In the kitchen, Adrian awaited my descendance from my bedroom. I refused to meet his eyes, choosing instead to keep my gaze fixed on the door until my mother walked into my line of view.

"Where are you off to, my sweet child?" My mother asked.

"I am going on a walk with Mayor Thatcher, the younger of the two, that is. I will see you upon my return, mother. I love you dearly," I kissed her cheek.

She kissed mine as well, then added, "I love you as well, my daughter."

With that, I strode outside without pausing for Adrian. I heard his footsteps on the wooden floor behind me. I inhaled a breath of fresh air, attempting to clear the hurricane in my head. As Adrian scuttled to my side and, to my horror, linked his arm through mine, I looked to Sawyer's shop, praying to Zeus that he'd notice my peril and come to my rescue. Alas, he was busy attending to the needs of a flirty blonde that was leaning forward and giggling, her petal pink dress pushing her cleavage up and out. He was not at all amused by her teasing getup; his easy smile did not reach his eyes; which I found hilarious. I was unable to stifle a giggle.

"What do you find so funny?" Adrian queried.

"Nothing," I snapped, composing myself.

He managed to follow my gaze before I could break it.

"Sir Irving is your friend, is he not?" He wondered.

"Whom I choose to befriend is none of your business." I hissed.

"Judging by your reaction, I would guess that he is more than a friend to you. Perhaps...a love interest." There was a note of anger in his voice.

"You know nothing about me. I suggest you cease your ludicrous assumptions of myself before I strike you."

"All I am suggesting is that you could do better than that...that jackass."

Furious, I whirled on Adrian and jerked my arm from his, my face heating in anger once more.

"How dare you! What has Sir Irving ever done to offend you? Has he committed a damned crime by breathing the same air that you do?" Adrian was clearly appalled at my language, but I was far from finished. "If you must know, he IS my friend, and a very dear one at that! So I shall thank you, nay, ORDER you not to insult him, especially when he has done NOTHING to you. And calling him a jackass? You are the pot and he is the kettle you insist on wrongfully calling black. How DARE you thrust unnecessary and unfair insults upon him. You know not a single thing about him."

"'Thrust' being the crucial word in that sentence."

I blinked, confused at what he might mean by that. It dawned on me and I gasped, disgusted. He thought the only part of me Sawyer cared for was between my thighs.

"Do not speak to me as though I am a common whore, Sir Thatcher! I am a myriad of things, but anyone's whore is not one of them!" I spluttered.

"Until I persuade your mother for your hand in marriage," he muttered with a smirk, forcing my arm around his as he began walking.

Nauseous and beyond revolted, I attempted to jerk my arm from his. But the bastard held me in an iron grip. I audibly snarled and made to pry his arm from mine.

"Do calm down, miss Weatherbury. I am simply trying to break the ice. You needn't make a scene," he laughed.

"Break the ice! You call blatant sexual harassment breaking the ice? You know what? That actually makes sense, considering it is you. But I swear I shall make the most colossal scene you will ever witness if you continue to harass me so," I threatened.

"Then I apologize."

"For what? Harassing me or killing my sisters?"

Adrian did not answer. I snorted.

"Why must you bring them up every time we meet?" He groaned, exasperated.

"Well, I cannot forget them, nor can I forget who killed them, and I have tried quite hard to do both. I cannot simply forget the trauma of losing all 3 of my sisters. You are a constant and unfortunately living reminder of what happened to them," I responded curtly.

I could tell there was more Adrian wanted to say, but he kept quiet. Thank the gods. We walked in silence for several moments. I looked up from the cobblestone road and inhaled sharply. We had reached the center of the village, the burning stake. It was the one part of our village that was quiet and solemn. A metal pole rose out of the center of a charred block of stone, which sat in the middle of an indentation in the ground, covered with flat pieces of stone. A spiked metal fence surrounded the indentation, preventing the victim's loved ones from reaching them and keeping the victim from escaping. The road we were walking led into a wide circle around the area. There were no flowers, no green grass, no small animals, no sounds except for the echoes of the haunting screams of those that had been burned. It was the ghost part of the village. I squeezed my eyes shut in a feeble attempt to shut the screams out of my mind. It failed, and I shuddered. I sped up my pace, eager to get away from the stake, and ended up pulling Adrian with me.

"How is your mother's shop doing?" He asked, once again trying to make conversation.

"Business is well. I should be making a dress for a young girl as we speak, but alas, she must wait longer yet." I huffed.

