Game of Survival

by T R Tells

  Silence filled the room except for Thea’s occasional sniffles. She lifted her hand and wiped the tears from cheeks.

  "I want you to come with me."

  Thea sniffed and wiped her cheeks. She looked up at Jiran as if she wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly.

  "Why?”

  "There are many things out there you don't know, especially given what you

  are . . ." Thea gasped, shocked that he had guessed what she was.

  “How did you—”

  Jiran pointed to his eye and tapped the sides. “You have faint traces of gold in your eyes; it isn’t too noticeable if you aren’t looking close enough.”

  “But as I was saying,” he continued.

  "Your life is full of pain and misfortune. I can't know everything, but what I do know is you can make a difference."

  "How do you know? You don't even know anything about me."

  Jiran grinned. "I'm a man who knows people, and from the moment I first saw you, I could tell that you are someone who fights for others not just for herself."

  "I am no one. I’m just a girl who's lost everyone she loves."

  "Maybe so, but you'll never know unless you take that first leap."

  Jiran rose to his feet and Thea craned her neck to look up at him.

  "I'm going to get you that pack of food. You must have people waiting for you."

  He turned away opened a door that led to a kitchen.

  "Jiran," she called back. His brows raised in anticipation, he turned to face her. She licked her lips and cleared her throat, "You . . . If I . . . come back, would you tell me more stories about your time with the Roma?

  Jiran grinned and nodded. "Of course, you can stay as long as you want to. In return, I'll tell you all I can about the Roma."

  Thea looked down at the photo. She had heard all the stories and legends about the Roma’s from what Dominya knew from their parents. But because she was so young when she’d heard them, they were largely forgotten. It was like a lifetime ago being with Dominya and hearing what little stories she knew of their people. If Jiran had known other Roma’s, she could only imagine what stories he had to tell and the customs he’d picked up from them.

  If he told her it would mean she was that much closer to her parents, to Dominya.

  "Jiran . . ." she called out to him, "M-My name is Thea – Thea Frey."

  Chapter Thirteen

  “We have to go look for her. I knew I shouldn’t have left her . . .” Maggie mumbled under her breath as she paced back and forth by the door. Eddie leaned on the couch with his arms across his chest.

  “Maggie, why don’t you sit down? I think Thea will be fine. She’s, as much as I hate to say it, improved.”

  Maggie stopped pacing and looked at him, her hands balled into fists before clasping them to her chest.

  “I know, but . . . She’s been passing out and . . .” Maggie paused, deciding it was best not to repeat what Thea had told her. Eddie raised his brow curiously at her sudden pause. “And, I’m just worried she might have passed out in the middle of the street and with the Kingsland Guards—”

  Before she finished her sentence, the door opened. Maggie quickly turned her head, and Eddie jumped off the couch to stop whoever was coming into their home. However, upon seeing who was on the other side of the door, his shoulders went slack and his face relaxed.

  “Ah, it’s you. What took you so long?” Eddie asked.

  “Thea!”

  Maggie threw her arms around Thea’s neck, which made her stumble back before she caught her balance. She wrapped her arm around Maggie’s waist and patted her side.

  “I’m alright, Maggie, honest. Were you worried about me?”

  Maggie pulled away and frowned before lightly punching her shoulder.

  “Of course, I was! There were too many Kingsland Guards. I think they were looking for someone. I immediately thought it was you, but Freya convinced me that you were fine that you would know how to hide if it came down to it.”

  That boy, Thea thought. The one they assumed was part of the Sons of Samuel. She couldn’t help but feel uneasy about assisting the boy, but also hoped he managed to get away from the Kingsland Guards.

  “Well, I’m still alive Maggie, see?” Thea stretched her arms out to reveal she had a brown knapsack filled with food that Jiran had given her. As soon as it caught her eye, Maggie’s attention instantly focused on the bag. “And I brought some food if you so happen to be curious.”

