Seventeen woke to the light of morning. A pale blue glow on the eastern horizon with no hint of sun. She looked down at herself, dressed in a simple nightgown that covered her lithe athletic frame. Moving was hard, but she managed to sit up in bed with a grunt of pain. The room was unfamiliar, which was not startling. It was well furnished and warm. A radiator sat in the corner creaking; the walls were a simple rugged wood to color of syrup, and clothes had been laid out for her by a large blue dresser. Seventeen looked at her hands, small puncture marks and scars adorned her fingers and wrists, all the way up to her shoulders. It unsettled her, the way the scars were so well healed.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0HeuNleQT 維尼
That man, with the cauled eye and nervous way of speaking. She’d find him, make him talk, find out what it meant to be her and why he’d kept her there. She could hear a heartbeat outside her door, footsteps approaching, and then a curt knock.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡJedr2e3aOh 維尼
“Girl, you awake?” a familiar voice said. Brom, it was Brom, the red haired man from before. 8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9gEZPI7wR 維尼
“Y-yes,” Seventeen said. The door did not open. A moment of silence passed, the heartbeat remained behind the door.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLukUPvFrs 維尼
“May I come in, lass?” Brom asked. 8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnRiRqnFXf 維尼
Seventeen wrapped some blankets around herself. Despite the radiator doing its job, she was cold and frail. Most of all she felt vulnerable, the blankets did little to protect her but it was all she had.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡrE3Fk4vBn9 維尼
“Yes come in,” Seventeen said shyly.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsljrPqqRF 維尼
The door opened, and Brom stepped in. He wore simple clothes, a mustard colored waistcoat and brown pants. He wore a small neckerchief the color of his eyes. The man sat down in a chair opposite Seventeen. She was curled up, a ball of anxiety and stress.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7GXkWaUBi 維尼
“Don’t worry girl, I mean no harm,” Brom said. His voice was calming, a brogue she was unfamiliar with. “You're in my townhouse, Port of Gherwick.” Seventeen looked puzzled, she’d never heard of that city. “Not ringin’ any bells?”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5Ej4hxuCy 維尼
Seventeen shook her head. “I don't think I've been here before,” she said pulling the blankets close. “I only remember…” She thought of the needle in her arm, the hot taste of the ichor in her throat, and the Thin Man and his apple. She shuddered and closed her eyes. She could feel tears build up hot and boiling behind her eyes. Why was she ashamed to cry? Why not cry? She couldn't bring herself to let go.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡD95RJe2Ju0 維尼
Brom sighed. “Well regardless you're safe, Gherwick has a Hunter’s Hold, so you're safe,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not that we get much love these days. Our order is falling out of favor.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6B6HwT6B4 維尼
“Why?” Seventeen asked. She was curious, the Hunters had saved her, they seemed a capable lot.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8byxGvxqa4 維尼
“Never you mind,” Brom said with a smile. His eyes only showed pity, and contempt. “Get some rest, I'll be up with some breakfast in an hour.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCyavG2Ici 維尼
Brom hadn't even left when Seventeen blurted out her intentions. “I'm going to kill him,” she said. Brom turned and sighed. Seventeen was shaking, her fists clenched tight and trembling. “The man with the Cauled Eye, I'm gonna make him pay.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w7mrHaNCv 維尼
“Do you even know what he did to you?” Brom asked plainly. There was curiosity in his voice. Seventeen could hear his pulse race, see the blood rise to the tips of his ears. “He was not easy to find this Cauled Man.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQmxIM3PK1 維尼
Seventeen could feel the fervor inside her pitch over, flames spreading as anger through her gut. “I'll do it without you then,” she said quietly. That was that, Brom nodded and left to fix breakfast. She could hear him cursing downstairs, he was pacing in the kitchen as the oatmeal simmered with thick bubbles that popped on the surface. She tried to stand, but only made it a few steps toward the dresser before she crumbled to the ground. He legs were thin, void of fat that would be needed to sustain her. She was weak and helpless, and it only made her angrier. She curled up on the ground in a ball, and sobbed into her chest. Watching the light of morning give way to a proper sunrise.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHeprdw8e0 維尼
. . .8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJyqgsbgiQ 維尼
The oatmeal was thick and sweet, and the bacon was crisp and fatty. Brom had left her alone to eat, and Seventeen scarfed down every morsel given to her. She didn't realize how hungry she was until the smell of frying bacon assaulted her. She knew it wasn't normal, the way everything looked, smelled, and sounded. Her senses were keen, maybe too much so. In the following days between meals she’d lay in bed with the pillow wrapped around her ears to try and drown out the sounds of Gherwick. Steam hissed, cars backfired, the shouts and laughter of the people, ships coming into port, and underneath it all was the simple beat of a heart that unsettled her to her core. It thrummed in her ears, pulsing just beyond her perception. Brom knew all this, she was no fool to not notice the looks he gave her. He knew what was happening to her.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡckGH1mWw4S 維尼
It was at the end of the week did Seventeen finally have the strength to dress herself. The clothes had been laid out when she woke up the first day. A pair of black pants, a white shirt, soldiers boots, and a simple red coat. They hung on her like rags, but fit better with the help of a pair of suspenders. She walked out of her room to find Brom sitting and reading a book. A teapot and two cups sat at the table between him and Seventeen.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡyartIPbbbh 維尼
She furrowed her brow and sat down on the couch opposite him. Brom turned a page, marked it with the book's ribbon, and set it down on the floor. He looked at her, what she thought was contempt before seemed to be replaced by apprehension, and some twinge of pride. 8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7zDdcP3PN 維尼
They were silent for a time before Seventeen spoke. “What's wrong with me?” she said, her words flustered.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gJir3mMOy 維尼
“Depends what you mean by wrong,” Brom said after a moment of consideration. “You're covered in surgical scars, smart as a tac, and have an awful temper.” Seventeen scowled at him. “I don’t know, Donic wanted you taken to our doctor, I argued you’d need time recover. Trauma isn't easy on the body or mind.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ImsPBEuPk 維尼
“You think I'm crazy?” Seventeen laughed nervously.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBxBSomzaQ 維尼
“Not at all what I said, lass,” Brom said. “You're memory loss could be a means to protect yourself. You're not daft, you’re just hurt. You're recovering.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdQdNs606F 維尼
Seventeen closed her eyes for a moment. “This doctor,” she said slowly, in a voice quiet and shaking. “They're a Hunter too?”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡadESVeUuYZ 維尼
“She’s...yes she is in her own way,” Brom said with difficulty. “She means well, and has saved countless lives, but she’s still…” Brom paused, and looked at the ceiling for a moment. “Unpredictable.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZpHxq61kO 維尼
“And you think she’d be able to help me?” Seventeen said in a huff.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOZkutc5FT 維尼
“I have my theories, so does Master Donic,” Brom grunted as he stood. He began pouring himself a cup of tea, added two cubes of sugar, then produced a flask and poured in an amber liquid. He sat back down with his drink. “It would be best to get you checked out by our Doctor, lass. She is brilliant in spite of herself.”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fbsXVTn9s 維尼
“Meaning?” Seventeen said, pouring herself a cup of tea. She copied Brom and added two lumps of sugar, then stirred the brew.8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKXifctShW 維尼
Brom chuckled, and took a sip of tea. “You’ll find out soon enough,”8964 copyright protection373ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWXnsYBGyA 維尼
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