Chapter 1

With a tight grip on the hood covering her head, Alina forced her way past the crowd of people. Being an official trading day, the market was full of beings trying to buy and sell in an attempt to make ends meet. The last time she had been there had been about a month past. If it were up to her, she'd have never treaded on that towns ground, but she had run out of supplies so the situation could not be helped. She was careful though, history had taught her the importance of caution. She kept her profile hidden and didn't dare to look at anyone in the eye. 

Because in a place full of outcasts, she was the greatest outcast of them all. 

She stopped by a fruit vendor and with her eyes strictly on the goods, she started to select some. Mangoes were in season and she was glad since they were her favorite. 

" Did you hear? The witches in the east plain were driven out of their homes, " 

" Who hasn't heard about that? Apparently those ratchet shifters want to build a winery, "

" Sad isn't it? "

The conversation taking place beside her piqued her interest, but it was nothing surprising. 

Greyden was, after all, a land ruled by shifters. And witches were considered an abomination. A sinful species that was lucky to even be allowed the privilege to exist. So it wasn't shocking that her kind experienced all sorts of discrimination with each dawn. 

Her kind.....that was a term that didn't sound right. It implied that they were alike when the reality couldn't be further from true. She was a broken witch and allegedly, the root of her kinds current misery. 

She paid for the fruits and checked her list again to see what she was yet to purchase. And she was relieved that only one item remained. She needed a new pair of shoes. The one she had on were as worn out as they could get and it was only a period of time before they became unwearable. 

The entire place was noisy, chaotic and the thick stench of sweat from the many witches was impossible to miss. The sooner she was out of there the better it would be. Witches were secluded from the rest of the kingdom's population, which meant that chances of her being recognized were high. She looked around as quickly as she could, clutching on to her long black cloak even though it was scorching and she desired nothing more than to rip it off and find a nice shade. She once again began making her way past the many people, deciding to stop by the first shoe vendor she came across. It was deep into summer and the heat wasn't something to be grateful for, but what made it worse was the loud noises and dreadful odour that came with that place. She held onto her purchases and blew out a sigh of relief when she saw several pair of shoes laid out on the ground a few feet ahead. 

" Take your time pretty lady..." the vendor excitedly said when she stood over the shoes to pick a pair. He hadn't even see her face so she knew he was simply trying to entice her into buying something. 

For her, everything was about functionality so she wasn't too keen on the aesthetic appeal of most things, but rather cared about how long they'd last and how well they'd serve her, not to mention the price. She wasn't exactly financially stable. 

She picked a rather plain brown pair and studied them more keenly. They seemed durable enough.

" Come on, a pretty lady like you should wear something prettier. Why don't you add a few coins and I'll give you a discount on that pair over there, " 

She shook her head while turning to the pair he was gesturing at. Then her eyes remained fixated on them, the pretty blue sandals with a few crystals on the straps. And the sun seemed to make them glitter. She knew that anyone else would have jumped at the chance to snatch them, they were lovely no doubt, but she couldn't afford that simple luxury. She tightened her grip on the brown pair and forced herself to look away from them. 

" Here, try them on and let's see how they fit, "

The vendor insisted, taking the shoes and handing them over. 

" I won't charge you for trying them on. Go ahead. "

He sounded like a rather nice guy. She looked at the pair and decided to just wear them for his own satisfaction. Then afterwards she was going to hurry back home until the next time she ran out of supplies and was forced to return there. 

She placed her goods carefully on the ground and took off the pair she had on, almost wincing because of how tight they were. She ignored the blisters that would definitely get worse before she got home, then she admired the pretty blue pair once more before putting them on. And after she did, she regretted having decided to do so, because now that she realized just how well they suit her, she'd just feel worse for not being able to buy them. 

" Will you look at that! It's like they were made just for you!" The vendor went on with his enticing comments. But he wasn't wrong, even she could notice how well they fit. But she had to remind herself of the state that she was in, she could hardly get by as it was. She shook her head as she looked at the plain pair she has initially chosen. 

" Watch out!" The loud warning from behind her came a second too late. The next thing she knew, she was pushed to the hard ground before a calf ran past her while a man who she assumed was its owner ran after it in an attempt to capture it. 

She hissed as she lifted her hand off the ground and saw a bruise.

" Oh poor dear! Are you-" a stranger said while approaching her with the intentions of helping her, but then the old ladies' words dried in her throat as their eyes met. 

Alina quickly registered that her hood had slid off, but even as she put it back in place, she knew there was no point....she'd been seen.

The old lady stood in place, then she pointed out an accusing finger at her while looking around to ensure others had seen the same thing as she had. To ensure they'd all seen that the broken witch, the source of their misery, was amongst them. 

" It's her!" Someone among the crowd shouted, making those who were yet to notice the situation do so. Her heart gained pace as she desperately looked around, trying to find room for escape in the crowded place. And when the said crowd began to gather around her the fear crept deeper within and dug its ugly talons into her veins. 

Not again...she thought, recalling the last time such an incident had occurred. Remembering in dreadful detail what she had been forced to do so she could flee. She cursed the universe for despising her, as well as the people who were supposed to consider her one of them instead of terming her as an outcast, but most of all,she blamed her eyes. Those silver orbs that were impossible to ignore. Those eyes that were like a physical indication of how so very 'other' she was. And she was well aware that anyone of her kind would be able to identify her through them. 

" How dare you return to this place! "

" I thought she was dead!" 

" Capture her!" 

Everyone seemed to have something to say. She looked around, not certain of what she was searching for because everyone was against her. She had been born into the world with a curse lurking above her head, and unlike the other times, this time she wasn't sure she'd be able to escape. 

She tried to keep her hood in place, but someone from behind her yanked it off, she had a feeling he had extracted some strands of her red hair as well. She knew that no one was second guessing whether it truly was her, they were all certain of it. Every feature about her was distinct, so unique that there wasn't anyone else to compare her to. It wasn't as if there were other silver eyed redheads lurking about. 

The crowd began to close in on her, and she knew there was nothing she could do. There were too many of them. Something hit her, and she looked down to realize it was a tomato, and judging by the smell, it hadn't been in the freshest state. From there onwards, the random items being thrown at her were continuous. And she was finding it hard to breathe, probably because they barely left any room for air to pass. 

" Stop! Please, " she tried to plea, knowing that being hit with vegetables wasn't where it would stop. Chances were she wasn't gonna make it to that evening still alive. They were witches after all. 

It was times like these when she dreaded her broken nature, it prevented her from being able to fight back. Something sharp hit her temple, and soon after, she felt what she assumed was blood as it rolled down the side of her face . 

From the violent crowd, a man stepped forth, and in his hand was a wooden plank. 

" You crazy wretch!" He cursed before lifting the plank with the intention of hitting her. Alina shielded her face, trembling to her very core. She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited to feel the impact of the wood, but it never came..... in its place was a loud growl. 

Everyone stilled.