"I am sure she can wait a bit longer."

"Aye, but it has been six days. I habitually take three, four, or five days to make an article of clothing. I am sure she grows impatient."

"She will survive."

Displeased with his selfishness and feeling sick at seeing the stake, I gazed round at the small, inviting, pleasantly colored homes and shops lining the road. Each one was built the same way: 4 or 5 bedrooms, 1 washroom for each bedroom, and 2 storage closets on the top story, with a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a parlor for gatherings on the ground story. Each home had 16 or 20 windows framed with lace curtains. The outsides were all painted a different color with all sorts of flowers growing in the yard. But the insides were all arranged uniquely, with different furniture, wallpaper, paintings, photographs, and other accessories.

I knew there was more outside the enormous ivy-covered stone wall that surrounded our state. In fact, there were 3 other states. Those that had never traveled beyond the walls theorized that monsters lived beyond the wall. I was not convinced that there were monsters, but I knew damn well there was a better place. However, attempting to climb the wall was punishable by death if you were caught by the guards that patrolled the woods within the walls at night. I trusted my instinct whispering to me that there was a way out.

I was mostly content with life in this village. But if you weren't a heterosexual man, you didn't have rights to own land, a house, or a shop. No one could marry until they turned 18, but women could not marry without written permission from her father, or mother if the father was no longer around. And if you were a woman who had lost both parents, your neighbors gave you away. Women had little to no rights. If you were thought to be a homosexual, you were burned at the stake. If you were thought to be a witch, you were burned at the stake. If you were thought to have engaged in premarital sex, you were burned at the stake, but only if you were a woman. If you were found running your husband's shop while he was still alive, you were burned at the stake. If you married without written permission, you were burned at the stake. If you refused to marry the man assigned to you by your family or refused to marry in general, you were burned at the stake. If you were found leaving your home at night without an explanation deemed acceptable by the mayor, you were burned at the stake. Women could not BREATHE without being burned at the stake! Of course, there were laws that were punishable by death that made sense, like murder, rape, incest, kidnapping, and child abuse. But all the things women were not allowed to do on top of all the laws that applied to everyone(venturing to the woods or wall at night, suspicious behavior by the wall, dishonoring the mayor, withholding goods from your store from someone, lying, threatening someone, refusing to marry once you are of age, taking part in romantic actions before you are of age, refusing to homeschool your child once they turn five, theft, kidnapping, property damage, violent acts, indecency, and trespassing), women were incredibly oppressed.

And there were age laws. You are eligible for parent-taught education at the age of 5, you are eligible for running a shop at the age of 15, you are eligible for marriage at the age of 18, you are also eligible for trying for a child at the age of 18, and you are eligible for passing your shop onto your next of kin at the age of 65 unless something happens. Adrian strongly enforced every law. If you were accused of breaking a law, you were deemed innocent or guilty by Adrian and his posse of politicians. Much of the time, the accused person was sentenced to burning at the stake, because Adrian was most likely entertained by watching people burn.

And now I was on a walk with that sadistic sociopath that had been responsible for the death of all three of my sisters. And I was not happy. Adrian gazed at the stake almost adoringly. I sniffed in disgust and marched on. There had not been much more conversation after that, which pleased me. We reached an edge of the village, and I pulled my arm away from his and turned to depart. He grabbed my hand suddenly and I spun around, seething.

"Before you leave, I would like to thank you for accompanying me on this walk," Adrian stated graciously.

He leaned down to kiss my hand. I yanked it away from him before he could and stormed back down the road, back to my home. We had been gone for nearly three-quarters of an hour. As I approached the door, it swung open and Sawyer walked out. He looked rather surprised to see me, as I was to see him.

"Oh! Gracelynn! I hoped I would find you. In fact, I was unable to find anyone in your house, so I worried," he nervously and adorably rambled.

"My mother is out on a walk with Mayor Matthew, and I was forced to go on a walk with Sir Thatcher. 'Twas the longest and most painful 45 minutes I have ever had to experience," I complained.

"I am sorry to hear that you had to go on a walk with that monster. Also, your mother left a note explaining she would not return until tonight, as she will be accompanying Mayor Matthew to dinner tonight. She also says she loves you."

"Ah, I see. I hope he treats her well. He had better if he hopes not to face my wrath."

"Gracelynn, only you would joke about wounding our mayor in public."

"I do not wish to harm him, I simply care for my mother."

"That is true. I recall that you promised me a walk around the woods."

"I recall it as well. Let us depart at once."