Escape Route

Four

Narrator's P.O.V.

Annalise Benson waited anxiously for her daughter, Autumn to return as the second sun that belonged to Tiamat had disappeared behind the tree line. Dinner was already set on the table and a boy Autumn hunted with had told her that her daughter would return in time for dinner.

What concerned Annalise more than the food going cold was her life. The consequences of a slave escaping was nothing compared to what the royal family would do to her if they found out that Autumn had escaped. It had been Annalise's responsibility to care for Autumn and raise her until she was old enough to be told the truth.

Annalise's job was simple: raise Autumn as her own, away from the chaos of society, where she would always be in danger. For nineteen years, she had lived the lie willingly. Annalise had grown to care for the girl as if she were her own. She was the only connection to her previous life, where she did her job unnoticed.

Her worst fear was about to come true. Autumn's quest for freedom could've led her straight into a rebellion trap and it would be her fault. The death of Autumn would result in the downfall of the Royal family.

Was it even possible that the Rebellion knew the truth about Autumn? Annalise wondered to herself as she began walking to Maddox's residence for help.

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In a different solar system, on a much warmer planet, Killian Foster paced in his room, thoughts of a young woman clouding his usually clear judgment.

Autumn was different than any other girl he had ever met. She carried herself the way a princess should. Her attitude was enough to turn his head and watch her with both curiosity and amusement. She also happened to be the only female on the entire planet who wasn't swooning at the sight of him.

Of course, he knew that being the best fighter for the Rebellion came with popularity. He embraced his popularity with both the men, who envied both his charm and fighting abilities, and the women, who shamelessly threw themselves at him. He never did anything more than flirt back with them, but he was beginning to realize how childish it all seemed.

His thoughts wandered back to the girl who had fallen asleep in the room next to his. He thought about her curiosity with the kitchen appliances.

Never in his life had he ever witnessed a girl struggle to watch the light in the fridge turn off and on the way she had. He knew that a slave lived without all the luxuries that he had his entire life, but he never thought he would watch a young slave adapt to the life he took for granted. Watching her discover how kitchen appliances worked was interesting and unlike anything he had ever seen.

Silently padding across the carpeted floor, Killian made his way over to Autumn's room.

I'm just going to make sure that she's alright, he told himself, there's no harm in that.

Almost silently, Killian opened the door leading into her room.

It was the complete opposite of what his room looked like.

He preferred the cyan blue walls that complemented his eyes perfectly to the forest green walls that reminded him of the forest he had taken her from. Where the silver was in his room, was a pale gold in her's.

A sleeping figure has buried under the warm sheets of the bed.

A small smile made its way onto Killian's face as he heard Autumn mumble complete and utter nonsense as she slept.

She seems so innocent and unaware of the war that has been raging on for the past twenty years, Killian thought, moving closer to the girl.

He watched as the fragile-looking girl shivered, still cold despite the layers of blankets that were piled on top of his. Her pale skin reflected the moonlight, making her look like she was glowing.

Quickly and quietly, Killian walked back to his room to grab the blankets that were in a heap on the floor.

Killian was always warm, despite the fact that the air conditioner was always on.

Carrying the blankets in his arms, he made his way back to Autumn's room. He placed the blankets on top of her own, making sure that her face wasn't covered.

When Killian was sure that his new companion wouldn't freeze, he left her room.

The sun had already begun to rise by the time Killian had settled down enough to fall asleep.

Sleep was something that Killian dreaded. Each night he was haunted by his past and it exhausted him. He prayed each night that he could have one night of peace, where he dreamt of nothing at all.

Killian tossed and turned until he finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

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I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and the insight of the lives Annalise Benson and Killian.  There will be chapters like this one throughout the book, and these chapters will be shorter than the others.

As the story progresses, there is a possibility that there will be some chapters in Killian's point of view. Let me know what you think about this.