Kissing Danger ✔️

TWENTY TWO

Word Count: 1633

¬Aven

Saying goodbye to mother and Lei wasn't easy.

We woke before sunrise and spent a few hours talking. The future wasn't mentioned once; mainly because it would send my emotions into an endlessly painful spiral. At some point, Stace came to collect us, motioning for us to follow him, so we did, out onto his balcony, where we said our last goodbyes. I'm not sure what came over me, but I didn't cry. Not until Stace grabbed both Lei and mother's hand, and they all vanished.

Now, I sit against the hard floor of the balcony, back pressed against the balcony as I cry. I've never felt loss like this, where the future seems so uncertain, where a sense of loneliness has dug so deep inside me, there's no hope of getting it back out again.

Stace appears a few minutes later.

It only takes him a single glance to see me with my head bent down, wiping tears from my cheeks before he is knelt down beside me, resting his hand against my knee as he looks at me intently. For a moment his presence chases away the loneliness, the fear of the future, but it only returns as quickly as it had vanished.

"It's okay. You know this is for the better," he assures me quietly, although I hear the griminess in his tone. I'm sure he is doubting whether he should bother trying to convince me I'm better off here.

"Doesn't make me any less upset," I mutter, using my sleeve to wipe the rest of the tears.

"And it doesn't mean you won't get to see them again," he reminds me. Once again, seeing as my future appears blurry to me right now, it's hard to look forward to anything like that, or to even believe Stace on his word. "We can always go back and visit, when it's safer."

Deciding I can't take it any longer, I get to my feet. The longer I sit there feeling sorry for myself, the worst I'm going to end up feeling, and ideally, I want to be able to fall asleep tonight. Stace stands also as I walk back inside.

"Let's go," I exclaim distractedly.

"Where are we going?" Stace asks, sounding somewhat amused by my sudden decision to pull myself together. He can see it's easier for me to not think about what's upsetting me instead of facing it head on when I can't do anything about it, so he's trying to make light of the situation.

"Away, to one of the other Territories," I exclaim. I'm afraid that if I stay in this estate any longer, I'm going to lose my mind. "I need an epic distraction."

He extends his arms. "We don't have to leave this house for me to provide you a distraction."

"Alright, we leave tonight," I hear from the other side of the room. Eryk walks in, raising a brow in Stace's direction, who smiles knowingly. Rolling my eyes, I decide if I'm going to get out of here, it's not going to happen unless both Stace and Eryk come with me.

"Okay, which Territory?"

"They all seem to have their own host of problems," Eryk mutters, collapsing onto one of the chairs close to Stace. I don't dare ask what kind of problems these Territories have, afraid it will convince me that maybe I do want to be locked up in this manor for my own safety. I'm never going to have a chance to do this again, unless I take this opportunity right now.

"Why don't we start at One and go from there?" Stace offers.

"One is crawling with pretentious Nobles." Eryk shakes his head, not looking scared at the thought, just irritated. I frown. Nobles? Is Stace a Noble? He hasn't told me much about what his position of leader here in this Territory entails, or even what the title is that he has been bestowed by whoever came before him.