Marks of the Past - 1

Chapter 1

I was only sixteen when I saw the first wanted poster with my face on it. It wasn’t a proud moment for me.

The poster was taped to the doors of the pathetic looking schoolhouse. Whoever had designed it obviously wasn’t using a reference picture of me because the face on the poster looked very different from mine. 

When I was sure no one was watching, I grabbed the poster off the door and hurried down the steps. The crime I’d supposedly committed was not anywhere on the paper, reinforcing my first thoughts when seeing it. 

The Court was arresting me without a charge.

“They really haven’t changed in a century, have they?” The voice came from behind me and I spun around, crumpling the paper in my hands. 

I immediately wished I hadn’t moved. 

The boy standing before me had the same dark hair as me, though his eyes were several shades darker. A long, jagged scar marred the right side of his face but did nothing against his smug grin. 

I couldn’t say anything, not in public. 

Not when I was the only one who could see him in the first place. 

“Not in the mood for a conversation, jenya?” he asked, his voice smooth. I hated it and I hated him for calling me jenya - an affectionate term for a loved one. 

I bit back a retort, instead I snarled at him and turned back to my original position. 

The boy simply moved himself back into a spot where I could see him, perching on the stairs in front of the schoolhouse.

I tried to ignore him, but his gaze was piercing, holding me still. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang and the doors flew open, letting out a torrent of children. They trampled down the steps and the boy disappeared, two younger kids taking his place in front of me. 

I ducked away before any of them could recoginize me. 

Though I did have two younger siblings, they didn’t attend the school. I only came because I wanted to feel normal sometimes. 

People tended to recognize me wherever I went, but none of the children at the school generally paid me a second glance. This was the only place where I could kind of be accepted for who I was, as long as I hid behind my hair. 

Just like with the boy, I had a huge line streaking down the side of my face. 

That was the source of my scorn - the mark that designated me as the ancestor of a former king who’d killed nearly an entire kingdom. 

The children were gone now, the school yard empty, which was my signal to start heading back. My mother didn’t know where I went, she just assumed I was out sending letters to my father. 

I hurried through the bustling streets of the city. Businesses were just letting out, meaning rush hour was about to begin. Street vendors rushed to fill their stands with as many products as possible. A clock tower chimed in the distance and chatter and people filtered into the cobblestone streets. 

I pulled my hair further in front of my face. The wanted poster had made me late, and though not by a lot, I was now sneaking through the city in its busiest hour. 

A black uniform caught by eye and I changed direction, keeping my head down. The town patrols would be watching closely to stop pickpockets, but if I had a price on my head, that meant they were looking for me too. 

Tall buildings loomed ominously behind me as I passed into the housing district, which homed more squat, derelict houses than anything. 

Three more blocks. Two more. One. 

Just as I turned the corner to my house, hands grabbed my shoulders and wheeled me around. 

The officer was young, probably fresh out of school. He took one look at me before deciding that I was definitely the girl that he was looking for. “You’re Miss Leila Harvlan, correct?” 

I summoned as much confidence as I could, even though my heart was racing. So close, just to be caught in the home stretch. “So what if I am?”

The officer frowned. I wondered if they trained the recruits to deal with difficult lawbreakers, or if they were just told to slap handcuffs on whoever they deemed suspicious. Probably the latter. 

“You’ve been charged with endangerment to society,” he said, his voice flat, though his expression looked confused. 

“Is that what they’re calling it?” I mumbled, desperately trying to think of a plan of escape. 

There was no way I could wrench out of his grip and manage to make it safely to my house before he shot me … or worse. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as the officer struggled to find a response. 

Something clicked inside of me and the energy pent up inside me burst outwards. 

The officer stumbled backwards, his eyes wide as though in shock. He released my jacket and I ran, chilly, winter wind biting at my cheeks. 

His lips formed unintelligible words, and it looked like he was saying the name papa.

I turned around and didn’t look back. 

My mother must have known something was up when I stepped into the house and clicked the locks on the door. She came running from the kitchen where she’d been tending to a pot of soup. “Is everything okay, Lei?” 

I nodded, hoping I didn’t look too flushed. 

My mother was a head shorter than me with graying hair and a wrinkled forehead. She wiped her hands on her stained apron before wrapping me in a hug. “How was Della?” 

The lady who worked at the post office. “She’s fine,” I lied, forcing a smile. 

I didn’t even know if Della wasn’t alive, as I hadn’t talked to her since I stopped sending letters three and a half years ago. But my mother didn’t need to know that. 

“Dinner is ready.” The response was curt and I nodded again, hanging my jacket beside the door before following her into the cramped dining room. 

Lexi and Liam sat at the table, both having already drained their bowls. 

The twins looked a bit like me, except they were missing the scar. They were also several years younger and had the innocence to prove it.  

They stared at my own bowl hungrily, and I was half tempted to give it to them. 

