Cinders

I froze as his words met my ears. The rest of the members watched me in silence. Even Isaac had lost that glint in his eyes. I stared straight ahead, gaze locked with Mark's. His expression was entirely serious.

“What?” I gawked.

“Will you join us?” he repeated. “Your sister…she had wanted to bring you into the group. She never got around to it.”

“Really?” I breathed.

I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. I couldn’t think with them all staring at me. It was making me nervous. I took a few breaths, looking up at Mark. He spoke before I could.

“You don’t need to give me an answer now,” he replied. “Just listen to us first.”

I hesitated but nodded, leaning forward. I felt a hand brush against mine lightly making me jump. I knew who it was without looking. It wasn’t what I had expected, though. The gesture felt kind, reassuring.

I glanced at him and he smiled lightly. That confirmed my suspicions. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to smile back but at the same time I didn’t. Once again, Mark interrupted at the perfect time. I turned to him.

“The group is small right now,” he started, “but our main goal is protection. First, though, I want you to know that whether or not you choose to join I will still teach you to read and write.”

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders on hearing that. I nodded, leaning a little closer as I waited for him to continue. He went on to tell me they were there to help women stuck in broken homes. They would find a way to help them out of the situation, no matter the cost.

“How do you find out about these women?” I frowned.

“Their families come forward,” he replied.

“What do you do to help them?”

“We find a way to bring the husbands down,” he replied.

“Down like…?”

“Arrested, generally,” he replied.

“Is it always like that?”

“No,” he replied. “Sometimes it takes a little more.”

“Meaning?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“We kill them.”

I don’t know why but that didn’t surprise me. It took a moment for it to sink in but part of me could see how that made sense. Some men were too high in power to be arrested.

“Who kills them?” I asked, my voice breaking.

“Any of the men,” Tarja replied.

“What do you do?”

“When we’re approached, I take care of understanding the way the man works. I usually work for them and find something that could be held against him,” she replied.

“Would that be my job?” I pressed hesitantly.

“Yes,” Mark replied, “but only when you’re ready to start. We never force people into the field.”

“So this is pretty much an assassin association?” I frowned.

“No, keep in mind we aim to get the men put away,” Mark reminded. “We kill them if things get out of hand.”

“Right,” I breathed, “and what would that be?”

“It depends on the target,” Mark replied. I shut my eyes.

“I uh…”

I opened my eyes, gaze down. I had no clue what to say to this. I would basically be assisting with murder if it came down to it. I buried my face in my hands, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. It was so much to take in. I couldn’t even think about it.

“I don’t know,” I breathed.

“That’s fine,” Mark reassured. “You still want to learn, though?”

“Yes, of course,” I confirmed. “I’ll um…think about your offer.”

“We’re meeting again three days from now. If you want to join, come and let us know. If you don’t come, we’ll assume you don’t want to.”

I nodded. “That works. Thank you. I had best be going. It was nice meeting you all.”

I waved to them all before heading out of the room. My stride was long and firm. I needed air. I was reaching the door as I heard his voice.

“Would you like some company?” I whirled, shocked to find Isaac standing close behind me. I shook my head. “Are you sure? It seems to be storming pretty badly out there.”

I groaned. Turning to the door, I peered out. Sure enough, the clouds had released their load over the town. I stared at the little flakes falling. I could tell it was going to get worse. It would be much easier to have somebody there. I didn’t particularly want to risk something happening along the way and getting injured. I’d freeze. Reluctantly I turned to him.

“I’d appreciate it,” I said. I tried my best not to grit my teeth.

“Alright, let me grab my cloak,” he smiled.

I waited by the door as he pulled on his cloak. He wrapped it around himself tightly and motioned for me to come along. I followed him out of the little store and hugged my cloak close. I shivered against the cold. It was horrible. He noticed and stepped back to meet my pace. He caught me off guard by wrapping his arms around my shoulders and leading me down the street. I pulled away, giving him a weird look. He frowned.

“I’m sorry, you just seemed cold,” he apologized. My brows shot up.

“Oh,” I replied. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“I see,” he nodded. “So…would you consider joining us?”

I sighed, looking up at him. “Really? I have no clue. It’s a bit much for me to take in all at once.”

“I understand,” he replied calmly, bending his head against the wind.

I heard him groan softly and sighed, stepping closer to him. I spread my arms apart and gave him a look. He frowned, eyeing me curiously. I sighed and held my breath as I pulled the cloak off me.

“What in the world are you doing?” he exclaimed. “Put your clo-”

“I have an idea,” I replied through chattering teeth. “Wrap your cloak around me.”

He frowned but did as he was told, opening his arms wide. His eyes widened at the feeling of the bitter cold. I slipped under and motioned him to close it around us. I then managed to maneuver my own cloak, covering the first cloak. Isaac’s brows rose at that but he grabbed his end of my cloak, a smile working at his lips.

“Good idea,” he chuckled.

“Thank you,” I replied softly while holding my side of the cloak close to my stomach.

“I never would’ve thought of that,” he commented. I smiled weakly.

“Well it’s a good thing you’ve got me, now isn’t it?” I replied as my smile slowly spread to a grin.

“That it is,” he agreed gently, nodding slowly. “You definitely are a special one.”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad,” he replied. “Just that you can catch people off guard.”

“When was that ever a good thing?” I frowned. He hesitated, suddenly realising how horrible his statement had been.

“True,” he laughed nervously, “but in some cases it’s definitely a good thing.”

“Like when?” I scoffed.

“Like now,” he replied.

I looked up in confusion. He had to be joking. There wasn’t a hint of humor in his gaze, though. He held my gaze a good few minutes before smiling and motioning for us to keep moving. I hadn’t even noticed we’d stopped.

The rest of the hike was silent. By the time we reached my house it was nearly impossible to see. I was grateful to get into the little hut. It wasn’t as warm as I’d hoped but there was no denying it was better than being trapped outdoors.

“I’ll be going then,” Isaac informed. I turned back, incredulous.

“What?” I asked in shock.

“I have to get back home,” he chuckled.

“Not in this mess,” I refused. “You’ll kill yourself, Isaac.”

“Please tell me what I should do then, Simone,” he replied his tone light.

The thought just popped into my head. I had no idea where it came from. All I knew was that I suddenly had an idea that albeit was smarter health wise, it was risky for my reputation. I didn’t give a damn, though. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to him on his way back home.

“Are you married?” I asked suddenly. His jaw dropped slightly. I blushed. “God, I’m so sorry! I should’ve thought before saying that!”

He laughed and shook his head. “Um…no, I’m not married.”

“Oh,” I answered. “Well I was thinking…would you like to spend the night? Just to sleep, of course. I’d rather have you here then out there in possible danger.”

“That…works,” he agreed. “I’ll stay the night.”