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  “That I am.” He sounded sombre. “Not that I want to be nor is it my choice. It was arranged at my birth and honestly, I’ve never met the woman. My father gave me the choice to marry her now or to take a couple of years off and work for the Inperium as good favour for the kingdom and then I marry her when I get back to the kingdom.” He answered trying to explain.

  “Sounds like you have it all sorted out.” I was a little cold.

  “I wish I did.” He said softly.

  “Why did your father want you to come here?” I asked curious.

  “Well, in the country where my father rules in the kingdom Oblituus is very different to your world here. The Inperium is regarded as this super amazing group of people. My father is a hybrid, but he was never allowed to join the Inperium as he was the next in line to the throne. I think I told you that before.” I nodded that he had. “He met my mother who was in the Inperium during a diplomatic mission that was going on. His first wife died in childbirth with my older brother. So, my father married my mother and they had me. She died a few years ago though. She used to tell me these amazing stories about the Inperium. It was set that I would marry my ‘fiancé’ when I turned twenty-five, I begged my father to let me come here and eventually he gave me the ultimatum. For me two years of service is not enough.” He sighed. Maybe it was not as easy for him as everyone said, I thought.

  “I see.” I said when he had finished. “Can’t you stand up to him about your arranged marriage?” I considered.

  “No, it is a diplomatic wedding. To back out would be to declare war.” He was sad. “I wish I was free to give someone else my heart.” I could feel him draw closer to me. He leaned in, his lips almost touching mine.

  “We can’t.” I stated pulling back quickly, knowing how easy it would be to lean into the handsome Prince and start something with him. I would be opening myself up to pain and heart break later. I wanted him to kiss me, but I knew how complicated it would get if he did. I finished the rest of the wine, about a third of the bottle, in one go. Standing up and grabbing my shoes I began to walk back to the dorm room. “It’s been nice chatting to you, your highness.” I walked away and towards the dorm not looking backwards. Royal drama was not something I needed in my life along with everything else going on.

  ✽✽✽

  The arch was in front of me. I watched as the water wall turned black. Rotten. It spat and spewed outwards roughly; the air heavy with decay. The people around me all looked at me disgusted. An old woman drenched in gold, screamed. Colt shook his head at me, and the Prince turned his back. I was being shunned. William stood on a podium pointing for me to be taken away. Blood covered hands were on me, covering my eyes, my mouth, pulling at my clothes. Tearing at my soft skin. Grabbing me and dragging me. Pulling me into darkness.

  I felt the smooth concrete as I landed on my knees. The door behind me slammed and faded away so all that remained were four concrete walls. I screamed in the darkness. The silence of them deafened my ears but my screams made the room shake. Audible cracks happened around me and small pieces of wall crumbled out from the lines and light flooded in. I crawled to the nearest one and looked out seeing people from the Inperium gathered. I shouted out to them and they all turned to face me. They all pointed at me, grim and grotesque looks spread across their faces.

  The ground beneath me began to emit a low rumble. Cracks were forming in the stone at my feet and the world started shaking. The floor was crumbling into dust and rubble revealing a sharp and deep ravine below the room. I clung to every available surface, but the walls were too slippery. So little of the ground remained. I slipped down, desperately grabbing at the rock that turned in to sand in my hands. People surrounded the room peering in through the holes and cracks in the walls. Laughing at my misfortune.

  Then I fell.