But who knew how often they would feed me in prison. I knew it was selfish, but with the Redemption quickly approaching… 

“Are you okay, Lei?” my mother asked. “You look pale. Did something happen?” 

“I … uh…” I really didn’t want to say anything in front of Lexi and Liam. They were too young to know about what life was like outside of the walls of this house. 

My mother somehow got the hint because she dismissed the twins while I silently began to eat the soup. Her voice was stern when she spoke. “Lexi, Liam - can you give us a moment, please?” 

They weren’t thrilled about it, but they quietly got up and left their bowls by the sink. My spoon clinked against my bowl, adding to the awkward silence. 

When she was sure the twins were gone, my mother spoke again. “Care to share?” 

I didn’t speak, instead pulling the crumpled poster out of my pocket and placing it on the table. 

My mother frowned and I wordlessly continued eating. 

“It finally happened,” she breathed. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” She paused, at a loss for words. “At least the Redemption is soon.” 

I nodded, biting back my fear. “Yes, lucky me.” 

“Will you try to get a sponsor?” 

I shrugged, because honestly I was unsure about the whole situation. 

Our city’s justice system involved no trials by the Court. Instead, once a year the city held a ‘Redemption’, which was a series of survival games viewed by the higher population. The winner was the last one to either be left alive or the last to surrender - and they’d be given a permanent pardon. 

Evidently, know had ever thought this through because it was always the crazed murderers who won. 

Sponsors were supposed to be the solution to this. The members of the Court were allowed to each choose one criminal to ‘sponsor’ during the Redemption, who they could home for a week prior to the beginning of the games. This week could be used for anything. 

“Why would she need a sponsor?” This question came from Lexi, who was peeking around the door frame, her tiny braids falling past her shoulders. 

My mother and I shared a look. She didn’t look sad, just exhausted. 

“Come here, we need to have a talk.” Her voice was so calm as she said it that I couldn’t help but envy her ability to remain so peaceful. 

Lexi and Liam returned to the table, both of them taking their seats in silence like they could sense there was something wrong. My mom struggled to find the right words to say, and she settled with, “your sister might have to go away for a while.” 

Liam frowned, crossing his arms. “She’s being sent to the Redemption - I’m not stupid.” 

“The question is why,” Lexi finished for him, copying his death stare. “It has something to do with King Mark, doesn’t it.” 

I was taken aback by their bluntness, but also by their correctness. 

It’s time to come clean, I told myself. No more secrets - especially now that my life was possibly going to end soon. 

“We’re descendants of King Mark,” guessed Liam. “And Leila has been framed for murder.” 

“Not quite,” I said before diving into an explanation. “You’re right about us being descendants of King Mark. He was an evil king that reigned about a century ago, and killed nearly an entire kingdom.” 

“We learned about that in school about a week ago.” 

I continued on despite the interruption. “Right. So a lot of people believe that for Mark to have killed that many people, he must’ve had some sort of dark magic involving death. They think that his … magic has been passed down through the generations, and because I have his mark-” 

“They see you as a threat,” my mother concluded. “Yes, they have put out an arrest warrant for Lei. But she’s a strong girl, and the Court will have to let her go.” 

Lexi and Liam bombarded my mom with questions, but I was lost in my thoughts. 

That boy at the schoolhouse earlier - that had been King Mark. He’d appeared in my dreams since I was young, and recently he’d started to appear when I was awake too. The visions of him were the only thing about me (besides my face) that weren’t normal, and I’d never told anyone about them. 

But what really bothered me was how my mother was so wrapped up in the Court letting me go. 

What if it just didn’t catch me? 

Apparently, Lexi and Liam were already a step ahead of me. “Why don’t we just hide Leila, send her away for a while?” 

My mother sighed sadly. “I’ve thought about this for a very long time now, but if Leila disappears, the Court will come after us. It’s better if we stay out of this and try to cooperate, only helping Leila after her arrest.” 

I understood what she was saying, how she was attempting to save Lexi and Liam. Besides, with me out of the picture there was a chance that they could still live a relatively normal life. 

That didn’t make the thought sting any less. 

Liam opened his mouth to argue more, but there was a convenient knock at the door. 

My limbs seized and my voice caught in my throat. My mother stood from the table, but I felt myself push back my chair and hurry to the door first. 

I put myself between the wood of the door and my family as I pulled on my jacket. 

I felt fragile, as if a single gust of wind could blow me into pieces and scatter me, never to be put back together again. 

“This isn’t goodbye,” I promised, voice cracking as I met gazes with Lexi and Liam. 

The lock on the popped, falling to the ground as the door flew open. Rough hands grabbed my arms and yanked me to my knees, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Someone shoved a gag in my mouth and suddenly I was on my feet again. 

My mother didn’t even have time to say anything because the patrolmen slammed the door and my hopes deflated. 

I counted four officers given the task of escorting me to the prison. They led me through the streets like a dog, flanking my sides. 

Like I would try to escape again. 

