"Come on," Darian says, ushering me to the front of the 'special food' counter. I bite my lip nervously, expecting the lunch lady to haul me off the line again, but her sight is set on Darian who she smiles prettily at. "Two plates. The usual," Darian says with a stunning smile that has her fanning herself with the spatula. Ugh. It feels good to have this again. Privilege over others, however temporary it is. My stomach growls at the smell of roast chicken and stew. I stare at the tray handed to me and joy has my eyes stinging. I never thought I'd taste chicken again. The Cafeteria is especially noisy tonight. It's deafening. The chatter and laughter mix together to create a wall of sound that makes it difficult to think. It is packed with students who are gathered around, laughing and chatting with each other. Some of them are taking selfies while others are sharing their food with their friends. I feel my face heat up as we walk past. I can feel ey
There is something in my room.It reeks of rot and death. The usually clear air is thick and murky, like a swamp I’m trying to wade through. Its aura is pressing down on me from all sides and drawing in a single breath is a struggle.“Princess. . .” It drawls, and I am frozen in place, trapped in a nightmare that refuses to let me go. My heart sprints as a shadowy figure that is darkness incarnate draws closer to me, sucking in all light and life into its impenetrable void.Evil in its purest and realest form.I want to run, to flee from this creature that should not exist, but my limbs won’t obey me. I can’t shift.. My muscles are tense and rigid, as if they have been held captive by an invisible force.Fear has me captive in its cold grip, and it suffocates me.“You are a long way from home, Princess Astrid. . .” It says, and my blood curdles when I feel its cold breath on my neck. A whimper escaped me when sharp canines brush my neck and a tongue darts out to taste me. Cold sweat b
Did I get beat up?Hell yeah.She moves too fast for me to follow, it is like trying to catch the wind. Or maybe run faster than my shadow. With every hit she lands on me, the crowd cheers louder and louder, and the bet points rise higher and higher.I barely dodge a punch when another lands in my belly. I don’t feel pain. I become one with pain.She doesn’t stop hitting me, expecting me to yield to her. I can’t have her beat me to a pulp and still beg for mercy. Double jeopardy. Goddess forbid it. All I think of as she hits me is how to pay her back in kind.When I am curled up against the wall with my hands shielding my face from her, a voice cuts through the shouts of excitement. “Enough!”I crack an eye open and see Rune cutting through the crowd. I have never been happier to see him.“What is this?” He asks and Ginevra turns away from me to face him, giving me enough space to breathe. My ribs ache. Goddess. This really isn’t my week.“She challenged me to a duel—““You could have
The Lycan King’s Hall is super packed today and it has me wondering if only half of the school’s population attended the first assembly. As I—we arrive, myself and Maya—yes, she won’t leave my side—there is little room to move about so we opt for remaining in the back of the hall, since our attempt to squeeze in closer to the front of the line has everyone shoving us and elbows jutting into our ribs.Everyone chats nervously and they all think the assembly is to address the matter of the deaths.I am itching to hear what will be said, especially since I got a visit from yours truly. Thinking about it causes goosebumps to raid my skin and I shudder, rubbing lightly on the wound.“Students.”A hush falls over the growing crowd and I stand on my toes to try get a view of the podium and the Chancellor. I catch a glimpse of him ascending the platform stairs with a couple of teacher, as well as regally dressed people I do not recognize.He takes the center of the stage and his voice carri
“To bring them here, the portal would need to be opened, and for them to leave, the portal would also need to be opened. Can I leave with them?" “You may, if the portal lets you through," Chancellor Vesper says, taking quick strides that I can't keep up with. "I'd advice you not to count on it.” "Why?" "If it brought you here in the first place, then it will not take you anywhere else." Rune left a couple of seconds ago to attend to royal matters, he had said. His shitty grin remains in my head through, and it absolutely annoying. "Why host the games now? It is horrible timing," I mutter under my breath but I can tell that Chancellor Vesper hears me when his shoulders tighten slightly. I brace myself for a harsh rebuke but instead, he stops in front of his door and cocks his head as he observes me. "What do you think?" Is he being serious? I pull at the hem of my blouse nervously as I say, "I don't know." His dark eyes skim over me. "Think out the box, Blackwood. For a royal,
I take laps beside Darian, trying so hard not to look left. He is there. Ginevra is there. They sure are doing something because I can hear Ginevra moaning all the way over here. The sounds make the fine hair on my skin rise and it doesn't matter how nice and cool the water is. I keep feeling hot all over, also in places I cannot describe. "Would you like a drink?" Darian asks while I seat on the slated edge of the pool, kicking at the water that has taken on a beautiful blue hue. "Yeah," I say, suddenly feeling parched. Darian asks Maya as well but I can hardly hear anything past Ginevra's girly giggle and the sharp sigh that leaves her lips when Rune's fingers caress her inner thigh. A sharp sigh leaves my lips and I catch myself biting on my lower lip, nearly wishing I were in her place. What is wrong with me? I grip my fists hard enough to hurt, forcing my gaze elsewhere. "This is awkward," Maya whispers, sliding closer to
*Rune* The water is soothing for most. For me, nothing can ever be soothing. I watch her wade in the water and make a fool of herself. I despise her, but it goes farther than cutting her hair and poisoning me when we were children. The feeling of hate is mutual, but a lot of other feelings are mutual. Feelings that will never come to fruition because of what I am and what she is. All they fear, all they run from, all they fight against lives within me, breathes within me. An entity of darkness that I cannot control. A being of evil that I have become one with. Not by choice, of course. She is our love. Our redemption. Our curse. Bound by duty, bound by a curse. Of the Goddess's making, I am not quite sure. I was born this way. With this evil living within me. I have kept it at bay for as long as I can, but the thinner the veil gets, the lesser hold I have over him. For this same reason, I cannot have her. I'll only kill her. Again.
The following days were a blur for me. Classes, training, more training and the likes. To think I had referred to regular training as grueling. Training for the Games is much, much worse. The first few hours felt like death and I have been going at it for days now. To represent Lycan School, I’d have to be at least on the level of an average lycan.Which of course, I am not.By the end of the week, with little to no progress, Chancellor Vesper strikes my name off the register. That’d make me the first royal who is unfit to participate in the Games. The first royal who cannot represent her people.Frankly, I don’t care. If it means I’ll get more sleep at night.We have not lost any more students in the last week but signs of rot have been noticed around the schools and in the realms. Suffice to say, the rot has begun.The Hekate has not visited my dreams since that night, but I find myself thinking about his words and what his motives could be. His name is all over my journals. My late