***NEED WORK

I didn’t really think; I just ran.

The moment I fled the market plaza, all eyes seemed to follow me, watching me as I tore through the crowd like a mad man.
I didn’t really care. I think I was partly insane.

In an instant, a place that was warm, cheery and welcoming became a scene of a cold, distant and unpleasant spotlight.

The whole world seemed to be standing against me as I ran through the streets, my feet clapping loudly against the cobblestone roads of Stranaglastre. The streetlamps that once reflected warmth and welcome now stared down at me with prying eyes, staring holes into my skin as I passed under their blinding light.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.
I was supposed to keep this to myself, my hidden pain, my secret scar.
I was supposed to fix it before anyone---Thya, Sarvwen, or Zarda could know about it.
It was supposed to go away.

‘The whole world is against me right now,’ I thought bitterly as I continued to run.

But it wasn’t until I started making the next turn that I realized how true the last thought was.

As I rounded the corner in a left-hand turn, a figure stepped out from the shadows of a closed doorway, stepping into my path.

“Zavius,” she said, her voice in a serious tone that sounded way too out of place.

I couldn’t help it; my body just reacted before my mind finished processing.
My chest clenched painfully in anxiety, and icy tremors shot through my skin the moment I saw that vibrant red hair.

“You,” I snarled, hatred thick in my voice.

Taeri stood before me, her posture straight and her energy unnaturally calm yet tense. She wasn’t smiling and she didn’t have her signature smirk on her face.
But this lack of her usual expression sent chills through me.
Her face stared at me blankly, her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes open unblinking in their ice-cold gaze.
I swallowed hard, and instinctively took a defensive step back.

It was as if the mask had fallen away; revealing the face, true identity of a monster.

I could feel my arm prickling with a thousand needles just at the sight of her. But I didn’t dare take my eyes off of her.

Taeri opened her mouth, finally speaking.
“We need to talk.”
“Oh the hell we do,” I spat.

Something was wrong with this girl, something in my gut told me that much. But it was different from the time she attacked me three days prior; it was much different. It was as if under the calm was complete instability, and it was seeping through to the surface of the cold mask in a dark glow.
And somehow, this was worse than three days ago.

The expressionless mask stayed put as she scrutinized me head to toe. Her hard stare was searching for something.
“We have a problem, Zavius.” she said.
“We?” I echoed. But then I scoffed. “No, we have nothing. You have the problem. What the hell did you do to me?”
“I may just tell you if you come along like a good boy.” she said.
I spat, and took another step back.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I snarled.
“Are you going to make me say ‘please’?” she asked sarcastically.
I could tell now, that she was running low on tolerance.
“Forget it. Get the hell away from me.” I snapped.

A flare of pain shot through my right arm, but I was able to keep it from showing on my face.
Instead, I balled my hands into a fist and kept my ground.
“What did you do to me?” I repeated, my voice low.

Taeri breathed out slowly and closed her eyes, as if I was rubbing off on her last straw of patience. She didn’t say anything for a moment.
Then her eyes snapped open.
“Now, you wouldn’t want to cause another scene, would you?”

I hesitated, internally cringing at the thought of the agony I went through in the market plaza.
How the pain practically swallowed me up, and the burn eating away at my sanity---

I grit my teeth, shook my dripping hair from my eyes and glared hard at her.
“Go ahead. I’d rather go through that again than go along with you.” I spat.

Taeri’s eyes hardened dangerously, before she mellowed out again.
“Oh? Is that so?” she murmured darkly.

She didn’t say anything else for a few seconds, and she also didn’t make a move. The tension was thick and I could feel my hair standing on its end as I anticipated the worst.
But then, for the first time, she smirked, breaking her icy blank composure.
“Then I guess I’ll have to be a bit more convincing.” she said.
She paused, studying me with a knowing smirk. She then nodded to her left, the motion brief but obviously pointing.
“Look; aren’t they so adorable?” she asked me.

