She and Lea had been running around the house, celebrating their 4th birthday, playing tag with the other children in the village. Last time she’d checked, Jasper was it, or was it Suzie- irrelevant, she thought scampering away from the children. Small giggles burst past her lips as she dodged and weaved through the legs of the adults drinking their special drinks. Not paying attention, she bumped into the door of her father's study, falling on her butt. The door creaked open at the impact. Standing up, she peered around the door.
Her dad sat at his desk, papers scattered along it as a man with auburn hair slammed his hands down on the table while another one leaned against the bookcase. His face contorted into a scowl and her father leaned back in his chair quickly, trying to put distance between them. Her face contorted into a pout as she crossed her arms. He can't be mean to Daddy, she thought as the man threw words at her father she didn't know the meaning of. Making her decision, she ran in and grabbed her father's leg like it would help protect him.
“A-ah Lucia, darling, go back out and play with the others. Daddy has some business to work on.” Her father answered, flustered by the intrusion.
“No,” she pouted, pressing her face into her father's leg, “They’re being mean to you.” The words came out muffled against his pants. The man’s face twisted in thought for a second before softening as he approached her slowly.
“I’m sorry, your father and I were just having a little disagreement.” He crouched down to her level. “But I think you can help us sort that out really quickly.”
“Really?” She asked peeking out from her hiding spot on her father's leg. “And then Daddy can play with me?”
“Yep.” He replied cheerfully. “I just need to see your neck for a quick second and then you and Daddy can go play hide and seek together. Doesn't that sound fun?”
“Really!” A smile lit up her face, completely unaware of the terror that overtook her father's as she stepped forward and tilted her head down.
She felt a finger press into her neck, then warmth spread across it. Not burning warmth, but a tingling warmth that started where his fingers were and shot down her back like a tickling flame. Quickly, she turned her head, curious as to what the man was doing. Was he lighting a fire on her neck? Lucia was intrigued by the thought. Her mother had never let her touch the fire, despite the amount of times Lucia pleaded with her. Fire was so shiny and warm and bright, and Lucia never understood her mother’s reasoning.
“No, no, stay right there.” The man ordered, gently turning her head back to its original position. Lucia obeyed, slightly annoyed at the amount of time this was taking. What if someone came in now and tagged her? Suppose she had to stand here forever and miss her birthday cake?! That awful thought rushed through her head and she pulled away from the man. Her birthday cake! What if Lea got to blow out all the candles?!
The man had clearly found what he was looking for, for he made no protest when she raced away, calling for her mother to stop Lea from blowing out the candles. Just before she rounded the bend, she heard the man speak again, “So it’s true. She’s marked.”
Curious, she skidded to a halt. That way, she could hear if they started singing and rush in if the cake came out.
“So, what was all that about them just being normal kids, John?”
“Please its not wh-”
Her attention was quickly torn away from the strange words once again as one of the other children ran around the bend and hit her shoulder echoing the words, You're it, before darting off. Oh it was so on.
Forgetting everything she’d just heard, she raced after the boy, pushing herself to sprint her hardest. She nearly collided with her mother. “Mmph!” She cried upon impact, before picking herself up. She would have sprinted off had her Grandmother Nataline not grabbed her by her shirt collar.
Grandmother Nataline, their mother’s mom, was nothing like Lucia’s favorite Granny Cora. For one thing, she insisted on them calling her Grandmother, which Lucia found to be too long and hard to pronounce. Grandmother had a passion for flowers (she used to spend hours tending her garden to perfection before she grew too old for such labor) and it was no doubt that was where Lea’s love for flower crowns came from. Grandmother obviously liked Lea better, for that reason, and on top of that, she was always talking to Lucia’s mother about how wild and untamed Lucia was. Lucia wasn’t sure what “untamed” meant, but if it came from Grandmother Nataline, it wouldn’t exactly be complimentary.
Today was no different. Grandmother took one look at her embroidered, white shirt, stained with grass and watermelon juice and her blue shorts and snorted. “You call this a birthday outfit Maria?” Lucia squirmed. If Grandmother got any say in her outfit today, Lucia knew she’d end up in a white shirt and long skirt down to her shins. And that was not how Lucia planned to spend her birthday.
Lucia twisted and finally got herself free from Grandmother’s grasp. “Look at her Maria! She’s filthy and she’s naughty!” Lucia would have run, but her mother grabbed her. To Lucia’s surprise, she looked not at her clothes, but at her long, dark hair, which she had had Granny Cora tie up in a bun to keep out of her way.
Her mother ignored Grandmother, bent down, and looked into Lucia’s eyes and said seriously, “Lucia. Has anyone seen you with your hair like this?” Lucia looked into her mother’s eyes, remembering the man with the auburn hair. She touched the back of her neck. Then she nodded. Her mother's eyes widened at the confession.
“Who?” Her voice was laced with worry and urgency as she grabbed Lucia’s shoulders firmly.
“O-one of Daddy's work friends.” She stuttered, not quite sure what she was worried about. Her mother pulled her into a hug and mumbled something she couldn't catch into her shoulder before pushing her away to arm’s distance.
