Contradicting Worlds

That"s the last thing I could recall before the world turns black and before Leo dropped the bombsh.e.l.l right in front of my face.

A fresh old tear escapes from my eyes as a sudden wave of deja vu hits me. Ancient feelings fill my center. Grief is not new to me as well as emptiness, sadness and the feeling of being alone again. But somehow they still manage to cut another contemporary wound inside me.

I thought I have prepared myself for this after Elisa and Chelssey but I thought wrong. Because when I saw Mica stumble to the ground with blood covering her body, a part of me died along with her, a part that I thought I have lost when Elisa and Chelssey pa.s.sed away, but I was all wrong.

Her face burns in the back of my mind. Memories take me back to the first time I"ve seen her. It was a week after Chelssey died and I didn"t know what to do so I just wander around the forest. I didn"t even care if a warrior caught me and decided to slaughter me, all I know is that I want my misery to end. One night, I got so careless that I slept on the ground not even bothering to camouflage myself in the dead leaves. I have woken up with someone dragging me by my hair so hard my eyes started to burn.

I thought I was ready to die but at that moment, I want nothing but to keep breathing. So I decided then that I will continue on my life in the motivation of getting my revenge for Chelssey"s death. That night had become my first kill. That was also the night when I found out about my ability. I didn"t know what to do with the body nor the fact that I have something inside me.

I panicked right as Mica decided to make an appearance. She came with a cloak covering her body, the hood is drawn over her head and since it was night time, I can"t see her face clearly. She has swords and weapons, knives things like that.

She helped me disposed of the body. She started helping me a lot by then and she decided that we became friends. I was reluctant at first because she works for the government but as I get to know her I realize that she has no harm. That"s when I swore to protect her in order to return the favor of what she did the night we first met. And I failed her just like how she failed to keep her promise not to leave me alone.

I bit back all the sobs threatening to come out of me because I don"t want to cry. I want to scream until my lungs burn out until my throat feels sore from doing so. I want to lash out. I want to release this, whatever it is that I am feeling.

I force my eyes open and instantly blurs with tears forcing their way out of me. I want to badly wipe them off, but my hands are tied above my head and my lower limbs are crossed over each other so that they are tied with one rope. I have no choice but to shake my head vigorously from side to side in the hope to keep my vision back again.

Once I have my sight back, I force my past behind me and my eyes instantly scan the room but there"s nothing to see except for this bed I am on. This room is huge and the base from how the high-ceiling is filled with fancy looking chandeliers, I am sure that I am still inside the city and I am inside the castle. I try and failed to find an escape or something to help me to cut these ropes.

There are no pillows either nor a blanket, just a plain white bed. I have never felt so utterly alone and hopeless and useless in my entire life until now.

A door creak made me broke from my bad reverie. Every muscle in my body tightens in response. I brace myself when the least cold voice I want to hear greeted me. "You"re finally awake, I see."

"Yeah, sorry to disappoint you." I keep my voice as neutral as possible.

"A joker as always."

"What do you want?" I snap. She"s really getting on my nerves now and my palms are getting itchy to strangle her. She"s acting like we are having a fudging normal conversation which irritates me more.

"Simple," she started. "Very simple actually. I want you to work for me." She said without beating around the bush.

"Not gonna happen," I reply without missing a beat. "Not in a million years. NO. Not in forever. Not in eternity." I shake my head strongly. There"s no way in heavens that I am going to agree with that.

"Of course, of course." I can practically see her smiling though I am not looking at her. "An offer always comes with an agreement right? What do they call it in the past? Barter. That"s it. Let"s barter." This is the time where I feel like I will be forced to do what she says. I don"t like where this is going. I know what she"s going to say before she even says it. "You will work for me and you will have your memories back."

"What?!" Okay, maybe I was wrong because that is entirely different from what I thought she was going to say.

"I said, you will work for me and you will have your memories back. Your past." With that, my head whirls in her direction. She"s leaning on her back on the far wall of the room. Her normal black attire is now replaced with the white and grey the officials of government wear. Her hair hangs straightly behind her and her features look guarded.

The past. I remember what Leo said to me, it is my job as a royalty to know the truth about the past. If I work for the director, she will give me my memories back. My past. It is a tempting offer really but if I didn"t know her better I will actually give in.

"Memory? So you have our memory all along?" I scoff.

"Oh no! I don"t have your memory. I have what can bring back your memory." My eyes turn into slits as I narrow my eyes at her. "You see, in this world. I am powerful enough to give you back what you have always wanted and needed in order to survive."

"So you want me to work for you in exchange for my memories?"

