Chapter 2

                                    

                                          

4 months later: Ketterdam, East Stave
                          
The stench, oh the stench! I still wasn't used to it. The East Stave was extremely filthy and stinky and I had to stifle a gag as I passed a particularly nasty part. Fortunately, neither I nor my stepsister had been here before so, the possibility of people recognising us was pretty low. Luckily, the merchant council had covered up the news of the assassination and no one knew that the two daughters were still alive. But we hadn't taken any chances.
                          
We had taken up jobs to pay the rent for our rickety old room. The 50 kruge I had were over in just two weeks leading to starvation and literal begging the owner of our little room to let us stay a few days for free. As a result, I looked worse than ever with those dark circles, dull skin and sunken cheeks. I always had a taste for music, a decent enough voice and a talent for playing the piano. Although I never thought it would help me survive, I had begged my stepfather for music lessons and it definitely paid off. I worked as a musician, daily entertainment or whatever you want to call it in a pub while my sister worked as a waitress in another one a few blocks away. If you ask me, anything's better than a brothel or imminent death.
                          
About that Pekka guy, I knew who he was now. Our landlord had given me quite a few astonished looks when I had asked about him, he probably thought we were immigrants. Pekka Rollins, boss of the dime lions, owner of the Emerald palace and various other gambling houses and brothels was now my sworn enemy. Obviously, I couldn't do anything about it another than avoid the places he owned and keep our heads down whenever we saw his lackeys , but the rage was still there.
                          
Ducking under the huge wooden signboard, I entered the moldy pub- 'The Thresheree Bar', I know horrible name. "Hello Rob.", I said to the barkeeper/owner who was busy restacking after last night's riotous activities. "Ah Vanessa, you're early.", he replied looking at me.
"Isn't that good?" I said.
"Yes yes, but you're never early."
"And you look great today!", I changed the subject before he could speak about my incompetence.
"And you look like you just threw up.", he replied cooly.
"That is not a nice thing to say to a lady!"
"And you're a lady?", he asked me sarcastically.
Crap! Shouldn't have said that.
"But I like to be treated as one." I reasoned.
                          
He scoffed and went back to work.
"Men.", I said under my breath and turned towards the small, mice eaten piano by the stage. I looked into the mirror on my way and had to agree that he was right. My recently sun kissed skin had gone dull, my usually pretty chocolate coloured hair were limp, my lips chapped and you could probably feel my bones through the loose white shirt and baggy olive pants. Even my honey eyes had lost their spark. 
                          
Sighing, I tied my hair into a neat ponytail and pinched my cheeks to add a little colour to them. I looked exactly like my mother except for my too straight nose, the sharp planes of my cheekbones and fuller lower lip, she had a soft heart shaped face, full lips and  a slight bump in her nose which added to her beauty while I looked sleep deprived. I cleared my throat to drive away the wave of sadness that washed over me.
                          
"No need to do that, no one's gonna look at you anyway.", said a lilting voice behind me.
"Right, they'll already be blinded by you.", I snapped looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"My beauty is blinding.", said Nicole, the head singer and a constant pain in my ass.
"Quite the opposite."
"Say that again!",she growled.
"Did I stutter?", I retorted glaring at her.
She scowled and walked away, heels clicking and dyed red curls bobbing as she went towards Rob, probably to complain about me.
                          
Oh how I wished for my sister's company right now, but she would be busy too. The sun was starting to set and soon it would be dark, perfect time for people to get out of their work routines and indulge in drink and pleasure.