days after that discovery, Silver was becoming paranoid. And it didn't help Claire wasn't there during her shifts, and the males were looking way more dangerous than before, their laughs blood-curling. Silver was tiptoeing everywhere she walked, double-checking the dumpster for any bodies, and the knives seemed to glitter in the ever-shining light that entered through the window above the sink. Silver started to scan her surroundings for any threats.

Any sudden noise made her jump, and it didn't help that Lydia and Ash seemed extra suspicious; Ash had started making fun of her fear, jumping in her way, or just shouting 'boo!' at random times to frighten her. Rhydian had stopped visiting recently, the day after Ash started working there.  Lydia didn't seem to care about Claire's absence.

Silver had also realized the event would be an excellent cover-up for a dead body.

It was 6:36 P.M, and the sky looked like a light baby blue, clouds covering up the entire area around 

the village.

Silver shuddered, and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air, which the sudden chill started 

yesterday night when Ash had come.  She was in the alleyway -which seemed like a perfect place to kill someone- besides the dumpster. Silver flicked open the lid slightly. After making sure nothing was inside besides other trash, she threw the garbage bag in quickly, backing away as if expecting something or someone to leap out at her.

"Why the heck are you tiptoeing?"

Silver's heart jumped in her chest so hard, it hurt, and Silver spun around, punching the person straight in the face.

Ash staggered back by the force of the punch, grabbing his nose, alarm, and pain flickering into his eyes.  "Cheesus Christ!-" he shouted, and Silver didn't even bother to tell him that the proper name was 'Jesus Christ.' "Geez, I didn't scare you that bad, did I?" he asked, wincing, his hand still covering his nose.

Silver's features twitched.  "YES! And you," she pointed a finger in his stupid pale face, and he lifted a dark eyebrow at it, strangely amused by this situation. He was still wearing that stupid black shirt with his stupid bedhead; Instead of shorts, he was wearing blue jeans, so that was an improvement, but it was still stupid. "have been doing it continuously for the two days when a girl hasn't seen her only friend in those two days! Claire has been missing her shifts, which, by the way, if you even care, she never does! I have the right to be afraid or worried without being made fun of constantly!"

Guilt flashed into his eyes, and he physically recoiled. "I'm sorry, I guess I never thought of that before..."

Silver was about to explode again on him, deciding he would be her target for her pent-up rage before she saw a droplet of blood fall onto his black shirt.

She reached forward gently, prying his warm fingers away from his nose.  It was bleeding but not too severely. It stood out against his pale skin.  "I'm sorry," she breathed, wrapping her fingers around his warm ones as a soft breeze shifted her hair slightly and ruffled his.

"For what?"

Silver gave him an amused look. "For punching you?"

He looked dumbfounded at her apology but didn't say anything beyond that, holding her fingers tighter.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat behind Ash, who instantly dropped their hands with a startled gasp, twisting around to Lydia, who looked the farthest thing from amused, her copper eyes narrowed.

Lydia was casually leaning against the wall, acting as if she wasn't sending Silver a look that said, I'll kill you for this.

Silver awkwardly stood there with her hands still reached out, unsure of what to do with them now as Ash looked panicked as if he'd got caught for doing something he shouldn't.

She reached forward and grabbed Ash's arm forcefully, who started stuttering out random excuses and led him inside the back door, closing the door somehow without a sound, leaving Silver out in the cold with no idea about what the heck just happened.

                                                                                      ---

The next day, Silver was without a shift, leaving only Ash and Lydia to work.  Ash didn't speak to her today, ignoring her attempts to start a conversation, which confused her even more about what happened yesterday. 

She was standing outside the bar, breathing in the icy cold air.  The cold weather was unnatural around these parts.   

 6:00 A.M. was the time they open at, so Silver had until 10:00 P.M. before the bar closed.

Silver walked along the stone path, wrapping her arms around herself, grateful for the jacket that helped protect her from the cold. She then zipped it up, pushing her hands in her pockets, the wind pushing the collar of her jacket into her face.

Silver had days off before, but none where she wasn't allowed in the bar.  On her days off, she worked or played around with Claire. A pang of sorrow shot through her at the thought of her missing friend. She hoped Claire was okay.

Silver had asked Lydia about Claire yesterday, and she had responded with a shrug.  "She said she had 

to run some errands."

