Darkness Falls, Light Rises #Wattys2015

Ch.27

Ch.27
"Brandy?"
"Katya!"
My eyes snapped to the doors, I watched in horror as the leader of the anarchists and Mason stepped into the room, Anya and the others close behind.
"Brandy. You can't kill him." Mason shouted, running over to us. "He doesn't need to die."
"Yeah, Brandy. I don't need to die." Kevin added, resulting in me peeling part of his cheek off.
"You don't get to say anything, you little pansyass bitch." I growled, pressing my thumb into his open wound. Turning my eyes back onto Mason, I grimaced when I saw disappointment in his eyes. Looking past him at the leader of the anarchists. "Why are you here?"
The boy was, at least from what I could tell, was our age. His eyes were mesmerizing, their gold and green irises drawing me in. A mop of curly brown hair fell on his forehead, giving him an athletic aura. Then there was his practically perfect physique, with his pants hanging low and tunic loose on his chest.
"I am David." He announced, his voice dripping with an accent that was specific to the south west sector of Rideran territory. There they spoke a mix of the middle language and ancient Rideran. "I am the leader of the esteemed anarchists and I am here with your brother, making plans. Are you Katya?"
Furrowing my brows, I glanced at Mason who was absolutely confused by the entire ordeal. "Why do you want to know?"
"She's my betrothed." He answered simply, resulting in a not so simple lurch in my stomach.
I could feel the tension in the room thicken, my grip on the dagger loosening.
"You're lying." I replied coldly, not a hint of emotion on my face.
"Is that right? He told me Katya is still alive. He wants us to be married." He disclosed, eyeing Mason warily as if he were a bomb to defuse.
"Brandy, what are they talking about?!" Mason yelled, bringing the attention onto him.
Pursing my lips, I was ready to tell him softly, easing him into the idea when Kevin suddenly spoke.
"Her name isn't Brandy. She lied to you to infiltrate your court. She's my fucking sister and the betrothed of David. She doesn't care about you." Kevin spat, smirking as he saw the information seep into Mason's mind.
Growling, I threw him to the side and cut off his oxygen until he went unconscious.
Standing with my back to Mason, I let out a breath, wishing that we were back on the beach, our bodies so close that there was no space between. I wanted that mask back, letting me be the girl who only wanted a future with him. I knew what the coup entailed, but I would've still be Brandy. I would've been fine with that.
"What's going on?" Mason pleaded, the sadness in his voice raw and heartbreaking.
"Am I missing something?" David asked, his voice low as if he knew he were encroaching on an intimate moment.
"Please leave us for a moment." I whimpered, my body trembling in anticipation of what I was about to say.
When I heard the door slam, I turned around, my eyes full of tears.
"Mason, I'm so sorry." I cried, my heart breaking when realization fell over him. "I-I just...please don't hate me."
Walking toward him tentatively, I touched his hand, my stomach jolted when he pulled away suddenly.
"Mason-"
"So they were telling the truth? You're Katya, the queen?" He snapped, his eyes full of contempt and disgust. "You've lied the whole time! Was anything you said true?"
"Yes," I choked out, tears rolling down my face. "I did have a friend named Brandy. She was my best friend."
"Did you kill her?"
Averting my eyes, I nodded. "I can't change what I did in the past. But you bring out the good side of me. The part that I thought my father and uncle had taken." I sobbed truthfully, yearning to be held in his arms. "I love you." I said in my head.
"No! Everything that happened wasn't real! I was deceived and nothing I felt for you applies now. You are a terrible human being and I wish I had never met you." He spat, his eyes full of rage and disgust. "All you are is a girl who I thought I loved. You are nothing to me. Our sex means nothing because you mean absolutely nothing."
Wrapping my arms around my waist, I dropped, my legs buckling under the weight I felt. It was an overload of emotional pain and self-loathing that attacked me in that very moment.
I know this is such a sensitive moment, but I have to say, I told you.
My eyes snapped to the corner to see my uncle, his face gaunt and eye devoid of any emotion.
He's just a ghost, I said to myself.
No one loves you, Kat. Maybe your father did, but I did what I thought was best for you.
"Shut up. Shut up." I chanted, the pressure in my head growing.
You're a useless piece of shit. Even the boy who you thought loved you thought sex with you was atrocious.
"Shut up!" I screamed, shutting him out of my mind.
Looking up, I saw Mason's face covered in confusion and still disgust. "You really are crazy."
Standing up, I did my best to try to calm down from my little mental break, although it was more of a fracture.
"Mason, I wasn't lying about how I felt for you."
"So you just conveniently forgot that you tortured so many of my people?" He laughed humorlessly. "I can't love someone like you."
"But you did."
"No. I loved Brandy." He snapped, his brows furrowing as he backed away from me. "I don't know who you are."