  At the mention of food, Maggie’s eyes grew wide. “Food? A whole bag’s worth? Surely, you couldn’t have stolen all of that. I don’t doubt you it’s just—”

  “Not believable, that’s all,” Eddie finished for her and hunched his shoulders. “You would not have been able to steal a whole bag of food in a crowd as big as the Kingsland Marketplace unless someone gave that to you. And that’s impossible.”

  Thea bit her lip. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy and she hoped that Maggie and Eddie believed the story that she made up.

  “Well, someone did give it to me,” she told them. All attention was focused on her now. Maggie tilted her head in curiosity and Eddie couldn’t help but frown as she spoke. “He was just a man who had once known my father, he helped me a couple of years ago. I didn’t tell him about you guys.”

  “Oh,” Maggie whispered. She turned to look at Eddie. His face was expressionless, and he didn’t speak for several seconds.

  “So, he just gave it to you because you were the daughter of some man—”

  “That’s my father you’re speaking about, so watch it, Edward!” Thea snapped.

  Maggie flinched.

  Eddie sighed. “What I meant was, are you sure you can trust him? He may remember your face. He might have even followed you back to our home without you knowing it.”

  Thea shook her head. “No, he’s good, or at least I can trust him for right now.”

  Again, Eddie stared at her for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. His face remained unreadable. “Don’t get close to him. He isn’t family and he know nothing about you.”

  “I have to side with Eddie, Thea,” Maggie spoke up. “He knew your dad, but he doesn’t know you. We’re your family and we need to protect each other; we can’t let anyone come between us.”

  “I know,” Thea said with a nod, looking between the two. “I wouldn’t compromise anyone, I promise.”

  “Well, you better not,” Eddie said. “But onto another thing, what happened to your hands?”

  Thea looked down and saw how neatly bandaged her hands were. She couldn’t risk telling him that Jiran had helped her. They would only worry that she was getting too close to him.

  “I fell and managed to grab some clean bandages off someone’s stand. That was the easy part.”

  “I see,” Eddie said. Thea hoped he couldn’t tell she was lying. He walked over to her and Thea froze in place, wondering what he would do. His eyes drifted away from hers, and down to the bag. She mentally sighed in relief.

  “I might as well pass this food out to everyone. Thanks, Thea.” Eddie grabbed the bag from her hands and turned away from her, leaving just her and Maggie smiling.

  “I can’t wait to show you something, come on!” Maggie cried.

  ***

  Maggie led Thea into her room and reached under her mattress. She pulled out something small and rectangular. When Thea walked closer to her, she realized that the object in Maggie’s hand was a crimson red leather-bound book with gold linings on the front, back, and spine.

  “Where did you get that from?” Thea asked her. Books were highly expensive and sought after in Kingsland, she was surprised that Maggie managed to get her hands on one.

  Maggie grinned and pressed the book to her chest. “It just looked so pretty, I had to have it . . .” She paused for a moment and looked away, a red blush appearing on her cheeks. “I, uh, wanted to know if you could read it to me? I’m not very good at it.”

  Thea reached out
her hand to take the book — the weight itself almost made her drop it. “Do you know what the book is about?” She asked Maggie and opened the flaps, the smell of paper wafted up to her nose as Thea inhaled the scent.

  “Nu-uh. I tried to pronounce it, but it was too hard . . . What does it say?” Maggie asked. She leaned over Thea’s shoulder and peeked at the open page.

  Thea pressed her lips together and furrowed her brows. Dominya had taught her how to read and write when she turned three, but since she had little use for it, some things were harder to pronounce than others.

  “It says… Fe-Fe… Femme… Fa-Fay...Fa-tall,” Thea frowned and tilted her head to the side in concentration. “Femme Fa-tale. Femme Fa-tale’s Dance, I think.”

  “What’s that?”