I froze, confused at the sudden change in her tone. Was I supposed to answer somehow? Maybe a trick question?
Unsure if this was a trick, I cautiously followed in the pointed direction and looked to my right.

A little boy was sitting on the stone curb with his legs stretched onto the road, and in his hand was one of the small paper lanterns that were scattered around the white marble fountain in the market plaza. Around him was a small group of kids, huddling around him and the lantern.
The kids that ran past us in the plaza I realized.

They were all staring, mesmerized and captivated by the bright flame that flickered and danced inside the thin paper ball.

“You know, they should really be careful with those things.” Taeri said.

I scowled, immediately alert at her uncharacteristic ‘worrisome’ comment. The tone was wrong; there was not an ounce of care whatsoever.
Half a second later, it clicked.

My eyes went wide with horror as I turned back to her.
“You wouldn’t dare.” I spoke, my voice barely a whisper.

Taeri raised an eyebrow, giving me a questioning look.
“I wouldn’t dare what?” she asked innocently. “Accidents happen.”

Just then, her eyes flashed a color of bright orange. And as if on cue, the soft flickering flame in the lantern the boy was holding suddenly took on a harsh red hue and shot upwards through the opening on top of the paper sphere.

“No!” I yelled out, heading towards the children---

The children cried out and squealed, some of them clapping their hands excitedly as the multi-colored sparks rained down harmlessly over the cobblestone. They drew closer still to the paper lantern, that was now glowing all sorts of light.

I breathed out slowly, but I felt no relief. My hands shook as a settling unease took place in my chest.

Taeri hummed, completely at ease.
“As I was saying, anything is possible.”

I wheeled around, glaring daggers at the redhead.
“Taeri…” I spoke her name, my voice straining to get the sound out.
Taeri smiled as if it was a polite thing to do.
“So what do you say we have our chat now?” she asked.
Her eyes flashed dangerously again, her expression dark.
“It’s all up to you.”

I scowled and my jaws clenched, immediately getting the double meaning of her words.
I was completely cornered.

“Alright,” I sighed, defeated. “What the hell do you want?”

Taeri smirked darkly, and a flicker of triumph shot through her expression.
She nodded her head to her right, not taking her eyes off of me.
“For a little more privacy.” she said.

She then started off to the side, heading in the direction she was nodding to. I watched as she stepped over the stone step that lifted off of the main road and disappear into an alleyway.
Of course; she would lead me into an alleyway. This was all too perfectly fitting for her.

I breathed out slowly, trying to calm myself down before starting after her. I reached the entrance to the alley and I hesitated.
This was not going to end well.

“Zavius,” I heard her voice drifting up to me. “Come.”

On her command, I felt another flare shoot up my right arm. I inhaled sharply, and held my breath, fighting any possible sounds that may come flying out of my mouth. Then, oh-so obediently, I stepped into the dark alley.

The sounds of the happy crowd faded slowly with every step I took into the alley. And as if to pile up more clichés on top of my pending doom, the alley was cold, dark and dank, with the whole effect amplified by my wet clothing that clung to my skin.
Maybe diving headlong into a public fountain in the cool evening was not a great idea.
I stopped when I reached the end of the alley. It wasn’t all that deep and I was looking at a dead end already. Where the hell did she go?

“Ugh, took you long enough.”

I was just starting to wheel around when I felt myself getting pulled to the side. My muscles tensed involuntarily as my back hit the cold stone wall.
As soon as I recovered from the initial shock I sighed, wanting to get this over with.
“So, what’s the problem?” I asked, straight to the point.

Taeri showed herself then, stepping out from the dark. She snapped her finger, and a small flame lit up on her fingertips.
“Who is she?” she asked, her tone cold and almost bored. Her eyes were on the flame dancing on her fingertips.
I frowned.
“Who’s who?” I returned.
“You know who I’m talking about.” she told me.

Actually, I really didn’t.
Wait…oh.

