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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt7klTKIau
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSxV9Wstqc
“Girl, you awake?” a familiar voice said. Brom, it was Brom, the red haired man from before. copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTJNEGYrO9
“Y-yes,” Seventeen said. The door did not open. A moment of silence passed, the heartbeat remained behind the door.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOCP8XJTGT
“May I come in, lass?” Brom asked. copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDMVzVS2oj
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡejcX7RE5is
“Yes come in,” Seventeen said shyly.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0gRQpPzjv
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH8gCIbvKA
“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?”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYU1W1SA7b
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lbkc1K1B4
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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5LGloowT8
“Why?” Seventeen asked. She was curious, the Hunters had saved her, they seemed a capable lot.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7I71J33CEa
“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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIwZ3J1NLD
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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiJDZ42nBV
“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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIEDKoHN0m
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡYO4vO8eQWZ
. . .copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOicrhhtFS
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbB4Pmsxas
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.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9hYE56SV2
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. copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpRbCjsTN8
They were silent for a time before Seventeen spoke. “What's wrong with me?” she said, her words flustered.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdkoh9LJHV
“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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA4tzIyFBu
“You think I'm crazy?” Seventeen laughed nervously.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡItUAEwT7qG
“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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcTABaKmTr
Seventeen closed her eyes for a moment. “This doctor,” she said slowly, in a voice quiet and shaking. “They're a Hunter too?”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡi52myB57hG
“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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZavzO2tWs
“And you think she’d be able to help me?” Seventeen said in a huff.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cF3NgdxD7
“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.”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVd1iMCnTT
“Meaning?” Seventeen said, pouring herself a cup of tea. She copied Brom and added two lumps of sugar, then stirred the brew.copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vTe1t33W0
Brom chuckled, and took a sip of tea. “You’ll find out soon enough,”copyright protection116ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6cb90snx5
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