"It was impossible to explain how she felt in that moment. For in that second their eyes met, it was hard to think she could ever feel fondness for a murderer."

— Forbidden Fruits

CHAPTER ONE

»»☆««

Marinette Dupain-Cheng often considered herself to be a woman who was greatly unfortunate to be born into the wrong time of history. In fact, she sometimes wondered if perhaps she was, and often thought of what life would be like if everyone simply had the same idealism as hers—a logical and fair mentality, of course.

These troublesome and controversial thoughts began to heavily plague her mind as early as twelve years old. At that age, her father told her that she was no longer allowed to play outside with her brothers because she'd been blessed with starting her woman's cycle—a sign that she was no longer considered a child, but a young woman who was beginning the first stages of adulthood. Because of this, she would need to begin her training to become a proper lady, and since she had to diligently prepare for this role, her father insisted that she had no time to waste acting like a child with her brothers.

At first, she thought he was telling the truth (she had no reason not to trust her father's word), until she realized that her brothers didn't have to follow those same rules. Her brothers continued to age, and they never lost their freedom to roll around in the mud whenever they wanted.

When she realized these things, it was rather simple to lose faith in what her father considered just. When she started to ask questions about this unfairness, her father would brush off her curiosities with a wave of his hand. He wasn't interested in explaining that unfairness to her, or perhaps he just didn't have a valid explanation to defend his strange idealism. Either way, she wasn't given many options except to question it... because it was all she ever knew. Her only other option was to stare out of her bedroom window with a sense of longing as she watched her older brothers freely live out their childhood.

Marinette had four older brothers—a fairly large family for the mayor, most believed. The eldest was called Jesse, her father's favorite amongst them all. He grew to be the tallest, his curly, auburn hair messy and unkept, though it didn't make him look unprofessional at all. He looked mysterious and roguish, and all of the ladies seemed to like those qualities about him. He was destined to be a ladies' man, that's for sure.

The second eldest was Elias. He was more laid back than his older brother, only two years younger than Jesse. His hair was darker, black in color, similar to hers and their mother's whom they'd taken after. He was more interested in learning how to hunt animals than he did hunting for women. He strived to become the greatest huntsman their town had ever seen.

The third was named Jasper. He was three years younger than his second eldest brother. His shoulder length hair was a mixture between black and brown, so it was hard to really say what color it was. For some reason, he was the only one out of them all who preferred his hair to be longer than average. Thankfully he was allowed to do so without their father throwing a fuss, and Marinette had to say, he did pull off the look rather well. As he grew, his interests switched from rolling around in the mud with his brothers to preferring to stick to his studies. Jasper enjoyed school the most, had the best marks out of them all, and preferred to read in the solitude of his bedroom than he did tending to the fields.

Her youngest brother was named Cody. He was five years younger than Jasper. His hair was unnaturally dirty blonde, a color neither of their parents had gifted him with. His hair was wild and definitely untamed, but his loyalty couldn't be matched. His interests varied between his love for planting crops and horseback riding out in the fields, to wanting one day to become a part of the law system as a sheriff himself in their small town.

And then there was her. Marinette. The youngest of them all and her father's only daughter. She was named after her great grandmother apparently (that had been her mother's choice), despite the fact that Marinette never even got to meet the woman. Her hair was a dark shade of blue, exactly like their mother's, and her skin was covered in too many freckles to count. As young children, her dim-witted brothers had often childishly teased her for being so spotted.

She used to tease them back by convincing them it was a disease she could pass on to them if they touched her. Imagine the fun she had with that for many years.

But even despite the many times they argued or fought, Marinette loved her brothers, and they all loved her just the same. So much so that even they saw the unfairness their father considered to be so just.

Which is why, they were currently smuggling her out of the Dupain-Cheng estate.

"This is insane." Cody said from the other side of her bedroom door. It creaked open a moment later and he sighed heavily, giving in (despite the fact that he thought her idea was an absolute crazy one) as he squeezed one of his extra ringo hats through the crack.

