Borderlines

Chapter Seventeen

When Fawn woke up the next morning, her bones ached from sitting in the same position all night. As Fawn blinked the sleepiness from her eyes, she could feel how swollen they were. Had she cried that much? The hardness of the wall against her back made her shift forward and look at her room. The shattered white vase lay on the floor, dirt and flowers spilt on the carpet. Fawn stood up, ignoring her protesting body. As she began picking up the shards of glass, Fawn couldn't help wondering.
Maybe I overreacted a little here. I mean what else did I expect from him? We just started our relationship yesterday....Garth wouldn't treat me like this. Fawn sucked air in through her teeth when a piece of glass sliced the back of her left hand. She hurriedly dropped what glass she had up picked into a trash can. Blood dripped in a crimson line down her wrist. Fawn looked around her room for something to wrap her hand in before Violet showed up. Grabbing a cloth, Fawn quickly wrapped up the injury. Violet knocked on the door just as she had finished.
"Come in." Fawn said quickly, her throat a little raw. Violet opened the door and stood there, her eyes slowly widening.
"Fawn, what happened to you?" The servant asked, stepping forward and grabbing Fawn's chin to look at her puffy eyes. Violet smelled like spices, she has just come from the kitchen, that would explain the rolling pin in her apron. Fawn looked away.
"I'd rather not talk about." She mumbled. Her servant sighed.
"I'll go get you some tea." Violet turned swiftly and disappeared down the hall. Pulling out a chair, Fawn sat at her desk. There was history book there Clay had ordered them to study. Fawn opened it and began trailing her eyes down the page aimlessly. She wasn't really reading, more like trying to distract herself. Violet returned and set Fawn's tea on the desk silently before beginning to pick of the rest of the vase. She didn't say anything to Fawn, not a single question. There was a knock on Fawn's door.
"Let them in." Fawn said, turning to the next page in the book, not looking up. Violet opened the door and cleared her throat loudly. Fawn looked up from her book. She could feel her temper flaring already.
"I don't want to see him." She ground out, looking back down at her book. Her eyes began to cloud, but Fawn pushed the tears back. She refused to cry.
"Fawn, please." Fawn could hear the plea etched into Travis's voice.
"Get him out of my site." Fawn growled.
"Fawn, can you just-"
"You have a lot of nerve coming back to this room boy, after you pulled that little stunt. You have five seconds to get out of this room or I will personally see to your removal from this palace." Fawn snapped her head back toward her servant. Violet stood in front of Travis, blocking him from taking another step towards Fawn. She had the rolling pin from earlier pointed at him threateningly. Fawn was humbled by the servants loyalty. Travis met Fawn's eye.
"Please, you have to listen to me." Fawn glared at him, holding back her angry words.
"I'm in a lot of trouble." Travis said quietly. Fawn felt something jolt inside of her. He was coming to her for help? She searched his eyes, finding that he looked genuinely scared. Not upset, scared.
"Violet, please leave us." Fawn said quietly, standing from her chair. Violet lowered her pin.
"But my lady-"
"Leave us." Fawn said firmly. The servant sent Travis another glare before exiting the room, closing the door. Fawn and Travis looked at each other silently. Travis looked awful. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was out of place. He looked nothing like himself.
"Fawn, I-" Travis took a step toward her.
"Don't touch me." Fawn hissed, stepping away from him. Travis's hands fell limply to his sides. Fawn glowered at him.
"Travis, did you sleep with her?" Travis looked at the floor, shifting his weight.
"Yes." Something like a shout of rage tore from Fawn's throat and she slapped Travis's cheek with as much force as she could muster. A loud smack resonated in the room.
"You're a liar!" Fawn screamed at him, hot tears sprang to her eyes. Travis didn't even attempt to defend himself. His shoulders sagged like he understood her anger.
"She drugged me." Travis whispered.
"What?!" Fawn's voice rose in confusion. She was more surprised when Travis slumped into her desk chair. Fawn was shocked as he covered his face with his hands.
"She tricked me.." Travis's voice trembled. Fawn sunk down to his level, her head at his knees so that she could see his face.
"Travis, what happened?" Travis looked at her. He was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Fawn had never seen him so distraught before. This was serious.
"I noticed something off about the wine I drank last night, but I didn't think anything of it. It was one glass of wine, mind you. I started getting a headache right before the fireworks," Fawn thought of her brief conversation with him, when she was getting food. The way he had cringed and rubbed his forehead, "that lasted through the fireworks. Then I started feeling dizzy, my thoughts were clouded. They didn't make sense." That must have been when Willow pointed out how drunk he looked.