Her fingers brushed against some coins she had earned in her pocket.  Silver was never one for buying things, but if she were going to buy something, she would usually only get bread, her water supply coming from the sink.

Lydia and Ash still didn't know she resided there because she didn't bother to tell them.  She didn't mention her family, and she didn't pester Lydia or Ash about theirs.

There was a sudden scream in the distance that distracted Silver from her thoughts. Her head turned to the shop that was the center of attention.

The place that withheld most of the markets was in the center of the village was called Market Center. 

Silver slipped and twisted through the crowd around the Weapon Market as carefully as she could, trying not to bring herself to attention. After all, there were still Missing Person papers with her face on them; it would be only a matter of time until someone would recognize her.

There were sounds of crying and disbelief, and suddenly a horrible smell hit her, and she gagged.

It smelled like blood.

Suddenly, fear shot through her as she pushed her way through the crowd, desperation on her features.

Silver made it to the front and felt frozen, unable to look down because somewhere deep down, she 

knew what she would see.  She breathed, her whole body shaking as she looked down into the unblinking now-gray eyes of Claire.

Chapter 5 -

   Silver let out a cry of dismay as she ran away from the body. Claire's death wasn't natural, and it was because it seemed as if somebody had dragged her body there.

Silver's eyes were blurred as she remembered just a couple of days ago she was laughing with Claire as they slid on the freshly waxed floor as they would tell jokes or talked about their future.  When Claire described her future, there was always a passionate glimmer in her blue eyes.

Now those eyes were sightless and gray.

There wouldn't be a future she would passionately talk about anymore.

Claire wouldn't be talking about anything, anymore.

Her friend was dead.

Claire was dead.

Silver spotted the bar through misty eyes, and she dashed through the door, catching the eyes of their 

customers.  

After seeing her distress, a few to go find out what had made her so upset.

Her original intention was to tell Lydia, but she just couldn't.  Lydia and Claire had known each other longer, and Silver wasn't sure she was up to the task.

Lydia stared at her in bewilderment as she ran into the kitchen; Silver's intention was gone within a few moments of seeing Lydia, only managing to throw her arms around Ash, who stumbled slightly at her weight.  "Hey!" he shouted in surprise before he realized she was upset.  "Silver, hey, what's wrong?" he tried to soothe, sitting them both gently down on the floor.

Silver didn't respond as she started sobbing, clinging on to him for dear life as he stiffly and awkwardly wrapped his arms around his, his fierce and fiery eyes not leaving the eyes of Lydia.

                                             ---

Silver woke up in her bed, a random blanket scattered on top of her body.

It was noon, based on the clock on the wall.

And Claire was still dead.

Ash and Lydia probably put her here on the bed because they could access it, not because it was actually hers, but Silver honestly couldn't remember when she had fallen into a restless and dreamless sleep in Ash's warm arms.

She pulled up her knees, wrapping her arms around them as she rested her head on the rails at the end of the bed, tears blurring her eyes.

Homesickness hit her so hard if she were on her feet, she would've staggered.  She missed Flame's jokes, his attitude, even his overprotectiveness.

Barry, her father, had rusty brown hair and was pretty skinny.  He had brown eyes and a kind demeanor.  

She had thought they had treated her like a kid, saying the world was a dangerous place.  Flame had gone out into the world once when he was twelve (Nothing major, just into the Daybreak village, since her village -Daylight village- needed some supplies only they had.  Flame was the perfect person to 

send. Daybreak was the riskiest of the three and largest, Daylight being the safest and smallest.), and Silver had never asked him about the scar he obtained from that journey just under his ear.

She staggered to her feet, denying the urge to go back to bed and hide from it all.

Silver flattened out the jacket that was still on her.

She was about to stagger out into the barroom before she stopped at the door, placing an arm on the side to balance herself.

 Instead of obnoxious laughing, there was whispering.

She realized that they must've closed it after- Silver stopped.  She didn't want another reminder.

"Lydia, what the heck is wrong with you!" hissed Ash quietly, running a hand through his messy black hair, looking stressed out.

"Well, sorry, I'm not going soft! And I am not failing this mission because of your stupid girlfriend!" Lydia hissed back, her eyes alight with anger.