"Yet you're helping me." Marinette chuckled as she took the offered item and softly shut the door once again.

"Of course, I am. I always will. But that don't make your ideas any less insane."

Insane perhaps, but Marinette was always known to be the craziest out of them all.

She opened her bedroom door a moment later as soon as her disguise was complete, and a giggle escaped her lips when her youngest brother stumbled back—because apparently, he'd been leaning back against the door after she'd closed it. He shot her a small frown as if to lecture her for not warning him, though she knew he wasn't really angry at her. In return, she bopped his nose.

"Crazy but genius, yes?"

Her brother scrunched up his nose and swatted her hand away. "Are you sure this is somethin' you really wanna do?"

"Absolutely."

"What if Pops finds out?"

Marinette placed her hands on her hips, lifting her eyes from underneath the hat that was rather too big for her head so that she could raise an unamused brow at him. "Take a good long look at me, Cody. Do I look like I have much to lose?"

He actually gave her a once over, a shrug of his shoulders indicating that yeah... she had a point.

Marinette flashed him a convincing smile. "I won't be gone for long, I promise."

Cody folded his arms over his chest. "I don't know if I feel comfortable with you goin'—and don't get me wrong... not because I don't think women shouldn't go, but only because if your cover gets blown, you'll be in a heap of trouble."

Marinette let out a huff through her nose, the shake of her head indicating that she wasn't too perturbed. "I can handle father—"

"I ain't talkin' 'bout Pops..." Cody interrupted. "Though he'll be really pissed if he catches ya. But nah, I'm more concerned 'bout the danger you're puttin' yourself in."

"You needn't worry." She assured him. "Elias is going with me."

"That don't make me feel any better. Elias hardly steps foot into town for pleasantries."

"So, you're telling me he's never gone out to drink?"

"Not on his lonesome, no."

"Cody..." Marinette placed a hand on his cheek, and she watched as her brother slowly relaxed. She was used to having older, protective brothers. But Cody was the one who seemed to look after her the most. "Elias and I will be fine. I'll get a taste of liquor and head straight home before Father notices I'm gone. All you have to do is make sure he doesn't find out."

"That won't be a problem." Her brother's frown instantly began to stretch into a wide grin. "The plan is already set. Jesse already has Pops drinkin' with him down in the cellar. It's only a matter of time before our old man is as drunk as a beggar."

Marinette matched her brother's mischievous grin. "And Elias?"

"Elias is out back at the barn. He's got the horses ready for ya down there."

Everything about her plan seemed to be falling into place perfectly, and that had Marinette feeling proud of herself for a change.

Hurried footsteps clobbered up the staircase before either sibling could even have time to concoct an excuse as to why Marinette was currently dressed in clothing she would've never been allowed to wear as the mayor's daughter—a fringed jacket on her shoulders that was a little too big for her petite size, and a pair of Cody's worn-out denim Levi's.

Thankfully, an excuse wasn't needed when their brother Jasper came into view.

Both she and Cody let out relieved sighs. An amused smile pulled at her lips when she caught Cody shooting his brother an amused frown out of the corner of her eye for scaring them.

Their older brother did not bother to apologize, and instead, proceeded to ignore the glare and fumble with rushed words. "Pa is officially corned," Jasper told them. "Even when he's wasted, that man is an expert at holdin' in his liquor and gettin' over a hangover. I say y'all got 'bout two hours before he wakes." And then her brother suddenly paused, giving his sister a quick once over, before he nodded in appreciation at her handiwork. "Nice disguise."

She twirled, feeling giddy. "Thanks."

"Rightio, then let's get you downstairs," Cody said as he took hold of her wrist, tugging her gently for her to follow him. "That doesn't give y'all much time, so try not to waste it."

Marinette nodded and clung to her brother's sleeve. "Noted."