"Uh-huh."

"In. Your. Fudging. Dreams!" I say each word with conviction and shout the last word that can send anyone who knows me toppling backward and bolting for the door. But she didn"t even flinch. She just stands there, looking calm and her expression is as hard as a stone can be. She stares at me and I stare back which was my mistake.

Every cell in my body is suddenly shaking from fear. Her eyes seem burning under her hooded gaze. I feel my eyes widen when she took a step towards me. Almost like, like I fear her.

I gasp out loud as realization dawns on me. "You know, I really don"t like people shouting at me. It"s like they are barking out directions I should follow." She"s walking leisurely towards me and I tremble all over. "And do you know what I hate the most in the world? It"s the feeling of inferiority." She gets to my face while I hold my breath as she leans in closer and closer. "I hate when people shout at me. I hate when someone gains more power than me. I hate it when someone is having what I want. I hate that. So don"t act like you are more superior to me because you don"t like getting on my bad side." She lifts up her face, square her shoulders so that she is looking down at me. "Let us forget about the deal. I change my mind. I realize that I don"t want to give your memories back. You will work for me whether you like it or not." With that, she spins around and stride over the door, slamming it shut.

I let out the breath that I have been holding and take consecutive handful ones.

My eyes flutter shut as I recall what just happened. The way her eyes gaze at me like she is killing me in the back of her head. The coldness and power in her voice had sent me reeling inside.

I have never been so scared in my entire fudging life as I came into conclusion. That woman has the same ability as me and she is more deadly than I imagine.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A knock came upon my door, startling me from my reading. Two warriors have come earlier shortly after she left me in my room to release from my bonds. I consider them kind since they brought me food, drinks, and books. The books--I ask them if they could at least give something to kill time too. Although they wouldn"t leave me even though I have told them so many times that I wouldn"t run away because there"s no way in heavens that I could have probably escape a room where no windows or air pa.s.sageway is allowed. Which is a half-lie because I want to buy myself some time to search the room cause there"s certainly a secret pa.s.sageway or something behind one of these walls. But the warriors just wouldn"t budge. I have tried using my ability on them which is my second mistake this day.

I realize that they are one of the silencers when they almost rob me off of my powers. The silencers are the dangerous ones in this field since they can leave you powerless and useless so you have to be careful when you encounter them cause some of them are not as forgiving as these two.

That is how I ended up, lying on the bed, reading some stuff about a girl who"s name is Mare Barrow and a prince named Cal. Well, their story is pretty much alike to mine so it piques my interest.

I am enjoying what I am reading so far when that knock interrupts me. I continue reading anyway, my two guards are the ones who answered the door. They still won"t tell me their names so I figured I could name them as G1 and G2.

I didn"t even look up from what I was doing even though my attention was diverted from the book to them. They are talking in hush tones in the doorway and time to time they would glance at me. It takes about 5 minutes before the two guards finally decided to tell me their conversation.

I shift in my position and pretend to not trying to eavesdrop from their earlier talk. I continue to ignore them as they come on the edge of the bed.

"Our Madame has requested for your appearance in on dinner. The servants are here to help you bathe, they already have your clothes prepared. After washing yourself, we will escort you to the dining room." G1 stated. I didn"t even bother looking at them to see their scowls as I continue to lie there and read. I flip to the next page. "If you don"t stand up we will--"

I cut her off by snapping the book shut and standing abruptly. I smile sweetly at her before putting the book on the table beside my bed. I raise my eyebrows and gesture to the door with my eyes. "Shall we?" I walk without giving them another glance.

We walk in silence. The two servants are in front of me while the guards are behind me. I snort at their positions.

"What?" G2 asked.

"Nah," was all I said just to p.i.s.s her off. We continue on our little tour on the heaps of hallways.

I was almost certain that they are leading me somewhere where they can slay me and bury my body silently without raising an alarm when we turn to a hallway to found a dead end. Or not.

A door stood tall at the end of the hallway. Nothing to see, just a normal bathroom door. So when they open the door I almost choke at the vast s.p.a.ce inside. There are at least 20 cubicles with no doors but walls only to separate each. Showers were stalled above the walls which are tall enough to conceal your chest up to your knees.

I turn towards the servants since the guards have stayed outside. "Okay, are there any soap or shampoos that I can use here? And also, leave my clothes behind. I am sure I don"t need help in that or in bathing." I held out my hands to them but they continue to stare at me as if I just swallow a stone. "Do you understand what I said? Or you are one of those people who don"t speak English? Because we are going to have a problem in that since English is the only language I know..."

