Fall - Prequel

07. Caged

I wanted to kill them all, but I knew I wasn't capable of doing something as heinous as that. I didn't have it in me. I was weak and fragile— the kind of person who would rather succumb to a tyrant than dare to go up against one. I was the kind of person who waved their red flag before the battle even started.

I might have been weak, but more importantly, I was smart. I knew I couldn't run from them or kill them, so that left only one viable option.

I had to become them.

I needed to make them trust me and I couldn't very well do that by breaking their trust. Prince was right. I needed to change my act up. If I acted like a sheep, they would slaughter me like the wolves they were. I had to be like a lioness; fierce and strong.

They were men of flesh and bone, but they acted like they were cats with nine lives ahead of them. Wild, vicious, and carnal. They would eat someone like me alive and spit out the chewed-up pieces. I couldn't act like prey anymore. I had to act like a predator. That was the only way I'd even stand a chance against them.

And maybe just maybe after I gained their trust; I could finally break it in half. I would get away from them someday. I just wasn't sure when that day would be.

In the meantime, I could search for proof and evidence. Proof that I was merely an innocent in all of this and evidence that they were delusional killers that deserved to be put on death row to be executed. I didn't care what their reason for starting that fire was. Death can't be justified so simply. You have to have a pretty damn good reason, and even then, it might not be enough.

"What are you doing up here?" Everet's eyes narrowed in on Prince who seemed unbothered by his penetrating gaze. Slowly, his eyes settled on me. "What is she doing up here?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Prince put a finger to his chin in mock consideration, letting a low-bellied laugh escape the confines of his throat. "You're the one who brought her here."

"I'll be the one to take her out, too, if she doesn't start listening." He replied harshly, making a shiver crawl down my back. I didn't appreciate the duality of his words. He wasn't going to take me out on a date. He was going to take me out like trash and throw me away.

"She's been a good girl." Prince spoke of me like I was a dirty mutt, making the blood in my veins boil. I swallowed my anger begrudgingly, knowing that lashing out wasn't the answer. I had to act like I didn't care. I had to be strong. "Haven't you?"

"Of course." I nodded politely, trying my best to hide the indigestion that burned through my body like wild fire. It was easier said than done. I hid my hands behind my back when they tightened into hard fists involuntarily. My frustration was almost too hard to control. I could feel it coursing through me, begging to be unleashed and set free. "I've been very good."

"Is that so?" Everet eyed me skeptically, waiting to see if I was going to break character. I had no intention of ever doing that. I couldn't allow him the pleasure of seeing me crack. "I strictly remember you being a very bad girl."

"You must have amnesia then." I crossed my arms over my chest, letting out an elongated sigh, feigning boredom.

"On the contrary, I have a good memory, turchino." His arms slipped from the woman's waist, as he stepped toward me menacingly.

Hiding behind Prince didn't go as planned when he dipped behind my back, putting me front and center in the line of fire. I kept my gaze toward the floor, too petrified to look up at what— who— was standing right in front of me. It wasn't until Everet's leather dress shoes came into view that I finally decided to glance upwards. I couldn't cower away from my fears anymore. I had to face them head on.