  Thea shrugged her shoulders. She turned the page to start the first chapter and sounded the words out, before saying them out loud:

  “Chapter One… Her name was Leila, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world. All men would stop and stare at her beauty. Zoro, a man who lusted for her flesh, kidnapped her in the night. She was powerless as he chained her to his bed and forced himself upon her. His hands slowly caressed the girl's thighs, and unwillingly Leila let out a passionate moan arching her back in the air, her hands gripped the white linen sheets. She gasped suddenly and felt Zoro’s rough, calloused hands around her tender breasts. She squeezed her legs shut, a wet and warm sensation traveled down the length of her shaking legs. Only to have his hands - as rough sand - separate her legs and forcefully enter her.

  “She wondered to herself how could she enjoy the touch of a man who had such little disregard for her body. She craved every ounce of him in that moment of unadulterated pleasure, but she also felt a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach and fire in her heart. She couldn’t be sure what the feeling was, but she suddenly felt the insatiable urge to wrap her lips around his hardened member and rip it from him. She devoured the sticky, coppery taste of blood as shrill screams of torturous pain filled her ears. She lied there covered in blood, satisfied—”

  Thea stopped reading just as she saw someone appear at the door. She quickly closed the book and slid it underneath a pillow. Maggie stood up to block the person’s view from Thea.

  “What are you two doing in here?” Eddie asked them. He had a curious look on his face as he watched Thea stand next to Maggie, whose arms were behind her back and her face painted a deep-rooted red.

  “We were . . .” Both Thea and Maggie stuttered.

  Their faces were red from embarrassment and they had a distinct gut-feeling that this was not supposed to be read by children.

  “Just taking inventory,” Thea jumped in. She knew Eddie would get suspicious if they took too long to answer. “We were just keeping track of everything that we have since Winter’s Eve will be coming in a few months.”

  Eddie frowned and squinted at them, but otherwise gave no other indication that he was suspicious of the two.

  “Alright, you two better get your rations for the night,” with that Eddie left.

  Maggie was the first to speak as she pressed her lips together. She looked over at the spot where Thea had shoved the book under the pillow, the edges dangerously peeking out from underneath.

  “That was pretty . . .”

  “Yeah.” Thea finished for her. “It seemed like it was a love story at first, but it’s far too . . .”

  “Wrong to be one?” Maggie completed her thought. Thea nodded in response. “I don’t know. I felt wrong listening to it like I wasn’t supposed to. It reminded me of the stories Eddie told me about the girls who became whores.”

  “So, we shouldn’t read it anymore?”

  Both Thea and Maggie said nothing as they looked back at the book and then back at each other.

  “Maybe just a chapter or two more,” Thea quickly said before Maggie could say anything. “You know, just to see if it’s worth anything.” Thea wasn’t sure if the excuse would work or not. Maggie, however, just nodded in agreement. They both made a deal that they would not touch the book unless they were together.

  The girls left the room to meet with the others. Thea couldn’t help but look back at the book, there was an odd sensation when reading it and she wanted to know more about it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  While in bed that night she thought about telling Maggie about who she was and what she could do, but Dominya’s voice echoed in her thoughts telling her it wasn’t the right time. Though the repetition started to sound less and less like her sister, she began to forget her voice and that scared her.

  She would do it when she came back.

  “So . . . you’re going on an excursion?” Maggie asked. Her voice was low and quiet. Thea couldn’t tell if she was ready to cry or if she was nervous. “And you don’t want me to tell Eddie until you get back?”

  Thea nodded. “It will only be three days, possibly four.” She remembered that Jiran said that it would take three days to cross the Parsi desert. “I just want to find out who I am and.. . Maybe even find my sister.”

  Though Thea knew it was a long shot. Even though no one knew what happened to most of the girls and women in Kingsland, everyone assumed that they were dead – including Thea.

  “Please, Maggie,” Thea pleaded. She reached for Maggie’s hand and held it tightly. “I keep having dreams about her . . . That may be, she’s alive.”

  “And where would you look anyway? Only the Kingsland Guards would know where they took everyone. You would be going on a far-fetched quest.”