  28

  Viola

  2am 11th September 2025

  A black sack covered my eyes and hands held my arms pulling me upright. The fabric was rough and scratchy, and I struggled against my attackers as I felt my body leave the bed and find the floor below me. I could not scream or shout through the cotton which had been shoved in my mouth. I could barely breathe through it. The carpet burning at my dragging feet. I kicked out, finding nothing but air in front of me. I kicked harder. The fabric was hot and thick against my face, the oxygen limited causing me to panic. My heel connected with the back of someone’s knee and I felt them drop slightly. They still did not let go. The other attacker hissed at the one who had stumbled. The sound was too muffled to make out who it was. We moved forward quickly; I could make out the light of the corridor as we got to the door of the dorm. I wondered why the others were not waking up, but then I remembered the amount of alcohol they had all drank at the ball. I struggled harder. Scratching and kicking. A hand pushed my head forcefully and it smacked against the door frame. Stinging hard. I went limp as the burning pain in my head took over. I felt the steady trickle of liquid down my face some of it wicked away by the black cloth. My whole head felt hazy from the wound, but I was determined to stay lucid. They dragged me out of the dormitory building and into the campus grounds. My feet bit into the gravel at they dragged me over it. I felt the cold air, it almost made me shiver as a breeze picked up around us. I was hoping that someone would be outside on the grounds and see what was happening and stop them. A member of staff or a soldier who would question what was going on. Would they even stop it if they knew it was happening to a hybrid? I questioned. I was growing increasingly worried about what was going to happen to me when we reached our final destination. We were heading to the main building. I thought perhaps it was some hazing ritual, but it seemed way to rough and nobody seemed to be having any fun. They always showed hazing as fun in the movies. They climbed the stairs with me struggling a little bit. I do not think that they had factored in the weight of a person and having to drag said person up several flights of stairs. So, I could work out that they were not the cleverest of people.

  A metal door was slammed open and I was thrown forward. The ground was rough as I hit and slid along it, and I could hear bats in the distance. I was on the roof.

  “So glad you could join us Viola.” The bag was roughly torn from my head and Lance stood before me grinning. I was visibly shaking. I placed a hand to my head to feel the abrasion there and felt more concerned when I looked at the amount of blood smeared on my fingers. My head throbbed right down into my neck. It was making it hard to focus.

  “What is this?” I croaked as the cotton wad was torn from my mouth leaving it dry.

  “You aren’t going to be staying with the Inperium any longer I’m afraid.” Lance laughed.

  “What?” I frowned.

  “I have been asked to discharge you from the organisation.” He said formally.

  “By who?” He ignored my question and continued on.

  “Now do we have some fun with you before we kill you or should we just kill you? I can’t decide. What do you think?” Lance was sniggering. Enjoying every moment. His accomplices held me as Lance stepped forward and placed his hand on my neck, slowly tracing his fingers down my body, it made me feel physically nauseous.

  “I would like some fun.” One of the attackers that had dragged me to the roof, spoke, trying to join in on what was happening. He wore a balaclava so I could not tell who he is. It was obvious it was one of Lance’s friends though. One of the human recruits who had recently passed their tests, I suspected it was Buggy. I was frozen in place unsure of what to do.

  “I wouldn’t touch her.” The other attacker said disgusted. “She is scum.” She kicked me hard in the back of the knee and I winced as I fell forward away from Lance’s wandering touch. “You wouldn’t want to taint yourself.” She was big and burley under the balaclava and I knew it was Chelsea. The girl I had fought and lost to in the last day of training. I think deep down she was trying to save me from what Lance and Buggy clearly wanted to do to me.

  “That is understandable.
” Lance agreed. “She isn’t worth it. Ugly cow.” Lance spat on me and I felt like crying with fear and anger. I could not understand what kind of a person would organise such a terrible attack on someone else. He lurched forward and punched me in the gut hard. The others dropped me I placed my hand on the ground beneath me, steadying myself as a wave of dizziness swept over me.

  I took a deep breath trying to hold back my emotions thinking that this was the end. It had to be.

  “You see I cannot make my mind up about you, Viola.” Lance was pacing in front of me. My head continued to throb, threatening to pull me into unconsciousness. “On one hand you intrigue me. The girl that was lost to the Inperium has returned and been found worthy! On the other hand, you threaten me and my position here and I think that you should perhaps be returned to a lost state. Like you were before.” He was talking to himself like he considered himself important. “Everyone has just been so nice to you and treated you like you should be welcomed back with open arms. Honestly, the story that everyone seems to forget is that your parents were traitors to this organisation. At least that is what everyone used to say. Now you should tell me, is that true? Their portraits do not even hang the hall of remembrance here. Did you know that? There are guards’ portraits and portraits of human assistants in that room, but your parents, these apparently important hybrids from an old Inperium team do not even feature. Doesn’t seem right does it?” He finished his narcissistic rant and placed his focus firmly back on me.