"Ruth started saying things. They didn't make sense either. I remember going upstairs. Ruth said it would all be okay. After that I don't remember a single thing." Travis's hand shook.
"When I woke up in her room this morning, I knew it. I knew what I had done." Fawn felt her heart sink, but he could be lying to her again. Glancing at him, she knew she couldn't believe he was lying. The way he shook, the way his green eyes flashed.
"Maybe she won't say anything..." Fawn started. Travis shook her head.
"If she had planned on keeping it a secret, she wouldn't have drugged me like that. I know her better then that." Fawn knew it was against the rules to have sexual relations with another competitor.
"Maybe she's trying to get you arrested." Fawn suggested. Travis shook his head again. Fawn didn't know what to say. If she didn't want him arrested what did she want?
"What then, Travis?" He swallowed.
"She wants me dead." Fawn went rigid. She wants him dead?
"Travis, I don't understand." Travis let out a long breath.
"I found something about Clay in the book we brought back. He got in trouble with the law fifteen years ago in Section 8. He had been scamming people in his mine for years under the name Larkin Smith. Around the time that first book says he lost his mine, Larkin Smith was arrested. When he was taken to court he was charged with fraud, murder, and rape." Fawn straightened. Rape?
"How could someone like that hold a position in the palace, much less, not be in jail?"
"That's the thing, Larkin Smith went missing ten years ago on a prisoner transfer. He was never found." This was crazy! They had a corrupt man in one of the highest places of power in the palace and no one knew it! Fawn shifted so that she was sitting in front of Travis.
"Clay took the Advisor office about five years ago." Travis nodded.
"I noticed Ruth talking to him lately at gatherings. She tried to be subtle, but something is going on between them and it's not good. Whatever they are planning, she doesn't want me in on it." Fawn was beginning to a headache from all this information at once.
"But how can she kill you? Breaking the rules only results in immediate dismissal from the competition along with dismissal from your Overseer position." Travis let out a distressed laugh.
"You don't understand, Fawn. She's going to say I forced myself on her." Fawn felt the words sink onto her shoulders. She couldn't do that! Travis would be put to death immediately.
"Did you leave any marks on her?" Travis rubbed his forehead.
"I don't know. As soon as I woke up and realized what happened, I ran. Then I came here." Fawn looked at his green eyes, tears were gathered in them.
"Fawn, you have to help me." He pleaded. Fawn didn't know what to say. When she opened her mouth, words didn't come out.
"Travis..." She started. Travis slid out the chair, sitting face to face with her.
"Fawn, please, I can't die like this. Not after all I've already been through." Fawn felt tears of frustration gathering.
"Travis, I don't know what to do." Fawn started. Suddenly, an idea came to her head.
"Wait, I think I might be able to help you." Travis brightened immediately.
"What is it? I will do anything." Fawn felt a small smile tug at her lips.
"You're going to have to get Garth to like you." His smile vanished.
"What?" Travis asked. Fawn was already getting off the floor.
"Garth and I were both there last night when Ruth took you into her room." Travis shook his head.
"I don't remember that...Wait, what did you see?" He said quickly. Fawn ducked her head. The image of Travis and Ruth kissing fresh in her mind.
"Enough." She said. Travis ran a hand through his hair.
"Was it that bad?" He asked. Fawn nodded, which made Travis cringe.
"You know I don't feel anything for her right Fawn?" Fawn looked away from him, biting her lip before nodding tensely. Even if he wasn't lying, Fawn still felt upset about what had transpired.
"Let's go find Garth." She said quickly and opened her room door. Travis grabbed her hand, spinning her back towards him. Fawn flinched when he touched her face, then he looked at her bandaged hand.
"I'm sorry I did this to you." He whispered. Fawn inhaled quickly, keeping the tears from coming.
"Let's just go find Garth, okay?" Travis nodded. They walked down the hallway quickly. Who knew how much time they had before Ruth went and tattled to Clay. Fawn stopped at Garth's door and took a deep breath. She knocked. There was a long moment of silence before Garth's door swung open.
"Fawn? What are you doing here so early?" He asked in confusion. Fawn ducked her head immediately, a deep blush flushing her cheeks. Garth was shirtless and he was fresh out of the shower. The image of his glistening body was already burned into her memory.
"Umm, we need to talk to you." Fawn kept her eyes focused on his face, which became increasingly harder by the second. Garth reached over and grabbed a shirt off his desk, pulling it on.
"We?" Garth asked when he could finally talk again. Travis coughed beside Fawn and Garth swung his door open wider, revealing Travis. His eyes narrowed and his nice demeanor faded.
"What do you want?"