  “I’ve heard a rumor or two,” Thea told her. She was reminded of the Sons of Samuel again. “They call themselves the Sons of Samuel—”

  “I’ve never heard of them before.”

  “– Well, I heard they might have had a hand in everything. I’m going to speak to a few prospects and get some answers, in and out of Kingsland.”

  “Eddie is going to lose it when I tell him you’re gone. You know he’ll call your reason ‘stupid and pointless.’”

  “I know, but I can handle Eddie.” Thea grinned and squeezed Maggie’s hands. She hoped to get a smile on her face, but a weak one appeared only to disappear moments later.

  “Are you sure you need to do this Thea? I’m not one to say that family isn’t important, but your sister, she might—”

  “It’s important,” Thea interrupted. As much as she thought that Dominya was already dead, it sounded final as she heard it from someone else’s lips and that was something she was not yet prepared to handle. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

  The two girls hugged one another tightly as if they would never see each other again.

  “I’ll wait for you so that we can read together,” Maggie whispered, bringing her lips right up to Thea’s ear.

  Thea’s face scrunched in sadness. In her handbag, she had her dagger, one loaf of bread, and two apples. But the book also weighed her down, in both weight and guilt.

  The two girls pulled out of their hug. Thea nodded, too afraid that her voice would squeak and break her cover. She turned on her heels and walked out the door, down the steps, and through the alleyway.

  ***

  Dawn broke through and no one was up except for some Kingsland Guards and merchants. Thea held on tight to the strap of her bag and looked around the Kingsland marketplace. It was still dark, which made it almost impossible to see across the market. The only thing she did notice was movement over by a stand and assumed that it was a merchant getting ready for the busy morning in several hours. There were only a few Kingsland Guards too, Thea counted to four and prayed that they wouldn’t stop and question what she was doing out so early.

  What are you doing, Thea? One of the voices asked. You know Dominya is gone, this journey of yours is pointless. You’re abandoning Maggie for a dead woman.

  Oh, leave her alone, another voice chimed in - that voice in particular always reminded Thea of how Dominya sounded. If there’s a chance Dominya is alive, she’s got t
o take it. If she doesn’t, she’ll regret it forever, and you know it.

  She’s just going to die in the desert; a third voice replied. Either Jiran is going to kill you, or you’re going to have to kill him. You know it’s true, Thea.

  “Shut up, you guys are distracting me,” Thea whispered to the voices. The voices had gotten louder over the years; and as new ones joined in, they got even more boisterous. They could never agree on anything, so they spent as much time fighting with themselves as much as they mocked Thea. They were annoying, but Thea couldn’t get rid of them. The only time they were quiet was when she was with Maggie or Jiran and she’d never understood why. Of course, the voices ignored Thea’s request now, so she had no choice but to try to block them out.

  Luckily, she managed to evade the Kingsland Guards by ducking behind the empty stands. The book's weight hit against her leg with every step she took, and she was afraid that if someone were to find the contents, they would mock her.

  The book wouldn’t be thumping louder if you weren’t feeling so guilty about it, the mocking voice chided in a sing-song tone, it made Thea roll her eyes in exasperation.

  Fortunately, luck was on her side, and she made it to Jiran’s stand – she had passed twice since she could not distinguish it in the dark. She knocked on the wooden door, and it opened almost instantly.

  “Good, you’re here,” Jiran said in greeting, a warm smile on his face.

  Thea came in and helped him load supplies onto a wooden wagon that was on the side of his house. It was filled with a surplus of food. When Thea asked if there was anything else that he stowed in there he only told her: “When your mouth becomes as big as your curiosity, that’s high time for you to stop before you regret it.” Thea couldn’t be sure whether to feel insulted or thankful for the odd advice.

  When they left the slums and commoner area towards the Kingsland gates, Jiran tossed her a cloak and gruffly told her to “put this on.” She didn’t ask any questions and did as instructed.

  “What do we have here?” a guard said as they approached.