2

Chapter 2

– The Inn

There she stood in the shadows, tall and dark, the silhouette of a ghost against the night sky. She still looked pale and sickly, as if she hadn't eaten much, but at least she hadn't been crying anymore. That was always a good sign – they weren' often tears.

Her skin was still unnaturally white even despite the fact that her hair was a rich, vibrant red.

And then I saw the scar on her cheek. At first I thought it was a scratch or a bruise, but as I drew closer, I realized it was something different entirely.

I' d always known that there was something wrong with her eyes; she had never had any pupils, just empty spaces where the iris should've been. Even if the world did end, she'd have to spend the rest of eternity without seeing anything. But even in the darkness, I could see how badly she'd been beaten. She wasn' standing right, leaning forwards slightly as if she might collapse at any second, and the right leg looked like it might fall off with the slightest pressure of her foot on the floor. She must have been in great pain. I wanted to go to her, hold her and make her stop hurting so badly, but I didn' dare move for fear that I'd frighten her away. Instead, I stayed exactly where I was. Her eyes met mine for the barest of seconds before looking away again.

I felt like I should say something. Something to reassure her that everything would be alright. But I wasn't sure if I even wanted to try comforting her.