  “Just let me go, you asshole. This isn’t funny.” I spat. I needed to keep him talking until someone realised, I was missing. I was praying that Colt was planning one of his late-night visits.

  “Oh, I agree it is not funny at all. I am not a man who likes humour. I am serious about making sure you do not bother us at the Inperium again. I’m just doing something that people like Director Dubois are too fearful to do. I’m loyal to the Inperium” He crouched down in front of me. “Now what do we do with you?” He asked close to my face. Stroking the cheek that was unstained by blood. He leant forward and licked blood from the other. I shuddered. He was sick.

  “Go to hell!” I said through gritted teeth. I could not even try anymore. I was done.

  “I think you should go first.” He laughed and took a hold of me by my hair, dragging me to the edge of the building. His buddies helped by grabbing my arms behind me to help move me.

  “You are not loyal.” I shouted as they dragged me. “You are a coward. There is three of you, attacking me whilst I sleep. It’s pathetic.” I continued half screaming at him.

  “No Viola, you are the pathetic one. Not being able to handle the Inperium and all the new changes. Climbing to the roof and jumping to your death because you could not cope.” Lance said in a soothing voice stroking my hair as he had stopped to shut me up.

  We reached the ledge, one of the guys behind moved in front of me to help aid Lance in pulling me over the ledge and I kicked him hard in the back just at the right moment and angle and he fell forwards, letting me go. The momentum pushed him headfirst over the ledge. A dull thud echoed from the ground. My stomach lurched with guilt. Had I just killed someone?

  Suddenly my whole body felt alive. My mind cleared. A fog that had sat there slowly fading. I closed my eyes and let the truth surge forward. I felt the energy flow to my eyes, and I knew they must have glowed bright green as I was awakened. I knew who I was.

  Thoughts filled my head, but I pushed them down as I launched forward with a punch that smacked Lance in a very sensitive area below his belt. Surprised the last attacker let go of me and I made a break for it, stumbling across the roof. Lance was fast behind me; he had recovered quickly. He pulled my hair again and yanked me backwards into him. The force almost pulling me off my feet.

  A sharp pinch began in my side and I winced. It burned as Lance pulled away. I looked down to see a growing blood stain on my t-shirt. Lance’s remaining lacky pulled back, she glanced over the ledge at her friend who must have lain at awful angles on the gravel. She looked at the blood on my shirt, concern spreading across her face as she realised what Lance had done. The small blade in his hand soaked his fingers with my blood. He licked at it like a demented cat.

  “You stabbed her!” She exclaimed. “It won’t look like an accident now.” She shook her head. Lance pushed her to the ground, angry at her insolence. He punched her in the face, rage taking over. As he began to kick her over and over again until she stopped responding to his beating. My body and instinct took over and I attacked him. I don’t even remember exactly what happened. Once he was down. I took it as my opportunity to escape and ran. I half fell, half ran down the stairs in the main building. Reaching the front door and wrenching it open tumbling out and down the front stairs on the grass. I could see the lifeless figure of the one that fell from the roof on the ground in front of me. I did not stop even though my mind was screaming at me to check if he was alive. My whole body hurt as I stumbled across the gravel. I was not sure what my plan was, but I headed towards the dorms. It was the only place I could think to get too, the people I trusted. I reached building quickly luckily seeing no one was behind me. I had a choice to make I could choose the stairs to the basement and the dorm where everyone was sleeping or up to Colt’s room. The option was just in front of me. I tried to make it to the first step, my choice clear but my body would not allow it. A searing pain surged through my body. I was not sure if my side or my head stopped me, but my legs buckled. The world was fading out as I collapsed the ground.

