Again, when I took a swing at him, Tyron didn
’
t remain motionless. He ducked out of the way and grabbed me at the middle, tackling me to the floor and pinning me down in an odd position.
“
Thought no one knew, huh?
”
he whispered in my ear.
“
And you still hit like a girl. Lucky for you, I enjoy pain.
”
He held me down with his knees, and surprisingly, they weighed a ton
. He held my face to the sandy ground
as the other douche bags came around to kick at my sides.
I laughed.
“
You
’
re all pathetic. Stealing from a man who has to steal for himself, look at you.
”
As soon as the words were out, another kick landed in my side, bruis
ing my rib
s and knocking the air right out
of
my lungs
.
Arms lifted me to stand and I felt blood trickle down the side of my face. Though I probably looked like hell, I smiled in Tyron
’
s face and only allowed hi
m to see what I wanted him to: a
man who
’
d had enough of everything that he just didn
’
t give a damn anymore.
“
We
’
ll see who
’
s pathetic when you
’
re fighti
ng for your useless little life,
”
Tyron spat.
Through the haze that had formed in my mind, I managed to ground out,
“
You wouldn
’
t.
”
It wasn
’
t a question, more like a challenge. Tyron was tough on the outside, but his interior reeked of fear. By the look on his face, I knew I had him.
He grunted and kicked me in the stomach. I coughed up blood and
spit, the gods-
awful
aftertaste of iron and copper drying out the taste buds in my mouth.
“
I may not, but I know someone who wouldn
’
t hesitate to throw
your ass in the chambers,
”
Tyron said.
“
Who?
”
one of his friends asked stupidly. I co
uldn
’
t help but
laugh.
“
Tyron, you
’
re what, nineteen? You
’
re young, you still have time to redeem the crap of a life you
’
ve lived and get a new one. Grab opportunities and go, right?
”
I laughed again, savoring the way it got him so upset.
“
If you think about it, we
’
re both wasting precious time we obviously don
’
t have.
”
“
Shut up!
”
Tyron finally screamed.
“
You scream like a girl.
”
“
I do not!
”
I sighed.
“
Then what was that?
”
Tyron screamed again and
stooped
down to my
slumped
level. He grabbed my throat with a beefy hand and pressed his fingers hard against my jugular.
“
I
’
m about two seconds away from gutting you with a knife. Give me my money before this gets messy.
”
“
So this,
”
I pointed to my face with a throbbing finger,
“
isn
’
t messy?
”
His hands tightened on my
throat and I t
ried to flex the muscles to let way for air, but Tyron wasn
’
t budging.
“
The money, Ayden.
”
He glanced up at his guys.
“
Search him.
”
They dropped me to the floor and began searching me for the money. It felt oddly like déjà vu, and I just needed to hurl.
“
We got to stop running into each other and hiding out like this, Ty,
”
I teased.
“
Don
’
t you think this is a bit taboo? I mean, I didn
’
t know you were into the scandalous thing, but—
”
“
You
’
re all talk,
Grey. It
’
s shameful that your P
rincess had to go back
. W
e were actually thinking about stopping by to…play.
”
Tyron winked at me as the guys grew restless in their search.
His words that time got to me. One more
remark
about the P
rincess and I swear I was going to
hang him by his tongue.
“
What are you, jealous because I can actually get a girl to leave with me
willingly?
Or is that just something that runs in your blood?
”
I myself was growing restless of playing this stupid game with Tyron. My patience was running low and since breakfast, my mind had been caught somewhere between oblivion and Echo; both of which left me goaded and confused.
“
Well, what do we have here?
”
One of the guys reached into my pocket and dug out the
bleeding heart
necklace
. My own
heart
sped up thirtyfold and I could tell Tyron knew the necklace was important to me when I squirmed and reached for it. It was stupid, fighting for a necklace I
’
d really bought for no reason. But it held meaning, it helped me remember.
“
Give that to me!
”
I yelled. Tyron pressed a heavy foot to
my stomach and I quickly stopped struggling.
“
What
’
s this?
”
Tyron
took it from him and smiled down at me.
“
A necklace, how nice. I think I
’
ll take it for safe keeping.
”
“
No!
”
I shouted.
“
I
’
ll give you the money.
”
“
That
’
s more like it. Hand it over and I
’
ll give you the necklace.
”
Tyron tossed the necklace to the far side of the alley. As it hit the floor I
winced
, hoping the glass hadn
’
t shattered.
“
You have to move you
r
foot
first.
”
I smiled up at him and feigned innocence. He snapped his fingers at his
friends
and they crowded around me as Tryon released me from his hold. As soon as I coul
d breathe
again, I kicked forwa
rd at the guy in front of me and heard his knee pop. He fell to the floor with hi
s hands wrapped around his calf. B
efore the others had a chance to acknowledge him, I stood and punched Tyron in the face, elbowing another from behind.
There were only four aside from Tyron and two of them already lay cowering on the floor. My ribs ached and kept me from moving faster than I was, but I ignored the pain and set it aside for a time when I could handle it.
A feisty redhead charged me from the side and I easily side-kicked him in the groin, barely taking a step or two. He crumpled to the floor with the others
.