"Uhm. It is not that," Servant#1 answered. Thank G.o.ds they speak English. "Madame said you are to be washed properly and you will probably need help in putting on the dress."

"Oh. Okay. I can wash myself properly so where is the soap?"

"No. We are to wash you ourselves." I. Choke.

"No, no, no. That is not necessary."

"It is," they speak at the same time.

"But--"

"Miss," servant#2 cut me off. "Please don"t make this hard for us. Madame said you need to be prepared for the feast properly. There should be no grime left on your body. Any part."

"Besides, if we don"t bathe you ourselves, Madame could punish us." They bot shudder as if a memory both pa.s.sed between them. I sigh heavily as I nod at the two of them. Although it makes me uncomfortable I don"t want anyone getting punishments just because of my hidden bratty att.i.tude.

They beam like laser lights so I didn"t regret my decision. I was hoping to have some alone time actually, just to get myself together amidst the turn of occasions. But I guess I won"t have that in the meantime.

I let them strip me of my clothes which were put directly in the trash. I let them clean me but I also let my mind wander as they wash me. I let myself drift back to the time when Mica saw my body the first time. She insisted on washing me since I came back home with earth all over myself because I was trying to find food at that time but ended up almost getting caught by warriors. My tears mixed with the water as they wash me. I am sure that they can see me crying and I am thankful that they didn"t say anything, just get on what they were doing.

When we were done they push me into another set of doors which leads to the ma.s.sive dressing room. Light blinded me when we step into the room but when my eyes adjust to the light, I instantly ogle at the thing in front of me.

A royal blue dress stood at the heart of the room. No. A gown. A royal blue gown that shows a great deal of my chest and shoulder blades and collar bone, with a slit up to the thigh of the right leg. A cape is attached around the shoulders. Its long sleeves have some slits too. It is a tight fit but I am sure that it will fit my body well. It will showcase my curves too.

I look at it in awe but was interrupted by a throat clearing. "I am sorry to ruin your, uhm, moment," servant#2 said. What a great innuendo. "But we only have 5 minutes so we better start working now." I gave them a small nod and then we get to work.

As they work to get the gown on me I get a good glimpse of their features. Servant#1 is more fierce-looking than servant#2. She has green eyes, and everything on her face is small but has some sharpness in them. Servant#2 has large brown eyes and a small face but plump lips. She is the perfect example of perfection. She looks calm and composed and she held some finesse in her too. Their hairs were tied up in a bun and they wore a practical maid"s clothes.

Right when the 5 minutes is up, a loud and impatient knock came on the door. The servants have already done my make-up and my hair, they have ignored all my protest regarding how I like my hair tied up in a ponytail. I don"t know what I look like since they have no mirror in this room which is odd. What kind of dressing room doesn"t have a mirror? Right?

After all that, they escorted me quietly to the dining area. Once again, we turn and turn in the endless corners of this palace. I even thought, maybe, we are lost but just that instant a vast sky-high ceiling came into view. That"s when I realize that we are on the second floor or so of the castle.

A dazzling chandelier twinkles in front of me. I blink my haze away and we descended the elaborate stair. As we come to the bottom, I found myself face to face with a long table that is full of foods.

My mouth instantly waters at the sight. My eyes travel up the length of the table and rested them on the woman seating at the head seat of the table. She"s drinking wine and she is smiling at me. I cleared my throat, "What"s with all the foods? Obviously, you and I, are the only ones who are going to eat."

"This is how we celebrate here." She puts down her gla.s.s and wipes her mouth.

"By wasting food?" I couldn"t help but for the snappy retort to come out and I was rewarded with her icy gaze.

"No," she curtly answers. Her voice is as cold as her eyes can be. Maybe colder than the winter. "The leftovers would be eaten by the servants."

I snort and roll my eyes. "What"s there to celebrate?"

"Our partnership."

I scoff and choke at the same time. "Partnership?!" I arch an eyebrow. "What partnership? Cause I am pretty I made myself clear earlier, as clear as the light coming from your fancy chandelier, that I will not work for you nor will I be your partner in crime." I sneered at her.

"And I, also, made myself clear earlier that you will work for me whether you want it or not. No deal is included. Now, why don"t you settle down first so we can discuss this more thoroughly?" I glare at her and she stares at me, a smirk is playing at the corner of her lips. Thinking back to how she can be scary when she"s angered, I force myself to take a seat.

I pull out the chair four seats away from her. But before I could even sit she stops me. "You won"t sit there, sit here." She gestures for the right chair beside her. Her tone doesn"t carry an argument so I decided to sit right next to her.