“Is something wrong Mommy?” She asked, looking at her mother's distraught face.
“No darling, but can you promise something for Mommy?” She asked, cupping her cheek lightly.
“Mhm.” She hummed back, nodding her head slightly as she fiddled with the end of her shirt.
“Can you promise me that you won't wear your hair up any more?” Her hand shifted around Lucia’s head and gently tugged out the bun, letting Lucia’s hair fall to her shoulders “And if you want to put your hair up, you'll come to Mommy so she can fix it up for you, okay?”
“Yes Mommy.” Lucia agreed. “But why?”
Her mom glanced away, not meeting Lucia’s eyes. “Oh, uh, oh look! Isn’t that the cake?”
Lucia followed her mom’s gaze. “Cake!” She shrieked at the top of her lungs. She sprinted over to the table. “Lea! Wait for meee!” She cried.
She could hear her Grandmother complaining to her mother. “You see Maria? You see what you and John have done to the child? She’s a monster! Nothing like her sister!”
Lucia proudly took her place beside Lea and squeezed her sister’s hand. Her sister stared back at her worriedly as everyone began to sing. “Lucia, someone’s looking for you. He thought I was you. He was looking for something on the back of my neck, I think.”
Lucia stared at her. “Did he find it?”
Lea shook her head. “I kept my hair down.” She glanced reproachfully at Lucia.
Something popped into Lucia’s head. If she had a mark, her sister most likely did too. “Bend down for a second.” She asked quietly, under the cover of the singing. She swept her sister’s dark hair away from her neck and stood on her tiptoes to examine it. There, imprinted on her sister’s light skin, was a mark.
It was small and stark black on her skin in the vague shape of a shield with twisty lines like vines. Her face twisted into a pout. What was that? Had someone put them there? Was hers the same? Before she could think much of it the cake was set in front of her and she started tapping Lea excitedly to get her to look up. They both blew out the candles and the little black marks slipped from her memory.
That is, until now. Lucia fingered the back of her neck. That man, he was the one, the auburn haired one, the one who’d wanted to examine her neck and Lea’s. Did it mean something? Why were they looking for it?
Lucia ran through her mental list of symbols and everything they meant, but she was blanking on just about any important one. All she could think of was… red rose for love, gladiolus for strength and courage… ugh, why couldn’t she get Lea’s voice out of her head! She needed to stop thinking about her sister. Her head hurt too much.
“Y-you want me for my n-neck right?” She stammered out, looking up at him again.
“Oh, so you do remember me huh?” His eyes glinted with something Lucia couldn't read. “You're close but not quite. We want you for what your neck means.”
“And what does it mean?” Lucia asked, her breath catching in her throat.
He eyed her mischievously. “Think Lucia. Think harder. Try to remember.”
Lucia’s patience was running out and she felt sick and scared and she didn't want to be patronized anymore. Grandmother’d always said she’d never been exactly patient. Well, that tiny stock of patience was running short. If they could just tell her what they wanted she could give it to them and find Lea “I’ve thought and though, and I just don’t know!” She exploded. “So why don’t you stop asking me to think and just tell me!”
“C’mon, surely you must know.”
“I don’t!” Lucia screamed in frustration. “The last time I saw you was 7 years ago, right? So just stop asking and tell me already!”
Amusement turned to anger as he stood up. “Anyone ever told you to shut up, brat? You're awfully loud and you're giving me a headache. You're going to need to learn to shut up or you're not going to have a fun time.” A wave of heat seemed to roll off of him as he spoke. “Now if you don't want to remember then fine, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually.” He sneered down at her.
Lucia racked her brain. She was giving herself a headache just thinking. “Now let’s go.” He snapped. “We’re leaving.”
“Leaving?!” Lucia shrieked. “Leaving for where?!” The thought of leaving Lea alone to find her own way was more than she could bear. Yet she was also fully aware that if she ran, it wasn't likely she could get away, they were both taller and much stronger than her, and even if she did get away then they could find Lea, and she couldn't risk them hurting Lea, she was supposed to protect her. She quieted herself, calmly obeying as the man gestured to her.
Before she could make it half a step, the other man had snuck up behind her and grabbed her ankles, tying them together with a tight rope. “Hands back.” He ordered as Lucia attempted to take another step. The ropes pulled tightly at her ankles and she fell flat on her face. Within a moment she could feel a knee on her back, pinning her down. “I said, Hands Back.” Lucia surrendered, and felt more ropes tying tightly around her wrists. Now, with her hands and feet tied together, Lucia felt like a complete prisoner.
Once tied together, she was quickly yanked up off the ground and shoved forward by the dirt covered hands. The ropes were short and restricting and she kept stumbling when trying to walk, only to be yanked back upright when she fell.
“You know I can't walk like this.” Lucia snapped back as she tried to take another step.
“Fine then.” The one behind her ground. “This makes it easier for us anyways-” she couldn't hear the rest of his statement as it was cut off as her ears filled with ringing and she felt a sharp throbbing pain against the back of her ears, then all she saw was darkness.
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