PETBE

How did I end up here?

There was a handsome man at the door, waiting for Mara to enter with the rest as the men behind us now decided to walk away. She stood up perfectly and walked far from me. Without even a single glance at me. Now, Mara shared a glance with the tall girl, replying with a narrow sense of surprising anger. Then, they both walked away. Once again, no looking back.

I decided to ignore her action and look above the supposed call, the sky. The lessons that my mother taught me were true then.

A vile dark cloud covered the entire existence of the area. I could see nothing more than darkness. Even down on the ground, only despair could be shown to the surface. There were containers, opened for people to take supplies but in front of them, there was a man, almost as tall as a building, guarding the supplies.

Each of the citizens was now emptying their pockets and wallets, giving their belongings to the giant man in return for a small sample of the supplies such as food, clothing, and even medicine.

There was a twisted knot in my stock. Mother always had medicine for me, food, warm, and even stylish clothes for me to wear. How many Eke’els did she spend on me? Where did she find them?

I have to find her.

‘’Boy,’’ the man said calmly. My eyes opened up in fear, forgetting that I was in disguise. At that moment I was no girl.

‘’Yes,’’ I lowered my voice, moving my hands to my waist. ‘’I am coming.’’

What am I doing?

I lifted my head, looking at the building once more. Another tight knot, as the building was a temple. An old temple at least was painted dark olive green and the iron letters were shaking slowly at the top of the building.

‘’Are you deaf boy?’’ The man shouted again. ‘’People here are hunting children like you’’

I faced down the man, letting my eyes search for his clothes. Underneath his silk silver coat, there was it. A Ciel priest uniform.

I shook my head and began running to his side, hoping that he would not notice my cheeks burning.

Outside there was no warmth, no cold. It felt like a dark void of nothingness. But inside, there was a familiar warmth of sanctuary. Of me standing close to the altar with Father letting out his peaceful lectures to his followers. His warm bright smile reflected his bronze skin. His eyes are dark like night. People said that I looked more like my mother. But back then, I was closer to my father. His hand was at the top of my head as he told me stories of the Spirits. His fingers traced locks and…

‘’Hey,’’ the man snapped his fingers close to my face. I looked up to the vibrant light and had a better look at him. He was at least twenty-five. His skin was almost as pale as mine, his glassing blue eyes staring at me closely as if I were his property.

Blonde hair was pushed back, exposing his rough forehead as there was no wound, no scar on his extraordinary sculpted features.

‘’Sorry,’’ I said with a slight squeak and cleared my throat. ‘’I mean,’’ I lowered my voice and rested my hand on his arm. ‘’Sorry dude.’’

There was a twitch from his brow. His gaze turned to the other boy near the raven haired girl.

‘’Do not worry.’’ His lips curved into a gentle smile, taking a few steps away, showing a beautiful boy. ‘’Nezha will take care of you.’’

Will I die?

The boy shrugged and approached me calmly. One look at him. Dark hair long till his nape. Sharp raven eyes that looked deep into mine. He had a small scar close to his light bronze lip. His clothes were dark layers in different shades of black with one red ribbon around his throat. And then he gave a smile.

‘’I am Nezha nice to meet you.’’

‘’I am...'' One long pause. I looked back, finding that Mara and that man were walking away with another girl.

‘’Pete.’’

‘’That is a weird name’’ He laughed and showed me the way around the Once temple.

The altar was a pub with ten people drinking till their lives would end as one woman lay her cleavage on a man’s knees.

There was a gambling table at the one chore with two people letting out a heavy smoke that with one sniff in my lungs made my head feel heavy.

‘’Are you alright?’’ Nezha asked me.

‘’It’s fine’’ I lied.

He now moved me above a small staircase, leading me to a closed dark room. Before moving on to that room, we passed by an open one with the tall blonde girl and the raven girl arguing. With a single glimpse, I could see the walls being painted with white and dark charcoals, trees, and creatures that looked like birds.

‘’Did you steal my scalpels?’’ The tall girl asked. The Mara nodded.’’Borrowed, There is a match in a few hours.’’

There was a laugh from the tall one.’’Mammon will kill you if he finds out that you sneak out to fight pits.’’

‘’He won’t.’’ The other one reassured and then she slammed the door fast as I passed. Nezha stopped in front of the door, turned on me with a perfect smile, and opened the door to welcome me to the new world.

In the temple, this was the place where Father was putting old statues and chairs. But this was now a room. A bedroom even with four beds.

‘’One belongs to Ao Bing but he is missing.’’ The boy informed me. ‘’You can have his.''

‘’What?’’ I blinked confused.

‘’You will stay here,’’ Nezha explained as if I was dumb.

