Hey, I'm Naira.
No time for introductions, I'm currently running.
"HEY YOU STOLE THAT!"
Okay, correction. I'm being chased. And for what? Candy. One piece of candy and suddenly I'm the biggest criminal in the city.
The market is packed like always, but it still works. People move around each other without stopping, turning sideways, stepping over things, adjusting without thinking. Shops sit too close together, some built properly, others just added on wherever there was space. Cloth is tied above the street, cutting the sunlight into patches so parts of the ground are bright and others aren't. Wires hang in between, some low enough that you have to duck if you're not paying attention. Someone shouts behind me, someone else complains when I brush past them, and a kid laughs like this is the best thing happening all day.
"STOP RUNNING!"
"Maybe stop chasing!" I shoot back without turning.
I cut through a narrow gap, push past a man holding a tray of something fried, and nearly slam into a stall before catching myself. That's when I smell it. Flatbread. Fresh enough that you can see the steam rising, stacked in a neat pile with edges slightly crisp and the inside still soft. The smell is stronger here, cutting through everything else.
The woman running the stall is hard to miss. Big build, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back tight, one hand holding bread, the other pointing at a customer she's arguing with. She doesn't stop talking while she works and doesn't even look down when she reaches for something.
Perfect.
I step in like I belong there. "Aunt, just one."
"You still owe me."
I pause. "…you're serious?"
She finally looks at me. "The third time."
I glance at the bread in my hand, then back at her. "You kept count?"
"I remember everything."
Of course she does. "That's a terrible habit, you know that?"
"HEY THERE YOU ARE!"
I close my eyes for a second. "You've gotta be kidding me." back to the marathon i guess
The street tightens ahead and the air changes a little. Less smoke, less shouting in your ear. The stalls here are more organized, spaced properly instead of just pushed together. Carpets hang from both sides, thick and carefully made, patterns detailed and colors deeper than the rest of the market. Some of them have thin lines worked into the design that catch the light in a way that doesn't look entirely normal. People walk slower here, more carefully.
And then there are the ones who don't belong to the rest of the market at all. You can spot them immediately. Clean clothes, proper stitching, no patches, no repairs. They don't look around much, and no one bumps into them. People step aside without being asked.
I slip behind one of the hanging carpets and let it fall back into place. There's a small water dispenser at the side, and I grab it and drink.
"That's for customers."
I glance at the shopkeeper. "I am a customer. Can't you see?."
He doesn't even look surprised. "That's what you said yesterday."
I stare at him. "…you're actually serious."
He gives me a look, and yeah, of course he is.
He adjusts one of the carpets, smoothing it out. "So what happened to that plan of yours? Leaving this place."
blink blink "You still remember that too?"
He doesn't answer. He doesn't need to.
I shift a little, suddenly aware of how that sounds. "Yeah, well, I am leaving. One day. I'll get out of here, do something better. Become queen or something. I already kinda am."
"That's one less problem for the rest of us."
"Huh?"
I scoff. "Wow. And here I was planning to come back and buy your entire shop when I get rich."
I step out from behind the carpet and that's when I see them.
A family. A girl around my age, holding both her parents' hands, talking about something I can't hear. They're listening, actually listening. No one's rushing them, no one's shouting at them. They look normal.
I don't move for a second. "Must be nice," I mutter.
Behind me, the shopkeeper's tone changes. "Hey, don't…"
The sound cuts him off. One of the large digital boards above flickers, the image breaking for a moment before a voice pushes through. "exchange for money… the good… the bad… mem…"
It glitches, cuts, then goes silent again.
No one reacts.
"You basta-"