Silver suddenly slipped forward, nearly falling onto the ground.  

Lydia's head shot up, her hand going to her side instantly.  Ash kept his gaze trained on Lydia, looking at her with a challenge in his eyes.

Silver stood up weakly, while Lydia didn't move her hand from her side, but her resolve kept wavering when her eyes flashed to Ash before she let it drop, pointing a finger in his face.  "You better not screw this up," she said, hatred flashing in her eyes as she marched straight out the door.

Ash turned to Silver, the challenging look in his eyes replaced with fear and worry.  "Are you okay?"

She opened her mouth to say, 'I'm fine,' but she couldn't manage to get those words out, not after Claire, and not after this.

"What mission?" Silver asked weakly, her voice hoarse.

He stiffened, and Silver knew she had hurt him.  "Silver, how much did you hear?"

"Only the mission part.  What in the world could you screw up?" Silver said honestly, their eyes meeting.

"Silver," he breathed, his voice cracking as he grabbed her hands, lifting them between them, 

copying what they had done besides the dumpster.  "Cheesus Christ, I am so, so sorry," he whispered.

"Sorry for what?" Silver asked, ignoring that he had said 'Cheesus Christ,' her fingers twitching, his fingers slightly tightening around hers.

He opened his mouth to respond, hopefully, to tell her the truth because Silver had no idea has she would react if he lied. Before Ash could reply, a guy burst through the door, an expression of pure exhilaration on his face as he shouted in a singsong voice into the barroom, "The King is here, the King is here!"

Chapter 6 -

After he said that, Silver still stood there with Ash.  She didn't care about the king right now, despite how much bragging she could use on her brother. She needed to figure this out because her life didn't make sense anymore.  Ash also showed no signs of moving, just staring into her eyes, his fingers clenching harder around hers, looking afraid to let go.

The guy frowned at their stillness, so he cleared his throat and repeated the sentence with the same singsong voice.  When they again showed no signs of leaving, he added a little loudly, "It's rude to keep the king, and her majesty, waiting."

He left soon after, murmuring something about teens, and Ash hesitantly dropped their hands. "I suppose we should go," he followed the man out, leaving Silver as she wrapped her arms around herself.

She rubbed her eyes and followed Ash out into the cold weather. 

Ash wasn't waiting for her, to her surprise, so she just followed the sounds of faked surprise -as if they weren't waiting for this day all year- and excitement.

She headed in the direction before she stopped beside a house.  It was leading her to the Market Center, her heart dropping like a stone.  She wasn't sure she could go back there, Claire's body still there or not.

The noises of excitement said they didn't care whether or not Claire was dead.

Silver leaned against the house, trying to calm her nerves before she broke out crying.  She tied up her hair, unable to stop a couple of strands from coming down as she watched a couple was walking by with their child, their eyes flickering around nervously.  

Silver hesitated before waving, plastering a fake smile.  The child, whose age looked six, looked unaware of what had happened earlier and waved back, a smile on his carefree face.  

The couple shot a worried glance at her before ushering their son along faster, who didn't seem to notice the change of speed. 

Silver turned around, keeping her gaze trained on the ground as she headed back to the bar. 

Her head shot up as she saw a gleam of something sharp beside the house. Silver stopped, backing away before working up her courage and walking that way. 

It was a bloodied knife; the blood dry.  

It looked strangely familiar, so she couldn't help but pick it up.  Suddenly, the sound of hooves distracted her, and she shoved it inside her jacket, where she had a hidden pocket.

She turned around, her jaw-dropping open as the most beautiful white carriage with the most elegant three horses she ever saw ride by.  The carriage had many delicate gold patterns on it, the horses' manes looking as if they glowed; they were all white except the black male in the middle who looked as though he was the in charge.  There wasn't any need for people to advise them since the horses were well trained.

The family riding it was no pushover either.  The female -who had to be Queen Hearth- who looked in her thirties was wearing the prettiest dress Silver had ever seen. It was white and looked tight, with 

silver and gold linen scattered all through it. Her blonde hair in a perfect bun seemed too perfect, her features soft and caring, her purples eyes shimmering in the sunlight, her hands folded in her lap, her posture straight, and her smile trained.