‘’I have a home,’’ I informed him as his fingers traced the buttons of his dark layers, unfolding them slowly.

‘’What are you doing?’’ I could feel my face turning red.

‘’I have to go to the pleasure house.'' He said dryly. ‘’So, I need to change.’’

‘’Pleasure house?’’ I squealed. ‘’But you are a…’’

Young.

His dark eyes faced me with anger as if I had said something wrong.

‘’Boss works with the owner of the house’’Nezha tried to explain to me calmly. Her women work here in exchange for a percent of the money. Women from the house are missing inside our place. She blames her boss. So,’’ He took a deep breath. ‘’She needs collateral.’’

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There was a dark tone in his voice as he said every word with a sweet smile.

‘’Why do they need you?’’ I asked naively.

‘’As you know, people here are never satisfied and there are people like me.’’ Nezha exposed his fingers to his collar. ‘’Can make their hunger go.’’He was telling me that people would touch him, people would do cruel things to him for pleasure, for fun. For lust.

‘’Also if we don’t go there we might lose one of the most useful assets’’ He laughed.

Back then, I didn’t understand what he meant but I was feeling the tight knot around my stomach becoming even more painful.

‘’It’s alright though, I believe that Mara would bite someone’s hand and tongue if she went.’’

‘’Mara?’’ I was confused.

‘’Yes, the girl that you jumped before was like a Kosana’’

‘’Kosana?’’ I arched my brow.

‘’Like a...'' He snapped his fingers and took his shirt off. I immediately turned my head away.

Father was telling me stories of princes rescuing princesses. I was no princess and he was no prince. Back then, I thought that it meant something. But he was a boy. What about a story of a girl and a boy, becoming kings and queens?

‘’A lunatic’’He finally found the word he wanted to say and I listened, opening the creaked closet.

‘’Yes, she jumped into my house.’’

‘’Inside your house?’’ Nezha gasped. ‘’Oh, sorry we were trying to find the women that were lost. Seems that there were also more of them missing in this area.’’

‘’My mom is missing.'' I kicked my boot to the marble floor.

‘’Your mom?’’

I nodded.

Nezha stepped to my side and turned my face to look at him. A brightly colored shirt, exposed half of his body. His lips were painted red and his eyes were covered with a red feathered mask.

‘’You can ask Mammon for help but I am warning you’’

His lips curled a smile with his hand, finding my hat.

‘’When it's time for payment run.’’ He whispered, jerking his head to the right, exposing his metallic collar. How pretty it looked with the crimson ruby in the center, shining pure. But Nezha did not seem proud of it.

I held my breath as he was now walking away, turning back on me with a charming wink.’’See you later beautiful.’’

‘’Wait what did you mean by?’’ I tried to ask but it was too late for me as Nezha closed the door. I decided not to wait for an answer as he was now gone. My eyes searched the room. Two of the thin mattresses were messy, and filled with peculiar colors. The other two were tied perfectly. Those probably belong to Nezha and the other guy Ao Bing. But where was this boy? Was he kidnapped like the rest of the women? Was mother kind… A rough thought found my mind.

Was mother...

She stopped kissing me on the cheek. She was taking longer showers. Every day with more bruises. Every night with more make-up.

She was smelling…

I took out my hat and began taking deep breaths, holding my tears, holding my fear. But it was so difficult. How can someone end up in a situation like this? How did Nezha end up? Will I…?

Then, the door knocked.

‘’Boy,’’ the man’s voice shouted.

I quickly threw my hat on and scrambled to the doorknob.

My eyes lifted, watching the charming man gazing at me with a gentle smile. A soft sweet smile.

‘’What is your name?’’ He asked me.

''Pete.'' I lied, fixing my voice.

‘’How old are you Pete?’’ One step closer he shadowed me and covered my entire existence. I took a step back.

‘’Thirteen.’’ I admitted.

The man hummed slightly disappointed as his long firm fingers found my chin.

‘’And why did you attack my daughter?''

I began running like a lunatic and following her for answers. That was the answer but I felt ashamed of it.

‘’Not your child’’ Mara’s voice shouted from outside the room, jumping on my vision. She turned on me with a harsh gaze as if I had to keep a secret.

‘’Well,’’ His brow twitched. ‘’why did you attack her?’’

‘’She got into my house,’’ I admitted. ‘’And my mother is missing and I thought’’ I tried to look away.

His fingers found his lips. ‘’Mother?’’

‘’Ammit, her name is Ammit, she has vitiligo, blue eyes.'' I tried to take every single breath.

‘’Nezha told me that women are getting kidnapped and…’’ Tears began to flood my face. I started crying once more.

The man took a deep breath and got on his knees, his hands touching my cheeks.

