Desperate to get out of the crowded streets and into the quiet atmosphere of the nearby tea and spice shop, Remi scurried over. A splinter from the old, rickety wooden door of the ship pricked her thumb. After quickly pulling it out, Remi pressed a handkerchief against it to stop the minor bleeding.

At first glance she'd thought the door was painted brown, but now that she looked closely, she saw flecks of pale green and realized most of the paint had simply peeled off the door over the years. The shop must be many years old.

Remi pulled open the creaky door, only to jump in surprise at the bells that chimed ever so cheerfully above her head, letting whoever was working know that someone had come in. She scowled at how merry they sounded.

Near the windows were six or seven tables with chairs, accented by warm, chocolate brown walls and home-made decorations that gave a person warm, fuzzy feelings inside. Remi picked one in the far corner, and screeched the wobbly chair back so that she could sit down. There was only one other person in the building—a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, dressed in homely attire and crossing her legs comfortably as she reads from the book in her hand and sips her tea.

Remi glances around to try and distract herself from the worry and panic raging in her mind, echoing dismal thoughts.

On the far side was a long, wooden counter, its gloss long since faded into a dull sheen. On the wall behind the counter were many shelves, stacked from the floor to the ceiling, and filled with a variety of teas and spices, as well as a row of pretty, empty glasses.

A plump, old lady waddled in from the back, fiddling with a broken china glass. She frowned deeply and set it down, as if deciding to take a break from it for a while.

When she turned to reposition some of the glasses on the shelf, she finally noticed Remi. Her eyes widened comically, and she thumped on over to her table.

"Sorry miss, didn't see you there!" she grinned genuinely. "The name's Martha. What can I get you today?"

"What would you recommend?" Remi asked, meeting her eyes with a small smile. She couldn't muster up a full smile with Bliss on her mind.

Remi had never drank tea before, and wasn't sure what kind of flavour she'd like. Or if she'd even like tea at all. She'd always wanted to try, though.

Martha hummed in thought. "Hmm. Well, for you, I'd recommend the calming chamomile tea with honey. You look a bit stressed, sweetie."

"I am," Remi replied with a slight frown. "And I'll try that, thank you."

The old waitress winked at her. "Alrighty then, I'll be back in a jiff."

As soon as Martha left, thoughts of Remi's missing cousin came rushing back.

Was she all alone, lost in this crowded marketplace full of corrupt people who were eyeing her up like a prize? Or had someone already grabbed her so that they could use her abilities for their own personal gain?

Thinking of the methods most people would use to force her to cooperate made Remi's scowl twist further down.

She hoped with all her heart that either Killure or Blue had already managed to find Bliss.

But wouldn't they be back already if they had?

Martha came back with a steaming mug in hand and set it before her. Remi blew on the swirling liquid and then brought it to her mouth to taste.

As Remi sat sipping on tea, her cousin was out there all alone. Bliss was probably scared and lost.

Simply sitting around was doing nothing to help find her cousin. If the roles were reversed, Bliss would definitely be out there trying to find her.

Then again, Bliss was a lot better with directions than she was.

Still, Remi thought to herself in anguish. There must be something I can do.

The warm, soothing liquid did nothing to calm the raging storm of emotions within, though it certainly tasted good.

Surely looking around was better than doing nothing, Remi decided.

She took another sip of her tea and reached into her pocket with her other hand to fetch out some change as she stood up.

The loud wailing of the shop's old front door made her drop her coins. They clinked onto the floor, spinning for a few moments before clattering into muted silence.

Remi glanced up, wondering who was making such a racket.

A huge man wearing black leather clothes and slicked back hair had stormed into the tea shop, flanked by three or four equally beast-like man. A couple were Condas, another was human, and the fourth was definitely some fierce type of Carnean with his spotted, hairy skin.

Martha started for them, a knife in her hand. Remi didn't bother to wonder where she got it, because nearly every shop like this one got a few unfriendly guests every now and then that had to be dealt with. They were their own security, unless they had the money to hire others, which most along this stretch of area didn't.

"Get out of my store, you hooligans," she warned, holding up the knife.

They only regarded her with mild disinterest. Their furry leader nodded at Martha, and within an instant, one of the Conda had bit his sharp fangs into her neck and released a fast-moving poison.

Martha gasped for breath, clutching her neck where she'd been bitten.

Remi froze, shell-shock. Had they seriously just poisoned a woman?

She'd seen murders go on in the streets, but it wasn't overly common for killers to bother themselves to come into a smaller shop. There was no money to be stolen, and it was doubtful that there were many people inside.

Everything in Remi screamed at her to run, find a back exit, and get out of here. Get away from the crazy, unfamiliar men.

But she knew she couldn't do that.

All she'd wanted was some peace and quiet so that she could relax, but they couldn't even afford her that. It made her angry.

"Stop it!" Remi shouted angrily, standing up from her table. Her hood fell gently off her head, revealing her strawberry-blonde locks and tiny horns.

The men's eyes snapped to her. Their eyes widened as they greedily took in her appearance. "Oh ho, it's our Designer! All alone, by herself? How convenient."

Another continued. "No way for the pretty girl to defend herself?"

The leader strolled over to her, his heavy, black boots clunking against the wooden floor. He bent down low so that he was at eye level with her. When Remi tried to lean back to get away from him and his rancid breath, the man grabbed hold of her hair and pulled her in close once again, refusing to let her go.

"We finally found you, Remi Goldridge. I'm supposed to bring you to our employer alive, but he didn't give me any other guidelines," he breathed, twisting his blunt, square face into what was supposed to be a sly grin. It looked like someone had taken a knife to his lips and carved them in many mutilated angles.

Remi's heart sunk to the lowest pit of her stomach, as if it were wrapped in concrete and free-falling. They'd come in here for her, specifically?

Remi didn't want to believe it, but that meant that what was happening to Martha was all her fault. That woman's inevitable death was entirely Remi's fault.

Remi scowled back, even though she hated every second of being so close to a stranger. If he'd only move back a few feet, she'd be able to maintain her composure a bit better. He smelled overwhelmingly like sweat and blood, and his breath was a terrible type of rancid that she didn't even have words to describe. His grip on her hair and the fingers brushing against her scalp only made her itch to bolt.

But Martha was still writhing on the floor, foam coming up from her throat and choking her.

Even if Remi could manage to escape, she wouldn't dream of leaving behind Martha and the other terrified woman sitting at the nearby table being harassed by the human man.

"Get out of my face," Remi growled, spitting in his eyes ferociously.

The man stumbled back, wiping furiously at them with his sleeve. When he finally opened his eyes again, they were full of a terrible rage that scorched Remi. "How dare you!" he shrieked, grabbing her by the waist and tossing her to the floor.

He put his foot on her stomach so that she couldn't get back up.

Her elbow throbbed painfully.

"What do you think, gentlemen?" the furry man bellowed with a twisted, insane smile. "Shall we have our way with her until she realizes she has to treat us with respect?"

The others chorused a resounding yes, sending terrified frost down Remi's spine.