“You mean that blond girl I was with? She was my friendly date, not that it’s any of your business.” I said.
Then my frown deepened.
“Is that what this is about? Who I was hanging around with?”
Taeri clicked her tongue and swatted a hand through the air in an annoyed, dismissive manner.
“That’s another problem for another time.” she snapped. “I’m talking about the girl that was with you.”
Now it was my turn to snap.
“I was with no other girl!” I spat. “Just the blond girl and that’s it.”

Taeri gave me a long hard stare, the flame on her fingers casting an eerie light over her stone-like features. She gave another dismissive flick of her fingers and the flame went out in a soft wisp of smoke.
“You’re holding out on me.” she said.
It was a statement, not a question.
“Even if I was, that’s none of your business.” I told her darkly,
Taeri sighed tiredly, shaking her head.
“You’re really being stubborn.” she said.

…Persistent, loud and clearly stubborn…

I inhaled sharply as the hot blistering pain shot up my arm. My legs gave out and I crumbled, my knees cracking against the cold stone. It was blazing hot, scorching my skin. But it was as if the memories of the she-conscience were warding off some of her burning effects.
I hunched forward, and gasped for air, my hands turning to fists against the cold ground as my mind whirled with confusion.

What was this feeling? She isn’t even here---she doesn’t even exist and she had this influence over me in the real world.
She-conscience…who is she?
Who are you?

“---Who is she, Zavius?”

I opened my eyes, snapping myself back to reality.
Grunting against the dull aching, I pushed myself back onto me feet.
“You tell me.” I breathed, trying my best to keep the pain out of my voice as my skin burned. A small hiss escaped me as the invisible flames seeped into my chest cavity.
“What the hell did you do to me?”

Taeri sighed, looking at me with that bored expression again.
“I told you, I gave you a little something to remind you that you belong to me and only me.” she said. She snapped her fingers once again, and the small flame flickered back on her fingertips.
“And which is why we have this problem.”
She gazed evenly at the innocent looking flame that licked at her fingertips, letting it play across her nails.
“By keeping contact with this girl, you’re breaking our deal.” she sighed.
“What deal? I never willingly made a deal, never mind make one with you.” I snapped, anger flying fast. “She was right; you Branded me, didn’t you?”

The small flame on her fingers was extinguished fast, like a candle being blown out with one hefty breath.
Taeri blinked at me as if she was taken by surprise.
“She?” she echoed.

Shit. I slipped.

I locked my jaw and pressed my lips together hard, not saying a thing. How was I supposed to explain that one? What the hell, why did I have to explain anything to her?
I kept my mouth shut as Taeri stepped closer. I could see a dark smirk forming on her face.
“So there is a ‘she’…” she mused.
I didn’t answer, keeping steady with my silence. She chuckled, and closed the little gap between our bodies.
“Zavius?” she crooned, playing with my jacket’s fastener. “Who is this ‘she’?”

Too close…she was too close. My skin crawled with disgust when her fingers brushed my throat.
“Hmm? Not talking?” she murmured, as her hand pulled my jacket zipper down. Her hands snaked into my open jacket and pressed into either side of my ribs. I saw an expression of disgust flit across her face.
“Ugh, you’re absolutely soaked to the bone.” she muttered. “Why you had to dive into that fountain is beyond me.”

Her hands were starting to drift down my torso when I reached up and grabbed hold of her wrists.
“Back off, Taeri.” I growled, forcibly pushing her hands away.
Taeri smirked and I saw that dangerous look flash in her eyes again.
“Maybe if you tell me more about this girl.” she said, shrugging and tilting her head onto her left shoulder.
“To have figured out about my Branding, she must be one smart girl.”
Her eyes lifted upwards to catch mine, and her gaze burned a dark, hard gaze.
“I like her.”

I bristled, immediately feeling threatened at her cold, unforgiving tone. I practically threw her hands away from me, shoving her back at the same time.
“There’s nothing to tell.” I told her, keeping my voice low and level. “She’s none of your concern.”
“So you want me to believe.” Taeri returned coolly.
She sighed and stepped up close to me again, pressing her hips into mine. She went on to lean forward and rest her head against my shoulder.
An aggravated scoff escaped me as another fresh wave of anger washed over me.
This girl was aggressive…in multiple ways.

