fallen hero | matthew fairchild

chapter 01 | clove gardens

Hero Silverstone was pushing her feet as fast as they could move to escape. Her breath was short and quick. She could feel her heart beating like a stampede in her chest. It was like her heart was trying to catch up to her every movement.

She wished she had exercised more during her stay in the Clove Gardens. Her muscles weren't used to this sort of strain.

She also wished women weren't expected to wear dresses that reached the ground.

She could feel the bright knot of pain building in the side of her stomach, while her arms strained to hold the annoying fabric out of her feet's path.

Hero ignored all of the aches and kept moving. She couldn't let Mr. Love catch up with her. She refused to stand another day under his roof.

Every time she blinked she could see Clove Gardens. It was a beautiful manor with elegant archways and complex brick structures. She would've loved it if she had had the choice of living there.

One day, she reminded herself, one day, I will come back here and take back Clove Gardens. I will build a real life here.

Or I will burn it down.

It was a goal she had kept to keep her hope alive.

She heard the flapping of wings behind her and suddenly the sweat and heat on her skin turned ice cold.

In front of her was merely grass and trees, no one was nearby to hear her screams. To hear her begging Mr. Love not to take her back to Clove Gardens.

She pushed these thoughts away from her mind. Mr. Love could scent doubt a mile away. Hero fought to keep herself moving. If she was taken back, Mr. Love would make sure she would never escape again.

She could picture herself wearing chains day and night.

The beats of wings were getting louder. Hero cried out in frustration. All of the energy she was using was not getting her far enough from Mr. Love.

She turned her head slightly to gauge the distance between her and Mr. Love.

Her eyes widened at the sight of him only a couple of feet away from her. He was in midair, his midnight hair was being whipped back and forth by the wind. Even from a distance, she could see his mighty green eyes. Mr. Love's black wings framed his shoulders and propelled him closer and closer to her.

I would cut those wings off if I had the chance, Hero thought.

If she was less panicked, she would feel more horrified at her mind.

It was one of the worst parts of Mr. Love's relationship with her: he brought out the absolute worst in her. She wondered if she hadn't spent her entire childhood with him, maybe she would be a more sane girl.

She turned her mind back to the situation at hand. Hero knew she couldn't outrun a maniac with wings.

She knew what she had to do.

She slid to a stop. The sound of the birds watching was the only other sound than the furious flapping of large wings. Hero wished she could admire the image in front of her because she wasn't sure if this would be the last time she saw the outdoors.

She unsheathed a knife she had found in Mr. Love's office. The door had been strangely unlocked. She had the choice between a sword and a measly knife, but she knew carrying a sword would only slow her down.

Hero turned her body so she faced the frightening sight of Mr. Love flying towards her. She could see his feral smile twisting his beautiful face.

He landed on the ground blanketed with green grass softly.

"Hero trying to be a hero," he singsonged. He wasn't even out of breath even though they had been playing cat-and-mouse for over two hours. "Do you believe you can hurt me with that tiny knife?"

"You need to be stopped, Mr. Love," she said furiously. She knew she looked a mess in comparison, her cheeks were flushed with exercise and she could barely say that statement without taking a breath.

Mr. Love laughed. "I've told you, darling. Call me Cary, we've known each other for years."

It disturbed her how deeply he wanted her to be comfortable with him.

She unconsciously bent her knees, her left foot in front of her right, her right arm poised to strike. "Leave me be, Mr. Love."

The amusement on his face slowly drained out of his face. "You are nothing without me," he snarled. "Nothing but a whore."

Hero's heart stopped at the aggression of that word.

Mr. Love lunged.

She yelled as his entire weight fell on top of her. Her back slammed into the ground, his body following on top of her.

Hero tried to use the knife, but there wasn't enough space between them for her to land a blow. All she could do was poke him and that would not be enough to stop him.

She could feel his body shaking with laughter. The contact with his body left goose pimples running across her skin.

He pinned her arms and legs to the ground. She clutched tightly to the knife in her hand, but he was far too strong for her.

Mr. Love's head lay in the space between her shoulder and her neck, so she could see the blue sky. It was torture, to have a glimpse of something she knew would never have again.

He picked his head up so all she could see at that moment was his horrifyingly beautiful face. It angered her, the idea that she would never get to see the blue sky again. Only the walls he had built.

"Get off me!" she screamed and struggled.

"I must have overestimated your intelligence if you thought you could hurt me." He brought his face closer so she could see every speck of color in his eyes. She could even see the amusement in his eyes.

"I will kill you," she practically growled. "I will tear you apart!"

"That isn't very lady-like," he said like she wasn't practically begging him to let her go.

She stopped struggling. "Cary," she tried. Hero saw the way his eyes softened at the sound of his name. "Remove yourself, and I shall willingly come with you," she promised.

He smiled slightly at her and pressed a disgusting kiss to her cheek. "I am no fool, Hero. I will not let you go until I know you are safe in Clove Gardens."

The anger in her gut was suddenly so overpowering. Her breath came out like she was running, and then she shut her eyes and screamed in frustration.

She had anticipated a slap to follow her "burst of childishness". What she had not expected was when she had stopped screaming, the scream continued howling.

Hero opened her eyes to see it was Cary Love who was screaming.

She had never heard him scream before. She had heard shouts of anger and displeasure, but never had she seen him scream in what seemed to be... pain.

He scrambled off her and pushed his body as far as it could go. She sat up in confusion at his pain. A part of her wanted to ask him what had happened, but this was an opening for her to escape.

She stood up on shaky legs. She inched farther and farther away from where Mr. Love writhed in pain.

She noticed the way red irritation began to spread across his skin. It was almost like he had been burned.

She took a chance and moved closer to his body. He was twisting and turning from the burns his body had accumulated. She tucked away her knife and tentatively touched the pockets of his trousers.

There she found a pouch of coins and another longer knife. She ignored the question of whether he planned on using this knife on her, and simply pocketed her stolen treasures.

Hero didn't look back as she ran away to the sounds of Mr. Love's screams once more.

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