“
Silas would like you. You
’
re brave.
”
The last guy, short and skinny, stood at the end of the alley swinging a knife around in his hand.
People walked by outside, but once again, they wouldn
’
t dare to interfere. That
’
s what eons of inferiority does to people.
“
Is that so?
”
I watched his sloppy handwork with the knife. I was no swordsman
, but I could tell the difference
between an expert and
a
novice.
“
I
’
m not interested.
”
He charged for me in the little
distance there was in the alley
and poised the knife to strike. I frowned and shook my head.
He was a joke.
I spun to my right, my left coming up, and kicked him directly in the mouth before he had a chance to embarrass himself further. He dropped to the ground immediately, his hand covering his
swollen lips
.
“
Where did you learn to fight like that?
”
he whispered. When he removed his hand I saw that he
’
d lost a few teeth.
I reached down and took the knife from him.
“
I
’
ve had practice.
”
I stared down at Tyron still holding his nose. I guessed it must have hurt a lot since it was its second beating. Shaking my head, I
went to retrieve the necklace o
n the floor. It hadn
’
t shattered, but it was covered in mud. I wiped it off and kissed the smooth glass.
“
I…hate—
”
Tyron murmured from the floor.
“
Who
’
s all talk now?
”
I spat blood at him and limped my way out of the alley. Miss Bluejay stood by her parlor waiting for another customer, and I smiled when she set eyes on my face.
“
Ayden Grey. You leave for a minute and come back looking like you just got dragged through the streets?
”
I smiled and winked at her.
“
You could say that. Pie ready?
She sighed and reached behind her for the cherry pie wrapped in a brown bag.
“
Here. I put some extras for your mother. Tell her I said hello.
”
I took the bag from her and she watched the necklace in my hand.
“
And Ayden? Take care of yourself, please.
”
An unspoken message hung high in the air between us. I knew what she meant; she didn
’
t want me to end up like her husband. I nodded, knowing I was heading in that
exact
direction—to my infinite hell.
F I F T E E N
Echo
T
here
weren
’
t enough clouds in the sky, hearts in the garden, or hours spent in this bed to make me feel at home. Everything was foreign, a far off world I
’
d been living on, but had long detached myself from. The fabric of my stripped bed didn
’
t even feel familiar and my dressers, now bare and empty, had never seemed so worthless. I cried as if I had lost something, and in some way, I guess I did. But how do you mourn something you never had?
It
’
s psychological
, I told myself. You
just know when something is amiss, when you look at someone else and you long for something that is not yours or
you
cannot have. It
’
s an absence—a loss of a heart beat.
I
’
d lost my will then, any strength to go on. I not only mourned this nation, but anyone who dared to take me
away
from what little freedom I had left.
“
Echo,
”
someone called.
I
’
d heard my name, but that, too, sounded foreign. I stared blankly out my window
from my bed, desperately trying to figure out how I felt. I
’
d been so emotionally killed that I felt nothing at all.
“
Echo, you can
’
t stay in bed forever. Talk to me.
”
It was Everlae, of course. She took measured steps into my room, and I could only imagine the thoughts running through her mind at the sight of the mess. I felt the bed sink as she sat beside me, my back still to her. She put her hand on my shoulder and I immediately shied away.
“
Don
’
t touch me.
”
She sighed audibly, never being one
to
hide her frustration from me.
“
This is ridiculous, Echo. It
’
s been three days and you
’
ve done nothing but lie in bed all day and sulk. Do you not pity yourself?
”
I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. I
’
d been three days? The moon had fallen and the sun had risen so much that I lost track of time. Time ceased to matter anyway, when my being here had no meaning.
“
You have a rehearsal today,
”
Ever whispered. I could tell she was making a
hard effort to get me out of the
funk. She glanced around the room and tried again.
“
What can I say or do to make this go away for you, Echo?
”
That time, the words came to me easily.
“
You can stop making it seem as if this can actually go away. How do you even suppose that
’
s possible?
”
I turned to her
, eyes swollen from all the tears I
’
d shed.
“
Quit being such a baby. I don
’
t understand where you possible got this attitude from. You fight everything and it
’
s just not making sense, Echo. What happened to you?
”
Everlae
’
s voice had taken on a different octave and she stared at me in disbelief.
“
I found a reason to fight, Ever. Father has locked us all in his own world where it
’
s sunny all the time and no one can be harmed. There are more important things than being Queen or fashionable jewelry. There is no love, at all, in my arranged marriage. I haven
’
t the furthest clue about you, but I dare walk this world alone and happy if that is what it takes.
”
I hadn
’
t even known it, but tears slipped down my cheeks and I had to quickly rub them away.
“
I refuse to take part in the destruction of a nation so blind it cannot see that even its own people are struggling to stay alive.
”
Everlae
’
s eyes were hard and cold. She looked at me as if
a stranger sat before her
.
“
Who are you? Where
’
s my little sister who loved this place and dreaded ever leaving?
”
I stared at her, reading her. Her eyes never left mine.
“
She
’
s dead, Everlae.
”
A tear fell from her eyes and she quickly rubbed it away with the sleeve of her sweater.