‘’For a boy, you cry too much’’ He judged as his cold soft thumbs wiped out my tears.

‘’Her name was Ammit you said…’’ The man hummed and turned behind, watching Mara stepping inside the room.

‘’Was she on the list?’’ He asked her.

‘’She was on the list,’’ Mara replied.

The man nodded and took one more deep breath, pressing his lips into a thin line.

‘’Spirits, how much you have suffered’’He pitied with a calm tone, his hand touching my left cheek. I replied with a crying nod, turning to look at his wrist which had the silver rose tattoo marked on it.

‘’You want me to help you find your mother?’’ He asked me as he stood up far from me.

‘’Yes,’’ I shouted without hiding my smile.

‘’Very well, I might let you help with this whole mess’’

‘’Wait’’ I tried to stop him from talking more. ‘’I just need you to,’’

‘’She is on the missing list but she is not on my list,’’ he explained.’’ And you know her better than any of my people. Here you don’t get anything without working. ‘’ My eyes looked at his wrists again. This tattoo once more. Just like the one father had.

‘’You are a priest,’’ I realized. ‘’You must help me.''

‘’Of course’’ He interrupted me with his cold eyes staring at my face, then looking down at my neck, and my clothes.

‘’If I have to think about my people’’

I heard a scoff that came out of Mara’s helm. I held my smile as her eyes found mine.

‘’Taking a bit more interest in you, you need to pay,’’

Nezha warned me about my payment. But I couldn't run. Not now.

''I'm capable of doing decent work,'' I suggested with a nervous smile.

Mammon frowned and rolled his eyes.

‘’I am strong.’’I lied. ‘’I can carry things or''

‘’Decent?’’ The man laughed cruelly. But he cut it off instantly.

His blue eyes found Mara and waited for her suggestion. She muttered something behind her helm. And the man did too to the dialect, letting me confused, blind to what they were preparing for me.

‘’A year. "He suggested, rubbing his thumbs and index fingers together. ‘’You will work a year for me.’’

I looked at him and then at Mara who was now looking away from the deal that was about to be made.

I wanted to see my mother. And it seemed that the man wouldn’t search for her because she was not on the list. Women were missing everywhere, according to Nezha. She was probably on the missing list. Mara probably made a mistake. Now I must use their help to find her.

‘’I will work for you for a year.’’ I lifted my chin. ‘’Just please help me find my mother.’’

His eyes opened wide as I begged him for his help. I almost saw his lips try to hide his grin, making them twitch.

‘’Mara’’ He jerked his head back, making the girl move closer to me.

‘’Take care of Pete.'' He explained to her, tracing the back of her shoulder with his fingers. ‘’When Nezha returns, call him to my office and wait for his orders.''The man moved away with a gentle smile facing me.

‘’His orders?’’ Mara scoffed. ‘’Are you sure you want him to take charge? What about Ao Bing?’’

‘’If you ever find him, bring him to my room.'' He waved his hand and closed the door.

Now, the girl turned over to me and narrowed her gaze on me.

I waved my hand shakily at her. ‘’Hi’’

She growled beneath her teeth.

''So.'' I kicked the dust from the floor.''Fighting pits?''

The hat was pulled from my hair by her as she stormed over to me.

‘’You are an idiot.’’ She hissed at me. ‘’What were you thinking?’’

‘’I need to find my mother,'' I told her again and again.

‘’Yes, I know snowflakes, but that does not necessarily mean anything.''

Snowflakes? My face turned red once more.

No, do not lose against that thief.

‘’I don’t know why you don’t like me but,'' I stiffened my shoulders and I took my hat from her hand. ‘’ I am here. And I am not walking away.’’

Mara just kept staring at me with disgust in her eyes. My eyes looked down at her helm, imagining what exactly she was hiding underneath.

Crooked teeth, swallowed lips. Just a pathetic face? Or something else?

‘’I do not like you’’ She lifted her chin up and I tried to smile. Then, her index finger touched my collarbone, pulling me back.’’I don’t know you. And I don’t want to, because people like you, die.’’

I let out a scoff and smiled.’’ Die?Don’t be ridiculous.’’

Mara blinked.’’One week she announced.

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’If you want to give up in one week or less, I will tell Mammon to stop the deal.’’

‘’What about mother?’’I asked her.

She just looked at me, with no emotion. Nothing but only offering her hand to me.

I looked at it and my mother's stories came to mind. About a lost daughter making a deal with a demon. But what choice did I have? And after all, Mara was no demon.

I shook her hand with a smile, tightening the grip.

Her eyes grew wider like a doll’s‘’Alright snowflake.’’She arched her brow in mockery. ‘’Let’s find your mother.’’