Kira slowly dragged her feet as she made her way back to the center of the town, full pails of water hanging from her hands. She wished that she could've spent more time down by the stream, just enjoying the silence and sounds of nature, but curfew was coming quickly and she was not in the mood for the lecture she would receive if she should dare show up a few minutes past it once again.

As it was, she couldn't afford to have her rations cut any further for disobedience. She was already down to two small meals a day as it was and she wouldn't be able to keep up with her workload if it was cut down to a single meal. It was only early spring and the forest did not have enough to sustain her through lean times yet. She could always try to survive off tree bark, but that really was a measure of last resort. It took so much time and effort to make it edible that it wasn't worth the energy expended. Maybe she would focus on digging up roots instead, those would at least be filling, even if they didn't taste great.

So focused was she on her plans for survival that she failed to notice the sounds of an agitated crowd until it was too late for her to observe unseen. Instead, she had no choice but to slump her posture into a demure one and arrange her face into a neutral expression. She couldn't smile, because apparently indentured servants were supposed to not have any joy in their lives but neither was she allowed to scowl, because that apparently meant that she was ungrateful for all the grace and mercy that they had shown her.

She swallowed down a growl, bitterness flooding her. One day, she was going to have enough of this and was going to leave, go to one of the cities that didn't ban everything that she so desperately longed for. All she wanted was a place to belong, to be her true self, instead of the mask that she was forced to wear here. She didn't want to abandon this place, her mother's home, but anymore, it felt like she was slowly suffocating within the supposed safety of New Haven.

Intent upon not calling any undue attention on herself, it took her several minutes to realize that the crowd was gathered outside of her house, a disapproving hum of chatter filling the crowd. Abandoning her buckets, she would take the discipline for it later, she hurried toward her home. She lived alone and had practically nothing to her name, what could've made the town gather outside of her home?

She expected to have to push her way through the crowd with hisses of disapproval but what happened was even worse. The crowd fell eerily silent and parted for her, their gazes boring into her with anger and disbelief. The fragile hope that this might not be about her died a quick death.

Resisting the urge to curl her hands into fists, she couldn't show anger, she quickly made her way down the available path. She sucked in a breath as she saw a group of seven men and women gathered in front of her house. Why was the full Council of Elders waiting for her?

She had done nothing wrong, had done every task given her without complaint, had not argued or fought back against the cruel words and turned backs. She had even followed every single edict that the Council had given her, something that none of the other townspeople had to deal with. Just her, where she was a servant indentured to the Council because of her mother's debts. Debts that her mother hadn't possessed before she'd passed away.

Cold shivers traced down her spine and she knew, whatever was going on, it was going to be the end of her life, one way or the other.

Reaching the front of the crowd, she lunged forward when she saw what one of the council members was holding, a cry tearing from her throat, "Noooooo!"

Two burly men caught her by her arms, the blacksmith and the stablemaster, yanking her back and securing her out of reach of the Council. A bitter-faced woman standing off to the side smirked triumphantly. "See, I told you that the girl knew about them. That she was in on it along with her witch of a mother. Her mother should've never been permitted back into New Haven, she had been turned by the Outsiders. And her daughter is just like her. She wants to corrupt us all!"

Kira wanted to shout back, to defend her mother, but her voice was blocked by a lump in her throat as she watched the Head Councilman hold up the sheet music by one corner, a disdainful expression on his face as if he was touching something disgusting instead of simple paper and ink.

His voice was dry, like the sound of old cornstalks blowing in a freezing winter wind. "It appears that you are right, Goodwife James. I had hoped that it was a remnant left behind by a rebellious woman, that she had chosen to hide it away so as to not corrupt an innocent child. However, it looks like Kira is just as complicit in this scandal."

Ice filling her veins, Kira hissed, "What were you doing in my home? You had no right."

The burly woman standing next to him, Councilwoman Mera, gave Kira a stony look. "You are indentured to the Council, we have every right."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kira straightened and the men released her arms, hovering close for a moment before taking a step back when she made no move to head toward the council. She enunciated clearly, "You only have the right to search my home upon the confirmation of an infraction committed by me. I have completed all of my assigned chores without complaint, completed my assigned daily studies, and assisted the community in whatever task asked of me throughout the day. Tell me what is my crime and who is my accuser, that I may face them."

Councilman Stephens spoke again. "Goodwife James is the one who reported your errant behavior to the council, in the hopes of saving a soul before it strayed too far down the wrong path."

