Anarameha

Chapter 13

Ana couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She was always aware of her surroundings. It was necessary when she had to quietly break into apartments without being seen by the passing world.

Turning the corner, Ana knew of a brilliant spot to check on her surroundings. She kept going, reaching the corner of the next building. From there, she ran to the end and turned, looping around. It was then that she saw Jiro.

Dragging him into the darkness, Ana's eyes glowed.

"Ana," he gasped.

The colour settled, and Jiro could now only see the faint outline of the woman that had captivated him. He liked being with her, and when they were apart, his thoughts always turned to her. Jiro wondered what she was doing, if she was thinking of him.

When Jiro caught himself thinking of Ana and realised that there was a rather large smile on his face, he knew that things had turned. Marama was right, and Jiro didn't like that. If she went to Bran, Jiro wouldn't be able to hide the truth of how he felt.

"Why are you here? Did you follow me?"

"Yes. I don't want to end like this. I like hanging out with you. Why are you meeting with dangerous gangsters?"

"That's my colleague who I went to see after I found scratch marks on my window. He's the one that controls all of the thefts, so I had to find out if he'd accidentally sent someone to my place. He hadn't, so it means it's either a lone thief or that guy that your girlfriend was talking to. He's a private detective if you're wondering. Garlet knows him. Marama is snooping into my life, Jiro. If you want to be my friend, if you truly care, then you need to stop her."

Turning out of the darkness, Ana began to walk away. Then Jiro stopped her with a straightforward statement.

"She told me."

Ana turned, seeing that no one other than Jiro was around. For once, she was grateful. It sounded like this wasn't going to be a conversation that could be listened to by the masses.

"Told you what, exactly?"

Jiro closed in, glancing around to ensure that they were alone. His heart was racing. In front of him was someone that was more than an average human. Her eyes alone should have told him that, but Jiro's knowledge and memories of this world were somewhat limited.

"Who you really are."

Ana's body tightened. She looked up and saw a plain face that offered no cheekiness, no humour.

"You're not Ana Noleaki."

Closing in, Jiro whispered in her ear. Ana's body tightened, fearing the words that came from Jiro's mouth.

"You're Anarameha Kerelos, the only daughter of the dead king and queen of Geniprea, and you too should be dead. Technically, you should be the queen of this city."

Ana began to back away, fear building swiftly.

"Well, not anymore, considering that I'm going to be dead soon anyway. Now that your girlfriend knows the truth, it's guaranteed that she'll sell her secrets to Normace, and he'll hunt me down. He thinks that I'm dead, and if she changes that, he will search for me to make sure it happens this time. I can't let that happen. I'm sorry, Jiro, but it has to be this way. I can't just sit back and wait for him to turn up at my door. It was nice knowing you."

Ana turned and walked away, ignoring Jiro calling out to her. Turning the corner, she raced to the end, where the doors to an elevator opened. She rushed in, stabbing her finger against the close button. Jiro wasn't that far away.

Pressing the button for thirty, she hoped that it would deter him. As much as Ana wanted to spend time with Jiro, she knew she couldn't. It was over. The friendship that should not have started.

As the elevator began its ascent, Ana looked down. She could see Jiro banging his fists against the glass doors, pressing the call button and yelling out to her. Ana wiped the tears away. It was too much for her to handle at the moment.

It took a lot to speak the truth, to let others in and to hope that they didn't tell anyone else. Garlet knew because he was brilliant. He looked at the young woman in front of him and saw the truth. Garlet wasn't interested in claiming a reward that didn't exist. He had more than enough credits to cover every single desire he had. Instead, he offered her a chance to start again. To hide in the anonymity of a fake life.

There were a few around Garlet that also knew the truth, but they were limited to his personal security. They knew the truth because often, Garlet would send them out to watch over the princess in hiding. Smarter than the average goon, they asked why they were watching the newest recruit more than any of the others. Garlet knew that he had to offer a little information.

She was watched more than any other thief in Garlet's recruits because she was far more important than any of them.

Garlet had a team set aside who watched the new recruits to assess how well they did and if they could be trusted. He even sent the newbies into places where he knew exactly what was in the place. What they brought back would dictate the level of trust they were given. Ana laid everything out. Not a single item was hidden or kept from him.

Jiro stopped pounding on the glass, taking a step back to watch the elevator. Anger boiled in him. Marama was to blame. She was exposing Ana, who had done nothing wrong. He didn't know why Marama was so hell-bent on revealing the truth, but that's what she'd done.

Turning away, Jiro vowed to do something about it.

He was not going to let Ana's secret become public knowledge.