The fall

Chapter 17

Penelope

I have always admired Mr. Laurens. He's always been a mentor of sorts, even the father I never had. For years, I'd turn to him for advice, whether it was about my evol, my past, my relationships—life in general. Which is why I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I felt the floor had just dropped out from under me.

"If she finds out we are the ones who killed her mother and not the people of Valort, she'll kill us all." He said. My heart is pounding in my chest. I have always trusted Mr. Laurens, believed his wisdom, his guidance. It was all a lie. What was even worse was that Blake was just sitting there, not denying anything. Why? Why would they do this to me?
The people I called family.

"She's still buying it, Blake." He says, laughing proudly. "I've told her everything she wants to hear, and she believes me. It's almost too easy!" There was a pause as he glances at the door, I flinch before covering my mouth to prevent the sounds of my breathing coming out. Then he continues. "I'll keep her on the hook a little longer, she doesn't know a thing about what really happened, she never will—cause weapons never know the truth.

I've been blind, what happened to the man who comforted me as a child? Who was this monster? Who was the man next too that monster? What was Blake doing? The man I loved for years unconditionally.
Mr. Laurens has been manipulating me for years.

I clench my shirt, my heart hurts. Why?
My legs moved before my mind could catch up, the moment I heard those words was all I needed to hear—Mr.Laurens was cruel and my boyfriend was a traitor. The words he said "cause weapons never know the truth" was I only that? A weapon? Everything I had once believed in, everything I had once trusted felt so strange to me.

I only know one thing, I had to get out of there. I don't know where I might end up, but I need to get out of here and far away from them as possible. I bolted out of his house without thinking, my feet pounds against the pavement as I run. My heart starts hammering in my chest.
I need air, space, something to separate me from the suffocation.

...

I somehow managed to run all the way to the mantra forest, the trees around me are blurry. The dark shades of them are practically stretching like shadows, what is happening to me? I can't seem to slow down my breathing.
My breath comes in sharp, shallow gasps as my heart keeps thudding violently in my chest. The air is too thick, it's hard to breathe.

I come too a stop as I come collapsing down against a tree, my back hitting the rough bark. I tilt my head back too bury my face in my palms, my hands tremble—my fingers are stiff and my vision is narrowing. The world seems to be collapsing. I can't breathe.
The leaves rustle, but the sound feels so faint as I only hear my ears ringing and my chest throbbing.

My chest keeps tightening. I can't breathe, I can't breathe.
My skin is clammy as I try to collect my thoughts, the world is spinning. Focus, Penelope, breathe. Just breathe.
I hug my knees to my chest, I grip the fabric of my joggers. Pulling them hard to hold myself together. I stare out in front of me before I let out a choked sob.

I bury my face in my knees, this is too much to bear. The tears soak through the fabric of my pants. My breath coming in ragged gasps, each one louder than the gasp as I cry. How could they do this to me? How could Blake do this to me?
I sat there as my face is still pressed against my knees and the tears still making my cheeks wet.

Something snapped, I stopped crying—soon emptiness followed and my mood shifted. My hands clutching the fabric turned into fists. How could they do this to me?
I lift my head from my knees, my breath coming quicker, not from my tears but something sharper.
How dare they? The thought exploded in my mind, and with it a wave of rage flooded in my chest.

I need to start acting, I need to kill him.
You want to play fair, Mr. Laurens? An eye for an eye—a life for a life, you son of a bitch.