It was all Kira could do not to scoff. Goodwife James didn't have a single ounce of goodwill in her body. She had had it out for both Kira and her mother, ever since her mother had turned down Goodman James's proposal when they were all young. She knew that she had always been her husband's second choice and she was bitter about it.

Keeping her voice calm and level, there was still a chance she could get her possessions back if she knew how to plead her case, she asked, "And what errant behavior am I accused of?"

She refrained from adding that Goodwife James should also be reprimanded to mind her own business and not her neighbor's, but knew that that would fall on deaf ears.

Mera held up a handwritten page with both Goodwife James' and the Council seal affixed on it. "We have a written testimony here that Goodwife James was running errands for the care and welfare of her family yesterday. Upon passing your house yesterday, she heard you engaging in forbidden frivolity, in this case, the creation of music. This gives us full and just cause to search your dwelling."

The creation of music? Her mind whirled as she tried to recall what she had possibly done that could be construed in such a way. There were no instruments in the village, nothing that could be played. And she hadn't sung in years, not since her mother passed. The closest thing she had done to music was humming an occasional snatch of her mother's favorite song, just a couple of bars here and there.

She felt the blood drain from her face. That was the terrible crime she had committed. Absently humming for a brief moment while she kneaded her bread. And because of this, they felt comfortable tearing apart her life and stealing her most precious treasure.

There was a satisfied glint in Councilman Stephen's eye when he observed her. "So, the charges are true." He turned to the woman who was all but smirking at Kira. "Thank you, Goodwife. You have done admirably in protecting our colony from danger."

She gave a demure smile, "I only did what any decent member of New Haven would do."

Kira didn't dare bristle at the condescension in the woman's voice. Not while her sheet music was in danger. She searched for some way, any way, to save the pages, drawing a blank. Before she could force her brain into compliance, to pretend remorse and regret in exchange for not destroying the music, the situation spiraled completely out of control.

His voice was filled with ice. "Despite repeated warnings and re-education, you have shown no sign of ceasing your infractions and crimes against this colony. As it is, you leave me with no choice but to destroy the root of your disobedience. Maybe then, you'll become a productive member of this community."

Before she could protest or beg, one of the councilors handed him a lit torch and he immediately lit the music on fire. She stood there, frozen, as the papers turned to ash in a matter of moments. Her last connection with her mother, the secret they had shared in the dark, quiet hours of the night. The one bright spot in her dull, miserable life. The only thing that had made life tolerable in this horrible place.

Her eyes were dry as she stared them down. She had always thought, if something like this happened, that she would be crying. But now, it felt like her emotions had burned to ash alongside the music. "I don't know when. I don't know how. But one day, you will come to regret what you just did. Not only you, but this entire forsaken colony will rue the actions of this day."

Goodwife James blustered, "You dare threaten the Council."

Kira turned her gaze on the woman, the older woman falling silent as her face paled. "Your bitterness is poisoning not only yourself but the entire town. Tend to yourself before you spread your poison like a viper striking indiscriminately at both friend and foe."

She turned and started back toward the edge of town, having nothing more to say to any of the people of New Haven.

Stephen's called after her, "If you leave now, you will never be welcome again in New Haven."

Without slowing, she called back, "That is the best news I've ever heard. May you all get exactly what you deserve."

She ignored the uproar that exploded behind her, determined to get out of the town before they managed to collect themselves enough to send one of the enforcers after her. While everyone was technically free to leave, very few decided to leave after hearing about the dangers that supposedly lurked outside of the safety of New Haven.

However, she would rather face down a bear or an alien or any of the million and one other dangers that the council constantly preached about than spend one more moment in this place. Thankfully, she had been considering running away for a long time now, so she had some supplies cached outside of the walls where no one would be able to stumble over it or confiscate it from her.

The sun was quickly sinking as she threaded between the trees, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She needed to get her supplies so she could grab them and find a tall tree to climb, so she would be safe for the night. There was nothing in this area that should be able to climb up after her, so it should give her time to figure out which direction she wanted to travel in.

She reached her cache right as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, a sigh of relief escaping her as her fingers closed around the well-worn leather of the strap. Pulling it out of the hollow tree, she jumped when she felt a bug bite her calf. It was a sharp sting and she jumped a little. She had thought that it was too early for mosquitoes to be out yet, this would probably be a miserable night if they were active already.

She barely had time to finish that thought before her world went dark and she slumped to the ground, unconscious.