The 13th

"Aaannnd.....done!"
Maro looked down at the bandages wrapped around his arm, chest, and waist. They looked a lot more professional than the doctor who had applied them. He was a scruffy man, a lot older than Maro, but he had long, blonde hair, held back by goggles strapped to his forehead. It made his hair spike up in the front, allowing his face, which, otherwise, would've been hidden by his hair, to be seen. He had blue eyes, and a very sharp face. But he always smiled, making his rough appearance seem lighthearted, almost childish.
"What's your name, son?"
"Uuhhh.....Maro..."
"No need to worry, kid. I'm not out to kill you. I just need to know your name in case anyone comes knocking. Thanks to what happened in the square last night, you and Amelia are wanted criminals by the Acolytes."
Maro sat up in the bed and looked over at the bed next to him. Amelia was still asleep.
"But, I guess in today's times, it's better to be a criminal than to be a part of the rebellion."
"I am part of the rebellion."
The doctor's surprise was made instantly apparent by the look on his face.
"B-But you're just a kid! How could you already be a part of it?!"
"Have you heard about what happened to Kylan?"
"Y-Yes...I have...What about it?"
Maro's face was suddenly shadowed by the feelings that were awakened as the memories flooded back to him.
"My parents were Rebel Leaders there. I've been a part of this since I was born."
"Oh. I see. Well, umm...I see that this is hard for you, so I'll change the subject. My name is Jonathan. Jonathon Marslo. My friends call me John." He offered his hand as he spoke.
Maro shook it, shaking off the memories as well. "Nice to meet you, John."
"You, too, Maro. But, we still have a problem on our hands. Amelia's injuries caused her to go into shock, and she won't recover until I can get her some Felsum. Unfortunately, I've recently run out, and I can't leave the hospital, due to my other patients. So, do you think you could fetch some from the market for me?"
"Um, didn't you just say that the Acolytes wanted me?"
"Yes, I did, but that isn't a problem during the day. The Acolytes and the Shadow Beings only come out at night."
"Oh...Well, yeah, I can go get some for you."
"Thanks, Maro. Ask for Madie; she always gets me the best deals."
"Ok."
Maro slid his legs off the bed and stood up, testing his ability, to find that his legs were actually a lot stronger than they felt. He gave John a quick wave as he walked out the door and onto the town's main street.
"Wow. This place is a lot more cheerful during the day."
Maro looked around and took in the sights---people talking in the streets; ordering food from streetside vendors; going about their lives in a cheerful manner.
A Fwix came out of a nearby alley and began to walk around Maro's feet.
"Mew!"
"Sorry, little guy. I can't stay and play.
"Mreow." The Fwix seemed to understand what Maro said, and turned and bolted into the alley, its slick, black coat and large, bushy tail completely hidden in the shadows.
Maro refocused on his surroundings and spotted a banner down the street that read, "Milk, Now at Half Price!"
"Well, that seems like the place to go, I guess."
Maro made his way toward the sign, slipping through crowds of people lingering in the street.
Once he'd managed to reach the sign, he noticed a small alleyway that led to a much bigger courtyard. The alley was crammed with people trying to shove their way either in or out, and there were three others just like it on this street.
"I guess only the toughest ones get the deals..."
Maro walked to the end of the street, to the least crowded alleyway entrance, and made his way through. He came out on the other side in a massive courtyard of stalls, vendors, and buyers; this was the marketplace.
Maro walked up to the nearest vendor; "Hello, do you know where I can find Madie?"
"Ahh, well, I'm not sure why you would need her, but she's in that large stall, there on the end." The vendor pointed down the row of stalls, to the last one. It was the biggest stall in the market; it actually had a second floor, most likely for its owner to store supplies.
"Whoa..." Maro made his way over to the stall and, after waiting his turn, finally made it up to the front.
He looked up at Madie. She was a tall girl; she had to be. Maro couldn't see over the counter, but she was leaning completely over it to look at him. She had dark eyes, and she looked really young, maybe twelve or thirteen. Just about Maro's age.
"And, what can I get you, scamp?"
"Umm...I need some Felsum."
Madie looked at him quizzically. "You know what Felsum is, right?" He obviously didn't seem like a normal buyer, to her.
"I have no idea. But, John sent me to get some from you."
"John? Why didn't you tell me before?" Madie's demeanor suddenly changed from that of a normal vendor, to a trustworthy conspirator. She motioned for Maro to come around behind the stall. Maro did so, and watched as she hopped down from a makeshift ladder of stools, stacked one on top of the other, hidden behind the counter.
