Disgrace

I went to the market the next day. I dressed myself in some dirty torn up clothes that I found in the man’s house and wore them. Maybe now no one would take notice. I walked slowly through the market place, looking for just the right bread that I wanted. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man watching me. I checked my sleeve quickly to make sure my mark wasn’t showing. It was perfectly covered. I looked up at him and stared into her grey eyes. I smiled. Those silvery eyes crinkled as he smiled back. I sensed no danger from this man and I doubt he would do anything in a market place full of people so I just went back to looking for bread.

I finally found a nice round wheat bread that would last me quite a while if I rationed it well. “Will be that all ma’am?” I nodded my head as I read the lady’s name tag. Adalena. “That will be three geld.” I rummaged through my bag until I pulled out the three coins and handed them to the vender just as I felt something snag my bread. I turned around and the man with the grey eyes was running off with it. “THIEF!” I yelled. I started running after him as fast as my legs could take me. He turned into an alley and I slowed for just a few seconds before I followed him. But when I turned the corner, nothing was there. I looked around the alley cautiously as I slowly made my way down it. There were no doors here but the ground was filled with trash that rodents had undoubtfully dug through.

“If I ever see your face again, I will kill you!” I said a loud. An image of the man coming out from a hole in the ground entered my mind. My gut told me that he was there. I quickly searched the ground for an opening of some sort. I found nothing.

It was probably just an image in my mind, I thought. I slowly turned around and began to walk away. Something creaked. I turned quickly and brought my hands up ready to fight whatever came my way. Not like I had any fighting experience though. “Come out here and fight like a man you filthy ingrate!” I heard a chuckle directly below me and I threw the trash out of the way until I could see a wooden door in the ground.

I opened the door and jumped in just as the grey eyed man appeared below. I landed right on his face.

“OW! What in blazes do you think you’re doing?! You could have knocked me out or killed me even if I fell that way! Do you have any idea what could’ve happened?!” he screamed at me as if he thought I actually had a clue as to what was going on.

I glared at him and replied, “Well what in blazes were you doing when you stole me bread! I paid for it now give it to me!”

The man’s eyes flashed of recognition for only a second and he turned around and proceeded to walk down a tunnel. “Did you not hear me?! I know you stole my bread! I found you fair and square so give it to me!” I yelled at him. Seeing as he was not turning around, I began to follow him. “I won’t turn you in if you just give me the bread.”

That got him going. “You’re going to turn me in any way! Stealing is a jailable offense and now you know where my lair is! I am going to rot in a jail while you’re out there eating… bread! All I have is this place and my freedom and you can easily take them away from me. Why in the name of the Queen would you not turn me in? I am not stupid you little blonde headed thing. I see you’re a poor lady and you obviously need to eat and maybe you would even get a reward for turning me in! I am a Schande you know!”

I looked at this man dumbfounded. “I really wasn’t going to turn you in until you told me you’re a Schande. Where is your birthmark?”

He turned around quickly and shoved his hair to above his neck. The moon and the sun were on the back of the man’s neck. “I’m already a wanted man as it is. You may as well turn me in and get yourself some new clothes. Maybe then some man would want to marry you so you wouldn’t come to the market alone.”

“I choose to not be married you ass! And for your information, I have quite a sum of money to live on. You don’t know me so don’t you dare insult me with lies!” I screamed at him. He chuckled and began walking down the tunnel again. “So what do you want me to do?! I will turn you in if I have to! I know people who could help me,” I threatened though I knew that I had no friends.

“You have no one. I do know that. You live in that old abandoned building over on the other side of the city,” he said nonchalantly, not even bothering to look back at my reaction.

“How in the Queens name do you know where I live? Schande’s can’t read my mind; they know nothing of me or about me.”

“And why is that? I doubt a poor lady like you could have a strong mind considering you could barely afford that bread. Also I haven’t ever met a human that could block out EVERY Schande to where they don’t even know they exist. What are you hiding from me?”

“Hm… I don’t know. EVERYTHING! You don’t even know me and you’re calling me poor and that no man wants me!”

“Well let’s see. I do know where you live as I said before. So it is possible that I know you and you don’t even know it,” he said, winking.

“If you know so much about me then, what’s my name?” This was a trick question. My mother hadn’t ever named me and I had never had a purpose for a name. I was no one.

The man looked me over with his grey eyes and simply said, “You have no name. I can tell.” My mouth hung open but I quickly recovered by saying, “I do too. What kind of person doesn’t have a name?”

“You tell me. I’m not the one without a name. My name’s Derrick. So if you have a name, what is it?” he asked, smirking.

I was caught. I said the first thing that came to my mind. “My name is Adalena.” Derrick smiled and replied, “Nice to meet you Adalena.”