“
To tell you the truth, whoever you are, I
’
m not sure how much I like you.
”
Shaking my head, I said,
“
You don
’
t mean that. I
’
m the only person you consider liable, the only one you trust.
I
’
ve never lied to you, Ever, and I won
’
t start now. You
’
re better than this, you need to grow up. If there
’
d ever been a reason to doubt this family, you have to believe me when I say there is more to this world—
so
much more. More than anything Silas could ever offer you.
”
“
How do you know?
”
“
Do you want to know a secret?
”
I asked, smiling. Ever shrugged.
“
I left, Everlae. With a boy, and he took me to Old Haven. I felt free for the first time; you just had to see it there. I mean, they all lived so poorly, but I wasn
’
t burdened or worried that I shouldn
’
t be out alone. I slept on a bed that wasn
’
t downed in expensive fabric and you should have seen the place where he lived. It wasn
’
t much, but it was home for him.
”
I smiled to myself, speaking the words from memory as if I could taste them.
“
That sounds so…
”
Ever rolled the words around in her mouth,
“
so different.
”
My forehead furrowed at her choice of words.
“
No, you don
’
t understand. The place was different, yes, but the people weren
’
t. I
’
ve
only
just
met him, of course, but—
”
“
This is the boy Mother was talking about? The one from Old Haven who works in the garden?
”
She
’
d said the words like she just wanted to get them out of her mouth.
“
Yes, but—
”
“
You should stay away from him. He
’
s a thief and a liar, Echo. You heard what Miss Othman said. He can hurt you, is that what you want?
”
Everlae
’
s hand came to my cheek and I pushed her sympathy away.
“
No, he
’
s not
those things
by choice. We make him do those things, stealing and lying, just so he can make a living.
”
I paused.
“
Ever, he made me feel things I
’
ve never felt before. Is it even possible to be angry and so possibly in love with someone?
”
Everlae slid off of the bed and shook her head at me.
“
You sho
uldn
’
t say that. In love, Echo?
You are only
seventeen
and you want to talk about love?
”
I frowned.
“
It
’
s not too early for my parents to marry me off for their own sake, though, is it? And I don
’
t know what love is, but Ayden just gets to me. I hate him with a burning passion equivalent to a thousand suns, but he
’
s all I think about. He
’
s different.
”
Speaking of him reminded me that in the past three days, he hadn
’
t been here at all. I watched for him outside my window, but he never showed. I wondered if it was because of me and
I
felt horrible
for it
.
A
small part of me still hated him for making me come back, but the bigger part couldn
’
t stand his absence. Ayden had quickly become a part of me, and now that he was gone, it was slowly killing me.
“
He has a name now, does he?
”
Ever asked.
I sighed and said,
“
Yes, they have those things. And they have schools and houses, too
.
”
I raked my fingers through my hair and pulled out the
golden pins
.
“
I want to go back with him.
”
“
Don
’
t, Echo. You
’
ve caused this family so much! Why?
”
Everlae pleaded.
“
That
’
s what I want. And as soon as I find him, Ever, I
’
m going with him.
”
A
rap on the door made Ever turn from me and the young maid walked into the room.
“
They
’
ve requested your presence in the garden, Princess.
”
She noticed Ever in the room and bowed.
“
Oh, good evening to you Princess Everlae.
”
I glanced over at Ever and watched her stare down at the floor with tears in her eyes. The maid watched her as well.
“
Please, just call me Echo. And who has?
”
“
Your father, the King.
”
“
I
’
m not going,
”
I said.
“
Oh, but you must,
”
Ever retorted.
“
Three days have been long enough. You dare push Father
’
s patience?
”
The maid took that as her time to leave and ducked quickly out of the room.
“
I
’
m staying right here,
”
I murmured.
“
I don
’
t care if you have to put on a show, but you act happy and try your best to not ruin this family, for gods sake, Echo!
”
“
That makes no damn sense. How do you ruin something already in the process of
ruining
itself?
”
Everlae fell silent and I watched her move to the door. She gripped the door knob tightly.
“
I once told you that
I
envied you, Echo, and that has not changed, But now I mourn you and fear the person you
’
re becoming.
”
“
I
’
m not
submissive, Everlae. I
’
ll tell you the truth, I
’
m not sure whose blood runs through my v
eins, but it is not a Warrior
’
s,
and it runs hot.
”
Everlae shook her head, wiped the tears from her eyes, and left.
I refused to feel sorry for her or even myself. Whether she believed I
’
d chosen right or wrong, I
’
d made up my mind. I wasn
’
t going to be the little girl who did everything everyone told her to do anymore. I didn
’
t care if I was alone, cold, or naïve. I
’
d play along for now, but I wasn
’
t marrying Noah. I was sure of that.
I stumbled from the bed, the soles of my feet numb and raw from days of not moving. My mirror hung on the wall in front of me and I realized it was the only thing that survived my tantrum
the night before
. I swept my hair to one shoulder and touched my neck. I stared into my blue, bottomless eyes and wanted to cry again.
The only
thing that could
have made the pain go away was Ayden.
Ayden
. He was all I could think about.