*So, that's why she seemed so tall for such a young girl,* Maro thought as Madie reached up to a high shelf, pulling out a small branch with several small clusters of ice-blue leaves.
"First off, here's your Felsum. Second, what's your name? Any friend of John's is a friend of mine, so I figure I'll need to know what to call you."
"My name is Maro."
"Maro...hmm... Nice name. Anyway, before I head back to the hectic counter top, do you have any questions that you'd like answered? Unlike John, I like to give proper introductions to the new town's folk."
"Actually, just a few..."
"Okay, well, list 'em off, and I'll answer what I can. After that, though, you'll have to go. My unruly customers don't like to wait."
Maro took a second to compose his thoughts before he asked his questions.
"Why is this town so dangerous after dark? Who is Amelia? Why is the entrance to the marketplace just a bunch of small alleyways, instead of one big entrance? And what town is this? I came by boat, so I have no idea..."
"Ooh, nice questions! Well, for starters, this town is dangerous at night due to problems with the Town Guard. A few weeks ago, the shadows started attacking our walls, and they only agreed to stop doing so if we let them in. So, in a choice between life and death, the Town Guard let them in. However, the shadows are only allowed in at night, for the sake of keeping the peace among the people." She paused, letting all this sink in. "Second, I have no idea; I've never heard of her. Third, the entrance is a bunch of alleyways thanks to my genius." She emphasized the word "my", and her face became smug. Her excitement grew as she spoke. "Due to how large the city is, we have many thieves who try to steal products from our stalls on a daily basis. Back when we had one big entrance, they could just steal and run off, without a problem. But, with all the small alleyways, the thief has to push his way through all the people going in or out, which, in almost every case, puts the thief in a position to get caught." Madie was smiling now, obviously proud of herself, and Maro nodded thoughtfully; the idea was a good one; it definitely would work just as she had said, no doubts about that.
"And, finally," Madie went back over to her ladder of stools as she spoke. "You are in the great, sea-side city of Breemus! Well, see you 'round, Maro!" Madie was already back up on the stools, shouting out prices to buyers who, in turn, haggled with her for better deals.
Maro turned and left the stall, making his way back the way he'd come, to deliver the Felsum to John. He pushed his way back out onto the street, walked amongst the more peaceful people, and opened the door to John's hospital. Maro found his way back to the room that Amelia was in, to find John laying on the bed Maro had used. He awakened and sat up as Maro entered the room.
"Ahh, back already? Good! I was taking a small nap. Anyway, you have the Felsum?"
Maro held up the small branch, and John took it from him.
"Thank you, Maro."
He pulled off a couple of the leaves, and went to work. He crushed some, shredded others, even burned a few, using a small fireplace in the corner of the room. A short while later, he presented Maro with a small vial of blue liquid. The liquid form was the same color as the leaves, except that it glowed.
"This, my friend, is Felsum in its strongest form." And, with that, John turned and poured some of the liquid into Amelia's mouth. She instantly started coughing and sputtering as she sat up.
"Dammit, John! You know I hate Felsum!"
John turned and put the liquid away in a small cabinet as he spoke. "Oh, really? You've never told me that before..." The sarcasm in John's voice was pretty blatant.
Amelia glared at John as she mumbled to herself in anger as she stood up. "I have a thousand times, and you know it..." The only bandages she wore were wrapped around her forearms and one of her legs.
Because of the errand he'd had to run for John, on top of the previous night's confusion and chaos, Maro hadn't been able to actually look at John and Amelia; their clothes seemed pretty spot-on with their attitudes. Along with the goggles that only an airship pilot would wear, John was dressed in a long, white lab coat. Amelia, on the other hand, wore battle gear in a striking red color. She looked like a warrior who hadn't realized that she was no longer on the battlefield, but back at home now.
"What time is it, John?" Amelia asked, her anger seeming to have dissipated.
"About eight or so." John hid a smirk as Amelia's anger flared up once more.
"Really?! You're an ass; you know that, right?"
"Only 'cuz it's fun." John's smirk became an amused grin.
"Well, thanks for waking me up just one hour before I have to go back to sleep...." Amelia grumbled as she made her way out of the patients' ward, and into a separate room.
When she was gone, John turned to Maro and said, "Well, Maro, you should get some sleep, as well. If I'm right, you have a really big day ahead of you."
"What do you mean?" Maro's question fell on deaf ears as John opened the door and motioned to a door down the hall and to his right.
"That is your room. Good night, Maro."
"Uhh... Good night, John..." John walked off toward his own room, leaving nothing for Maro to do, but to head to his.
"Well...I guess sleeping won't hurt. And, who knows... Maybe I will have a big day, tomorrow."