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Paedyn
It was a surprise to no one when Kai won the trials. That was what was expected of him after all, and as much as it only angered me to see the King get what he desired so much, I was no where near as disappointed as I should've been. I'd been told of the torment Kai had to endure simply to satisfy his father's demands, and I hoped that he'd gained some form of acceptance now that he'd won. It was what the trials were for, were they not?
I never wanted to win, simply to survive.
And I did.
But now I had a much larger problem. They wanted the alive contestants to remain a little longer for post-trial interviews, and I did. The questions were as I'd expected:
"Are you surprised you managed to survive the trials?"
"What's in store for you next?"
"Any last words for us before you leave the castle?"
The walk back to the castle was ridiculously underwhelming for such a large achievement. Yes, the crowds were large as they tried to get a glimpse of us, but many didn't care. After all, we weren't the ones who won. At the end of the day, we were nobodies, and we're to be treated as such.
I stepped foot into the room I'd basically considered mine for three months. I didn't expect the weird pit that formed in my stomach, and I definitely didn't expect it to form as a certain stormy eye'd man flickered through my mind. As much as it pained me to admit, he'd become a part of my life that didn't feel right to leave behind. My dreams now consisted of flirty smiles and careful touches in the dark, moments that marked my soul permanently. His existence has ruined me; intertwining, twisting, burrowing so deep into my own that it's sometimes suffocating.
I told him that I would be his undoing, but I'm starting to think that he's become mine.
But now I have leave and forget all about the Prince. It should be an easy feat. Should.
Adena's side of the room has been cleared, since she left the night of the last ball. I was paranoid, and quite frankly didn't want her hanging around any longer than necessary. (A/N: The stars are bright enough 🥲 I couldn't kill her.) I had one more night here before all the contestants who didn't live in the castle before needed to leave. Which meant one last night of luxury.
Suddenly, the door swung open and hit the wall with a bang, and a flurry of red hair shot into the room and began shoving me towards the bathroom. I protested a little but relented, as it was clear he'd either lost his mind or something was terribly wrong.
Lenny slammed the bathroom door shut, locking it with a click. Then he immediately turned to me with an expression that made my blood run cold. "I don't have a lot of time, but they know, Peadyn. They know about me, about the rest of them, and about you."
"About me? What are you talking about?"
"They. Know. Everything. The king got a hold of a fatal. A mind reader. They've been-" His voice chokes off with a pained sound as he begins pacing the length of the bathroom, leaving me to slowly but surely watch as the world spins around me. My ears ring. "All I know is they're planning on executing you the moment you step foot into the carriage tomorrow. You need to leave, tonight."
Kai
Turns out glory isn't as glorious as they say, cause from the moment I stepped off the arena I've been in meetings all day, preparation for the switch to enforcer. It seemed rather fruitless, considering I'd been doing the same thing for years, just without the official title. I'd imagined the day for months, and yet I wasn't expecting the reality of it. My father gave me a pat on the back. I'd almost flinched.
He gave me a small smile, but there was no real pride there. I felt rather empty at the end of it all. I found myself craving a rather particular sort of company, which may or may not have included a head of silver hair and sharp words.
I'd tried to catch up to her after the trial, but she slipped from my sight at the last second. I wasn't ashamed to admit that I mostly wanted to see those pretty blue eyes on mine one more time before I lost her for good. To drown in her presence once more before she was torn from my grasp by the very man who refused to release me from his. I knew he wouldn't allow her to stay in the castle afterwards, yet the mere idea of not being able to wake up and see her sent a dull pain through my chest that wouldn't ease no matter what I did.
The hold she had on me was akin to a claw wrapped around my heart, and she had the ability to push and pull at whim. I was almost positive she didn't know the depth of her effect on me, and it was both endearing and tragically infuriating. How could someone so intelligent be so clueless about how frighteningly captivating they were? She was the first thing on my mind when i woke up, and at night I made sure she was the last.