“You know, it’s cute and all that you are protecting her like this, but it doesn’t matter.” she said.
“Yea? How so?” I scoffed angrily, keeping my hands by my side and head pulled away from hers.
Taeri flashed me a sly, darkly mischievous look as she traced circles on my chest.
“For one, I will find out who she is, one way or another so your efforts are really, well, futile.” she said, shrugging. She sighed again and pushed herself even closer to me.
“And two, I can touch you like this and she’s not here to stop me.” she said. She then let out a short laugh.
“Not that she would stop me from being with you.” she laughed.

In what delusional world is she living in?

Her hand on my chest suddenly froze and she pulled her head off of my shoulder.
“She’s not here to save you. Or stop me…”
She broke off suddenly, as if to think.
“…from getting anything I want.”

Before I could get even more pissed or ask what the hell she was talking about, she grabbed me by the neck and pulled my face down to hers. Her lips crashed into mine hard, and I could feel my lip split against my teeth.
I stiffened, disgusted, shocked and angry all beyond belief. Not bothering to hold back, I grabbed her by the waist and started to shove her away with all I had. But she didn’t let go.
Her hands seemed to close tighter around my throat as her body pushed me harder against the wall. She groaned, and her lips moved against my unmoving, tightly closed ones, and I nearly gagged when I felt her hands under my shirt.
Her hot hands roamed across my abdomen, to my lower ribs, and then to my chest---

Suddenly, Taeri’s lips froze against mine, along with her hands against my chest. I took that moment to grab her wrists and shove her back away from me. She stumbled back numbly, but stayed on her two feet.
I glared at her, not caring to hide the hate and disgust as I pulled my shirt back down and wiped my mouth on the back of my sleeve.
“You’re sick,” I spat vehemently at her.
Taeri’s expression was a blank one again, her eyes wide as if to be in disbelief.
“Where…where is it?” she suddenly said.
Again, before I can reply she launched herself on me, this time grabbing me by the collar of my jacket.
“Back off,” I snarled, as she pulled at my shirt collar.
She was looking, searching for something on me, like something important was out of place.
“Where is it?” she said again, this time demanding.
She grabbed at my right arm, and went to yank my sleeves up.

…Release…

Taeri cried out suddenly, and jolted away from me. She held her right hand by the wrist and stared down at her shaking open palm before turning her incredulous stare to me.
“You…” she breathed, sounding horrified.
Then her expression hardened, taking on a dark mood.
“Who is she?” she demanded.
She took a step towards me and roughly grabbed at my jacket.
“Who is she?” she repeated.

I swiped her hand off of my jacket, being just as rough.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I snapped.
“She healed you! It was her, wasn’t it? The one that saved you the other day.” she continued to demand. “Who is she?”
“That’s none of your damn business!” I yelled back.

Suddenly, a sharp slap shot though the air and my head twisted to the side, my left cheek ablaze with hot needles.

“You know what, it doesn’t matter. Even is she were to know that I Branded you, she can’t just remove my mark.” I heard her hiss.
I lifted my eyes off from the side and glared fully her way. She just laughed a dead, humorless laugh.
“Go ahead; protect her all you like, Zavius.” Taeri sneered.
She lifted her hand as if she was going to slap me again, but her fingers curled into a fist and she held her knuckles to the side of her head.
“But I will find out who she is, and where she is.”

Her eyes hardened harshly and she leaned forward threateningly.
“And I will kill her.” she hissed.

With that, she shoved me back against the wall dismissively and started to stalk out of the alley.
I just stared, shocked and chilled at her final words.
Taeri was crazy; she was bipolar and unstable. And far too unpredictable.
As she turned out of the alley and out of sight, I found my mind repeating one thought.
She won’t find her. I found myself thinking. She doesn’t exist, she won’t find she-conscience.

But I couldn’t shake the unease from the settling in my chest.
Because I knew, if Taeri were to find her, she will stay true to her word.