We eat in silence but my eyes wander around. I can sense them--the warriors--they are around us. Hiding behind the pillars. Do they really think that I would kill her here? Maybe I would if we weren"t surrounded by CCTV or if I know the castle well enough. "Won"t they be tired from standing there?" I didn"t look up from sipping my soup. She let out a little laugh.

"As eagle-eyed as ever even if held captive." I shrug in reply. "Come out now. There"s no point in hiding anyway."

That"s when I look up. 5 or 10 warriors came out from the pillars or behind the staircase or the ones hiding behind the shadows. They look alert, their hands are already coming to touch the hilt of their swords.

We continue on our feasting. When we are done with the main course, dessert was served. I didn"t feel like talking and I was thankful for the peace and quiet she provided so I didn"t attempt to start a conversation with her. Then she opens her mouth and words came out.

"Now," she rubs her hands together. "Let"s start our negotiation shall we?"

"Negotiation?" I furrow my brows as I stare at her. "I thought we"ve got no deal?"

"Yes. We don"t have a deal. But we must have negotiation for our partnership."

I turn my head away from her and roll my eyes. When I turn to her again, she"s smiling from ear to ear, I pucker my lips before saying, "You mean rules."

The smile disappears from her face replaced by a scowl. Her eyes narrowed. "If that"s what you want to call it. Fine. Rules. I have printed mine for you. You can lay yours too if you have some to lay down."

She pa.s.ses me a piece of paper. I take it then read silently. My eyes moving line after line.

1. No lurking around in the hallways. (I smirk at that.)

2. Do as you are told. (We are going to have a real problem with that.)

3. Do not talk back to me unless I let you speak. (Another problem. Because I am planning on p.i.s.sing her off every single day of her life that we are together.)

4. You are to accompany me on every occasion, meeting, ball, etc. (I frown at that.)

5. You are to protect me. (BIGGEST. PROBLEM. Because I want her dead. There"s no way I will save her life even if the G.o.ds beg me to.)

When I finished reading, I flip the paper to see if there"s more but I found nothing. "That"s all?"

"Yes, that would be all if you are a good girl but if you are not, the list will be going on and on until it is as long as Santa"s list of naughty kids."

"I get the idea even though I don"t even know who"s Santa is. Or perhaps I don"t remember."

I stay silent for a moment, just staring at the piece of paper before I ask, "What will happen if I fail to obey any of these?" Which is most likely to happen than for me to obey them.

She flicks her fingers then servants came right up, cleaning the table. I notice that the two of them are the servants who a.s.sisted me earlier. Once finished, a warrior came by her side, holding a remote. She clicks something on it, and a hologram springs out of the thin air. It takes me a moment or two before I recognize that it is a footage from a CCTV in one of the prisons underground.

My lips went dry, my throat tightens and there"s a lump in my throat that I can"t swallow. My chest gets heavy, my breathing labored. I want to scream but somehow it died in my throat.

Ila is slump on the floor of the prison. Her wrists were tied as well as her ankles. Her shirt was tattered and there"s dried blood all over her leg and some parts of her body. Her right eye was swollen.

Rage consumes my soul as I turn around to face the director once again. "What did you do to her?" there"s no reason to mask the anger in my voice.

"She caused a scene all the way from the square up to there. She tried to kill one of my warriors. She wounded three of them. It is only right for her to pay for what she did." The calmness in her voice made my fury burn more inside of me.

"Of course she would fight! What do you think she would do? Just let you drag her so you can kill them? Don"t be ridiculous. You should have known! What she did was understandable!" The warriors around the room step up but I held my ground as I release daggers from my eyes to the director.

"What she did was understandable but that doesn"t mean that she should not pay for it." She rested her chin on her fists as she leans forward. "Now, look." I return my hard gaze on the hologram and almost choke to my death.

Different footage of my colleagues is being displayed in front of me. They are in the same situation as Ila. Some worst and Raven is one of the worst. "If," The Director"s voice snapped my attention back to her. "You refuse or fail to obey one of my rules for you. Don"t worry you won"t suffer but they will. A few more broken limbs or bones or bruised spleens won"t kill them, right?" Her smile sparks anew anger in me.

"I will kill you if you try to hurt any of them," I growl.

"Now, do we negotiate or not?" She held out her hand for me to shake. As if I would even touch her. So instead, I sneered at her. She laughs then looks over my shoulder. Her expression turned serious. "Let"s get her to sleep, shall we? Sweet dreams, honey." I whirl around before I fell back into the dark pit of my past.