The three of them quickly rushed downstairs, throwing open the front door as they hurried around the back of the estate. They found that Elias had decided to come down from the barn on his own with two horses already saddled. He was already mounted onto his steed when they rounded the corner, and Jesse was holding Marinette's white and brown spotted mare by its reigns.

Jesse's smile brightened at the sight of her because there was no doubt in her mind that he found her disguise to be too good—which was a compliment on her behalf. He greeted her by shoving the hat that was too big for her head further down so that it purposely covered her eyes. "You're as crazy as a loon, Marinette."

She fixed her hat before she shot him a smirk in response and the wiggle of her finger as she pointed at him. "You and me both. You agreed to help me with this brilliant plan of mine, remember?"

Her eldest brother laughed as he handed her the reigns to her horse. "Just be careful, yeah?"

She took the reins from his hands, her smile softening. "Of course."

"Remember to put your booze on my tab." He told her as he helped her mount her mare. Marinette easily threw her leg over one side, comfortably settling into her saddle. Once she was settled, Jesse patted her mare's neck. "Let Elias do all the talkin', and don't let no one see who you really are."

"You don't need to worry. I'll be plenty careful." Marinette chuckled softly at his overprotectiveness. She turned to look over her shoulder at Elias, who seemed to be nervous as his hands tightened involuntarily around his reigns. "You ready?"

He glanced up at her from underneath his bangs, his smile a bit uneasy. "Not quite..." He fully turned his attention to Jesse before she could reassure him that all would be fine, a question already on the tip of his tongue. "Could I borrow your heater?"

Without hesitation, Jesse unfastened his pistol from his side. He stepped forward and handed it to Elias, who thanked him with a single nod.

Marinette suppressed rolling her eyes as she watched the quick exchange. "You won't be needing that."

Elias wasn't looking at her as he clipped the small weapon to his belt underneath the hidden safety of his long shirt. "One can never be too careful."

That time, she did roll her eyes and made sure that they all saw it too. If she had the power to turn anything she so desired into ash simply by glaring at it, that pistol would be the first to go.

In response, Jesse offered her a sad smile and patted her knee. "The gun ain't your enemy, Mari. We just don't want nothin' bad happenin' to you."

"Nothing is going to happen." Marinette insisted with a pout. "I'm just going out to get some drinks—"

"You mean one drink." Jesse raised a brow at her—and his pointer finger too just to emphasize that point.

Marinette's pout only further deepened. "Yes. One drink."

Jesse's narrowed eyes on her did not subside. "I mean it. Only one. I don't need Pops somehow smellin' it on you and—"

"You have my word that I will only consume one drink," Marinette swore with a raised hand, and with the other placed firmly over her heart. Despite the disappointment of having a restriction in the first place, her brother's words made sense. This plan would be all for nothing if their father happened to smell alcohol on her.

Her promise seemed to appease her eldest brother. He smiled as he stepped back, patting her mare's hide as if to get her moving. "Good. Then, in that case, have a good time celebrating your twenty-first birthday."

Marinette flashed Jesse a genuine smile—but that smile was really meant for all of her brothers, as all three of them stood beside the other, all grinning up at her proudly. Elias pulled up beside her on his horse on her other side, his lips pressed firmly into a thin line before he pulled out in front of her and trotted forward. She shook her head as she watched him go, gently kicked her stirrups to follow after him, and waved over her head as her other brothers cheered her on.

The triumphant smile that pulled at her lips made her feel accomplished for a change. And despite going behind her father's back, she was going to enjoy every second sharing whiskey with one of her brothers as they celebrated a year that was supposed to mean she was officially an adult. After all, her father had been rather adamant since she was twelve that it was time for her to grow up. And what better way to embrace adulthood than to reap its benefits.

_______________________________

First chapter? HECK YEAH.

Please, what am I even doing? I act as if I don't have other books I need to finish ;–;

But anyway, I wanted to give this to you guys. I know some of you have been so excited about this. Please be patient with me as I work to bring you the next chapter.

How did you like the beginning of this book? Don't forget to let me know!

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