The male - who had to be King Inferno- beside her looked slightly older with chestnut hair, with a scar running through one of his dark eyebrows, and if the mark were any lower, he would be blind.  He had sharp amber eyes, and despite how threatening he looked, his eyes were kind, and his smile was genuine.  A sword hung by his side, and he was wearing decorative armor.

What surprised her most was the teen male between the two with light brown hair who looked excited but for different reasons.  His eyes were a shade of sea-green, his armor looking like his father's with different designs, a sword also by his side.

After they had passed, Silver tried to walk out of the alleyway and nearly got run over by what had to be the majority of the village.

The large crowd forced her forward, and Silver stumbled along with them, trying to escape without 

being trampled.  When she couldn't, her eyes tried to find Ash, who had 'supposed' the idea to see the royal members.

Where is he? Silver thought, her eyes scanning the area as best as she could while maintaining balance. Oh, boy, wasn't she going to enjoy punching him in his face again when she found him. 

She struggled and struggled, and she briefly thought she was to be stuck in this crowd forever.

Suddenly, the moving stopped, and Silver nearly slammed into the male in front of her.  She dashed out of the crowd as quickly as she could, her intention to get to the bar.  

 More strands of hair had fallen from her ponytail, so she just took it down completely.

She pushed into the bar, grateful for the fresh air. Silver still distinctly heard the voice outside, but trying to escape that crowd reminded her painfully of her friend's-

Of Claire's-

Silver broke that thought train off, not even trying to dodge the tables because it just wasn't fun anymore.  Silver turned on the cold water in the sink, drinking some before putting the half-full cup 

down, and splashing some water on her face. 

She wiped it off using some paper towels nearby as she briefly wondered where Lydia and Ash were because they weren't in the crowd or in the bar.

Silver gripped the out layers of the sink.  She hated this.  She hated how her only friend was dead; She hated how Silver didn't know what was happening; Silver hated how she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The door opened, and Silver tightened her grip.  "We're closed," she said.

"Er, yeah, I'm not here for a drink," the young male said. 

Silver turned around, staring in disbelief as the young male from the carriage situated himself on a chair, his fingers tapping the wood anxiously.

He raised an eyebrow at her.  "Shouldn't you be bowing or something?"

"Am I?" Silver's words didn't come out sarcastically, just apologetic, so Silver added, "Sorry."

Silver's bow was horrible; she knew that much from the snort that escaped the royal whatever.

"So what could I get you? Your highness," she added. 

"I was looking for my girlfriend. She works here," he said.  

Silver's heart was already sinking at that.  "Claire?" she asked, her voice slightly shaking.

He frowned, leaning forward.  "Yeah, is something wrong?"

Claire had never told her about a secret lover; Silver felt her careful disguise slowly break as she realized maybe she didn't know Claire as well, as Silver thought she had.

Silver tried to look him in the eye, and she opened her mouth, but all that came out was a ragged breath.

 "What's wrong?" his voice was teetering on the edge of anger. "What happened?"

"Claire was found dead this morning at Market Central, Prince Neal.  The cause was a belly wound," the unmistakable voice of Lydia said as Lydia was coming down from the second floor with a rag.  She did a bow that was much better than Silver's.

Silver jumped at the sound of her voice, refusing to look the prince in the face.  Lydia leaned against 

the wall at the end of the staircase, somehow having the ability to stare the prince in the eyes.

There wasn't a sound in the room beside the door, it being slammed open and slammed shut by the prince.

                                                                                      ---

Silver stared at the ceiling above her head, the pale moonlight shining on her face.  Ash hadn't returned to the bar, and Lydia had left after saying, 'You look like you need some time to yourself,' throwing the keys to her to close.  She had locked every door, feeling sick.  

She finished her drink from earlier, but it felt weird when going down her throat.

She remembered casting a glance at Neal before he left, the horror and grief and shock, but the most horrifying thing was the anger; He wasn't just mad; he wanted revenge. 

Silver was so tired Silver had forgotten to ask how Lydia knew Claire died of a belly wound.

Chapter 7 -

Silver woke up to shouting.  There was banging on the door that sounded distant and hazy, and she stumbled out of her bed, nearly falling to the ground.  

Her thoughts were strangely scattered, her vision blurred. Silver collapsed against the doorframe, before falling on the ground.

