Forever Yours

Bully

Ontari

I couldn't stop smiling.  Lexa had given Aden and I exclusive permission to wander the city as long as we were back by a reasonable time (meaning dinner) and I had decided to go ahead and explore some.

I wandered through the streets, looking through all the different things that were being sold, from meats to plants of various uses to armor to jewelry to weapons and so much more.

I couldn't help but smile at the sights of Polis.  It almost made me wonder what I'd missed being raised with Nia.

A familiar shudder ran down my back at the thought of the woman.  I shoved the thought of her away and gazed around the visible parts of the city again, the tower looming over it in the distance, looking both ominous and like it was protecting all of Polis.

Without even meaning to, I realized I had been tracing several of the scars I had received before Nia's death and jerked my hand down as if I'd been burned.

I shook my head, forcing my legs to begin moving as I hoped to leave the dark thoughts behind.

"Hei Azgeda gada (Hey Azgeda girl)!" I heard someone call from behind me.  I turned around to see a boy, probably Aden's age, with a small group of who I guessed to be his friends.

"Hei (Hey)." I returned, trying to keep my uncertainty out of my voice.

"Yu nou set klin hir (You don't belong here)." He said fiercely.

Anger pulsed through my veins, "Ai laik won kom Natblidas (I am one of the Nightbloods).  Ai set klin hir (I belong here)." I said evenly, "Plus this is where my family is." I added silently, thinking fondly of the people I had gotten to meet since I'd arrived that I now thought of as family.

"Yu still yu don nou rein hir, Nia's pichu (You still have no place here, Nia's pet)." He spat.

I felt me eyes widen.  Nia's pet?  Was that how people thought of me?  As nothing more than Nia's pet?

I forced myself to focus on the argument at hand.  "Ai laik nou Nia's pichu (I am not Nia's pet).  Ai set klin hir raun Heda's telon (I belong here on the Commander's word)." I said back, fighting to keep my calm.

"Heda ste branwoda by bilaik ponk klin Azgeda, oso nou laik (The Commander is fooled by your tricks Azgeda, we are not)." He snapped, gesturing to his friends.

"Ai laik nou ponk klin Heda (I am not tricking the Commander)." I said dismissively, taking a few steps towards them to go back to the tower.

They let me pass.  "Yu don oso bash op bilaik nami kom ridiyo (Have we hurt your feelings with the truth)?" The boy called after.

"Nou (No).  Ai laik jos gon we (I am just leaving)." I said, flicking my hand dismissively as I kept walking towards the tower, not turning around for fear that they'd see the tears in my eyes at how much their words actually hurt.