The sun was starting to set, and Beth was already bored inside her room. Thinking of taking that stroll that she had planned on, she stepped out into the street while closing the door behind her. The air was as dry as ever, picking up dust whenever the wind blew. She stretched her arms wide and looked around the walled street.
She spotted a few slaves returning to their quarters, looking tired after the day's work. Beth smiled, remembering the back-breaking work that she had to put in on most days when she was a slave. She would return to her room every night, tired and hungry, and sleep off soon after. Her little hands had ached on most days, and her feet sore. Thanks to the system, that was a life that she had left behind.
She walked around for a bit more, passing by the minor gods' office towards the north, her feet carrying her in the direction unconsciously. Slaves stared at her with eyes filled with awe, their hushed yet excited whispers reaching her ears. Though she didn't like being the center of attention in the least, Beth felt good that, unlike when she was a slave, the seventeen-year-old version of her instilled awe and admiration in the onlooker's gaze rather than contempt.
Not that she cared for anyone's opinion, but the power that she naturally possessed due to her appearance would come in handy one day, Beth thought to herself. As she kept walking, the path started getting brighter. She was already in the Northern part of the city, and the light coming from the bridge lit up the otherwise dark streets.
Memories of the time spent in the curb ahead stirred her emotions. Tears welled in her eyes, hearing the ghost of Fifty-eight's laugh echoing around her. She sat down on the curb beside the drainage. Somehow she didn't notice the stinking smell tonight. She could still hear Fifty-eight offering to do her job for her while she lazed around happily.
She looked back at the place where she knew the tree stump still lay hidden under the packed mud. Her hands clenched into fists instinctively, anger at guilt pushing at the walls of her mind. If only she had been more careful, then maybe Fifty-eight wouldn't have been involved in this mess at all. One would have killed only her, and she would have come back to heaven with the help of the system easily.
She hated feeling burdened. Beth knew that she owed her new life to the girl. Her gaze strayed to the high walls of the upper town that kept people like her away from there. Gods living in luxury and pomp while the slaves and the servants in the lower town lived in poverty and dirt. The wall stood high and mighty as if looking down on those in the lower town.
"I didn't want to bother with your stupid hierarchy." She said, keeping her eyes on the stone surface. "But now I will make sure that at least some of you pay the price for what your corrupt system did to Fifty-eight."
The stones were deaf to her challenge. They ignored her passionate speech. But what Beth hadn't noticed was that a sparkling set of eyes had been on her for the last few minutes, admiring her from the other side of the bridge. They slowly drew closer, unaware of the girl's mood at the moment. All they seemed to notice was the way that her face glowed flawlessly in the light of the bridge's many lanterns.
And since Beth was wrapped in her world, she didn't notice the lust-filled look in the man's eyes. Innocent to the dangers that her strange beauty could bring about, she sat there, unguarded from the danger that was fast approaching her. And because of that, it was not surprising that she screamed in shock as the man's sweaty hand landed on her shoulder.
She staggered back, her eyes widening in fear as she spotted the god standing in front of her with an amused expression on his face. Like other gods, he too looked around the age of twenty. With a defined face and deep black eyes that sparkled in the light of the streetlamp, he was quite handsome. But that didn't mask the danger that lurked within his eyes. Beth was no fool.
"You seem new." He said, looking her up from head to toe slowly, his gaze stopping on some or the other part of her body again and again.
Beth cringed inside. She definitely didn't like the man. He reeked of greed and lust- a kind that she wanted to avoid under all costs. Her hands instinctively shielded her chest from his ravaging gaze. This was why she didn't trust her luck. In some way or the other, it tended to act against her. Seeing that she wasn't responding, the man took another step forward, making her heart pound in her chest nervously.
In one quick move, he reached out to grab her hand. Pulling her towards him, he said, "You look like a servant. I guess you aren't taken yet." He paused, leaning close to her neck. Taking a deep breath, he shuddered, moaning in pleasure. "You smell so fresh." He whispered against her neck.
Beth shivered at the proximity. Her limbs did not move to push him away. It was as if her body had forgotten how to move her limbs. She was scared out of her wits, and there was no one around who would help her. In the silence of the night, she could even hear his excited heartbeat as he turned her face towards him with his sweaty fingers.
"You look like a helpless little dove." He whispered, a little too close to her mouth. "I think I will steal you before the others see you." He said, leaning further towards her.
Beth's eyes widened in shock. As if from somewhere deep inside, her strength rushed to her hands. Before she could even think about what she was doing, she had already pushed the man back. A gasp of surprise escaped his mouth as he fell back towards the drainage channel, a hand outstretched towards her desperately.
She quickly took off in the direction of the servant's quarters, averting her eyes from the falling god. When she took a turn to the adjoining street, she heard a loud splash.