She gasped in pain as the knife she had in her inner jacket pocket Silver had forgotten about stabbed her slightly, and she rolled over just as the door slammed open.

Two people - males, she thought-  grabbed her arms, hoisting her up.  Lydia and Neal came through the door, Neal looking angry and Lydia looking so upset for some reason.

They casually reached into her jacket, pulling the blade out.  Lydia made this weird gasping sound, and Neal looked only angrier.

Silver's thoughts still hadn't cleaned up, and Neal grabbed the blade and suddenly put it up to her 

neck, shouting something that Silver couldn't make out. 

Oh, so that's what's happening, Silver realized. That's not very nice, Silver thought hazily.

Lydia -who was in tears- grabbed Neal's shoulder and said something incoherent, a look of regret flashing in her copper eyes.

Neal stared at her before saying something else that was also incoherent.

They went on like this for a while before Neal turned around, stomping away.  

Lydia said nothing as she silently walked away.  The guards took her out of the bar, and one of them grimaced, "Wha-" he blurred out for a second, "idiot, to kill Claire."

The other one didn't respond as they continued this long walk, the guard still talking to the still unresponding guard.

                                            ---

Silver eyes fluttered open at the sound of glass smashing, feeling like she was going to throw up.

Silver frowned at her surroundings; She was curled up on a bench, her jacket gone, and she was in a 

jail cell?

"You're awake."

Silver's head turned to see Neal, who was slanted against a desk, not far from the jail cell. "Yeah...? Why the heck am I in a jail cell?"

The glass bottle that had woken her up was in pieces beside the desk.

Neal's eyes narrowed as he picked up the blade Silver had found the day before. "Hmm, maybe, just maybe because you killed Claire?"

"What!?" Silver shouted, standing upright before staggering slightly. She straightened her position, grief and anger shooting through her. "You're not serious? You can't be serious." Silver's fingers wrapped around the bars.

"Why'd you do it?" Neal asked, leaning forward, grief and rage burning in his eyes.

"I did not kill Claire! We are" She stopped, swallowing roughly, "We were friends!" 

Neal laughed darkly, "If only I had a penny for every time I heard that."

Silver glared at him before sitting on the bench, rubbing her temples before running a hand through her hair, wondering how idiotic this person could be. "I didn't!"

"You know, why don't I trust you?" he tapped his chin thoughtfully and sarcastically, "Maybe it's because you had the knife that killed her," he said, raising a hand with the knife, "Or it's because you're missing?" he said, lifting the Missing Person paper in the other hand.

Silver swallowed the gulp in her throat at the paper, but the knife- "I found that! When I was in the alleyway when you were riding in the fancy carriage of yours."

"Okay. So I'm presuming you wanted to steal the surrey then?" Neal turned, grabbing a clipboard, marking off things with a pencil.  Silver tried to peak through the metal bars to see it, but it was at an angle where Silver couldn't see.

Silver stood up, angrily gripping the bars, "No, because, unlike some people, I can walk a couple of minutes to see someone I love," she growled.

Neal's glared at her over his clipboard before marking something down. "So, anger issues..."

If Silver could hit him, she would.

"How often do you see her? Once a year? How does she like you?" Silver asked, "Because, honestly, I 

would've run away to be with someone I love."

"Oh?" Neal growled, throwing the clipboard down, picking up the Missing paper, "because it appears you could also run away without reason too."

Silver nearly screamed. "Why? Why would I kill my only friend then carry the evidence with me?"

 "So if you didn't kill her, who did?"

Silver's mind flashed to anyone who particularly hated Claire and the evidence.

That's when she remembered where she recognized the knife; It was one of the ones she had brought because someone told her to.

The image of the person appeared in her mind, her eyes narrowing. Say, this person didn't particularly hate Claire, but it was someone who knew her schedule.  It was someone who was intelligent and manipulative and way too innocent, someone who always seemed fake.

It was someone who was there throughout her arrest; Someone who somehow knew how Claire had died.

Someone drugged her last night with Silver's cup of water they spent the night besides.

"Lydia," Silver breathed, meeting eyes with Neal, "It was Lydia."

Lydia had framed her.  Why?

Neal gasped, shock darting over his face before he suddenly doubled over laughing because he somehow found this situation was funny.

