The village of Oakwoods was a place of sharp lines and even sharper social divides. On one side you'd find the sprawling shops of the elites, where even the air smelled of lavender and polished mahogany. But on the other side, the Veins, a black market of some sort, the air was thick with the scent of coal, dust and desperation.
Eve adjusted the yellow ribbon of her bonnet, her brother holding her small hand in his own with Jack, their coachman, Jack, following closely behind. Eddie, her dear older brother, led her with the expertise of a frequent visitor to the establishment. They started by visiting the modiste to collect their mother 's new order and went to collect new shoes for Eve as winter was fast approaching.
"Welcome back Mr. Thorncliffe"
"Good day Richards"
"Are you here for the shoes you ordered last time?"
"Yes, they are meant for my sister, I came with her today in case you needed to make some adjustments" he informed Richards, pushing Eve to the front
"Good day young miss" Richard greeted her
"Good day sir" Eve mumbled, she was shy when she met new people
"If you could wait here for a moment whilst I head to the back to fetch the shoes for you. In the meantime, Joel here will serve you some refreshments." Richards said whilst signaling Joel to do his bidding.
"You had shoes made for me?" Eve turned to her brother
"Yes, I saw how ill-fitting your current winter boots are" he clucked
"you're the best brother anyone could wish for Eddie" she declared with tears of happiness in her eyes.
Joel returned with drinks and following behind him was Richards holding a pair of blue boots with red ribbons at the sides"
"You can try them on young miss to see if there are any adjustments to be made"
Eve tried them on, seeing that they fit her well, they paid the rest of the money
"I'll have them delivered directly to your residence young sir"
"No worries, Richards, we can collect them right now and be on our way"
"Alright then, let me wrap them up for you"
after collecting the shoes and Richards seeing them off, they made their way to the bookshop. Eve kept her hand in her brother 's the entire time, afraid of falling behind.
"Try not to get lost in the books Eve", Eddie teased his little sister, eyes scanning the bustling square.
"I can't help it…" she sighed, "and to imagine I finally get to visit an actual bookshop, I'm so excited" she squealed letting go of her brother 's hand to enter the door he had opened for her. It was no surprise in their society for a six-year-old to be able read and write. It was actually a requirement, and as their family was aiming for societal acceptance through marrying off Eve, she had to be better than her peers.
Before she could fully enter into the shop, she felt as if someone was looking at her, she turned and saw a boy looking straight at her. Eve waved at him but he quickly disappeared into the alley.
"Eddie, what's in there?" she turned to her brother whose attention had also been caught by the boy
"it's one of the alleys that lead to the Veins"
"The Veins?" she asked
"Yes, that's where the outlaws live and conduct their business" seeing the deep curiosity in his sister 's eyes, he continued "Promise me you won't go in there for whatever reason. You can easily get sold off or killed"
"I promise, I did give you my word yesterday to listen to you Eddie"
Eddie hummed in agreement, and they proceeded to enter the store.
"wow" Eve exclaimed when she saw the inside of the establishment. Hatchards was a cathedral of stories. Floor to ceiling shelves groaned under the weight of leather-bound classics and philosophies. While Eddie wandered toward the political treatises, whilst waiting for Mr. Hartchard himself, Eve drifted to the back where the colorful books sat. she pulled down a slim weathered volume that looked like it didn't belong there and a small burnt Autum leaf fell from the pages. A strange chill ran through her, not of cold, but of recognition. As if her body knew something she didn't and it was calling unto her.
"let's go Eve, there's a cake shop I want you to try out." Startled, she let out a little scream whilst the book fell to the floor. Eddie had come to fetch her
"Are you alright?" he asked her
"Can I get this one?" she brushed off his question and instead asked her brother for permission to purchase the book
"The Ode? not what I thought you'd get but sure" Eddie replied
"Thank you, Eddie," she was grateful to her brother knowing he was the only one who always indulged her whims.
"You can choose more books and we can hand them over to Jack. he will keep them safe in the carriage, whilst I show you around. Eve agreed and together, they picked out a few more books and were ready to continue with their day.
As they stepped out of the bookshop, the atmosphere had shifted. The polite roar of the morning had been replaced by a more rhythmic chanting coming from down the alleys. A sea of grey lad bodies was surging toward the noise and before Eddie could tighten his grip, a sudden rush of laborers pushed toward them.
"Eddie!" Eve cried, but her voice was drowned out by the masses. She could see Eddie 's outstretched hand trying to reach out to her but she ended up being swept away by the crowd.
The cobblestones turned to slick mud. The bright shop fronts faded into soot-stained hovels. She saw her bonnet as it was stepped on by the crowd and knew then that she was deep into the Veins now, a flash of silk in a world of rags.
"Out of the way you little imp" a man hissed shoving her toward a clearing in the center of the commotion where a dark-haired woman was already tied on a pyre. Her eyes were a complete white with no sign of the pupils. She had black nails and scales on the back of her hands. She wore a green silk dress that had already begun to tear because of the treatment she received from the villagers. She was the witch the villagers had been searching for. The one who they accused of souring the milk and curdling the blood of the local magistrate 's son.
"To think she had been living among us all this time" one person in the crowd shouted
"I even let her watch over my children yesterday" another whispered
"She must have had help, it's hard to believe she did all that on her own."
The whispers and shouts continued as the crowd got more riled up
'it's a witch hunt' Eve thought. She had only read about them in books and didn't think she'd experience one first hand, especially this soon.
Eve tried to turn back, but with her red hair and obsidian eyes, not to mention her out of place clothes, she was soon caught in the crossfire.
"This must be her child" a voice shrieked. A heavy hand landed on Eve 's shoulder. It was the magistrate 's bailiff, his face twisted in a mask of righteous fury. He looked at Eve 's fine clothes and red hair and he knew deep down in his heart, he was right. He had never seen hair color like that before, and he was convinced she had the makings of a witch.
The mob didn't need logic; they just needed a sacrifice. The scandal of the wealthy practicing witchcraft was far more delicious than a lone crone. Before Eve could scream Eddie 's name, she was hoisted upward. Rough rope bit into her wrists as they lashed her to the back of the woman on the pyre. She closed her eyes trying to block the images in front of her, hoping it was only a dream.
"don't close your eyes child" the woman whispered. Her voice was grating, like wood on metal. "They are neither wrong nor right. Either way, today is the day we both meet our end."
"I'm going to die" Eve sobbed as the smell of kerosene started filling her nostrils. This was not the way she imagined she'd die. She had never even imagined death in the first place. She wanted to live, and get her parents to love her. She wanted to continue waiting for her brother to return home every day. To live her life eating sweets, reading books and gardening.
The torch was dropped. The flames didn't flicker; they roared. A wall of orange and blue surged upward, devouring the dry wood. The crowd cheered and roared, some moved away, afraid the flames would touch them too.
Eve could hear the screams of the dark-haired woman. She braced for agony, for the searing of skin and the piercing pain. She felt the heat; she saw the sparks dancing like fireflies against a soot clogged sky but there was no pain. Eve could see her clothes burning up, and lifted her head to look into the crowd again, trying see if anyone could help her, but all she saw were the flames that seemed to get worse by the minute, and then, everything went black.