  29

  Viola

  5am 11th September 2025

  A face loomed above me as his voice soothed me and begged me to look at him. I whimpered like a hurt animal and tried to move away, terrified it was Lance trying to finish the job. Knowing he would still be out for blood. My head throbbed and my side burned. In fact, my whole body just ached. I just wanted to sleep forever, for it all to be over. I opened my eyes so that I could see the end. I would at least give myself that.

  Searching dark eyes. Colt

  “Thank the bloody stars.” He sighed as he saw my open eyes. “I thought you were dead.” Colt stared at me. “What happened to you?” Concern filled his face as he looked at the wound on my head. A plaid shirt had already been placed to my side, an attempt to stem the blood that leaked from my body.

  “Colt?” It was all I could muster.

  “It’s ok. It is only me.” He smiled at me, trying to reassure me.

  “What… what are you doing here?” My words were barely audible.

  “I was going out for my early morning run, I do it every day, remember.” He answered honestly. I nodded. “Please tell me what happened, Viola?” He asked again.

  “I was dragged out of bed, they tried to throw me off the roof of the big old building, but I got away.” I whispered.

  “Barely, judging by the look of you.” He looked almost sad. “Who did this?”

  “Lance and… friends.” I realised I did not even know who the other people were. “We have to move; they could be looking for me.”

  “I have to get you some help. I will run over to the infirmary and see if I can find someone.” He stood up.

  “No.” I exhaled. “You can’t, they will be there.” I panicked. “I fought hard. You would have been proud.” I laughed to myself and blood drooled out of my mouth. “That can’t be good.” I said noticing it.

  “Well what the hell do I do?” He looked unsure. “Viola, you are losing a lot of blood.” He lifted the shirt he had placed there just enough to see the small deep slit in my side.

  “I don’t know” I breathed, feeling sleepy again. “I need to go now.” I smiled, an odd sense of calm upon me.

  “I suppose I can’t leave you here if they are looking for you.” Colt moved quickly and lifted me into his arms. I placed my arm around his neck instinctively. He was strong. He darted up the stairs to where his room was. Juggling me to open the door. He placed me on the bed and sat next to me. He brushed
more hair off my face. He looked me up and down and busied himself grabbing some towels. He placed one on my side replacing his stained shirt, putting my hand on it to hold it tight and dabbed the other at my head gently.

  “I need to get you some help.” I looked at him. I lifted the towel that was on my side which had a growing blood stain. It was not looking good. I did not want to have to leave me but was also realised that I did not want to die. “I do not want to leave you.” He looked me in the eyes as if searching beyond them for some grand answer.

  “I need more help than a simple band aid can give me, and you cannot help me. Get Tristan, he will know what to do.” I said defeated.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He placed a kiss on my forward and dashed out of the room. Closing the door to his room softly.

  “I know you will” I said after him.

  ✽✽✽

  Voices surrounded me. I recognised them all, but they brought me no comfort. I did not understand why I could hear so many voices I had only asked Colt to find Tristan and not all the hybrids. I didn’t want to open my eyes.

  “Is she breathing.”

  “Who did this?”

  “That’s a lot of blood.”

  “Is it all hers?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Don’t, I feel sick.”

  “Well it is. Is she alive?”

  The words bounced around the room. I gave in and opened my eyes. I looked at the people they belonged too. Everyone’s face had a matching level of concern.

  “I’m alive.” I murmured and they all turned to me shocked. Colt had a small damp flannel and was attempting to clean blood off my face. James was at my side holding a towel covered in blood. He looked as pale as I felt. I felt my cheeks flush red realising I was wearing only my underwear and a T-shirt. Doe paced up and down. She stopped when she eyed my uniform drying on the back of Colt’s desk chair. I must have left it there when I had been in his room before. She narrowed her knowing eyes at me.