Silver's fingers clenched tighter on the bars, annoyed.  Lydia was planning something and seeing that she managed to manipulate Neal, she was going to get away with it.

Neal hopped off the table, still laughing as he left the room, "Wait-" Silver shouted, but Neal was already walking away from the building.

Silver turned away, stressed out, as she sat down on the bench, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

                                                                                           ---

Silver's eyes were watching every movement, every shadow.  She knew Lydia wouldn't hesitate to kill

her if she could have killed Claire.  It was nighttime Silver knew that much, based on the clock and the pale moonlight that shows through the decorative window on the door Neal had exited hours ago and the moonlight that shined through the window a couple of feet above her.

The door suddenly creaked open, and Silver stiffened, stepping off the bench, hiding in the shadow of the bars, hidden from view, the blood pounding in her ears.

The person was walking, based on the clacking of shoes.  The person stopped by the bars to her cell, peeking in, the moonlight reflecting on his face.  

Silver suddenly jumped in front of him, and Ash jumped back in surprise, "Ash, I swear I didn't-"

"I know," Ash whispered, unlocking the door with a bobby pin.  Silver stared at him in awe. 

"You just- what about the guard?"

Ash stared at her and dared to blush, "Knocked him out."

"Who the heck are you?" she said kiddingly.

He inhaled sharply, taking her question seriously, "My name's not Ash, I assure you, but I need your 

help.  This mission," he struggled for words, "It's wrong and-"

Silver remembered then with perfect clarity how he said he knew Lydia and how it's their mission, which meant he might've had a part in Claire's death.  

Silver painfully realized she couldn't trust him.

Silver backed away, and Ash -not Ash- stared at her with hurt in his gaze, reaching forward slightly before pulling back, desperation in his eyes."Please," he whispered, "I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"What's the mission? Why'd you kill Claire?"

"I didn't kill Claire! That was all Lydia. She said Claire had found out-" the person started, but Silver cut him off.

"Found out about what? What's so important she had to kill Claire!?" Thunder zapped outside, and 

Silver guessed the sky was just about as ticked off as she was.

"The mission," he breathed shakily, his fingers unclenching and clenching tensely and nervously. 

Silver gestured him on. "is to assassinate the royals."

Chapter 8 -

Silver's jaw dropped as Ash -she reminded herself once again that he was not Ash- started stuttering out excuses.

"I mean- not just the royals.  Err, typically to- You know, start wars and stuff-" after seeing her horrified expression, he stopped, fixing his gaze on the ground.

Silver sat back down on the bench, running a hand through her hair.  "How can I trust you when you-" she broke off, staring him straight in the eyes, and he knew what she was trying to say. 

"You can't, but please, I can't do this by myself! I don't want to start a war, I don't-" he was tripping over his words in desperation while Silver adverted her gaze.

"What is even your name?" she asked, feeling numb and at the same time overwhelmed.

"Deathjumper," he said.  

Silver frowned at him. Death. Jumper. What the heck kind of name is that?

"It's a strange name, I know. My father gave me the name when he decided that I had a talent. And that talent was 'possessing unbelievable luck at evading death,'" he said, quoting his father.

"That's horrible," Silver blurted out.

"Hmm," he said as if he hadn't thought of that before. "Are you helping me or not?"

Deathjumper offered her a hand.

She stared at his hand for a second before she grabbed it, nodding. If you had asked Silver why she had done that, she wouldn't have had an answer.  It wasn't for revenge or bragging benefits.  It wasn't to save the people for honor or to clear her name.

He stared at their intertwined hands for a second before dropping them, looking as if he was struggling.

Deathjumper -Silver was still having trouble getting used to the name- walked out of the jail cell, hesitating before grabbing the knife Neal had left on the table.

He flipped it over to the edge with ease, offering it to Silver by the hilt.  The hand that had grabbed the 

blade had bruises on the knuckles, probably from knocking out the guard; Silver had to believe that because she hated to think he had those before.

She hesitantly took it without breaking eye contact.  

As Deathjumper opened the door, she stood there for a couple of seconds, hoping she was doing the right thing, avoiding thinking about what her brother would do in the situation.

Silver followed him but not before she grabbed her jacket, pulling it on and tearing the missing person's paper to shreds.  

Silver tiptoed past the guard who sat in a chair in the corner, looking as though he was sleeping.  