Clouds had blanketed the sky and soft snowflakes drifted to the ground. The last of the street vendors were cleaning up their stalls, stopping to stare at me as I passed. 

The officers didn’t speak, their stony silence even more intimidating. 

We turned left at the entrance to the wealth district, making our way towards the train station. It made sense - walking me to the entire other side of the city seemed like a waste of time. 

The train was empty when we boarded, and the overall trip only took about fifteen minutes. My fingers trembled, rubbing my wrists raw against the harsh metal of the cuffs. 

One of the officers shoved me when I stepped off of the train, sending me face first into the dirt. I grit my teeth but didn’t react. My pulse thrummed in my ears so fast that I thought my heart had been replaced with a hummingbird. They hoisted me to my feet and we were on our way again. 

I told myself that I wasn’t scared, but it was all a lie.
I was terrified, I was cold, I was hungry. I missed my mother and siblings already and I missed the life I’d never had - a normal one. 

Yet when we finally reached the prison, a small part of me relaxed. 

The stone walls towered above me, the base built into the center of a lake. The sun set on the far side of the prison, turning the water a mixture of golds and pinks. Several security checkpoints were arranged along the length of the bridge. 

I felt a barrel of a gun be pressed to the back of my head. “Walk.” 

My feet moved forward on their own accord, and I felt like my chest had been filled with ice. My brain was sluggish, frozen as I tried to grasp any chance at escape I could get.

Just like what happened with the first officer, I felt adrenaline pumping through my veins. My fingers twitched and suddenly the pressure of the gun dropped away. Startled, I wheeled around expecting to find the officers staring back at me. 

Instead, I found King Mark giving me a smug smile. The officers were strewn about on the ground, all unconscious. 

The boy reached towards me, cold fingers brushing my skin. I yanked away from him. 

King Mark only looked to be about eighteen. His reign had been cut short when he’d been murdered at the same age he appeared as now. 

Those eyes … they were cold and dead. 

“Your welcome,” he said, and I immediately turned away, panic overwhelming me.
I couldn’t escape, not with my expected arrival. Mark had only made everything worse, because now I’d be under even higher supervision. 

In my moment of panicking, I’d failed to notice the approach of several more officers. One of them grabbed at my arm and I noticed that Mark had conveniently disappeared, leaving me alone again. 

The female officer placed her hands on my shoulders and I felt my pulse dip and my mind go dark for a moment. 

She must’ve been one of the rare magicians, which were just like normal people but they either learned elemental magic or were born with certain gifts. Magic was extremely scarce, especially with all the superstition behind ancestry now. 

The woman was probably one of the extremely unique magicians who could manipulate other people’s physical aspects. 

When my eyes finally fluttered open, I was being shoved into a room with a bundle of clothes in hand. The woman’s eyes were harsh and relentless as she locked the door with only the words, “change quickly.” 

The room was freezing, so I opted to keep my jacket and hoped no one would make a fuss. Besides, the prison clothes were thin, the red fabric worn thin in many places. 

I left my old clothing on the floor, wrapping my jacket tighter around me as the woman opened the door again and chained my wrists again. 

My cell must’ve been underground with the other ‘dangerous’ criminals because there were no windows and everyone looked like they wanted to kill me. I kept my head down as the woman unlocked one of the cells at the end of the hallway and pushed me inside, stopping only to quickly undo my wrists before locking the doors again. 

Then she was gone and I felt something inside me crack. 

I don’t know how much time I spent crying, but it probably wasn’t long. Mostly, I was just angry. My entire life was being uprooted just because there was a slim possibility that I would turn out like my really estranged grandfather. 

The cell I was in contained nothing that could be thrown, so I was stuck staring at walls. There was a bed in the far corner, although bed was generous. Perhaps slab of cement with a thin blanket would’ve been a more adequate description. There was also a toilet, though I doubted that it functioned well. The metal door had a slat through it, most likely where my meals would be delivered. Dim, blue lights lined the ceiling. 

At this point, I was more lonely than anything. Yet that changed very quickly. In fact, I think I was only in the cell for about two hours - not even long enough for me to start shivering. 

I could hear the other prisoners beginning to make a ruckus and the soft voices of a discussion between a few other people. Footsteps followed, getting closer and closer to me. A jangle of keys. Someone was probably getting picked to be sponsored for the Redemption. 

Then it was my door that flew open, my room flooded with lights, my hopes that soared. 

A young man and probably his father stepped into the cell, both wearing fancy suits. An officer stood behind them, frowning. “Are you sure you want to sponsor her?” 

The father nodded once. “Yes, she’ll do perfectly. Can we take her now?” The officer shrugged. “Delightful. Where do I sign the papers?”

Then the boy gave me a smile, and bent down at my side. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “Everything is fine now.” The thing is, I actually believed him. 

Author's Note

I always struggle with my beginnings, so let me know what you think. Too much info? Not enough? I tried to reveal some of it through dialogue while also including a bit of action as a hook.