Chapter VII - Part II

Read Part I HERE.

Part II

The men approached as Andy helped Margaret to cover herself up. They were quite young but intimidating. Andy felt a little better seeing they had put their knives away. One of them came to Margeret's side and helped her up. Andy was surprised to see he had blue hair. He was a Cirren.

"You're a fierce little girl, you know that? Attacking a guard on your own is not something we see every day," said the man and gave her a big smile. His golden eyes seemed kind and caring. But it might have been just the color of them which made it appear so.

"You know what he was going to do. He needed to be stopped!" Andy's voice was firm and confident.

"You're right!" he agreed.

Margaret was still in shock about what had happened. She wasn't capable of standing on her own.

"She needs to rest," said the Cirren man. Other's were quietly standing by and that made Andy suspicious of them. Neither of the others was Cirren. One of them was tall and bulked, the other shorter but scarier. But they looked similar, like brothers.

"I'll take her home." Andy didn't want them to follow her but avoiding it would probably be impossible.

"We live just nearby and we have food. It would do her good," offered the stranger.

He seemed sincere. Andy didn't know if she wanted to trust him only because of their similarities or because he was actually worthy of her trust. Either way, free food was something she couldn't turn down so she nodded.

"Okay, but as soon as she feels better, we're leaving."

The man looked content with the answer and started moving supporting Margaret at the same time. The pace must have been too slow for him because he decided to carry Margaret instead.

They moved along the narrow street deeper into the quarter. No one introduced themselves which made Andy even more suspicious of their true intentions. The worry inside of her grew only bigger. She was practically alone with three strange men, she had attacked a guard who had certainly memorized her face. She could be the first on the list at the next executions if she even lived that long. Life had seemed so much easier when she woke that morning.

The men stopped at one house. Andy tried to remember her surroundings but all of the city, all of the houses looked the same. The blue-haired man carrying Margaret opened the door. There were already two people inside - a man and a woman. Neither of them had blue hair.

"Dinner?" said the woman jokingly. The man sitting next to her didn't seem so amused.

"Hodge, who have you brought here this time?" asked the man. He had a face that demanded authority. He didn't look like someone who spends his days scavenging in the lake or serving others. He had a long scar running down the left side of his face making him stand out even more.

"Saved these two from a guard," said Hodge. Andy felt more relaxed knowing the name of at least one of them.

"She could use some rest," Hodge continued pointing towards Margaret with his face, "I wondered they might as well come here. Eat a bit and get on their way."

"I'll take her," said the woman and dashed to Hodge's side. She looked small and fragile but didn't have any difficulties carrying Margaret. She put her on one of the beds and took a closer look on her swollen face.

"I might have something for that," she said and started looking through a cupboard. It looked exactly the same as Andy's cupboard at home but she would've been surprised if it hadn't.

"Who are you?" Andy finally found the courage to confront her rescuers. None of the men reacted in any way as if expected to be questioned.

"I am Morgan and this is my family," said the man with the scar. "You've already met Hodge, Paine, and Steele. And the lovely woman taking care of your friend is Aggie."

Morgan sat down on a chair which looked like a throne with him on it. "And you are?"

Andy doubted for a moment. There was something about these people she didn't trust. They seemed a bit too clean and living. No dull eyes, no emotionless faces. She tried to leave her doubts aside for a moment and just be grateful to the people who had saved her.

"My name is Andrea, and that is my relative Margaret."

"It's lovely to meet you, Andrea!" said Morgan. The awkwardness of the situation seemed to disappear at that moment. Hodge, Paine, and Steele sat by the table which was covered with unusual food. Bread and porridge and eggs instead of the regular soup. They started chatting and laughing at each other's stupid jokes.

Morgan also moved his chair closer to the table and looked at Andy expecting her to join their meal. She didn't wait to be asked twice. Such a feast had to be taken advantage of.

The red-haired woman, Morgan had called Aggie, was still by Margaret's side. She was mixing together some sort of herbs in her little bowl and then pouring water on the mixture. Margaret was a bit reluctant to drink it but she did it anyway.

Andy kept an eye on them while eating. The soft bread felt so strange in her mouth. Having to chew her food was something she wasn't exactly used to. Where did they get it? was her only thought. You couldn't get all of that for one piece of sencurium. And why did they waste their food on strangers?

Aggie sat by Andy and poured some porridge into her bowl. "You're a rare sight in here," she said, "I don't think I've ever seen a Cirren girl."

"Neither have I," answered Andy and Aggie's face lit up with her mouth curving into a big smile.

"Have you ever been to the Cirren mountains? I figure most of your kind lives there." Andy was baffled. She had never even heard or Cirren mountains, let alone been there. Aggie could see the confusion on her face.

"I haven't been there either. It is said to be a beautiful place. Maybe some day we can go there together."

"Aren't we supposed to stay imprisoned forever?" Andy asked.

"Supposed to, yes. But that doesn't mean we actually will." Aggie's face looked clever and the way she talked implied that they might share an interest.

"I'm sorry if I'm too nosy, but are you planning an uprising?" Andy was surprised of her own directness but it seemed like a fair question to ask from people who were bold enough to confront a guard and drive him away, caring enough to save two strangers and offer them food and shelter, trusting enough to even make her consider the possibility.

"Dear girl, what else do you think we are doing here?" said Morgan casually taking a bite of his bread.