There was a brown desk in front of him with scattered papers and envelopes with spilled coffee -that wasn't from the bar, Silver realized with a frown- concealing the words they once said.

She tried not to think about how perfectly he set it up to look like he was just a sleeping guard.

Deathjumper opened the door to outside, offering her a cheesy grin that nearly made Silver forget he was a murderer - or going to murder- "Ladies first," he said, gesturing outside.

"What a gentleman," Silver commented out loud with a smile, stepping outside, appreciating the breeze as she shoved her hands in her pockets but not before putting the blade away in her inner pocket.

He closed the door silently behind her, standing beside her, their shoulders brushing with a frown.  "The weather's been weird lately; It's usually always within the 100 to the lowest at 80 Fahrenheit in the wintertime. It's only Fall, and it's 64 Fahrenheit; It breaks records," he said, looking as if he wanted a coat, his narrowed eyes pinned on the dark clouds in the sky.

Silver decided not to answer to that.  "When's the assassination occurring?"

"Tomorrow night, approximately midnight when the Royals regularly leave," out of the corner of her eye, she could feel his gaze on her,  "however, it might be slightly delayed because of Claire's death," he added hesitantly.

Silver didn't flinch or make eye contact with him. "What do I do in the meantime? I'm wanted and missing, so I can't exactly be out in the open."

"I have an idea," he said.                         

                                                 ---

"This is the stupidest idea you ever had. It's dark," Silver complained as she climbed on the stairs to the second floor of the bar, "and you just picked the lock. Lydia and Neal are going to go insane at my disappearance, not to mention Rhydian's anger at the broken lock."

Deathjumper stared at her, amused, "If I can deal with Lydia, Neal, and Rhydian, you can handle the dark for a couple of hours."

Silver scowled at him in the darkness, trying her hardest not to trip up or down the stairs. "Funny, how when I came to this town, I expected a new life, and this is what I got."

"It's hilarious."

"I'm wanted, I'm missing, my friend's dead, I got blamed for it, and it turns out my adorably suspicious co-workers are murderers," Silver added into the dark.

Silver watched as the silhouette of Deathjumper sat down on one of the steps, lifting one knee, resting

his arm on it as he pressed his head against the wall.

"So you find me adorable?" Deathjumper said, sipping his water casually, flashing her a cheesy grin that was just slightly visible.

Silver's face felt hot, "I don't think that's what you were supposed to get from that sentence."

He laughed, and Silver realized that was the first time she had heard him laugh, and she decided she liked it.

Suddenly the door to the bar opened, and Deathjumper stiffened as Silver finished the remaining steps, entering the room, freezing at the first couple of movements, not wanting to trip or make noise.

Silver listened to the nearly silent footsteps that were unmistakably Lydia's.  "Deathjumper, you idiot!" She hissed, and Silver felt fear spread through her.  Did she find out already? "If you wanted water, you come and ask me for the keys! You don't just break in when you feel like it!"

"Couldn't find you," Deathjumper said casually, and Silver just imagined him shrugging.

Lydia growled, "Why don't you take this seriously enough? It's every kid's dream, the ultimate 

mission! The death of the Royals, what you trained your entire life for!" 

There was a swishing sound of water, and Silver guessed Deathjumper was swishing his water around 

in the cup. "I do take this seriously!" he protested.

The silent footsteps were retreating as a door opened, "If I didn't need you, and I was allowed, I would've slit your throat a long time ago."

Silver flinched, still not used to the fact that Lydia was a murderer. So much for wanting to be a healer, Silver thought sarcastically.

"I'll keep that in mind!" Deathjumper shouted as the door closed with a slam.

"Tough crowd, huh?" Silver whispered down, not entirely trusting her voice right now.

"Yeah," he muttered. There was a sound of something dropping in the trash as the light flickered off, cutting off Silver's sight completely. "Sweet dreams, Silver." 

Silver took off her jacket, her intent as using it as a makeshift pillow but not before taking out the knife. Instead of laying on it, she grabbed it, placing it in her arms, her eyes focused on where the 

blade would be.

Thirty minutes after Deathjumper had left, Silver stared into the darkness, hugging her jacket closer, her fingers slightly brushing the knife in her hands, wondering if she would ever have the guts to use it.