I'd made up my mind. She couldn't leave, not without me fighting her the whole way. And while the plan I'd made up was miserable and would probably end up ineffective, I couldn't let her slip away. The trials were over, but my infatuation with her wasn't. I'd beg on my knees if I had to, even if she had every right to run and leave me and my mess behind.
I counted on her being awake, late into the night, as I slipped from my bedroom and manoeuvred my way through the winding halls until I found her room. I stopped dead in my tracks when I very quickly realised that maybe we'd had similar ideas as she was already slipping from her room. Until I realised something odd.
She was dressed in her old clothing and carrying her bag, already packed.
"Going somewhere, Gray?" I asked as I strolled out of the shadows and into the middle of the hallway. My tone was teasing, hiding the curdle of confusion and suspicion. She spun, her wide eyes landing on me. Her dagger was out and pointed in my direction before I took another step. I put my hands up in a surrender, pausing my approach. "Damn, I thought we were past this by now. Guess not."
"If you're here to kill me-"
"Kill you?" My eyebrows furrowed, searching her eyes that stared me down. Initially I assumed it was teasing, but I'm not dumb, I noticed the fear in her eyes and the way her knuckles went white around the grip of her dagger. "Why would you think I'd be here to kill you?"
The flicker of confusion and surprise on her face had my back straightening. "You don't know," she whispered. Most likely to herself, but the words carried regardless. My eyes narrowed, and it must've been obvious because she quickly retracted her dagger and took a step away from me. My mind worked quickly, putting things together to try and form some semblance of an idea.
"What don't I know? Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving."
"Now?" Shit, this was not going to plan whatsoever. What on earth is going on? "Correct me if I'm wrong- which I'm not, by the way- you're supposed to be staying for an extra night."
"I can't." Her words were quiet, as though she were scared of being overheard. "I need to leave."
How was I supposed to tell her that I didn't want her to go, now that she was so clearly running away in front of my eyes? How was I supposed to tell her that the air I breathed would be toxic if she wasn't breathing it as well? I simply settled for saying, "Don't leave. Stay. For one more night."
The mask on her face slipped for a millisecond, and the fear behind her eyes caught me off guard. Oh, Pae. Let me into that beautiful head of yours. But before I could comment, she'd slipped it right back on.
I expected something else, maybe a rejection or an explanation, but no. She turns and begins to leave. Technically she had position to leave now the trials are over, but like a fool I lunged forward, grabbing her wrist with a gentle tug. The words fell from my lips as a plea, as a desperate attempt at fixing what seemed to be broken. "Please, Pae. Stay. I want- need you- to stay."
She froze, her body tensing. Maybe it was a sign that what I felt was one sided, even if I'd spent this whole time seeing otherwise; so I slowly released her wrist. And then she said, without looking at me, "I'm an Ordinary, Kai." She'd said it so quietly that I thought I was hearing things.
"Oh please, Paedyn, you're far from ordinary-"
"No, I'm an Ordinary. I'm not a psychic, I'm not an elite, and I'm not who you think I am." She spun to face me, my feet planted into the earth and paralysed. "I lied. I am not who you think I am," she repeated. She didn't have to. I heard her devastatingly clear the first time. I felt myself falling, plummeting, my world tilting on it's axis.
The claw tightened, pulled, ripped, yet wouldn't budge. I watched her take a step back. Paedyn Gray. I wasn't thinking as I took a step back, the opposite direction to where I should've been going. I should've already moved to take her down. She should be dead at my feet already. Move, move, move. I couldn't look away from her, even as it shredded me to pieces. I tried to make myself see her differently; to see her the way I saw every other Ordinary. But how could I? Her words may have been fake, but the silkiness of her skin wasn't. Her pretty words were still pretty. The effect she has on me is still so very real.
"Go." The words burned my throat. "Leave."
And she did.
And I didn't follow.